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CHAPTER III
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 If you had gone into the little shop the next day, you would have seen a very pretty picture.
 
First of all, I think you would have noticed the little girl who sat behind the counter—a little girl in a simple blue-serge dress and a fresh white “tire”—a little girl with shining excited eyes and masses of pale-gold hair, clinging in tendrilly rings about a thin, heart-shaped face—a little girl who kept saying as she turned round and round in her swivel-chair:
 
“Oh, Granny, do you think anybody’s going to buy anything to-day?”
 
Next I think you would have noticed an old woman who kept coming to the living-room door—an old woman in a black gown and a white apron1 so stiffly starched2 that it rattled3 when it touched anything—an old woman with twinkling blue eyes and hair, enclosing, as in a silver frame, a little carved nut of a face—an old woman who kept soothing4 the little girl with a cheery:
 
“Now joost you be patient, my lamb, sure somebody’ll be here soon.”
 
The shop was unchanged since yesterday, except for a big bowl of asters, red, white and blue.
 
“Three cheers for the red, white and blue,” Maida sang when she arranged them. She had been singing at intervals5 ever since. Suddenly the latch6 slipped. The bell rang.
 
Maida jumped. Then she sat so still in her high chair that you would have thought she had turned to stone. But her eyes, glued to the moving door, had a look as if she did not know what to expect.
 
The door swung wide. A young man entered. It was Billy Potter.
 
He walked over to the show case, his hat in his hand. And all the time he looked Maida straight in the eye. But you would have thought he had never seen her before.
 
“Please, mum,” he asked humbly7, “do you sell fairy-tales here?”
 
Maida saw at once that it was one of Billy’s games. She had to bite her lips to keep from laughing. “Yes,” she said, when [Pg 51]she had made her mouth quite firm. “How much do you want to pay for them?”
 
“Not more than a penny each, mum,” he replied.
 
Maida took out of a drawer the pamphlet-tales that Billy had liked so much.
 
“Are these what you want?” she asked. But before he could answer, she added in a condescending8 tone, “Do you know how to read, little boy?”
 
Billy’s face twitched9 suddenly and his eyes “skrinkled up.” Maida saw with a mischievous10 delight that he, in his turn, was trying to keep the laughter back.
 
“Yes, mum,” he said, making his face quite serious again. “My teacher says I’m the best reader in the room.”
 
He took up the little books and looked them over. “‘The Three Boars’—no,‘Bears,’” he corrected himself. “‘Puss-in-Boats’—no, ‘Boots’; ‘Jack-and-the-Bean-Scalp’—no,‘Stalk’; ‘Jack the Joint-Cooler’—no, ‘Giant-Killer’; ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Bluebird’—no, ‘Bluebeard’; ‘Little Toody-Goo-Shoes’—no, ‘Little Goody-Two-Shoes’; ‘Tom Thumb,’ ‘The Sweeping11 Beauty,’— ‘The Babes in the Wood.’ I guess I’ll take these ten, mum.”
 
He felt in all his pockets, one after another. After a long time, he brought out some pennies, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” he counted slowly.
 
He took the books, turned and left the shop. Maida watched him in astonishment12. Was he really going for good?
 
In a few minutes the little bell tinkled13 a second time and there stood Billy again.
 
“Good morning, Petronilla,” he said pleasantly, as if he had not seen her before that morning, “How’s business?”
 
“Fine!” Maida responded promptly15. “I’ve just sold ten fairy books to the funniest little boy you ever saw.”
 
“My stars and garters!” Billy exclaimed. “Business surely is brisk. Keep that up and you can afford to have a cat. I’ve brought you something.”
 
He opened the bag he carried and took a box out from it. “Hold out your two hands,—it’s heavy,” he warned.
 
In spite of his preparation, the box nearly fell to the floor—it was so much heavier than Maida expected. “What can be in it?” she cried excitedly. She pulled the cover off—then murmured a little “oh!” of delight.
 
The box was full—cram-jam full—of pennies; pennies so new that they looked like gold—pennies so many that they looked like a fortune.
 
“Gracious, what pretty money!” Maida exclaimed. “There must be a million here.”
 
“Five hundred,” Billy corrected her.
 
He put some tiny cylindrical16 rolls of paper on the counter. Maida handled them curiously—they, too, were heavy.
 
“Open them,” Billy commanded.
 
Maida pulled the papers away from the tops. Bright new dimes17 fell out of one, bright new nickels came from the other.
 
“Oh, I’m so glad to have nice clean money,” Maida said in a satisfied tone. She emptied the money drawer and filled its pockets with the shining coins. “It was very kind of you to think of it, Billy. I know it will please the children.” The thought made her eyes sparkle.
 
The bell rang again. Billy went out to talk with Granny, leaving Maida alone to cope with her first strange customer.
 
Again her heart began to jump into her throat. Her mouth felt dry on the inside. She watched the door, fascinated.
 
On the threshold two little girls were standing18. They were exactly of the same size, they were dressed in exactly the same way, their faces were as alike as two peas in a pod. Maida saw at once that they were twins. They had little round, chubby19 bodies, bulging20 out of red sweaters; little round, chubby faces, emerging from tall, peaky, red-worsted caps. They had big round eyes as expressionless as glass beads21 and big round golden curls as stiff as candles. They stared so hard at Maida that she began to wonder nervously23 if her face were dirty.
 
“Come in, little girls,” she called.
 
The little girls pattered over to the show case and looked in. But their big round eyes, instead of examining the candy, kept peering up through the glass top at Maida. And Maida kept peering down through it at them.
 
“I want to buy some candy for a cent,” one of them whispered in a timid little voice.
 
“I want to buy some candy for a cent, too,” the other whispered in a voice, even more timid.
 
“All the cent candy is in this case,” Maida explained, smiling.
 
“What are you going to have, Dorothy?” one of them asked.
 
“I don’t know. What are you going to have, Mabel?” the other answered. They discussed everything in the one-cent case. Always they talked in whispers. And they continued to look more often at Maida than at the candy.
 
“Have you anything two-for-a-cent?” Mabel whispered finally.
 
“Oh, yes—all the candy in this corner.”
 
The two little girls studied the corner Maida indicated. For two or three moments they whispered together. At one point, it looked as if they would each buy a long stick of peppermint24, at another, a paper of lozenges. But they changed their minds a great many times. And in the end, Dorothy bought two large pickles25 and Mabel bought two large chocolates. Maida saw them swapping26 their purchases as they went out.
 
The two pennies which the twins handed her were still moist from the hot little hands that had held them. Maida dropped them into an empty pocket in the money drawer. She felt as if she wanted to keep her first earnings27 forever. It seemed to her that she had never seen such precious-looking money. The gold eagles which her father had given her at Christmas and on her birthday did not seem half so valuable.
 
But she did not have much time to think of all this. The bell rang again. This time it was a boy—a big fellow of about fourteen, she guessed, an untidy-looking boy with large, intent black eyes. A mass of black hair, which surely had not been combed, fell about a face that as certainly had not been washed that morning.
 
“Give me one of those blue tops in the window,” he said gruffly. He did not add these words but his manner seemed to say, “And be quick about it!” He threw his money down on the counter so hard that one of the pennies spun28 off into a corner.
 
He did not offer to pick the penny up. He did not even apologize. And he looked very carefully at the top Maida handed him as if he expected her to cheat him. Then he walked out.
 
It was getting towards school-time. Children seemed to spring up everywhere as if they grew out of the ground. The quiet streets began to ring with the cries of boys playing tag, leap frog and prisoners’ base. The little girls, much more quiet, squatted29 in groups on doorsteps or walked slowly up and down, arm-in-arm. But Maida had little time to watch this picture. The bell was ringing every minute now. Once there were six children in the little shop together.
 
“Do you need any help?” Granny called.
 
“No, Granny, not yet,” Maida answered cheerfully.
 
But just the same, she did have to hurry. The children asked her for all kinds of things and sometimes she could not remember where she had put them. When in answer to the school bell the long lines began to form at the big doorways30, two round red spots were glowing in Maida’s cheeks. She drew an involuntary sigh of relief when she realized that she was going to have a chance to rest. But first she counted the money she had taken in. Thirty-seven cents! It seemed a great deal to her.
 
For an hour or more, nobody entered the shop. Billy left in a little while for Boston. [Pg 58]Granny, crooning an old Irish song, busied herself upstairs in her bedroom. Maida sat back in her chair, dreaming happily of her work. Suddenly the bell tinkled, rousing her with a start.
 
It seemed a long time after the bell rang before the door opened. But at last Maida saw the reason of the delay. The little boy who stood on the threshold was lame32. Maida would have known that he was sick even if she had not seen the crutches33 that held him up, or the iron cage that confined one leg.
 
His face was as colorless as if it had been made of melted wax. His forehead was lined almost as if he were old. A tired expression in his eyes showed that he did not sleep like other children. He must often suffer, too—his mouth had a drawn34 look that Maida knew well.
 
The little boy moved slowly over to the counter. It could hardly be said that he walked. He seemed to swing between his crutches exactly as a pendulum35 swings in a tall clock. Perhaps he saw the sympathy that ran from Maida’s warm heart to her pale face, for before he spoke36 he smiled. And when he smiled you could not possibly [Pg 59]think of him as sick or sad. The corners of his mouth and the corners of his eyes seemed to fly up together. It made your spirits leap just to look at him.
 
“I’d like a sheet of red tissue paper,” he said briskly.
 
Maida’s happy expression changed. It was the first time that anybody had asked her for anything which she did not have.
 
“I’m afraid I haven’t any,” she said regretfully.
 
The boy looked disappointed. He started to go away. Then he turned hopefully. “Mrs. Murdock always kept her tissue paper in that drawer there,” he said, pointing.
 
“Oh, yes, I do remember,” Maida exclaimed. She recalled now a few sheets of tissue paper that she had left there, not knowing what to do with them. She pulled the drawer open. There they were, neatly37 folded, as she had left them.
 
“What did Mrs. Murdock charge for it?” she inquired.
 
“A cent a sheet.”
 
Maida thought busily. “I’m selling out all the old stock,” she said. “You can have all that’s left for a cent if you want it.”
“Sure!” the boy exclaimed. “Jiminy crickets! That’s a stroke of luck I wasn’t expecting.”
 
He spread the half dozen sheets out on the counter and ran through them. He looked up into Maida’s face as if he wanted to thank her but did not know how to put it. Instead, he stared about the shop. “Say,” he exclaimed, “you’ve made this store look grand. I’d never know it for the same place. And your sign’s a crackajack.”
 
The praise—the first she had had from outside—pleased Maida. It emboldened38 her to go on with the conversation.
 
“You don’t go to school,” she said.
 
The moment she had spoken, she regretted it. It was plain to be seen, she reproached herself inwardly, why he did not go to school.
 
“No,” the boy said soberly. “I can’t go yet. Doc O’Brien says I can go next year, he thinks. I’m wild to go. The other fellows hate school but I love it. I s’pose it’s because I can’t go that I want to. But, then, I want to learn to read. A fellow can have a good time anywhere if he knows how to read. I can read some,” he added in a shamed tone, “but not much. The trouble is I don’t have anybody to listen and help with the hard words.”
 
“Oh, let me help you!” Maida cried. “I can read as easy as anything.” This was the second thing she regretted saying. For when she came to think of it, she could not see where she was going to have much time to herself.
 
But the little lame boy shook his head. “Can’t,” he said decidedly. “You see, I’m busy at home all day long and you’ll be busy here. My mother works out and I have to do most of the housework and take care of the baby. Pretty slow work on crutches, you know—although it’s easy enough getting round after you get the hang of it. No, I really don’t have any time to fool until evenings.”
 
“Evenings!” Maida exclaimed electrically. “Why, that’s just the right time! You see I’m pretty busy myself during the daytime—at my business.” Her voice grew a little important on that last phrase. “Granny! Granny!” she called.
 
Granny Flynn appeared in the doorway31. Her eyes grew soft with pity when they fell on the little lame boy. “The poor little gossoon!” she murmured.
 
“Granny,” Maida explained, “this little boy can’t go to school because his mother works all day and he has to do the housework and take care of the baby, too, and he wants to learn to read because he thinks he won’t be half so lonely with books, and you know, Granny, that’s perfectly40 true, for I never suffered half so much with my legs after I learned to read.”
 
It had all poured out in an uninterrupted stream. She had to stop here to get breath.
 
“Now, Granny, what I want you to do is to let me hear him read evenings until he learns how. You see his mother comes home then and he can leave the baby with her. Oh, do let me do it, Granny! I’m sure I could. And I really think you ought to. For, if you’ll excuse me for saying so, Granny, I don’t think you can understand as well as I do what a difference it will make.” She turned to the boy. “Have you read ‘Little Men’ and ‘Little Women’?”
 
“No—why, I’m only in the first reader.”
 
“I’ll read them to you,” Maida said decisively, “and ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘The Princes and the Goblins’ and ‘The Princess and Curdie.’” She reeled off the long list of her favorites.
 
In the meantime, Granny was considering the matter. Dr. Pierce had said to her of Maida: “Let her do anything that she wants to do—as long as it doesn’t interfere41 with her eating and sleeping. The main thing to do is to get her to want to do things.”
 
“What’s your name, my lad?” she asked.
 
“Dicky Dore, ma’am,” the boy answered respectfully.
 
“Well, Oi don’t see why you shouldn’t thry ut, acushla,” she said to Maida. “A half an hour iv’ry avening after dinner. Sure, in a wake, ’twill be foine and grand we’ll be wid the little store running like a clock.”
 
“We’ll begin next week, Monday,” Maida said eagerly. “You come over here right after dinner.”
 
“All right.” The little lame boy looked very happy but, again, he did not seem to know what to say. “Thank you, ma’am,” he brought out finally. “And you, too,” turning to Maida.
 
“My name’s Maida.”
 
“Thank you, Maida,” the boy said with even a greater display of bashfulness. He settled the crutches under his thin shoulders.
 
“Oh, don’t go, yet,” Maida pleaded. “I want to ask you some questions. Tell me the names of those dear little girls—the twins.”
 
Dicky Dore smiled his radiant smile. “Their last name’s Clark. Say, ain’t they the dead ringers for each other? I can’t tell Dorothy from Mabel or Mabel from Dorothy.”
 
“I can’t, either,” Maida laughed. “It must be fun to be a twin—to have any kind of a sister or brother. Who’s that big boy—the one with the hair all hanging down on his face?”
 
“Oh, that’s Arthur Duncan.” Dicky’s whole face shone. “He’s a dandy. He can lick any boy of his size in the neighborhood. I bet he could lick any boy of his size in the world. I bet he could lick his weight in wild-cats.”
 
Maida’s brow wrinkled. “I don’t like him,” she said. “He’s not polite.”
 
“Well, I like him,” Dicky Dore maintained stoutly42. “He’s the best friend I’ve got anywhere. Arthur hasn’t any mother, and his father’s gone all day. He takes care of himself. He comes over to my place a lot. You’ll like him when you know him.”
 
The bell tinkling43 on his departure did not ring again till noon. But Maida did not mind.
 
“Granny,” she said after Dicky left, “I think I’ve made a friend. Not a friend somebody’s brought to me—but a friend of my very own. Just think of that!”
 
At twelve, Maida watched the children pour out of the little schoolhouse and disappear in all directions. At two, she watched them reappear from all directions and pour into it again. But between those hours she was so busy that she did not have time to eat her lunch until school began again. After that, she sat undisturbed for an hour.
 
In the middle of the afternoon, the bell rang with an important-sounding tinkle14. Immediately after, the door shut with an important-sounding slam. The footsteps, clattering44 across the room to the show case, had an important-sounding tap. And the little girl, who looked inquisitively45 across the counter at Maida, had decidedly an important manner.
 
She was not a pretty child. Her skin was too pasty, her blue eyes too full and staring. But she had beautiful braids of glossy46 brown hair that came below her waist. And you would have noticed her at once because of the air with which she wore her clothes and because of a trick of holding her head very high.
 
Maida could see that she was dressed very much more expensively than the other children in the neighborhood. Her dark, blue coat was elaborate with straps47 and bright buttons. Her pale-blue beaver48 hat was covered with pale-blue feathers. She wore a gold ring with a turquoise49 in it, a silver bracelet50 with a monogram51 on it, a little gun-metal watch pinned to her coat with a gun-metal pin, and a long string of blue beads from which dangled52 a locket.
 
Maida noticed all this decoration with envy, for she herself was never permitted to wear jewelry53. Occasionally, Granny would let her wear one string from a big box of bead22 necklaces which Maida had bought in Venice.
 
“How much is that candy?” the girl asked, pointing to one of the trays.
 
Maida told her.
 
“Dear me, haven’t you anything better than that?”
 
Maida gave her all her prices.
 
“I’m afraid there’s nothing good enough here,” the little girl went on disdainfully. “My mother won’t let me eat cheap candy. Generally, she has a box sent over twice a week from Boston. But the one we expected to-day didn’t come.”
 
“The little girl likes to make people think that she has nicer things than anybody else,” Maida thought. She started to speak. If she had permitted herself to go on, she would have said: “The candy in this shop is quite good enough for any little girl. But I won’t sell it to you, anyway.” But, instead, she said as quietly as she could: “No, I don’t believe there’s anything here that you’ll care for. But I’m sure you’ll find lots of expensive candy on Main Street.”
 
The little girl evidently was not expecting that answer. She lingered, still looking into the show case. “I guess I’ll take five cents’ worth of peppermints,” she said finally. Some of the importance had gone out of her voice.
 
Maida put the candy into a bag and handed it to her without speaking. The girl bustled54 towards the door. Half-way, she stopped and came back.
 
“My name is Laura Lathrop,” she said. “What’s yours?”
 
“Maida.”
 
“Maida?” the girl repeated questioningly. “Maida?—oh, yes, I know—Maida Flynn. Where did you live before you came here?”
 
“Oh, lots of places.”
 
“But where?” Laura persisted.
 
“Boston, New York, Newport, Pride’s Crossing, the Adirondacks, Europe.”
 
“Oh, my! Have you been to Europe?” Laura’s tone was a little incredulous.
 
“I lived abroad a year.”
 
“Can you speak French?”
 
“Oui, Mademoiselle, je parle Français un peu.”
 
“Say some more,” Laura demanded.
 
Maida smiled. “Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix, onze, douze—”
 
Laura looked impressed. “Do you speak any other language?”
 
“Italian and German—a very little.”
 
Laura stared hard at her and her look [Pg 69]was full of question. But it was evident that she decided39 to believe Maida.
 
“I live in Primrose55 Court,” she said, and now there was not a shadow of condescension56 left in her voice. “That large house at the back with the big lawn about it. I’d like to have you come and play with me some afternoon. I’m very busy most of the time, though. I take music and fancy dancing and elocution. Next winter, I’m going to take up French. I’ll send you word some afternoon when I have time to play.”
 
“Thank you,” Maida said in her most civil voice. “Come and play with me sometime,” she added after a pause.
 
“Oh, my mother doesn’t let me play in other children’s houses,” Laura said airily. “Good-bye.”
 
“Good-bye,” Maida answered.
 
She waited until Laura had disappeared into the court. “Granny,” she called impetuously, “a little girl’s been here who I think is the hatefullest, horridest, disagreeablest thing I ever saw in my life.”
 
“Why, what did the choild do?” Granny asked in surprise.
 
“Do?” Maida repeated. “She did everything. Why, she—she—” She interrupted herself to think hard a moment. “Well, it’s the queerest thing. I can’t tell you a thing she did, Granny, and yet, all the time she was here I wanted to slap her.”
 
“There’s manny folks that-a-way,” said Granny. “The woisest way is to take no notuce av ut.”
 
“Take no notice of it!” Maida stormed. “It’s just like not taking any notice of a bee when it’s stinging you.”
 
Maida was so angry that she walked into the living-room without limping.
 
At four that afternoon, when the children came out of school, there was another flurry of trade. Towards five, it slackened. Maida sat in her swivel-chair and wistfully watched the scene in the court. Little boys were playing top. Little girls were jumping rope. Once she saw a little girl in a scarlet57 cape58 come out of one of the yards. On one shoulder perched a fluffy59 kitten. Following her, gamboled an Irish setter and a Skye terrier. Presently it grew dark and the children began to go indoors. Maida lighted the gas and lost herself in “Gulliver’s Travels.”
 
The sound of voices attracted her attention after awhile. She turned in her chair. Outside, staring into the window, stood a little boy and girl—a ragged60, dirty pair. Their noses pressed so hard against the glass that they were flattened61 into round white circles. They took no notice of Maida. Dropping her eyes to her book, she pretended to read.
 
“I boneys that red top, first,” said the little boy in a piping voice.
 
He was a round, brown, pop-eyed, big-mouthed little creature. Maida could not decide which he looked most like—a frog or a brownie. She christened him “the Bogle” at once.
 
“I boneys that little pink doll with the curly hair, first,” said the girl.
 
She was a round, brown little creature, too—but pretty. She had merry brown eyes and a merry little red and white smile. Maida christened her “the Robin62.”
 
“I boneys that big agate63, second,” said the Bogle.
 
“I boneys that little table, second,” said the Robin.
 
“I boneys that knife, third,” said the Bogle.
 
“I boneys that little chair, third,” said the Robin.
 
Maida could not imagine what kind of game they were playing. She went to the door. “Come in, children,” she called.
 
The children jumped and started to run away. But they stopped a little way off, turned and stood as if they were not certain what to do. Finally the Robin marched over to Maida’s side and the Bogle followed.
 
“Tell me about the game you were playing,” Maida said. “I never heard of it before.”
 
“’Tain’t any game,” the Bogle said.
 
“We were just boneying,” the Robin explained. “Didn’t you ever boney anything?”
 
“No.”
 
“Why, you boneys things in store windows,” the Robin went on. “You always boney with somebody else. You choose one thing for yours and they choose something else for theirs until everything in the window is all chosen up. But of course they don’t really belong to you. You only play they do.”
 
“I see,” Maida said.
 
She went to the window and took out the red top and the little pink doll with curly hair. “Here, these are the things you boneyed first. You may have them.”
 
“Oh, thank you—thank you—thank you,” the Robin exclaimed. She kissed the little pink doll ecstatically, stopping now and then to look gratefully at Maida.
 
“Thank you,” the Bogle echoed. He did not look at Maida but he began at once to wind his top.
 
“What is your name?” Maida asked.
 
“Molly Doyle,” the Robin answered. “And this is my brother, Timmie Doyle.”
 
“My name’s Maida. Come and see me again, Molly, and you, too, Timmie.”
 
“Of course I’ll come,” Molly answered, “and I’m going to name my doll ‘Maida.’”
 
Molly ran all the way home, her doll tightly clutched to her breast. But Timmie stopped to spin his top six times—Maida counted.
 
No more customers came that evening. At six, Maida closed and locked the shop.
 
After dinner she thought she would read one of her new books. She settled herself in her little easy chair by the fire and opened to a story with a fascinating picture. But the moment her eyes fell on the page—it was the strangest thing—a drowsiness64, as deep as a fairy’s enchantment65, fell upon her. She struggled with it for awhile, but she could not throw it off. The next thing she knew, Granny was helping66 her up the stairs, was undressing her, had laid her in her bed. The next thing she was saying dreamily, “I made one dollar and eighty-seven cents to-day. If my papa ever gets into any more trouble in Wall Street, he can borrow from me.”
 
The next thing, she felt the pillow soft and cool under her cheek. The next thing—bright sunlight was pouring through the window—it was morning again.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 apron Lvzzo     
n.围裙;工作裙
参考例句:
  • We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
  • She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
2 starched 1adcdf50723145c17c3fb6015bbe818c     
adj.浆硬的,硬挺的,拘泥刻板的v.把(衣服、床单等)浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • My clothes are not starched enough. 我的衣服浆得不够硬。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The ruffles on his white shirt were starched and clean. 白衬衫的褶边浆过了,很干净。 来自辞典例句
3 rattled b4606e4247aadf3467575ffedf66305b     
慌乱的,恼火的
参考例句:
  • The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
  • Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
4 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
5 intervals f46c9d8b430e8c86dea610ec56b7cbef     
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息
参考例句:
  • The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
  • Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
6 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩,窗闩;弹簧锁
参考例句:
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
7 humbly humbly     
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地
参考例句:
  • We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。
  • "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的,先生,”约翰恭顺地说道。
8 condescending avxzvU     
adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的
参考例句:
  • He has a condescending attitude towards women. 他对女性总是居高临下。
  • He tends to adopt a condescending manner when talking to young women. 和年轻女子说话时,他喜欢摆出一副高高在上的姿态。
9 twitched bb3f705fc01629dc121d198d54fa0904     
vt.& vi.(使)抽动,(使)颤动(twitch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
  • The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着,像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 mischievous mischievous     
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的
参考例句:
  • He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
  • A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。
11 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
12 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
13 tinkled a75bf1120cb6e885f8214e330dbfc6b7     
(使)发出丁当声,(使)发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 ); 叮当响着发出,铃铃响着报出
参考例句:
  • The sheep's bell tinkled through the hills. 羊的铃铛叮当叮当地响彻整个山区。
  • A piano tinkled gently in the background. 背景音是悠扬的钢琴声。
14 tinkle 1JMzu     
vi.叮当作响;n.叮当声
参考例句:
  • The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.酒杯丁零一声掉在地上。
  • Give me a tinkle and let me know what time the show starts.给我打个电话,告诉我演出什么时候开始。
15 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地,敏捷地
参考例句:
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
16 cylindrical CnMza     
adj.圆筒形的
参考例句:
  • huge cylindrical gas tanks 巨大的圆柱形贮气罐
  • Beer cans are cylindrical. 啤酒罐子是圆筒形的。
17 dimes 37551f2af09566bec564431ef9bd3d6d     
n.(美国、加拿大的)10分铸币( dime的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters are United States coins. 1分铜币、5分镍币、1角银币和2角5分银币是美国硬币。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • In 1965 the mint stopped putting silver in dimes. 1965年,铸币厂停止向10分硬币中加入银的成分。 来自辞典例句
18 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
19 chubby wrwzZ     
adj.丰满的,圆胖的
参考例句:
  • He is stocky though not chubby.他长得敦实,可并不发胖。
  • The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那个既矮又胖的绅士是我们的新主任。
20 bulging daa6dc27701a595ab18024cbb7b30c25     
膨胀; 凸出(部); 打气; 折皱
参考例句:
  • Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
  • Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她:“问问是不是重要的事。”
21 beads 894701f6859a9d5c3c045fd6f355dbf5     
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链
参考例句:
  • a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
  • Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
22 bead hdbyl     
n.念珠;(pl.)珠子项链;水珠
参考例句:
  • She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
  • She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。
23 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
24 peppermint slNzxg     
n.薄荷,薄荷油,薄荷糖
参考例句:
  • Peppermint oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.薄荷油能很有效地调节消化系统失调。
  • He sat down,popped in a peppermint and promptly choked to death.他坐下来,突然往嘴里放了一颗薄荷糖,当即被噎死。
25 pickles fd03204cfdc557b0f0d134773ae6fff5     
n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 );处于困境;遇到麻烦;菜酱
参考例句:
  • Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
26 swapping 8a991dafbba2463e25ba0bc65307eb5e     
交换,交换技术
参考例句:
  • The slow swapping and buying of horses went on. 马匹的买卖和交换就是这样慢慢地进行着。
  • He was quite keen on swapping books with friends. 他非常热衷于和朋友们交换书籍。
27 earnings rrWxJ     
n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得
参考例句:
  • That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
  • Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。
28 spun kvjwT     
v.纺,杜撰,急转身
参考例句:
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
29 squatted 45deb990f8c5186c854d710c535327b0     
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
参考例句:
  • He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 doorways 9f2a4f4f89bff2d72720b05d20d8f3d6     
n.门口,门道( doorway的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The houses belched people; the doorways spewed out children. 从各家茅屋里涌出一堆一堆的人群,从门口蹦出一群一群小孩。 来自辞典例句
  • He rambled under the walls and doorways. 他就顺着墙根和门楼遛跶。 来自辞典例句
31 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
32 lame r9gzj     
adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的
参考例句:
  • The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
  • I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。
33 crutches crutches     
n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑
参考例句:
  • After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
  • When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后,不得不靠拐杖走路。
34 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
35 pendulum X3ezg     
n.摆,钟摆
参考例句:
  • The pendulum swung slowly to and fro.钟摆在慢慢地来回摆动。
  • He accidentally found that the desk clock did not swing its pendulum.他无意中发现座钟不摇摆了。
36 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
37 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
38 emboldened 174550385d47060dbd95dd372c76aa22     
v.鼓励,使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆,走上前去向她作自我介绍。
  • His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
39 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
40 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
41 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
42 stoutly Xhpz3l     
adv.牢固地,粗壮的
参考例句:
  • He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
  • Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难,但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。
43 tinkling Rg3zG6     
n.丁当作响声
参考例句:
  • I could hear bells tinkling in the distance. 我能听到远处叮当铃响。
  • To talk to him was like listening to the tinkling of a worn-out musical-box. 跟他说话,犹如听一架老掉牙的八音盒子丁冬响。 来自英汉文学
44 clattering f876829075e287eeb8e4dc1cb4972cc5     
发出咔哒声(clatter的现在分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Typewriters keep clattering away. 打字机在不停地嗒嗒作响。
  • The typewriter was clattering away. 打字机啪嗒啪嗒地响着。
45 inquisitively d803d87bf3e11b0f2e68073d10c7b5b7     
过分好奇地; 好问地
参考例句:
  • The Mouse looked at her rather inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink with one of its little eyes, but It'said nothing. 这老鼠狐疑地看着她,好像还把一只小眼睛向她眨了眨,但没说话。
  • The mouse looked at her rather inquisitively. 那只耗子用疑问的眼光看看她。
46 glossy nfvxx     
adj.平滑的;有光泽的
参考例句:
  • I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
  • She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。
47 straps 1412cf4c15adaea5261be8ae3e7edf8e     
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
  • The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。
48 beaver uuZzU     
n.海狸,河狸
参考例句:
  • The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
  • A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。
49 turquoise Uldwx     
n.绿宝石;adj.蓝绿色的
参考例句:
  • She wore a string of turquoise round her neck.她脖子上戴着一串绿宝石。
  • The women have elaborate necklaces of turquoise.那些女人戴着由绿松石制成的精美项链。
50 bracelet nWdzD     
n.手镯,臂镯
参考例句:
  • The jeweler charges lots of money to set diamonds in a bracelet.珠宝匠要很多钱才肯把钻石镶在手镯上。
  • She left her gold bracelet as a pledge.她留下她的金手镯作抵押品。
51 monogram zEWx4     
n.字母组合
参考例句:
  • There was a monogram in the corner in which were the initials"R.K.B.".原来手帕角上有个图案,其中包含着RKB三个字母。
  • When we get married I don't have to change the monogram on my luggage.当我们结婚后,我连皮箱上的字母也不用改。
52 dangled 52e4f94459442522b9888158698b7623     
悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
  • It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。
53 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
54 bustled 9467abd9ace0cff070d56f0196327c70     
闹哄哄地忙乱,奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 ); 催促
参考例句:
  • She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
  • The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。
55 primrose ctxyr     
n.樱草,最佳部分,
参考例句:
  • She is in the primrose of her life.她正处在她一生的最盛期。
  • The primrose is set off by its nest of green.一窝绿叶衬托着一朵樱草花。
56 condescension JYMzw     
n.自以为高人一等,贬低(别人)
参考例句:
  • His politeness smacks of condescension. 他的客气带有屈尊俯就的意味。
  • Despite its condescension toward the Bennet family, the letter begins to allay Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy. 尽管这封信对班纳特家的态度很高傲,但它开始消除伊丽莎白对达西的偏见。
57 scarlet zD8zv     
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的
参考例句:
  • The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
  • The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了,深红的颜色变成了绯红,绯红又变为浅红。
58 cape ITEy6     
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。
59 fluffy CQjzv     
adj.有绒毛的,空洞的
参考例句:
  • Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
  • The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。
60 ragged KC0y8     
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
参考例句:
  • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
  • Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
61 flattened 1d5d9fedd9ab44a19d9f30a0b81f79a8     
[医](水)平扁的,弄平的
参考例句:
  • She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
  • I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。
62 robin Oj7zme     
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
参考例句:
  • The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
  • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
63 agate AKZy1     
n.玛瑙
参考例句:
  • He saw before him a flight of agate steps.他看到前面有一段玛瑙做的台阶。
  • It is round,like the size of a small yellow agate.它是圆的,大小很像一个小的黄色的玛瑙。
64 drowsiness 420d2bd92d26d6690d758ae67fc31048     
n.睡意;嗜睡
参考例句:
  • A feeling of drowsiness crept over him. 一种昏昏欲睡的感觉逐渐袭扰着他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • This decision reached, he finally felt a placid drowsiness steal over him. 想到这,来了一点平安的睡意。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
65 enchantment dmryQ     
n.迷惑,妖术,魅力
参考例句:
  • The beauty of the scene filled us with enchantment.风景的秀丽令我们陶醉。
  • The countryside lay as under some dread enchantment.乡村好像躺在某种可怖的魔法之下。
66 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。


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