Cadurcis would turn pale, and bite his lip, and then leave the room; and whole days would sometimes pass with barely a monosyllable being exchanged between this parent and child. Cadurcis had found some opportunities of pouring forth14 his griefs and mortification15 into the ear of Venetia, and they had reached her mother; but Lady Annabel, though she sympathised with this interesting boy, invariably counselled duty. The morning studies were abandoned, but a quantity of books were sent over from Cherbury for Plantagenet, and Lady Annabel seized every opportunity of conciliating Mrs. Cadurcis’ temper in favour of her child, by the attention which she paid the mother. The weather, however, prevented either herself or Venetia from visiting the abbey; and, on the whole, the communications between the two establishments and their inmates16 had become rare.
Though now a continual inmate17 of the abbey, Cadurcis was seldom the companion of his mother. They met at their meals, and that was all. He entered the room every day with an intention of conciliating; but the mutual18 tempers of the mother and the son were so quick and sensitive, that he always failed in his purpose, and could only avoid a storm by dogged silence. This enraged19 Mrs. Cadurcis more even than his impertinence; she had no conduct; she lost all command over herself, and did not hesitate to address to her child terms of reproach and abuse, which a vulgar mind could only conceive, and a coarse tongue alone express. What a contrast to Cherbury, to the mild maternal20 elegance21 and provident22 kindness of Lady Annabel, and the sweet tones of Venetia’s ever-sympathising voice. Cadurcis, though so young, was gifted with an innate23 fastidiousness, that made him shrink from a rude woman. His feelings were different in regard to men; he sympathised at a very early age with the bold and the energetic; his favourites among the peasantry were ever those who excelled in athletic24 sports; and, though he never expressed the opinion, he did not look upon the poacher with the evil eye of his class. But a coarse and violent woman jarred even his young nerves; and this woman was his mother, his only parent, almost his only relation; for he had no near relative except a cousin whom he had never even seen, the penniless orphan25 of a penniless brother of his father, and who had been sent to sea; so that, after all, his mother was the only natural friend he had. This poor little boy would fly from that mother with a sullen brow, or, perhaps, even with a harsh and cutting repartee26; and then he would lock himself up in his room, and weep. But he allowed no witnesses of this weakness. The lad was very proud. If any of the household passed by as he quitted the saloon, and stared for a moment at his pale and agitated27 face, he would coin a smile for the instant, and say even a kind word, for he was very courteous28 to his inferiors, and all the servants loved him, and then take refuge in his solitary29 woe30.
Relieved by this indulgence of his mortified31 heart, Cadurcis looked about him for resources. The rain was pouring in torrents32, and the plash of the troubled and swollen33 lake might be heard even at the abbey. At night the rising gusts34 of wind, for the nights were always clear and stormy, echoed down the cloisters35 with a wild moan to which he loved to listen. In the morning he beheld36 with interest the savage37 spoils of the tempest; mighty38 branches of trees strewn about, and sometimes a vast trunk uprooted39 from its ancient settlement. Irresistibly40 the conviction impressed itself upon his mind that, if he were alone in this old abbey, with no mother to break that strange fountain of fancies that seemed always to bubble up in his solitude41, he might be happy. He wanted no companions; he loved to be alone, to listen to the winds, and gaze upon the trees and waters, and wander in those dim cloisters and that gloomy gallery.
From the first hour of his arrival he had loved the venerable hall of his fathers. Its appearance harmonised with all the associations of his race. Power and pomp, ancestral fame, the legendary42 respect of ages, all that was great, exciting, and heroic, all that was marked out from the commonplace current of human events, hovered43 round him. In the halls of Cadurcis he was the Cadurcis; though a child, he was keenly sensible of his high race; his whole being sympathised with their glory; he was capable of dying sooner than of disgracing them; and then came the memory of his mother’s sharp voice and harsh vulgar words, and he shivered with disgust.
Forced into solitude, forced to feed upon his own mind, Cadurcis found in that solitude each day a dearer charm, and in that mind a richer treasure of interest and curiosity. He loved to wander about, dream of the past, and conjure44 up a future as glorious. What was he to be? What should be his career? Whither should he wend his course? Even at this early age, dreams of far lands flitted over his mind; and schemes of fantastic and adventurous45 life. But now he was a boy, a wretched boy, controlled by a vulgar and narrow-minded woman! And this servitude must last for years; yes! years must elapse before he was his own master. Oh! if he could only pass them alone, without a human voice to disturb his musings, a single form to distract his vision!
Under the influence of such feelings, even Cherbury figured to his fancy in somewhat faded colours. There, indeed, he was loved and cherished; there, indeed, no sound was ever heard, no sight ever seen, that could annoy or mortify46 the high pitch of his unconscious ideal; but still, even at Cherbury, he was a child. Under the influence of daily intercourse47, his tender heart had balanced, perhaps even outweighed48, his fiery49 imagination. That constant yet delicate affection had softened50 all his soul: he had no time but to be grateful and to love. He returned home only to muse51 over their sweet society, and contrast their refined and gentle life with the harsh rude hearth52 that awaited him. Whatever might be his reception at home, he was thrown, back for solace53 on their memory, not upon his own heart; and he felt the delightful54 conviction that tomorrow would renew the spell whose enchantment55 had enabled him to endure the present vexation. But now the magic of that intercourse had ceased; after a few days of restlessness and repining, he discovered that he must find in his desolation sterner sources of support than the memory of Venetia, and the recollections of the domestic joys of Cherbury. It astonishing with what rapidity the character of Cadurcis developed itself in solitude; and strange was the contrast between the gentle child who, a few weeks before, had looked forward with so much interest to accompanying Venetia to a childish festival, and the stern and moody56 being who paced the solitary cloisters of Cadurcis, and then would withdraw to his lonely chamber57 and the amusement of a book. He was at this time deeply interested in Purchas’s Pilgrimage, one of the few books of which the late lord had not despoiled58 him. Narratives59 of travels and voyages always particularly pleased him; he had an idea that he was laying up information which might be useful to him hereafter; the Cherbury collection was rich in this class of volumes, and Lady Annabel encouraged their perusal60.
In this way many weeks elapsed at the abbey, during which the visits of Plantagenet to Cherbury were very few. Sometimes, if the weather cleared for an hour during the morning, he would mount his pony61, and gallop62, without stopping, to the hall. The rapidity of the motion excited his mind; he fancied himself, as he embraced Venetia, some chieftain who had escaped for a moment from his castle to visit his mistress; his imagination conjured63 up a war between the opposing towers of Cadurcis and Cherbury; and when his mother fell into a passion on his return, it passed with him only, according to its length and spirit, as a brisk skirmish or a general engagement.
点击收听单词发音
1 invalid | |
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 | |
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2 captiousness | |
吹毛求疵的 | |
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3 taunted | |
嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 ); 嘲弄; 辱骂; 奚落 | |
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4 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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5 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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6 irritable | |
adj.急躁的;过敏的;易怒的 | |
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7 sullen | |
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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8 fermented | |
v.(使)发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 );(使)激动;骚动;骚扰 | |
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9 catching | |
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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10 monologue | |
n.长篇大论,(戏剧等中的)独白 | |
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11 conducive | |
adj.有益的,有助的 | |
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12 serenity | |
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗 | |
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13 insinuating | |
adj.曲意巴结的,暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 );巧妙或迂回地潜入;(使)缓慢进入;慢慢伸入 | |
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14 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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15 mortification | |
n.耻辱,屈辱 | |
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16 inmates | |
n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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17 inmate | |
n.被收容者;(房屋等的)居住人;住院人 | |
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18 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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19 enraged | |
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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20 maternal | |
adj.母亲的,母亲般的,母系的,母方的 | |
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21 elegance | |
n.优雅;优美,雅致;精致,巧妙 | |
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22 provident | |
adj.为将来做准备的,有先见之明的 | |
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23 innate | |
adj.天生的,固有的,天赋的 | |
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24 athletic | |
adj.擅长运动的,强健的;活跃的,体格健壮的 | |
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25 orphan | |
n.孤儿;adj.无父母的 | |
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26 repartee | |
n.机敏的应答 | |
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27 agitated | |
adj.被鼓动的,不安的 | |
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28 courteous | |
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的 | |
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29 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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30 woe | |
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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31 mortified | |
v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 );伤害(人的感情);克制;抑制(肉体、情感等) | |
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32 torrents | |
n.倾注;奔流( torrent的名词复数 );急流;爆发;连续不断 | |
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33 swollen | |
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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34 gusts | |
一阵强风( gust的名词复数 ); (怒、笑等的)爆发; (感情的)迸发; 发作 | |
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35 cloisters | |
n.(学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的)走廊( cloister的名词复数 );回廊;修道院的生活;隐居v.隐退,使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 ) | |
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36 beheld | |
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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37 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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38 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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39 uprooted | |
v.把(某物)连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 );根除;赶走;把…赶出家园 | |
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40 irresistibly | |
adv.无法抵抗地,不能自持地;极为诱惑人地 | |
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41 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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42 legendary | |
adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学) | |
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43 hovered | |
鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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44 conjure | |
v.恳求,祈求;变魔术,变戏法 | |
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45 adventurous | |
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
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46 mortify | |
v.克制,禁欲,使受辱 | |
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47 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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48 outweighed | |
v.在重量上超过( outweigh的过去式和过去分词 );在重要性或价值方面超过 | |
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49 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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50 softened | |
(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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51 muse | |
n.缪斯(希腊神话中的女神),创作灵感 | |
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52 hearth | |
n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面 | |
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53 solace | |
n.安慰;v.使快乐;vt.安慰(物),缓和 | |
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54 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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55 enchantment | |
n.迷惑,妖术,魅力 | |
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56 moody | |
adj.心情不稳的,易怒的,喜怒无常的 | |
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57 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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58 despoiled | |
v.掠夺,抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 narratives | |
记叙文( narrative的名词复数 ); 故事; 叙述; 叙述部分 | |
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60 perusal | |
n.细读,熟读;目测 | |
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61 pony | |
adj.小型的;n.小马 | |
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62 gallop | |
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔;飞速发展 | |
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63 conjured | |
用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 ); 祈求,恳求; 变戏法; (变魔术般地) 使…出现 | |
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