The speaker's small, deep-set, black eyes, that never warmed to anything more human than a purely12 speculative13 scientific interest in his surroundings, here wandered round the skeptical14 yet expectant circle with bland15 amusement. He stretched out his bloodless fingers for another of his host's superfine cigars and proceeded, with only such interruptions as were occasioned by the lighting16 and careful smoking of the latter.
"I was returning home after my prolonged stay in Petersburg, intending to linger on my way and test with mine own ears certain among the many dialects of Eastern Europe—anent which there is a symmetrical little cluster of philological19 knotty20 points it is my modest intention one day to unravel21. However, that is neither here nor there. On the road to Hungary I bethought myself opportunely22 of proving the once pressingly offered hospitality of the Baron23 Kossowski.
"You may have met the man, Major Travers; he was a tremendous sportsman, if you like. I first came across him at McNeil's place in remote Ireland. Now, being in Bukowina, within measurable distance of his Carpathian abode24, and curious to see a Polish lord at home, I remembered his invitation. It was already of long standing10, but it had been warm, born in fact of a sudden fit of enthusiasm for me"—here a half-mocking smile quivered an instant under the speaker's black mustache—"which, as it was characteristic, I may as well tell you about.
"It was on the day of, or, rather, to be accurate, on the day after my arrival, toward the small hours of the morning, in the smoking room at Rathdrum. Our host was peacefully snoring over his empty pipe and his seventh glass of whisky, also empty. The rest of the men had slunk off to bed. The baron, who all unknown to himself had been a subject of most interesting observation to me the whole evening, being now practically alone with me, condescended25 to turn an eye, as wide awake as a fox's, albeit26 slightly bloodshot, upon the contemptible27 white-faced person who had preferred spending the raw hours over his papers, within the radius28 of a glorious fire's warmth, to creeping slyly over treacherous29 quagmires30 in the pursuit of timid bog31 creatures (snipe shooting had been the order of the day)-the baron, I say, became aware of my existence and entered into conversation with me.
"He would no doubt have been much surprised could he have known that he was already mapped out, craniologically and physiognomically, catalogued with care and neatly32 laid by in his proper ethnological box, in my private type museum; that, as I sat and examined him from my different coigns of vantage in library, in dining and smoking room that evening, not a look of his, not a gesture went forth33 but had significance for me.
"You, I had thought, with your broad shoulders and deep chest; your massive head that should have gone with a tall stature34, not with those short sturdy limbs; with your thick red hair, that should have been black for that matter, as should your wide-set yellow eyes—you would be a real puzzle to one who did not recognize in you equal mixtures of the fair, stalwart and muscular Slav with the bilious-sanguine, thick-set, wiry Turanian. Your pedigree would no doubt bear me out: there is as much of the Magyar as of the Pole in your anatomy35. Athlete, and yet a tangle36 of nerves; a ferocious37 brute38 at bottom, I dare say, for your broad forehead inclines to flatness; under your bristling39 beard your jaw40 must protrude41, and the base of your skull42 is ominously43 thick. And, with all that, capable of ideal transports: when that girl played and sang to-night I saw the swelling44 of your eyelid45 veins46, and how that small, tenacious47, claw-like hand of yours twitched48! You would be a fine leader of men—but God help the wretches49 in your power!
"So had I mused50 upon him. Yet I confess that when we came in closer contact with each other, even I was not proof against the singular courtesy of his manner and his unaccountable personal charm.
"Our conversation soon grew interesting; to me as a matter of course, and evidently to him also. A few general words led to interchange of remarks upon the country we were both visitors in and so to national characteristics—Pole and Irishman have not a few in common, both in their nature and history. An observation which he made, not without a certain flash in his light eyes and a transient uncovering of the teeth, on the Irish type of female beauty suddenly suggested to me a stanza51 of an ancient Polish ballad52, very full of milk-and-blood imagery, of alternating ferocity and voluptuousness53. This I quoted to the astounded54 foreigner in the vernacular55, and this it was that metamorphosed his mere56 perfection of civility into sudden warmth, and, in fact, procured57 me the invitation in question.
"When I left Rathdrum the baron's last words to me were that if I ever thought of visiting his country otherwise than in books, he held me bound to make Yany, his Galician seat, my headquarters of study.
"From Czernowicz, therefore, where I stopped some time, I wrote, received in due time a few lines of prettily58 worded reply, and ultimately entered my sled in the nearest town to, yet at a most forbidding distance from, Yany, and started on my journey thither59.
"The undertaking60 meant many long hours of undulation and skidding61 over the November snow, to the somniferous bell jangle of my dirty little horses, the only impression of interest being a weird62 gypsy concert I came in for at a miserable63 drinking-booth half buried in the snow where we halted for the refreshment64 of man and beast. Here, I remember, I discovered a very definite connection between the characteristic run of the tsimbol, the peculiar65 bite of the Zigeuner's bow on his fiddle-string, and some distinctive66 points of Turanian tongues. In other countries, in Spain, for instance, your gypsy speaks differently on his instrument. But, oddly enough, when I later attempted to put this observation on paper I could find no word to express it."
A few of our company evinced signs of sleepiness, but most of us who knew Marshfield, and that he could, unless he had something novel to say, be as silent and retiring as he now evinced signs of being copious67, awaited further developments with patience. He has his own deliberate way of speaking, which he evidently enjoys greatly, though it be occasionally trying to his listeners.
"On the afternoon of my second day's drive, the snow, which till then had fallen fine and continuous, ceased, and my Jehu, suddenly interrupting himself in the midst of some exciting wolf story quite in keeping with the time of year and the wild surroundings, pointed68 to a distant spot against the gray sky to the northwest, between two wood-covered folds of ground—the first eastern spurs of the great Carpathian chain.
"'There stands Yany,' said he. I looked at my far-off goal with interest. As we drew nearer, the sinking sun, just dipping behind the hills, tinged69 the now distinct frontage with a cold copper-like gleam, but it was only for a minute; the next the building became nothing more to the eye than a black irregular silhouette70 against the crimson71 sky.
"Before we entered the long, steep avenue of poplars, the early winter darkness was upon us, rendered all the more depressing by gray mists which gave a ghostly aspect to such objects as the sheen of the snow rendered visible. Once or twice there were feeble flashes of light looming72 in iridescent73 halos as we passed little clusters of hovels, but for which I should have been induced to fancy that the great Hof stood alone in the wilderness75, such was the deathly stillness around. But even as the tall, square building rose before us above the vapor76, yellow lighted in various stories, and mighty77 in height and breadth, there broke upon my ear a deep-mouthed, menacing bay, which gave at once almost alarming reality to the eerie78 surroundings. 'His lordship's boar and wolf hounds,' quoth my charioteer calmly, unmindful of the regular pandemonium79, of howls and barks which ensued as he skillfully turned his horses through the gateway80 and flogged the tired beasts into a sort of shambling canter that we might land with glory before the house door: a weakness common, I believe, to drivers of all nations.
"I alighted in the court of honor, and while awaiting an answer to my tug81 at the bell, stood, broken with fatigue82, depressed83, chilled and aching, questioning the wisdom of my proceedings84 and the amount of comfort, physical and moral, that was likely to await me in a tête-à-tête visit with a well-mannered savage85 in his own home.
"The unkempt tribe of stable retainers who began to gather round me and my rough vehicle in the gloom, with their evil-smelling sheepskins and their resigned, battered86 visages, were not calculated to reassure87 me. Yet when the door opened, there stood a smart chasseur and a solemn major-domo who might but just have stepped out of Mayfair; and there was displayed a spreading vista88 of warm, deep-colored halls, with here a statue and there a stuffed bear, and under foot pile carpets strewn with rarest skins.
"Marveling, yet comforted withal, I followed the solemn butler, who received me with the deference89 due to an expected guest and expressed the master's regret for his enforced absence till dinner time. I traversed vast rooms, each more sumptuous90 than the last, feeling the strangeness of the contrast between the outer desolation and this sybaritic excess of luxury growing ever more strongly upon me; caught a glimpse of a picture gallery, where peculiar yet admirably executed latter-day French pictures hung side by side with ferocious boar hunts of Snyder and such kin17; and, at length, was ushered91 into a most cheerful room, modern to excess in its comfortable promise, where, in addition to the tall stove necessary for warmth, there burned on an open hearth92 a vastly pleasant fire of resinous93 logs, and where, on a low table, awaited me a dainty service of fragrant94 Russian tea.
"My impression of utter novelty seemed somehow enhanced by this unexpected refinement95 in the heart of the solitudes96 and in such a rugged97 shell, and yet, when I came to reflect, it was only characteristic of my cosmopolitan98 host. But another surprise was in store for me.
"When I had recovered bodily warmth and mental equilibrium99 in my downy armchair, before the roaring logs, and during the delicious absorption of my second glass of tea, I turned my attention to the French valet, evidently the baron's own man, who was deftly100 unpacking101 my portmanteau, and who, unless my practiced eye deceived me, asked for nothing better than to entertain me with agreeable conversation the while.
"'Your master is out, then?' quoth I, knowing that the most trivial remark would suffice to start him.
"True, Monseigneur was out; he was desolated102 in despair (this with the national amiable103 and imaginative instinct); 'but it was doubtless important business. M. le Baron had the visit of his factor during the midday meal; had left the table hurriedly, and had not been seen since. Madame la Baronne had been a little suffering, but she would receive monsieur!'
"'Madame!' exclaimed I, astounded, 'is your master then married?—since when?'—visions of a fair Tartar, fit mate for my baron, immediately springing somewhat alluringly104 before my mental vision. But the answer dispelled105 the picturesque106 fancy.
"'Oh, yes,' said the man, with a somewhat peculiar expression. 'Yes, Monseigneur is married. Did Monsieur not know? And yet it was from England that Monseigneur brought back his wife.'
"'An Englishwoman!'
"My first thought was one of pity; an Englishwoman alone in this wilderness—two days' drive from even a railway station—and at the mercy of Kossowski! But the next minute I reversed my judgment107. Probably she adored her rufous lord, took his veneer108 of courtesy—a veneer of the most exquisite109 polish, I grant you, but perilously110 thin—for the very perfection of chivalry111. Or perchance it was his inner savageness112 itself that charmed her; the most refined women often amaze one by the fascination113 which the preponderance of the brute in the opposite sex seems to have for them.
"I was anxious to hear more.
"'Is it not dull for the lady here at this time of the year?'
"The valet raised his shoulders with a gesture of despair that was almost passionate114.
"Dull! Ah, monsieur could not conceive to himself the dullness of it. That poor Madame la Baronne! not even a little child to keep her company on the long, long days when there was nothing but snow in the heaven and on the earth and the howling of the wind and the dogs to cheer her. At the beginning, indeed, it had been different; when the master first brought home his bride the house was gay enough. It was all redecorated and refurnished to receive her (monsieur should have seen it before, a mere rendezvous-de-chasse—for the matter of that so were all the country houses in these parts). Ah, that was the good time! There were visits month after month; parties, sleighing, dancing, trips to St. Petersburg and Vienna. But this year it seemed they were to have nothing but boars and wolves. How madame could stand it—well, it was not for him to speak—and heaving a deep sigh he delicately inserted my white tie round my collar, and with a flourish twisted it into an irreproachable115 bow beneath my chin. I did not think it right to cross-examine the willing talker any further, especially as, despite his last asseveration, there were evidently volumes he still wished to pour forth; but I confess that, as I made my way slowly out of my room along the noiseless length of passage, I was conscious of an unwonted, not to say vulgar, curiosity concerning the woman who had captivated such a man as the Baron Kossowski.
"In a fit of speculative abstraction I must have taken the wrong turning, for I presently found myself in a long, narrow passage. I did not remember. I was retracing117 my steps when there came the sound of rapid footfalls upon stone flags; a little door flew open in the wall close to me, and a small, thick-set man, huddled118 in the rough sheepskin of the Galician peasant, with a mangy fur cap on his head, nearly ran headlong into my arms. I was about condescendingly to interpellate him in my best Polish, when I caught the gleam of an angry yellow eye and noted119 the bristle120 of a red beard—Kossowski!
"Amazed, I fell back a step in silence. With a growl121 like an uncouth122 animal disturbed, he drew his filthy123 cap over his brow with a savage gesture and pursued his way down the corridor at a sort of wild-boar trot124.
"This first meeting between host and guest was so odd, so incongruous, that it afforded me plenty of food for a fresh line of conjecture125 as I traced my way back to the picture gallery, and from thence successfully to the drawing room, which, as the door was ajar, I could not this time mistake.
"It was large and lofty and dimly lit by shaded lamps; through the rosy126 gloom I could at first only just make out a slender figure by the hearth; but as I advanced, this was resolved into a singularly graceful127 woman in clinging, fur-trimmed velvet128 gown, who, with one hand resting on the high mantelpiece, the other hanging listlessly by her side, stood gazing down at the crumbling129 wood fire as if in a dream.
"My friends are kind enough to say that I have a cat-like tread; I know not how that may be; at any rate the carpet I was walking upon was thick enough to smother130 a heavier footfall: not until I was quite close to her did my hostess become aware of my presence. Then she started violently and looked over her shoulder at me with dilating131 eyes. Evidently a nervous creature, I saw the pulse in her throat, strained by her attitude, flutter like a terrified bird.
"The next instant she had stretched out her hand with sweet English words of welcome, and the face, which I had been comparing in my mind to that of Guido's Cenci, became transformed by the arch and exquisite smile of a Greuse. For more than two years I had had no intercourse132 with any of my nationality. I could conceive the sound of his native tongue under such circumstances moving a man in a curious unexpected fashion.
"I babbled133 some commonplace reply, after which there was silence while we stood opposite each other, she looking at me expectantly. At length, with a sigh checked by a smile and an overtone of sadness in a voice that yet tried to be sprightly134:
"'Am I then so changed, Mr. Marshfield?' she asked. And all at once I knew her: the girl whose nightingale throat had redeemed135 the desolation of the evenings at Rathdrum, whose sunny beauty had seemed (even to my celebrated136 cold-blooded ?stheticism) worthy137 to haunt a man's dreams. Yes, there was the subtle curve of the waist, the warm line of throat, the dainty foot, the slender tip-tilted fingers—witty fingers, as I had classified them—which I now shook like a true Briton, instead of availing myself of the privilege the country gave me, and kissing her slender wrist.
"But she was changed; and I told her so with unconventional frankness, studying her closely as I spoke138.
"'I am afraid,' I said gravely, 'that this place does not agree with you.'
"She shrank from my scrutiny139 with a nervous movement and flushed to the roots of her red-brown hair. Then she answered coldly that I was wrong, that she was in excellent health, but that she could not expect any more than other people to preserve perennial140 youth (I rapidly calculated she might be two-and-twenty), though, indeed, with a little forced laugh, it was scarcely flattering to hear one had altered out of all recognition. Then, without allowing me time to reply, she plunged141 into a general topic of conversation which, as I should have been obtuse142 indeed not to take the hint, I did my best to keep up.
"But while she talked of Vienna and Warsaw, of her distant neighbors, and last year's visitors, it was evident that her mind was elsewhere; her eye wandered, she lost the thread of her discourse143, answered me at random144, and smiled her piteous smile incongruously.
"However lonely she might be in her solitary145 splendor146, the company of a countryman was evidently no such welcome diversion.
"After a little while she seemed to feel herself that she was lacking in cordiality, and, bringing her absent gaze to bear upon me with a puzzled strained look: 'I fear you will find it very dull,' she said, 'my husband is so wrapped up this winter in his country life and his sport. You are the first visitor we have had. There is nothing but guns and horses here, and you do not care for these things.'
"The door creaked behind us; and the baron entered, in faultless evening dress. Before she turned toward him I was sharp enough to catch again the upleaping of a quick dread148 in her eyes, not even so much dread perhaps, I thought afterwards, as horror—the horror we notice in some animals at the nearing of a beast of prey149. It was gone in a second, and she was smiling. But it was a revelation.
"Perhaps he beat her in Russian fashion, and she, as an Englishwoman, was narrow-minded enough to resent this; or perhaps, merely, I had the misfortune to arrive during a matrimonial misunderstanding.
"The baron would not give me leisure to reflect; he was so very effusive150 in his greeting—not a hint of our previous meeting—unlike my hostess, all in all to me; eager to listen, to reply; almost affectionate, full of references to old times and genial151 allusions152. No doubt when he chose he could be the most charming of men; there were moments when, looking at him in his quiet smile and restrained gesture, the almost exaggerated politeness of his manner to his wife, whose fingers he had kissed with pretty, old-fashioned gallantry upon his entrance, I asked myself, Could that encounter in the passage have been a dream? Could that savage in the sheepskin be my courteous153 entertainer?
"Just as I came in, did I hear my wife say there was nothing for you to do in this place?" he said presently to me. Then, turning to her:
"You do not seem to know Mr. Marshfield. Wherever he can open his eyes there is for him something to see which might not interest other men. He will find things in my library which I have no notion of. He will discover objects for scientific observation in all the members of my household, not only in the good-looking maids—though he could, I have no doubt, tell their points as I could those of a horse. We have maidens154 here of several distinct races, Marshfield. We have also witches, and Jew leeches155, and holy daft people. In any case, Yany, with all its dependencies, material, male and female, are at your disposal, for what you can make out of them.
"'It is good," he went on gayly, 'that you should happen to have this happy disposition156, for I fear that, no later than to-morrow, I may have to absent myself from home. I have heard that there are news of wolves—they threaten to be a greater pest than usual this winter, but I am going to drive them on quite a new plan, and it will go hard with me if I don't come even with them. Well for you, by the way, Marshfield, that you did not pass within their scent74 to-day.' Then, musingly157: 'I should not give much for the life of a traveler who happened to wander in these parts just now.' Here he interrupted himself hastily and went over to his wife, who had sunk back on her chair, livid, seemingly on the point of swooning.
"His gaze was devouring158; so might a man look at the woman he adored, in his anxiety.
"'What! faint, Violet, alarmed!' His voice was subdued159, yet there was an unmistakable thrill of emotion in it.
"'Pshaw!' thought I to myself, 'the man is a model husband.'
"She clinched160 her hands, and by sheer force of will seemed to pull herself together. These nervous women have often an unexpected fund of strength.
"'Come, that is well,' said the baron with a flickering161 smile; 'Mr. Marshfield will think you but badly acclimatized to Poland if a little wolf scare can upset you. My dear wife is so soft-hearted,' he went on to me, 'that she is capable of making herself quite ill over the sad fate that might have, but has not, overcome you. Or, perhaps,' he added, in a still gentler voice, 'her fear is that I may expose myself to danger for the public weal.'
"She turned her head away, but I saw her set her teeth as if to choke a sob162. The baron chuckled163 in his throat and seemed to luxuriate in the pleasant thought.
"At this moment folding doors were thrown open, and supper was announced. I offered my arm, she rose and took it in silence. This silence she maintained during the first part of the meal, despite her husband's brilliant conversation and almost uproarious spirits. But by and by a bright color mounted to her cheeks and luster18 to her eyes. I suppose you will think me horribly unpoetical if I add that she drank several glasses of champagne165 one after the other, a fact which perhaps may account for the change.
"At any rate she spoke and laughed and looked lovely, and I did not wonder that the baron could hardly keep his eyes off her. But whether it was her wifely anxiety or not—it was evident her mind was not at ease through it all, and I fancied that her brightness was feverish166, her merriment slightly hysterical167.
"After supper—an exquisite one it was—we adjourned168 together, in foreign fashion, to the drawing-room; the baron threw himself into a chair and, somewhat with the air of a pasha, demanded music. He was flushed; the veins of his forehead were swollen169 and stood out like cords; the wine drunk at table was potent170: even through my phlegmatic171 frame it ran hotly.
"She hesitated a moment or two, then docilely172 sat down to the piano. That she could sing I have already made clear: how she could sing, with what pathos173, passion, as well as perfect art, I had never realized before.
"When the song was ended she remained for a while, with eyes lost in distance, very still, save for her quick breathing. It was clear she was moved by the music; indeed she must have thrown her whole soul into it.
"At first we, the audience, paid her the rare compliment of silence. Then the baron broke forth into loud applause. 'Brava, brava! that was really said con2 amore. A delicious love song, delicious—but French! You must sing one of our Slav melodies for Marshfield before you allow us to go and smoke.'
"She started from her reverie with a flush, and after a pause struck slowly a few simple chords, then began one of those strangely sweet, yet intensely pathetic Russian airs, which give one a curious revelation of the profound, endless melancholy174 lurking175 in the national mind.
"'What do you think of it?' asked the baron of me when it ceased.
"'What I have always thought of such music—it is that of a hopeless people; poetical164, crushed, and resigned.'
"He gave a loud laugh. 'Hear the analyst176, the psychologue—why, man, it is a love song! Is it possible that we, uncivilized, are truer realists than our hypercultured Western neighbors? Have we gone to the root of the matter, in our simple way?'
"The baroness177 got up abruptly178. She looked white and spent; there were bister circles round her eyes.
"'I am tired,' she said, with dry lips. 'You will excuse me, Mr. Marshfield, I must really go to bed.'
"'Go to bed, go to bed,' cried her husband gayly. Then, quoting in Russian from the song she had just sung: 'Sleep, my little soft white dove: my little innocent tender lamb!' She hurried from the room. The baron laughed again, and, taking me familiarly by the arm, led me to his own set of apartments for the promised smoke. He ensconced me in an armchair, placed cigars of every description and a Turkish pipe ready to my hand, and a little table on which stood cut-glass flasks179 and beakers in tempting180 array.
"After I had selected my cigar with some precautions, I glanced at him over a careless remark, and was startled to see a sudden alteration181 in his whole look and attitude.
"'You will forgive me, Marshfield,' he said, as he caught my eye, speaking with spasmodic politeness. 'It is more than probable that I shall have to set out upon this chase I spoke of to-night, and I must now go and change my clothes, that I may be ready to start at any moment. This is the hour when it is most likely these hell beasts are to be got at. You have all you want, I hope,' interrupting an outbreak of ferocity by an effort after his former courtesy.
"It was curious to watch the man of the world struggling with the primitive182 man.
"'But, baron,' said I, 'I do not at all see the fun of sticking at home like this. You know my passion for witnessing everything new, strange, and outlandish. You will surely not refuse me such an opportunity for observation as a midnight wolf raid. I will do my best not to be in the way if you will take me with you.'
"At first it seemed as if he had some difficulty in realizing the drift of my words, he was so engrossed183 by some inner thought. But as I repeated them, he gave vent11 to a loud cachinnation.
"'By heaven! I like your spirit,' he exclaimed, clapping me strongly on the shoulder. 'Of course you shall come. You shall,' he repeated, 'and I promise you a sight, a hunt such as you never heard or dreamed of—you will be able to tell them in England the sort of thing we can do here in that line—such wolves are rare quarry184,' he added, looking slyly at me, 'and I have a new plan for getting at them.'
"There was a long pause, and then there rose in the stillness the unearthly howling of the baron's hounds, a cheerful sound which only their owner's somewhat loud converse185 of the evening had kept from becoming excessively obtrusive186.
"'Hark at them—the beauties!' cried he, showing his short, strong teeth, pointed like a dog's in a wide grin of anticipative delight. 'They have been kept on pretty short commons, poor things! They are hungry. By the way, Marshfield, you can sit tight to a horse, I trust? If you were to roll off, you know, these splendid fellows—they would chop you up in a second. They would chop you up,' he repeated unctuously187, 'snap, crunch188, gobble, and there would be an end of you!'
"'If I could not ride a decent horse without being thrown,' I retorted, a little stung by his manner, 'after my recent three months' torture with the Guard Cossacks, I should indeed be a hopeless subject. Do not think of frightening me from the exploit, but say frankly189 if my company would be displeasing190.'
"'Tut!' he said, waving his hand impatiently, 'it is your affair. I have warned you. Go and get ready if you want to come. Time presses.'
"I was determined191 to be of the fray192; my blood was up. I have hinted that the baron's Tokay had stirred it.
"I went to my room and hurriedly donned clothes more suitable for rough night work. My last care was to slip into my pockets a brace193 of double-barreled pistols which formed part of my traveling kit194. When I returned I found the baron already booted and spurred; this without metaphor195. He was stretched full length on the divan196, and did not speak as I came in, or even look at me. Chewing an unlit cigar, with eyes fixed197 on the ceiling, he was evidently following some absorbing train of ideas.
"The silence was profound; time went by; it grew oppressive; at length, wearied out, I fell, over my chibouque, into a doze198 filled with puzzling visions, out of which I was awakened199 with a start. My companion had sprung up, very lightly, to his feet. In his throat was an odd, half-suppressed cry, grewsome to hear. He stood on tiptoe, with eyes fixed, as though looking through the wall, and I distinctly saw his ears point in the intensity200 of his listening.
"After a moment, with hasty, noiseless energy, and without the slightest ceremony, he blew the lamps out, drew back the heavy curtains and threw the tall window wide open. A rush of icy air, and the bright rays of the moon—gibbous, I remember, in her third quarter—filled the room. Outside the mist had condensed, and the view was unrestricted over the white plains at the foot of the hill.
"The baron stood motionless in the open window, callous201 to the cold in which, after a minute, I could hardly keep my teeth from chattering202, his head bent203 forward, still listening. I listened too, with 'all my ears,' but could not catch a sound; indeed the silence over the great expanse of snow might have been called awful; even the dogs were mute.
"Presently, far, far away, came a faint tinkle204 of bells; so faint, at first, that I thought it was but fancy, then distincter. It was even more eerie than the silence, I thought, though I knew it could come but from some passing sleigh. All at once that ceased, and again my duller senses could perceive nothing, though I saw by my host's craning neck that he was more on the alert than ever. But at last I too heard once more, this time not bells, but as it were the tread of horses muffled205 by the snow, intermittent206 and dull, yet drawing nearer. And then in the inner silence of the great house it seemed to me I caught the noise of closing doors; but here the hounds, as if suddenly becoming alive to some disturbance207, raised the same fearsome concert of yells and barks with which they had greeted my arrival, and listening became useless.
"I had risen to my feet. My host, turning from the window, seized my shoulder with a fierce grip, and bade me 'hold my noise'; for a second or two I stood motionless under his iron talons208, then he released me with an exultant209 whisper: "Now for our chase!" and made for the door with a spring. Hastily gulping210 down a mouthful of arrack from one of the bottles on the table, I followed him, and, guided by the sound of his footsteps before me, groped my way through passages as black as Erebus.
"After a time, which seemed a long one, a small door was flung open in front, and I saw Kossowski glide211 into the moonlit courtyard and cross the square. When I too came out he was disappearing into the gaping212 darkness of the open stable door, and there I overtook him.
"A man who seemed to have been sleeping in a corner jumped up at our entrance, and led out a horse ready saddled. In obedience213 to a gruff order from his master, as the latter mounted, he then brought forward another which he had evidently thought to ride himself and held the stirrup for me.
"We came delicately forth, and the Cossack hurriedly barred the great door behind us. I caught a glimpse of his worn, scarred face by the moonlight, as he peeped after us for a second before shutting himself in; it was stricken with terror.
"The baron trotted214 briskly toward the kennels215, from whence there was now issuing a truly infernal clangor, and, as my steed followed suit of his own accord, I could see how he proceeded dexterously216 to unbolt the gates without dismounting, while the beasts within dashed themselves against them and tore the ground in their fury of impatience217.
"He smiled, as he swung back the barriers at last, and his 'beauties' came forth. Seven or eight monstrous218 brutes219, hounds of a kind unknown to me: fulvous and sleek220 of coat, tall on their legs, square-headed, long-tailed, deep-chested; with terrible jaws221 slobbering in eagerness. They leaped around and up at us, much to our horses' distaste. Kossowski, still smiling, lashed222 at them unsparingly with his hunting whip, and they responded, not with yells of pain, but with snarls223 of fury.
"Managing his restless steed and his cruel whip with consummate224 ease, my host drove the unruly crew before him out of the precincts, then halted and bent down from his saddle to examine some slight prints in the snow which led, not the way I had come, but toward what seemed another avenue. In a second or two the hounds were gathered round this spot, their great snake-like tails quivering, nose to earth, yelping225 with excitement. I had some ado to manage my horse, and my eyesight was far from being as keen as the baron's, but I had then no doubt he had come already upon wolf tracks, and I shuddered226 mentally, thinking of the sleigh bells.
"Suddenly Kossowski raised himself from his strained position; under his low fur cap his face, with its fixed smile, looked scarcely human in the white light: and then we broke into a hand canter just as the hounds dashed, in a compact body, along the trail.
"But we had not gone more than a few hundred yards before they began to falter227, then straggled, stopped and ran back and about with dismal228 cries. It was clear to me they had lost the scent. My companion reined229 in his horse, and mine, luckily a well-trained brute, halted of himself.
"We had reached a bend in a broad avenue of firs and larches230, and just where we stood, and where the hounds ever returned and met nose to nose in frantic231 conclave232, the snow was trampled233 and soiled, and a little farther on planed in a great sweep, as if by a turning sleigh. Beyond was a double-furrowed track of skaits and regular hoof234 prints leading far away.
"Before I had time to reflect upon the bearing of this unexpected interruption, Kossowski, as if suddenly possessed235 by a devil, fell upon the hounds with his whip, flogging them upon the new track, uttering the while the most savage cries I have ever heard issue from human throat. The disappointed beasts were nothing loath236 to seize upon another trail; after a second of hesitation they had understood, and were off upon it at a tearing pace, we after them at the best speed of our horses.
"Some unformed idea that we were going to escort, or rescue, benighted237 travelers flickered238 dimly in my mind as I galloped239 through the night air; but when I managed to approach my companion and called out to him for explanation, he only turned half round and grinned at me.
"Before us lay now the white plain, scintillating240 under the high moon's rays. That light is deceptive241; I could be sure of nothing upon the wide expanse but of the dark, leaping figures of the hounds already spread out in a straggling line, some right ahead, others just in front of us. In a short time also the icy wind, cutting my face mercilessly as we increased our pace, well nigh blinded me with tears of cold.
"I can hardly realize how long this pursuit after an unseen prey lasted; I can only remember that I was getting rather faint with fatigue, and ignominiously242 held on to my pommel, when all of a sudden the black outline of a sleigh merged243 into sight in front of us.
"I rubbed my smarting eyes with my benumbed hand; we were gaining upon it second by second; two of those hell hounds of the baron's were already within a few leaps of it.
"Soon I was able to make out two figures, one standing up and urging the horses on with whip and voice, the other clinging to the back seat and looking toward us in an attitude of terror. A great fear crept into my half-frozen brain—were we not bringing deadly danger instead of help to these travelers? Great God! did the baron mean to use them as a bait for his new method of wolf hunting?
"I would have turned upon Kossowski with a cry of expostulation or warning, but he, urging on his hounds as he galloped on their flank, howling and gesticulating like a veritable Hun, passed me by like a flash—and all at once I knew."
Marshfield paused for a moment and sent his pale smile round upon his listeners, who now showed no signs of sleepiness; he knocked the ash from his cigar, twisted the latter round in his mouth, and added dryly:
"And I confess it seemed to me a little strong even for a baron in the Carpathians. The travelers were our quarry. But the reason why the Lord of Yany had turned man-hunter I was yet to learn. Just then I had to direct my energies to frustrating244 his plans. I used my spurs mercilessly. While I drew up even with him I saw the two figures in the sleigh change places; he who had hitherto driven now faced back, while his companion took the reins245, there was the pale blue sheen of a revolver barrel under the moonlight, followed by a yellow flash, and the nearest hound rolled over in the snow.
"With an oath the baron twisted round in his saddle to call up and urge on the remainder. My horse had taken fright at the report and dashed irresistibly246 forward, bringing me at once almost level with the fugitives247, and the next instant the revolver was turned menacingly toward me. There was no time to explain; my pistol was already drawn248, and as another of the brutes bounded up, almost under my horse's feet, I loosed it upon him. I must have let off both barrels at once, for the weapon flew out of my hand, but the hound's back was broken. I presume the traveler understood; at any rate, he did not fire at me.
"In moments of intense excitement like these, strangely enough, the mind is extraordinarily249 open to impressions. I shall never forget that man's countenance250 in the sledge251, as he stood upright and defied us in his mortal danger; it was young, very handsome, the features not distorted, but set into a sort of desperate, stony252 calm, and I knew it, beyond all doubt, for that of an Englishman. And then I saw his companion—it was the baron's wife. And I understood why the bells had been removed.
"It takes a long time to say this; it only required an instant to see it. The loud explosion of my pistol had hardly ceased to ring before the baron, with a fearful imprecation, was upon me. First he lashed at me with his whip as we tore along side by side, and then I saw him wind the reins round his off arm and bend over, and I felt his angry fingers close tightly on my right foot. The next instant I should have been lifted out of my saddle, but there came another shot from the sledge. The baron's horse plunged and stumbled, and the baron, hanging on to my foot with a fierce grip, was wrenched253 from his seat. His horse, however, was up again immediately, and I was released, and then I caught a confused glimpse of the frightened and wounded animal galloping254 wildly away to the right, leaving a black track of blood behind him in the snow, his master, entangled255 in the reins, running with incredible swiftness by his side and endeavoring to vault256 back into the saddle.
"And now came to pass a terrible thing which, in his savage plans, my host had doubtless never anticipated.
"One of the hounds that had during this short check recovered lost ground, coming across this hot trail of blood, turned away from his course, and with a joyous257 yell darted258 after the running man. In another instant the remainder of the pack was upon the new scent.
"As soon as I could stop my horse, I tried to turn him in the direction the new chase had taken, but just then, through the night air, over the receding259 sound of the horse's scamper260 and the sobbing261 of the pack in full cry, there came a long scream, and after that a sickening silence. And I knew that somewhere yonder, under the beautiful moonlight, the Baron Kossowski was being devoured262 by his starving dogs.
"I looked round, with the sweat on my face, vaguely263, for some human being to share the horror of the moment, and I saw, gliding264 away, far away in the white distance, the black silhouette of the sledge."
"Well?" said we, in divers147 tones of impatience, curiosity, or horror, according to our divers temperaments265, as the speaker uncrossed his legs and gazed at us in mild triumph, with all the air of having said his say, and satisfactorily proved his point.
"Well," repeated he, "what more do you want to know? It will interest you but slightly, I am sure, to hear how I found my way back to the Hof; or how I told as much as I deemed prudent266 of the evening's grewsome work to the baron's servants, who, by the way, to my amazement267, displayed the profoundest and most unmistakable sorrow at the tidings, and sallied forth (at their head the Cossack who had seen us depart) to seek for his remains268. Excuse the unpleasantness of the remark: I fear the dogs must have left very little of him, he had dieted them so carefully. However, since it was to have been a case of 'chop, crunch, and gobble,' as the baron had it, I preferred that that particular fate should have overtaken him rather than me—or, for that matter, either of those two country people of ours in the sledge.
"Nor am I going to inflict269 upon you," continued Marshfield, after draining his glass, "a full account of my impressions when I found myself once more in that immense, deserted270, and stricken house, so luxuriously271 prepared for the mistress who had fled from it; how I philosophized over all this, according to my wont116; the conjectures272 I made as to the first acts of the drama; the untold273 sufferings my countrywoman must have endured from the moment her husband first grew jealous till she determined on this desperate step; as to how and when she had met her lover, how they communicated, and how the baron had discovered the intended flitting in time to concoct274 his characteristic revenge.
"One thing you may be sure of, I had no mind to remain at Yany an hour longer than necessary. I even contrived275 to get well clear of the neighborhood before the lady's absence was discovered. Luckily for me—or I might have been taxed with connivance276, though indeed the simple household did not seem to know what suspicion was, and accepted my account with childlike credence—very typical, and very convenient to me at the same time."
"But how do you know," said one of us, "that the man was her lover? He might have been her brother or some other relative."
"That," said Marshfield, with his little flat laugh, "I happen to have ascertained—and, curiously277 enough, only a few weeks ago. It was at the play, between the acts, from my comfortable seat (the first row in the pit). I was looking leisurely278 round the house when I caught sight of a woman, in a box close by, whose head was turned from me, and who presented the somewhat unusual spectacle of a young neck and shoulders of the most exquisite contour—and perfectly279 gray hair; and not dull gray, but rather of a pleasing tint280 like frosted silver. This aroused my curiosity. I brought my glasses to a focus on her and waited patiently till she turned round. Then I recognized the Baroness Kassowski, and I no longer wondered at the young hair being white.
"Yet she looked placid281 and happy; strangely so, it seemed to me, under the sudden reviving in my memory of such scenes as I have now described. But presently I understood further: beside her, in close attendance, was the man of the sledge, a handsome fellow with much of a military air about him.
"During the course of the evening, as I watched, I saw a friend of mine come into the box, and at the end I slipped out into the passage to catch him as he came out.
"'Who is the woman with the white hair?' I asked. Then, in the fragmentary style approved of by ultra-fashionable young men—this earnest-languid mode of speech presents curious similarities in all languages—he told me: 'Most charming couple in London—awfully pretty, wasn't she?—he had been in the Guards—attaché at Vienna once—they adored each other. White hair, devilish queer, wasn't it? Suited her, somehow. And then she had been married to a Russian, or something, somewhere in the wilds, and their names were—' But do you know," said Marshfield, interrupting himself, "I think I had better let you find that out for yourselves, if you care."
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1
promulgating
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| v.宣扬（某事物）( promulgate的现在分词 )；传播；公布；颁布（法令、新法律等） | |
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2
con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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4
paraphrase
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| vt.将…释义，改写；n.释义，意义 | |
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5
quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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6
philologist
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| n.语言学者，文献学者 | |
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7
pricks
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| 刺痛( prick的名词复数 )； 刺孔； 刺痕； 植物的刺 | |
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8
jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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9
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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10
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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11
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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12
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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13
speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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14
skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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15
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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16
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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17
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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18
luster
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| n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉 | |
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19
philological
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| adj.语言学的，文献学的 | |
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20
knotty
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| adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的 | |
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21
unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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22
opportunely
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| adv.恰好地，适时地 | |
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23
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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24
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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25
condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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26
albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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27
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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28
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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29
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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30
quagmires
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| n.沼泽地，泥潭( quagmire的名词复数 ) | |
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31
bog
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| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
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32
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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33
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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34
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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35
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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36
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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37
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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38
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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40
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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41
protrude
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| v.使突出，伸出，突出 | |
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42
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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43
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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44
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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45
eyelid
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| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
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46
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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47
tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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48
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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49
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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50
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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51
stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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52
ballad
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| n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲 | |
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53
voluptuousness
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| n.风骚，体态丰满 | |
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54
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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55
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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56
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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57
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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58
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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59
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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60
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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61
skidding
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| n.曳出，集材v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的现在分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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62
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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63
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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64
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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65
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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66
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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67
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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68
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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69
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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71
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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72
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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73
iridescent
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| adj.彩虹色的，闪色的 | |
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74
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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75
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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76
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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77
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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78
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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79
pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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80
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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81
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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82
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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83
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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84
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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85
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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86
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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87
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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88
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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89
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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90
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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91
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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92
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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93
resinous
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| adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的 | |
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94
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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95
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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96
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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97
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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98
cosmopolitan
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| adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的 | |
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99
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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100
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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101
unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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102
desolated
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| adj.荒凉的，荒废的 | |
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103
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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104
alluringly
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| 诱人地，妩媚地 | |
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105
dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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107
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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108
veneer
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| n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰 | |
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109
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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110
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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111
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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112
savageness
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| 天然，野蛮 | |
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113
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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114
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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115
irreproachable
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| adj.不可指责的，无过失的 | |
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116
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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117
retracing
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| v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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118
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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119
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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120
bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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121
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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122
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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123
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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124
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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125
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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126
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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127
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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128
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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129
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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130
smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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131
dilating
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| v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的现在分词 ) | |
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132
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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133
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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134
sprightly
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| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
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135
redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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136
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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137
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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138
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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139
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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140
perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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141
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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142
obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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143
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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144
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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145
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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146
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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147
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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148
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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149
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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150
effusive
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| adj.热情洋溢的；感情(过多)流露的 | |
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151
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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152
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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153
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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154
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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155
leeches
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| n.水蛭( leech的名词复数 )；蚂蟥；榨取他人脂膏者；医生 | |
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156
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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157
musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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158
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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159
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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160
clinched
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| v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议） | |
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161
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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162
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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163
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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164
poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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165
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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166
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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167
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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168
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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169
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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170
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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171
phlegmatic
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| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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172
docilely
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| adv.容易教地，易驾驶地，驯服地 | |
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173
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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174
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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175
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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176
analyst
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| n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家 | |
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177
baroness
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| n.男爵夫人，女男爵 | |
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178
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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179
flasks
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| n.瓶，长颈瓶， 烧瓶( flask的名词复数 ) | |
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180
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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181
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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182
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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183
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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184
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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185
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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186
obtrusive
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| adj.显眼的；冒失的 | |
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187
unctuously
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| adv.油腻地，油腔滑调地；假惺惺 | |
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188
crunch
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| n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声 | |
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189
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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190
displeasing
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| 不愉快的，令人发火的 | |
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191
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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192
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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193
brace
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| 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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194
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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195
metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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196
divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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197
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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198
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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199
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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200
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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201
callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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202
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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203
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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204
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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205
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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206
intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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207
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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208
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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209
exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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210
gulping
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的现在分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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211
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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212
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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213
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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214
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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215
kennels
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| n.主人外出时的小动物寄养处，养狗场；狗窝( kennel的名词复数 )；养狗场 | |
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216
dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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217
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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218
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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219
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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220
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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221
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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222
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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223
snarls
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| n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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224
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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225
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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226
shuddered
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| 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 | |
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227
falter
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| vi.(嗓音)颤抖，结巴地说；犹豫；蹒跚 | |
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228
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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229
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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230
larches
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| n.落叶松（木材）( larch的名词复数 ) | |
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231
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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232
conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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233
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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234
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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235
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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236
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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237
benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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238
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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239
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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240
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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241
deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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242
ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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243
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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244
frustrating
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| adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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245
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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246
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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247
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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248
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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249
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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250
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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251
sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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252
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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253
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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254
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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255
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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256
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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257
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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258
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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259
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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260
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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261
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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262
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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263
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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264
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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265
temperaments
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| 性格( temperament的名词复数 )； （人或动物的）气质； 易冲动； （性情）暴躁 | |
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266
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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267
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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268
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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269
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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270
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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271
luxuriously
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| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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272
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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273
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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274
concoct
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| v.调合，制造 | |
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275
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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276
connivance
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| n.纵容；默许 | |
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277
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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278
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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279
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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280
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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281
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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