“They’re wise dogs,” he muttered, “but not wise enough to know the trail’s end. I wonder if I shall find the man here.”
He followed the well-marked track towards the bank. The aromatic5 smell of the spruce grew stronger, but there was nothing to be seen save the shadowy woods, and the packed sled-road between. The road had been cut through the trees, and here and there a stump6 bearing the mark of the ax protruded7 above the snow. For perhaps three hundred yards it ran in a bee-line between the tall trunks, and then turned abruptly9 to the right. He reached the turning, and looked about him curiously10. The road still continued, but the end of it was not in sight, for again it turned, as it seemed to him into the very heart of the forest.
[2]
“There’s a house or encampment somewhere about,” he said to himself, “but—”
He broke off abruptly as something caught his eye. It was a new-marked sled-trail debouching from the main track, and he stooped to examine it carefully. When he straightened himself there was an eager light in his eye, and curbing11 his impatient dogs he stood considering for a full two minutes.
“He may have a shack12 here,” so his thoughts ran, “but if there’s more than that, why this broad road?”
He considered the avenue made by the sombre pinewoods on each side of the road, and then shook his head. “Too much style for Koona Dick. There must be a homestead somewhere about, but if those are not the marks of his sled-runners I’m a dutchman.”
He spoke13 a word or two to his well-trained dogs, and slipping off his snowshoes turned towards the trail which led into the wood, and began to follow it carefully. As he walked, he unbuttoned the pistol-holster at his waist, and gripped the handle of the weapon in preparation for action. The man whose trail he believed that he was following was not given to being over-scrupulous. He had pursued him for nearly four hundred miles, and now that the end of the chase was in sight, it behoved him to be cautious, for if Koona Dick suspected his presence his resentment14 of it might even go to the extreme length of a rifle bullet. He left the trail, and began to move cautiously from tree to tree.
The short Northland day was almost over.[3] Dusk was coming on apace, and the gloom under the trees deepened, little misgivings15 awake in his mind.
Was it wise to follow the track into the heart of the wood? His dogs were good dogs, but—
The sudden sharp crash of a rifle echoed through the stillness, followed immediately by a second, and that by the sharp cry of a woman assailed16 by mortal terror, and then there came the quick yelp3 of dogs. He turned in his tracks and began to run back under the trees.
How long it was before he reached the main trail he never knew, but never in his life had he run so fast before. Fear was pounding at his heart. His dogs? If they were gone—
He reached the edge of the wood to find them still where he had left them, and his relief found expression in a quick “Thank God!” He looked round him, up and down the road and into the dark woods on either hand. There was nothing to be seen, and the coming of night had already shortened the range of vision. He stood listening intently. No sound broke the awful silence that had followed the shots and the curdling17 cry of fear. His hand, resting on the gee-pole of the sled, shook a little.
“It was a woman,” he whispered, “a white woman, at that. There’s some infernal mystery about. I wonder if Koona Dick—”
He did not finish the thought. Setting his face to the turn in the road, he gave the dogs the word and they moved forward. Somewhere at the end of the road there was a human habitation. Of[4] that he was convinced. He would find it, and perhaps at the same time find Koona Dick and the solution of that mysterious cry which had so suddenly startled the silent woods.
But he was not destined18 to reach the end of the road without further adventure. As he reached the turn he became aware of a narrow road on the left hand cut at right angles from the main track, and as he looked down it, saw a shadowy figure moving swiftly between the trees straight towards him. Against the fading light and the white background of snow he made out the form of a woman, and instantly halted his dogs with the intention of speaking to her. She was perhaps five and twenty yards away when he first saw her, and the distance between them she covered at a run, approaching him apparently19 without seeing him. Her line of progression brought her within four yards of the place where he stood waiting in the shadow of a giant spruce. Still she did not see him, and he was about to make his presence known, when the sight of her face checked him.
It was a young face, and beautiful, but as he saw it, it was a picture of incarnate20 terror. The eyes were staring as in horror. There was a stony21 look about the cameo-like features, and he caught the gasping22 intake23 of breath as she passed him. He had seen terror in feminine faces before, once when a drunken half-breed had lifted a knife to slay24, and once on the face of an Indian girl, swept towards the White Horse Rapids on the Yukon in a frail25 canoe, and he had no doubt[5] whatever as to the emotion which found expression in that stonily26 beautiful face. The girl was badly frightened. He was quite certain of that, and the fact of her passing both himself and his team without observing them was further evidence that she was in great stress of mind. As she hurried by something in her hand caught his eye. It was a rifle carried at the trail.
For a moment he stood there undecided what to do. Once he made as if to follow the girl, and then checking himself again, stood considering. Those two shots which he had heard—what did they mean? They had sounded quite close, and now there came this girl, clearly badly frightened, carrying a rifle and hurrying from the wood. He looked up the narrow path between the gloomy pines, his trained mind and his instincts working together. Something had occurred in the wood, something tragical27, or it had not brought that look on the girl’s face. What was it?
Tired as he was with the day’s travel, and certain though he was of the nearness of some house of rest, he could not leave the problem unsolved. For the moment he even forgot Koona Dick, and again leaving his dogs he turned into the path from which the girl had emerged. He moved cautiously, with the service pistol in his hand. He did not know what to expect, and he was not inclined to be caught unprepared. Once, as he walked in the darkness of the trees, he paused, and throwing back the ear-flaps of his fur-cap, stood listening. No sound reached him, though a moment before he had caught a noise[6] which had seemed like the snapping of a dry twig28. Thinking he must have been mistaken, he resumed his way. As he did so, a shadowy form behind him slid from one tree trunk to another; and as he progressed the form in the wood followed, evidently stalking him.
Corporal Bracknell, however, remained unconscious of the shadow, and moving quickly but silently on his way, came suddenly upon something which brought him to an abrupt8 halt. In the snow not three yards from where he stood lay the huddled29 form of a man. For a moment he stared at it as if fascinated, and as the man did not move, when the moment had passed he stepped swiftly forward, and bent30 over the inanimate form. The man was lying on his side, and a dark stain in the snow the corporal divined was blood. Apparently the man was dead, and as it was now too dark to see his face, the corporal felt in his pouch31 and produced a tin box of sulphur matches. Striking one, he waited until the sulphur had finished spluttering, and when the wood was fairly alight, he bent over the prostrate32 form, shading the match with his hands so as to throw the light upon the man’s face. Then suddenly he dropped the match and stood upright.
“Koona Dick!” he muttered, and then whistled softly to himself.
He struck another match and looked again in order to make sure. As for the second time the flickering33 light fell on the face in the snow, every doubt vanished. The man who was lying there was the man whom he had followed for four hundred[7] miles through the waste, the man whom he had hoped to make his prisoner, but who now, if appearances were to be trusted, had finally escaped him. Dropping the match as it burned towards the end, he thrust his hand inside the man’s fur parka to feel if the heart were beating. He could detect no movement, and as he withdrew the hand, he stood upright, and as he considered question after question went through his mind at the gallop34.
Who had killed Koona Dick? The girl whom he had met with that look of frozen terror on her face? Who was she? Had she shot the man lying at his feet? Why had she done so? Where did she live? As the last question shot in his mind he knew that the answer to it was in his grasp. He had seen the direction she had followed, and he guessed that whatever homestead lay at the end of that road cut through the forest would be her dwelling35 place. As this conviction surged into his mind the whining36 of his dogs came to his ears. They were evidently growing restless, and since he could do nothing by lingering there, after one glance at the still form lying in the snow, he swung on his heel, and made all speed back to where his team awaited him. They yelped37 with delight as he appeared, and when he gave the word, bounded impatiently forward along the well-beaten track.
Four minutes later, a turn in the road unexpectedly brought into view the homestead that he was seeking. It was set in the midst of a large clearing, and from its outline in the darkness was of considerable proportions for a Northland lodge38.[8] Lights shone in three of the windows, and just as he reached the wooden fence which ran round the house, a door opened, and a light within streaming through outlined the form of a man in the act of entering.
Corporal Bracknell shouted to him, and the man turned round and peered into the darkness, then he rested something against the wooden wall of the passage, shut the door, and moved towards the policeman.
“Who are you?” he asked, as he came nearer.
“Corporal Bracknell—on Dominion39 service,” replied the policeman.
“Corporal Bracknell?”
As the man echoed the words the corporal caught a puzzled note in his tones, and explained further.
“Yes, of the Mounted Police.”
“Oh, of course! I was not thinking of the Mounted service. I am a stranger in the Nor’-West—” Bracknell had already divined that such must be the case, but he did not say so. He laughed lightly, and made his wants known.
“I’m on service, and tired. I should be grateful for supper and a bunk40 if that is possible.”
“It is quite possible, Officer, and Joy—I mean Miss Gargrave will be very glad to oblige you. She is always pleased to play the Good Samaritan.”
As the man spoke the name, the corporal remembered that he had heard it before. It had been borne by an eccentric Englishman, who had been reported enormously wealthy and who had perished rather tragically41 on the Klondyke, three years before, and the mystery of whose death had never[9] been cleared up, satisfactorily. He knew now where he was.
“This is the North Star Lodge, then?” he inquired.
“Yes!” was the reply. “Will you go in now and attend to your team afterwards, or—”
“In my service,” laughed Bracknell, “the dogs come first.”
“Very well,” answered the other. “I will wait for you!”
He lit a cigarette and watched the corporal whilst he loosed the dogs from the traces, and fed them with frozen fish. The light from the window fell on his face and showed that he was less interested in the operation than in the man engaged upon it, for never for a moment did his eyes leave the officer, and there was a ruminative42 look in them, as if he were speculating what manner of man the policeman was. The corporal was quite conscious of the stare, but gave no sign of it, though once or twice as he moved about, he flashed a glance at the stranger, endeavouring in his turn to take the other’s measure. When he had finished his task he turned to him.
“I am ready now.”
“So am I,” laughed the man; “it is cold waiting about.”
He threw his cigarette away, and moved towards the door of the house. Corporal Bracknell followed him, and as the door opened his guide stumbled over something which fell with a clatter43 on the pinewood floor.
The man stooped and picked it up.
[10]
“My rifle,” he explained. “I had forgotten it was there. I rested it against the wall when you hailed me.”
The corporal nodded, but made no remark. His thoughts were engaged with Koona Bill lying out there under the shadow of the pines, and he was wondering what the meeting with Joy Gargrave would be like, guessing as he did that she must be the girl who had passed him out in the wood. His companion conducted him to a room that for the Northland was positively44 luxurious45, and waved him a chair near the stove.
“You will like to change your socks and moccasins,” he said politely. “I will go and inform Miss Gargrave, and return for you in ten minutes or so. It should be almost dinner time.”
Corporal Bracknell nodded, and when the man had departed looked round the room with some curiosity. Nowhere in the wild region where his work was done was there another such room, he was sure. Even the commandant’s rooms down at the Post were poor beside it. The furniture was of excellent quality. The wall was match-boarded, hiding the outer logs, and there were furs everywhere. Pictures too! Something familiar in one of them caught his eye, and moving towards it he saw that it was a photograph of Newham College, Cambridge.
He stood looking at it, whistling softly to himself. He himself had been at Caius, and having a sister at Newham, had once or twice had tea in its precincts. He wondered what the picture was doing here in this lodge in the northern wilderness46, and he was still wondering when a gong sounded.[11] Hastily he began to change his socks, and the operation was scarcely completed, when the man who had introduced him to the house appeared.
“Ready, Corporal?”
“Almost,” he replied, and half a minute later stood up and nodded.
“This way,” said the other laconically47, and led the way out of the room and across the wide passage. The policeman was prepared for surprises, but the appearance of the room into which he entered almost took his breath away. Except for the roaring Yukon stove, and the fur rugs on the polished floor, it was a replica48 of the typical dining-room of an English country house. The furniture was Jacobean, the table was laid with the whitest napery, and silver and glasses gleamed on its whiteness. He had a quick apprehension49 of oil-paintings on the wall, of a long-cased clock in the corner, and of two girls standing50 together near the stove, then his companion’s voice sounded.
“Corporal Bracknell! Miss Gargrave! Miss La Farge.”
He bowed to the two ladies in turn. The second he knew as he glanced at her was of French Canadian extraction, with perhaps a dash of Indian blood in her veins51; but the first was a golden-haired English girl, tall, blue-eyed, with face a little bronzed by the open-air, and—the girl who had passed him with her face the index of mortal terror and her rifle at the trail. It was she who spoke in a voice that had the indescribable accent of culture.
“We are pleased to see you, Corporal Bracknell. No doubt, if you have been long on the trail, you will be ready for dinner.”
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收听单词发音
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1
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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yelps
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| n.（因痛苦、气愤、兴奋等的）短而尖的叫声( yelp的名词复数 )v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的第三人称单数 ) | |
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aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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9
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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11
curbing
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| n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 ) | |
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12
shack
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| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
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13
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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17
curdling
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| n.凝化v.（使）凝结( curdle的现在分词 ) | |
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18
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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incarnate
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| adj.化身的，人体化的，肉色的 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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intake
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| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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stonily
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| 石头地，冷酷地 | |
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tragical
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| adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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28
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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29
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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30
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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31
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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32
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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33
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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34
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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35
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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36
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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37
yelped
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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39
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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40
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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41
tragically
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| adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地 | |
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42
ruminative
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| adj.沉思的，默想的，爱反复思考的 | |
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43
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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44
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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45
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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46
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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47
laconically
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| adv.简短地，简洁地 | |
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48
replica
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| n.复制品 | |
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49
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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50
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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51
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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