小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 经典英文小说 » Workers in the Dawn » Chapter 8 A Priestess of Venus
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
Chapter 8 A Priestess of Venus
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
One night, close upon the end of the year, a number of young men were standing1 at the bar in a restaurant of no great repute not far from Leicester Square, delighting their souls with congenial chat. One or two had before them glasses of suspicious-looking wines, others were content with more homely3 ale, and all soothed4 their spirits by luxuriant puffing5 at more or less evil-odoured cigars. Their talk was of the town, towny. One related to a couple of entranced listeners the story of a recent tête-à-tête enjoyed with some second-rate favourite of the ballet, his graphic6 rendering7 of certain passages — more entertaining than polite — being received with bursts of Homeric laughter by the youths who were drinking and smoking at his expense. Another group was listening to another conte moral, which had for its subject the exploits of a gentleman referred to as “Brandy Dick,” the climax8 of whose practical witticisms9 seemed always to be reached in the Police Court. “Brandy Dick’s” very latest piece of bravery proved to be of that nature usually referred to as “assault and battery,” and, having been practised upon the person of a woman was, of course, worthy10 of more than ordinary applause. Deserting with regret the company of these humourists, we must pay more particular attention to a third group, consisting of four young men of somewhat more staid demeanour. They were also occupied in smoking and drinking, and their faces bore the unmistakable traces of lax lives; but they evidently belonged to a higher grade in society than the other joyous11 spirits. Their talk was more earnest and in lower tones. Evidently they were engaged in going to the devil by a more decorous route than that pursued by the eulogists of “Brandy Dick.”

“Oh,” exclaimed one, who wore a spruce chimney-pot and a white waistcoat, “in my opinion Fanny’s played out. Drink plays the very devil with women; when once they begin they never know how to stop. She used to be something like a singer, but you should have heard her at the Alhambra last night. She was screwed to begin with, everybody could see that; and in the last act she was simply blazing drunk.”

“Well, I’m sorry for Fan,” drawled another of the quartette, turning round a diamond ring on his finger. “She’s so devilish good-looking. I s’pose she’ll have nothing else for it now but to take a turn at the poses plastiques. She’ll always draw there.”

“Now dash it, Jack12,” interposed the third, with frank directness of manner, “I always did say you were a mean devil! If I’d known Fan as well as you have, hang me if I wouldn’t fork out a quid or two for her. I wonder she don’t bother you more than she does; I would, in her place.”

“Bother me more!” exclaimed Jack, with a curl of the lip. “Why it’s a whole month since I had anything to do with her, and do you think it likely she remembers me? No, no; her acquaintances are too numerous for that.”

The other three laughed quietly, with a refinement13 of cold-bloodedness which would have made a humane14 man shudder15.

“Tell you what it is, you fellows,” broke in the fourth, who had hitherto occupied himself in alternately sipping16 his wine and winking18 at the barmaids, “if Fan has a right to bother anyone, it’s Whiffle. It’s my belief,” he added, lowering his voice, “that that girl has set Whiffle up in a good deal more tin than one ‘ud like to mention. He’s a rum devil, is Whiffle, and how he comes it over the girls as he does, beats me hollow! Why, there was Lily Parker, you know, the girl who did the cheeky business at the Strand19! There was good stuff in Lily, let me tell you, and she was fast getting to be a favourite, but she got so spooney on Whiffle that she let him drain her of every penny she made. What’s the result? She’s kicking up her heels at one of the Music Halls for a shilling a night, and Whiffle ‘ud see her hanged before he forked out a tanner for her.”

“Aye,” said the gentleman in the white waistcoat, after a moment’s silence, “but I’ve a notion Whiffle has met his match.” And he nodded his head, and winked20 one eye after the other, in an extremely knowing manner.

“Met his match?” asked the one called Jack. “What do you mean, Smales?”

Mr. Smales continued to smoke for a few moments, as if in disregard of the question, only removing his cigar from his lips to exclaim “How do, Polly?” to a woman who entered the restaurant by herself and sat down at one of the tables.

“I know well enough what he means,” said the fourth gentleman, at length, also assuming a deep look. “Yes, I should decidedly say that Whiffle has found his match.”

“What the deuce do you fellows mean?” cried Jack, waxing a trifle warm with impatience21. “Why can’t you tell it out at once without so much mystery?”

“Don’t get excited, Jack,” interposed Smales, with a smile. “Haven’t you noticed that Whiffle has fought shy of the Argyle and the other places about here lately?”

“Why, yes. I wondered where the deuce he’d gone to.”

“Well, he has a good reason,” began Smales, when the one who appeared to share the mystery with him broke in like Marcellus in the ghost scene.

“Look!” he whispered. “Here she comes.”

All eyes were turned to the doorway22, when there entered a tall girl, showily dressed, with features of considerable beauty, but spoiled by thick daubs of paint applied23 to conceal24 the pallor of the cheeks. Her face wore a devil-may-care expression very attractive to those who were not induced to reflect upon its probable significance. Her eyes had that bleared, indistinct appearance so common in girls of the town, and her features afforded numerous indications of the ruin she was bringing upon her constitution by excessive drinking. By her air and dress she appeared to belong to the aristocracy of the demimonde. Her hair was of the colour of dark gold, a hue25 too rich to be natural, and hung in a long single plait down to her waist. As she entered she threw back a heavy palet?t, which the coldness of the night rendered necessary, and displayed a robe of dark blue silk, the front of which gave to view the curves of a magnificent throat and bosom26. After one quick glance round the room, in which she appeared to recognise only one person, she walked straight to the table at which the woman, addressed as Polly, had seated herself, and, after exchanging a few whispers with her, also assumed a seat, demanding two glasses of sherry from a waiter who passed.

Our four friends followed her with glances expressing more or less open admiration27.

“Damn me!” exclaimed Jack, in a whisper, “I’ve seen that girl everywhere lately, and I’ve often meant to ask some fellow who the devil she was. Now, Smales, out with this story of yours, and don’t keep a chap so long waiting. Is that Whiffle’s match?”

Mr. Smales replied by an affirmative wink17.

“And what’s more,” he added, “I’ll wager28 a thousand to one she’s after him to-night.”

“Ho, ho!” chuckled29 one of the others. “She sticks to his heels, does she? But, upon my word, she’s a devilish fine girl!”

“Drinks like a fish!” put in Smales, with an expressive30 nod of the head. “Didn’t you notice she lurched a little as she came in?”

“But who in the name of fate is she?” asked Jack.

“Don’t know,” replied Smales, “but I’ve a shrewd notion it was Whiffle who first got her into a scrape; and now I’ll bet he’d give a little to be rid of her. She lived with him somewhere up Bayswater way for a month or two. Then, I’ve heard, she gave him the slip with some lord or other — the devil knows who; and now she’s just on the streets again.”

“What’s her name?”

“Carrie — that’s all I know. But just stop a minute, and I’ll go and speak to Polly Hemp31. If those two are up to something here, we may as well stop and see the fun.”

So, trimming his hat, and pulling down his white waistcoat, Mr. Smales picked up his cane32 and sauntered towards the table at which the two girls were sitting. Leaning on the back of a chair he talked to them for some five minutes, during which his companions eyed him impatiently. Then he returned with a peculiar33 smile about his lips.

“Well?” exclaimed Jack.

“All right, old boy,” returned the other. “It is as I thought. If we stay here a quarter of an hour longer we shall have a lark35. You know Whiffle’s strong at the cards; to tell you the truth, I think that’s how he lives chiefly when he’s no miserable36 devil of a girl to keep him. Well, Polly Hemp knows that, and she’s promised to bring some deluded37 fool or other with lots of money to meet him here. But that’s only a trick, do you see, to coax39 Whiffle out of his hole, so that Carrie may get hold of him. It seems Carrie’s devilish hard up just now, and she’s promised Polly so much out of every quid she gets from Whiffle. Good dodge40, eh?”

The three laughed in a subdued41 chorus, then reflected for a moment upon the scene in preparation. All looked at their watches. It was eleven, and at a quarter past Mr. Augustus Whiffle was expected. It was necessary to find some new topic to pass away the intervening time, and this was introduced by the gentleman addressed as Jack.

“Been at the Eau de Vie, lately, Hawker?” he inquired of the most silent of the party; a consumptive-looking youth with a yellow tie and staring gloves to match.

“Was there the other night,” replied Hawker, biting the end off a new cigar. Tremendous row. Jackson — you know him, Smales; Billy Jackson, the big bully42 you used to meet in the city — he found himself cheated at some game or other by Waghorn, so he got up and shouted out so that all in the room could hear him: ‘You’re an infernal cheat, Waghorn, and that’s all you come here for.’ Waghorn was a little screwed, and jumped out and yelled: ‘And you’re an infernal liar34, Jackson, and it’s not the first time I’ve told you so.’ Then there was a scuffle, and Jackson knocked Waghorn down; the cleanest hit from the shoulder I’ve seen for many a day. My stars! It did me good!”

The others laughed heartily43.

“That Waghorn’s a rum fellow,” put in Smales. “I could tell you a tale or two about him, and one particularly that Maggie Twill told me the other night at Evans’s. You know Waghorn has a big house somewhere up Regent’s Park way, and plays the nob when he’s at home. I believe he’s devilish rich, or at least was, for I should think wine and women must have made a pretty big hole in his pocket. Well, Maggie Twill and two or three other girls had been having supper with him at Evans’s, and the end of it was, as usual, that Waghorn got pretty well screwed. So Maggie, who was in for a lark, asked him whether he wasn’t going to take them all home with him, it would be so much better than his going home with one of them. And — sure enough! — at last they talked old Waghorn over into taking them all with him. So they squeezed into a cab and went off, and when they got to the old fool’s house he showed them into his drawing-room, and brought out his best wine, and they all began to kick up an awful shindy. This was between one and two in the morning, mind. Well, just when the row had got to its height, and when old Waghorn, with his arm around two of the girls, was dancing round the room, suddenly the door opened, and Mrs. Waghorn made her appearance in a dressing-gown and with a wrapper round her. Maggie says her eyes flashed fire and she looked like the very devil. But she only waited for a minute, then slammed the door terrifically and disappeared. What a joke it must have been!”

The laughter which greeted this story was uproarious, but it was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of no less a person than Mr. Augustus Whiffle. All eyes turned rapidly from him to the table where the girls were sitting. Polly had faced round and was beckoning45 to the new-comer, but her companion was completely hidden behind a large newspaper she affected46 to be reading. With a nod to the assembled gentlemen, Augustus, whose “get up” was the perfection of dandyism, sauntered in the direction of the beckoning girl. As soon as he had reached the table, the newspaper which had concealed47 the other, fell, and his face paled slightly as he found himself before Carrie.

“Awfully sorry,” said Polly, with a rather malicious48 grin. “I couldn’t persuade the gentleman to come to-night, so I looked in with a lady friend of yours. I thought you’d, maybe, like to see her.”

Whiffle leaned forward on the marble-topped table, with his back to the bar, as if conscious that so many eyes were watching him, and spoke49 to Carrie with suppressed anger.

“What do you want with me now?” he asked. “You’ll gain nothing, you know, by making a scene here, so you might as well talk quietly.”

“You know very well what I want,” replied Carrie, tossing her head slightly, and avoiding his eye. “You owe me a five-pound note, and want to get out of paying it.”

“Owe it you? For what?”

“Didn’t you promise me a five-pound note when I left you and went to live with you know who? And didn’t I promise you in return that I wouldn’t ask you for any more money as long as I lived?”

“Promise you five pounds!” repeated Whiffle, with quiet scorn. “I never promised you anything at all — except the lock-up if you come pestering50 me any more.”

Those parts of Carrie’s features which were not smeared51 with rouge52 turned deadly pale. Her eyes flashed terrible anger, and for a moment her fist clenched53 as though she would have struck him.

“You’re a devil!” she hissed54 out, close to his face. “You’ve been a curse to me twice now. If it hadn’t been for you I might have been a respectable girl still, and when I had a chance of going back to a quiet life you came and enticed55 me away again.”

And she uttered curse after curse, in a tone clearly audible to the young men at the bar, who laughed aside with the utmost glee.

“Carrie, you’re a —— fool,” replied Whiffle, endeavouring to appear calm. “If you’re short of money you know how to get it, well enough, without sponging on me for it. Go to your husband and get it from him!”

Carrie’s face now flushed a deep red, and for a moment she could not speak. A reply was on her lips when Polly Hemp, who had listened hitherto with a cool smile, broke in with an exclamation56 of surprise.

“Her husband! Why, I never knew as you was married, Carrie?”

“No more I am!” replied the girl, hoarse57 with passion. “No more I am! It’s one of that devil’s lies! He’ll say anything to spite me, and to get out of paying what he owes me. I look much like a married woman, don’t I, Polly?”

And she laughed, a bitter laugh at her own expense. Amid all the degradation58 of her broken life this terrible laugh was a proof that there still existed some fragments of a better nature. In reply to the laugh, Whiffle smiled, and winked at Polly.

“You may think you’ll escape me,” cried Carrie, seeing that the young man stood up as if to go, “and so you may do tonight. But I’ll have the money out of you — if I steal it. You don’t mind stealing all I’ve got, and why shouldn’t I take what I can? So look out! You may laugh, but if I dash this wineglass in your face you’ll laugh in a different way.”

Her excitement had risen so high that she spoke in a voice audible to everyone present. One or two waiters ran up to prevent an outbreak, and, whilst they were enjoining59 silence, Whiffle quietly turned and walked out of the restaurant. Carne and her companion shortly followed, the former replying with a glance of the haughtiest60 scorn to one young man who was so daring as to invite her to drink with him.

“What did he mean when he spoke of your husband, Carne?” asked Polly, as they issued together into the street.

“He meant a lie, I tell you!” replied Carrie, turning fiercely on her questioner. “Husband, indeed! What have I got to do with husbands! Perhaps you believe I’m a married woman with children, do you?”

“Well, well, don’t look as though you’d eat me!” exclaimed the other, turning away her head with a laugh. “There’s no harm in asking a question, I hope, is there?”

This Polly Hemp was as evil-looking a personage as one could encounter in the streets of London. Not that she was ugly in her features, for she had, indeed, what some would call a fine face. But it was the expression of this face which impressed the beholder61 more than its mere62 outlines, and that was wholly and absolutely evil. She had greenish eyes, out of which gleamed malice63, and cunning, and lust64, and every bad passion which could be imagined as lurking65 in a woman’s heart. She had a habit of holding her lips slightly apart, so as to exhibit the remnants of a very fine set of teeth, which now had a fierce, resentful, tigerish air about them. In stature66 she was short, and rather stout67. This woman could never have been other than evil-minded, but long years spent on the streets, and in all those nameless vicissitudes68 which, as a rule, render the prostitute’s life mercifully brief, had reduced her to something far more akin44 to beast than man. Of iron constitution, she still, at the age of forty, showed no sign of yielding health, though she drank desperately69, and had several times been almost killed in the fierce brawls70 which were her delight. Among Polly’s numerous friends and acquaintances it was generally believed that she was saving money. Some said that she still looked forward to settling down to an old age of respectable comfort; and wits had been known to assert that she contemplated71 devoting her money to the erection of a church. In any case it is certain that, among Polly’s endless passions, avarice72 was that which she most carefully nursed. To obtain money she would do anything, her unscrupulousness being only matched by her skill in avoiding discovery. Such a woman was a hopeful companion for Carrie.

The two sauntered along side by side through some of the back streets of Soho. Carrie was gloomy, and but little disposed for conversation; but her companion seemed especially talkative.

“And what’s to be done now?” she asked, stopping by a public-house at a street corner.

“What do you mean?” replied Carrie, carelessly.

“Where’s tin to be got?”

“I don’t care if I never get it,” returned the other, humming a tune73 under her breath.

“Don’t you? But I do, I can tell you. You seem to forget as you owe me three weeks board and lodging74. Why don’t you look out for money like the other girls do?”

“Never mind what I do and what I don’t do,” replied Carne, impatiently. “You’ll get your money some day, if I have to go and steal it, and that ought to be enough.”

“Well, well; there’s no call to have a row over a few pounds, is there?” rejoined Polly, looking askance at her companion. “Come, it’s near closing time. What are you going to drink, Carrie?”

The girl appeared to hesitate for a moment, but her own pockets were empty and the temptation was irresistible75. She followed her evil genius into the gin-palace and they mingled76 with a thick crowd which was clustering about the bar, all eagerly swallowing as much as they could before the place closed.

Polly had called out in a stentorian77 voice for “two brandies hot,” and had turned to talk to an acquaintance who stood near, when Carrie, who heeded78 nothing that was going on around, was suddenly startled by having her arm grasped. A half-drunken woman was standing by her side, calling to her by name and asking her to drink.

“Don’t you know me?” hiccoughed the woman. “You’re too proud to come an see me an my daughters now-a-days, I reckon? Why don’t you come an’ drink a quiet glass like as you used to, eh?”

After some little difficulty Carrie recognised the speaker as her old landlady79, Mrs. Pole. Seeing that the latter had no command over herself, and fearing lest some reference to her husband should catch Polly Hemp’s ear, she took hold of the woman’s arm and tried to draw her away to a different bar. But Mrs. Pole, who was at the obstinately80 merry stage in her cups, refused to budge81, and talked on in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Carrie saw, moreover, that Polly had turned round and was listening.

“And ‘ow’s yer ‘usband?” cried Mrs. Pole, with a jocose82 wink. “What’s ee got to say to yer comin’ to such-like places as these o’ nights? He-he-he! I ain’t got no ‘usband, I ain’t; ain’t I lucky?”

Polly turned away her head to hide a particularly malicious grin as she heard these remarks. She had no wish to let Carne see that she heard, so she at once began talking to some men who were near her. Nevertheless she kept an eye upon Mrs. Pole, and when, shortly after the lights were lowered, and the crowd of excited drinkers reeled and crushed out into the street, with hideous83 laughter, and screaming, and yells, Polly eluded38 her former companion and followed the other woman some distance along the street. At length she went up to her. The formation of an acquaintance between two such individuals is no difficult or ceremonious matter, and Polly Hemp speedily received and accepted an invitation to take a glass in Mrs. Pole’s kitchen. The latter was at present living in Gerrard Street.

The result of this interview was seen on the following morning. Shortly before noon Polly Hemp issued forth84 from the dingy85 abode86 which, with playful reference to the character of its inmates87, she was wont88 to term her “Convalescent Home,” and attired89 in the manner of a highly respectable matron, wended her way to Huntley Street. Here she speedily found the house in which Arthur’s brief married life had been spent, and in a conversation with worthy Mrs. Oaks, was deeply grieved that the latter could afford her no intelligence whatever as to the whereabouts of her dear nephew, Mr. Golding. On second thoughts, however, Mrs. Oaks recollected90 that she knew the address of an intimate friend of Mr. Golding, namely, Mark Challenger, and she suggested that in all probability the distressed91 lady might be able to derive92 from this latter gentleman the information she desired. Polly Hemp accordingly took her leave with a profusion93 of thanks, and later in the day waited upon Mr. Challenger, at his lodging in Gower Place.

Here she played a different r?le, namely, that of the aunt of Mrs. Golding. She had known the address in Huntley Street, she said, but, on calling there, had been bitterly disappointed to find her niece departed, no one knew whither. Simple-hearted Mark Challenger was the last person to suspect fraud in such a case. By means of a few carefully-framed questions he elicited94, as he thought, the fact that his visitor knew nothing of Carrie’s absconding95, and then, unwilling96 to be the conveyer of such disagreeable intelligence, he contented97 himself with giving her Arthur’s present address. With a gleam of joyful98 hope irradiating the melancholy99 of her countenance100, honest Polly Hemp took her leave with many expressions of gratitude101.

All this happened a few days after the interview between Helen and Arthur recorded in the last chapter. This afternoon Arthur had hurried home as quickly as possible from his work, and, without thinking of refreshment102, had sat down at once at the table in his bedroom, inspired with the utmost ardour for his work. On the previous day he had purchased several plaster casts, and from one of these — a head of a Venus — he was engaged in making a drawing in crayon. He had placed his lamp so as to afford a striking effect of light and shade, and, having roughly sketched103 in the outlines, was commencing, with a hand which trembled with delight, to work at some of the broad shadows, when he was suddenly interrupted by a tap at his door. Unable to rise, he called out “Come in!” and Lucy Venning responded.

“There is a lady down stairs who wishes to see you, Mr. Golding,” she said, looking, as she spoke, with curiosity at Arthur’s work.

At the word “lady” Arthur had involuntarily started to his feet, and his blood, which had just now been coursing so warmly through his veins104, seemed suddenly chilled. Had Lucy been looking at his face she must have noticed that he had suddenly turned pale, but luckily her attention was fixed105 upon the cast and the drawing.

“A lady?” repeated Arthur, as soon as he could speak, doing his best to make his tone one of mere surprise. “Whoever can it be? Is it an old lady, Miss Venning?”

“Yes; she looks rather old,” replied Lucy.

Arthur sighed with relief; but the next moment a vague fear took possession of him. He stood reflecting.

“How very beautiful that is, Mr. Golding!” exclaimed Lucy, who seemed almost to have forgotten her errand in her admiration of the drawing. “Is this how you always employ yourself? I had no idea that you could draw.”

“A little,” he replied, doing his best to smile. “But I suppose the lady is waiting?”

“Oh yes; she is in the parlour. There is no one in, and I thought it best to take her there.”

“Thank you,” replied Arthur, speaking mechanically. “I will go down at once.”

He turned and went down-stairs, leaving Lucy to close the room door. In the parlour he found the middle-aged106, respectably-attired lady whom the reader is of course prepared to recognize as Polly Hemp.

“Mr. Golding, I think?” she began, with a slightly affected cough, as soon as Arthur had entered the room.

The young man bowed acquiescence107, assuring himself the while that this visitor was an absolute stranger to him.

“Then,” continued Polly, “I may as well say what I’ve got to say at once. My name’s Mrs. Hemp, and I’m a quiet widow as keeps a lodging-house Piccadilly way. It’s now about a month since a young lady, as called herself Miss Mitchell, came and took a room in my house, which the rent of it, together with two meals a day, was to be twenty-five shillings a week. I don’t as a rule like taking single ladies, they’re often fast-like, you know, sir; but this one seemed so very respectable-looking as I couldn’t think of refusing her. Well, she come to me, and she paid the first week’s rent in advance, as of course I always make it a rule. But, since that, she hasn’t paid no rent at all. And that isn’t the worst. I soon began to find out as she wasn’t at all proper — had gentlemen to visit her at all hours, and such like things, you see, sir. Well, that of course would be the ruin of a respectable house like mine, so I just give her notice, and thought to myself I must just be content to be at the loss of my money. When she was going, the other day, I asked her if she meant to pay me what was due, and she said as she hadn’t no means of paying, but that she was married — a thing I never knew before — and if I liked she’d give me a letter to take to her husband, asking him, you see, to pay the rent as was due. She couldn’t tell me just where her husband lived, but she told me to go to a Mr. Challenger, as lives near the Euston Road, and he would give me your address, you see. So I went, and Mr. Challenger give me your address, and I’ve come to see whether you’ll be so good as to pay me what your wife owes. And here’s the letter.”

So saying, Polly produced a sheet of note-paper, on which was written the following, in a hand very admirably imitated from poor Carrie’s scrawl108. This was not the first occasion on which Polly Hemp had found skill in forgery109, a very important feature of her stock-intrade: —

“Dear Arthur, —

“Will you please pay Mrs. Hemp three pound fifteen which is what I rightly owe her. I am sorry to trouble you, but I have no money and she says she can get it from you in a cort if it isnt paid.

“Yours afectiontely, “Carrie.”

Arthur held this scrawl in his hand for some minutes after reading it, unable to speak, scarcely to think. Not for a moment did a doubt of its genuineness cross his mind. He recognised too well the old hand-writing which he had striven so hard to improve, and even thought that he remembered some of poor Carrie’s pet faults in spelling. The indelicacy of the act shocked him, and yet he felt that it was only too much in harmony with what he knew, or thought he knew, of Carrie’s character. At this moment there was a strange warfare110 in heart. Convinced as he was that his old love was dead past reviving, he yet felt a deep pity excited in him by what he had heard. That which we have once intensely loved can never be wholly indifferent to us, and the thought of Carrie, she who was still his wife, fallen into hideous vice111 and wretchedness, pulled terribly at his heart-strings. And if pity was awakened112, a sterner voice, that of conscience, also began to speak within him. He could not forget that he had made no serious effort to discover his wife and bring her back to live with him. In the months which had intervened since their parting he had frequently consoled himself with the reflection that this marriage, which was a mere name, a form, had in reality been rendered null and void by Carrie’s own behaviour. For all that he could not help feeling at times that he had blinded himself by a sophism113, and at the present moment he experienced a pang114 of actual remorse115.

“And where is — is she now?” he asked at length, recalled to a sense of the business in hand by a cough from his visitor.

“I don’t know no more than you do, sir,” was the reply, with a shrug116. “People as leaves houses without paying their rents ain’t so ready to let one know where they go to.”

Again there was a pause, during which Arthur struggled between his desire to question this woman further with regard to Carrie, and the feeling of disgust which her face and tone excited in him. Polly naturally thought he was reflecting whether he should pay or not, and did her best to assume the look of one patient under injury.

“Did she say anything else to you about me,” asked Arthur, at length, “except that I might perhaps pay her debts?”

“Nothing else as I remember,” replied Polly, after a moment of rapid reflection.

“Did — did she seem in good health when she was in your house?” was Arthur’s next question.

“Moderate well, I think sir,” replied Polly.

“And you know nothing whatever of her at present?”

“No more than you do yourself, sir.”

Arthur sighed as his eye again fell upon the note.

“If you will excuse me for a minute,” he then said, “I will fetch the money for you.”

He went up to his room and returned in a very few minutes, holding the money in his hand. He had of late resumed his habit of parsimonious117 living, and every penny he could save was put aside in fear of unexpected calls upon him.

“You will write me a receipt on the back of this note,” he said, laying the letter upon the table. “Please to put your address at the top; it might someday be useful to me.”

Polly wrote the desired form, adding, it is needless to say, a fictitious118 address, and, with a hand which trembled in spite of herself, took the money and dropped it into her purse.

“I hope, sir,” she said, as she rose, in a tone of dignified119 humility120, “I hope as you don’t think I’ve done wrong in coming and troubling you about this little matter. Though I do my best to keep up a respectable appearance I’m only a poor woman, and I could ill afford to lose three weeks’ rent. I hope you understand me, sir.”

“I understand perfectly121,” replied Arthur, in an absent manner, without looking at her.

“Then I wish you good-night, with many thanks, sir,” said Polly.

“Good-night,” returned Arthur, leading the way mechanically to the door.

He returned to his room, and for an hour paced the floor in the old manner, grievously troubled in mind. But the absolute silence of the house, the genial2 warmth of the fire in his grate, the dim light in the room (for the rays of the lamp were concentrated, by means of a reflector, full upon the bust), these at length operated with calming effect upon him. His thoughts slipped from gloomy imaginations of Carrie’s sufferings to the interview with Helen Norman. Here was an antidote122 for all ills. Opening a drawer, always kept carefully locked, he took out his portrait of Helen, which he had obtained again from Will Noble. Preferring this original drawing to any subsequent copy, he had carefully patched together the torn halves, and had enclosed the whole in a simple frame. He did not venture to hang it openly in his room, but at night, when the house was still, and he alone awake, he hung it up on the wall before him, that the calm, sweet look of the beautiful eyes might afford a never-failing source of courage and inspiration. This he did now, after imprinting123 a kiss upon the outlined lips, and at once he recovered his interrupted zeal124, and so laboured far into the night.

In the meantime Polly Hemp had regained125 her abode, joy in her heart and money in her purse. Before letting herself In with the latch-key she obeyed her invariable habit and looked up at all the windows on the front of the house. There was no light save in one on the top floor, and Polly smiled to herself as she recognised Carrie’s presence. But the smile was immediately followed by a frown. This was no time for her young lady lodgers126 to be taking their ease at home. To do so had, however, been frequently Carrie’s custom of late. Polly entered with a determination to speak seriously.

The house was perfectly quiet, and perfectly dark. Polly, who always walked about with an ominously127 light and cat-like step, seemed also to have the eyes of a cat, for she guided herself without the slightest noise along the passage and down a short flight of steps. Then she stopped and called with a low voice down into the realms of darkness.

“Jo! Jo!”

A species of growl128 was the only reply. Probably it was a dog whom she thus addressed by his name. And yet that could hardly be so, for she went on to ask questions.

“Anyone been, Jo?”

“Not as I knows on,” replied the voice, with a drunken hiccough.

“Anyone in?”

“Not as I knows on.”

“Then you’re a fool, Jo,” rejoined Polly, still in the same quiet voice, “and you’ll get the sack if you don’t know your business better. Carrie’s in?”

“Don’t reckon her,” replied the man, for such appeared to be the speaker. “She’s always in. She come in above an hour sen’.”

“Alone?”

“Of course.”

“You’re half drunk, Jo,” said Polly, after a moment’s silence. “I shall have to find another bully, mind if I don’t.”

Another growl was the only response, and this terminated the conversation. Polly then retraced129 her steps with equal silence into the passage, and thence up to the top of the house. She tried the door of Carrie’s room, and it opened.

It was a rather ill-furnished bedroom, with here and there traces of worn-out finery which had probably been removed from the better rooms below. As well as the bed, there was a sofa, and, hung against the wall, a long gilt-framed mirror, cracked across the middle. On the floor was a strip of carpet which had once been gaudy130, and the chairs were seated with what had formerly131 been bright green cloth, now resembling a dingy yellow. In one corner was a spittoon, and a man’s old hat was hanging on a peg132 behind the door. On the sofa lay the present occupant of this chamber133. She had apparently134 thrown off her palet?t on entering, and she lay in her blue silk dress, which was open at the bosom. She was asleep, a heavy, drunken sleep, more resembling a state of insensibility than ordinary slumber135. The cushion had slipped from under her head, which drooped136 almost to the floor, and her features were terribly distorted and discoloured by the position. One hand was clasped on the back of the sofa, the other lay on the floor. Lying thus, Carrie might have served for a personification of brutal137 drunkenness.

On the table was the lamp which illumined the room, and, close to it, a spirit bottle and a glass, the former empty, the latter still containing a few drops. But the table showed something more interesting to Polly than these everyday objects. There, glistening138 in the light of the lamp, lay three bright sovereigns. Polly no longer paid any attention to the sleeping girl, but at once seized on the coins and clasped them in her fist. Then, with a hideous grin upon her face, and still treading with the utmost quietness, she glided139 from the room, muttering to herself, “At last!”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
2 genial egaxm     
adj.亲切的,和蔼的,愉快的,脾气好的
参考例句:
  • Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
  • He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友,也是友善待客的主人。
3 homely Ecdxo     
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的
参考例句:
  • We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
  • Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭,好吗?
4 soothed 509169542d21da19b0b0bd232848b963     
v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦
参考例句:
  • The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿。
  • The soft modulation of her voice soothed the infant. 她柔和的声调使婴儿安静了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
5 puffing b3a737211571a681caa80669a39d25d3     
v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
参考例句:
  • He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 graphic Aedz7     
adj.生动的,形象的,绘画的,文字的,图表的
参考例句:
  • The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。
7 rendering oV5xD     
n.表现,描写
参考例句:
  • She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
  • His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。
8 climax yqyzc     
n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点
参考例句:
  • The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
  • His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。
9 witticisms fa1e413b604ffbda6c0a76465484dcaa     
n.妙语,俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • We do appreciate our own witticisms. 我们非常欣赏自己的小聪明。 来自辞典例句
  • The interpreter at this dinner even managed to translate jokes and witticisms without losing the point. 这次宴会的翻译甚至能设法把笑话和俏皮话不失其妙意地翻译出来。 来自辞典例句
10 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
11 joyous d3sxB     
adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的
参考例句:
  • The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
  • They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。
12 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
13 refinement kinyX     
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼
参考例句:
  • Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
  • Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。
14 humane Uymy0     
adj.人道的,富有同情心的
参考例句:
  • Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗?
  • Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。
15 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
16 sipping e7d80fb5edc3b51045def1311858d0ae     
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
  • She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。
17 wink 4MGz3     
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁
参考例句:
  • He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
  • The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间,那颗卫星就消失了。
18 winking b599b2f7a74d5974507152324c7b8979     
n.瞬眼,目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到,简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 strand 7GAzH     
vt.使(船)搁浅,使(某人)困于(某地)
参考例句:
  • She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
  • The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。
20 winked af6ada503978fa80fce7e5d109333278     
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
  • He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
21 impatience OaOxC     
n.不耐烦,急躁
参考例句:
  • He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢,他显得不耐烦。
  • He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
22 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
23 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
24 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
25 hue qdszS     
n.色度;色调;样子
参考例句:
  • The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
  • The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。
26 bosom Lt9zW     
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的
参考例句:
  • She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
  • A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。
27 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
28 wager IH2yT     
n.赌注;vt.押注,打赌
参考例句:
  • They laid a wager on the result of the race.他们以竞赛的结果打赌。
  • I made a wager that our team would win.我打赌我们的队会赢。
29 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
30 expressive shwz4     
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的
参考例句:
  • Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
  • He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的,富于表情的,生动活泼的脸。
31 hemp 5rvzFn     
n.大麻;纤维
参考例句:
  • The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
  • The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织,羊毛镶边的。
32 cane RsNzT     
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的
参考例句:
  • This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
  • English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
33 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
34 liar V1ixD     
n.说谎的人
参考例句:
  • I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了,一个又偷又骗的家伙!
  • She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。
35 lark r9Fza     
n.云雀,百灵鸟;n.嬉戏,玩笑;vi.嬉戏
参考例句:
  • He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
  • She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。
36 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
37 deluded 7cff2ff368bbd8757f3c8daaf8eafd7f     
v.欺骗,哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Don't be deluded into thinking that we are out of danger yet. 不要误以为我们已脱离危险。
  • She deluded everyone into following her. 她骗得每个人都听信她的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
38 eluded 8afea5b7a29fab905a2d34ae6f94a05f     
v.(尤指机敏地)避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 );逃避;躲避;使达不到
参考例句:
  • The sly fox nimbly eluded the dogs. 那只狡猾的狐狸灵活地躲避开那群狗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The criminal eluded the police. 那个罪犯甩掉了警察的追捕。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
39 coax Fqmz5     
v.哄诱,劝诱,用诱哄得到,诱取
参考例句:
  • I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
  • He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。
40 dodge q83yo     
v.闪开,躲开,避开;n.妙计,诡计
参考例句:
  • A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪,才没被车从身上辗过。
  • The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。
41 subdued 76419335ce506a486af8913f13b8981d     
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
  • I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候,我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
42 bully bully     
n.恃强欺弱者,小流氓;vt.威胁,欺侮
参考例句:
  • A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
  • The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
43 heartily Ld3xp     
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很
参考例句:
  • He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿,就出去找他的马。
  • The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手,热情地和我握手。
44 akin uxbz2     
adj.同族的,类似的
参考例句:
  • She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
  • Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。
45 beckoning fcbc3f0e8d09c5f29e4c5759847d03d6     
adj.引诱人的,令人心动的v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
  • He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句
46 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
47 concealed 0v3zxG     
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的
参考例句:
  • The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
  • I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。
48 malicious e8UzX     
adj.有恶意的,心怀恶意的
参考例句:
  • You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
  • Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。
49 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
50 pestering cbb7a3da2b778ce39088930a91d2c85b     
使烦恼,纠缠( pester的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He's always pestering me to help him with his homework. 他总是泡蘑菇要我帮他做作业。
  • I'm telling you once and for all, if you don't stop pestering me you'll be sorry. 我这是最后一次警告你。如果你不停止纠缠我,你将来会后悔的。
51 smeared c767e97773b70cc726f08526efd20e83     
弄脏; 玷污; 涂抹; 擦上
参考例句:
  • The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
  • A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。
52 rouge nX7xI     
n.胭脂,口红唇膏;v.(在…上)擦口红
参考例句:
  • Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂,使脸更漂亮。
  • She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮,不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。
53 clenched clenched     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
  • She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上,以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
54 hissed 2299e1729bbc7f56fc2559e409d6e8a7     
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 ); 发嘘声表示反对
参考例句:
  • Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过?
  • The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。
55 enticed e343c8812ee0e250a29e7b0ccd6b8a2c     
诱惑,怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He enticed his former employer into another dice game. 他挑逗他原来的老板再赌一次掷骰子。
  • Consumers are courted, enticed, and implored by sellers of goods and services. 消费者受到商品和劳务出售者奉承,劝诱和央求。
56 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
57 hoarse 5dqzA     
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的
参考例句:
  • He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
  • He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动,嗓子都喊哑了。
58 degradation QxKxL     
n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变
参考例句:
  • There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
  • Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。
59 enjoining d17fad27e7d2704e39e9dd5aea041d49     
v.命令( enjoin的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Then enjoining him to keep It'strictly confidential, he told him the whole story. 叮嘱他严守秘密,然后把这事讲出来。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
  • The act or an instance of enjoining; a command, a directive, or an order. 命令的动作或例子;命令,指令或训谕。 来自互联网
60 haughtiest 4cbd5cbc175fae0ff6dd83d42573cbc5     
haughty(傲慢的,骄傲的)的最高级形式
参考例句:
61 beholder 8y9zKl     
n.观看者,旁观者
参考例句:
  • Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 看起来觉得美就是美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet. 有人说艺术是一种幽会,因为艺术家和欣赏者可在幽会的乐趣中相遇在一起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
62 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
63 malice P8LzW     
n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋
参考例句:
  • I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
  • There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
64 lust N8rz1     
n.性(淫)欲;渴(欲)望;vi.对…有强烈的欲望
参考例句:
  • He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
  • Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念,就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。
65 lurking 332fb85b4d0f64d0e0d1ef0d34ebcbe7     
潜在
参考例句:
  • Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的,想干什么?
  • There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
66 stature ruLw8     
n.(高度)水平,(高度)境界,身高,身材
参考例句:
  • He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
  • The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。
68 vicissitudes KeFzyd     
n.变迁,世事变化;变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 );盛衰兴废
参考例句:
  • He experienced several great social vicissitudes in his life. 他一生中经历了几次大的社会变迁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected. 饱经沧桑,不易沮丧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
69 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
70 brawls 8e504d56fe58f40de679f058c14d0107     
吵架,打架( brawl的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Whatever brawls disturb the street, there should be peace at home. 街上无论多么喧闹,家中应有宁静。
  • I got into brawls in the country saloons near my farm. 我在离我农场不远的乡下沙龙里和别人大吵大闹。
71 contemplated d22c67116b8d5696b30f6705862b0688     
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The doctor contemplated the difficult operation he had to perform. 医生仔细地考虑他所要做的棘手的手术。
  • The government has contemplated reforming the entire tax system. 政府打算改革整个税收体制。
72 avarice KeHyX     
n.贪婪;贪心
参考例句:
  • Avarice is the bane to happiness.贪婪是损毁幸福的祸根。
  • Their avarice knows no bounds and you can never satisfy them.他们贪得无厌,你永远无法满足他们。
73 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
74 lodging wRgz9     
n.寄宿,住所;(大学生的)校外宿舍
参考例句:
  • The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
  • Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?
75 irresistible n4CxX     
adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的
参考例句:
  • The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前,势不可挡。
  • She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。
76 mingled fdf34efd22095ed7e00f43ccc823abdf     
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系]
参考例句:
  • The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
  • The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候,这一男一女就开始交往了。
77 stentorian 1uCwA     
adj.大声的,响亮的
参考例句:
  • Now all joined in solemn stentorian accord.现在,在这庄严的响彻云霄的和声中大家都联合在一起了。
  • The stentorian tones of auctioneer,calling out to clear,now announced that the sale to commence.拍卖人用洪亮的声音招呼大家闪开一点,然后宣布拍卖即将开始。
78 heeded 718cd60e0e96997caf544d951e35597a     
v.听某人的劝告,听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 );变平,使(某物)变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告,把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
79 landlady t2ZxE     
n.女房东,女地主
参考例句:
  • I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
  • The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。
80 obstinately imVzvU     
ad.固执地,顽固地
参考例句:
  • He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
  • Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。
81 budge eSRy5     
v.移动一点儿;改变立场
参考例句:
  • We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来,但它连动都没动一下。
  • She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。
82 jocose H3Fx7     
adj.开玩笑的,滑稽的
参考例句:
  • Dr. Daniel was a gleg man of a jocose nature.丹尼尔大夫是一位天生诙谐而反应机敏的人。
  • His comic dialogues are jocose and jocular,thought-provoking.他的小品诙谐,逗乐,发人深省。
83 hideous 65KyC     
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的
参考例句:
  • The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
  • They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
84 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
85 dingy iu8xq     
adj.昏暗的,肮脏的
参考例句:
  • It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
  • The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。
86 abode hIby0     
n.住处,住所
参考例句:
  • It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫,才好不容易打听到他的住处。
  • Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍!
87 inmates 9f4380ba14152f3e12fbdf1595415606     
n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》
88 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
89 attired 1ba349e3c80620d3c58c9cc6c01a7305     
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The bride was attired in white. 新娘穿一身洁白的礼服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It is appropriate that everyone be suitably attired. 人人穿戴得体是恰当的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
90 recollected 38b448634cd20e21c8e5752d2b820002     
adj.冷静的;镇定的;被回忆起的;沉思默想的v.记起,想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I recollected that she had red hair. 我记得她有一头红发。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His efforts, the Duke recollected many years later, were distinctly half-hearted. 据公爵许多年之后的回忆,他当时明显只是敷衍了事。 来自辞典例句
91 distressed du1z3y     
痛苦的
参考例句:
  • He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑,无法回答他们的问题。
  • The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。
92 derive hmLzH     
v.取得;导出;引申;来自;源自;出自
参考例句:
  • We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
  • We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。
93 profusion e1JzW     
n.挥霍;丰富
参考例句:
  • He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
  • The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。
94 elicited 65993d006d16046aa01b07b96e6edfc2     
引出,探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。
  • The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。
95 absconding a827fcc2cad7ee841f17247bc5994624     
v.(尤指逃避逮捕)潜逃,逃跑( abscond的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was charged with absconding from lawful custody. 他被指控从合法监护人那里逃走。 来自互联网
96 unwilling CjpwB     
adj.不情愿的
参考例句:
  • The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
  • His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。
97 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
98 joyful N3Fx0     
adj.欢乐的,令人欢欣的
参考例句:
  • She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
  • They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。
99 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
100 countenance iztxc     
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同
参考例句:
  • At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
  • I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地,仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。
101 gratitude p6wyS     
adj.感激,感谢
参考例句:
  • I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
  • She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
102 refreshment RUIxP     
n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点
参考例句:
  • He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
  • A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
103 sketched 7209bf19355618c1eb5ca3c0fdf27631     
v.草拟(sketch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
104 veins 65827206226d9e2d78ea2bfe697c6329     
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理
参考例句:
  • The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
105 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
106 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
107 acquiescence PJFy5     
n.默许;顺从
参考例句:
  • The chief inclined his head in sign of acquiescence.首领点点头表示允许。
  • This is due to his acquiescence.这是因为他的默许。
108 scrawl asRyE     
vt.潦草地书写;n.潦草的笔记,涂写
参考例句:
  • His signature was an illegible scrawl.他的签名潦草难以辨认。
  • Your beautiful handwriting puts my untidy scrawl to shame.你漂亮的字体把我的潦草字迹比得见不得人。
109 forgery TgtzU     
n.伪造的文件等,赝品,伪造(行为)
参考例句:
  • The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
  • He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。
110 warfare XhVwZ     
n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突
参考例句:
  • He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
  • Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。
111 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
112 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
113 sophism iFryu     
n.诡辩
参考例句:
  • Have done with your foolish sophism.结束你那愚蠢的诡辩。
  • I wasn't taken in by his sophism.我没有被他的诡辩骗倒。
114 pang OKixL     
n.剧痛,悲痛,苦闷
参考例句:
  • She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
  • She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。
115 remorse lBrzo     
n.痛恨,悔恨,自责
参考例句:
  • She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
  • He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。
116 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句:
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩,走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
117 parsimonious RLNxp     
adj.吝啬的,质量低劣的
参考例句:
  • Many scrollbars are quite parsimonious in doling out information to users.很多滚动条都很吝啬,给用户传递的信息太少。
  • His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy any luxuries.他那吝啬的本性不容许他享受任何奢侈品。
118 fictitious 4kzxA     
adj.虚构的,假设的;空头的
参考例句:
  • She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
  • The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。
119 dignified NuZzfb     
a.可敬的,高贵的
参考例句:
  • Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中,他始终沉默以保持尊严。
  • He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
120 humility 8d6zX     
n.谦逊,谦恭
参考例句:
  • Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
  • His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和,甚至有点谦卑。
121 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
122 antidote 4MZyg     
n.解毒药,解毒剂
参考例句:
  • There is no known antidote for this poison.这种毒药没有解药。
  • Chinese physicians used it as an antidote for snake poison.中医师用它来解蛇毒。
123 imprinting 398d1c0eba93cf6d0f998ba4bb5bfa88     
n.胚教,铭记(动物生命早期即起作用的一种学习机能);印记
参考例句:
  • He gathered her to himself, imprinting kisses upon her lips and cheeks. 他把她抱过来,吻着她的嘴唇和面颊。 来自辞典例句
  • It'seems likely that imprinting is an extreme case of conditioning. 看来似乎铭记是适应的一种极端的情况。 来自辞典例句
124 zeal mMqzR     
n.热心,热情,热忱
参考例句:
  • Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们,于是他们从军了。
  • They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作,以期完成这个项目。
125 regained 51ada49e953b830c8bd8fddd6bcd03aa     
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地
参考例句:
  • The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
  • She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻,但很快恢复了镇静。
126 lodgers 873866fb939d5ab097342b033a0e269d     
n.房客,租住者( lodger的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He takes in lodgers. 他招收房客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A good proportion of my lodgers is connected with the theaters. 住客里面有不少人是跟戏院子有往来的。 来自辞典例句
127 ominously Gm6znd     
adv.恶兆地,不吉利地;预示地
参考例句:
  • The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块,在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Mammy shook her head ominously. 嬷嬷不祥地摇着头。 来自飘(部分)
128 growl VeHzE     
v.(狗等)嗥叫,(炮等)轰鸣;n.嗥叫,轰鸣
参考例句:
  • The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫,尾巴也跟着摇摆。
  • The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。
129 retraced 321f3e113f2767b1b567ca8360d9c6b9     
v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 );回忆;回顾;追溯
参考例句:
  • We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返,想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
130 gaudy QfmzN     
adj.华而不实的;俗丽的
参考例句:
  • She was tricked out in gaudy dress.她穿得华丽而俗气。
  • The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.浮华的蝴蝶却相信花是应该向它道谢的。
131 formerly ni3x9     
adv.从前,以前
参考例句:
  • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
  • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
132 peg p3Fzi     
n.木栓,木钉;vt.用木钉钉,用短桩固定
参考例句:
  • Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
  • He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
133 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
134 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
135 slumber 8E7zT     
n.睡眠,沉睡状态
参考例句:
  • All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
  • Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒,因为他需要休息。
136 drooped ebf637c3f860adcaaf9c11089a322fa5     
弯曲或下垂,发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
  • The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。
137 brutal bSFyb     
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的
参考例句:
  • She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
  • They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼,骨子里却是野蛮残忍。
138 glistening glistening     
adj.闪耀的,反光的v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
  • Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》
139 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
参考例句:
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533