DECAPITATION.

 And now, at warning signal from her finger,
The servants most reluctantly withdrew,
But list’ning on the stairs contrived¹ to linger;
For Ellen, gazing round with eyes of blue,
At last the features of her parent knew,
And summoning her breath and vocal² pow’rs,
“Oh, mother!” she exclaimed—“Oh, is it true—
[Pg 315]
Our dear Lorenzo”—the dear name drew show’rs—
“Ours,” cried the mother, “pray don’t call him ours!”
“I never liked him, never, in my days!”
[“Oh yes—you did”—said Ellen with a sob,]
“There always was a something in his ways—”
[“So sweet—so kind,” said Ellen, with a throb,]
“His very face was what I call a snob³,
And, spite of West-end coats and pantaloons,
He had a sort of air of the swell⁴ mob;
I’m sure when he has come of afternoons
To tea, I’ve often thought—I’ll watch my spoons!”
“The spoons!” cried Ellen, almost with a scream,
“Oh cruel—false as cruel—and unjust!
He that once stood so high in your esteem⁵!”
“He!” cried the dame⁶, grimacing⁷ her disgust,
“I like him?—yes—as any body must
An infidel that scoffs⁸ at God and Devil:
Didn’t he bring you Bonaparty’s bust⁹?
Lord! when he calls I hardly can be civil—
My favourite was always Mr. Neville.
“Lorenzo?—I should like, of earthly things,
To see him hanging forty cubits high;
Doesn’t he write like Captain Rocks and Swings?
Nay¹⁰, in this very letter bid you try
To make yourself particular, and tie
A tail on—a prodigious¹¹ tail!—Oh, daughter!
And don’t he ask you down his area—fie!
And recommend to cut your being shorter,
With brick-bats round your neck in ponds of water?”
Alas¹²! to think how readers thus may vary
A writer’s sense!—What mortal would have thought
[Pg 316]
Lorenzo’s hint about Professor Airy
And Pond to such a likeness¹³ could be brought!
Who would have dreamt the simple way he taught
To make a comet of poor Ellen’s moon,
Could furnish forth¹⁴ an image so distraught,
As Ellen, walking Regent Street at noon,
Tail’d—like a fat Cape¹⁵ sheep, or a racoon!

1 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

2 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

3 snob   

n.势利小人，自以为高雅、有学问的人

参考例句：

• Going to a private school had made her a snob.上私立学校后，她变得很势利。
• If you think that way, you are a snob already.如果你那样想的话，你已经是势利小人了。

4 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

5 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

6 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

7 grimacing   

v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• But then Boozer drove past Gasol for a rattling, grimacing slam dunk. 可布泽尔单吃家嫂，以一记强有力的扣篮将比分超出。 来自互联网
• The martyrdom of Archbishop Cranmer, said the don at last, grimacing with embarrassment. 最后那位老师尴尬地做个鬼脸，说，这是大主教克莱默的殉道士。 来自互联网

8 scoffs   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• [ Scoffs ] Why should a young girl like that love an old fart like me? 为什么一个那样的年轻女孩应该喜欢我这样的老家伙？
• The noise of the moment scoffs at the music of the Eternal. 瞬刻的喧声，讥笑着永恒的音乐。

9 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

10 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

11 prodigious   

adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
• He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。

12 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

13 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

14 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

15 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。