On the morning of the day upon which they had asked him to tea, Oliver Haddo left at Margaret's door vast masses of chrysanthemums1. There were so many that the austere2 studio was changed in aspect. It gained an ephemeral brightness that Margaret, notwithstanding pieces of silk hung here and there on the walls, had never been able to give it. When Arthur arrived, he was dismayed that the thought had not occurred to him.
'I'm so sorry,' he said. 'You must think me very inconsiderate.'
Margaret smiled and held his hand.
'I think I like you because you don't trouble about the common little attentions of lovers.'
'Margaret's a wise girl,' smiled Susie. 'She knows that when a man sends flowers it is a sign that he has admired more women than one.'
'I don't suppose that these were sent particularly to me.'
Arthur Burdon sat down and observed with pleasure the cheerful fire. The drawn3 curtains and the lamps gave the place a nice cosiness4, and there was the peculiar5 air of romance which is always in a studio. There is a sense of freedom about it that disposes the mind to diverting speculations6. In such an atmosphere it is possible to be serious without pompousness7 and flippant without inanity8.
In the few days of their acquaintance Arthur and Susie had arrived at terms of pleasant familiarity. Susie, from her superior standpoint of an unmarried woman no longer young, used him with the good-natured banter9 which she affected10. To her, he was a foolish young thing in love, and she marvelled11 that even the cleverest man in that condition could behave like a perfect idiot. But Margaret knew that, if her friend chaffed him, it was because she completely approved of him. As their intimacy12 increased, Susie learnt to appreciate his solid character. She admired his capacity in dealing13 with matters that were in his province, and the simplicity14 with which he left alone those of which he was ignorant. There was no pose in him. She was touched also by an ingenuous15 candour which gave a persuasive16 charm to his abruptness17. And, though she set a plain woman's value on good looks, his appearance, rough hewn like a statue in porphyry, pleased her singularly. It was an index of his character. The look of him gave you the whole man, strong yet gentle, honest and simple, neither very imaginative nor very brilliant, but immensely reliable and trustworthy to the bottom of his soul. He was seated now with Margaret's terrier on his knees, stroking its ears, and Susie, looking at him, wondered with a little pang18 why no man like that had even cared for her. It was evident that he would make a perfect companion, and his love, once won, was of the sort that did not alter.
Dr Porho?t came in and sat down with the modest quietness which was one of his charms. He was not a great talker and loved most to listen in silence to the chatter19 of young people. The dog jumped down from Arthur's knee, went up to the doctor, and rubbed itself in friendly fashion against his legs. They began to talk in the soft light and had forgotten almost that another guest was expected. Margaret hoped fervently20 that he would not come. She had never looked more lovely than on this afternoon, and she busied herself with the preparations for tea with a housewifely grace that added a peculiar delicacy21 to her comeliness22. The dignity which encompassed23 the perfection of her beauty was delightfully24 softened25, so that you were reminded of those sweet domestic saints who lighten here and there the passionate26 records of the Golden Book.
'_C'est tellement intime ici_,' smiled Dr Porho?t, breaking into French in the impossibility of expressing in English the exact feeling which that scene gave him.
It might have been a picture by some master of _genre_. It seemed hardly by chance that the colours arranged themselves in such agreeable tones, or that the lines of the wall and the seated persons achieved such a graceful27 decoration. The atmosphere was extraordinarily28 peaceful.
There was a knock at the door, and Arthur got up to open. The terrier followed at his heels. Oliver Haddo entered. Susie watched to see what the dog would do and was by this time not surprised to see a change come over it. With its tail between its legs, the friendly little beast slunk along the wall to the furthermost corner. It turned a suspicious, frightened eye upon Haddo and then hid its head. The visitor, intent upon his greetings, had not noticed even that there was an animal in the room. He accepted with a simple courtesy they hardly expected from him the young woman's thanks for his flowers. His behaviour surprised them. He put aside his poses. He seemed genuinely to admire the cosy29 little studio. He asked Margaret to show him her sketches31 and looked at them with unassumed interest. His observations were pointed32 and showed a certain knowledge of what he spoke33 about. He described himself as an amateur, that object of a painter's derision: the man 'who knows what he likes'; but his criticism, though generous, showed that he was no fool. The two women were impressed. Putting the sketches aside, he began to talk, of the many places he had seen. It was evident that he sought to please. Susie began to understand how it was that, notwithstanding his affectations, he had acquired so great an influence over the undergraduates of Oxford34. There was romance and laughter in his conversation; and though, as Frank Hurrell had said, lacking in wit, he made up for it with a diverting pleasantry that might very well have passed for humour. But Susie, though amused, felt that this was not the purpose for which she had asked him to come. Dr Porho?t had lent her his entertaining work on the old alchemists, and this gave her a chance to bring their conversation to matters on which Haddo was expert. She had read the book with delight and, her mind all aflame with those strange histories wherein fact and fancy were so wonderfully mingled35, she was eager to know more. The long toil36 in which so many had engaged, always to lose their fortunes, often to suffer persecution39 and torture, interested her no less than the accounts, almost authenticated40, of those who had succeeded in their extraordinary quest.
She turned to Dr Porho?t.
'You are a bold man to assert that now and then the old alchemists actually did make gold,' she said.
'I have not gone quite so far as that,' he smiled. 'I assert merely that, if evidence as conclusive42 were offered of any other historical event, it would be credited beyond doubt. We can disbelieve these circumstantial details only by coming to the conclusion beforehand that it is impossible they should be true.'
'I wish you would write that life of Paracelsus which you suggest in your preface.'
Dr Porho?t, smiling shook his head.
'I don't think I shall ever do that now,' he said. 'Yet he is the most interesting of all the alchemists, for he offers the fascinating problem of an immensely complex character. It is impossible to know to what extent he was a charlatan43 and to what a man of serious science.'
Susie glanced at Oliver Haddo, who sat in silence, his heavy face in shadow, his eyes fixed44 steadily45 on the speaker. The immobility of that vast bulk was peculiar.
'His name is not so ridiculous as later associations have made it seem,' proceeded the doctor, 'for he belonged to the celebrated46 family of Bombast47, and they were called Hohenheim after their ancient residence, which was a castle near Stuttgart in Würtemberg. The most interesting part of his life is that which the absence of documents makes it impossible accurately48 to describe. He travelled in Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, in Denmark, Sweden, and Russia. He went even to India. He was taken prisoner by the Tartars, and brought to the Great Khan, whose son he afterwards accompanied to Constantinople. The mind must be dull indeed that is not thrilled by the thought of this wandering genius traversing the lands of the earth at the most eventful date of the world's history. It was at Constantinople that, according to a certain _aureum vellus_ printed at Rorschach in the sixteenth century, he received the philosopher's stone from Solomon Trismosinus. This person possessed49 also the _Universal Panacea_, and it is asserted that he was seen still alive by a French traveller at the end of the seventeenth century. Paracelsus then passed through the countries that border the Danube, and so reached Italy, where he served as a surgeon in the imperial army. I see no reason why he should not have been present at the battle of Pavia. He collected information from physicians, surgeons and alchemists; from executioners, barbers, shepherds, Jews, gipsies, midwives, and fortune-tellers; from high and low, from learned and vulgar. In the sketch30 I have given of his career in that volume you hold, I have copied out a few words of his upon the acquirement of knowledge which affect me with a singular emotion.'
Dr Porho?t took his book from Miss Boyd and opened it thoughtfully. He read out the fine passage from the preface of the _Paragranum_:
'I went in search of my art, often incurring50 danger of life. I have not been ashamed to learn that which seemed useful to me even from vagabonds, hangmen, and barbers. We know that a lover will go far to meet the woman he adores; how much more will the lover of Wisdom be tempted51 to go in search of his divine mistress.'
He turned the page to find a few more lines further on:
'We should look for knowledge where we may expect to find it, and why should a man be despised who goes in search of it? Those who remain at home may grow richer and live more comfortably than those who wander; but I desire neither to live comfortably nor to grow rich.'
'By Jove, those are fine words,' said Arthur, rising to his feet.
Their brave simplicity moved him as no rhetoric52 could have done, and they made him more eager still to devote his own life to the difficult acquisition of knowledge. Dr Porho?t gave him his ironic53 smile.
'Yet the man who could write that was in many ways a mere41 buffoon54, who praised his wares55 with the vulgar glibness56 of a quack57. He was vain and ostentatious, intemperate58 and boastful. Listen:
'After me, O Avicenna, Galen, Rhases and Montagnana! After me, not I after you, ye men of Paris, Montpellier, Meissen, and Cologne; all you that come from the countries along the Danube and the Rhine, and you that come from the islands of the sea. It is not for me to follow you, because mine is the lordship. The time will come when none of you shall remain in his dark corner who will not be an object of contempt to the world, because I shall be the King, and the Monarchy59 will be mine.'
Dr Porho?t closed the book.
'Did you ever hear such gibberish in your life? Yet he did a bold thing. He wrote in German instead of in Latin, and so, by weakening the old belief in authority, brought about the beginning of free thought in science. He continued to travel from place to place, followed by a crowd of disciples60, some times attracted to a wealthy city by hope of gain, sometimes journeying to a petty court at the invitation of a prince. His folly61 and the malice62 of his rivals prevented him from remaining anywhere for long. He wrought63 many wonderful cures. The physicians of Nuremberg denounced him as a quack, a charlatan, and an impostor. To refute them he asked the city council to put under his care patients that had been pronounced incurable64. They sent him several cases of elephantiasis, and he cured them: testimonials to that effect may still be found in the archives of Nuremberg. He died as the result of a tavern65 brawl66 and was buried at Salzburg. Tradition says that, his astral body having already during physical existence become self-conscious, he is now a living adept67, residing with others of his sort in a certain place in Asia. From there he still influences the minds of his followers68 and at times even appears to them in visible and tangible69 substance.'
'But look here,' said Arthur, 'didn't Paracelsus, like most of these old fellows, in the course of his researches make any practical discoveries?'
'I prefer those which were not practical,' confessed the doctor, with a smile. 'Consider for example the _Tinctura Physicorum_, which neither Pope nor Emperor could buy with all his wealth. It was one of the greatest alchemical mysteries, and, though mentioned under the name of _The Red Lion_ in many occult works, was actually known to few before Paracelsus, except Hermes Trismegistus and Albertus Magnus. Its preparation was extremely difficult, for the presence was needed of two perfectly70 harmonious71 persons whose skill was equal. It was said to be a red ethereal fluid. The least wonderful of its many properties was its power to transmute72 all inferior metals into gold. There is an old church in the south of Bavaria where the tincture is said to be still buried in the ground. In the year 1698 some of it penetrated73 through the soil, and the phenomenon was witnessed by many people, who believed it to be a miracle. The church which was thereupon erected74 is still a well-known place for pilgrimage. Paracelsus concludes his directions for its manufacture with the words: _But if this be incomprehensible to you, remember that only he who desires with his whole heart will find, and to him only who knocks vehemently75 shall the door be opened_.'
'I shall never try to make it,' smiled Arthur.
'Then there was the _Electrum Magicum_, of which the wise made mirrors wherein they were able to see not only the events of the past and of the present, but the doings of men in daytime and at night. They might see anything that had been written or spoken, and the person who said it, and the causes that made him say it. But I like best the _Primum Ens Melissae_. An elaborate prescription76 is given for its manufacture. It was a remedy to prolong life, and not only Paracelsus, but his predecessors77 Galen, Arnold of Villanova, and Raymond Lulli, had laboured studiously to discover it.'
'Will it make me eighteen again?' cried Susie.
'It is guaranteed to do so,' answered Dr Porho?t gravely. 'Lesebren, a physician to Louis XIV, gives an account of certain experiments witnessed by himself. It appears that one of his friends prepared the remedy, and his curiosity would not let him rest until he had seen with his own eyes the effect of it.'
'That is the true scientific attitude,' laughed Arthur.
'He took every morning at sunrise a glass of white wine tinctured with this preparation; and after using it for fourteen days his nails began to fall out, without, however, causing him any pain. His courage failed him at this point, and he gave the same dose to an old female servant. She regained78 at least one of the characteristics of youth, much to her astonishment79, for she did not know that she had been taking a medicine, and, becoming frightened, refused to continue. The experimenter then took some grain, soaked it in the tincture, and gave it to an aged37 hen. On the sixth day the bird began to lose its feathers, and kept on losing them till it was naked as a newborn babe; but before two weeks had passed other feathers grew, and these were more beautifully coloured than any that fortunate hen had possessed in her youth. Her comb stood up, and she began again to lay eggs.'
'I confess I like that story much better than the others. The _Primum Ens Melissae_ at least offers a less puerile81 benefit than most magical secrets.'
'Do you call the search for gold puerile?' asked Haddo, who had been sitting for a long time in complete silence.
'I venture to call it sordid82.'
'You are very superior.'
'Because I think the aims of mystical persons invariably gross or trivial? To my plain mind, it is inane83 to raise the dead in order to hear from their phantom84 lips nothing but commonplaces. And I really cannot see that the alchemist who spent his life in the attempted manufacture of gold was a more respectable object than the outside jobber85 of modern civilization.'
'But if he sought for gold it was for the power it gave him, and it was power he aimed at when he brooded night and day over dim secrets. Power was the subject of all his dreams, but not a paltry86, limited dominion87 over this or that; power over the whole world, power over all created things, power over the very elements, power over God Himself. His lust88 was so vast that he could not rest till the stars in their courses were obedient to his will.'
For once Haddo lost his enigmatic manner. It was plain now that his words intoxicated89 him, and his face assumed a new, a strange, expression. A peculiar arrogance90 flashed in his shining eyes.
'And what else is it that men seek in life but power? If they want money, it is but for the power that attends it, and it is power again that they strive for in all the knowledge they acquire. Fools and sots aim at happiness, but men aim only at power. The magus, the sorcerer, the alchemist, are seized with fascination91 of the unknown; and they desire a greatness that is inaccessible92 to mankind. They think by the science they study so patiently, but endurance and strength, by force of will and by imagination, for these are the great weapons of the magician, they may achieve at last a power with which they can face the God of Heaven Himself.'
Oliver Haddo lifted his huge bulk from the low chair in which he had been sitting. He began to walk up and down the studio. It was curious to see this heavy man, whose seriousness was always problematical, caught up by a curious excitement.
'You've been talking of Paracelsus,' he said. 'There is one of his experiments which the doctor has withheld93 from you. You will find it neither mean nor mercenary, but it is very terrible. I do not know whether the account of it is true, but it would be of extraordinary interest to test it for oneself.'
He looked round at the four persons who watched him intently. There was a singular agitation94 in his manner, as though the thing of which he spoke was very near his heart.
'The old alchemists believed in the possibility of spontaneous generation. By the combination of psychical95 powers and of strange essences, they claim to have created forms in which life became manifest. Of these, the most marvellous were those strange beings, male and female, which were called _homunculi_. The old philosophers doubted the possibility of this operation, but Paracelsus asserts positively96 that it can be done. I picked up once for a song on a barrow at London Bridge a little book in German. It was dirty and thumbed, many of the pages were torn, and the binding97 scarcely held the leaves together. It was called _Die Sphinx_ and was edited by a certain Dr Emil Besetzny. It contained the most extraordinary account I have ever read of certain spirits generated by Johann-Ferdinand, Count von Küffstein, in the Tyrol, in 1775. The sources from which this account is taken consist of masonic manuscripts, but more especially of a diary kept by a certain James Kammerer, who acted in the capacity of butler and famulus to the Count. The evidence is ten times stronger than any upon which men believe the articles of their religion. If it related to less wonderful subjects, you would not hesitate to believe implicitly98 every word you read. There were ten _homunculi_--James Kammerer calls them prophesying99 spirits--kept in strong bottles, such as are used to preserve fruit, and these were filled with water. They were made in five weeks, by the Count von Küffstein and an Italian mystic and rosicrucian, the Abbé Geloni. The bottles were closed with a magic seal. The spirits were about a span long, and the Count was anxious that they should grow. They were therefore buried under two cartloads of manure100, and the pile daily sprinkled with a certain liquor prepared with great trouble by the adepts101. The pile after such sprinklings began to ferment102 and steam, as if heated by a subterranean103 fire. When the bottles were removed, it was found that the spirits had grown to about a span and a half each; the male _homunculi_ were come into possession of heavy beards, and the nails of the fingers had grown. In two of the bottles there was nothing to be seen save clear water, but when the Abbé knocked thrice at the seal upon the mouth, uttering at the same time certain Hebrew words, the water turned a mysterious colour, and the spirits showed their faces, very small at first, but growing in size till they attained104 that of a human countenance105. And this countenance was horrible and fiendish.'
Haddo spoke in a low voice that was hardly steady, and it was plain that he was much moved. It appeared as if his story affected him so that he could scarcely preserve his composure. He went on.
'These beings were fed every three days by the Count with a rose-coloured substance which was kept in a silver box. Once a week the bottles were emptied and filled again with pure rain-water. The change had to be made rapidly, because while the _homunculi_ were exposed to the air they closed their eyes and seemed to grow weak and unconscious, as though they were about to die. But with the spirits that were invisible, at certain intervals106 blood was poured into the water; and it disappeared at once, inexplicably107, without colouring or troubling it. By some accident one of the bottles fell one day and was broken. The _homunculus_ within died after a few painful respirations in spite of all efforts to save him, and the body was buried in the garden. An attempt to generate another, made by the Count without the assistance of the Abbé, who had left, failed; it produced only a small thing like a leech108, which had little vitality109 and soon died.'
Haddo ceased speaking, and Arthur looked at him with amazement110. 'But taking for granted that the thing is possible, what on earth is the use of manufacturing these strange beasts?' he exclaimed.
'Use!' cried Haddo passionately111. 'What do you think would be man's sensations when he had solved the great mystery of existence, when he saw living before him the substance which was dead? These _homunculi_ were seen by historical persons, by Count Max Lemberg, by Count Franz-Josef von Thun, and by many others. I have no doubt that they were actually generated. But with our modern appliances, with our greater skill, what might it not be possible to do now if we had the courage? There are chemists toiling112 away in their laboratories to create the primitive113 protoplasm from matter which is dead, the organic from the inorganic114. I have studied their experiments. I know all that they know. Why shouldn't one work on a larger scale, joining to the knowledge of the old adepts the scientific discovery of the moderns? I don't know what would be the result. It might be very strange and very wonderful. Sometimes my mind is verily haunted by the desire to see a lifeless substance move under my spells, by the desire to be as God.'
He gave a low weird115 laugh, half cruel, half voluptuous116. It made Margaret shudder117 with sudden fright. He had thrown himself down in the chair, and he sat in complete shadow. By a singular effect his eyes appeared blood-red, and they stared into space, strangely parallel, with an intensity118 that was terrifying. Arthur started a little and gave him a searching glance. The laugh and that uncanny glance, the unaccountable emotion, were extraordinarily significant. The whole thing was explained if Oliver Haddo was mad.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Haddo's words were out of tune38 with the rest of the conversation. Dr Porho?t had spoken of magical things with a sceptical irony119 that gave a certain humour to the subject, and Susie was resolutely120 flippant. But Haddo's vehemence121 put these incredulous people out of countenance. Dr Porho?t got up to go. He shook hands with Susie and with Margaret. Arthur opened the door for him. The kindly122 scholar looked round for Margaret's terrier...
'I must bid my farewells to your little dog.'
He had been so quiet that they had forgotten his presence.
'Come here, Copper,' said Margaret.
The dog slowly slunk up to them, and with a terrified expression crouched123 at Margaret's feet.
'What on earth's the matter with you?' she asked.
'He's frightened of me,' said Haddo, with that harsh laugh of his, which gave such an unpleasant impression.
'Nonsense!'
Dr Porho?t bent124 down, stroked the dog's back, and shook its paw. Margaret lifted it up and set it on a table.
'Now, be good,' she said, with lifted finger.
Dr Porho?t with a smile went out, and Arthur shut the door behind him. Suddenly, as though evil had entered into it, the terrier sprang at Oliver Haddo and fixed its teeth in his hand. Haddo uttered a cry, and, shaking it off, gave it a savage125 kick. The dog rolled over with a loud bark that was almost a scream of pain, and lay still for a moment as if it were desperately126 hurt. Margaret cried out with horror and indignation. A fierce rage on a sudden seized Arthur so that he scarcely knew what he was about. The wretched brute's suffering, Margaret's terror, his own instinctive127 hatred128 of the man, were joined together in frenzied129 passion.
'You brute,' he muttered.
He hit Haddo in the face with his clenched130 fist. The man collapsed131 bulkily to the floor, and Arthur, furiously seizing his collar, began to kick him with all his might. He shook him as a dog would shake a rat and then violently flung him down. For some reason Haddo made no resistance. He remained where he fell in utter helplessness. Arthur turned to Margaret. She was holding the poor hurt dog in her hands, crying over it, and trying to comfort it in its pain. Very gently he examined it to see if Haddo's brutal132 kick had broken a bone. They sat down beside the fire. Susie, to steady her nerves, lit a cigarette. She was horribly, acutely conscious of that man who lay in a mass on the floor behind them. She wondered what he would do. She wondered why he did not go. And she was ashamed of his humiliation133. Then her heart stood still; for she realized that he was raising himself to his feet, slowly, with the difficulty of a very fat person. He leaned against the wall and stared at them. He remained there quite motionless. His stillness got on her nerves, and she could have screamed as she felt him look at them, look with those unnatural134 eyes, whose expression now she dared not even imagine.
At last she could no longer resist the temptation to turn round just enough to see him. Haddo's eyes were fixed upon Margaret so intently that he did not see he was himself observed. His face, distorted by passion, was horrible to look upon. That vast mass of flesh had a malignancy that was inhuman135, and it was terrible to see the satanic hatred which hideously136 deformed137 it. But it changed. The redness gave way to a ghastly pallor. The revengeful scowl138 disappeared; and a torpid139 smile spread over the features, a smile that was even more terrifying than the frown of malice. What did it mean? Susie could have cried out, but her tongue cleaved140 to her throat. The smile passed away, and the face became once more impassive. It seemed that Margaret and Arthur realized at last the power of those inhuman eyes, and they became quite still. The dog ceased its sobbing141. The silence was so great that each one heard the beating of his heart. It was intolerable.
Then Oliver Haddo moved. He came forward slowly.
'I want to ask you to forgive me for what I did,' he said.
'The pain of the dog's bite was so keen that I lost my temper. I deeply regret that I kicked it. Mr Burdon was very right to thrash me. I feel that I deserved no less.'
He spoke in a low voice, but with great distinctness. Susie was astounded142. An abject143 apology was the last thing she expected.
He paused for Margaret's answer. But she could not bear to look at him. When she spoke, her words were scarcely audible. She did not know why his request to be forgiven made him seem more detestable.
'I think, if you don't mind, you had better go away.'
Haddo bowed slightly. He looked at Burdon.
'I wish to tell you that I bear no malice for what you did. I recognize the justice of your anger.'
Arthur did not answer at all. Haddo hesitated a moment, while his eyes rested on them quietly. To Susie it seemed that they flickered144 with the shadow of a smile. She watched him with bewildered astonishment.
He reached for his hat, bowed again, and went.
收听单词发音 |
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chrysanthemums
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| n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 ) | |
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austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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cosiness
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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speculations
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pompousness
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inanity
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banter
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| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
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affected
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marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intimacy
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dealing
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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persuasive
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abruptness
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pang
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chatter
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fervently
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delicacy
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comeliness
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encompassed
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delightfully
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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28
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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29
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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30
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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31
sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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32
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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33
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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34
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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35
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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36
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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37
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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38
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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39
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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40
authenticated
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| v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 )；鉴定，使生效 | |
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41
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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42
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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43
charlatan
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| n.骗子；江湖医生；假内行 | |
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44
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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45
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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46
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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47
bombast
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| n.高调，夸大之辞 | |
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48
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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49
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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50
incurring
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| 遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 ) | |
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51
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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52
rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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53
ironic
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| adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的 | |
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54
buffoon
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| n.演出时的丑角 | |
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55
wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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56
glibness
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| n.花言巧语；口若悬河 | |
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57
quack
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| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
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58
intemperate
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| adj.无节制的，放纵的 | |
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59
monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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60
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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61
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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62
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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63
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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64
incurable
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| adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人 | |
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65
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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66
brawl
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| n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂 | |
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67
adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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68
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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69
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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70
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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71
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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72
transmute
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| vt.使变化，使改变 | |
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73
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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74
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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75
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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76
prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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77
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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78
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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79
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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80
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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81
puerile
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| adj.幼稚的，儿童的 | |
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82
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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83
inane
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| adj.空虚的，愚蠢的，空洞的 | |
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84
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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85
jobber
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| n.批发商；(股票买卖)经纪人；做零工的人 | |
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86
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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87
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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88
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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89
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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90
arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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91
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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92
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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93
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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94
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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95
psychical
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| adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的 | |
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96
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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97
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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98
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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99
prophesying
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的现在分词 ) | |
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100
manure
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| n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥 | |
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101
adepts
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| n.专家，能手( adept的名词复数 ) | |
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102
ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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103
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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104
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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105
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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106
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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107
inexplicably
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| adv.无法说明地，难以理解地，令人难以理解的是 | |
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108
leech
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| n.水蛭，吸血鬼，榨取他人利益的人；vt.以水蛭吸血；vi.依附于别人 | |
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109
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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110
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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111
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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112
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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113
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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114
inorganic
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| adj.无生物的；无机的 | |
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115
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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116
voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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117
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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118
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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119
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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120
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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121
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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122
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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123
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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124
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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125
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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126
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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127
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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128
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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129
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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130
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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131
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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132
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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133
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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134
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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135
inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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136
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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137
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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138
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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139
torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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140
cleaved
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| v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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142
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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143
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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144
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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