Part 2 Chapter 27

The Best Positions in the ChurchService! talent! merit! bah! belong to a coterie¹.

　　TELEMACHUSThus the idea of a Bishopric was for the first time blended with that ofJulien in the head of a woman who sooner or later would be distributingthe best positions in the Church of France. This prospect³ would havemade little difference to him; for the moment, his thoughts rose to nothing that was alien to his present misery⁴: everything intensified⁵ it; for instance the sight of his bedroom had become intolerable to him. At night,when he came upstairs with his candle, each piece of furniture, everylittle ornament⁶ seemed to acquire the power of speech to inform himharshly of some fresh detail of his misery.

　　This evening, 'I am a galley⁷ slave,' he said to himself, as he entered it,with a vivacity⁸ long unfamiliar⁹ to him: 'let us hope that the second letterwill be as boring as the first.'

　　It was even more so. What he was copying seemed to him so absurdthat he began to transcribe¹⁰ it line for line, without a thought of themeaning.

　　'It is even more emphatic,' he said to himself, 'than the official documents of the Treaty of Muenster, which my tutor in diplomacy¹¹ made mecopy out in London.'

　　It was only then that he remembered the letters from Madame de Fervaques, the originals of which he had forgotten to restore to the graveSpaniard, Don Diego Bustos. He searched for them; they were really almost as fantastic a rigmarole as those of the young Russian gentleman.

　　They were completely vague. They expressed everything and nothing. 'Itis the Aeolian harp¹² of style,' thought Julien. 'Amid the most loftythoughts about annihilation, death, the infinite, etc., I can see no realitysave a shocking fear of ridicule¹³.'

　　 The monologue¹⁴ which we have here abridged¹⁵ was repeated nightly fora fortnight. Falling asleep while transcribing¹⁶ a sort of commentary on theApocalypse, going next day to deliver a letter with a melancholy¹⁷ air,leaving his horse in the stable yard with the hope of catching¹⁸ a glimpseof Mathilde's gown, working, putting in an appearance in the evening atthe Opera when Madame de Fervaques did not come to the Hotel de LaMole; such were the monotonous²⁰ events of Julien's existence. They became more interesting when Madame de Fervaques paid a visit to theMarquise; then he could steal a glance at Mathilde's eyes beneath theside of the Marechale's hat, and would wax eloquent²¹. His picturesqueand sentimental²² phrases began to assume a turn at once more strikingand more elegant.

　　He was fully²³ aware that what he was saying seemed absurd to Mathilde, but he sought to impress her by the elegance²⁴ of his diction. 'Thefalser the things I say, the more I ought to appeal to her,' thought Julien;and then, with a shocking boldness, he began to exaggerate certain aspects of nature. He very soon perceived that, if he were not to appearvulgar in the eyes of the Marechale, he must above all avoid any simpleor reasonable idea. He continued on these lines, or abridged his amplifications according as he read success or indifference²⁵ in the eyes of the twogreat ladies to whom he must appeal.

　　On the whole, his life was less horrible than at the time when his dayspassed in inaction.

　　'But,' he said to himself one evening, 'here I am transcribing the fifteenth of these abominable²⁶ dissertations²⁷; the first fourteen have beenfaithfully delivered to the Marechale's Swiss. I shall soon have the honour of filling all the pigeonholes²⁸ in her desk. And yet she treats me exactly as though I were not writing! What can be the end of all this? Canmy constancy bore her as much as it bores me? I am bound to say thatthis Russian, Korasoff's friend, who was in love with the fair Quakeressof Richmond, must have been a terrible fellow in his day; no one couldbe more deadly.'

　　Like everyone of inferior intelligence whom chance brings into touchwith the operations of a great general, Julien understood nothing of theattack launched by the young Russian upon the heart of the fair Englishmaid. The first forty letters were intended only to make her pardon hisboldness in writing. It was necessary to make this gentle person, whoperhaps was vastly bored, form the habit of receiving letters that wereperhaps a trifle less insipid²⁹ than her everyday life.

　　 One morning, a letter was handed to Julien; he recognised the armorialbearings of Madame de Fervaques, and broke the seal with an eagernesswhich would have seemed quite impossible to him a few days earlier: itwas only an invitation to dine.

　　He hastened to consult Prince Korasoff's instructions. Unfortunately,the young Russian had chosen to be as frivolous³⁰ as Dorat, just where heought to have been simple and intelligible³¹; Julien could not discover themoral attitude which he was supposed to adopt at the Marechale's table.

　　Her drawing-room was the last word in magnificence, gilded³² like theGalerie de Diane in the Tuileries, with oil paintings in the panels. Therewere blank spaces in these paintings, Julien learned later on that the subjects had seemed hardly decent to the lady of the house, who had hadthe pictures corrected. 'A moral age!' he thought.

　　In this drawing-room he remarked three of the gentlemen who hadbeen present at the drafting of the secret note. One of them, the RightReverend Bishop² of ——, the Marechale's uncle, had the patronage³³ of benefices, and, it was said, could refuse nothing to his niece. 'What a vaststride I have made,' thought Julien, with a melancholy smile, 'and howcold it leaves me! Here I am dining with the famous Bishop of ——.'

　　The dinner was indifferent and the conversation irritating. 'It is like thetable of contents of a dull book,' thought Julien. 'All the greatest subjectsof human thought are proudly displayed in it. Listen to it for threeminutes, and you ask yourself which is more striking, the emphasis ofthe speaker or his shocking ignorance.'

　　The reader has doubtless forgotten that little man of letters, namedTanbeau, the nephew of the Academician and an embryo³⁴ professor, who,with his vile³⁵ calumnies³⁶, seemed to be employed in poisoning thedrawing-room of the Hotel de La Mole¹⁹.

　　It was from this little man that Julien first gleaned³⁷ the idea that itmight well be that Madame de Fervaques, while refraining from answering his letters, looked with indulgence upon the sentiment that dictatedthem. The black heart of M. Tanbeau was torn asunder³⁸ by the thought ofJulien's successes; but inasmuch as, looking at it from another angle, adeserving man cannot, any more than a fool, be in two places at once, 'ifSorel becomes the lover of the sublime³⁹ Marechale,' the future professortold himself, 'she will place him in the Church in some advantageousmanner, and I shall be rid of him at the Hotel de La Mole.'

　　M. l'abbe Pirard also addressed long sermons to Julien on his successesat the Hotel de Fervaques. There was a sectarian jealousy⁴⁰ between the austere⁴¹ Jansenist and the Jesuitical, regenerative and monarchicaldrawing-room of the virtuous⁴² Marechale.

1 coterie   

n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体，小圈子

参考例句：

• The name is known to only a small coterie of collectors.这个名字只有收藏家的小圈子才知道。
• Mary and her coterie gave a party to which we were not invited.玛利和她的圈内朋友举行派对，我们没被邀请。

2 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

3 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

4 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

5 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

7 galley   

n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇；

参考例句：

• The stewardess will get you some water from the galley.空姐会从厨房给你拿些水来。
• Visitors can also go through the large galley where crew members got their meals.游客还可以穿过船员们用餐的厨房。

8 vivacity   

n.快活，活泼，精神充沛

参考例句：

• Her charm resides in her vivacity.她的魅力存在于她的活泼。
• He was charmed by her vivacity and high spirits.她的活泼与兴高采烈的情绪把他迷住了。

9 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

10 transcribe   

v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录

参考例句：

• We need volunteers to transcribe this manuscript.我们需要自愿者来抄写这个文稿。
• I am able to take dictation in English and transcribe them rapidly into Chinese.我会英文记录，还能立即将其改写成中文。

11 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

12 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

13 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

14 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。

15 abridged   

削减的，删节的

参考例句：

• The rights of citizens must not be abridged without proper cause. 没有正当理由，不能擅自剥夺公民的权利。
• The play was abridged for TV. 剧本经过节略，以拍摄电视片。

16 transcribing   

（用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的现在分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音）

参考例句：

• They continue to remove molecules until the cell stops transcribing the gene. 他们继续除去分子，直到细胞不再转录基因为止。
• Q: Can I use Voice-to-Text software to help with the transcribing? 问：我能使用声音-到-本文的软件帮助转换吗？

17 melancholy   

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。

18 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

19 mole   

n.胎块；痣；克分子

参考例句：

• She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
• The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。

20 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

21 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

22 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

23 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

24 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

25 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

26 abominable   

adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的

参考例句：

• Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

27 dissertations   

专题论文，学位论文( dissertation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We spend the final term writing our dissertations. 我们用最后一个学期的时间写论文。
• The professors are deliberating over the post graduates dissertations. 教授们正在商讨研究生的论文。

28 pigeonholes   

n.鸽舍出入口( pigeonhole的名词复数 )；小房间；文件架上的小间隔v.把…搁在分类架上( pigeonhole的第三人称单数 )；把…留在记忆中；缓办；把…隔成小格

参考例句：

• The tidy committee men regard them with horror,knowing that no pigeonholes can be found for them. 衣冠楚楚的委员们恐怖地看着他们，因为他们知道找不到一个稳妥的地方来安置他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of those who are different those who do not fit the boxes and the pigeonholes? 那些与众不同，不合适常规，不符合传统的人的位置又在哪里？ 来自互联网

29 insipid   

adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的

参考例句：

• The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道，需要加点作料。
• She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师，但她做的食物却是无味道的。

30 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

31 intelligible   

adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的

参考例句：

• This report would be intelligible only to an expert in computing.只有计算机运算专家才能看懂这份报告。
• His argument was barely intelligible.他的论点不易理解。

32 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

33 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

34 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

35 vile   

adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的

参考例句：

• Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢？
• Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。

36 calumnies   

n.诬蔑，诽谤，中伤（的话）( calumny的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He doesn't care about scandals, slanders, calumnies, aspersions, or defamation. 他不在乎流言蜚语，诽谤，中伤，造谣，诬蔑。 来自互联网
• Spreading rumors and calumnies and plotting riots. 造谣诽谤，策动骚乱。 来自互联网

37 gleaned   

v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗

参考例句：

• These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies. 这些数据是通过多次研究收集得来的。
• A valuable lesson may be gleaned from it by those who have eyes to see. 明眼人可从中记取宝贵的教训。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

38 asunder   

adj.分离的，化为碎片

参考例句：

• The curtains had been drawn asunder.窗帘被拉向两边。
• Your conscience,conviction,integrity,and loyalties were torn asunder.你的良心、信念、正直和忠诚都被扯得粉碎了。

39 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

40 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

41 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

42 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。