“Go! Where to?”
“To Dartmoor; to King’s Pyland.”
I was not surprised. Indeed, my only wonder was that he had not already been mixed up in this extraordinary case, which was the one topic of conversation through the length and breadth of England. For a whole day my companion had rambled2 about the room with his chin upon his chest and his brows knitted, charging and recharging his pipe with the strongest black tobacco, and absolutely deaf to any of my questions or remarks. Fresh editions of every paper had been sent up by our news agent, only to be glanced over and tossed down into a corner. Yet, silent as he was, I knew perfectly3 well what it was over which he was brooding. There was but one problem before the public which could challenge his powers of analysis, and that was the singular disappearance4 of the favourite for the Wessex Cup, and the tragic5 murder of its trainer. When, therefore, he suddenly announced his intention of setting out for the scene of the drama, it was only what I had both expected and hoped for.
“I should be most happy to go down with you if I should not be in the way,” said I.
“My dear Watson, you would confer a great favour upon me by coming. And I think that your time will not be misspent, for there are points about the case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one. We have, I think, just time to catch our train at Paddington, and I will go further into the matter upon our journey. You would oblige me by bringing with you your very excellent field-glass.”
And so it happened that an hour or so later I found myself in the corner of a first-class carriage flying along en route for Exeter, while Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed in his ear-flapped travelling-cap, dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which he had procured6 at Paddington. We had left Reading far behind us before he thrust the last one of them under the seat and offered me his cigar-case.
“We are going well,” said he, looking out of the window and glancing at his watch. “Our rate at present is fifty-three and a half miles an hour.”
“I have not observed the quarter-mile posts,” said I.
“Nor have I. But the telegraph posts upon this line are sixty yards apart, and the calculation is a simple one. I presume that you have looked into this matter of the murder of John Straker and the disappearance of Silver Blaze?”
“I have seen what the Telegraph and the Chronicle have to say.”
“It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting7 of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence. The tragedy has been so uncommon8, so complete, and of such personal importance to so many people that we are suffering from a plethora9 of surmise10, conjecture11, and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact — of absolute undeniable fact — from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences may be drawn12 and what are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns. On Tuesday evening I received telegrams from both Colonel Ross, the owner of the horse, and from Inspector13 Gregory, who is looking after the case, inviting14 my cooperation.”
“Tuesday evening!” I exclaimed. “And this is Thursday morning. Why didn’t you go down yesterday?”
“Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson — which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than anyone would think who only knew me through your memoirs15. The fact is that I could not believe it possible that the most remarkable16 horse in England could long remain concealed17, especially in so sparsely18 inhabited a place as the north of Dartmoor. From hour to hour yesterday I expected to hear that he had been found, and that his abductor was the murderer of John Straker. When, however, another morning had come and I found that beyond the arrest of young Fitzroy Simpson nothing had been done, I felt that it was time for me to take action. Yet in some ways I feel that yesterday has not been wasted.”
“You have formed a theory, then?”
“At least I have got a grip of the essential facts of the case. I shall enumerate19 them to you, for nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person, and I can hardly expect your cooperation if I do not show you the position from which we start.”
I lay back against the cushions, puffing20 at my cigar, while Holmes, leaning forward, with his long, thin forefinger21 checking off the points upon the palm of his left hand, gave me a sketch22 of the events which had led to our journey.
“Silver Blaze,” said he, “is from the Somomy stock and holds as brilliant a record as his famous ancestor. He is now in his fifth year and has brought in turn each of the prizes of the turf to Colonel Ross, his fortunate owner. Up to the time of the catastrophe23 he was the first favourite for the Wessex Cup, the betting being three to one on him. He has always, however, been a prime favourite with the racing25 public and has never yet disappointed them, so that even at those odds27 enormous sums of money have been laid upon him. It is obvious, therefore, that there were many people who had the strongest interest in preventing Silver Blaze from being there at the fall of the flag next Tuesday.
“The fact was, of course, appreciated at King’s Pyland, where the colonel’s training-stable is situated28. Every precaution was taken to guard the favourite. The trainer, John Straker, is a retired29 jockey who rode in Colonel Ross’s colours before he became too heavy for the weighing-chair. He has served the colonel for five years as jockey and for seven as trainer, and has always shown himself to be a zealous30 and honest servant. Under him were three lads, for the establishment was a small one, containing only four horses in all. One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the others slept in the loft31. All three bore excellent characters. John Straker, who is a married man lived in a small villa32 about two hundred yards from the stables. He has no children, keeps one maidservant, and is comfortably off. The country round is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas33 which have been built by a Tavistock contractor34 for the use of invalids35 and others who may wish to enjoy the pure Dartmoor air. Tavistock itself lies two miles to the west, while across the moor1, also about two miles distant, is the larger training establishment of Mapleton, which belongs to Lord Backwater and is managed by Silas Brown. In every other direction the moor is a complete wilderness36, inhabited only by a few roaming gypsies. Such was the general situation last Monday night when the catastrophe occurred.
“On that evening the horses had been exercised and watered as usual, and the stables were locked up at nine o’clock. Two of the lads walked up to the trainer’s house, where they had supper in the kitchen, while the third, Ned Hunter, remained on guard. At a few minutes after nine the maid, Edith Baxter, carried down to the stables his supper, which consisted of a dish of curried37 mutton. She took no liquid, as there was a water-tap in the stables, and it was the rule that the lad on duty should drink nothing else. The maid carried a lantern with her, as it was very dark and the path ran across the open moor.
“Edith Baxter was within thirty yards of the stables when a man appeared out of the darkness and called to her to stop. As she stepped into the circle of yellow light thrown by the lantern she saw that he was a person of gentlemanly bearing, dressed in a gray suit of tweeds, with a cloth cap. He wore gaiters and carried a heavy stick with a knob to it. She was most impressed, however, by the extreme pallor of his face and by the nervousness of his manner. His age, she thought, would be rather over thirty than under it.
“ ‘Can you tell me where I am?’ he asked. ‘I had almost made up my mind to sleep on the moor when I saw the light of your lantern.’
“ ‘You are close to the King’s Pyland training stables,’ said she.
“ ‘Oh, indeed! What a stroke of luck!’ he cried. ‘I understand that a stable-boy sleeps there alone every night. Perhaps that is his supper which you are carrying to him. Now I am sure that you would not be too proud to earn the price of a new dress, would you?’ He took a piece of white paper folded up out of his waistcoat pocket. ‘See that the boy has this to-night, and you shall have the prettiest frock that money can buy.’
“She was frightened by the earnestness of his manner and ran past him to the window through which she was accustomed to hand the meals. It was already opened, and Hunter was seated at the small table inside. She had begun to tell him of what had happened when the stranger came up again.
“ ‘Good-evening,’ said he, looking through the window. ‘I wanted to have a word with you.’ The girl has sworn that as he spoke38 she noticed the corner of the little paper packet protruding39 from his closed hand.
“ ‘What business have you here?’ asked the lad.
“ ‘It’s business that may put something into your pocket.’ said the other. ‘You’ve two horses in for the Wessex Cup — Silver Blaze and Bayard. Let me have the straight tip and you won’t be a loser. Is it a fact that at the weights Bayard could give the other a hundred yards in five furlongs, and that the stable have put their money on him?’
“ ‘So, you’re one of those damned touts40!’ cried the lad. ‘I’ll show you how we serve them in King’s Pyland.’ He sprang up and rushed across the stable to unloose the dog. The girl fled away to the house, but as she ran she looked back and saw that the stranger was leaning through the window. A minute later, however, when Hunter rushed out with the hound he was gone, and though he ran all round the buildings he failed to find any trace of him.”
“One moment,” I asked. “Did the stable-boy, when he ran out with the dog, leave the door unlocked behind him?”
“Excellent, Watson, excellent!” murmured my companion. “The importance of the point struck me so forcibly that I sent a special wire to Dartmoor yesterday to clear the matter up. The boy locked the door before he left it. The window, I may add, was not large enough for a man to get through.
“Hunter waited until his fellow-grooms had returned, when he sent a message to the trainer and told him what had occurred. Straker was excited at hearing the account, although he does not seem to have quite realized its true significance. It left him, however, vaguely42 uneasy, and Mrs. Straker, waking at one in the morning, found that he was dressing43. In reply to her inquiries44, he said that he could not sleep on account of his anxiety about the horses, and that he intended to walk down to the stables to see that all was well. She begged him to remain at home, as she could hear the rain pattering against the window, but in spite of her entreaties45 he pulled on his large mackintosh and left the house.
“Mrs. Straker awoke at seven in the morning to find that her husband had not yet returned. She dressed herself hastily, called the maid, and set off for the stables. The door was open; inside, huddled46 together upon a chair, Hunter was sunk in a state of absolute stupor47, the favourite’s stall was empty, and there were no signs of his trainer.
“The two lads who slept in the chaff-cutting loft above the harness-room were quickly aroused. They had heard nothing during the night, for they are both sound sleepers48. Hunter was obviously under the influence of some powerful drug, and as no sense could be got out of him, he was left to sleep it off while the two lads and the two women ran out in search of the absentees. They still had hopes that the trainer had for some reason taken out the horse for early exercise, but on ascending49 the knoll50 near the house, from which all the neighbouring moors51 were visible, they not only could see no signs of the missing favourite, but they perceived something which warned them that they were in the presence of a tragedy.
“About a quarter of a mile from the stables John Straker’s overcoat was flapping from a furze-bush. Immediately beyond there was a bowl-shaped depression in the moor, and at the bottom of this was found the dead body of the unfortunate trainer. His head had been shattered by a savage52 blow from some heavy weapon, and he was wounded on the thigh53, where there was a long, clean cut, inflicted54 evidently by some very sharp instrument. It was clear, however, that Straker had defended himself vigorously against his assailants, for in his right hand he held a small knife, which was clotted55 with blood up to the handle, while in his left he clasped a red and black silk cravat56, which was recognized by the maid as having been worn on the preceding evening by the stranger who had visited the stables. Hunter, on recovering from his stupor, was also quite positive as to the ownership of the cravat. He was equally certain that the same stranger had, while standing57 at the window, drugged his curried mutton, and so deprived the stables of their watchman. As to the missing horse, there were abundant proofs in the mud which lay at the bottom of the fatal hollow that he had been there at the time of the struggle. But from that morning he has disappeared, and although a large reward has been offered, and all the gypsies of Dartmoor are on the alert, no news has come of him. Finally, an analysis has shown that the remains58 of his supper left by the stable-lad contained an appreciable59 quantity of powdered opium60, while the people at the house partook of the same dish on the same night without any ill effect.
“Those are the main facts of the case, stripped of all surmise, and stated as baldly as possible. I shall now recapitulate61 what the police have done in the matter.
“Inspector Gregory, to whom the case has been committed, is an extremely competent officer. Were he but gifted with imagination he might rise to great heights in his profession. On his arrival he promptly62 found and arrested the man upon whom suspicion naturally rested. There was little difficulty in finding him, for he inhabited one of those villas which I have mentioned. His name, it appears, was Fitzroy Simpson. He was a man of excellent birth and education, who had squandered63 a fortune upon the turf, and who lived now by doing a little quiet and genteel book-making in the sporting clubs of London. An examination of his betting-book shows that bets to the amount of five thousand pounds had been registered by him against the favourite. On being arrested he volunteered the statement that he had come down to Dartmoor in the hope of getting some information about the King’s Pyland horses, and also about Desborough, the second favourite, which was in charge of Silas Brown at the Mapleton stables. He did not attempt to deny that he had acted as described upon the evening before, but declared that he had no sinister64 designs and had simply wished to obtain first-hand information. When confronted with his cravat he turned very pale and was utterly65 unable to account for its presence in the hand of the murdered man. His wet clothing showed that he had been out in the storm of the night before, and his stick, which was a penang lawyer weighted with lead, was just such a weapon as might, by repeated blows, have inflicted the terrible injuries to which the trainer had succumbed66. On the other hand, there was no wound upon his person, while the state of Straker’s knife would show that one at least of his assailants must bear his mark upon him. There you have it all in a nutshell, Watson, and if you can give me any light I shall be infinitely67 obliged to you.”
I had listened with the greatest interest to the statement which Holmes, with characteristic clearness, had laid before me. Though most of the facts were familiar to me, I had not sufficiently68 appreciated their relative importance, nor their connection to each other.
“Is it not possible,” I suggested, “that the incised wound upon Straker may have been caused by his own knife in the convulsive struggles which follow any brain injury?”
“It is more than possible; it is probable,” said Holmes. “In that case one of the main points in favour of the accused disappears.”
“And yet,” said I, “even now I fail to understand what the theory of the police can be.”
“I am afraid that whatever theory we state has very grave objections to it,” returned my companion. “The police imagine, I take it, that this Fitzroy Simpson, having drugged the lad, and having in some way obtained a duplicate key, opened the stable door and took out the horse, with the intention, apparently69, of kidnapping him altogether. His bridle70 is missing, so that Simpson must have put this on. Then, having left the door open behind him, he was leading the horse away over the moor when he was either met or overtaken by the trainer. A row naturally ensued. Simpson beat out the trainer’s brains with his heavy stick without receiving any injury from the small knife which Straker used in self-defence, and then the thief either led the horse on to some secret hiding-place, or else it may have bolted during the struggle, and be now wandering out on the moors. That is the case as it appears to the police, and improbable as it is, all other explanations are more improbable still. However, I shall very quickly test the matter when I am once upon the spot, and until then I cannot really see how we can get much further than our present position.”
It was evening before we reached the little town of Tavistock, which lies, like the boss of a shield, in the middle of the huge circle of Dartmoor. Two gentlemen were awaiting us in the station — the one a tall, fair man with lion-like hair and beard and curiously71 penetrating72 light blue eyes; the other a small, alert person, very neat and dapper, in a frock-coat and gaiters, with trim little side-whiskers and an eyeglass. The latter was Colonel Ross, the well-known sportsman; the other, Inspector Gregory; a man who was rapidly making his name in the English detective service.
“I am delighted that you have come down, Mr. Holmes,” said the colonel. “The inspector here has done all that could possibly be suggested, but I wish to leave no stone unturned in trying to avenge73 poor Straker and in recovering my horse.”
“Have there been any fresh developments?” asked Holmes.
“I am sorry to say that we have made very little progress,” said the inspector. “We have an open carriage outside, and as you would no doubt like to see the place before the light fails, we might talk it over as we drive.”
A minute later we were all seated in a comfortable landau and were rattling74 through the quaint75 old Devonshire city. Inspector Gregory was full of his case and poured out a stream of remarks, while Holmes threw in an occasional question or interjection. Colonel Ross leaned back with his arms folded and his hat tilted76 over his eyes, while I listened with interest to the dialogue of the two detectives. Gregory was formulating77 his theory, which was almost exactly what Holmes had foretold78 in the train.
“The net is drawn pretty close round Fitzroy Simpson,” he remarked, “and I believe myself that he is our man. At the same time I recognize that the evidence is purely79 circumstantial, and that some new development may upset it.”
“How about Straker’s knife?”
“We have quite come to the conclusion that he wounded himself in his fall.”
“My friend Dr. Watson made that suggestion to me as we came down. If so, it would tell against this man Simpson.”
“Undoubtedly80. He has neither a knife nor any sign of a wound. The evidence against him is certainly very strong. He had a great interest in the disappearance of the favourite. He lies under suspicion of having poisoned the stable-boy; he was undoubtedly out in the storm; he was armed with a heavy stick, and his cravat was found in the dead man’s hand. I really think we have enough to go before a jury.”
Holmes shook his head. “A clever counsel would tear it all to rags,” said he. “Why should he take the horse out of the stable? If he wished to injure it, why could he not do it there? Has a duplicate key been found in his possession? What chemist sold him the powdered opium? Above all, where could he, a stranger to the district, hide a horse, and such a horse as this? What is his own explanation as to the paper which he wished the maid to give to the stable-boy?”
“He says that it was a ten-pound note. One was found in his purse. But your other difficulties are not so formidable as they seem. He is not a stranger to the district. He has twice lodged81 at Tavistock in the summer. The opium was probably brought from London. The key, having served its purpose, would be hurled82 away. The horse may be at the bottom of one of the pits or old mines upon the moor.”
“What does he say about the cravat?”
“He acknowledges that it is his and declares that he had lost it. But a new element has been introduced into the case which may account for his leading the horse from the stable.”
Holmes pricked84 up his ears.
“We have found traces which show that a party of gypsies encamped on Monday night within a mile of the spot where the murder took place. On Tuesday they were gone. Now, presuming that there was some understanding between Simpson and these gypsies, might he not have been leading the horse to them when he was overtaken, and may they not have him now?”
“It is certainly possible.”
“The moor is being scoured85 for these gypsies. I have also examined every stable and outhouse in Tavistock, and for a radius86 of ten miles.”
“There is another training-stable quite close, I understand?”
“Yes, and that is a factor which we must certainly not neglect. As Desborough, their horse, was second in the betting, they had an interest in the disappearance of the favourite. Silas Brown, the trainer, is known to have had large bets upon the event, and he was no friend to poor Straker. We have, however, examined the stables, and there is nothing to connect him with the affair.”
“And nothing to connect this man Simpson with the interests of the Mapleton stables?”
“Nothing at all.”
Holmes leaned back in the carriage, and the conversation ceased. A few minutes later our driver pulled up at a neat little red-brick villa with overhanging eaves which stood by the road. Some distance off, across a paddock, lay a long gray-tiled outbuilding. In every other direction the low curves of the moor, bronze-coloured from the fading ferns, stretched away to the sky-line, broken only by the steeples of Tavistock, and by a cluster of houses away to the westward87 which marked the Mapleton stables. We all sprang out with the exception of Holmes, who continued to lean back with his eyes fixed88 upon the sky in front of him, entirely89 absorbed in his own thoughts. It was only when I touched his arm that he roused himself with a violent start and stepped out of the carriage.
“Excuse me,” said he, turning to Colonel Ross, who had looked at him in some surprise. “I was day-dreaming.” There was a gleam in his eyes and a suppressed excitement in his manner which convinced me, used as I was to his ways, that his hand was upon a clue, though I could not imagine where he had found it.
“Perhaps you would prefer at once to go on to the scene of the crime, Mr. Holmes?” said Gregory.
“I think that I should prefer to stay here a little and go into one or two questions of detail. Straker was brought back here, I presume?”
“Yes, he lies upstairs. The inquest is to-morrow.”
“He has been in your service some years, Colonel Ross?”
“I have always found him an excellent servant.”
“I presume that you made an inventory90 of what he had in his pockets at the time of his death, Inspector?”
“I have the things themselves in the sitting-room91 if you would care to see them.”
“I should be very glad.” We all filed into the front room and sat round the central table while the inspector unlocked a square tin box and laid a small heap of things before us. There was a box of vestas, two inches of tallow candle, an A D P brier-root pipe, a pouch92 of sealskin with half an ounce of long-cut Cavendish, a silver watch with a gold chain, five sovereigns in gold, an aluminum93 pencil-case, a few papers, and an ivory-handled knife with a very delicate, inflexible94 blade marked Weiss & Co., London.
“This is a very singular knife,” said Holmes, lifting it up and examining it minutely. “I presume, as I see blood-stains upon it, that it is the one which was found in the dead man’s grasp. Watson, this knife is surely in your line?”
“It is what we call a cataract95 knife,” said I.
“I thought so. A very delicate blade devised for very delicate work. A strange thing for a man to carry with him upon a rough expedition, especially as it would not shut in his pocket.”
“The tip was guarded by a disc of cork96 which we found beside his body,” said the inspector. “His wife tells us that the knife had lain upon the dressing-table, and that he had picked it up as he left the room. It was a poor weapon, but perhaps the best that he could lay his hands on at the moment.”
“Very possibly. How about these papers?”
“Three of them are receipted hay-dealers’ accounts. One of them is a letter of instructions from Colonel Ross. This other is a milliner’s account for thirty-seven pounds fifteen made out by Madame Lesurier, of Bond Street, to William Derbyshire. Mrs. Straker tells us that Derbyshire was a friend of her husband’s and that occasionally his letters were addressed here.”
“Madame Derbyshire had somewhat expensive tastes,” remarked Holmes, glancing down the account. “Twenty-two guineas is rather heavy for a single costume. However, there appears to be nothing more to learn, and we may now go down to the scene of the crime.”
As we emerged from the sitting-room a woman, who had been waiting in the passage, took a step forward and laid her hand upon the inspector’s sleeve. Her face was haggard and thin and eager, stamped with the print of a recent horror.
“Have you got them? Have you found them?” she panted.
“No, Mrs. Straker. But Mr. Holmes here has come from London to help us, and we shall do all that is possible.”
“Surely I met you in Plymouth at a garden-party some little time ago, Mrs. Straker?” said Holmes.
“No, sir; you are mistaken.”
“Dear me! Why, I could have sworn to it. You wore a costume of dove-coloured silk with ostrich-feather trimming.”
“I never had such a dress, sir,” answered the lady.
“Ah, that quite settles it,” said Holmes. And with an apology he followed the inspector outside. A short walk across the moor took us to the hollow in which the body had been found. At the brink97 of it was the furze-bush upon which the coat had been hung.
“There was no wind that night, I understand,” said Holmes.
“None, but very heavy rain.”
“In that case the overcoat was not blown against the furze-bush, but placed there.”
“Yes, it was laid across the bush.”
“You fill me with interest. I perceive that the ground has been trampled98 up a good deal. No doubt many feet have been here since Monday night.”
“A piece of matting has been laid here at the side, and we have all stood upon that.”
“Excellent.”
“In this bag I have one of the boots which Straker wore, one of Fitzroy Simpson’s shoes, and a cast horseshoe of Silver Blaze.”
“My dear Inspector, you surpass yourself!” Holmes took the bag, and, descending99 into the hollow, he pushed the matting into a more central position. Then stretching himself upon his face and leaning his chin upon his hands, he made a careful study of the trampled mud in front of him. “Hullo!” said he suddenly. “What’s this?” It was a wax vesta, half burned, which was so coated with mud that it looked at first like a little chip of wood.
“I cannot think how I came to overlook it,” said the inspector with an expression of annoyance100.
“It was invisible, buried in the mud. I only saw it because I was looking for it.”
“What! you expected to find it?”
“I thought it not unlikely.”
He took the boots from the bag and compared the impressions of each of them with marks upon the ground. Then he clambered up to the rim24 of the hollow and crawled about among the ferns and bushes.
“I am afraid that there are no more tracks,” said the inspector. “I have examined the ground very carefully for a hundred yards in each direction.”
“Indeed!” said Holmes, rising. “I should not have the impertinence to do it again after what you say. But I should like to take a little walk over the moor before it grows dark that I may know my ground to-morrow, and I think that I shall put this horseshoe into my pocket for luck.”
Colonel Ross, who had shown some signs of impatience101 at my companion’s quiet and systematic102 method of work, glanced at his watch. “I wish you would come back with me, Inspector,” said he. “There are several points on which I should like your advice, and especially as to whether we do not owe it to the public to remove our horse’s name from the entries for the cup.”
“Certainly not,” cried Holmes with decision. “I should let the name stand.”
The colonel bowed. “I am very glad to have had your opinion, sir,” said he. “You will find us at poor Straker’s house when you have finished your walk, and we can drive together into Tavistock.”
He turned back with the inspector, while Holmes and I walked slowly across the moor. The sun was beginning to sink behind the stable of Mapleton, and the long sloping plain in front of us was tinged103 with gold, deepening into rich, ruddy browns where the faded ferns and brambles caught the evening light. But the glories of the landscape were all wasted upon my companion, who was sunk in the deepest thought.
“It’s this way, Watson,” said he at last. “We may leave the question of who killed John Straker for the instant and confine ourselves to finding out what has become of the horse. Now, supposing that he broke away during or after the tragedy, where could he have gone to? The horse is a very gregarious104 creature. If left to himself his instincts would have been either to return to King’s Pyland or go over to Mapleton. Why should he run wild upon the moor? He would surely have been seen by now. And why should gypsies kidnap him? These people always clear out when they hear of trouble, for they do not wish to be pestered105 by the police. They could not hope to sell such a horse. They would run a great risk and gain nothing by taking him. Surely that is clear.”
“Where is he, then?”
“I have already said that he must have gone to King’s Pyland or to Mapleton. He is not at King’s Pyland. Therefore he is at Mapleton. Let us take that as a working hypothesis and see what it leads us to. This part of the moor, as the inspector remarked, is very hard and dry. But it falls away towards Mapleton, and you can see from here that there is a long hollow over yonder, which must have been very wet on Monday night. If our supposition is correct, then the horse must have crossed that, and there is the point where we should look for his tracks.”
We had been walking briskly during this conversation, and a few more minutes brought us to the hollow in question. At Holmes’s request I walked down the bank to the right, and he to the left, but I had not taken fifty paces before I heard him give a shout and saw him waving his hand to me. The track of a horse was plainly outlined in the soft earth in front of him, and the shoe which he took from his pocket exactly fitted the impression.
“See the value of imagination,” said Holmes. “It is the one quality which Gregory lacks. We imagined what might have happened, acted upon the supposition, and find ourselves justified106. Let us proceed.”
We crossed the marshy107 bottom and passed over a quarter of a mile of dry, hard turf. Again the ground sloped, and again we came on the tracks. Then we lost them for half a mile, but only to pick them up once more quite close to Mapleton. It was Holmes who saw them first, and he stood pointing with a look of triumph upon his face. A man’s track was visible beside the horse‘s.
“The horse was alone before,” I cried.
“Quite so. It was alone before. Hullo, what is this?”
The double track turned sharp off and took the direction of King’s Pyland. Holmes whistled, and we both followed along after it. His eyes were on the trail, but I happened to look a little to one side and saw to my surprise the same tracks coming back again in the opposite direction.
“One for you, Watson,” said Holmes when I pointed26 it out. “You have saved us a long walk, which would have brought us back on our own traces. Let us follow the return track.”
We had not to go far. It ended at the paving of asphalt which led up to the gates of the Mapleton stables. As we approached, a groom41 ran out from them.
“We don’t want any loiterers about here,” said he.
“I only wished to ask a question,” said Holmes, with his finger and thumb in his waistcoat pocket. “Should I be too early to see your master, Mr. Silas Brown, if I were to call at five o’clock to-morrow morning?”
“Bless you, sir, if anyone is about he will be, for he is always the first stirring. But here he is, sir, to answer your questions for himself. No, sir, no, it is as much as my place is worth to let him see me touch your money. Afterwards, if you like.”
As Sherlock Holmes replaced the half-crown which he had drawn from his pocket, a fierce-looking elderly man strode out from the gate with a hunting-crop swinging in his hand.
“What’s this, Dawson!” he cried. “No gossiping! Go about your business! And you, what the devil do you want here?”
“Ten minutes’ talk with you, my good sir,” said Holmes in the sweetest of voices.
“I’ve no time to talk to every gadabout. We want no strangers here. Be off, or you may find a dog at your heels.”
Holmes leaned forward and whispered something in the trainer’s ear. He started violently and flushed to the temples.
“It’s a lie!” he shouted. “An infernal lie!”
“Very good. Shall we argue about it here in public or talk it over in your parlour?”
“Oh, come in if you wish to.”
Holmes smiled. “I shall not keep you more than a few minutes, Watson.” said he. “Now. Mr. Brown. I am quite at your disposal.”
It was twenty minutes, and the reds had all faded into grays before Holmes and the trainer reappeared. Never have I seen such a change as had been brought about in Silas Brown in that short time. His face was ashy pale, beads108 of perspiration109 shone upon his brow, and his hands shook until the hunting-crop wagged like a branch in the wind. His bullying110, overbearing manner was all gone too, and he cringed along at my companion’s side like a dog with its master.
“Your instructions will be done. It shall all be done,” said he.
“There must be no mistake,” said Holmes, looking round at him. The other winced112 as he read the menace in his eyes.
“Oh, no, there shall be no mistake. It shall be there. Should I change it first or not?”
Holmes thought a little and then burst out laughing. “No, don’t,” said he, “I shall write to you about it. No tricks, now, or —”
“Oh, you can trust me, you can trust me!”
“Yes, I think I can. Well, you shall hear from me to-morrow.” He turned upon his heel, disregarding the trembling hand which the other held out to him, and we set off for King’s Pyland.
“A more perfect compound of the bully111, coward, and sneak113 than Master Silas Brown I have seldom met with,” remarked Holmes as we trudged114 along together.
“He has the horse, then?”
“He tried to bluster115 out of it, but I described to him so exactly what his actions had been upon that morning that he is convinced that I was watching him. Of course you observed the peculiarly square toes in the impressions, and that his own boots exactly corresponded to them. Again, of course no subordinate would have dared to do such a thing. I described to him how, when according to his custom he was the first down, he perceived a strange horse wandering over the moor. How he went out to it, and his astonishment116 at recognizing, from the white forehead which has given the favourite its name, that chance had put in his power the only horse which could beat the one upon which he had put his money. Then I described how his first impulse had been to lead him back to King’s Pyland, and how the devil had shown him how he could hide the horse until the race was over, and how he had led it back and concealed it at Mapleton. When I told him every detail he gave it up and thought only of saving his own skin.”
“But his stables had been searched?”
“Oh, an old horse-faker like him has many a dodge117.”
“But are you not afraid to leave the horse in his power now since he has every interest in injuring it?”
“My dear fellow, he will guard it as the apple of his eye. He knows that his only hope of mercy is to produce it safe.”
“Colonel Ross did not impress me as a man who would be likely to show much mercy in any case.”
“The matter does not rest with Colonel Ross. I follow my own methods and tell as much or as little as I choose. That is the advantage of being unofficial. I don’t know whether you observed it, Watson, but the colonel’s manner has been just a trifle cavalier to me. I am inclined now to have a little amusement at his expense. Say nothing to him about the horse.”
“Certainly not without your permission.”
“And of course this is all quite a minor118 point compared to the question of who killed John Straker.”
“And you will devote yourself to that?”
“On the contrary, we both go back to London by the night train.”
I was thunderstruck by my friend’s words. We had only been a few hours in Devonshire, and that he should give up an investigation119 which he had begun so brilliantly was quite incomprehensible to me. Not a word more could I draw from him until we were back at the trainer’s house. The colonel and the inspector were awaiting us in the parlour.
“My friend and I return to town by the night-express,” said Holmes. “We have had a charming little breath of your beautiful Dartmoor air.”
The inspector opened his eyes, and the colonel’s lip curled in a sneer120.
“So you despair of arresting the murderer of poor Straker,” said he.
Holmes shrugged121 his shoulders. “There are certainly grave difficulties in the way,” said he. “I have every hope, however, that your horse will start upon Tuesday, and I beg that you will have your jockey in readiness. Might I ask for a photograph of Mr. John Straker?”
The inspector took one from an envelope and handed it to him.
“My dear Gregory, you anticipate all my wants. If I might ask you to wait here for an instant, I have a question which I should like to put to the maid.”
“I must say that I am rather disappointed in our London consultant,” said Colonel Ross bluntly as my friend left the room. “I do not see that we are any further than when he came.”
“At least you have his assurance that your horse will run,” said I.
“Yes, I have his assurance,” said the colonel with a shrug122 of his shoulders. “I should prefer to have the horse.”
I was about to make some reply in defence of my friend when he entered the room again.
“Now, gentlemen,” said he, “I am quite ready for Tavistock.”
As we stepped into the carriage one of the stable-lads held the door open for us. A sudden idea seemed to occur to Holmes, for he leaned forward and touched the lad upon the sleeve.
“You have a few sheep in the paddock,” he said. “Who attends to them?”
“I do, sir.”
“Have you noticed anything amiss with them of late?”
“Well, sir, not of much account, but three of them have gone lame123, sir.”
I could see that Holmes was extremely pleased, for he chuckled124 and rubbed his hands together.
“A long shot, Watson, a very long shot,” said he, pinching my arm. “Gregory, let me recommend to your attention this singular epidemic125 among the sheep. Drive on, coachman!”
Colonel Ross still wore an expression which showed the poor opinion which he had formed of my companion’s ability, but I saw by the inspector’s face that his attention had been keenly aroused.
“You consider that to be important?” he asked.
“Exceedingly so.”
“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
“To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.
Four days later Holmes and I were again in the train, bound for Winchester to see the race for the Wessex Cup. Colonel Ross met us by appointment outside the station, and we drove in his drag to the course beyond the town. His face was grave, and his manner was cold in the extreme.
“I have seen nothing of my horse,” said he.
“I suppose that you would know him when you saw him?” asked Holmes.
The colonel was very angry. “I have been on the turf for twenty years and never was asked such a question as that before,” said he. “A child would know Silver Blaze with his white forehead and his mottled off-foreleg.”
“How is the betting?”
“Well, that is the curious part of it. You could have got fifteen to one yesterday, but the price has become shorter and shorter, until you can hardly get three to one now.”
“Hum!” said Holmes. “Somebody knows something, that is clear.”
As the drag drew up in the enclosure near the grandstand I glanced at the card to see the entries.
Wessex Plate [it ran] 50 sovs. each h ft with 1000 sovs. added, for four and five year olds. Second, 300 pounds. Third, 200 pounds. New course (one mile and five furlongs).
1 . Mr. Heath Newton’s The Negro. Red cap. Cinnamon jacket.
2. Colonel Wardlaw’s Pugilist. Pink cap. Blue and black jacket.
3. Lord Backwater’s Desborough. Yellow cap and sleeves.
4. Colonel Ross’s Silver Blaze. Black cap. Red jacket.
5. Duke of Balmoral’s Iris126. Yellow and black stripes.
6. Lord Singleford’s Rasper. Purple cap. Black sleeves.
“We scratched our other one and put all hopes on your word,” said the colonel. “Why, what is that? Silver Blaze favourite?”
“Five to four against Silver Blaze!” roared the ring. “Five to four against Silver Blaze! Five to fifteen against Desborough! Five to four on the field!”
“There are the numbers up,” I cried. “They are all six there.”
“All six there? Then my horse is running,” cried the colonel in great agitation127. “But I don’t see him. My colours have not passed.”
“Only five have passed. This must be he.”
As I spoke a powerful bay horse swept out from the weighing enclosure and cantered past us, bearing on its back the well-known black and red of the colonel.
“That’s not my horse,” cried the owner. “That beast has not a white hair upon its body. What is this that you have done, Mr. Holmes?”
“Well, well, let us see how he gets on,” said my friend imperturbably128. For a few minutes he gazed through my fieldglass. “Capital! An excellent start!” he cried suddenly. “There they are, coming round the curve!”
From our drag we had a superb view as they came up the straight. The six horses were so close together that a carpet could have covered them, but halfway129 up the yellow of the Mapleton stable showed to the front. Before they reached us, however, Desborough’s bolt was shot, and the colonel’s horse, coming away with a rush, passed the post a good six lengths before its rival, the Duke of Balmoral’s Iris making a bad third.
“It’s my race, anyhow,” gasped130 the colonel, passing his hand over his eyes. “I confess that I can make neither head nor tail of it. Don’t you think that you have kept up your mystery long enough, Mr. Holmes?”
“Certainly, Colonel, you shall know everything. Let us all go round and have a look at the horse together. Here he is,” he continued as we made our way into the weighing enclosure, where only owners and their friends find admittance. “You have only to wash his face and his leg in spirits of wine, and you will find that he is the same old Silver Blaze as ever.”
“You take my breath away!”
“I found him in the hands of a faker and took the liberty of running him just as he was sent over.”
“My dear sir, you have done wonders. The horse looks very fit and well. It never went better in its life. I owe you a thousand apologies for having doubted your ability. You have done me a great service by recovering my horse. You would do me a greater still if you could lay your hands on the murderer of John Straker.”
“I have done so,” said Holmes quietly.
The colonel and I stared at him in amazement131. “You have got him! Where is he, then?”
“He is here.”
“Here! Where?”
“In my company at the present moment.”
The colonel flushed angrily. “I quite recognize that I am under obligations to you, Mr. Holmes,” said he, “but I must regard what you have just said as either a very bad joke or an insult.”
Sherlock Holmes laughed. “I assure you that I have not associated you with the crime, Colonel,” said he. “The real murderer is standing immediately behind you.” He stepped past and laid his hand upon the glossy132 neck of the thoroughbred.
“The horse!” cried both the colonel and myself.
“Yes, the horse. And it may lessen133 his guilt134 if I say that it was done in self-defence, and that John Straker was a man who was entirely unworthy of your confidence. But there goes the bell, and as I stand to win a little on this next race, I shall defer135 a lengthy136 explanation until a more fitting time.”
We had the corner of a Pullman car to ourselves that evening as we whirled back to London, and I fancy that the journey was a short one to Colonel Ross as well as to myself as we listened to our companion’s narrative137 of the events which had occurred at the Dartmoor training-stables upon that Monday night, and the means by which he had unravelled138 them.
“I confess,” said he, “that any theories which I had formed from the newspaper reports were entirely erroneous. And yet there were indications there, had they not been overlaid by other details which concealed their true import. I went to Devonshire with the conviction that Fitzroy Simpson was the true culprit, although, of course, I saw that the evidence against him was by no means complete. It was while I was in the carriage, just as we reached the trainer’s house, that the immense significance of the curried mutton occurred to me. You may remember that I was distrait139 and remained sitting after you had all alighted. I was marvelling140 in my own mind how I could possibly have overlooked so obvious a clue.”
“I confess,” said the colonel, “that even now I cannot see how it helps us.”
“It was the first link in my chain of reasoning. Powdered opium is by no means tasteless. The flavour is not disagreeable, but it is perceptible. Were it mixed with any ordinary dish the eater would undoubtedly detect it and would probably eat no more. A curry141 was exactly the medium which would disguise this taste. By no possible supposition could this stranger, Fitzroy Simpson, have caused curry to be served in the trainer’s family that night, and it is surely too monstrous142 a coincidence to suppose that he happened to come along with powdered opium upon the very night when a dish happened to be served which would disguise the flavour. That is unthinkable. Therefore Simpson becomes eliminated from the case, and our attention centres upon Straker and his wife, the only two people who could have chosen curried mutton for supper that night. The opium was added after the dish was set aside for the stable-boy, for the others had the same for supper with no ill effects. Which of them, then, had access to that dish without the maid seeing them?
“Before deciding that question I had grasped the significance of the silence of the dog, for one true inference invariably suggests others. The Simpson incident had shown me that a dog was kept in the stables, and yet, though someone had been in and had fetched out a horse, he had not barked enough to arouse the two lads in the loft. Obviously the midnight visitor was someone whom the dog knew well.
“I was already convinced, or almost convinced, that John Straker went down to the stables in the dead of the night and took out Silver Blaze. For what purpose? For a dishonest one, obviously, or why should he drug his own stable-boy? And yet I was at a loss to know why. There have been cases before now where trainers have made sure of great sums of money by laying against their own horses through agents and then preventing them from winning by fraud. Sometimes it is a pulling jockey. Sometimes it is some surer and subtler means. What was it here? I hoped that the contents of his pockets might help me to form a conclusion.
“And they did so. You cannot have forgotten the singular knife which was found in the dead man’s hand, a knife which certainly no sane143 man would choose for a weapon. It was, as Dr. Watson told us, a form of knife which is used for the most delicate operations known in surgery. And it was to be used for a delicate operation that night. You must know, with your wide experience of turf matters, Colonel Ross, that it is possible to make a slight nick upon the tendons of a horse’s ham, and to do it subcutaneously, so as to leave absolutely no trace. A horse so treated would develop a slight lameness144, which would be put down to a strain in exercise or a touch of rheumatism145, but never to foul146 play.”
“Villain! Scoundrel!” cried the colonel.
“We have here the explanation of why John Straker wished to take the horse out on to the moor. So spirited a creature would have certainly roused the soundest of sleepers when it felt the prick83 of the knife. It was absolutely necessary to do it in the open air.”
“I have been blind!” cried the colonel. “Of course that was why he needed the candle and struck the match.”
“Undoubtedly. But in examining his belongings147 I was fortunate enough to discover not only the method of the crime but even its motives148. As a man of the world, Colonel, you know that men do not carry other people’s bills about in their pockets. We have most of us quite enough to do to settle our own. I at once concluded that Straker was leading a double life and keeping a second establishment. The nature of the bill showed that there was a lady in the case, and one who had expensive tastes. Liberal as you are with your servants, one can hardly expect that they can buy twenty-guinea walking dresses for their ladies. I questioned Mrs. Straker as to the dress without her knowing it, and, having satisfied myself that it had never reached her, I made a note of the milliner’s address and felt that by calling there with Straker’s photograph I could easily dispose of the mythical149 Derbyshire.
“From that time on all was plain. Straker had led out the horse to a hollow where his light would be invisible. Simpson in his flight had dropped his cravat, and Straker had picked it up — with some idea, perhaps, that he might use it in securing the horse’s leg. Once in the hollow, he had got behind the horse and had struck a light; but the creature, frightened at the sudden glare, and with the strange instinct of animals feeling that some mischief150 was intended, had lashed151 out, and the steel shoe had struck Straker full on the forehead. He had already, in spite of the rain, taken off his overcoat in order to do his delicate task, and so, as he fell, his knife gashed152 his thigh. Do I make it clear?”
“Wonderful!” cried the colonel. “Wonderful! You might have been there!”
“My final shot was, I confess, a very long one. It struck me that so astute153 a man as Straker would not undertake this delicate tendon-nicking without a little practise. What could he practise on? My eyes fell upon the sheep, and I asked a question which, rather to my surprise, showed that my surmise was correct.
“When I returned to London I called upon the milliner, who had recognized Straker as an excellent customer of the name of Derbyshire, who had a very dashing wife, with a strong partiality for expensive dresses. I have no doubt that this woman had plunged154 him over head and ears in debt, and so led him into this miserable155 plot.”
“You have explained all but one thing,” cried the colonel. “Where was the horse?”
“Ah, it bolted, and was cared for by one of your neighbours. We must have an amnesty in that direction, I think. This is Clapham Junction156, if I am not mistaken, and we shall be in Victoria in less than ten minutes. If you care to smoke a cigar in our rooms, Colonel. I shall be happy to give you any other details which might interest you.”
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1
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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2
rambled
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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3
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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4
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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5
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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6
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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7
sifting
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| n.筛，过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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8
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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9
plethora
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| n.过量，过剩 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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12
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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14
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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15
memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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16
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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19
enumerate
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| v.列举，计算，枚举，数 | |
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20
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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28
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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contractor
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| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
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invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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curried
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| adj.加了咖喱（或咖喱粉的），用咖哩粉调理的 | |
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spoke
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| 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 | |
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39
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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40
touts
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| n.招徕( tout的名词复数 )；（音乐会、体育比赛等的）卖高价票的人；侦查者；探听赛马的情报v.兜售( tout的第三人称单数 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报 | |
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41
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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42
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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43
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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44
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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45
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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46
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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47
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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48
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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49
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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50
knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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51
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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52
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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53
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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54
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
clotted
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| adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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57
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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58
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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59
appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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60
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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61
recapitulate
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| v.节述要旨，择要说明 | |
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62
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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63
squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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65
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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66
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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67
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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68
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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69
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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70
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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71
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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72
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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73
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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74
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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75
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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76
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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77
formulating
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| v.构想出( formulate的现在分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示 | |
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78
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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80
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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81
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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82
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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83
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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84
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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85
scoured
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| 走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮 | |
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86
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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87
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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88
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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89
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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90
inventory
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| n.详细目录，存货清单 | |
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91
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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92
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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93
aluminum
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| n.(aluminium)铝 | |
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94
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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95
cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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96
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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97
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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98
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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99
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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100
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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101
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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102
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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103
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
gregarious
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| adj.群居的，喜好群居的 | |
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105
pestered
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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107
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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108
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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109
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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110
bullying
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| v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈 | |
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111
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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112
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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114
trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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115
bluster
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| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
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116
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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117
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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118
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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119
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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120
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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121
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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122
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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123
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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124
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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125
epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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126
iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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127
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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128
imperturbably
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| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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129
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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130
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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131
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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132
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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133
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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134
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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135
defer
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| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
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136
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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137
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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138
unravelled
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的过去式和过去分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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139
distrait
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| adj.心不在焉的 | |
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140
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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141
curry
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| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
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142
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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143
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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144
lameness
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| n. 跛, 瘸, 残废 | |
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145
rheumatism
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| n.风湿病 | |
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146
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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147
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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148
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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149
mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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150
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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151
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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152
gashed
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| v.划伤，割破( gash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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153
astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 | |
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154
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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155
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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156
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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