The sexton stood in the porch of Milford meeting-house, pulling busily at the bell-rope. The old people of the village came stooping along the street. Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked5 a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens6, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on week days. When the throng8 had mostly streamed into the porch, the sexton began to toll9 the bell, keeping his eye on the Reverend Mr. Hooper’s door. The first glimpse of the clergyman’s figure was the signal for the bell to cease its summons.
“But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?” cried the sexton in astonishment10.
All within hearing immediately turned about, and beheld12 the semblance13 of Mr. Hooper, pacing slowly his meditative14 way towards the meetinghouse. With one accord they started, expressing more wonder than if some strange minister were coming to dust the cushions of Mr. Hooper’s pulpit.
“Are you sure it is our parson?” inquired Goodman Gray of the sexton.
“Of a certainty it is good Mr. Hooper,” replied the sexton. “He was to have exchanged pulpits with Parson Shute, of Westbury; but Parson Shute sent to excuse himself yesterday, being to preach a funeral sermon.”
The cause of so much amazement15 may appear sufficiently16 slight. Mr. Hooper, a gentlemanly person, of about thirty, though still a bachelor, was dressed with due clerical neatness, as if a careful wife had starched17 his band, and brushed the weekly dust from his Sunday’s garb18. There was but one thing remarkable in his appearance. Swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr. Hooper had on a black veil. On a nearer view it seemed to consist of two folds of crape, which entirely19 concealed21 his features, except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept22 his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things. With this gloomy shade before him, good Mr. Hooper walked onward23, at a slow and quiet pace, stooping somewhat, and looking on the ground, as is customary with abstracted men, yet nodding kindly24 to those of his parishioners who still waited on the meeting-house steps. But so wonder-struck were they that his greeting hardly met with a return.
“I can’t really feel as if good Mr. Hooper’s face was behind that piece of crape,” said the sexton.
“I don’t like it,” muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meeting-house. “He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face.”
“Our parson has gone mad!” cried Goodman Gray, following him across the threshold.
A rumor25 of some unaccountable phenomenon had preceded Mr. Hooper into the meeting-house, and set all the congregation astir. Few could refrain from twisting their heads towards the door; many stood upright, and turned directly about; while several little boys clambered upon the seats, and came down again with a terrible racket. There was a general bustle26, a rustling27 of the women’s gowns and shuffling28 of the men’s feet, greatly at variance29 with that hushed repose30 which should attend the entrance of the minister. But Mr. Hooper appeared not to notice the perturbation of his people. He entered with an almost noiseless step, bent31 his head mildly to the pews on each side, and bowed as he passed his oldest parishioner, a white-haired great grandsire, who occupied an arm-chair in the centre of the aisle32. It was strange to observe how slowly this venerable man became conscious of something singular in the appearance of his pastor33. He seemed not fully34 to partake of the prevailing35 wonder, till Mr. Hooper had ascended36 the stairs, and showed himself in the pulpit, face to face with his congregation, except for the black veil. That mysterious emblem37 was never once withdrawn38. It shook with his measured breath, as he gave out the psalm40; it threw its obscurity between him and the holy page, as he read the Scriptures41; and while he prayed, the veil lay heavily on his uplifted countenance42. Did he seek to hide it from the dread43 Being whom he was addressing?
Such was the effect of this simple piece of crape, that more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the meeting-house. Yet perhaps the pale-faced congregation was almost as fearful a sight to the minister, as his black veil to them.
Mr. Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward by mild, persuasive44 influences, rather than to drive them thither45 by the thunders of the Word. The sermon which he now delivered was marked by the same characteristics of style and manner as the general series of his pulpit oratory46. But there was something, either in the sentiment of the discourse47 itself, or in the imagination of the auditors48, which made it greatly the most powerful effort that they had ever heard from their pastor’s lips. It was tinged49, rather more darkly than usual, with the gentle gloom of Mr. Hooper’s temperament50. The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal20 from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient51 can detect them. A subtle power was breathed into his words. Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded52 iniquity53 of deed or thought. Many spread their clasped hands on their bosoms55. There was nothing terrible in what Mr. Hooper said, at least, no violence; and yet, with every tremor56 of his melancholy57 voice, the hearers quaked. An unsought pathos58 came hand in hand with awe59. So sensible were the audience of some unwonted attribute in their minister, that they longed for a breath of wind to blow aside the veil, almost believing that a stranger’s visage would be discovered, though the form, gesture, and voice were those of Mr. Hooper.
At the close of the services, the people hurried out with indecorous confusion, eager to communicate their pent-up amazement, and conscious of lighter61 spirits the moment they lost sight of the black veil. Some gathered in little circles, huddled62 closely together, with their mouths all whispering in the centre; some went homeward alone, wrapt in silent meditation63; some talked loudly, and profaned64 the Sabbath day with ostentatious laughter. A few shook their sagacious heads, intimating that they could penetrate65 the mystery; while one or two affirmed that there was no mystery at all, but only that Mr. Hooper’s eyes were so weakened by the midnight lamp, as to require a shade. After a brief interval66, forth67 came good Mr. Hooper also, in the rear of his flock. Turning his veiled face from one group to another, he paid due reverence68 to the hoary69 heads, saluted70 the middle aged71 with kind dignity as their friend and spiritual guide, greeted the young with mingled72 authority and love, and laid his hands on the little children’s heads to bless them. Such was always his custom on the Sabbath day. Strange and bewildered looks repaid him for his courtesy. None, as on former occasions, aspired73 to the honor of walking by their pastor’s side. Old Squire74 Saunders, doubtless by an accidental lapse75 of memory, neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table, where the good clergyman had been wont60 to bless the food, almost every Sunday since his settlement. He returned, therefore, to the parsonage, and, at the moment of closing the door, was observed to look back upon the people, all of whom had their eyes fixed76 upon the minister. A sad smile gleamed faintly from beneath the black veil, and flickered77 about his mouth, glimmering79 as he disappeared.
“How strange,” said a lady, “that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet80, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper’s face!”
“Something must surely be amiss with Mr. Hooper’s intellects,” observed her husband, the physician of the village. “But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary81, even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor’s face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?”
“Truly do I,” replied the lady; “and I would not be alone with him for the world. I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself!”
“Men sometimes are so,” said her husband.
The afternoon service was attended with similar circumstances. At its conclusion, the bell tolled82 for the funeral of a young lady. The relatives and friends were assembled in the house, and the more distant acquaintances stood about the door, speaking of the good qualities of the deceased, when their talk was interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Hooper, still covered with his black veil. It was now an appropriate emblem. The clergyman stepped into the room where the corpse83 was laid, and bent over the coffin84, to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped, the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eyelids85 had not been closed forever, the dead maiden7 might have seen his face. Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil? A person who watched the interview between the dead and living, scrupled86 not to affirm, that, at the instant when the clergyman’s features were disclosed, the corpse had slightly shuddered87, rustling the shroud88 and muslin cap, though the countenance retained the composure of death. A superstitious89 old woman was the only witness of this prodigy90. From the coffin Mr. Hooper passed into the chamber91 of the mourners, and thence to the head of the staircase, to make the funeral prayer. It was a tender and heart-dissolving prayer, full of sorrow, yet so imbued92 with celestial93 hopes, that the music of a heavenly harp94, swept by the fingers of the dead, seemed faintly to be heard among the saddest accents of the minister. The people trembled, though they but darkly understood him when he prayed that they, and himself, and all of mortal race, might be ready, as he trusted this young maiden had been, for the dreadful hour that should snatch the veil from their faces. The bearers went heavily forth, and the mourners followed, saddening all the street, with the dead before them, and Mr. Hooper in his black veil behind.
“Why do you look back?” said one in the procession to his partner.
“I had a fancy,” replied she, “that the minister and the maiden’s spirit were walking hand in hand.”
“And so had I, at the same moment,” said the other.
That night, the handsomest couple in Milford village were to be joined in wedlock95. Though reckoned a melancholy man, Mr. Hooper had a placid96 cheerfulness for such occasions, which often excited a sympathetic smile where livelier merriment would have been thrown away. There was no quality of his disposition97 which made him more beloved than this. The company at the wedding awaited his arrival with impatience98, trusting that the strange awe, which had gathered over him throughout the day, would now be dispelled99. But such was not the result. When Mr. Hooper came, the first thing that their eyes rested on was the same horrible black veil, which had added deeper gloom to the funeral, and could portend100 nothing but evil to the wedding. Such was its immediate11 effect on the guests that a cloud seemed to have rolled duskily from beneath the black crape, and dimmed the light of the candles. The bridal pair stood up before the minister. But the bride’s cold fingers quivered in the tremulous hand of the bridegroom, and her deathlike paleness caused a whisper that the maiden who had been buried a few hours before was come from her grave to be married. If ever another wedding were so dismal101, it was that famous one where they tolled the wedding knell102. After performing the ceremony, Mr. Hooper raised a glass of wine to his lips, wishing happiness to the newmarried couple in a strain of mild pleasantry that ought to have brightened the features of the guests, like a cheerful gleam from the hearth103. At that instant, catching104 a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others. His frame shuddered, his lips grew white, he spilt the untasted wine upon the carpet, and rushed forth into the darkness. For the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil.
The next day, the whole village of Milford talked of little else than Parson Hooper’s black veil. That, and the mystery concealed behind it, supplied a topic for discussion between acquaintances meeting in the street, and good women gossiping at their open windows. It was the first item of news that the tavern-keeper told to his guests. The children babbled105 of it on their way to school. One imitative little imp4 covered his face with an old black handkerchief, thereby106 so affrighting his playmates that the panic seized himself, and he well-nigh lost his wits by his own waggery.
It was remarkable that all of the busybodies and impertinent people in the parish, not one ventured to put the plain question to Mr. Hooper, wherefore he did this thing. Hitherto, whenever there appeared the slightest call for such interference, he had never lacked advisers107, nor shown himself averse108 to be guided by their judgment109. If he erred110 at all, it was by so painful a degree of self-distrust, that even the mildest censure111 would lead him to consider an indifferent action as a crime. Yet, though so well acquainted with this amiable112 weakness, no individual among his parishioners chose to make the black veil a subject of friendly remonstrance113. There was a feeling of dread, neither plainly confessed nor carefully concealed, which caused each to shift the responsibility upon another, till at length it was found expedient114 to send a deputation of the church, in order to deal with Mr. Hooper about the mystery, before it should grow into a scandal. Never did an embassy so ill discharge its duties. The minister received then with friendly courtesy, but became silent, after they were seated, leaving to his visitors the whole burden of introducing their important business. The topic, it might be supposed, was obvious enough. There was the black veil swathed round Mr. Hooper’s forehead, and concealing115 every feature above his placid mouth, on which, at times, they could perceive the glimmering of a melancholy smile. But that piece of crape, to their imagination, seemed to hang down before his heart, the symbol of a fearful secret between him and them. Were the veil but cast aside, they might speak freely of it, but not till then. Thus they sat a considerable time, speechless, confused, and shrinking uneasily from Mr. Hooper’s eye, which they felt to be fixed upon them with an invisible glance. Finally, the deputies returned abashed116 to their constituents117, pronouncing the matter too weighty to be handled, except by a council of the churches, if, indeed, it might not require a general synod.
But there was one person in the village unappalled by the awe with which the black veil had impressed all beside herself. When the deputies returned without an explanation, or even venturing to demand one, she, with the calm energy of her character, determined118 to chase away the strange cloud that appeared to be settling round Mr. Hooper, every moment more darkly than before. As his plighted119 wife, it should be her privilege to know what the black veil concealed. At the minister’s first visit, therefore, she entered upon the subject with a direct simplicity120, which made the task easier both for him and her. After he had seated himself, she fixed her eyes steadfastly121 upon the veil, but could discern nothing of the dreadful gloom that had so overawed the multitude: it was but a double fold of crape, hanging down from his forehead to his mouth, and slightly stirring with his breath.
“No,” said she aloud, and smiling, “there is nothing terrible in this piece of crape, except that it hides a face which I am always glad to look upon. Come, good sir, let the sun shine from behind the cloud. First lay aside your black veil: then tell me why you put it on.”
Mr. Hooper’s smile glimmered122 faintly.
“There is an hour to come,” said he, “when all of us shall cast aside our veils. Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then.”
“Your words are a mystery, too,” returned the young lady. “Take away the veil from them, at least.”
“Elizabeth, I will,” said he, “so far as my vow124 may suffer me. Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude125 and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends. No mortal eye will see it withdrawn. This dismal shade must separate me from the world: even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind it!”
“What grievous affliction hath befallen you,” she earnestly inquired, “that you should thus darken your eyes forever?”
“If it be a sign of mourning,” replied Mr. Hooper, “I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil.”
“But what if the world will not believe that it is the type of an innocent sorrow?” urged Elizabeth. “Beloved and respected as you are, there may be whispers that you hide your face under the consciousness of secret sin. For the sake of your holy office, do away this scandal!”
The color rose into her cheeks as she intimated the nature of the rumors126 that were already abroad in the village. But Mr. Hooper’s mildness did not forsake127 him. He even smiled again — that same sad smile, which always appeared like a faint glimmering of light, proceeding128 from the obscurity beneath the veil.
“If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough,” he merely replied; “and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?”
And with this gentle, but unconquerable obstinacy129 did he resist all her entreaties130. At length Elizabeth sat silent. For a few moments she appeared lost in thought, considering, probably, what new methods might be tried to withdraw her lover from so dark a fantasy, which, if it had no other meaning, was perhaps a symptom of mental disease. Though of a firmer character than his own, the tears rolled down her cheeks. But, in an instant, as it were, a new feeling took the place of sorrow: her eyes were fixed insensibly on the black veil, when, like a sudden twilight131 in the air, its terrors fell around her. She arose, and stood trembling before him.
“And do you feel it then, at last?” said he mournfully.
She made no reply, but covered her eyes with her hand, and turned to leave the room. He rushed forward and caught her arm.
“Have patience with me, Elizabeth!” cried he, passionately132. “Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil — it is not for eternity133! O! you know not how lonely I am, and how frightened, to be alone behind my black veil. Do not leave me in this miserable134 obscurity forever!”
“Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,” said she.
“Never! It cannot be!” replied Mr. Hooper.
“Then farewell!” said Elizabeth.
She withdrew her arm from his grasp, and slowly departed, pausing at the door, to give one long shuddering135 gaze, that seemed almost to penetrate the mystery of the black veil. But, even amid his grief, Mr. Hooper smiled to think that only a material emblem had separated him from happiness, though the horrors, which it shadowed forth, must be drawn39 darkly between the fondest of lovers.
From that time no attempts were made to remove Mr. Hooper’s black veil, or, by a direct appeal, to discover the secret which it was supposed to hide. By persons who claimed a superiority to popular prejudice, it was reckoned merely an eccentric whim136, such as often mingles137 with the sober actions of men otherwise rational, and tinges138 them all with its own semblance of insanity139. But with the multitude, good Mr. Hooper was irreparbly a bugbear. He could not walk the street with any peace of mind, so conscious was he that the gentle and timid would turn aside to avoid him, and that others would make it a point of hardihood to throw themselves in his way. The impertinence of the latter class compelled him to give up his customary walk at sunset to the burial ground; for when he leaned pensively140 over the gate, there would always be faces behind the gravestones, peeping at his black veil. A fable141 went the rounds that the stare of the dead people drove him thence. It grieved him, to the very depth of his kind heart, to observe how the children fled from his approach, breaking up their merriest sports, while his melancholy figure was yet afar off. Their instinctive142 dread caused him to feel more strongly than aught else, that a preternatural horror was interwoven with the threads of the black crape. In truth, his own antipathy143 to the veil was known to be so great, that he never willingly passed before a mirror, nor stooped to drink at a still fountain, lest, in its peaceful bosom54, he should be affrighted by himself. This was what gave plausibility144 to the whispers, that Mr. Hooper’s conscience tortured him for some great crime too horrible to be entirely concealed, or otherwise than so obscurely intimated. Thus, from beneath the black veil, there rolled a cloud into the sunshine, an ambiguity145 of sin or sorrow, which enveloped146 the poor minister, so that love or sympathy could never reach him. It was said that ghost and fiend consorted147 with him there. With self-shudderings and outward terrors, he walked continually in its shadow, groping darkly within his own soul, or gazing through a medium that saddened the whole world. Even the lawless wind, it was believed, respected his dreadful secret, and never blew aside the veil. But still good Mr. Hooper sadly smiled at the pale visages of the worldly throng as he passed by.
Among all its bad influences, the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman. By the aid of his mysterious emblem — for there was no other apparent cause — he became a man of awful power over souls that were in agony for sin. His converts always regarded him with a dread peculiar148 to themselves, affirming, though but figuratively, that, before he brought them to celestial light, they had been with him behind the black veil. Its gloom, indeed, enabled him to sympathize with all dark affections. Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared; though ever, as he stooped to whisper consolation149, they shuddered at the veiled face so near their own. Such were the terrors of the black veil, even when Death had bared his visage! Strangers came long distances to attend service at his church, with the mere123 idle purpose of gazing at his figure, because it was forbidden them to behold150 his face. But many were made to quake ere they departed! Once, during Governor Belcher’s administration, Mr. Hooper was appointed to preach the election sermon. Covered with his black veil, he stood before the chief magistrate151, the council, and the representatives, and wrought152 so deep an impression, that the legislative153 measures of that year were characterized by all the gloom and piety154 of our earliest ancestral sway.
In this manner Mr. Hooper spent a long life, irreproachable155 in outward act, yet shrouded156 in dismal suspicions; kind and loving, though unloved, and dimly feared; a man apart from men, shunned157 in their health and joy, but ever summoned to their aid in mortal anguish158. As years wore on, shedding their snows above his sable159 veil, he acquired a name throughout the New England churches, and they called him Father Hooper. Nearly all his parishioners, who were of mature age when he was settled, had been borne away by many a funeral: he had one congregation in the church, and a more crowded one in the churchyard; and having wrought so late into the evening, and done his work so well, it was now good Father Hooper’s turn to rest.
Several persons were visible by the shaded candlelight, in the death chamber of the old clergyman. Natural connections he had none. But there was the decorously grave, though unmoved physician, seeking only to mitigate160 the last pangs161 of the patient whom he could not save. There were the deacons, and other eminently162 pious163 members of his church. There, also, was the Reverend Mr. Clark, of Westbury, a young and zealous164 divine, who had ridden in haste to pray by the bedside of the expiring minister. There was the nurse, no hired handmaiden of death, but one whose calm affection had endured thus long in secrecy165, in solitude, amid the chill of age, and would not perish, even at the dying hour. Who, but Elizabeth! And there lay the hoary head of good Father Hooper upon the death pillow, with the black veil still swathed about his brow, and reaching down over his face, so that each more difficult gasp166 of his faint breath caused it to stir. All through life that piece of crape had hung between him and the world: it had separated him from cheerful brotherhood167 and woman’s love, and kept him in that saddest of all prisons, his own heart; and still it lay upon his face, as if to deepen the gloom of his darksome chamber, and shade him from the sunshine of eternity.
For some time previous, his mind had been confused, wavering doubtfully between the past and the present, and hovering168 forward, as it were, at intervals169, into the indistinctness of the world to come. There had been feverish170 turns, which tossed him from side to side, and wore away what little strength he had. But in his most convulsive struggles, and in the wildest vagaries171 of his intellect, when no other thought retained its sober influence, he still showed an awful solicitude172 lest the black veil should slip aside. Even if his bewildered soul could have forgotten, there was a faithful woman at this pillow, who, with averted173 eyes, would have covered that aged face, which she had last beheld in the comeliness174 of manhood. At length the death-stricken old man lay quietly in the torpor175 of mental and bodily exhaustion176, with an imperceptible pulse, and breath that grew fainter and fainter, except when a long, deep, and irregular inspiration seemed to prelude177 the flight of his spirit.
The minister of Westbury approached the bedside.
“Venerable Father Hooper,” said he, “the moment of your release is at hand. Are you ready for the lifting of the veil that shuts in time from eternity?”
Father Hooper at first replied merely by a feeble motion of his head; then, apprehensive178, perhaps, that his meaning might be doubted, he exerted himself to speak.
“Yea,” said he, in faint accents, “my soul hath a patient weariness until that veil be lifted.”
“And is it fitting,” resumed the Reverend Mr. Clark, “that a man so given to prayer, of such a blameless example, holy in deed and thought, so far as mortal judgment may pronounce; is it fitting that a father in the church should leave a shadow on his memory, that may seem to blacken a life so pure? I pray you, my venerable brother, let not this thing be! Suffer us to be gladdened by your triumphant179 aspect as you go to your reward. Before the veil of eternity be lifted, let me cast aside this black veil from your face!”
And thus speaking, the Reverend Mr. Clark bent forward to reveal the mystery of so many years. But, exerting a sudden energy, that made all the beholders stand aghast, Father Hooper snatched both his hands from beneath the bedclothes, and pressed them strongly on the black veil, resolute180 to struggle, if the minister of Westbury would contend with a dying man.
“Never!” cried the veiled clergyman. “On earth, never!”
“Dark old man!” exclaimed the affrighted minister, “with what horrible crime upon your soul are you now passing to the judgment?”
Father Hooper’s breath heaved; it rattled181 in his throat; but, with a mighty182 effort, grasping forward with his hands, he caught hold of life, and held it back till he should speak. He even raised himself in bed; and there he sat, shivering with the arms of death around him, while the black veil hung down, awful, at that last moment, in the gathered terrors of a lifetime. And yet the faint, sad smile, so often there, now seemed to glimmer78 from its obscurity, and linger on Father Hooper’s lips.
“Why do you tremble at me alone?” cried he, turning his veiled face round the circle of pale spectators. “Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? What, but the mystery which it obscurely typifies, has made this piece of crape so awful? When the friend shows his inmost heart to his friend; the lover to his best beloved; when man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely183 treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!”
While his auditors shrank from one another, in mutual184 affright, Father Hooper fell back upon his pillow, a veiled corpse, with a faint smile lingering on the lips. Still veiled, they laid him in his coffin, and a veiled corpse they bore him to the grave. The grass of many years has sprung up and withered185 on that grave, the burial stone is moss-grown, and good Mr. Hooper’s face is dust; but awful is still the thought that it mouldered186 beneath the Black Veil!
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1
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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eccentricity
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| n.古怪，反常，怪癖 | |
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imp
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| n.顽童 | |
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mimicked
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| v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的过去式和过去分词 )；酷似 | |
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6
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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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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starched
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| adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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19
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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20
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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21
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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22
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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23
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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24
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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25
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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26
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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27
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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28
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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29
variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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30
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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31
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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32
aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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33
pastor
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| n.牧师，牧人 | |
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34
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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35
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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36
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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38
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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39
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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40
psalm
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| n.赞美诗，圣诗 | |
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41
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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42
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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43
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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44
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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45
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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46
oratory
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| n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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47
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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48
auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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49
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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50
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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51
omniscient
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| adj.无所不知的；博识的 | |
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52
hoarded
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| v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
iniquity
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|
| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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54
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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55
bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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56
tremor
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|
| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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57
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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58
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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59
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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60
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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61
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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62
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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63
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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64
profaned
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| v.不敬( profane的过去式和过去分词 )；亵渎，玷污 | |
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65
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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66
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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67
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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68
reverence
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|
| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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69
hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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70
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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71
aged
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|
| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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72
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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73
aspired
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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75
lapse
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|
| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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76
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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77
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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78
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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79
glimmering
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|
| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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80
bonnet
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|
| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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81
vagary
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|
| n.妄想，不可测之事，异想天开 | |
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82
tolled
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| 鸣钟（toll的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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83
corpse
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|
| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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84
coffin
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|
| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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85
eyelids
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|
| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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86
scrupled
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|
| v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
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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88
shroud
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|
| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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89
superstitious
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|
| adj.迷信的 | |
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90
prodigy
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|
| n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆 | |
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91
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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92
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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93
celestial
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|
| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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94
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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95
wedlock
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|
| n.婚姻，已婚状态 | |
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96
placid
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|
| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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97
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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98
impatience
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|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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99
dispelled
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|
| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
portend
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| v.预兆，预示；给…以警告 | |
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101
dismal
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|
| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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102
knell
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| n.丧钟声；v.敲丧钟 | |
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103
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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104
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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105
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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106
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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107
advisers
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| 顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授 | |
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108
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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109
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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110
erred
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| 犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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112
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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113
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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114
expedient
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|
| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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115
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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116
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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117
constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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118
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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119
plighted
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| vt.保证，约定（plight的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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120
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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121
steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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122
glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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124
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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125
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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126
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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127
forsake
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| vt.遗弃，抛弃；舍弃，放弃 | |
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128
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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129
obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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130
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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131
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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132
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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133
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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134
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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135
shuddering
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|
| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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136
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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137
mingles
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| 混合，混入( mingle的第三人称单数 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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138
tinges
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| n.细微的色彩，一丝痕迹( tinge的名词复数 ) | |
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139
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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140
pensively
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| adv.沉思地，焦虑地 | |
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141
fable
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| n.寓言；童话；神话 | |
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142
instinctive
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|
| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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143
antipathy
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|
| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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144
plausibility
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| n. 似有道理, 能言善辩 | |
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145
ambiguity
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| n.模棱两可；意义不明确 | |
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146
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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147
consorted
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| v.结伴( consort的过去式和过去分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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148
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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149
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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150
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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151
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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152
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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153
legislative
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| n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的 | |
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154
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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155
irreproachable
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| adj.不可指责的，无过失的 | |
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156
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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157
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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158
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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159
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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160
mitigate
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| vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和 | |
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161
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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162
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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163
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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164
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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165
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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166
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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167
brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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168
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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169
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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170
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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171
vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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172
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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173
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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174
comeliness
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| n. 清秀, 美丽, 合宜 | |
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175
torpor
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| n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠 | |
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176
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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177
prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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178
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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179
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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180
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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181
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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182
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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183
loathsomely
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| adv.令人讨厌地，可厌地 | |
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184
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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185
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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186
mouldered
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| v.腐朽( moulder的过去式和过去分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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