The first result of my appeal was a sound as of some one bustling10 rapidly about, with the clinking of metal and noise of the turning of locks. This died away into a hush11, and I was about to knock once more when a crackling voice greeted us from the other side of the door.
‘There is little shelter here, gentlemen, and less provisions,’ it said. ‘It is but six miles to Amesbury, where at the Cecil Arms ye shall find, I doubt not, all that is needful for man and for beast.’
‘Nay12, nay, mine invisible friend,’ quoth Saxon, who was much reassured13 by the sound of a human voice, ‘this is surely but a scurvy14 reception. One of our horses is completely foundered15, and none of them are in very good plight16, so that we could no more make for the Cecil Arms at Amesbury than for the Gruner Mann at Lubeck. I prythee, therefore, that you will allow us to pass the remainder of the night under your roof.’
At this appeal there was much creaking of locks and rasping of bolts, which ended in the door swinging slowly open, and disclosing the person who had addressed us.
By the strong light which shone out from behind him we could see that he was a man of venerable aspect, with snow-white hair and a countenance17 which bespoke18 a thoughtful and yet fiery19 nature. The high pensive20 brow and flowing beard smacked21 of the philosopher, but the keen sparkling eye, the curved aquiline22 nose, and the lithe23 upright figure which the weight of years had been unable to bend, were all suggestive of the soldier. His lofty bearing, and his rich though severe costume of black velvet24, were at strange variance25 with the humble26 nature of the abode27 which he had chosen for his dwelling28-place.
‘Ho!’ said he, looking keenly at us. ‘Two of ye unused to war, and the other an old soldier. Ye have been pursued, I see!’
‘How did you know that, then?’ asked Decimus Saxon.
‘Ah, my friend, I too have served in my time. My eyes are not so old but that they can tell when horses have been spurred to the utmost, nor is it difficult to see that this young giant’s sword hath been employed in something less innocent than toasting bacon. Your story, however, can keep. Every true soldier thinks first of his horse, so I pray that you will tether yours without, since I have neither ostler nor serving man to whom I may entrust29 them.’
The strange dwelling into which we presently entered had been prolonged into the side of the little hill against which it had been built, so as to form a very long narrow hall. The ends of this great room, as we entered, were wrapped in shadow, but in the centre was a bright glare from a brazier full of coals, over which a brass30 pipkin was suspended. Beside the fire a long wooden table was plentifully31 covered with curved glass flasks32, basins, tubings, and other instruments of which I knew neither the name nor the purpose. A long row of bottles containing various coloured liquids and powders were arranged along a shelf, whilst above it another shelf bore a goodly array of brown volumes. For the rest there was a second rough-hewn table, a pair of cupboards, three or four wooden settles, and several large screens pinned to the walls and covered all over with figures and symbols, of which I could make nothing. The vile33 smell which had greeted us outside was very much worse within the chamber34, and arose apparently35 from the fumes36 of the boiling, bubbling contents of the brazen37 pot.
‘Ye behold38 in me,’ said our host, bowing courteously39 to us, ‘the last of an ancient family. I am Sir Jacob Clancing of Snellaby Hall.’
‘Smellaby it should be, methinks,’ whispered Reuben, in a voice which fortunately did not reach the ears of the old knight40.
‘I pray that ye be seated,’ he continued, ‘and that ye lay aside your plates and headpieces, and remove your boots. Consider this to be your inn, and behave as freely. Ye will hold me excused if for a moment I turn my attention from you to this operation on which I am engaged, which will not brook41 delay.’
Saxon began forthwith to undo42 his buckles43 and to pull off his harness, while Reuben, throwing himself into a chair, appeared to be too weary to do more than unfasten his sword-belt. For my own part, I was glad to throw off my gear, but I kept my attention all the while upon the movements of our host, whose graceful44 manners and learned appearance had aroused my curiosity and admiration45.
He approached the evil-smelling pot, and stirred it up with a face which indicated so much anxiety that it was clear that he had pushed his courtesy to us so far as to risk the ruin of some important experiment. Dipping his ladle into the compound, he scooped46 some up, and then poured it slowly back into the vessel47, showing a yellow turbid48 fluid. The appearance of it evidently reassured him, for the look of anxiety cleared away from his features, and he uttered an exclamation49 of relief. Taking a handful of a whitish powder from a trencher at his side he threw it into the pipkin, the contents of which began immediately to seethe50 and froth over into the fire, causing the flames to assume the strange greenish hue51 which we had observed before entering. This treatment had the effect of clearing the fluid, for the chemist was enabled to pour off into a bottle a quantity of perfectly52 watery53 transparent54 liquid, while a brownish sediment55 remained in the vessel, and was emptied out upon a sheet of paper. This done, Sir Jacob Clancing pushed aside all his bottles, and turned towards us with a smiling face and a lighter56 air.
‘We shall see what my poor larder57 can furnish forth,’ said he. ‘Meanwhile, this odour may be offensive to your untrained nostrils58, so we shall away with it. He threw a few grains of some balsamic resin59 into the brazier, which at once filled the chamber with a most agreeable perfume. He then laid a white cloth upon the table, and taking from a cupboard a dish of cold trout60 and a large meat pasty, he placed them upon it, and invited us to draw up our settles and set to work.
‘I would that I had more toothsome fare to offer ye,’ said he. ‘Were we at Snellaby Hall, ye should not be put off in this scurvy fashion, I promise ye. This may serve, however, for hungry men, and I can still lay my hands upon a brace61 of bottles of the old Alicant.’ So saying, he brought a pair of flasks out from a recess62, and having seen us served and our glasses filled, he seated himself in a high-backed oaken chair and presided with old-fashioned courtesy over our feast. As we supped, I explained to him what our errand was, and narrated63 the adventures of the night, without making mention of our destination.
‘You are bound for Monmouth’s camp,’ he said quietly, when I had finished, looking me full in the face with his keen dark eyes. ‘I know it, but ye need not fear lest I betray you, even were it in my power. What chance, think ye, hath the Duke against the King’s forces?’
‘As much chance as a farmyard fowl64 against a spurred gamecock, did he rely only on those whom he hath with him,’ Saxon answered. ‘He hath reason to think, however, that all England is like a powder magazine, and he hopes to be the spark to set it alight.’
The old man shook his head sadly. ‘The King hath great resources,’ he remarked. ‘Where is Monmouth to get his trained soldiers?’
‘There is the militia,’ I suggested.
‘And there are many of the old parliamentary breed, who are not too far gone to strike a blow for their belief,’ said Saxon. ‘Do you but get half-a-dozen broad-brimmed, snuffle-nosed preachers into a camp, and the whole Presbytery tribe will swarm65 round them like flies on a honey-pot. No recruiting sergeants66 will ever raise such an army as did Noll’s preachers in the eastern counties, where the promise of a seat by the throne was thought of more value than a ten-pound bounty67. I would I could pay mine own debts with these same promises.’
‘I should judge from your speech, sir,’ our host observed, ‘that you are not one of the sectaries. How comes it, then, that you are throwing the weight of your sword and your experience into the weaker scale?’
‘For the very reason that it is the weaker scale,’ said the soldier of fortune. ‘I should gladly have gone with my brother to the Guinea coast and had no say in the matter one way or the other, beyond delivering letters and such trifles. Since I must be doing something, I choose to fight for Protestantism and Monmouth. It is nothing to me whether James Stuart or James Walters sits upon the throne, but the court and army of the King are already made up. Now, since Monmouth hath both courtiers and soldiers to find, it may well happen that he may be glad of my services and reward them with honourable68 preferment.’
‘Your logic69 is sound,’ said our host, ‘save only that you have omitted the very great chance which you will incur70 of losing your head if the Duke’s party are borne down by the odds71 against them.’
‘A man cannot throw a main without putting a stake on the board,’ said Saxon.
‘And you, young sir,’ the old man asked, ‘what has caused you to take a hand in so dangerous a game?’
‘I come of a Roundhead stock,’ I answered, ‘and my folk have always fought for the liberty of the people and the humbling72 of tyranny. I come in the place of my father.’
‘And you, sir?’ our questioner continued, looking at Reuben.
‘I have come to see something of the world, and to be with my friend and companion here,’ he replied.
‘And I have stronger reasons than any of ye,’ Sir Jacob cried, ‘for appearing in arms against any man who bears the name of Stuart. Had I not a mission here which cannot be neglected, I might myself be tempted73 to hie westward74 with ye, and put these grey hairs of mine once more into the rough clasp of a steel headpiece. For where now is the noble castle of Snellaby, and where those glades75 and woods amidst which the Clancings have grown up, and lived and died, ere ever Norman William set his foot on English soil? A man of trade — a man who, by the sweat of his half-starved workers, had laid by ill-gotten wealth, is now the owner of all that fair property. Should I, the last of the Clancings, show my face upon it, I might be handed over to the village beadle as a trespasser76, or scourged77 off it perhaps by the bowstrings of insolent78 huntsmen.’
‘And how comes so sudden a reverse of fortune?’ I asked.
‘Fill up your glasses!’ cried the old man, suiting the action to the word. ‘Here’s a toast for you! Perdition to all faithless princes! How came it about, ye ask? Why, when the troubles came upon the first Charles, I stood by him as though he had been mine own brother. At Edgehill, at Naseby, in twenty skirmishes and battles, I fought stoutly80 in his cause, maintaining a troop of horse at my own expense, formed from among my own gardeners, grooms81, and attendants. Then the military chest ran low, and money must be had to carry on the contest. My silver chargers and candlesticks were thrown into the melting-pot, as were those of many another cavalier. They went in metal and they came out as troopers and pikemen. So we tided over a few months until again the purse was empty, and again we filled it amongst us. This time it was the home farm and the oak trees that went. Then came Marston Moor, and every penny and man was needed to repair that great disaster. I flinched82 not, but gave everything. This boiler83 of soap, a prudent84, fat-cheeked man, had kept himself free from civil broils85, and had long had a covetous86 eye upon the castle. It was his ambition, poor worm, to be a gentleman, as though a gabled roof and a crumbling87 house could ever make him that. I let him have his way, however, and threw the sum received, every guinea of it, into the King’s coffers. And so I held out until the final ruin of Worcester, when I covered the retreat of the young prince, and may indeed say that save in the Isle88 of Man I was the last Royalist who upheld the authority of the crown. The Commonwealth89 had set a price upon my head as a dangerous malignant90, so I was forced to take my passage in a Harwich ketch, and arrived in the Lowlands with nothing save my sword and a few broad pieces in my pocket.’
‘A cavalier might do well even then,’ remarked Saxon. ‘There are ever wars in Germany where a man is worth his hire. When the North Germans are not in arms against the Swedes or French, the South Germans are sure to be having a turn with the janissaries.’
‘I did indeed take arms for a time in the employ of the United Provinces, by which means I came face to face once more with mine old foes91, the Roundheads. Oliver had lent Reynolds’s brigade to the French, and right glad was Louis to have the service of such seasoned troops. ‘Fore God, I stood on the counterscarp at Dunkirk, and I found myself, when I should have been helping92 the defence, actually cheering on the attack. My very heart rose when I saw the bull-dog fellows clambering up the breach93 with their pikes at the trail, and never quavering in their psalm-tune, though the bullets sung around them as thick as bees in the hiving time. And when they did come to close hugs with the Flemings, I tell you they set up such a rough cry of soldierly joy that my pride in them as Englishmen overtopped my hatred94 of them as foes. However, my soldiering was of no great duration, for peace was soon declared, and I then pursued the study of chemistry, for which I had a strong turn, first with Vorhaager of Leyden, and later with De Huy of Strasburg, though I fear that these weighty names are but sounds to your ears.’
‘Truly,’ said Saxon, ‘there seemeth to be some fatal attraction in this same chemistry, for we met two officers of the Blue Guards in Salisbury, who, though they were stout79 soldierly men in other respects, had also a weakness in that direction.’
‘Ha!’ cried Sir Jacob, with interest. ‘To what school did they belong?’
‘Nay, I know nothing of the matter,’ Saxon answered, ‘save that they denied that Gervinus of Nurnberg, whom I guarded in prison, or any other man, could transmute95 metals.’
‘For Gervinus I cannot answer,’ said our host, ‘but for the possibility of it I can pledge my knightly96 word. However, of that anon. The time came at last when the second Charles was invited back to his throne, and all of us, from Jeffrey Hudson, the court dwarf97, up to my Lord Clarendon, were in high feather at the hope of regaining98 our own once more. For my own claim, I let it stand for some time, thinking that it would be a more graceful act for the King to help a poor cavalier who had ruined himself for the sake of his family without solicitation99 on his part. I waited and waited, but no word came, so at last I betook myself to the levee and was duly presented to him. “Ah,” said he, greeting me with the cordiality which he could assume so well, “you are, if I mistake not, Sir Jasper Killigrew?” “Nay, your Majesty,” I answered, “I am Sir Jacob Clancing, formerly100 of Snellaby Hall, in Staffordshire;” and with that I reminded him of Worcester fight and of many passages which had occurred to us in common. “Od’s fish!” he cried, “how could I be so forgetful! And how are all at Snellaby?” I then explained to him that the Hall had passed out of my hands, and told him in a few words the state to which I had been reduced. His face clouded over and his manner chilled to me at once. “They are all on to me for money and for places,” he said, “and truly the Commons are so niggardly101 to me that I can scarce be generous to others. However, Sir Jacob, we shall see what can be done for thee,” and with that he dismissed me. That same night the secretary of my Lord Clarendon came to me, and announced with much form and show that, in consideration of my long devotion and the losses which I had sustained, the King was graciously pleased to make me a lottery102 cavalier.’
‘And pray, sir, what is a lottery cavalier?’ I asked.
‘It is nothing else than a licensed103 keeper of a gambling-house. This was his reward to me. I was to be allowed to have a den3 in the piazza104 of Covent Garden, and there to decoy the young sparks of the town and fleece them at ombre. To restore my own fortunes I was to ruin others. My honour, my family, my reputation, they were all to weigh for nothing so long as I had the means of bubbling a few fools out of their guineas.’
‘I have heard that some of the lottery cavaliers did well,’ remarked Saxon reflectively.
‘Well or ill, it way no employment for me. I waited upon the King and implored105 that his bounty would take another form. His only reply was that for one so poor I was strangely fastidious. For weeks I hung about the court — I and other poor cavaliers like myself, watching the royal brothers squandering106 upon their gaming and their harlots sums which would have restored us to our patrimonies107. I have seen Charles put upon one turn of a card as much as would have satisfied the most exacting108 of us. In the parks of St. James, or in the Gallery at Whitehall, I still endeavoured to keep myself before his eyes, in the hope that some provision would be made for me. At last I received a second message from him. It was that unless I could dress more in the mode he could dispense109 with my attendance. That was his message to the old broken soldier who had sacrificed health, wealth, position, everything in the service of his father and himself.’
‘Shameful!’ we cried, all three.
‘Can you wonder, then, that I cursed the whole Stuart race, false-hearted, lecherous110, and cruel? For the Hall, I could buy it back tomorrow if I chose, but why should I do so when I have no heir?’
‘Ho, you have prospered111 then!’ said Decimus Saxon, with one of his shrewd sidelong looks. ‘Perhaps you have yourself found out how to convert pots and pans into gold in the way you have spoken of. But that cannot be, for I see iron and brass in this room which would hardly remain there could you convert it to gold.’
‘Gold has its uses, and iron has its uses,’ said Sir Jacob oracularly. ‘The one can never supplant112 the other.’
‘Yet these officers,’ I remarked, ‘did declare to us that it was but a superstition113 of the vulgar.’
‘Then these officers did show that their knowledge was less than their prejudice. Alexander Setonius, a Scot, was first of the moderns to achieve it. In the month of March 1602 he did change a bar of lead into gold in the house of a certain Hansen, at Rotterdam, who hath testified to it. He then not only repeated the same process before three learned men sent by the Kaiser Rudolph, but he taught Johann Wolfgang Dienheim of Freibourg, and Gustenhofer of Strasburg, which latter taught it to my own illustrious master —’
‘Who in turn taught it to you,’ cried Saxon triumphantly114. ‘I have no great store of metal with me, good sir, but there are my head-piece, back and breast-plate, taslets and thigh-pieces, together with my sword, spurs, and the buckles of my harness. I pray you to use your most excellent and praiseworthy art upon these, and I will promise within a few days to bring round a mass of metal which shall be more worthy115 of your skill.’
‘Nay, nay,’ said the alchemist, smiling and shaking his head. ‘It can indeed be done, but only slowly and in order, small pieces at a time, and with much expenditure116 of work and patience. For a man to enrich himself at it he must labour hard and long; yet in the end I will not deny that he may compass it. And now, since the flasks are empty and your young comrade is nodding in his chair, it will perhaps be as well for you to spend as much of the night as is left in repose117.’ He drew several blankets and rugs from a corner and scattered118 them over the floor. ‘It is a soldier’s couch,’ he remarked; ‘but ye may sleep on worse before ye put Monmouth on the English throne. For myself, it is my custom to sleep in an inside chamber, which is hollowed out of the hill.’ With a few last words and precautions for our comfort he withdrew with the lamp, passing through a door which had escaped our notice at the further end of the apartment.
Reuben, having had no rest since he left Havant, had already dropped upon the rugs, and was fast asleep, with a saddle for a pillow. Saxon and I sat for a few minutes longer by the light of the burning brazier.
‘One might do worse than take to this same chemical business,’ my companion remarked, knocking the ashes out of his pipe. ‘See you yon iron-bound chest in the corner?’
‘What of it?’
‘It is two thirds full of gold, which this worthy gentleman hath manufactured.’
‘How know you that?’ I asked incredulously.
‘When you did strike the door panel with the hilt of your sword, as though you would drive it in, you may have heard some scuttling119 about, and the turning of a lock. Well, thanks to my inches, I was able to look through yon slit in the wall, and I saw our friend throw something into the chest with a chink, and then lock it. It was but a glance at the contents, yet I could swear that that dull yellow light could come from no metal but gold. Let us see if it be indeed locked.’ Rising from his seat he walked over to the box and pulled vigorously at the lid.
‘Forbear, Saxon, forbear!’ I cried angrily. ‘What would our host say, should he come upon you?’
‘Nay, then, he should not keep such things beneath his roof. With a chisel120 or a dagger121 now, this might be prized open.’
‘By Heaven!’ I whispered, ‘if you should attempt it I shall lay you on your back.’
‘Well, well, young Anak! it was but a passing fancy to see the treasure again. Now, if he were but well favoured to the King, this would be fair prize of war. Marked ye not that he claimed to have been the last Royalist who drew sword in England? and he confessed that he had been proscribed122 as a malignant. Your father, godly as he is, would have little compunction in despoiling123 such an Amalekite. Besides, bethink you, he can make more as easily as your good mother maketh cranberry124 dumplings.’
‘Enough said!’ I answered sternly. ‘It will not bear discussion. Get ye to your couch, lest I summon our host and tell him what manner of man he hath entertained.’
With many grumbles125 Saxon consented at last to curl his long limbs up upon a mat, whilst I lay by his side and remained awake until the mellow126 light of morning streamed through the chinks between the ill-covered rafters. Truth to tell, I feared to sleep, lest the freebooting habits of the soldier of fortune should be too strong for him, and he should disgrace us in the eyes of our kindly127 and generous entertainer. At last, however, his long-drawn breathing assured me that he was asleep, and I was able to settle down to a few hours of welcome rest.
点击收听单词发音
1 moor | |
n.荒野,沼泽;vt.(使)停泊;vi.停泊 | |
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2 slit | |
n.狭长的切口;裂缝;vt.切开,撕裂 | |
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3 den | |
n.兽穴;秘密地方;安静的小房间,私室 | |
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4 austere | |
adj.艰苦的;朴素的,朴实无华的;严峻的 | |
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5 noxious | |
adj.有害的,有毒的;使道德败坏的,讨厌的 | |
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6 portents | |
n.预兆( portent的名词复数 );征兆;怪事;奇物 | |
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7 superstitious | |
adj.迷信的 | |
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8 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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9 contented | |
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的 | |
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10 bustling | |
adj.喧闹的 | |
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11 hush | |
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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12 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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13 reassured | |
adj.使消除疑虑的;使放心的v.再保证,恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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14 scurvy | |
adj.下流的,卑鄙的,无礼的;n.坏血病 | |
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15 foundered | |
v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16 plight | |
n.困境,境况,誓约,艰难;vt.宣誓,保证,约定 | |
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17 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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18 bespoke | |
adj.(产品)订做的;专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 );订(货);证明;预先请求 | |
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19 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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20 pensive | |
a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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21 smacked | |
拍,打,掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22 aquiline | |
adj.钩状的,鹰的 | |
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23 lithe | |
adj.(指人、身体)柔软的,易弯的 | |
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24 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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25 variance | |
n.矛盾,不同 | |
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26 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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27 abode | |
n.住处,住所 | |
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28 dwelling | |
n.住宅,住所,寓所 | |
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29 entrust | |
v.信赖,信托,交托 | |
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30 brass | |
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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31 plentifully | |
adv. 许多地,丰饶地 | |
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32 flasks | |
n.瓶,长颈瓶, 烧瓶( flask的名词复数 ) | |
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33 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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34 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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35 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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36 fumes | |
n.(强烈而刺激的)气味,气体 | |
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37 brazen | |
adj.厚脸皮的,无耻的,坚硬的 | |
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38 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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39 courteously | |
adv.有礼貌地,亲切地 | |
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40 knight | |
n.骑士,武士;爵士 | |
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41 brook | |
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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42 undo | |
vt.解开,松开;取消,撤销 | |
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43 buckles | |
搭扣,扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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44 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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45 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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46 scooped | |
v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 );(敏捷地)抱起;抢先获得;用铲[勺]等挖(洞等) | |
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47 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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48 turbid | |
adj.混浊的,泥水的,浓的 | |
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49 exclamation | |
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词 | |
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50 seethe | |
vi.拥挤,云集;发怒,激动,骚动 | |
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51 hue | |
n.色度;色调;样子 | |
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52 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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53 watery | |
adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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54 transparent | |
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
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55 sediment | |
n.沉淀,沉渣,沉积(物) | |
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56 lighter | |
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 | |
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57 larder | |
n.食物贮藏室,食品橱 | |
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58 nostrils | |
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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59 resin | |
n.树脂,松香,树脂制品;vt.涂树脂 | |
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60 trout | |
n.鳟鱼;鲑鱼(属) | |
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61 brace | |
n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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62 recess | |
n.短期休息,壁凹(墙上装架子,柜子等凹处) | |
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63 narrated | |
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64 fowl | |
n.家禽,鸡,禽肉 | |
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65 swarm | |
n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入 | |
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66 sergeants | |
警官( sergeant的名词复数 ); (美国警察)警佐; (英国警察)巡佐; 陆军(或空军)中士 | |
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67 bounty | |
n.慷慨的赠予物,奖金;慷慨,大方;施与 | |
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68 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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69 logic | |
n.逻辑(学);逻辑性 | |
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70 incur | |
vt.招致,蒙受,遭遇 | |
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71 odds | |
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别 | |
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72 humbling | |
adj.令人羞辱的v.使谦恭( humble的现在分词 );轻松打败(尤指强大的对手);低声下气 | |
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73 tempted | |
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词) | |
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74 westward | |
n.西方,西部;adj.西方的,向西的;adv.向西 | |
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75 glades | |
n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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76 trespasser | |
n.侵犯者;违反者 | |
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77 scourged | |
鞭打( scourge的过去式和过去分词 ); 惩罚,压迫 | |
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78 insolent | |
adj.傲慢的,无理的 | |
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80 stoutly | |
adv.牢固地,粗壮的 | |
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81 grooms | |
n.新郎( groom的名词复数 );马夫v.照料或梳洗(马等)( groom的第三人称单数 );使做好准备;训练;(给动物)擦洗 | |
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82 flinched | |
v.(因危险和痛苦)退缩,畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83 boiler | |
n.锅炉;煮器(壶,锅等) | |
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84 prudent | |
adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的 | |
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85 broils | |
v.(用火)烤(焙、炙等)( broil的第三人称单数 );使卷入争吵;使混乱;被烤(或炙) | |
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86 covetous | |
adj.贪婪的,贪心的 | |
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87 crumbling | |
adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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88 isle | |
n.小岛,岛 | |
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89 commonwealth | |
n.共和国,联邦,共同体 | |
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90 malignant | |
adj.恶性的,致命的;恶意的,恶毒的 | |
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91 foes | |
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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92 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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93 breach | |
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破 | |
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94 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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95 transmute | |
vt.使变化,使改变 | |
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96 knightly | |
adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
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97 dwarf | |
n.矮子,侏儒,矮小的动植物;vt.使…矮小 | |
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98 regaining | |
复得( regain的现在分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地 | |
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99 solicitation | |
n.诱惑;揽货;恳切地要求;游说 | |
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100 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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101 niggardly | |
adj.吝啬的,很少的 | |
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102 lottery | |
n.抽彩;碰运气的事,难于算计的事 | |
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103 licensed | |
adj.得到许可的v.许可,颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词) | |
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104 piazza | |
n.广场;走廊 | |
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105 implored | |
恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106 squandering | |
v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的现在分词 ) | |
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107 patrimonies | |
n.祖传的财物,继承物,遗产( patrimony的名词复数 ) | |
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108 exacting | |
adj.苛求的,要求严格的 | |
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109 dispense | |
vt.分配,分发;配(药),发(药);实施 | |
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110 lecherous | |
adj.好色的;淫邪的 | |
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111 prospered | |
成功,兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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112 supplant | |
vt.排挤;取代 | |
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113 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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114 triumphantly | |
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地 | |
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115 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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116 expenditure | |
n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出;使用,消耗 | |
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117 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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118 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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119 scuttling | |
n.船底穿孔,打开通海阀(沉船用)v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 );快跑,急走 | |
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120 chisel | |
n.凿子;v.用凿子刻,雕,凿 | |
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121 dagger | |
n.匕首,短剑,剑号 | |
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122 proscribed | |
v.正式宣布(某事物)有危险或被禁止( proscribe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123 despoiling | |
v.掠夺,抢劫( despoil的现在分词 ) | |
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124 cranberry | |
n.梅果 | |
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125 grumbles | |
抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声 | |
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126 mellow | |
adj.柔和的;熟透的;v.变柔和;(使)成熟 | |
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127 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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