Although she was a real Princess and the Infanta of Spain, she had only one birthday every year, just like the children of quite poor people, so it was naturally a matter of great importance to the whole country that she should have a really fine day for the occasion. And a really fine day it certainly was. The tall striped tulips stood straight up upon their stalks, like long rows of soldiers, and looked defiantly1 across the grass at the roses, and said: ‘We are quite as splendid as you are now.’ The purple butterflies fluttered about with gold dust on their wings, visiting each flower in turn; the little lizards2 crept out of the crevices3 of the wall, and lay basking4 in the white glare; and the pomegranates split and cracked with the heat, and showed their bleeding red hearts. Even the pale yellow lemons, that hung in such profusion5 from the mouldering6 trellis and along the dim arcades7, seemed to have caught a richer colour from the wonderful sunlight, and the magnolia trees opened their great globe-like blossoms of folded ivory, and filled the air with a sweet heavy perfume.
The little Princess herself walked up and down the terrace with her companions, and played at hide and seek round the stone vases and the old moss8-grown statues. On ordinary days she was only allowed to play with children of her own rank, so she had always to play alone, but her birthday was an exception, and the King had given orders that she was to invite any of her young friends whom she liked to come and amuse themselves with her. There was a stately grace about these slim Spanish children as they glided9 about, the boys with their large-plumed10 hats and short fluttering cloaks, the girls holding up the trains of their long brocaded gowns, and shielding the sun from their eyes with huge fans of black and silver. But the Infanta was the most graceful11 of all, and the most tastefully attired12, after the somewhat cumbrous fashion of the day. Her robe was of grey satin, the skirt and the wide puffed13 sleeves heavily embroidered14 with silver, and the stiff corset studded with rows of fine pearls. Two tiny slippers15 with big pink rosettes peeped out beneath her dress as she walked. Pink and pearl was her great gauze fan, and in her hair, which like an aureole of faded gold stood out stiffly round her pale little face, she had a beautiful white rose.
From a window in the palace the sad melancholy16 King watched them. Behind him stood his brother, Don Pedro of Aragon, whom he hated, and his confessor, the Grand Inquisitor of Granada, sat by his side. Sadder even than usual was the King, for as he looked at the Infanta bowing with childish gravity to the assembling counters, or laughing behind her fan at the grim Duchess of Albuquerque who always accompanied her, he thought of the young Queen, her mother, who but a short time before—so it seemed to him—had come from the gay country of France, and had withered18 away in the sombre splendour of the Spanish court, dying just six months after the birth of her child, and before she had seen the almonds blossom twice in the orchard19, or plucked the second year’s fruit from the old gnarled fig-tree that stood in the centre of the now grass-grown courtyard. So great had been his love for her that he had not suffered even the grave to hide her from him. She had been embalmed20 by a Moorish21 physician, who in return for this service had been granted his life, which for heresy22 and suspicion of magical practices had been already forfeited23, men said, to the Holy Office, and her body was still lying on its tapestried24 bier in the black marble chapel25 of the Palace, just as the monks26 had borne her in on that windy March day nearly twelve years before. Once every month the King, wrapped in a dark cloak and with a muffled27 lantern in his hand, went in and knelt by her side calling out, ‘Mi reina! Mi reina!’ and sometimes breaking through the formal etiquette28 that in Spain governs every separate action of life, and sets limits even to the sorrow of a King, he would clutch at the pale jewelled hands in a wild agony of grief, and try to wake by his mad kisses the cold painted face.
To-day he seemed to see her again, as he had seen her first at the Castle of Fontainebleau, when he was but fifteen years of age, and she still younger. They had been formally betrothed29 on that occasion by the Papal Nuncio in the presence of the French King and all the Court, and he had returned to the Escurial bearing with him a little ringlet of yellow hair, and the memory of two childish lips bending down to kiss his hand as he stepped into his carriage. Later on had followed the marriage, hastily performed at Burgos, a small town on the frontier between the two countries, and the grand public entry into Madrid with the customary celebration of high mass at the Church of La Atocha, and a more than usually solemn auto-da-fé, in which nearly three hundred heretics, amongst whom were many Englishmen, had been delivered over to the secular30 arm to be burned.
Certainly he had loved her madly, and to the ruin, many thought, of his country, then at war with England for the possession of the empire of the New World. He had hardly ever permitted her to be out of his sight; for her, he had forgotten, or seemed to have forgotten, all grave affairs of State; and, with that terrible blindness that passion brings upon its servants, he had failed to notice that the elaborate ceremonies by which he sought to please her did but aggravate31 the strange malady32 from which she suffered. When she died he was, for a time, like one bereft33 of reason. Indeed, there is no doubt but that he would have formally abdicated34 and retired35 to the great Trappist monastery36 at Granada, of which he was already titular37 Prior, had he not been afraid to leave the little Infanta at the mercy of his brother, whose cruelty, even in Spain, was notorious, and who was suspected by many of having caused the Queen’s death by means of a pair of poisoned gloves that he had presented to her on the occasion of her visiting his castle in Aragon. Even after the expiration38 of the three years of public mourning that he had ordained39 throughout his whole dominions40 by royal edict, he would never suffer his ministers to speak about any new alliance, and when the Emperor himself sent to him, and offered him the hand of the lovely Archduchess of Bohemia, his niece, in marriage, he bade the ambassadors tell their master that the King of Spain was already wedded41 to Sorrow, and that though she was but a barren bride he loved her better than Beauty; an answer that cost his crown the rich provinces of the Netherlands, which soon after, at the Emperor’s instigation, revolted against him under the leadership of some fanatics42 of the Reformed Church.
His whole married life, with its fierce, fiery-coloured joys and the terrible agony of its sudden ending, seemed to come back to him to-day as he watched the Infanta playing on the terrace. She had all the Queen’s pretty petulance43 of manner, the same wilful44 way of tossing her head, the same proud curved beautiful mouth, the same wonderful smile—vrai sourire de France indeed—as she glanced up now and then at the window, or stretched out her little hand for the stately Spanish gentlemen to kiss. But the shrill45 laughter of the children grated on his ears, and the bright pitiless sunlight mocked his sorrow, and a dull odour of strange spices, spices such as embalmers use, seemed to taint—or was it fancy?—the clear morning air. He buried his face in his hands, and when the Infanta looked up again the curtains had been drawn46, and the King had retired.
She made a little moue of disappointment, and shrugged47 her shoulders. Surely he might have stayed with her on her birthday. What did the stupid State-affairs matter? Or had he gone to that gloomy chapel, where the candles were always burning, and where she was never allowed to enter? How silly of him, when the sun was shining so brightly, and everybody was so happy! Besides, he would miss the sham48 bull-fight for which the trumpet49 was already sounding, to say nothing of the puppet-show and the other wonderful things. Her uncle and the Grand Inquisitor were much more sensible. They had come out on the terrace, and paid her nice compliments. So she tossed her pretty head, and taking Don Pedro by the hand, she walked slowly down the steps towards a long pavilion of purple silk that had been erected50 at the end of the garden, the other children following in strict order of precedence, those who had the longest names going first.
A procession of noble boys, fantastically dressed as toreadors, came out to meet her, and the young Count of Tierra-Nueva, a wonderfully handsome lad of about fourteen years of age, uncovering his head with all the grace of a born hidalgo and grandee51 of Spain, led her solemnly in to a little gilt52 and ivory chair that was placed on a raised dais above the arena53. The children grouped themselves all round, fluttering their big fans and whispering to each other, and Don Pedro and the Grand Inquisitor stood laughing at the entrance. Even the Duchess—the Camerera-Mayor as she was called—a thin, hard-featured woman with a yellow ruff, did not look quite so bad-tempered55 as usual, and something like a chill smile flitted across her wrinkled face and twitched56 her thin bloodless lips.
It certainly was a marvellous bull-fight, and much nicer, the Infanta thought, than the real bull-fight that she had been brought to see at Seville, on the occasion of the visit of the Duke of Parma to her father. Some of the boys pranced57 about on richly-caparisoned hobby-horses brandishing58 long javelins59 with gay streamers of bright ribands attached to them; others went on foot waving their scarlet60 cloaks before the bull, and vaulting61 lightly over the barrier when he charged them; and as for the bull himself, he was just like a live bull, though he was only made of wicker-work and stretched hide, and sometimes insisted on running round the arena on his hind17 legs, which no live bull ever dreams of doing. He made a splendid fight of it too, and the children got so excited that they stood up upon the benches, and waved their lace handkerchiefs and cried out: Bravo toro! Bravo toro! just as sensibly as if they had been grown-up people. At last, however, after a prolonged combat, during which several of the hobby-horses were gored62 through and through, and, their riders dismounted, the young Count of Tierra-Nueva brought the bull to his knees, and having obtained permission from the Infanta to give the coup63 de grace, he plunged64 his wooden sword into the neck of the animal with such violence that the head came right off, and disclosed the laughing face of little Monsieur de Lorraine, the son of the French Ambassador at Madrid.
The arena was then cleared amidst much applause, and the dead hobby-horses dragged solemnly away by two Moorish pages in yellow and black liveries, and after a short interlude, during which a French posture-master performed upon the tightrope65, some Italian puppets appeared in the semi-classical tragedy of Sophonisba on the stage of a small theatre that had been built up for the purpose. They acted so well, and their gestures were so extremely natural, that at the close of the play the eyes of the Infanta were quite dim with tears. Indeed some of the children really cried, and had to be comforted with sweetmeats, and the Grand Inquisitor himself was so affected66 that he could not help saying to Don Pedro that it seemed to him intolerable that things made simply out of wood and coloured wax, and worked mechanically by wires, should be so unhappy and meet with such terrible misfortunes.
An African juggler68 followed, who brought in a large flat basket covered with a red cloth, and having placed it in the centre of the arena, he took from his turban a curious reed pipe, and blew through it. In a few moments the cloth began to move, and as the pipe grew shriller and shriller two green and gold snakes put out their strange wedge-shaped heads and rose slowly up, swaying to and fro with the music as a plant sways in the water. The children, however, were rather frightened at their spotted69 hoods70 and quick darting71 tongues, and were much more pleased when the juggler made a tiny orange-tree grow out of the sand and bear pretty white blossoms and clusters of real fruit; and when he took the fan of the little daughter of the Marquess de Las-Torres, and changed it into a blue bird that flew all round the pavilion and sang, their delight and amazement72 knew no bounds. The solemn minuet, too, performed by the dancing boys from the church of Nuestra Senora Del Pilar, was charming. The Infanta had never before seen this wonderful ceremony which takes place every year at Maytime in front of the high altar of the Virgin73, and in her honour; and indeed none of the royal family of Spain had entered the great cathedral of Saragossa since a mad priest, supposed by many to have been in the pay of Elizabeth of England, had tried to administer a poisoned wafer to the Prince of the Asturias. So she had known only by hearsay74 of ‘Our Lady’s Dance,’ as it was called, and it certainly was a beautiful sight. The boys wore old-fashioned court dresses of white velvet75, and their curious three-cornered hats were fringed with silver and surmounted76 with huge plumes77 of ostrich78 feathers, the dazzling whiteness of their costumes, as they moved about in the sunlight, being still more accentuated79 by their swarthy faces and long black hair. Everybody was fascinated by the grave dignity with which they moved through the intricate figures of the dance, and by the elaborate grace of their slow gestures, and stately bows, and when they had finished their performance and doffed80 their great plumed hats to the Infanta, she acknowledged their reverence81 with much courtesy, and made a vow82 that she would send a large wax candle to the shrine83 of Our Lady of Pilar in return for the pleasure that she had given her.
A troop of handsome Egyptians—as the gipsies were termed in those days—then advanced into the arena, and sitting down cross-legs, in a circle, began to play softly upon their zithers, moving their bodies to the tune67, and humming, almost below their breath, a low dreamy air. When they caught sight of Don Pedro they scowled84 at him, and some of them looked terrified, for only a few weeks before he had had two of their tribe hanged for sorcery in the market-place at Seville, but the pretty Infanta charmed them as she leaned back peeping over her fan with her great blue eyes, and they felt sure that one so lovely as she was could never be cruel to anybody. So they played on very gently and just touching85 the cords of the zithers with their long pointed86 nails, and their heads began to nod as though they were falling asleep. Suddenly, with a cry so shrill that all the children were startled and Don Pedro’s hand clutched at the agate87 pommel of his dagger88, they leapt to their feet and whirled madly round the enclosure beating their tambourines89, and chaunting some wild love-song in their strange guttural language. Then at another signal they all flung themselves again to the ground and lay there quite still, the dull strumming of the zithers being the only sound that broke the silence. After that they had done this several times, they disappeared for a moment and came back leading a brown shaggy bear by a chain, and carrying on their shoulders some little Barbary apes. The bear stood upon his head with the utmost gravity, and the wizened90 apes played all kinds of amusing tricks with two gipsy boys who seemed to be their masters, and fought with tiny swords, and fired off guns, and went through a regular soldier’s drill just like the King’s own bodyguard91. In fact the gipsies were a great success.
But the funniest part of the whole morning’s entertainment, was undoubtedly92 the dancing of the little Dwarf93. When he stumbled into the arena, waddling94 on his crooked95 legs and wagging his huge misshapen head from side to side, the children went off into a loud shout of delight, and the Infanta herself laughed so much that the Camerera was obliged to remind her that although there were many precedents96 in Spain for a King’s daughter weeping before her equals, there were none for a Princess of the blood royal making so merry before those who were her inferiors in birth. The Dwarf, however, was really quite irresistible97, and even at the Spanish Court, always noted98 for its cultivated passion for the horrible, so fantastic a little monster had never been seen. It was his first appearance, too. He had been discovered only the day before, running wild through the forest, by two of the nobles who happened to have been hunting in a remote part of the great cork-wood that surrounded the town, and had been carried off by them to the Palace as a surprise for the Infanta; his father, who was a poor charcoal-burner, being but too well pleased to get rid of so ugly and useless a child. Perhaps the most amusing thing about him was his complete unconsciousness of his own grotesque99 appearance. Indeed he seemed quite happy and full of the highest spirits. When the children laughed, he laughed as freely and as joyously100 as any of them, and at the close of each dance he made them each the funniest of bows, smiling and nodding at them just as if he was really one of themselves, and not a little misshapen thing that Nature, in some humourous mood, had fashioned for others to mock at. As for the Infanta, she absolutely fascinated him. He could not keep his eyes off her, and seemed to dance for her alone, and when at the close of the performance, remembering how she had seen the great ladies of the Court throw bouquets101 to Caffarelli, the famous Italian treble, whom the Pope had sent from his own chapel to Madrid that he might cure the King’s melancholy by the sweetness of his voice, she took out of her hair the beautiful white rose, and partly for a jest and partly to tease the Camerera, threw it to him across the arena with her sweetest smile, he took the whole matter quite seriously, and pressing the flower to his rough coarse lips he put his hand upon his heart, and sank on one knee before her, grinning from ear to ear, and with his little bright eyes sparkling with pleasure.
This so upset the gravity of the Infanta that she kept on laughing long after the little Dwarf had ran out of the arena, and expressed a desire to her uncle that the dance should be immediately repeated. The Camerera, however, on the plea that the sun was too hot, decided102 that it would be better that her Highness should return without delay to the Palace, where a wonderful feast had been already prepared for her, including a real birthday cake with her own initials worked all over it in painted sugar and a lovely silver flag waving from the top. The Infanta accordingly rose up with much dignity, and having given orders that the little dwarf was to dance again for her after the hour of siesta103, and conveyed her thanks to the young Count of Tierra-Nueva for his charming reception, she went back to her apartments, the children following in the same order in which they had entered.
Now when the little Dwarf heard that he was to dance a second time before the Infanta, and by her own express command, he was so proud that he ran out into the garden, kissing the white rose in an absurd ecstasy104 of pleasure, and making the most uncouth105 and clumsy gestures of delight.
The Flowers were quite indignant at his daring to intrude106 into their beautiful home, and when they saw him capering107 up and down the walks, and waving his arms above his head in such a ridiculous manner, they could not restrain their feelings any longer.
‘He is really far too ugly to be allowed to play in any place where we are,’ cried the Tulips.
‘He should drink poppy-juice, and go to sleep for a thousand years,’ said the great scarlet Lilies, and they grew quite hot and angry.
‘He is a perfect horror!’ screamed the Cactus108. ‘Why, he is twisted and stumpy, and his head is completely out of proportion with his legs. Really he makes me feel prickly all over, and if he comes near me I will sting him with my thorns.’
‘And he has actually got one of my best blooms,’ exclaimed the White Rose-Tree. ‘I gave it to the Infanta this morning myself, as a birthday present, and he has stolen it from her.’ And she called out: ‘Thief, thief, thief!’ at the top of her voice.
Even the red Geraniums, who did not usually give themselves airs, and were known to have a great many poor relations themselves, curled up in disgust when they saw him, and when the Violets meekly109 remarked that though he was certainly extremely plain, still he could not help it, they retorted with a good deal of justice that that was his chief defect, and that there was no reason why one should admire a person because he was incurable110; and, indeed, some of the Violets themselves felt that the ugliness of the little Dwarf was almost ostentatious, and that he would have shown much better taste if he had looked sad, or at least pensive111, instead of jumping about merrily, and throwing himself into such grotesque and silly attitudes.
As for the old Sundial, who was an extremely remarkable112 individual, and had once told the time of day to no less a person than the Emperor Charles V. himself, he was so taken aback by the little Dwarf’s appearance, that he almost forgot to mark two whole minutes with his long shadowy finger, and could not help saying to the great milk-white Peacock, who was sunning herself on the balustrade, that every one knew that the children of Kings were Kings, and that the children of charcoal-burners were charcoal-burners, and that it was absurd to pretend that it wasn’t so; a statement with which the Peacock entirely113 agreed, and indeed screamed out, ‘Certainly, certainly,’ in such a loud, harsh voice, that the gold-fish who lived in the basin of the cool splashing fountain put their heads out of the water, and asked the huge stone Tritons what on earth was the matter.
But somehow the Birds liked him. They had seen him often in the forest, dancing about like an elf after the eddying114 leaves, or crouched115 up in the hollow of some old oak-tree, sharing his nuts with the squirrels. They did not mind his being ugly, a bit. Why, even the nightingale herself, who sang so sweetly in the orange groves116 at night that sometimes the Moon leaned down to listen, was not much to look at after all; and, besides, he had been kind to them, and during that terribly bitter winter, when there were no berries on the trees, and the ground was as hard as iron, and the wolves had come down to the very gates of the city to look for food, he had never once forgotten them, but had always given them crumbs117 out of his little hunch118 of black bread, and divided with them whatever poor breakfast he had.
So they flew round and round him, just touching his cheek with their wings as they passed, and chattered119 to each other, and the little Dwarf was so pleased that he could not help showing them the beautiful white rose, and telling them that the Infanta herself had given it to him because she loved him.
They did not understand a single word of what he was saying, but that made no matter, for they put their heads on one side, and looked wise, which is quite as good as understanding a thing, and very much easier.
The Lizards also took an immense fancy to him, and when he grew tired of running about and flung himself down on the grass to rest, they played and romped120 all over him, and tried to amuse him in the best way they could. ‘Every one cannot be as beautiful as a lizard,’ they cried; ‘that would be too much to expect. And, though it sounds absurd to say so, he is really not so ugly after all, provided, of course, that one shuts one’s eyes, and does not look at him.’ The Lizards were extremely philosophical121 by nature, and often sat thinking for hours and hours together, when there was nothing else to do, or when the weather was too rainy for them to go out.
The Flowers, however, were excessively annoyed at their behaviour, and at the behaviour of the birds. ‘It only shows,’ they said, ‘what a vulgarising effect this incessant122 rushing and flying about has. Well-bred people always stay exactly in the same place, as we do. No one ever saw us hopping123 up and down the walks, or galloping124 madly through the grass after dragon-flies. When we do want change of air, we send for the gardener, and he carries us to another bed. This is dignified125, and as it should be. But birds and lizards have no sense of repose126, and indeed birds have not even a permanent address. They are mere54 vagrants127 like the gipsies, and should be treated in exactly the same manner.’ So they put their noses in the air, and looked very haughty128, and were quite delighted when after some time they saw the little Dwarf scramble129 up from the grass, and make his way across the terrace to the palace.
‘He should certainly be kept indoors for the rest of his natural life,’ they said. ‘Look at his hunched130 back, and his crooked legs,’ and they began to titter.
But the little Dwarf knew nothing of all this. He liked the birds and the lizards immensely, and thought that the flowers were the most marvellous things in the whole world, except of course the Infanta, but then she had given him the beautiful white rose, and she loved him, and that made a great difference. How he wished that he had gone back with her! She would have put him on her right hand, and smiled at him, and he would have never left her side, but would have made her his playmate, and taught her all kinds of delightful131 tricks. For though he had never been in a palace before, he knew a great many wonderful things. He could make little cages out of rushes for the grasshoppers132 to sing in, and fashion the long jointed133 bamboo into the pipe that Pan loves to hear. He knew the cry of every bird, and could call the starlings from the tree-top, or the heron from the mere. He knew the trail of every animal, and could track the hare by its delicate footprints, and the boar by the trampled134 leaves. All the wild-dances he knew, the mad dance in red raiment with the autumn, the light dance in blue sandals over the corn, the dance with white snow-wreaths in winter, and the blossom-dance through the orchards135 in spring. He knew where the wood-pigeons built their nests, and once when a fowler had snared136 the parent birds, he had brought up the young ones himself, and had built a little dovecot for them in the cleft137 of a pollard elm. They were quite tame, and used to feed out of his hands every morning. She would like them, and the rabbits that scurried138 about in the long fern, and the jays with their steely feathers and black bills, and the hedgehogs that could curl themselves up into prickly balls, and the great wise tortoises that crawled slowly about, shaking their heads and nibbling139 at the young leaves. Yes, she must certainly come to the forest and play with him. He would give her his own little bed, and would watch outside the window till dawn, to see that the wild horned cattle did not harm her, nor the gaunt wolves creep too near the hut. And at dawn he would tap at the shutters140 and wake her, and they would go out and dance together all the day long. It was really not a bit lonely in the forest. Sometimes a Bishop141 rode through on his white mule142, reading out of a painted book. Sometimes in their green velvet caps, and their jerkins of tanned deerskin, the falconers passed by, with hooded143 hawks144 on their wrists. At vintage-time came the grape-treaders, with purple hands and feet, wreathed with glossy145 ivy146 and carrying dripping skins of wine; and the charcoal-burners sat round their huge braziers at night, watching the dry logs charring slowly in the fire, and roasting chestnuts148 in the ashes, and the robbers came out of their caves and made merry with them. Once, too, he had seen a beautiful procession winding149 up the long dusty road to Toledo. The monks went in front singing sweetly, and carrying bright banners and crosses of gold, and then, in silver armour150, with matchlocks and pikes, came the soldiers, and in their midst walked three barefooted men, in strange yellow dresses painted all over with wonderful figures, and carrying lighted candles in their hands. Certainly there was a great deal to look at in the forest, and when she was tired he would find a soft bank of moss for her, or carry her in his arms, for he was very strong, though he knew that he was not tall. He would make her a necklace of red bryony berries, that would be quite as pretty as the white berries that she wore on her dress, and when she was tired of them, she could throw them away, and he would find her others. He would bring her acorn-cups and dew-drenched anemones151, and tiny glow-worms to be stars in the pale gold of her hair.
But where was she? He asked the white rose, and it made him no answer. The whole palace seemed asleep, and even where the shutters had not been closed, heavy curtains had been drawn across the windows to keep out the glare. He wandered all round looking for some place through which he might gain an entrance, and at last he caught sight of a little private door that was lying open. He slipped through, and found himself in a splendid hall, far more splendid, he feared, than the forest, there was so much more gilding152 everywhere, and even the floor was made of great coloured stones, fitted together into a sort of geometrical pattern. But the little Infanta was not there, only some wonderful white statues that looked down on him from their jasper pedestals, with sad blank eyes and strangely smiling lips.
At the end of the hall hung a richly embroidered curtain of black velvet, powdered with suns and stars, the King’s favourite devices, and broidered on the colour he loved best. Perhaps she was hiding behind that? He would try at any rate.
So he stole quietly across, and drew it aside. No; there was only another room, though a prettier room, he thought, than the one he had just left. The walls were hung with a many-figured green arras of needle-wrought tapestry153 representing a hunt, the work of some Flemish artists who had spent more than seven years in its composition. It had once been the chamber154 of Jean le Fou, as he was called, that mad King who was so enamoured of the chase, that he had often tried in his delirium155 to mount the huge rearing horses, and to drag down the stag on which the great hounds were leaping, sounding his hunting horn, and stabbing with his dagger at the pale flying deer. It was now used as the council-room, and on the centre table were lying the red portfolios156 of the ministers, stamped with the gold tulips of Spain, and with the arms and emblems157 of the house of Hapsburg.
The little Dwarf looked in wonder all round him, and was half-afraid to go on. The strange silent horsemen that galloped158 so swiftly through the long glades159 without making any noise, seemed to him like those terrible phantoms160 of whom he had heard the charcoal-burners speaking—the Comprachos, who hunt only at night, and if they meet a man, turn him into a hind, and chase him. But he thought of the pretty Infanta, and took courage. He wanted to find her alone, and to tell her that he too loved her. Perhaps she was in the room beyond.
He ran across the soft Moorish carpets, and opened the door. No! She was not here either. The room was quite empty.
It was a throne-room, used for the reception of foreign ambassadors, when the King, which of late had not been often, consented to give them a personal audience; the same room in which, many years before, envoys161 had appeared from England to make arrangements for the marriage of their Queen, then one of the Catholic sovereigns of Europe, with the Emperor’s eldest162 son. The hangings were of gilt Cordovan leather, and a heavy gilt chandelier with branches for three hundred wax lights hung down from the black and white ceiling. Underneath a great canopy163 of gold cloth, on which the lions and towers of Castile were broidered in seed pearls, stood the throne itself, covered with a rich pall164 of black velvet studded with silver tulips and elaborately fringed with silver and pearls. On the second step of the throne was placed the kneeling-stool of the Infanta, with its cushion of cloth of silver tissue, and below that again, and beyond the limit of the canopy, stood the chair for the Papal Nuncio, who alone had the right to be seated in the King’s presence on the occasion of any public ceremonial, and whose Cardinal’s hat, with its tangled165 scarlet tassels166, lay on a purple tabouret in front. On the wall, facing the throne, hung a life-sized portrait of Charles V. in hunting dress, with a great mastiff by his side, and a picture of Philip II. receiving the homage167 of the Netherlands occupied the centre of the other wall. Between the windows stood a black ebony cabinet, inlaid with plates of ivory, on which the figures from Holbein’s Dance of Death had been graved—by the hand, some said, of that famous master himself.
But the little Dwarf cared nothing for all this magnificence. He would not have given his rose for all the pearls on the canopy, nor one white petal168 of his rose for the throne itself. What he wanted was to see the Infanta before she went down to the pavilion, and to ask her to come away with him when he had finished his dance. Here, in the Palace, the air was close and heavy, but in the forest the wind blew free, and the sunlight with wandering hands of gold moved the tremulous leaves aside. There were flowers, too, in the forest, not so splendid, perhaps, as the flowers in the garden, but more sweetly scented169 for all that; hyacinths in early spring that flooded with waving purple the cool glens, and grassy170 knolls171; yellow primroses172 that nestled in little clumps173 round the gnarled roots of the oak-trees; bright celandine, and blue speedwell, and irises174 lilac and gold. There were grey catkins on the hazels, and the foxgloves drooped175 with the weight of their dappled bee-haunted cells. The chestnut147 had its spires176 of white stars, and the hawthorn177 its pallid178 moons of beauty. Yes: surely she would come if he could only find her! She would come with him to the fair forest, and all day long he would dance for her delight. A smile lit up his eyes at the thought, and he passed into the next room.
Of all the rooms this was the brightest and the most beautiful. The walls were covered with a pink-flowered Lucca damask, patterned with birds and dotted with dainty blossoms of silver; the furniture was of massive silver, festooned with florid wreaths, and swinging Cupids; in front of the two large fire-places stood great screens broidered with parrots and peacocks, and the floor, which was of sea-green onyx, seemed to stretch far away into the distance. Nor was he alone. Standing under the shadow of the doorway179, at the extreme end of the room, he saw a little figure watching him. His heart trembled, a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he moved out into the sunlight. As he did so, the figure moved out also, and he saw it plainly.
The Infanta! It was a monster, the most grotesque monster he had ever beheld180. Not properly shaped, as all other people were, but hunchbacked, and crooked-limbed, with huge lolling head and mane of black hair. The little Dwarf frowned, and the monster frowned also. He laughed, and it laughed with him, and held its hands to its sides, just as he himself was doing. He made it a mocking bow, and it returned him a low reverence. He went towards it, and it came to meet him, copying each step that he made, and stopping when he stopped himself. He shouted with amusement, and ran forward, and reached out his hand, and the hand of the monster touched his, and it was as cold as ice. He grew afraid, and moved his hand across, and the monster’s hand followed it quickly. He tried to press on, but something smooth and hard stopped him. The face of the monster was now close to his own, and seemed full of terror. He brushed his hair off his eyes. It imitated him. He struck at it, and it returned blow for blow. He loathed181 it, and it made hideous182 faces at him. He drew back, and it retreated.
What is it? He thought for a moment, and looked round at the rest of the room. It was strange, but everything seemed to have its double in this invisible wall of clear water. Yes, picture for picture was repeated, and couch for couch. The sleeping Faun that lay in the alcove183 by the doorway had its twin brother that slumbered184, and the silver Venus that stood in the sunlight held out her arms to a Venus as lovely as herself.
Was it Echo? He had called to her once in the valley, and she had answered him word for word. Could she mock the eye, as she mocked the voice? Could she make a mimic185 world just like the real world? Could the shadows of things have colour and life and movement? Could it be that—?
He started, and taking from his breast the beautiful white rose, he turned round, and kissed it. The monster had a rose of its own, petal for petal the same! It kissed it with like kisses, and pressed it to its heart with horrible gestures.
When the truth dawned upon him, he gave a wild cry of despair, and fell sobbing186 to the ground. So it was he who was misshapen and hunchbacked, foul187 to look at and grotesque. He himself was the monster, and it was at him that all the children had been laughing, and the little Princess who he had thought loved him—she too had been merely mocking at his ugliness, and making merry over his twisted limbs. Why had they not left him in the forest, where there was no mirror to tell him how loathsome188 he was? Why had his father not killed him, rather than sell him to his shame? The hot tears poured down his cheeks, and he tore the white rose to pieces. The sprawling189 monster did the same, and scattered190 the faint petals191 in the air. It grovelled192 on the ground, and, when he looked at it, it watched him with a face drawn with pain. He crept away, lest he should see it, and covered his eyes with his hands. He crawled, like some wounded thing, into the shadow, and lay there moaning.
And at that moment the Infanta herself came in with her companions through the open window, and when they saw the ugly little dwarf lying on the ground and beating the floor with his clenched193 hands, in the most fantastic and exaggerated manner, they went off into shouts of happy laughter, and stood all round him and watched him.
‘His dancing was funny,’ said the Infanta; ‘but his acting194 is funnier still. Indeed he is almost as good as the puppets, only of course not quite so natural.’ And she fluttered her big fan, and applauded.
But the little Dwarf never looked up, and his sobs195 grew fainter and fainter, and suddenly he gave a curious gasp196, and clutched his side. And then he fell back again, and lay quite still.
‘That is capital,’ said the Infanta, after a pause; ‘but now you must dance for me.’
‘Yes,’ cried all the children, ‘you must get up and dance, for you are as clever as the Barbary apes, and much more ridiculous.’ But the little Dwarf made no answer.
And the Infanta stamped her foot, and called out to her uncle, who was walking on the terrace with the Chamberlain, reading some despatches that had just arrived from Mexico, where the Holy Office had recently been established. ‘My funny little dwarf is sulking,’ she cried, ‘you must wake him up, and tell him to dance for me.’
They smiled at each other, and sauntered in, and Don Pedro stooped down, and slapped the Dwarf on the cheek with his embroidered glove. ‘You must dance,’ he said, ‘petit monsire. You must dance. The Infanta of Spain and the Indies wishes to be amused.’
But the little Dwarf never moved.
‘A whipping master should be sent for,’ said Don Pedro wearily, and he went back to the terrace. But the Chamberlain looked grave, and he knelt beside the little dwarf, and put his hand upon his heart. And after a few moments he shrugged his shoulders, and rose up, and having made a low bow to the Infanta, he said—
‘Mi bella Princesa, your funny little dwarf will never dance again. It is a pity, for he is so ugly that he might have made the King smile.’
‘But why will he not dance again?’ asked the Infanta, laughing.
‘Because his heart is broken,’ answered the Chamberlain.
And the Infanta frowned, and her dainty rose-leaf lips curled in pretty disdain197. ‘For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts,’ she cried, and she ran out into the garden.
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收听单词发音
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1
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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4
basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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mouldering
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| v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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7
arcades
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| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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9
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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10
plumed
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| 饰有羽毛的 | |
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11
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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12
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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14
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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15
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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16
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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17
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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18
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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19
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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20
embalmed
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| adj.用防腐药物保存（尸体）的v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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21
moorish
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| adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的 | |
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22
heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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23
forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
tapestried
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| adj.饰挂绣帷的，织在绣帷上的v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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26
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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27
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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28
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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30
secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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31
aggravate
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| vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火 | |
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32
malady
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| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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33
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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34
abdicated
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| 放弃（职责、权力等）( abdicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 退位，逊位 | |
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35
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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36
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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37
titular
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| adj.名义上的，有名无实的；n.只有名义（或头衔）的人 | |
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38
expiration
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| n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物 | |
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39
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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40
dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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41
wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
fanatics
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| 狂热者，入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 ) | |
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43
petulance
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| n.发脾气，生气，易怒，暴躁，性急 | |
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44
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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45
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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46
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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47
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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48
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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49
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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50
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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51
grandee
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| n.贵族；大公 | |
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52
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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53
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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54
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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55
bad-tempered
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| adj.脾气坏的 | |
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56
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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57
pranced
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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59
javelins
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| n.标枪( javelin的名词复数 ) | |
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60
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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61
vaulting
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| n.（天花板或屋顶的）拱形结构 | |
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62
gored
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| v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破( gore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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64
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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65
tightrope
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| n.绷紧的绳索或钢丝 | |
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66
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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67
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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68
juggler
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| n. 变戏法者, 行骗者 | |
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69
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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70
hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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71
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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72
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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73
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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74
hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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75
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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76
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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77
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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78
ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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79
accentuated
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| v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于 | |
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80
doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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82
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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83
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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84
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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86
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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87
agate
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| n.玛瑙 | |
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88
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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89
tambourines
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| n.铃鼓，手鼓( tambourine的名词复数 )；（鸣声似铃鼓的）白胸森鸠 | |
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90
wizened
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| adj.凋谢的；枯槁的 | |
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91
bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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92
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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93
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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94
waddling
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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95
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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96
precedents
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| 引用单元； 范例( precedent的名词复数 )； 先前出现的事例； 前例； 先例 | |
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97
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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98
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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99
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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100
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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101
bouquets
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| n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香 | |
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102
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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103
siesta
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| n.午睡 | |
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104
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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105
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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106
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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107
capering
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的现在分词 )；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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108
cactus
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| n.仙人掌 | |
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109
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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110
incurable
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| adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人 | |
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111
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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112
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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113
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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114
eddying
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| 涡流，涡流的形成 | |
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115
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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117
crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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118
hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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119
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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120
romped
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| v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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121
philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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122
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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123
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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124
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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125
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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126
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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127
vagrants
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| 流浪者( vagrant的名词复数 )； 无业游民； 乞丐； 无赖 | |
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128
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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129
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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130
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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131
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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132
grasshoppers
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| n.蚱蜢( grasshopper的名词复数 )；蝗虫；蚂蚱；（孩子）矮小的 | |
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133
jointed
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| 有接缝的 | |
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134
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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135
orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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136
snared
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| v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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137
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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138
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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139
nibbling
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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140
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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141
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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142
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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143
hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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144
hawks
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| 鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物 | |
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145
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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146
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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147
chestnut
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| n.栗树，栗子 | |
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148
chestnuts
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| n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马 | |
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149
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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150
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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151
anemones
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| n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 )；海葵 | |
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152
gilding
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| n.贴金箔，镀金 | |
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153
tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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154
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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155
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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156
portfolios
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| n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹 | |
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157
emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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158
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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159
glades
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| n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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160
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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161
envoys
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| 使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份 | |
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162
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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163
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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164
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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165
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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166
tassels
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| n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰 | |
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167
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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168
petal
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| n.花瓣 | |
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169
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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170
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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171
knolls
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| n.小圆丘，小土墩( knoll的名词复数 ) | |
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172
primroses
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| n.报春花( primrose的名词复数 )；淡黄色；追求享乐（招至恶果） | |
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173
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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174
irises
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| n.虹( iris的名词复数 )；虹膜；虹彩；鸢尾（花） | |
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175
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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176
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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177
hawthorn
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| 山楂 | |
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178
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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179
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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180
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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181
loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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182
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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183
alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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184
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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185
mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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186
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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187
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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188
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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189
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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190
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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191
petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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192
grovelled
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| v.卑躬屈节，奴颜婢膝( grovel的过去式和过去分词 )；趴 | |
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193
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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194
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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195
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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196
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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197
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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