It was a night to drive any man indoors. Not only was the darkness impenetrable, but the raw mist enveloping1 hill and valley made the open road anything but desirable to a belated wayfarer2 like myself.
Being young, untrammelled, and naturally indifferent to danger, I was not averse3 to adventure; and having my fortune to make, was always on the lookout4 for El Dorado, which to ardent5 souls lies ever beyond the next turning. Consequently, when I saw a light shimmering6 through the mist at my right, I resolved to make for it and the shelter it so opportunely7 offered.
But I did not realise then, as I do now, that shelter does not necessarily imply refuge, or I might not have undertaken this adventure with so light a heart. Yet who knows? The impulses of an unfettered spirit lean toward daring, and youth, as I have said, seeks the strange, the unknown, and sometimes the terrible.
My path towards this light was by no means an easy one. After confused wanderings through tangled8 hedges, and a struggle with obstacles of whose nature I received the most curious impression in the surrounding murk, I arrived in front of a long, low building, which, to my astonishment9, I found standing10 with doors and windows open to the pervading11 mist, save for one square casement12, through which the light shone from a row of candles placed on a long mahogany table.
The quiet and seeming emptiness of this odd and picturesque13 building made me pause. I am not much affected14 by visible danger, but this silent room, with its air of sinister15 expectancy16, struck me most unpleasantly, and I was about to reconsider my first impulse and withdraw again to the road, when a second look thrown back upon the comfortable interior I was leaving convinced me of my folly17, and sent me straight toward the door which stood so invitingly19 open.
But half-way up the path my progress was again stayed by the sight of a man issuing from the house I had so rashly looked upon as devoid20 of all human presence. He seemed in haste, and at the moment my eye first fell on him was engaged in replacing his watch in his pocket.
But he did not shut the door behind him, which I thought odd, especially as his final glance had been a backward one, and seemed to take in all the appointments of the place he was so hurriedly leaving.
As we met he raised his hat. This likewise struck me as peculiar21, for the deference22 he displayed was more marked than that usually bestowed23 on strangers, while his lack of surprise at an encounter more or less startling in such a mist, was calculated to puzzle an ordinary man like myself. Indeed, he was so little impressed by my presence there that he was for passing me without a word or any other hint of good-fellowship save the bow of which I have spoken. But this did not suit me. I was hungry, cold, and eager for creature comforts, and the house before me gave forth25, not only heat, but a savoury odour which in itself was an invitation hard to ignore. I therefore accosted26 the man.
“Will bed and supper be provided for me here?” I asked. “I am tired out with a long tramp over the hills, and hungry enough to pay anything in reason ——”
I stopped, for the man had disappeared. He had not paused at my appeal, and the mist had swallowed him. But at the break in my sentence his voice came back in good-natured tones, and I heard:
“Supper will be ready at nine, and there are beds for all. Enter, sir; you are the first to arrive, but the others cannot be far behind.”
A queer greeting certainly. But when I strove to question him as to its meaning, his voice returned to me from such a distance that I doubted if my words had reached him any more than his answer had reached me.
“Well,” thought I, “it isn’t as if a lodging27 had been denied me. He invited me to enter, and enter I will.”
The house, to which I now naturally directed a glance of much more careful scrutiny28 than before, was no ordinary farm-building, but a rambling29 old mansion30, made conspicuously31 larger here and there by jutting32 porches and more than one convenient lean-to. Though furnished, warmed, and lighted with candles, as I have previously33 described, it had about it an air of disuse which made me feel myself an intruder, in spite of the welcome I had received. But I was not in a position to stand upon ceremony, and ere long I found myself inside the great room and before the blazing logs whose glow had lighted up the doorway34 and added its own attraction to the other allurements35 of the inviting18 place.
Though the open door made a draught36 which was anything but pleasant, I did not feel like closing it, and was astonished to observe the effect of the mist through the square thus left open to the night. It was not an agreeable one, and, instinctively37 turning my back upon that quarter of the room, I let my eyes roam over the wainscoted walls and the odd pieces of furniture which gave such an air of old-fashioned richness to the place. As nothing of the kind had ever fallen under my eyes before, I would have thoroughly38 enjoyed this opportunity of gratifying my taste for the curious and the beautiful, if the quaint39 old chairs I saw standing about me on every side had not all been empty. But the solitude40 of the place, so much more oppressive than the solitude of the road I had left, struck cold to my heart, and I missed the cheer rightfully belonging to such attractive surroundings. Suddenly I bethought me of the many other apartments likely to be found in so spacious41 a dwelling42, and, going to the nearest door, I opened it and called out for the master of the house. But only an echo came back, and returning to the fire, I sat down before the cheering blaze, in quiet acceptance of a situation too lonely for comfort, yet not without a certain piquant43 interest for a man of free mind and adventurous44 disposition45 like myself.
After all, if supper was to be served at nine, some one must be expected to eat it; I should surely not be left much longer without companions.
Meanwhile ample amusement awaited me in the contemplation of a picture which, next to the large fireplace, was the most prominent object in the room. This picture was a portrait, and a remarkable46 one. The countenance47 it portrayed48 was both characteristic and forcible, and so interested me that in studying it I quite forgot both hunger and weariness. Indeed its effect upon me was such that, after gazing at it uninterruptedly for a few minutes, I discovered that its various features — the narrow eyes in which a hint of craft gave a strange gleam to their native intelligence; the steadfast49 chin, strong as the rock of the hills I had wearily tramped all day; the cunning wrinkles which yet did not interfere50 with a latent great-heartedness that made the face as attractive as it was puzzling — had so established themselves in my mind that I continued to see them before me whichever way I turned, and even found it impossible to shake off their influence after I had resolutely51 set my mind in another direction by endeavouring to recall what I knew of the town into which I had strayed.
I had come from Scranton, and was now, according to my best judgment52, in one of those rural districts of Western Pennsylvania which breed such strange and sturdy characters. But of this special neighbourhood, its inhabitants, and its industries, I knew nothing, nor was I likely to become acquainted with it so long as I remained in the solitude I have described.
But these impressions and these thoughts — if thoughts they were — presently received a check. A loud “Halloo!” rose from somewhere in the mist, followed by a string of muttered imprecations, which convinced me that the person now attempting to approach the house was encountering some of the many difficulties which had beset53 me in the same undertaking54 a few minutes before.
I therefore raised my voice and shouted out, “Here! This way!” after which I sat still and awaited developments.
There was a huge clock in one of the corners, whose loud tick filled up every interval55 of silence. By this clock it was just ten minutes to eight when two gentlemen — I should say men, and coarse men at that — crossed the open threshold and entered the house.
Their appearance was more or less noteworthy — unpleasantly so, I am obliged to add. One was red-faced and obese56; the other was tall, thin, and wiry, and showed as many seams in his face as a blighted57 apple. Neither of the two had anything to recommend him either in appearance or address, save a certain veneer58 of polite assumption as transparent59 as it was offensive. As I listened to the forced sallies of the one and the hollow laugh of the other, I was glad that I was large of frame and strong of arm, and used to all kinds of men and — brutes60.
As these two newcomers seemed no more astonished at my presence than the man I had met at the gate, I checked the question which instinctively rose to my lips, and with a simple bow — responded to by a more or less familiar nod from either — accepted the situation with all the sang-froid the occasion seemed to demand. Perhaps this was wise, perhaps it was not; there was little opportunity to judge, for the start they both gave as they encountered the eyes of the picture before mentioned drew my attention to a consideration of the different ways in which men, however similar in other respects, express sudden and unlooked-for emotion. The big man simply allowed his astonishment, dread61, or whatever the feeling was which moved him, to ooze62 forth in a cold and deathly perspiration63 which robbed his cheeks of colour, and cast a bluish shadow over his narrow and retreating temples; while the thin and waspish man, caught in the same trap (for trap I saw it was), shouted aloud in his ill-timed mirth, the false and cruel character of which would have made me shudder64, if all expression of feeling on my part had not been held in check by the interest I immediately experienced in the display of open bravado65 with which, in another moment, these two tried to carry off their mutual66 embarrassment67.
“Good likeness68, eh?” laughed the seamy-faced man. “Quite an idea that! Makes him one of us again! Well, he’s welcome — in oils. Can’t say much to us from canvas, eh?” And the rafters above him vibrated, as his violent efforts at joviality69 went up in loud and louder assertion from his thin throat.
A nudge from the other’s elbow stopped him, and I saw them both cast half-lowering, half-inquisitive glances in my direction.
“One of the Witherspoon boys?” queried70 one.
“Perhaps,” snarled71 the other. “I never saw but one of them. There are five, aren’t there? Eustace believed in marrying off his gals72 young.”
“Damn him, yes! And he’d have married them off younger if he had known how numbers were going to count some day among the Westonhaughs.” And he laughed again in a way I should certainly have felt it my business to resent if my indignation, as well as the ill-timed allusions73 which had called it forth, had not been put to an end by a fresh arrival through the veiling mist which hung like a shroud74 at the doorway.
This time it was for me to experience a shock of something like fear. Yet the personage who called up this unlooked-for sensation in my naturally hardy75 nature was old, and to all appearance harmless from disability, if not from good-will. His form was bent76 over upon itself like a bow; and only from the glances he shot from his upturned eyes was the fact made evident that a redoubtable77 nature, full of force and malignity78, had just brought its quota79 of evil into a room already overflowing80 with dangerous and menacing passions.
As this old wretch81, either from the feebleness of age or from the infirmity I have mentioned, had great difficulty in walking, he had brought with him a small boy, whose business it was to direct his tottering82 steps as best he could.
But once settled in his chair, he drove away this boy with his pointed83 oak stick, and with some harsh words about caring for the horse and being in time in the morning, he sent him out into the mist. As this little shivering and pathetic figure vanished, the old man drew with gasp84 and haw a number of deep breaths, which shook his bent back, and did their share, no doubt, in restoring his own disturbed circulation. Then, with a sinister twist which brought his pointed chin and twinkling eyes again into view, he remarked:
“Haven’t ye a word for kinsman85 Luke, you two? It isn’t often I get out among ye. Shakee, nephew! Shakee, Hector! And now, who’s the boy in the window? My eyes aren’t what they used to be, but he don’t seem to favour the Westonhaughs overmuch. One of Salmon’s four grandchildren, think ‘e? Or a shoot from Eustace’s gnarled old trunk? His gals all married Americans, and one of them, I’ve been told, was a yellow-haired giant like this fellow.”
At this description, pointed directly toward me, I was about to venture a response on my own account, when my attention, as well as theirs, was freshly attracted by a loud “Whoa!” at the gate, followed by the hasty but assured entrance of a dapper, wizen, but perfectly86 preserved little old gentleman with a bag in his hand.
Looking askance with eyes that were like two beads87, first at the two men, who were now elbowing each other for the best place before the fire, and next at the revolting figure in the chair, he bestowed his greeting, which consisted of an elaborate bow, not on them, but upon the picture hanging so conspicuously on the open wall before him; and then, taking me within the scope of his quick, circling glance, cried out with an assumption of great cordiality:
“Good-evening, gentlemen; good-evening one, good-evening all. Nothing like being on the tick. I’m sorry the night has turned out so badly. Some may find it too thick for travel. That would be bad, eh? very bad — for them.”
As none of the men he openly addressed saw fit to answer, save by the hitch88 of a shoulder or a leer quickly suppressed, I kept silent also. But this reticence89, marked as it was, did not seem to offend the newcomer. Shaking the wet from the umbrella he held, he stood the dripping article up in a corner, and then came and placed his feet on the fender. To do this he had to crowd between the two men already occupying the best part of the hearth90. But he showed no concern at incommoding them, and bore their cross looks and threatening gestures with professional equanimity91.
“You know me?” he now unexpectedly snapped, bestowing92 another look over his shoulder at that oppressive figure in the chair. (Did I say that I had risen when the latter sat?) “I’m no Westonhaugh, I; nor yet a Witherspoon nor a Clapsaddle. I’m only Smead, the lawyer — Mr. Anthony Westonhaugh’s lawyer,” he repeated, with another glance of recognition in the direction of the picture. “I drew up his last will and testament93, and, until all of his wishes have been duly carried out, am entitled by the terms of that will to be regarded both legally and socially as his representative. This you all know, but it is my way to make everything clear as I proceed. A lawyer’s trick, no doubt. I do not pretend to be entirely94 exempt95 from such.”
A grumble96 from the large man, who seemed to have been disturbed in some absorbing calculation he was carrying on, mingled97 with a few muttered words of forced acknowledgment from the restless old sinner in the chair, made it unnecessary for me to reply, even if the last comer had given me the opportunity.
“It’s getting late!” he cried, with an easy garrulity98 rather amusing under the circumstances. “Two more trains came in as I left the depot99. If old Phil was on hand with his waggon100, several more members of this interesting family may be here before the clock strikes; if not, the assemblage is like to be small. Too small,” I heard him grumble a minute after, under his breath.
“I wish it were a matter of one,” spoke24 up the big man, striking his breast in a way to make it perfectly apparent whom he meant by that word one. And having (if I may judge by the mingled laugh and growl101 of his companions) thus shown his hand both figuratively and literally102, he relapsed into the calculation which seemed to absorb all of his unoccupied moments.
“Generous, very!” commented the lawyer in a murmur103 which was more than audible. “Pity that sentiments of such broad benevolence104 should go unrewarded.”
This, because at that very instant wheels were heard in front, also a jangle of voices, in some controversy105 about fares, which promised anything but a pleasing addition to the already none too desirable company.
“I suppose that’s Sister Janet,” snarled out the one addressed as Hector. There was no love in his voice, despite the relationship hinted at, and I awaited the entrance of this woman with some curiosity.
But her appearance, heralded106 by many a puff107 and pant which the damp air exaggerated in a prodigious108 way, did not seem to warrant the interest I had shown in it. As she stepped into the room I saw only a big frowsy woman, who had attempted to make a show with a new silk dress and a hat in the latest fashion, but who had lamentably109 failed owing to the slouchiness of her figure and some misadventure, by which her hat had been set awry110 on her head and her usual complacency destroyed. Later, I noted111 that her down-looking eyes had a false twinkle in them, and that, commonplace as she looked, she was one to steer112 clear of in times of necessity and distress113.
She, too, evidently expected to find the door open and people assembled, but she had not anticipated being confronted by the portrait on the wall, and cringed in an unpleasant way as she stumbled by it into one of the ill-lighted corners.
The old man, who had doubtless caught the rustle114 of her dress as she passed him, emitted one short sentence.
“Almost late,” said he.
Her answer was a sputter115 of words.
“It’s the fault of that driver,” she complained. “If he had taken one drop more at the half-way house I might really not have got here at all. That would not have inconvenienced you. But oh! what a grudge116 I would have owed that skinflint brother of ours”— here she shook her fist at the picture —“for making our good luck depend upon our arrival within two short strokes of the clock!”
“There are several to come yet,” blandly117 observed the lawyer. But before the words were well out of his mouth we all became aware of a new presence — a woman, whose sombre grace and quiet bearing gave distinction to her unobtrusive entrance, and caused a feeling of something like awe118 to follow the first sight of her cold features and deep, heavily-fringed eyes. But this soon passed in the more human sentiment awakened119 by the soft pleading which infused her gaze with a touching120 femininity. She wore a long loose garment, which fell without a fold from chin to foot, and in her arms she seemed to carry something.
Never before had I seen so beautiful a woman. As I was contemplating121 her, with respect but yet with a masculine intentness I could not quite suppress, two or three other persons came in. And now I began to notice that the eyes of all these people turned mainly one way, and that was toward the clock. Another small circumstance likewise drew my attention. Whenever any one entered — and there were one or two additional arrivals during the five minutes preceding the striking of the hour — a frown settled for an instant on every brow, giving to each and all a similar look, for the interpretation122 of which I lacked the key. Yet not on every brow either. There was one which remained undisturbed, and showed only a grand patience.
As the hands of the big clock neared the point of eight a furtive123 smile appeared on more than one face; and when the hour rang out a sigh of satisfaction swept through the room, to which the little old lawyer responded with a worldly-wise grunt124 as he moved from his place and proceeded to the door.
This he had scarcely shut when a chorus of voices rose from without. Three or four lingerers had pushed their way as far as the gate, only to see the door of the house shut in their faces.
“Too late!” growled125 old man Luke from between the locks of his long beard.
“Too late!” shrieked126 the woman who had come so near being late herself.
“Too late!” smoothly127 acquiesced128 the lawyer, locking and bolting the door with a deft129 and assured hand.
But the four or five persons who thus found themselves barred out did not accept without a struggle the decision of the more fortunate ones assembled within. More than one hand began pounding on the door, and we could hear cries of: “The train was behind time!” “Your clock is fast!” “You are cheating us; you want it all for yourselves!” “We will have the law on you!” and other bitter adjurations unintelligible130 to me from my ignorance of the circumstances which called them forth.
But the wary131 old lawyer simply shook his head and answered nothing; whereat a murmur of gratification rose from within, and a howl of almost frenzied132 dismay from without, which latter presently received point from a startling vision which now appeared at the casement where the lights burned. A man’s face looked in, and behind it, that of a woman, so wild and maddened by some sort of heart-break that I found my sympathies aroused in spite of the glare of evil passions which made both of these countenances133 something less than human.
But the lawyer met the stare of these four eyes with a quiet chuckle134, which found its echo in the ill-advised mirth of those about him; and moving over to the window where they still peered in, he drew together the two heavy shutters135 which hitherto had stood back against the wall, and, fastening them with a bar, shut out the sight of this despair, if he could not shut out the protests which ever and anon were shouted through the keyhole.
Meanwhile, one form had sat through this whole incident without a gesture; and on the quiet brow, from which I could not keep my eyes, no shadows appeared save the perpetual one of native melancholy136, which was at once the source of its attraction and the secret of its power.
Into what sort of gathering137 had I stumbled? And why did I prefer to await developments rather than ask the simplest question of any one about me?
Meantime the lawyer had proceeded to make certain preparations. With the help of one or two willing hands he had drawn138 the great table into the middle of the room, and, having seen the candles restored to their places, began to open his small bag and take from it a roll of paper and several flat documents. Laying the latter in the centre of the table and slowly unrolling the former, he consulted, with his foxy eyes, the faces surrounding him, and smiled with secret malevolence139, as he noted that every chair and every form was turned away from the picture before which he had bent with such obvious courtesy on entering. I alone stood erect140, and this possibly was why a gleam of curiosity was noticeable in his glance, as he ended his scrutiny of my countenance and bent his gaze again upon the paper he held.
“Heavens!” thought I. “What shall I answer this man if he asks me why I continued to remain in a spot where I have so little business?”
The impulse came to go. But such was the effect of this strange convocation of persons, at night and in a mist which was itself a nightmare, that I failed to take action and remained riveted141 to my place, while Mr. Smead consulted his roll and finally asked in a business-like tone, quite unlike his previous sarcastic142 speech, the names of those whom he had the pleasure of seeing before him.
The old man in the chair spoke up first.
“Luke Westonhaugh,” he announced.
“Very good!” responded the lawyer.
“Hector Westonhaugh,” came from the thin man.
A nod and a look toward the next.
“John Westonhaugh.”
“Nephew?” asked the lawyer.
“Yes.”
“Go on, and be quick; supper will be ready at nine.”
“Eunice Westonhaugh,” spoke up a soft voice.
I felt my heart bound as if some inner echo responded to that name.
“Daughter of whom?”
“Hudson Westonhaugh,” she gently faltered143. “My father is dead — died last night. I am his only heir.”
A grumble of dissatisfaction and a glint of unrelieved hate came from the doubled-up figure, whose malevolence had so revolted me.
But the lawyer was not to be shaken.
“Very good! It is fortunate you trusted your feet rather than the train. And now you? What is your name?”
He was looking, not at me, as I had at first feared, but at the man next to me, a slim but slippery youth, whose small red eyes made me shudder.
“William Witherspoon.”
“Barbara’s son?”
“Yes.”
“Where are your brothers?”
“One of them, I think, is outside”— here he laughed —“the other is —sick.”
The way he uttered this word made me set him down as one to be especially wary of when he smiled. But then, I had already passed judgment on him at my first view.
“And you, madam?”— this to the large, dowdy144 woman with the uncertain eye, a contrast to the young and melancholy Eunice.
“Janet Clapsaddle,” she replied, waddling145 hungrily forward and getting unpleasantly near the speaker, for he moved off as she approached, and took his stand in the clear space at the head of the table.
“Very well, Mistress Clapsaddle. You were a Westonhaugh, I believe?”
“You believe, sneak-faced hypocrite that you are!” she blurted146 out. “I don’t understand your lawyer ways. I like plain speaking myself. Don’t you know me, and Luke and Hector, and — and most of us, indeed, except that puny147, white-faced girl yonder, whom, having been brought up on the other side of the Ridge148, we have none of us seen since she was a screaming baby in Hildegarde’s arms. And the young gentleman over there”— here she indicated me —“who shows so little likeness to the rest of the family, he will have to make his connection to us pretty plain before we shall feel like acknowledging him, either as the son of one of Eustace’s girls, or a chip from Brother Salmon’s hard old block.”
As this caused all eyes to turn upon me, even hers, I smiled as I stepped forward. The lawyer did not return that smile.
“What is your name?” he asked shortly and sharply, as if he distrusted me.
“Hugh Austin,” was my quiet reply.
“There is no such name on the list,” snapped old Smead, with an authoritative149 gesture toward those who seemed anxious to enter a protest.
“Probably not,” I returned, “for I am not a Witherspoon, a Westonhaugh, nor yet a Clapsaddle. I am merely a chance wayfarer passing through the town on my way West. I thought this house was a tavern150, or at least a place I could lodge151 in. The man I met in the doorway told me as much, and so I am here. If my company is not agreeable, or if you wish this room to yourselves, let me go into the kitchen. I promise not to meddle152 with the supper, hungry as I am. Or perhaps you wish me to join the crowd outside; it seems to be increasing.”
“No, no,” came from all parts of the room. “Don’t let the door be opened. Nothing could keep Lemuel and his crowd out if they once got foot over the threshold.”
The lawyer rubbed his chin. He seemed to be in some sort of quandary153. First he scrutinised me from under his shaggy brows with a sharp gleam of suspicion; then his features softened154, and, with a side-glance at the young woman who called herself Eunice (perhaps, because she was worth looking at, perhaps because she had partly risen at my words), he slipped toward a door I had before observed in the wainscoting on the left of the mantelpiece, and softly opened it upon what looked like a narrow staircase.
“We cannot let you go out,” said he; “and we cannot let you have a finger in our viands155 before the hour comes for serving them; so if you will be so good as to follow this staircase to the top, you will find it ends in a room comfortable enough for the wayfarer you call yourself. In that room you can rest till the way is clear for you to continue your travels. Better we cannot do for you. This house is not a tavern, but the somewhat valuable property of ——” He turned with a bow and smile, as every one there drew a deep breath; but no one ventured to end that sentence.
I would have given all my future prospects156 (which, by the way, were not very great) to remain in that room. The oddity of the situation; the mystery of the occurrence; the suspense157 I saw in every face; the eagerness of the cries I heard redoubled from time to time outside; the malevolence but poorly disguised in the old lawyer’s countenance; and, above all, the presence of that noble-looking woman, which was the one off-set to the general tone of villainy with which the room was charged, filled me with curiosity, if I might call it by no other name, that made my acquiescence158 in the demand thus made upon me positively159 heroic. But there seemed no other course for me to follow, and with a last lingering glance at the genial160 fire and a quick look about me, which, happily, encountered hers, I stooped my head to suit the low and narrow doorway opened for my accommodation, and instantly found myself in darkness. The door had been immediately closed by the lawyer’s impatient hand.
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enveloping
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的现在分词 ) | |
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wayfarer
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| n.旅人 | |
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averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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opportunely
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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astonishment
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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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pervading
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casement
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picturesque
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affected
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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folly
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inviting
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invitingly
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devoid
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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22
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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23
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
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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25
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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26
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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27
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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28
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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29
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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30
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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31
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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32
jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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33
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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34
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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35
allurements
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| n.诱惑( allurement的名词复数 )；吸引；诱惑物；有诱惑力的事物 | |
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36
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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37
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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38
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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39
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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40
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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41
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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42
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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43
piquant
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| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
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44
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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45
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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46
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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47
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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48
portrayed
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| v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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49
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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50
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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51
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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52
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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53
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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54
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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55
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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56
obese
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| adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的 | |
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57
blighted
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| adj.枯萎的，摧毁的 | |
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58
veneer
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| n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰 | |
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59
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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60
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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61
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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62
ooze
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| n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露 | |
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63
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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64
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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65
bravado
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| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
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66
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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67
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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68
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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69
joviality
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| n.快活 | |
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70
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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71
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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72
gals
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| abbr.gallons （复数）加仑（液量单位）n.女孩，少女( gal的名词复数 ) | |
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73
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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74
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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75
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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76
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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77
redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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78
malignity
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| n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性 | |
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79
quota
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| n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额 | |
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80
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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81
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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82
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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83
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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84
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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85
kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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86
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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87
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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88
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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89
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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90
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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91
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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92
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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93
testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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94
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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95
exempt
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| adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者 | |
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96
grumble
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| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
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97
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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98
garrulity
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| n.饶舌，多嘴 | |
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99
depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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100
waggon
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| n.运货马车，运货车；敞篷车箱 | |
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101
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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102
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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103
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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104
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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105
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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106
heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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107
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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108
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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109
lamentably
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| adv.哀伤地，拙劣地 | |
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110
awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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111
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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112
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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113
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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114
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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115
sputter
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| n.喷溅声；v.喷溅 | |
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116
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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117
blandly
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| adv.温和地，殷勤地 | |
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118
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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119
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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120
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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121
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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122
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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123
furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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124
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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125
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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126
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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127
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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128
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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129
deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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130
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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131
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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132
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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133
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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134
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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135
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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136
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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137
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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138
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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139
malevolence
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| n.恶意，狠毒 | |
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140
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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141
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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142
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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143
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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144
dowdy
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| adj.不整洁的；过旧的 | |
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145
waddling
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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146
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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147
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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148
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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149
authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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150
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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151
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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152
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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153
quandary
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| n.困惑，进迟两难之境 | |
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154
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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155
viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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156
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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157
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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158
acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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159
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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160
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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