Chapter VII

"Cesarine!" Mme. de Thaller called, in a voice which sounded atonce like a prayer and a threat.

"I am going to dress myself, mamma," she answered.

"Come back!""So that you can scold me if I am not ready when you want to go?

Thank you, no.""I command you to come back, Cesarine."No answer. She was far already.

Mme. de Thaller closed the door of the little parlor¹, and returningto take a seat by M. de Traggers,"What a singular girl!" she said.

Meantime he was watching in the glass what was going on in theother room. The suspicious-looking man was there still, and alone.

A servant had brought him pen, ink and paper; and he was writingrapidly.

"How is it that they leave him there alone?" wondered Marius.

And he endeavored to find upon the features of the baroness² ananswer to the confused presentiments⁵ which agitated⁶ his brain. Butthere was no longer any trace of the emotion which she had manifestedwhen taken unawares. Having had time for reflection, she hadcomposed for herself an impenetrable countenance⁷. Somewhat surprisedat M. de Traggers silence,"I was saying," she repeated, "that Cesarine is a strange girl."Still absorbed by the scene in the grand parlor,"Strange, indeed!" he answered.

"And such is," said the baroness with a sigh, "the result of M. deThaller's weakness, and above all of my own.""We have no child but Cesarine; and it was natural that we shouldspoil her. Her fancy has been, and is still, our only law. Shehas never had time to express a wish: she is obeyed before she hasspoken."She sighed again, and deeper than the first time. "You have justseen," she went on, "the results of that insane education. And yetit would not do to trust appearances. Cesarine, believe me, is notas extravagant⁹ as she seems. She possesses solid qualities, - ofthose which a man expects of the woman who is to be his wife."Without taking his eyes off the glass,"I believe you madame," said M. de Traggers.

"With her father, with me especially, she is capricious, wilful,and violent; but, in the hands of the husband of her choice, shewould be like wax in the hands of the modeler."The man in the parlor had finished his letter, and, with anequivocal smile, was reading it over.

"Believe me, madame," replied M. de Traggers, "I have perfectlyunderstood how much naive¹² boasting there was in all that Mlle.

Cesarine told me.""Then, really, you do not judge her too severely¹³?""Your heart has not more indulgence for her than my own.""And yet it is from you that her first real sorrow comes.""From me?"The baroness shook her head in a melancholy¹⁴ way, to convey an ideaof her maternal¹⁵ affection and anxiety.

"Yes, from you, my dear marquis," she replied, "from you alone.

On the very day you entered this house, Cesarine's whole naturechanged."Having read his letter over, the man in the grand parlor had foldedit, and slipped it into his pocket, and, having left his seat,seemed to be waiting for something. M. de Traggers was following,in the glass, his every motion, with the most eager curiosity. Andnevertheless, as he felt the absolute necessity of saying something,were it only to avoid attracting the attention of the baroness,"What!" he said, "Mlle. Cesarine's nature did change, then?""In one night. Had she not met the hero of whom every girl dreams?

- a man of thirty, bearing one of the oldest names in France."She stopped, expecting an answer, a word, an exclamation¹⁶. But, asM. de Traggers said nothing,"Did you never notice any thing then?" she asked.

"Nothing.""And suppose I were to tell you myself, that my poor Cesarine, alas¹⁷!

- loves you?"M. de Traggers started. Had he been less occupied with the personagein the grand parlor, he would certainly not have allowed theconversation to drift in this channel. He understood his mistake;and, in an icy tone,"Permit me, madame," he said, "to believe that you are jesting.""And suppose it were the truth.""It would make me unhappy in the extreme.""Sir!""For the reason which I have already told you, that I love Mlle.

Gilberte Favoral with the deepest and the purest love, and thatfor the past three years she has been, before God, my affiancedbride."Something like a flash of anger passed over Mme. de Thaller's eyes.

"And I," she exclaimed, - "I tell you that this marriage is senseless.""I wish it were still more so, that I might the better show toGilberte how dear she is to me."Calm in appearance, the baroness was scratching with her nails thesatin of the chair on which she was sitting.

"Then," she went on, "your resolution is settled.""Irrevocably.""Still, now, come, between us who are no longer children, supposeM. de Thaller were to double Cesarine's dowry, to treble it?"An expression of intense disgust contracted the manly¹⁸ features ofMarius de Tregars.

"Ah! not another word, madame," he interrupted.

There was no hope left. Mme. de Thaller fully¹⁹ realized it by thetone in which he spoke⁸. She remained pensive²⁰ for over a minute,and suddenly, like a person who has finally made up her mind, sherang.

A footman appeared.

"Do what I told you!" she ordered.

And as soon as the footman had gone, turning to M. de Tregars,"Alas!" she said, "who would have thought that I would curse the daywhen you first entered our house?"But, whilst, she spoke, M. de Traggers noticed in the glass theresult of the order she had just given.

The footman walked into the grand parlor, spoke a few words; and atonce the man with the alarming countenance put on his hat and wentout.

"This is very strange!" thought M. de Traggers. Meantime, thebaroness was going on,"If your intentions are to that point irrevocable, how is it thatyou are here? You have too much experience of the world not tohave understood, this morning, the object of my visit and of myallusions."Fortunately, M. de Traggers' attention was no longer drawn²¹ by theproceedings in the next room. The decisive moment had come: thesuccess of the game he was playing would, perhaps, depend uponhis coolness and self-command.

"It is because I did understand, madame, and even better than yousuppose, that I am here.""Indeed!""I came, expecting to deal with M. de Thaller alone. I have beencompelled, by what has happened, to alter my intentions. It isto you that I must speak first."Mme. de Thaller continued to manifest the same tranquil²² assurance;but she stood up. Feeling the approach of the storm, she wishedto be up, and ready to meet it.

"You honor me," she said with an ironical²³ smile.

There was, henceforth, no human power capable of turning Marius deTregars from the object he had in view.

"It is to you I shall speak," he repeated, "because, after you haveheard me, you may perhaps judge that it is your interest to join mein endeavoring to obtain from your husband what I ask, what Idemand, what I must have."With an air of surprise marvelously well simulated, if it was notreal, the baroness was looking at him.

"My father," he proceeded to say, "the Marquis de Tregars, was oncerich: he had several millions. And yet when I had the misfortuneof losing him, three years ago, he was so thoroughly²⁵ ruined, thatto relieve the scruples²⁶ of his honor, and to make his death easier,I gave up to his creditors²⁷ all I had in the world. What had becomeof my father's fortune? What filter had been administered to himto induce him to launch into hazardous²⁸ speculations²⁹, - he an oldBreton gentleman, full, even to absurdity³⁰, of the most obstinateprejudices of the nobility? That's what I wished to ascertain³¹.""And now, madame, I - have ascertained³²."She was a strong-minded woman, the Baroness de Thaller. She hadhad so many adventures in her life, she had walked on the very edgeof so many precipices³⁴, concealed³⁵ so many anxieties, that danger was,as it were, her element, and that, at the decisive moment of analmost desperate game, she could remain smiling like those oldgamblers whose face never betrays their terrible emotion at themoment when they risk their last stake. Not a muscle of her facemoved; and it was with the most imperturbable³⁶ calm that she said,"Go on, I am listening: it must be quite interesting."That was not the way to propitiate³⁷ M. de Traggers.

He resumed, in a brief and harsh tone,"When my father died, I was young. I did not know then what I havelearned since, - that to contribute to insure the impunity³⁸ of knavesis almost to make one's self their accomplice³⁹. And the victim whosays nothing and submits, does contribute to it. The honest man,on the contrary, should speak, and point out to others the trapinto which he has fallen, that they may avoid it."The baroness was listening with the air of a person who is compelledby politeness to hear a tiresome⁴⁰ story.

"That is a rather gloomy preamble," she said. M. de Tregars tookno notice of the interruption.

"At all times," he went on, "my father seemed careless of hisaffairs: that affectation, he thought, was due to the name he bore.

But his negligence⁴¹ was only apparent. I might mention things ofhim that would do honor to the most methodical tradesman. He had,for instance, the habit of preserving all the letters of anyimportance which he received. He left twelve or fifteen boxes fullof such. They were carefully classified; and many bore upon theirmargin a few notes indicating what answer had been made to them."Half suppressing a yawn,"That is order," said the baroness, "if I know any thing about it.""At the first moment, determined⁴³ not to stir up the past, Iattached no importance to those letters; and they would certainlyhave been burnt, but for an old friend of the family, the Count deVillegre, who had them carried to his own house. But later, actingunder the influence of circumstances which it would be too long toexplain to you, I regretted my apathy⁴⁴; and I thought that I should,perhaps, find in that correspondence something to either dissipateor justify⁴⁵ certain suspicions which had occurred to me.""So that, like a respectful son, you read it?" M. de Tregars bowedceremoniously.

"I believe," he said, "that to avenge⁴⁶ a father of the imposture⁴⁷ ofwhich he was the victim during his life, is to render homage⁴⁸ to hismemory. Yes, madame, I read the whole of that correspondence, andwith an interest which you will readily understand. I had already,and without result, examined the contents of several boxes, when inthe package marked 1852, a year which my father spent in Paris,certain letters attracted my attention. They were written uponcoarse paper, in a very primitive⁴⁹ handwriting and wretchedly spelt.

They were signed sometimes Phrasie, sometimes Marquise de Javelle.

Some gave the address, 'Rue⁵¹ des Bergers, No. 3, Paris-Grenelle.'

"Those letters left me no doubt upon what had taken place. Myfather had met a young working-girl of rare beauty: he had taken afancy to her; and, as he was tormented⁵² by the fear of being lovedfor his money alone, he had passed himself off for a poor clerk inone of the departments.""Quite a touching⁵³ little love-romance," remarked the baroness.

But there was no impertinence that could affect Marius de Tregars'

coolness.

"A romance, perhaps," he said, "but in that case a money-romance,not a love-romance. This Phrasie or Marquise de Javelle, announcesin one of her letters, that in February, 1853, she has given birthto a daughter, whom she has confided⁵⁴ to some relatives of hers inthe south, near Toulouse. It was doubtless that event whichinduced my father to acknowledge who he was. He confesses thathe is not a poor clerk, but the Marquis de Tregars, having anincome of over a hundred thousand francs. At once the tone ofthe correspondence changes. The Marquise de Javelle has a stupidtime where she lives; the neighbors reproach her with her fault;work spoils her pretty hands. Result: less than two weeks afterthe birth of her daughter, my father hires for his pretty mistressa lovely apartment, which she occupies under the name of Mme. Devil;she is allowed fifteen hundred francs a month, servants, horses,carriage."Mme. de Thaller was giving signs of the utmost impatience⁵⁵. Withoutpaying any attention to them, M. de Tregars proceeded,"Henceforth free to see each other daily, my father and his mistresscease to write. But Mme. Devil does not waste her time. During aspace of less than eight months, from February to September, sheinduces my father to dispose - not in her favor, she is toodisinterested for that, but in favor of her daughter - of a sumexceeding five hundred thousand francs. In September, thecorrespondence is resumed. Mme. Devil discovers that she is nothappy, and acknowledges it in a letter, which shows, by its improvedwriting and more correct spelling, that she has been taking lessons.

"She complains of her precarious⁵⁶ situation: the future frightens her:

she longs for respectability. Such is, for three months, theconstant burden of her correspondence. She regrets the time whenshe was a working girl: why has she been so weak? Then, at last,in a note which betrays long debates and stormy discussions, sheannounces that she has an unexpected offer of marriage; a finefellow, who,, if she only had two hundred thousand francs, wouldgive his name to herself and to her darling little daughter. Fora long time my father hesitates; but she presses her point withsuch rare skill, she demonstrates so conclusively⁵⁷ that this marriagewill insure the happiness of their child, that my father yields atlast, and resigns himself to the sacrifice. And in a memorandumon the margin⁴² of a last letter, he states that he has just giventwo hundred thousand francs to Mme. Devil; that he will never seeher again; and that he returns to live in Brittany, where he wishes,by the most rigid⁵⁸ economy, to repair the breach⁵⁹ he has just madein his fortune.""Thus end all these love-stories," said Mme. de Thaller in ajesting tone.

"I beg your pardon: this one is not ended yet. For many years, myfather kept his word, and never left our homestead of Tregars. Butat last he grew tired of his solitude⁶⁰, and returned to Paris. Didhe seek to see his former mistress again? I think not. I supposethat chance brought them together; or else, that, being aware of hisreturn, she managed to put herself in his way. He found her morefascinating, than ever, and, according to what she wrote him, richand respected; for her husband had become a personage. She wouldhave been perfectly¹¹ happy, she added, had it been possible for herto forget the man whom she had once loved so much, and to whom sheowed her position.

"I have that letter. The elegant hand, the style, and the correctorthography, express better than any thing else the transformationsof the Marquise de Javelle. Only it is not signed. The littleworking-girl has become prudent⁶¹: she has much to lose, and fears tocompromise herself.

"A week later, in a laconic⁶² note, apparently⁶³ dictated⁶⁴ by anirresistible passion, she begs my father to come to see her at herown house. He does so, and finds there a little girl, whom hebelieves to be his own child, and whom he at once begins to idolize.

"And that's all. Again he falls under the charm. He ceases tobelong to himself: his former mistress can dispose, at her pleasure,of his fortune and of his fate.

"But see now what bad luck! The husband takes a notion to becomejealous of my father's visits. In a letter which is a masterpieceof diplomacy⁶⁵, the lady explains her anxiety.

'"He has suspicions,' she writes; 'and to what extremities⁶⁶ might henot resort, were he to discover the truth!' And with infinite artshe insinuates⁶⁷ that the best way to justify his constant presenceis to associate himself with that jealous husband.

"It is with childish haste that my father jumps at the suggestion.

But money is needed. He sells his lands, and everywhere announcesthat he has great financial ideas, and that he is going to increasehis fortune tenfold.

"There he is now, partner of his former mistress's husband, engagedin speculations, director of a company. He thinks that he is doingan excellent business: he is convinced that he is making lots ofmoney. Poor honest man! They prove to him, one morning, that heis ruined, and, what is more, compromised. And this is made tolook so much like the truth, that I interfere⁶⁸ myself, and pay thecreditors. We were ruined; but honor was safe. A few weeks later,my father died broken-hearted."Mme. de Thaller half rose from her seat with a gesture whichindicated the joy of escaping at last a merciless bore. A glancefrom M. de Traggers riveted⁶⁹ her to her seat, freezing upon her lipsthe jest she was about to utter.

"I have not done yet," he said rudely.

And, without suffering .any interruption,"From this correspondence," he resumed, "resulted the flagrant,irrefutable proof of a shameful⁷⁰ intrigue⁷¹, long since suspected bymy old friend, General Count de Villegre, it became evident to methat my poor father had been most shamefully⁷² imposed upon by thatmistress, so handsome and so dearly loved, and, later, despoiledby the husband of that mistress. But all this availed me nothing.

Being ignorant of my father's life and connections, the lettersgiving neither a name nor a precise detail, I knew not whom toaccuse. Besides, in order to accuse, it is necessary to have, atleast, some material proof."The baroness had resumed her seat; and every thing about her - herattitude, her gestures, the motion of her lips-seemed to say,"You are my guest. Civility has its demands; but really you abuseyour privileges."M. de Traggers went on,"At this moment I was still a sort of savage⁷³, wholly absorbed inmy experiments, and scarcely ever setting foot outside mylaboratory. I was indignant; I ardently⁷⁴ wished to find and topunish the villains⁷⁶ who had robbed us: but I knew not how to goabout it, nor in what direction to seek information. The wretcheswould, perhaps, have gone unpunished, but for a good and worthy⁷⁸ man,now a commissary of police, to whom I once rendered a slight service,one night, in a riot, when he was close pressed by some half-dozenrascals. I explained the situation to him: he took much interestin it, promised his assistance, and marked out my line of conduct."Mme. de Thaller seemed restless upon her seat.

"I must confess," she began, "that I am not wholly mistress of mytime. I am dressed, as you see: I have to go out."If she had preserved any hope of adjourning⁸⁰ the explanation whichshe felt coming, she must have lost it when she heard the tone inwhich M. de Tregars interrupted her.

"You can go out to-morrow."And, without hurrying,"Advised, as I have just told you," he continued, "and assisted bythe experience of a professional man, I went first to No. 3, Ruedes Bergers, in Grenelle. I found there some old people, theforeman of a neighboring factory and his wife, who had been livingin the house for nearly twenty-five years. At my first question,they exchanged a glance, and commenced laughing. They rememberedperfectly the Marquise de Javelle, which was but a nickname for ayoung and pretty laundress, whose real name was Euphrasie Taponnet.

She had lived for eighteen months on the same landing as themselves:

she had a lover, who passed himself off for a clerk, but who was,in fact, she had told them, a very wealthy nobleman. They addedthat she had given birth to a little girl, and that, two weeks latershe had disappeared, and they had never heard a word from her. WhenI left them, they said to me, 'If you see Phrasie, ask her if sheever knew old Chandour and his wife. I am sure she'll remember us.'"For the first time Mme. de Thaller shuddered⁸¹ slightly; but it wasalmost imperceptible.

"From Grenelle," continued M. de Traggers, "I went to the housewhere my father's mistress had lived under the name of Mme. Devil.

I was in luck. I found there the same concierge⁸² as in 1853. Assoon as I mentioned Mme. Devil, she answered me that she had not inthe least forgotten her, but, on the contrary, would know her amonga thousand. She was, she said, one of the prettiest little womenshe had ever seen, and the most generous tenant⁸³. I understood thehint, handed her a couple of napoleons, and heard from her everything she knew on the subject. It seemed that this pretty Mme.

Devil had, not one lover, but two, - the acknowledged one, who wasthe master, and footed the bills; and the other an anonymous⁸⁴ one,who went out through the back-stairs, and who did not pay, on thecontrary. The first was called the Marquis de Tregars: of thesecond, she had never known but the first name, Frederic. Itried to ascertain what had become of Mme. Devil; but the worthyconcierge swore to me that she did not know.

"One morning, like a person who is going abroad, or who wishes tocover up her tracks, Mme. Devil had sent for a furniture-dealer⁸⁵,and a dealer in second-hand⁸⁶ clothes, and had sold them every thingshe had, going away with nothing but a little leather satchel⁸⁷, inwhich were her jewels and her money."The Baroness de Thaller still kept a good countenance. Afterexamining her for a moment, with a sort of eager curiosity, Mariusde Tregars went on,"When I communicated this information to my friend, the commissaryof police, he shook his head. 'Two years ago,' he told me, 'Iwould have said, that's more than we want to find those people; forthe public records would have given us at once the key of thisenigma. But we have had the war and the Commune; and the books ofrecord have been burnt up. Still we must not give up. A lasthope remains⁸⁹; and I know the man who is capable of realizing it.'

"Two days after, he brought me an excellent fellow, named VictorChupin, in whom I could have entire confidence; for he wasrecommended to me by one of the men whom I like and esteem⁹⁰ the most,the Duke de Champdoce. Giving up all idea of applying at thevarious mayors' offices, Victor Chupin, with the patience and thetenacity of an Indian following a scent⁹¹, began beating about thedistricts of Grenelle, Vargirard, and the Invalids⁹². And not invain; for, after a week of investigations⁹³ he brought me a nurse,residing Rue de l'Universite, who remembered perfectly having onceattended, on the occasion of her confinement⁹⁴, a remarkably⁹⁵ prettyyoung woman, living in the Rue des Bergers, and nicknamed theMarquise de Javelle. And as she was a very orderly woman, who atall times had kept a very exact account of her receipts, she broughtme a little book in which I read this entry: 'For attending EuphrasieTaponnet, alias⁹⁶ the Marquise de Javelle (a girl), one hundred francs.'

And this is not all. This woman informed me, moreover, that she hadbeen requested to present the child at the mayor's office, and thatshe had been duly registered there under the names of EuphrasieCesarine Taponnet, born of Euphrasie Taponnet, laundress, and anunknown father. Finally she placed at my disposal her account-bookand her testimony⁹⁷."Taxed beyond measure; the energy of the baroness was beginning tofail her; she was turning livid under her rice-powder. Still inthe same icy tone,"You can understand, madame," said Marius de Tregars, "that thiswoman's testimony, together with the letters which are in mypossession, enables me to establish before the courts the exactdate of the birth of a daughter whom my father had of his mistress.

But that's nothing yet. With renewed zeal⁹⁸, Victor Chupin hadresumed his investigations. He had undertaken the examination ofthe marriage-registers in all the parishes of Paris, and, as earlyas the following week, he discovered at Notre Dame¹⁰ des Lorettes theentry of the marriage of Euphrasie Taponnet with Frederic deThaller."Though she must have expected that name, the baroness started upviolently and livid, and with a haggard look.

"It's false!" she began in a choking voice.

A smile of ironical pity passed over Marius' lips.

"Five minutes' reflection will prove to you that it is useless todeny," he interrupted. "But wait. In the books of that same church,Victor Chupin has found registered the baptism of a daughter of M.

and Mme de Thaller, bearing the same names as the first one,- Euphrasie Cesarine."With a convulsive motion the baroness shrugged⁹⁹ her shoulder.

"What does all that prove?" she said.

"That proves, madame, the well-settled intention of substitutingone child for another; that proves that my father was imprudentlydeceived when he was made to believe that the second Cesarine washis daughter, the daughter in whose favor he had formerly¹⁰⁰ disposedof over five hundred thousand francs; that proves that there issomewhere in the world a poor girl who has been basely forsaken¹⁰¹ byher mother, the Marquise de Javelle, now become the Baroness deThaller."Beside herself with terror and anger,"That is an infamous¹⁰² lie!" exclaimed the baroness. M. de Tregarsbowed.

"The evidence of the truth of my statements," he said, "I shallfind at Louveciennes, and at the Hotel des Folies, Boulevard duTemple, Paris."Night had come. A footman came in carrying lamps, which he placedupon the mantelpiece. He was not all together one minute in thelittle parlor; but that one minute was enough to enable the Marquisede Thaller to recover her coolness, and to collect her ideas. Whenthe footman retired¹⁰³, she had made up her mind, with the resolutepromptness of a person accustomed to perilous¹⁰⁴ situations. She gaveup the discussion, and, drawing near to M. de Traggers,"Enough allusions," she said: "let us speak frankly¹⁰⁶, and face toface now. What do you want?"But the change was too sudden not to arouse Marius's suspicions.

"I want a great many things," he replied.

"Still you must specify¹⁰⁷.""Well, I claim first the five hundred thousand francs which myfather had settled upon his daughter, - the daughter whom you castoff.""And what next?""I want besides, my own and my father's fortune, of which we havebeen robbed by M. de Thaller, with your assistance, madame.""Is that all, at least?"M. de Tregars shook his head.

"That's nothing yet," he replied.

"Oh!""We have now to say something of Vincent Favoral's affairs."An attorney who is defending the interests of a client is neithercalmer nor cooler than Mme. de Thaller at this moment.

"Do the affairs of my husband's cashier concern me, then?" she saidwith' a shade of irony¹⁰⁸.

"Yes, madame, very much.""I am glad to hear it.""I know it from excellent sources, because, on my return fromLouveciennes, I called in the Rue du Cirque, where I saw one ZelieCadelle."He thought that the baroness would at least start on hearing thatname. Not at all. With a look of profound astonishment¹⁰⁹,"Rue du Cirque," she repeated, like a person who is making aprodigious effort of memory, - "Rue du Cirque! Zelie Cadelle!

Really, I do not understand."But, from the glance which M. de Traggers cast upon her, she musthave understood that she would not easily draw from him theparticulars which he had resolved not to tell.

"I believe, on the contrary," he uttered, "that you understandperfectly.""Be it so, if you insist upon it. What do you ask for Favoral?""I demand, not for Favoral, but for the stockholders who have beenimpudently defrauded¹¹¹, the twelve millions which are missing fromthe funds of the Mutual¹¹³ Credit."Mme. de Thaller burst out laughing.

"Only that?" she said.

"Yes, only that!""Well, then, it seems to me that you should present your reclamationsto M. Favoral himself. You have the right to run after him.""It is useless, for the reason that it is not he, the poor fool!

who has carried off the twelve millions.""Who is it, then?""M. le Baron³ de Thaller, no doubt."With that accent of pity which one takes to reply to an absurdproposition, - " You are mad, my poor marquis," said Mme. de Thaller.

"You do not think so.""But suppose I should refuse to do any thing more?"He fixed¹¹⁴ upon her a glance in which she could read an irrevocabledetermination; and slowly,"I have a perfect horror of scandal," he replied, "and, as youperceive, I am trying to arrange every thing quietly between us.

But, if I do not succeed thus, I must appeal to the courts.""Where are your proofs?""Don't be afraid: I have proofs to sustain all my allegations."The baroness had stretched herself comfortably in her arm-chair.

"May we know them?" she inquired.

Marius was getting somewhat uneasy in presence of Mme. de Thaller'simperturbable assurance. What hope had she? Could she see somemeans of escape from a situation apparently so desperate? Determinedto prove to her that all was lost, and that she had nothing to dobut to surrender,"Oh! I know, madame," he replied, "that you have taken yourprecautions. But, when Providence¹¹⁵ interferes¹¹⁶, you see, humanforesight does not amount to much. See, rather, what happens inregard to your first daughter, - the one you had when you werestill only Marquise de Javelle."And briefly¹¹⁷ he called to her mind the principal incidents of Mlle.

Lucienne's life from the time that she had left her with the poorgardeners at Louveciennes, without giving either her name or heraddress, - the injury she had received by being run over by Mme. deThaller's carriage; the long letter she had written from thehospital, begging for assistance; her visit to the house, and hermeeting with the Baron de Thaller; the effort to induce her toemigrate to America; her arrest by means of false information, andher escape, thanks to the kind peace-officer; the attempt upon heras she was going home late one night; and, finally, her imprisonmentafter the Commune, among the petroleuses, and her release throughthe interference of the same honest friend."And, charging her with the responsibility of all theseinfamous acts, he paused for an answer or a protest.

And, as Mme. de Thaller said nothing,"You are looking at me, madame, and wondering how I have discoveredall that. A single word will explain it all. The peace-officerwho saved your daughter is precisely¹¹⁸ the same to whom it was oncemy good fortune to render a service. By comparing notes, we havegradually reached the truth, - reached you, madame. Will youacknowledge now that I have more proofs than are necessary to applyto the courts?"Whether she acknowledged it or not, she did not condescend¹¹⁹ to discuss.

"What then?" she said coldly.

But M. de Traggers was too much on his guard to expose himself, bycontinuing to speak thus, to reveal the secret of his designs.

Besides, whilst he was thoroughly satisfied as to the manoeuvresused to defraud¹¹² his father he had, as yet, but presumptions¹²¹ on whatconcerned Vincent Favoral.

"Permit me not to say another word, madame," he replied. "I havetold you enough to enable you to judge of the value of my weapons."She must have felt that she could not make him change his mind, forshe rose to go.

"That is sufficient," she uttered. "I shall reflect; and to-morrowI shall give you an answer."She started to go; but M. de Traggers threw himself quickly betweenher and the door.

"Excuse me," he said; "but it is not to-morrow that I want an answer:

it is to-night, this instant!"Ah, if she could have annihilated¹²² him with a look.

"Why, this is violence," she said in a voice which betrayed theincredible effort she was making to control herself.

"It is imposed upon me by circumstances, madame.""You would be less exacting¹²³, if my husband were here."He must have been within hearing; for suddenly the door opened, andhe appeared upon the threshold. There are people for whom theunforeseen does not exist, and whom no event can disconcert. Havingventured every thing, they expect every thing. Such was the Baronde Thaller. With a sagacious glance he examined his wife and M. deTraggers; and in a cordial tone,"We are quarreling here?" he said.

"I am glad you have come!" exclaimed the baroness.

"What is the matter?""The matter is, that M. de Traggers is endeavoring to take an odiousadvantage of some incidents of our past life.""There's woman's exaggeration for you!" he said laughing.

And, holding out his hand to Marius,"Let me make your peace - for you, my dear marquis," he said: "that'swithin the province of the husband." But, instead of taking hisextended hand, M. de Tregars stepped back.

"There is no more peace possible, sir, I am an enemy.

"An enemy!" he repeated in a tone of surprise which was wonderfullywell assumed, if it was not real.

"Yes," interrupted the baroness; "and I must speak to you at once,Frederic. Come: M. de Traggers will wait for you."And she led her husband into the adjoining room, not without firstcasting upon Marius a look of burning and triumphant¹²⁵ hatred¹²⁶.

Left alone, M. de Traggers sat down. Far from annoying him, thissudden intervention¹²⁷ of the manager of the Mutual Credit seemed tohim a stroke of fortune. It spared him an explanation more painfulstill than the first, and the unpleasant necessity of having toconfound a villain⁷⁷ by proving his infamy¹²⁸ to him.

"And besides," he thought, "when the husband andthe wife have consulted with each other, they will ac-knowledge that they cannot resist, and that it is best tosurrender." The deliberation was brief. In less than tenminutes, M. de Thaller returned alone. He was pale;and his face expressed well the grief of an honest manwho discovers too late that he has misplaced his confidence.

"My wife has told me all, sir," he began.

M. de Tregars had risen. "Well?" he asked.

"You see me distressed¹²⁹. Ah, M. le Marquis! how could I ever expectsuch a thing from you? - you, whom I thought I had the right to lookupon as a friend. And it is you, who, when a great misfortunebefalls me, attempts to give me the finishing stroke. It is you whowould crush me under the weight of slanders¹³¹ gathered in the gutter¹³³."M. de Tregars stopped him with a gesture.

"Mme. de Thaller cannot have correctly repeated my words to you,else you would not utter that word 'slander¹³².'""She has repeated them to me without the least change.""Then she cannot have told you the importance of the proofs I havein my hands."But the Baron persisted, as Mlle. Cesarine would have said, to "doit up in the tender style.""There is scarcely a family," he resumed, " in which there is notsome one of those painful secrets which they try to withhold¹³⁴ fromthe wickedness of the world. There is one in mine. Yes, it istrue, that before our marriage, my wife had had a child, whompoverty had compelled her to abandon. We have since done everythingthat it was humanly possible to find that child, but without success.

It is a great misfortune, which has weighed upon our life; but it isnot a crime. If, however, you deem it your interest to divulge¹³⁵ oursecret, and to disgrace a woman, you are free to do so: I cannotprevent you. But I declare it to you, that fact is the only thingreal in your accusations¹³⁶. You say that your father has been dupedand defrauded. From whom did you get such an idea?

"From Marcolet, doubtless, a man without character, who has becomemy mortal enemy since the day when he tried a sharp game on me, andcame out second best. Or from Costeclar, perhaps, who does notforgive me for having refused him my daughter's hand, and who hatesme because I know that he committed forgery¹³⁷ once, and that he wouldbe in prison but for your father's extreme indulgence. Well,Costeclar and Marcolet have deceived you. If the Marquis de Tregarsruined himself, it is because he undertook a business that he knewnothing about, and speculated right and left. It does not takelong to sink a fortune, even without the assistance of thieves.

"As to pretend that I have benefitted by the embezzlements of mycashier that is simply stupid; and there can be no one to suggestsuch a thing, except Jottras and Saint Pavin, two scoundrels whomI have had ten times the opportunity to send to prison and who werethe accomplices¹³⁸ of Favoral. Besides, the matter is in the hands ofjustice; and I shall prove in the broad daylight of the court-room,as I have already done in the office of the examining judge, that,to save the Mutual Credit, I have sacrificed more than half myprivate fortune."Tired of this speech, the evident object of which was to lead himto discuss, and to betray himself,"Conclude, sir," M. de Traggers interrupted harshly. Still in thesame placid¹³⁹ tone,"To conclude is easy enough," replied the baron. "My wife has toldme that you were about to marry the daughter of my old cashier, - avery handsome girl, but without a sou. She ought to have a dowry.""Sir!""Let us show our hands. I am in a critical position: you know it,and you are trying to take advantage of it. Very well: we can stillcome to an understanding. What would you say, if I were to give toMlle. Gilberte the dowry I intended for my daughter?"All M. de Traggers' blood rushed to his face.

"Ah, not another word!" he exclaimed with a gesture of unprecedentedviolence. But, controlling himself almost at once,"I demand," he added, "my father's fortune. I demand that youshould restore to the Mutual Credit Company the twelve millionswhich have been abstracted.""And if not?""Then I shall apply to the courts."They remained for a moment face to face, looking into each other'seyes. Then,"What have you decided¹⁴¹?" asked M. de Traggers.

Without perhaps, suspecting that his offer was a new insult,"I will go as far as fifteen hundred thousand francs," replied M.

de Thaller, "and I pay cash.""Is that your last word?""It is.""If I enter a complaint, with the proofs in my hands,you are lost.""We'll see about that."To insist further would have been puerile¹⁴².

"Very well, we'll see, then," said M. de Traggers. But as hewalked out and got into his cab, which had been waiting for him atthe door, he could not help wondering what gave the Baron deThaller so much assurance, and whether he was not mistaken in hisconjectures.

It was nearly eight o'clock, and Maxence, Mme. Favoral and Mlle.

Gilberte must have been waiting for him with a feverish¹⁴⁴ impatience;but he had eaten nothing since morning, and he stopped in front ofone of the restaurants of the Boulevard.

He had just ordered his dinner, when a gentleman of a certain age,but active and vigorous still, of military bearing, wearing amustache, and a van-colored ribbon at his buttonhole, came to takea seat at the adjoining table.

In less than fifteen minutes M. de Traggers had despatched a bowlof soup and a slice of beef, and was hastening out, when his footstruck his neighbor's foot, without his being able to understandhow it had happened.

Though fully convinced that it was not his fault, he hastened toexcuse himself. But the other began to talk angrily, and so loud,that everybody turned around.

Vexed¹⁴⁵ as he was, Marius renewed his apologies.

But the other, like those cowards who think they have found agreater coward than themselves, was pouring forth²⁴ a torrent¹⁴⁶ ofthe grossest insults.

M. de Traggers was lifting his hand to administer a well-deservedcorrection, when suddenly the scene in the grand parlor of theThaller mansion¹⁴⁷ came back vividly¹⁴⁸ to his mind. He saw again, asin the glass, the ill-looking man listening, with an anxious look,to Mme. de Thaller's propositions, and afterwards sitting down towrite.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, a multitude of circumstances occurringto his mind, which had escaped him at the moment.

And, without further reflection, seizing his adversary¹⁴⁹ by thethroat, he threw him over on the table, holding him down with hisknee.

"I am sure he must have the letter about him," he said to thepeople who surrounded him.

And in fact he did take from the side-pocket of the villain a letter,which he unfolded, and commenced reading aloud,"I am waiting for you, my dear major, come quick, for the thing ispressing, - a troublesome gentleman who is to be made to keep quiet.

It will be for you the matter of a sword-thrust, and for us theoccasion to divide a round amount.""And, that's why he picked a quarrel with me," added M. de Traggers.

Two Waiters had taken hold of the villain, who was strugglingfuriously, and wanted to surrender him to the police.

"What's the use?" said Marius. " I have his letter: that's enough.

The police will find him when they want him."And, getting back into his cab,"Rue St. Gilles," he ordered, "and lively, if possible."VIIIIn the Rue St. Giles the hours were dragging, slow and gloomy.

After Maxence had left to go and meet M. de Tregars, Mme. Favoraland her daughter had remained alone with M. Chapelain, and had beencompelled to bear the brunt of his wrath¹⁵⁰, and to hear hisinterminable complaints.

He was certainly an excellent man, that old lawyer, and too just tohold Mlle. Gilberte or her mother responsible for Vincent Favoral'sacts. He spoke the truth when he assured them that he had for thema sincere affection, and that they might rely upon his devotion.

But he was losing a hundred and sixty thousand francs; and a manwho loses such a large sum is naturally in bad humor, and not muchdisposed to optimism.

The cruellest enemies of the poor women would not have torturedthem so mercilessly as this devoted¹⁵¹ friend.

He spared them not one sad detail of that meeting at the MutualCredit office, from which he had just come. He exaggerated theproud assurance of the manager, and the confiding¹⁵² simplicity¹⁵³ of thestockholders. "That Baron de Thaller," he said to them, "iscertainly the most impudent¹¹⁰ scoundrel and the cleverest rascal⁷⁹ Ihave ever seen. You'll see that he'll get out of it with cleanhands and full pockets. Whether or hot he has accomplices, Vincentwill be the scapegoat¹⁵⁴. We must make up our mind to that."His positive intention was to console Mme. Favoral and Gilberte.

Had he sworn to drive them to distraction¹⁵⁵, he could not havesucceeded better.

"Poor woman!" he said, "what is to become of you? Maxence is agood and honest fellow, I am sure, but so weak, so thoughtless, sofond of pleasure! He finds it difficult enough to get along byhimself. Of what assistance will he be to you?"Then came advice.

Mme. Favoral, he declared, should not hesitate to ask for aseparation, which the tribunal would certainly grant. For wantof this precaution, she would remain all her life under the burdenof her husband's debts, and constantly exposed to the annoyances¹⁵⁶ ofthe creditors.

And always he wound up by saying,"Who could ever have expected such a thing from Vincent, - a friendof twenty years' standing¹⁴⁰! A hundred and sixty thousand francs!

Who in the world can be trusted hereafter?"Big tears were rolling slowly down Mme. Favoral's withered¹⁵⁷ cheeks.

But Mlle. Gilberte was of those for whom the pity of others is theworst misfortune and the most acute suffering.

Twenty times she was on the point of exclaiming,"Keep your compassion¹⁵⁸, sir: we are neither so much to be pitied norso much forsaken as you think. Our misfortune has revealed to us atrue friend, - one who does not speak, but acts."At last, as twelve o'clock struck, M. Chapelain withdrew, announcingthat he would return the next day to get the news, and to bringfurther consolation¹⁵⁹.

"Thank Heaven, we are alone at last!" said Mlle. Gilberte.

But they had not much peace, for all that.

Great as had been the noise of Vincent Favoral's disaster, it hadnot reached at once all those who had intrusted their savings¹⁶⁰ to him.

All day long, the belated creditors kept coming in; and the scenesof the morning were renewed on a smaller scale. Then legal summonsesbegan to pour in, three or four at a time. Mme. Favoral was losingall courage.

"What disgrace!" she groaned¹⁶². "Will it always be so hereafter?"And she exhausted¹⁶³ herself in useless conjectures¹⁴³ upon the causes ofthe catastrophe¹⁶⁴; and such was the disorder¹⁶⁵ of her mind, that sheknew not what to hope and what to fear, and that from one minute toanother she wished for the most contradictory¹⁶⁶ things.

She would have been glad to hear that her husband was safe out ofthe country, and yet she would have deemed herself less miserable¹⁶⁷,had she known that he was hid somewhere in Paris.

And obstinately¹⁶⁸ the same questions returned to her lips,"Where is he now? What is he doing? What is he thinking about?

How can he leave us without news? Is it possible that it is awoman who has driven him into the precipice³³? And, if so, who isthat woman?"Very different were Mlle. Gilberte's thoughts.

The great calamity¹⁶⁹ that befell her family had brought about thesudden realization¹⁷⁰ of her hopes. Her father's disaster had givenher an opportunity to test the man she loved; and she had foundhim even superior to all that she could have dared to dream. Thename of Favoral was forever disgraced;, but she was going to bethe wife of Marius, Marquise de Tregars.

And, in the candor¹⁷¹ of her loyal soul, she accused herself of nottaking enough interest in her mother's grief, and reproachedherself for the quivers of joy which she felt within her.

"Where is Maxence?" asked Mme. Favoral.

"Where is M. de Tregars? Why have they told us nothing of theirprojects?""They will, no doubt, come home to dinner," replied Mlle. Gilberte.

So well was she convinced of this, that she had given orders to theservant to have a somewhat better dinner than usual; and her heartwas beating at the thought of being seated near Marius, between hermother and her brother.

At about six o'clock, the bell rang violently.

"There he is!" said the young girl, rising to her feet.

But no: it was only the porter, bringing up a summons ordering Mme.

Favoral, under penalty of the law, to appear the next day, at oneo'clock precisely, before the examining judge, Barban d'Avranchel,at his office in the Palace of Justice.

The poor woman came near fainting.

"What can this judge want with me? It ought to be forbidden tocall a wife to testify against her husband," she said.

"M. de Tregars will tell you what to answer, mamma," said Mlle.

Gilberte.

Meantime, seven o'clock came, then eight, and still neither Maxencenor M. de Tregars had come.

Both mother and daughter were becoming anxious, when at last, alittle before nine, they heard steps in the hall.

Marius de Tregars appeared almost immediately.

He was pale; and his face bore the trace of the crushing fatigues¹⁷² ofthe day, of the cares which oppressed him, of the reflections whichhad been suggested to his mind by the quarrel of which he had nearlybeen the victim a few moments since.

"Maxence is not here?" he asked at once.

"We have not seen him," answered Mlle. Gilberte.

He seemed so much surprised, that Mme. Favoral was frightened.

"What is the matter again, good God!" she exclaimed.

"Nothing, madame," said M. de Tregars, - "nothing that should alarmyou. Compelled, about two hours ago, to part from Maxence, I was tohave met him here. Since he has not come, he must have beendetained. I know where; and I will ask your permission to run andjoin him."He went out; but Mlle. Gilberte followed him in the hall, and,taking his hand,"How kind of you!" she began, "and how can we ever sufficientlythank you?"He interrupted her.

"You owe me no thanks, my beloved; for, in what I am doing, thereis more selfishness than you think. It is my own cause, more thanyours, that I am defending. Any way, every thing is going on well."And, without giving any more explanations, he started again. Hehad no doubt that Maxence, after leaving him, had run to the Hoteldes Folies to give to Mlle. Lucienne an account of the day's work.

And, though somewhat annoyed that he had tarried so long, on secondthought, he was not surprised.

It was, therefore, to the Hotel des Folies that he was going. Nowthat he had unmasked his batteries and begun the struggle, he wasnot sorry to meet Mlle Lucienne.

In less than five minutes he had reached the Boulevard du Temple.

In front of the Fortins' narrow corridor a dozen idlers werestanding, talking.

M. de Tregars was listening as he went along.

"It is a frightful¹⁷³ accident," said one, - "such a pretty girl, andso young too!""As to me," said another, "it is the driver that I pity the most;for after all, if that pretty miss was in that carriage, it was forher own pleasure; whereas, the poor coachman was only attending tohis business."A confused presentiment⁴ oppressed M. de Tregars' heart. Addressinghimself to one of those worthy citizens,"Have you heard any particulars?

Flattered by the confidence,"Certainly I have," he replied. "I didn't see the thing with myown proper eyes; but my wife did. It was terrible. The carriage,a magnificent private carriage too, came from the direction of theMadeleine. The horses had run away; and already there had been anaccident in the Place du Chateau¹⁷⁴ d'Eau, where an old woman had beenknocked down. Suddenly, here, over there, opposite the toy-shop,which is mine, by the way, the wheel of the carriage catches intothe wheel of an enormous truck; and at once, palata! the coachmanis thrown down, and so is the lady, who was inside, - a verypretty girl, who lives in this hotel."Leaving there the obliging narrator, M. de Tregars rushed throughthe narrow corridor of the Hotel des Folies. At the moment whenhe reached the yard, he found himself in presence of Maxence.

Pale, his head bare, his eyes wild, shaking with a nervous chill,the poor fellow looked like a madman. Noticing M. de Tregars,"Ah, my friend!" he exclaimed, "what misfortune'""Lucienne?""Dead, perhaps. The doctor will not answer for her recovery. Iam going to the druggist's to get a prescription¹⁷⁵."He was interrupted by the commissary of police, whose kindprotection had hitherto preserved Mlle. Lucienne. He was comingout of the little room on the ground-floor, which the Fortins usedfor an office, bedroom, and dining-room.

He had recognized Marius de Tregars, and, coming up to him, hepressed his hand, saying, "Well, you know?""Yes.""It is my fault, M. le Marquis; for we were fully notified. I knewso well that Mlle. Lucienne's existence was threatened, I was sofully expecting a new attempt upon her life, that, whenever she wentout riding, it was one of my men, wearing a footman's livery, whotook his seat by the side of the coachman. To-day my man was sobusy, that I said to myself, 'Bash, for once!' And behold¹⁷⁶ theconsequences!"It was with inexpressible astonishment that Maxence was listening.

It was with a profound stupor¹⁷⁷ that he discovered between Marius andthe commissary that serious intimacy¹⁷⁸ which is the result of longintercourse, real esteem, and common hopes.

"It is not an accident, then," remarked M. de Tregars.

"The coachman has spoken, doubtless?""No: the wretch⁵⁰ was killed on the spot."And, without waiting for another question,"But don't let us stay here," said the commissary.

"Whilst Maxence runs to the drug-store, let us go into the Fortins'

office."The husband was alone there, the wife being at that moment withMlle. Lucienne.

"Do me the favor to go and take a walk for about fifteen minutes,"said the commissary to him. "We have to talk, this gentleman andmyself."Humbly¹⁷⁹, without a word, and like a man who does himself justice,M. Fortin slipped off.

And at once, - "It is clear, M. le Marquis, it is manifest, that acrime has been committed. Listen, and judge for yourself. I wasjust rising from dinner, when I was notified of what was calledour poor Lucienne's accident. Without even changing my clothes, Iran. The carriage was lying in the street, broken to pieces. Twopolicemen were holding the horses, which had been stopped. Iinquire. I learn that Lucienne, picked up by Maxence, has been ableto drag herself as far as the Hotel des Folies, and that the driverhas been taken to the nearest drug-store. Furious at my ownnegligence, and tormented by vague suspicions, it is to the druggist'sthat I go first, and in all haste. The driver was in a backroom,stretched on a mattress¹⁸⁰.

"His head having struck the angle of the curbstone, his skull¹⁸¹ wasbroken; and he had just breathed his last. It was, apparently, theannihilation of the hope which I had, of enlightening myself byquestioning this man. Nevertheless, I give orders to have himsearched. No paper is discovered upon him to establish his identity;but, in one of the pockets of his pantaloons, do you know what theyfind? Two bank-notes of a thousand francs each, carefully wrappedup in a fragment of newspaper."M. de Tregars had shuddered.

"What a revelation!" he murmured.

It was not to the present circumstance that he applied¹⁸² that word.

But the commissary naturally mistook him.

"Yes," he went on, "it was a revelation. To me these two thousandfrancs were worth a confession¹⁸³: they could only be the wages of acrime. So, without losing a moment, I jump into a cab, and drive toBrion's. Everybody was upside down, because the horses had justbeen brought back. I question; and, from the very first words, thecorrectness of my presumption¹²⁰ is demonstrated to me. The wretch whohad just died was not one of Brion's coachmen. This is what hadhappened. At two o'clock, when the carriage ordered by M. VanKlopen was ready to go for Mlle. Lucienne, they had been compelledto send for the driver and the footman, who had forgotten themselvesdrinking in a neighboring wine-shop, with a man who had called tosee them in the morning. They were slightly under the influence ofwine, but not enough so to make it imprudent to trust them withhorses; and it was even probable that the fresh air would sober themcompletely. They had then started; but, they had not gone very far,for one of their comrades had seen them stop the carriage in frontof a wine-shop, and join there the same individual with whom theyhad been drinking all the morning""And who was no other than the man who was killed?""Wait. Having obtained this information, I get some one to take meto the wine-shop; and I ask for the coachman and the footman fromBrion's. They were there still; and they are shown to me in aprivate room, lying on the floor, fast asleep. I try to wake themup, but in vain. I order to water them freely; but a pitcher¹⁸⁴ ofwater thrown on their faces has no effect, save to make them utteran inarticulate groan¹⁶¹. I guess at once what they have taken. Isend for a physician, and I call on the wine-merchant forexplanations. It is his wife and his barkeeper who answer me.

They tell me, that, at about two o'clock, a man came in the shop,who stated that he was employed at Brion's, and who ordered threeglasses for himself and two comrades, whom he was expecting.

"A few moments later, a carriage stops at the door; and the driverand the footman leave it to come in. They were in a great hurry,they said, and only wished to take one glass. They do take three,one after another; then they order a bottle. They were evidentlyforgetting their horses, which they bad given to hold to acommissionaire. Soon the man proposes a game. The others accept;and here they are, settled in the back-room, knocking on the tablefor sealed wine. The game must have lasted at least twenty minutes.

At the end of that time, the man who had come in first appeared,looking very much annoyed, saying that it was very unpleasant, thathis comrades were dead drunk, that they will miss their work, andthat the boss, who is anxious to please his customers, willcertainly dismiss them. Although he had taken as much, and morethan the rest, he was perfectly steady; and, after reflecting fora moment, - I have an idea,' he says. 'Friends should help eachother, shouldn't they? I am going to take the coachman's livery,and drive in his stead. I happen to know the customer they weregoing after. She is a very kind old lady, and I'll tell her astory to explain the absence of the footman.'

"Convinced that the man is in Brion's employment, they have noobjection to offer to this fine project.

"The brigand¹⁸⁵ puts on the livery of the sleeping coachman, gets upon the box, and starts off, after stating that he will return forhis comrades as soon as he has got through the job, and thatdoubtless they will be sober by that time.

M. de Tregars knew well enough the savoir-faire of the commissarynot to be surprised at his promptness in obtaining precise information.

Already he was going on,"Just as I was closing my examination, the doctor arrived. I showhim my drunkards; and at once he recognizes that I have guessedcorrectly, and that these men have been put asleep by means of oneof those narcotics¹⁸⁶ of which certain thieves make use to rob theirvictims. A potion, which he administers to them by forcing theirteeth open with a knife, draws them from this lethargy. They opentheir eyes, and soon are in condition to reply to my questions.

They are furious at the trick that has been played upon them; butthey do not know the man. They saw him they swear to me, for thefirst time that very morning; and they are ignorant even of hisname."There was no doubt possible after such complete explanations. Thecommissary had seen correctly, and he proved it.

It was not of a vulgar accident that Mlle. Lucienne had just beenthe victim, but of a crime laboriously¹⁸⁷ conceived, and executed withunheard-of audacity¹⁸⁸, - of one of those crimes such as too many arecommitted, whose combinations, nine times out of ten, set asideeven a suspicion, and foil all the efforts of human justice.

M. de Tregars knew now what had taken place, as clearly as if hehad himself received the confession of the guilty parties.

A man had been found to execute that perilous programme, - to makethe horses run away, and then to run into some heavy wagon¹⁸⁹. Thewretch was staking his life on that game; it being evident thatthe light carriage must be smashed in a thousand pieces. But hemust have relied upon his skill and his presence of mind, to avoidthe shock, to jump off safe and sound'; whilst Mlle. Lucienne,thrown upon the pavement, would probably be killed on the spot.

The event had deceived his expectations, and he had been the victimof his rascality¹⁹⁰; but his death was a misfortune.

"Because now," resumed the commissary, "the thread is broken in ourhands which would infallibly have led us to the truth. Who is itthat ordered the crime, and paid for it? We know it, since we knowwho benefits by the crime. But that is not sufficient. Justicerequires something more than moral proofs. Living, this banditwould have spoken. His death insures the impunity of the wretchesof whom he was but the instrument.""Perhaps," said M. Tregars.

And at the same time he took out of his pocket, and showed the notefound in Vincent Favoral's pocket-book, - that note, so obscure theday before, now so terribly clear.

"I cannot understand your negligence. You should get through withthat Van Klopen affair: there is the danger."The commissary of police cast but a glance upon it, and, replyingto the objections of his old experience rather more than addressinghimself to M. de Tregars,"There can be no doubt about it," he murmured. "It is to the crimecommitted to-day that these pressing recommendations relate; and,directed as they are to Vincent Favoral, they attest¹⁹¹ his complicity.

It was he who had charge of finishing the Van Klopen affair; in otherwords, to get rid of Lucienne. It was he, I'd wager¹⁹² my head, whohad treated with the false coachman."He remained for over a minute absorbed in his own thoughts, then,"But who is the author of these recommendations to Vincent Favoral?

Do you know that, M. le Marquis?" he said.

They looked at each other; and the same name rose to their lips,"The Baroness de Thaller!"This name, however, they did not utter.

The commissary had placed himself under the gasburner which gavelight to the Fortin's office; and, adjusting his glasses, he wasscrutinizing the note with the most minute attention, studying thegrain and the transparency of the paper, the ink, and thehandwriting. And at last,"This note," he declared, "cannot constitute a proof against itsauthor: I mean an evident, material proof, such as we require toobtain from a judge an order of arrest."And, as Marius was protesting,"This note," he insisted, "is written with the left hand, withcommon ink, on ordinary foolscap paper, such as is found everywhere.

Now all left-hand writings look alike. Draw your own conclusions."But M. de Tregars did not give it up yet.

"Wait a moment," he interrupted.

And briefly, though with the utmost exactness, he began telling hisvisit to the Thaller mansion, his conversation with Mlle. Cesarine,then with the baroness, and finally with the baron himself.

He described in the most graphic¹⁹³ manner the scene which had takenplace in the grand parlor between Mme. de Thaller and a worse thansuspicious-looking man, - that scene, the secret of which had beenrevealed to him in its minutest details by the looking-glass. Itsmeaning was now as clear as day.

This suspicious-looking man had been one of the agents in arrangingthe intended murder: hence the agitation¹⁹⁴ of the baroness when shehad received his card, and her haste to join him. If she hadstarted when he first spoke to her, it was because he was tellingher of the successful execution of the crime. If she had afterwardsmade a gesture of joy, it was because he had just informed her thatthe coachman had been killed at the same time, and that she foundherself thus rid of a dangerous accomplice.

The commissary of police shook his head.

"All this is quite probable," he murmured; "but that's all."Again M. de Tregars stopped him.

"I have not done yet," he said.

And he went on saying how he had been suddenly and brutallyassaulted by an unknown man in a restaurant; how he had collaredthis abject¹⁹⁵ scoundrel, and taken out of his pocket a crushing letter,which left no doubt as to the nature of his mission.

The commissary's eyes were sparkling,"That letter! " he exclaimed, "that letter! And, as soon as he hadlooked over it,"Ah! This time," he resumed, "I think that we have somethingtangible. 'A troublesome gentleman to keep quiet,' - the Marquisde Tregars, of course, who is on the right track. 'It will be foryou the matter of a sword-thrust.' Naturally, dead men tell notales. 'It will be for us the occasion of dividing a round amount.'

An honest trade, indeed!"The good man was rubbing his hand with all his might.

"At last we have a positive fact," he went on, - "a foundation uponwhich to base our accusations. Don't be uneasy. That letter isgoing to place into our hands the scoundrel who assaulted you, - whowill make known the go-between, who himself will not fail tosurrender the Baroness de Thaller. Lucienne shall be avenged¹⁹⁶. Ifwe could only now lay our hands on Vincent Favoral! But we'll findhim yet. I set two fellows after him this afternoon, who have asuperior scent, and understand their business."He was here interrupted by Maxence, who was returning all out ofbreath, holding in his hand the medicines which he had gone after.

"I thought that druggist would never get through," he said.

And regretting to have remained away so long, feeling uneasy, andanxious to return up stairs,"Don't you wish to see Lucienne?" he added, addressing himself to M.

de Tregars rather more than to the commissary.

For all answer, they followed him at once.

A cheerless-looking place was Mlle. Lucienne's room, without anyfurniture but a narrow iron bedstead, a dilapidated bureau, fourstraw-bottomed chairs, and a small table. Over the bed, and atthe windows, were white muslin curtains, with an edging that hadonce been blue, but had become yellow from repeated washings.

Often Maxence had begged his friend to take a more comfortablelodging, and always she had refused.

"We must economize," she would say. "This room does well enoughfor me; and, besides, I am accustomed to it."When M. de Tregars and the commissary walked in, the estimablehostess of the Hotel des Folies was kneeling in front of the fire,preparing some medicine.

Hearing the footsteps, she got up, and, with a finger upon herlips,"Hush!" she said. "Take care not to wake her up!" The precautionwas useless.

"I am not asleep," said Mlle. Lucienne in a feeble voice. " Whois there?

"I," replied Maxence, advancing towards the bed.

It was only necessary to see the poor girl in order to understandMaxence's frightful anxiety. She was whiter than the sheet; andfever, that horrible fever which follows severe wounds, gave to hereyes a sinister¹⁹⁷ lustre¹⁹⁸.

"But you are not alone," she said again.

"I am with him, my child," replied the commissary. "I come to begyour pardon for having so badly protected you."She shook her head with a sad and gentle motion.

"It was myself who lacked prudence," she said; "for to-day, whileout, I thought I noticed something wrong; but it looked so foolishto be afraid! If it had not happened to-day, it would have happenedsome other day. The villains who have been pursuing me for yearsmust be satisfied now. They will soon be rid of me.""Lucienne," said Maxence in a sorrowful tone M. de Tregars nowstepped forward.

"You shall live, mademoiselle," he uttered in a grave voice. "Youshall live to learn to love life."And, as she was looking at him in surprise,"You do not know me," he added.

Timidly, and as if doubting the reality,"You," she said, "the Marquis de Tregars!""Yes, mademoiselle, your brother."Had he had the control of events, Marius de Tregars would probablynot have been in such haste to reveal this fact.

But how could he control himself in presence of that bed where apoor girl was, perhaps, about to die, sacrificed to the terrorsand to the cravings of the miserable woman who was her mother, - todie at twenty, victim of the basest and most odious¹²⁴ of crimes? Howcould he help feeling an intense pity at the sight of thisunfortunate young woman who had endured every thing that a humanbeing can suffer, whose life had been but a long and painfulstruggle, whose courage had risen above all the woes¹⁹⁹ of adversity,and who had been able to pass without a stain through the mud andmire of Paris.

Besides, Marius was not one of those men who mistrust their firstimpulse, who manifest their emotion only for a purpose, who reflectand calculate before giving themselves up to the inspirations oftheir heart.

Lucienne was the daughter of the Marquis de Tregars: of that he wasabsolutely certain. He knew that the same blood flowed in his veinsand in hers; and he told her so.

He told her so, above all, because he believed her in danger; andhe wished, were she to die, that she should have, at least, thatsupreme joy. Poor Lucienne! Never had she dared to dream of suchhappiness. All her blood rushed to her cheeks; and, in a voicevibrating with the most intense emotion,"Ah, now, yes," she uttered, "I would like to live."The commissary of police, also, felt moved.

"Do not be alarmed, my child," he said in his kindest tone.

"Before two weeks you will be up. M. de Tregars is a greatphysician."In the mean time, she had attempted to raise herself on her pillow;and that simple effort had wrung²⁰⁰ from her a cry of anguish²⁰¹.

"Dear me! How I do suffer!""That's because you won't keep quiet, my darling," said Mme. Fortinin a tone of gentle scolding. "Have you forgotten that the doctorhas expressly forbidden you to stir?

Then taking aside the commissary, Maxence, and M. de Tregars, sheexplained to them how imprudent it was to disturb Mlle. Lucienne'srest. She was very ill, affirmed the worthy hostess; and her advicewas, that they should send for a sick-nurse as soon as possible.

She would have been extremely happy, of course, to spend the nightby the side of her dear lodger²⁰³; but, unfortunately, she could notthink of it, the hotel requiring all her time and attention.

Fortunately, however, she knew in the neighborhood a widow, a veryhonest woman, and without her equal in taking care of the sick.

With an anxious and beseeching²⁰⁴ look, Maxence was consulting M. deTregars. In his eyes could be read the proposition that was burningupon his lips,"Shall I not go for Gilberte?"But that proposition he had no time to express. Though they hadbeen speaking very low, Mlle. Lucienne had heard.

"I have a friend," she said, "who would certainly be willing to situp with me."They all went up to her.

"What friend," inquired the commissary of police.

"You know her very well, sir. It is that poor girl who had takenme home with her at Batignolles when I left the hospital, who cameto my assistance during the Commune, and whom you helped to getout of the Versailles prisons.

"Do you know what has become of her?""Only since yesterday, when I received a letter from her, a veryfriendly letter. She writes that she has found money to set up adressmaking establishment, and that she is relying upon me to beher forewoman. She is going to open in the Rue St. Lazare; but,in the mean time, she is stopping in the Rue du Cirque."M. de Tregars and Maxence had started slightly.

"What is your friend's name? " they inquired at once.

Not being aware of the particulars of the two young men's visit tothe Rue du Cirque, the commissary of police could not understandthe cause of their agitation.

"I think," he said, "that it would hardly be proper now to send forthat girl.""It is to her alone, on the contrary, that we must resort,"interrupted M. de Tregars.

And, as he had good reasons to mistrust Mme. Fortin, he took thecommissary outside the room, on the landing; and there, in a fewwords, he explained to him that this Zelie was precisely the samewoman whom they had found in the Rue du Cirque, in that sumptuousmansion where Vincent Favoral, under the simple name of Vincent, hadbeen living, according to the neighbors, in such a princely style.

The commissary of police was astounded²⁰⁵. Why had he not known allthis sooner? Better late than never, however.

"Ah! you are right, M. le Marquis, a hundred times right!" hedeclared. "This girl must evidently know Vincent Favoral's secret,the key of the enigma⁸⁸ that we are vainly trying to solve. Whatshe would not tell to you, a stranger, she will tell to Lucienne,her friend."Maxence offered to go himself for Zelie Cadelle.

No," answered Marius. " If she should happen to know you, shewould mistrust you, and would refuse to come."It was, therefore, M. Fortin who was despatched to the Rue duCirque, and who went off muttering, though he had received fivefrancs to take a carriage, and five francs for his trouble.

"And now," said the commissary of police to Maxence, "we must bothof us get out of the way. I, because the fact of my being acommissary would frighten Mme. Cadelle; you because, being VincentFavoral's son, your presence would certainly prove embarrassingto her."And so they went out; but M. de Tregars did not remain long alonewith Mlle. Lucienne. M. Fortin had had the delicacy²⁰⁶ not to tarryon the way.

Eleven o'clock struck as Zelie Cadelle rushed like a whirlwindinto her friend's room.

Such had been his haste, that she had given no thought whatever toher dress. She had stuck upon her uncombed hair the first bonnetshe had laid her hand upon, and thrown an old shawl over thewrapper in which she had received Marius in the afternoon.

"What, my poor Lucienne!" she exclaimed. "Are you so sick as allthat?"But she stopped short as she recognized M. de Tregars; and, in asuspicious tone,"What a singular meeting!" she said.

Marius bowed.

"You know Lucienne?"What she meant by that he understood perfectly. "Lucienne is mysister, madame," he said coldly.

She shrugged her shoulders. "What humbug²⁰⁷!""It's the truth," affirmed Mlle. Lucienne; "and you know that Inever lie."Mme. Zelie was dumbfounded.

"If you say so," she muttered. "But no matter: that's queer."M. de Tregars interrupted her with a gesture,"And, what's more, it is because Lucienne is my sister that you seeher there lying upon that bed. They attempted to murder her to-day!""Oh!""It was her mother who tried to get rid of her, so as to possessherself of the fortune which my father had left her; and there isevery reason to believe that the snare²⁰⁸ was contrived²⁰⁹ by VincentFavoral."Mme. Zelie did not understand very well; but, when Marius and Mlle.

Lucienne had informed her of all that it was useful for her to know,"Why," she exclaimed, "what a horrid²¹⁰ rascal that old Vincent mustbe!"And, as M. de Tregars remained dumb,"This afternoon," she went on, "I didn't tell you any stories; butI didn't tell you every thing, either." She stopped; and, after amoment of deliberation,"'Well, I don't care for old Vincent," she said. "Ah! he tried tohave Lucienne killed, did he? Well, then, I am going to tell everything I know. First of all, he wasn't any thing to me. It isn'tvery flattering; but it is so. He has never kissed so much as theend of my finger. He used to say that he loved me, but that herespected me still more, because I looked so much like a daughterhe had lost. Old humbug! And I believed him too! I did, upon myword, at least in the beginning. But I am not such a fool as Ilook. I found out very soon that he was making fun of me; and thathe was only using me as a blind to keep suspicion away from anotherwoman.""From what woman?""Ah! now, I do not know! All I know is that she is married, thathe is crazy about her, and that they are to run away together.""Hasn't he gone, then?"Mme. Cadelle's face had become somewhat anxious, and for over aminute she seemed to hesitate.

"Do you know," she said at last, "that my answer is going to costme a lot? They have promised me a pile of money; but I haven't gotit yet. And, if I say any thing, good-by! I sha'n't have any thing."M. de Tregars was opening his lips to tell her that she might resteasy on that score; but she cut him short.

"Well, no," she said: "Old Vincent hasn't gone. He got up a comedy,so he told me, to throw the lady's husband off the track. He sentoff a whole lot of baggage by the railroad; but he staid in Paris.""And do you know where he is hid?""In the Rue St. Lazare, of course: in the apartment that I hiredtwo weeks ago."In a voice trembling with the excitement of almost certain success,"Would you consent to take me there?" asked M. de Tregars.

"Whenever you like,-to-morrow."IXAs he left Mlle. Lucienne's room,"There is nothing more to keep me at the Hotel des Folies," saidthe commissary of police to Maxence. "Every thing possible will bedone, and well done, by M. de Tregars. I am going home, therefore;and I am going to take you with me. I have a great deal to do andyou'll help me."That was not exactly true; but he feared, on the part of Maxence,some imprudence which might compromise the success of M. deTregars' mission.

He was trying to think of every thing to leave as little as possibleto chance; like a man who has seen the best combined plans fail forwant of a trifling²¹¹ precaution.

Once in the yard, he opened the door of the lodge²⁰² where thehonorable Fortins, man and wife, were deliberating, and exchangingtheir conjectures, instead of going to bed. For they werewonderfully puzzled by all those events that succeeded each other,and anxious about all these goings and comings.

"I am going home," the commissary said to them; "but, before that,listen to my instructions. You will allow no one, you understand,- no one who is not known to you, to go up to Mlle. Lucienne'sroom. And remember that I will admit of no excuse, and that youmust not come and tell me afterwards, 'It isn't our fault, we can'tsee everybody that comes in,' and all that sort of nonsense."He was speaking in that harsh and imperious tone of whichpolice-agents have the secret, when they are addressing people whohave, by their conduct, placed themselves under their dependence²¹².

"We are going to close our front-door," replied the estimablehotel-keepers. " We will comply strictly²¹³ with your orders.""I trust so; because, if you should disobey me, I should hear it,and the result would be a serious trouble to you. Besides yourhotel being unmercifully closed up, you would find yourselvesimplicated in a very bad piece of business.

The most ardent⁷⁵ curiosity could be read in Mme. Fortin's little eyes.

"I understood at once," she began, "that something extraordinarywas going on."But the commissary interrupted her,"I have not done yet. It may be that to-night or to-morrow someone will call and inquire how Mlle. Lucienne is.""And then?""You will answer that she is as bad as possible; and that she hasneither spoken a word, nor recovered her senses, since the accident;and that she will certainly not live through the day."The effort which Mme. Fortin made to remain silent gave, better thanany thing else, an idea of the terror with which the commissaryinspired her.

"That is not all," he went on. "As soon as the person in questionhas started off, you will follow him, without affectation, as faras the street-door, and you will point him out with your finger,here, like that, to one of my agents, who will happen to be on theBoulevard.""And suppose he should not be there?""He shall be there. You can make yourself easy on that score."The looks of distress¹³⁰ which the honorable hotel-keepers wereexchanging did not announce a very tranquil conscience.

"In other words, here we are under surveillance," said M. Fortinwith a groan. "What have we done to be thus mistrusted?"To reply to him would have been a task more long than difficult.

"Do as I tell you," insisted the commissary harshly, "and don'tmind the rest, and, meantime, good-night."He was right in trusting implicitly²¹⁴ to his agent's punctuality;for, as soon as he came out of the Hotel des Folies, a man passedby him, and without seeming to address him, or even to recognizehim, said in a whisper,"What news?"Nothing," he replied, "except that the Fortins are notified. Thetrap is well set. Keep your eyes open now, and spot any one whocomes to ask about Mlle. Lucienne.

And he hurried on, still followed by Maxence, who walked along likea body without soul, tortured by the most frightful anguish.

As he had been away the whole evening, four or five persons werewaiting for him at his office on matters of current business. Hedespatched them in less than no time; after which, addressinghimself to an agent on duty,"This evening," he said, "at about nine o'clock, in a restaurant onthe Boulevard, a quarrel took place. A person tried to pick aquarrel with another.

"You will proceed at once to that restaurant; you will get theparticulars of what took place; and you will ascertain exactly whothis man is, his name, his profession, and his residence."Like a man accustomed to such errands,"Can I have a description of him?" inquired the agent.

"Yes. He is a man past middle age, military bearing, heavy mustache,ribbons in his buttonhole.""Yes, I see: one of your regular fighting fellows.""Very well. Go then. I shall not retire before your return. Ah,I forgot; find out what they thought to-night on the 'street' aboutthe Mutual Credit affair, and what they said of the arrest of oneSaint Pavin, editor of 'The Financial Pilot,' and of a banker namedJottras.""Can I take a carriage?""Do so."The agent started; and he was not fairly out of the house, when thecommissary, opening a door which gave into a small study, called,"Felix!

It was his secretary, a man of about thirty, blonde, with a gentleand timid countenance, having, with his long coat, somewhat theappearance of a theological student. He appeared immediately.

"You call me, sir?""My dear Felix," replied the commissary, "I have seen you, sometimes,imitate very nicely all sorts of hand-writings."The secretary blushed very much, no doubt on account of Maxence, whowas sitting by the side of his employer. He was a very honestfellow; but there are certain little talents of which people do notlike to boast; and the talent of imitating the writing of others isof the number, for the reason, that, fatally and at once, it suggeststhe idea of forgery.

"It was only for fun that I used to do that, sir," he stammered²¹⁵.

"Would you be here if it had been otherwise?" said the commissary.

"Only this time it is not for fun, but to do me a favor that Iwish you to try again."And, taking out of his pocket the letter taken by M. de Tregarsfrom the man in the restaurant,"Examine this writing," he said. "and see whether you feel capableof imitating it tolerably well."Spreading the letter under the full light of the lamp, the secretaryspent at least two minutes examining it with the minute attention ofan expert. And at the same time he was muttering,"Not at all convenient, this. Hard writing to imitate. Not asalient feature, not a characteristic sign! Nothing to strike theeye, or attract attention. It must be some old lawyer's clerk whowrote this."In spite of his anxiety of mind, the commissary smiled.

"I shouldn't be surprised if you had guessed right."Thus encouraged,"At any rate." Felix declared, "I am going to try."He took a pen, and, after trying a dozen times,"How is this?" he asked, holding out a sheet of paper.

The commissary carefully compared the original with the copy.

"It is not perfect," he murmured; "but at night, with the imaginationexcited by a great peril¹⁰⁵ - Besides, we must risk something.""If I had a few hours to practise!""But you have not. Come, take up your pen, and write as well asyou can, in that same hand, what I am going to tell you."And after a moment's thought, he dictated as follows"All goes well. T. drawn into a quarrel, is to fight in the morningwith swords. But our man, whom I cannot leave, refuses to go ahead,unless he is paid two thousand francs before the duel²¹⁶. I have notthe amount. Please hand it to the bearer, who has orders to waitfor you."The commissary, leaning over his secretary's shoulder, was followinghis hand, and, the last word being written,"Perfect! "he exclaimed. "Now quick, the address: Mme. le Baronnede Thaller, Rue de le Pepiniere."There are professions which extinguish, in those who exercise them,all curiosity. It is with the most complete indifference²¹⁷, andwithout asking a question, that the secretary had done what he hadbeen requested.

"Now, my dear Felix," resumed the commissary, you will please getyourself up as near as possible like a restaurant-waiter, and takethis letter to its address.""At this hour!""Yes. The Baroness de Thaller is out to a ball. You will tell theservants that you are bringing her an answer concerning an importantmatter. They know nothing about it; but they will allow you to waitfor their mistress in the porter's lodge. As soon as she comes in,you will hand her the letter, stating that two gentlemen who aretaking supper in your restaurant are waiting for the answer. It maybe that she will exclaim that you are a scoundrel, that she does notknow what it means: in that case, we shall have been anticipated, andyou must get away as fast as you can. But the chances are, that shewill give you two thousand francs; and then you must so manage, thatshe will be seen plainly when she does it. Is it all understood?"Perfectly.""Go ahead, then, and do not lose a minute. I shall wait."Away from Mlle. Lucienne, Maxence had gradually been recalled tothe strangeness of the situation; and it was with a mingled²¹⁸ feelingof curiosity and surprise that he observed the commissary actingand bustling²¹⁹ about.

The good man had found again all the activity of his youth, togetherwith that fever of hope and that impatience of success, whichusually disappear with age.

He was going over the whole of the case again, - his first meetingwith Mlle. Lucienne, the various attempts upon her life; and he hadjust taken out of the file the letter of information which had beenintrusted to him, in order to compare the writing with that of theletter taken from his adversary by M. de Tregars, when the lattercame in all out of breath.

"Zelie has spoken!" he said.

And, at once addressing Maxence,"You, my dear friend," he resumed, "you must run to the Hotel desFolies.""Is Lucienne worse?""No. Lucienne is getting on well enough. Zelie has spoken; butthere is no certainty, that, after due reflection, she will notrepent, and go and give the alarm. You will return, therefore,and you will not lose sight of her until I call for her in themorning. If she wishes to go out, you must prevent her."The commissary had understood the importance of the precaution.

"You must prevent her," he added, "even by force; and I authorizeyou, if need be, to call upon the agent whom I have placed on duty,watching the Hotel des Folies, and to whom I am going to send wordimmediately."Maxence started off on a run.

"Poor fellow!" murmured Marius, "I know where your father is. Whatare we going to learn now?"He had scarcely had time to communicate the information he hadreceived from Mme. Cadelle, when the first of the commissary'semissaries made his appearance.

"The commission is done," he said, in that confident tone of a manwho thinks he has successfully accomplished²²⁰ a difficult task.

"You know the name of the individual who sought a quarrel with M.

de Tregars?""His name is Corvi. He is well known in all the tables d'hote,where there are women, and where they deal a healthy little gameafter dinner. I know him well too. He is a bad fellow, who passeshimself off for a former superior officer in the Italian army.

"His address?""He lives at Rue de la Michodiere, in a furnished house. I wentthere. The porter told me that my man had just gone out with anill-looking individual, and that they must be in a little caf onthe corner of the next street. I ran there, and found my twofellows drinking beer.""Won't they give us the slip?""No danger of that: I have got them fixed.""How is that?""It is an idea of mine. I just thought, 'Suppose they put off?'

And at once I went to notify some policemen, and I returned tostation myself near the caf . It was just closing up. My twofellows came out: I picked a quarrel with them; and now they arein the station-house, well recommended."The commissary knit his brows.

"That's almost too much zeal," he murmured. "Well, what's done isdone. Did you make any inquiries²²¹ about the Saint Pavin and Jottrasmatter?""I had no time, it was too late. You forget, perhaps, sir, that itis nearly two o'clock."Just as he got through, the secretary who had been sent to the Ruede la Pepiniere came in.

"Well?" inquired the commissary, not without evident anxiety.

"I waited for Mme. de Thaller over an hour," he said. "When shecame home, I gave her the letter. She read it; and, in presence ofa number of her servants, she handed me these two thousand francs."At the sight of the bank notes, the commissary jumped to his feet.

"Now we have it!" he exclaimed. "Here is the proof that we wanted."

1 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

2 baroness   

n.男爵夫人，女男爵

参考例句：

• I'm sure the Baroness will be able to make things fine for you.我相信男爵夫人能够把家里的事替你安排妥当的。
• The baroness,who had signed,returned the pen to the notary.男爵夫人这时已签过字，把笔交回给律师。

3 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

4 presentiment   

n.预感，预觉

参考例句：

• He had a presentiment of disaster.他预感会有灾难降临。
• I have a presentiment that something bad will happen.我有某种不祥事要发生的预感。

5 presentiments   

n.（对不祥事物的）预感( presentiment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His presentiments of what the future holds for all are plainly not cheering. 则是应和了很多美国人的种种担心，他对各方未来的预感显然是不令人振奋的。 来自互联网

6 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

7 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

8 spoke   

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。

9 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

10 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

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

11 perfectly   

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。

12 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

13 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

14 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

15 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

16 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

17 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

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

18 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

20 pensive   

a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的

参考例句：

• He looked suddenly sombre,pensive.他突然看起来很阴郁，一副忧虑的样子。
• He became so pensive that she didn't like to break into his thought.他陷入沉思之中,她不想打断他的思路。

21 drawn   

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。

22 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

23 ironical   

adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironical end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• From his general demeanour I didn't get the impression that he was being ironical.从他整体的行为来看，我不觉得他是在讲反话。

24 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

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

25 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

26 scruples   

n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• I overcame my moral scruples. 我抛开了道德方面的顾虑。
• I'm not ashamed of my scruples about your family. They were natural. 我并未因为对你家人的顾虑而感到羞耻。这种感觉是自然而然的。 来自疯狂英语突破英语语调

27 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

29 speculations   

n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断

参考例句：

• Your speculations were all quite close to the truth. 你的揣测都很接近于事实。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• This possibility gives rise to interesting speculations. 这种可能性引起了有趣的推测。 来自《用法词典》

30 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

31 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

32 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 precipice   

n.悬崖，危急的处境

参考例句：

• The hut hung half over the edge of the precipice.那间小屋有一半悬在峭壁边上。
• A slight carelessness on this precipice could cost a man his life.在这悬崖上稍一疏忽就会使人丧生。

34 precipices   

n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Sheer above us rose the Spy-glass, here dotted with single pines, there black with precipices. 我们的头顶上方耸立着陡峭的望远镜山，上面长着几棵孤零零的松树，其他地方则是黑黝黝的悬崖绝壁。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• Few people can climb up to the sheer precipices and overhanging rocks. 悬崖绝壁很少有人能登上去。 来自互联网

35 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

36 imperturbable   

adj.镇静的

参考例句：

• Thomas,of course,was cool and aloof and imperturbable.当然，托马斯沉着、冷漠，不易激动。
• Edward was a model of good temper and his equanimity imperturbable.爱德华是个典型的好性子，他总是沉着镇定。

37 propitiate   

v.慰解，劝解

参考例句：

• They offer a sacrifice to propitiate the god.他们供奉祭品以慰诸神。
• I tried to propitiate gods and to dispel demons.我试著取悦神只，驱赶恶魔。

38 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

39 accomplice   

n.从犯，帮凶，同谋

参考例句：

• She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。
• He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。

40 tiresome   

adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的

参考例句：

• His doubts and hesitations were tiresome.他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。
• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors.他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。

41 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

42 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

43 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

44 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

45 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

46 avenge   

v.为...复仇，为...报仇

参考例句：

• He swore to avenge himself on the mafia.他发誓说要向黑手党报仇。
• He will avenge the people on their oppressor.他将为人民向压迫者报仇。

47 imposture   

n.冒名顶替，欺骗

参考例句：

• Soiled by her imposture she remains silent.她背着冒名顶替者的黑锅却一直沉默。
• If they knew,they would see through his imposture straight away.要是他们知道，他们会立即识破他的招摇撞骗行为。

48 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

49 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

50 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

51 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

52 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

53 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

54 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

55 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

56 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

57 conclusively   

adv.令人信服地，确凿地

参考例句：

• All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

58 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

59 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

60 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

61 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

62 laconic   

adj.简洁的；精练的

参考例句：

• He sent me a laconic private message.他给我一封简要的私人函件。
• This response was typical of the writer's laconic wit.这个回答反映了这位作家精练简明的特点。

63 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

64 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

65 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

66 extremities   

n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地

参考例句：

• She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities. 我觉得她那副穷极可怜的样子实在太惹人注目。 来自辞典例句
• Winters may be quite cool at the northwestern extremities. 西北边区的冬天也可能会相当凉。 来自辞典例句

67 insinuates   

n.暗示( insinuate的名词复数 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入v.暗示( insinuate的第三人称单数 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入

参考例句：

• Slang insinuates itself into the language. 俚语慢慢地渗入语言中。 来自辞典例句
• But the division of labor slowly insinuates itself into this process of production. 但是，分工慢慢地侵入了这种生产过程。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

68 interfere   

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。

69 riveted   

铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意

参考例句：

• I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。
• My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

70 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

71 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

72 shamefully   

可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。
• They have served me shamefully for a long time. 长期以来，他们待我很坏。

73 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

74 ardently   

adv.热心地，热烈地

参考例句：

• The preacher is disserveing the very religion in which he ardently believe. 那传教士在损害他所热烈信奉的宗教。 来自辞典例句
• However ardently they love, however intimate their union, they are never one. 无论他们的相爱多么热烈，无论他们的关系多么亲密，他们决不可能合而为一。 来自辞典例句

75 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

76 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

77 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

78 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

79 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

80 adjourning   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Before adjourning, councillors must stop procrastinating and revisit this controversial issue. 在休会之前，参议员必须停止拖延，重新讨论这个引起争议的问题。
• They decided upon adjourning the session. 他们决定休会。

81 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

82 concierge   

n.管理员；门房

参考例句：

• This time the concierge was surprised to the point of bewilderment.这时候看门人惊奇到了困惑不解的地步。
• As I went into the dining-room the concierge brought me a police bulletin to fill out.我走进餐厅的时候，看门人拿来一张警察局发的表格要我填。

83 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

84 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

85 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

86 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

87 satchel   

n.(皮或帆布的)书包

参考例句：

• The school boy opened the door and flung his satchel in.那个男学生打开门，把他的书包甩了进去。
• She opened her satchel and took out her father's gloves.打开书箱，取出了她父亲的手套来。

88 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

89 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

90 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

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

91 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

92 invalids   

病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The invention will confer a benefit on all invalids. 这项发明将有助于所有的残疾人。
• H?tel National Des Invalids is a majestic building with a golden hemispherical housetop. 荣军院是有着半球形镀金屋顶的宏伟建筑。

93 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

94 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

95 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

96 alias   

n.化名；别名；adv.又名

参考例句：

• His real name was Johnson,but he often went by the alias of Smith.他的真名是约翰逊，但是他常常用化名史密斯。
• You can replace this automatically generated alias with a more meaningful one.可用更有意义的名称替换这一自动生成的别名。

97 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

98 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

99 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

100 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

101 Forsaken   

adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词

参考例句：

• He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
• He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。

102 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

103 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

104 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

105 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

106 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

107 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

108 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

109 astonishment   

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。

110 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

111 defrauded   

v.诈取，骗取( defraud的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He defrauded his employers of thousands of dollars. 他诈取了他的雇主一大笔钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He defrauded them of their money. 他骗走了他们的钱。 来自辞典例句

112 defraud   

vt.欺骗，欺诈

参考例句：

• He passed himself off as the managing director to defraud the bank.他假冒总经理的名义诈骗银行。
• He is implicated in the scheme to defraud the government.他卷入了这起欺骗政府的阴谋。

113 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

114 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

115 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

116 interferes   

vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉

参考例句：

• The noise interferes with my work. 这噪音妨碍我的工作。
• That interferes with my plan. 那干扰了我的计划。

117 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

118 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

119 condescend   

v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑

参考例句：

• Would you condescend to accompany me?你肯屈尊陪我吗？
• He did not condescend to answer.He turned his back on me.他不愿屈尊回答我的问题。他不理睬我。

120 presumption   

n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定

参考例句：

• Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。
• I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。

121 presumptions   

n.假定( presumption的名词复数 )；认定；推定；放肆

参考例句：

• Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security. 许多现代技术的发展都是基于这些法律安全设想的考虑。 来自互联网
• What visions, what expectations and what presumptions can outsoar that flight? 那一种想象，那一种期望和推测能超越他之上呢？ 来自互联网

122 annihilated   

v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃

参考例句：

• Our soldiers annihilated a force of three hundred enemy troops. 我军战士消灭了300名敌军。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We annihilated the enemy. 我们歼灭了敌人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

123 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

124 odious   

adj.可憎的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• The judge described the crime as odious.法官称这一罪行令人发指。
• His character could best be described as odious.他的人格用可憎来形容最贴切。

125 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

126 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

127 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

128 infamy   

n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行

参考例句：

• They may grant you power,honour,and riches but afflict you with servitude,infamy,and poverty.他们可以给你权力、荣誉和财富，但却用奴役、耻辱和贫穷来折磨你。
• Traitors are held in infamy.叛徒为人所不齿。

129 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

130 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

131 slanders   

诽谤，诋毁( slander的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We condemn all sorts of slanders. 我们谴责一切诽谤中伤的言论。
• All slanders and libels should be repudiated. 一切诬蔑不实之词，应予推倒。

132 slander   

n./v.诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• The article is a slander on ordinary working people.那篇文章是对普通劳动大众的诋毁。
• He threatened to go public with the slander.他威胁要把丑闻宣扬出去。

133 gutter   

n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟

参考例句：

• There's a cigarette packet thrown into the gutter.阴沟里有个香烟盒。
• He picked her out of the gutter and made her a great lady.他使她脱离贫苦生活，并成为贵妇。

134 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

135 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。

136 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

137 forgery   

n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为）

参考例句：

• The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
• He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。

138 accomplices   

从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was given away by one of his accomplices. 他被一个同伙出卖了。
• The chief criminals shall be punished without fail, those who are accomplices under duress shall go unpunished and those who perform deeds of merIt'shall be rewarded. 首恶必办， 胁从不问，立功受奖。

139 placid   

adj.安静的，平和的

参考例句：

• He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
• You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。

140 standing   

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。

141 decided   

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。

142 puerile   

adj.幼稚的，儿童的

参考例句：

• The story is simple,even puerile.故事很简单，甚至有些幼稚。
• Concert organisers branded the group's actions as puerile.音乐会的组织者指称该乐队的行为愚蠢幼稚。

143 conjectures   

推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That's weighing remote military conjectures against the certain deaths of innocent people. 那不过是牵强附会的军事假设，而现在的事实却是无辜者正在惨遭杀害，这怎能同日而语！
• I was right in my conjectures. 我所猜测的都应验了。

144 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

145 vexed   

adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论

参考例句：

• The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。
• He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

146 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

147 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

148 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

149 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

150 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

151 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

152 confiding   

adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• The girl is of a confiding nature. 这女孩具有轻信别人的性格。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Celia, though confiding her opinion only to Andrew, disagreed. 西莉亚却不这么看，尽管她只向安德鲁吐露过。 来自辞典例句

153 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

154 scapegoat   

n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊

参考例句：

• He has been made a scapegoat for the company's failures.他成了公司倒闭的替罪羊。
• They ask me to join the party so that I'll be their scapegoat when trouble comes.他们想叫我入伙，出了乱子，好让我替他们垫背。

155 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

156 annoyances   

n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事

参考例句：

• At dinner that evening two annoyances kept General Zaroff from perfect enjoyment one. 当天晚上吃饭时，有两件不称心的事令沙洛夫吃得不很香。 来自辞典例句
• Actually, I have a lot of these little annoyances-don't we all? 事实上我有很多类似的小烦恼，我们不都有这种小烦恼吗？ 来自互联网

157 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

158 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

159 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

160 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

161 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

162 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

163 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

164 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

165 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

166 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

167 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

168 obstinately   

ad.固执地，顽固地

参考例句：

• He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
• Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。

169 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

170 realization   

n.实现；认识到，深刻了解

参考例句：

• We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
• He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。

171 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

172 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

173 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

174 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

175 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

176 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

177 stupor   

v.昏迷；不省人事

参考例句：

• As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor.随着威士忌酒力发作，他逐渐醉得不省人事。
• The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stupor.梆梆的敲门声把她从昏迷中唤醒了。

178 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

179 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。

180 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

181 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

182 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

183 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

184 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

185 brigand   

n.土匪，强盗

参考例句：

• This wallace is a brigand,nothing more.华莱士只不过是个土匪。
• How would you deal with this brigand?你要如何对付这个土匪？

186 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

187 laboriously   

adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地

参考例句：

• She is tracing laboriously now. 她正在费力地写。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is laboriously copying out an old manuscript. 她正在费劲地抄出一份旧的手稿。 来自辞典例句

188 audacity   

n.大胆，卤莽，无礼

参考例句：

• He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。
• He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

189 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

190 rascality   

流氓性，流氓集团

参考例句：

191 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

192 wager   

n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌

参考例句：

• They laid a wager on the result of the race.他们以竞赛的结果打赌。
• I made a wager that our team would win.我打赌我们的队会赢。

193 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

194 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

195 abject   

adj.极可怜的，卑屈的

参考例句：

• This policy has turned out to be an abject failure.这一政策最后以惨败而告终。
• He had been obliged to offer an abject apology to Mr.Alleyne for his impertinence.他不得不低声下气，为他的无礼举动向艾莱恩先生请罪。

196 avenged   

v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复

参考例句：

• She avenged her mother's death upon the Nazi soldiers. 她惩处了纳粹士兵以报杀母之仇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Indians avenged the burning of their village on〔upon〕 the settlers. 印第安人因为村庄被焚毁向拓居者们进行报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

197 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

198 lustre   

n.光亮，光泽；荣誉

参考例句：

• The sun was shining with uncommon lustre.太阳放射出异常的光彩。
• A good name keeps its lustre in the dark.一个好的名誉在黑暗中也保持它的光辉。

199 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

200 wrung   

绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水）

参考例句：

• He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。
• He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。

201 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

202 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

203 lodger   

n.寄宿人，房客

参考例句：

• My friend is a lodger in my uncle's house.我朋友是我叔叔家的房客。
• Jill and Sue are at variance over their lodger.吉尔和休在对待房客的问题上意见不和。

204 beseeching   

adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲，恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
• He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句

205 astounded   

v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶

参考例句：

• His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
• How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话？我感到大为震惊。

206 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

207 humbug   

n.花招，谎话，欺骗

参考例句：

• I know my words can seem to him nothing but utter humbug.我知道，我说的话在他看来不过是彻头彻尾的慌言。
• All their fine words are nothing but humbug.他们的一切花言巧语都是骗人的。

208 snare   

n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑

参考例句：

• I used to snare small birds such as sparrows.我曾常用罗网捕捉麻雀等小鸟。
• Most of the people realized that their scheme was simply a snare and a delusion.大多数人都认识到他们的诡计不过是一个骗人的圈套。

209 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

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

210 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

211 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

212 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

213 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

214 implicitly   

adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地

参考例句：

• Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。
• I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想，我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧？

215 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

216 duel   

n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争

参考例句：

• The two teams are locked in a duel for first place.两个队为争夺第一名打得难解难分。
• Duroy was forced to challenge his disparager to duel.杜洛瓦不得不向诋毁他的人提出决斗。

217 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

218 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

219 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

220 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

221 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》