Miss Bart's telegram caught Lawrence Selden at the door of his hotel; and having read it, he turned back to wait for Dorset. The message necessarily left large gaps for conjecture1; but all that he had recently heard and seen made these but too easy to fill in. On the whole he was surprised; for though he had perceived that the situation contained all the elements of an explosion, he had often enough, in the range of his personal experience, seen just such combinations subside2 into harmlessness. Still, Dorset's spasmodic temper, and his wife's reckless disregard of appearances, gave the situation a peculiar3 insecurity; and it was less from the sense of any special relation to the case than from a purely4 professional zeal5, that Selden resolved to guide the pair to safety. Whether, in the present instance, safety for either lay in repairing so damaged a tie, it was no business of his to consider: he had only, on general principles, to think of averting7 a scandal, and his desire to avert6 it was increased by his fear of its involving Miss Bart. There was nothing specific in this apprehension8; he merely wished to spare her the embarrassment10 of being ever so remotely connected with the public washing of the Dorset linen11.
How exhaustive and unpleasant such a process would be, he saw even more vividly12 after his two hours' talk with poor Dorset. If anything came out at all, it would be such a vast unpacking13 of accumulated moral rags as left him, after his visitor had gone, with the feeling that he must fling open the windows and have his room swept out. But nothing should come out; and happily for his side of the case, the dirty rags, however pieced together, could not, without considerable difficulty, be turned into a homogeneous grievance14. The torn edges did not always fit--there were missing bits, there were disparities of size and colour, all of which it was naturally Selden's business to make the most of in putting them under his client's eye. But to a man in Dorset's mood the completest demonstration15 could not carry conviction, and Selden saw that for the moment all he could do was to soothe16 and temporize17, to offer sympathy and to counsel prudence18. He let Dorset depart charged to the brim with the sense that, till their next meeting, he must maintain a strictly19 noncommittal attitude; that, in short, his share in the game consisted for the present in looking on. Selden knew, however, that he could not long keep such violences in equilibrium20; and he promised to meet Dorset, the next morning, at an hotel in Monte Carlo. Meanwhile he counted not a little on the reaction of weakness and self-distrust that, in such natures, follows on every unwonted expenditure21 of moral force; and his telegraphic reply to Miss Bart consisted simply in the injunction: "Assume that everything is as usual."
On this assumption, in fact, the early part of the following day was lived through. Dorset, as if in obedience22 to Lily's imperative23 bidding, had actually returned in time for a late dinner on the yacht. The repast had been the most difficult moment of the day. Dorset was sunk in one of the abysmal24 silences which so commonly followed on what his wife called his "attacks" that it was easy, before the servants, to refer it to this cause; but Bertha herself seemed, perversely25 enough, little disposed to make use of this obvious means of protection. She simply left the brunt of the situation on her husband's hands, as if too absorbed in a grievance of her own to suspect that she might be the object of one herself. To Lily this attitude was the most ominous26, because the most perplexing, element in the situation. As she tried to fan the weak flicker27 of talk, to build up, again and again, the crumbling28 structure of "appearances," her own attention was perpetually distracted by the question: "What on earth can she be driving at?" There was something positively29 exasperating30 in Bertha's attitude of isolated31 defiance32. If only she would have given her friend a hint they might still have worked together successfully; but how could Lily be of use, while she was thus obstinately33 shut out from participation34? To be of use was what she honestly wanted; and not for her own sake but for the Dorsets'. She had not thought of her own situation at all: she was simply engrossed35 in trying to put a little order in theirs. But the close of the short dreary36 evening left her with a sense of effort hopelessly wasted. She had not tried to see Dorset alone: she had positively shrunk from a renewal37 of his confidences. It was Bertha whose confidence she sought, and who should as eagerly have invited her own; and Bertha, as if in the infatuation of self-destruction, was actually pushing away her rescuing hand.
Lily, going to bed early, had left the couple to themselves; and it seemed part of the general mystery in which she moved that more than an hour should elapse before she heard Bertha walk down the silent passage and regain38 her room. The morrow, rising on an apparent continuance of the same conditions, revealed nothing of what had occurred between the confronted pair. One fact alone outwardly proclaimed the change they were all conspiring39 to ignore; and that was the non-appearance of Ned Silverton. No one referred to it, and this tacit avoidance of the subject kept it in the immediate40 foreground of consciousness. But there was another change, perceptible only to Lily; and that was that Dorset now avoided her almost as pointedly41 as his wife. Perhaps he was repenting42 his rash outpourings of the previous day; perhaps only trying, in his clumsy way, to conform to Selden's counsel to behave "as usual." Such instructions no more make for easiness of attitude than the photographer's behest to "look natural"; and in a creature as unconscious as poor Dorset of the appearance he habitually43 presented, the struggle to maintain a pose was sure to result in queer contortions44.
It resulted, at any rate, in throwing Lily strangely on her own resources. She had learned, on leaving her room, that Mrs. Dorset was still invisible, and that Dorset had left the yacht early; and feeling too restless to remain alone, she too had herself ferried ashore45. Straying toward the Casino, she attached herself to a group of acquaintances from Nice, with whom she lunched, and in whose company she was returning to the rooms when she encountered Selden crossing the square. She could not, at the moment, separate herself definitely from her party, who had hospitably46 assumed that she would remain with them till they took their departure; but she found time for a momentary47 pause of enquiry, to which he promptly48 returned: "I've seen him again--he's just left me."
She waited before him anxiously. "Well? what has happened? What WILL happen?"
"Nothing as yet--and nothing in the future, I think."
"It's over, then? It's settled? You're sure?"
He smiled. "Give me time. I'm not sure--but I'm a good deal surer." And with that she had to content herself, and hasten on to the expectant group on the steps.
Selden had in fact given her the utmost measure of his sureness, had even stretched it a shade to meet the anxiety in her eyes. And now, as he turned away, strolling down the hill toward the station, that anxiety remained with him as the visible justification49 of his own. It was not, indeed, anything specific that he feared: there had been a literal truth in his declaration that he did not think anything would happen. What troubled him was that, though Dorset's attitude had perceptibly changed, the change was not clearly to be accounted for. It had certainly not been produced by Selden's arguments, or by the action of his own soberer reason. Five minutes' talk sufficed to show that some alien influence had been at work, and that it had not so much subdued50 his resentment51 as weakened his will, so that he moved under it in a state of apathy52, like a dangerous lunatic who has been drugged. Temporarily, no doubt, however exerted, it worked for the general safety: the question was how long it would last, and by what kind of reaction it was likely to be followed. On these points Selden could gain no light; for he saw that one effect of the transformation53 had been to shut him off from free communion with Dorset. The latter, indeed, was still moved by the irresistible54 desire to discuss his wrong; but, though he revolved55 about it with the same forlorn tenacity56, Selden was aware that something always restrained him from full expression. His state was one to produce first weariness and then impatience57 in his hearer; and when their talk was over, Selden began to feel that he had done his utmost, and might justifiably58 wash his hands of the sequel.
It was in this mind that he had been making his way back to the station when Miss Bart crossed his path; but though, after his brief word with her, he kept mechanically on his course, he was conscious of a gradual change in his purpose. The change had been produced by the look in her eyes; and in his eagerness to define the nature of that look, he dropped into a seat in the gardens, and sat brooding upon the question. It was natural enough, in all conscience, that she should appear anxious: a young woman placed, in the close intimacy59 of a yachting-cruise, between a couple on the verge60 of disaster, could hardly, aside from her concern for her friends, be insensible to the awkwardness of her own position. The worst of it was that, in interpreting Miss Bart's state of mind, so many alternative readings were possible; and one of these, in Selden's troubled mind, took the ugly form suggested by Mrs. Fisher. If the girl was afraid, was she afraid for herself or for her friends? And to what degree was her dread61 of a catastrophe62 intensified63 by the sense of being fatally involved in it? The burden of offence lying manifestly with Mrs. Dorset, this conjecture seemed on the face of it gratuitously64 unkind; but Selden knew that in the most one-sided matrimonial quarrel there are generally counter-charges to be brought, and that they are brought with the greater audacity65 where the original grievance is so emphatic66. Mrs. Fisher had not hesitated to suggest the likelihood of Dorset's marrying Miss Bart if "anything happened"; and though Mrs. Fisher's conclusions were notoriously rash, she was shrewd enough in reading the signs from which they were drawn68. Dorset had apparently69 shown marked interest in the girl, and this interest might be used to cruel advantage in his wife's struggle for rehabilitation70. Selden knew that Bertha would fight to the last round of powder: the rashness of her conduct was illogically combined with a cold determination to escape its consequences. She could be as unscrupulous in fighting for herself as she was reckless in courting danger, and whatever came to her hand at such moments was likely to be used as a defensive71 missile. He did not, as yet, see clearly just what course she was likely to take, but his perplexity increased his apprehension, and with it the sense that, before leaving, he must speak again with Miss Bart. Whatever her share in the situation--and he had always honestly tried to resist judging her by her surroundings--however free she might be from any personal connection with it, she would be better out of the way of a possible crash; and since she had appealed to him for help, it was clearly his business to tell her so.
This decision at last brought him to his feet, and carried him back to the gambling72 rooms, within whose doors he had seen her disappearing; but a prolonged exploration of the crowd failed to put him on her traces. He saw instead, to his surprise, Ned Silverton loitering somewhat ostentatiously about the tables; and the discovery that this actor in the drama was not only hovering73 in the wings, but actually inviting74 the exposure of the footlights, though it might have seemed to imply that all peril75 was over, served rather to deepen Selden's sense of foreboding. Charged with this impression he returned to the square, hoping to see Miss Bart move across it, as every one in Monte Carlo seemed inevitably76 to do at least a dozen times a day; but here again he waited vainly for a glimpse of her, and the conclusion was slowly forced on him that she had gone back to the Sabrina. It would be difficult to follow her there, and still more difficult, should he do so, to contrive77 the opportunity for a private word; and he had almost decided78 on the unsatisfactory alternative of writing, when the ceaseless diorama of the square suddenly unrolled before him the figures of Lord Hubert and Mrs. Bry.
Hailing them at once with his question, he learned from Lord Hubert that Miss Bart had just returned to the Sabrina in Dorset's company; an announcement so evidently disconcerting to him that Mrs. Bry, after a glance from her companion, which seemed to act like the pressure on a spring, brought forth79 the prompt proposal that he should come and meet his friends at dinner that evening--"At Becassin's--a little dinner to the Duchess," she flashed out before Lord Hubert had time to remove the pressure.
Selden's sense of the privilege of being included in such company brought him early in the evening to the door of the restaurant, where he paused to scan the ranks of diners approaching down the brightly lit terrace. There, while the Brys hovered80 within over the last agitating81 alternatives of the MENU, he kept watch for the guests from the Sabrina, who at length rose on the horizon in company with the Duchess, Lord and Lady Skiddaw and the Stepneys. From this group it was easy for him to detach Miss Bart on the pretext82 of a moment's glance into one of the brilliant shops along the terrace, and to say to her, while they lingered together in the white dazzle of a jeweller's window: "I stopped over to see you--to beg of you to leave the yacht."
The eyes she turned on him showed a quick gleam of her former fear. "To leave--? What do you mean? What has happened?"
"Nothing. But if anything should, why be in the way of it?"
The glare from the jeweller's window, deepening the pallour of her face, gave to its delicate lines the sharpness of a tragic83 mask. "Nothing will, I am sure; but while there's even a doubt left, how can you think I would leave Bertha?"
The words rang out on a note of contempt--was it possibly of contempt for himself? Well, he was willing to risk its renewal to the extent of insisting, with an undeniable throb84 of added interest: "You have yourself to think of, you know--" to which, with a strange fall of sadness in her voice, she answered, meeting his eyes: "If you knew how little difference that makes!"
"Oh, well, nothing WILL happen," he said, more for his own reassurance85 than for hers; and "Nothing, nothing, of course!" she valiantly86 assented87, as they turned to overtake their companions.
In the thronged88 restaurant, taking their places about Mrs. Bry's illuminated89 board, their confidence seemed to gain support from the familiarity of their surroundings. Here were Dorset and his wife once more presenting their customary faces to the world, she engrossed in establishing her relation with an intensely new gown, he shrinking with dyspeptic dread from the multiplied solicitations of the MENU. The mere9 fact that they thus showed themselves together, with the utmost openness the place afforded, seemed to declare beyond a doubt that their differences were composed. How this end had been attained90 was still matter for wonder, but it was clear that for the moment Miss Bart rested confidently in the result; and Selden tried to achieve the same view by telling himself that her opportunities for observation had been ampler than his own.
Meanwhile, as the dinner advanced through a labyrinth91 of courses, in which it became clear that Mrs. Bry had occasionally broken away from Lord Hubert's restraining hand, Selden's general watchfulness93 began to lose itself in a particular study of Miss Bart. It was one of the days when she was so handsome that to be handsome was enough, and all the rest--her grace, her quickness, her social felicities--seemed the overflow94 of a bounteous95 nature. But what especially struck him was the way in which she detached herself, by a hundred undefinable shades, from the persons who most abounded96 in her own style. It was in just such company, the fine flower and complete expression of the state she aspired97 to, that the differences came out with special poignancy98, her grace cheapening the other women's smartness as her finely-discriminated silences made their chatter99 dull. The strain of the last hours had restored to her face the deeper eloquence100 which Selden had lately missed in it, and the bravery of her words to him still fluttered in her voice and eyes. Yes, she was matchless--it was the one word for her; and he could give his admiration101 the freer play because so little personal feeling remained in it. His real detachment from her had taken place, not at the lurid102 moment of disenchantment, but now, in the sober after-light of discrimination, where he saw her definitely divided from him by the crudeness of a choice which seemed to deny the very differences he felt in her. It was before him again in its completeness--the choice in which she was content to rest: in the stupid costliness103 of the food and the showy dulness of the talk, in the freedom of speech which never arrived at wit and the freedom of act which never made for romance. The strident setting of the restaurant, in which their table seemed set apart in a special glare of publicity104, and the presence at it of little Dabham of the "Riviera Notes," emphasized the ideals of a world where conspicuousness105 passed for distinction, and the society column had become the roll of fame.
It was as the immortalizer of such occasions that little Dabham, wedged in modest watchfulness between two brilliant neighbours, suddenly became the centre of Selden's scrutiny106. How much did he know of what was going on, and how much, for his purpose, was still worth finding out? His little eyes were like tentacles107 thrown out to catch the floating intimations with which, to Selden, the air at moments seemed thick; then again it cleared to its normal emptiness, and he could see nothing in it for the journalist but leisure to note the elegance108 of the ladies' gowns. Mrs. Dorset's, in particular, challenged all the wealth of Mr. Dabham's vocabulary: it had surprises and subtleties109 worthy110 of what he would have called "the literary style." At first, as Selden had noticed, it had been almost too preoccupying111 to its wearer; but now she was in full command of it, and was even producing her effects with unwonted freedom. Was she not, indeed, too free, too fluent, for perfect naturalness? And was not Dorset, to whom his glance had passed by a natural transition, too jerkily wavering between the same extremes? Dorset indeed was always jerky; but it seemed to Selden that tonight each vibration112 swung him farther from his centre.
The dinner, meanwhile, was moving to its triumphant113 close, to the evident satisfaction of Mrs. Bry, who, throned in apoplectic114 majesty115 between Lord Skiddaw and Lord Hubert, seemed in spirit to be calling on Mrs. Fisher to witness her achievement. Short of Mrs. Fisher her audience might have been called complete; for the restaurant was crowded with persons mainly gathered there for the purpose of spectatorship, and accurately116 posted as to the names and faces of the celebrities117 they had come to see. Mrs. Bry, conscious that all her feminine guests came under that heading, and that each one looked her part to admiration, shone on Lily with all the pent-up gratitude118 that Mrs. Fisher had failed to deserve. Selden, catching119 the glance, wondered what part Miss Bart had played in organizing the entertainment. She did, at least, a great deal to adorn120 it; and as he watched the bright security with which she bore herself, he smiled to think that he should have fancied her in need of help. Never had she appeared more serenely121 mistress of the situation than when, at the moment of dispersal, detaching herself a little from the group about the table, she turned with a smile and a graceful122 slant123 of the shoulders to receive her cloak from Dorset.
The dinner had been protracted124 over Mr. Bry's exceptional cigars and a bewildering array of liqueurs, and many of the other tables were empty; but a sufficient number of diners still lingered to give relief to the leave-taking of Mrs. Bry's distinguished125 guests. This ceremony was drawn out and complicated by the fact that it involved, on the part of the Duchess and Lady Skiddaw, definite farewells, and pledges of speedy reunion in Paris, where they were to pause and replenish126 their wardrobes on the way to England. The quality of Mrs. Bry's hospitality, and of the tips her husband had presumably imparted, lent to the manner of the English ladies a general effusiveness127 which shed the rosiest128 light over their hostess's future. In its glow Mrs. Dorset and the Stepneys were also visibly included, and the whole scene had touches of intimacy worth their weight in gold to the watchful92 pen of Mr. Dabham.
A glance at her watch caused the Duchess to exclaim to her sister that they had just time to dash for their train, and the flurry of this departure over, the Stepneys, who had their motor at the door, offered to convey the Dorsets and Miss Bart to the quay129. The offer was accepted, and Mrs. Dorset moved away with her husband in attendance. Miss Bart had lingered for a last word with Lord Hubert, and Stepney, on whom Mr. Bry was pressing a final, and still more expensive, cigar, called out: "Come on, Lily, if you're going back to the yacht."
Lily turned to obey; but as she did so, Mrs. Dorset, who had paused on her way out, moved a few steps back toward the table.
"Miss Bart is not going back to the yacht," she said in a voice of singular distinctness.
A startled look ran from eye to eye; Mrs. Bry crimsoned130 to the verge of congestion131, Mrs. Stepney slipped nervously132 behind her husband, and Selden, in the general turmoil133 of his sensations, was mainly conscious of a longing134 to grip Dabham by the collar and fling him out into the street.
Dorset, meanwhile, had stepped back to his wife's side. His face was white, and he looked about him with cowed angry eyes. "Bertha!--Miss Bart . . . this is some misunderstanding . . . some mistake . . ."
"Miss Bart remains135 here," his wife rejoined incisively136. "And, I think, George, we had better not detain Mrs. Stepney any longer."
Miss Bart, during this brief exchange of words, remained in admirable erectness137, slightly isolated from the embarrassed group about her. She had paled a little under the shock of the insult, but the discomposure of the surrounding faces was not reflected in her own. The faint disdain138 of her smile seemed to lift her high above her antagonist's reach, and it was not till she had given Mrs. Dorset the full measure of the distance between them that she turned and extended her hand to her hostess.
"I am joining the Duchess tomorrow," she explained, "and it seemed easier for me to remain on shore for the night."
She held firmly to Mrs. Bry's wavering eye while she gave this explanation, but when it was over Selden saw her send a tentative glance from one to another of the women's faces. She read their incredulity in their averted139 looks, and in the mute wretchedness of the men behind them, and for a miserable140 half-second he thought she quivered on the brink141 of failure. Then, turning to him with an easy gesture, and the pale bravery of her recovered smile--"Dear Mr. Selden," she said, "you promised to see me to my cab."
Outside, the sky was gusty142 and overcast143, and as Lily and Selden moved toward the deserted144 gardens below the restaurant, spurts145 of warm rain blew fitfully against their faces. The fiction of the cab had been tacitly abandoned; they walked on in silence, her hand on his arm, till the deeper shade of the gardens received them, and pausing beside a bench, he said: "Sit down a moment."
She dropped to the seat without answering, but the electric lamp at the bend of the path shed a gleam on the struggling misery146 of her face. Selden sat down beside her, waiting for her to speak, fearful lest any word he chose should touch too roughly on her wound, and kept also from free utterance147 by the wretched doubt which had slowly renewed itself within him. What had brought her to this pass? What weakness had placed her so abominably148 at her enemy's mercy? And why should Bertha Dorset have turned into an enemy at the very moment when she so obviously needed the support of her sex? Even while his nerves raged at the subjection of husbands to their wives, and at the cruelty of women to their kind, reason obstinately harped149 on the proverbial relation between smoke and fire. The memory of Mrs. Fisher's hints, and the corroboration150 of his own impressions, while they deepened his pity also increased his constraint151, since, whichever way he sought a free outlet152 for sympathy, it was blocked by the fear of committing a blunder.
Suddenly it struck him that his silence must seem almost as accusatory as that of the men he had despised for turning from her; but before he could find the fitting word she had cut him short with a question.
"Do you know of a quiet hotel? I can send for my maid in the morning."
"An hotel--HERE--that you can go to alone? It's not possible."
She met this with a pale gleam of her old playfulness. "What IS, then? It's too wet to sleep in the gardens."
"But there must be some one---"
"Some one to whom I can go? Of course--any number--but at THIS hour? You see my change of plan was rather sudden---"
"Good God--if you'd listened to me!" he cried, venting153 his helplessness in a burst of anger.
She still held him off with the gentle mockery of her smile. "But haven't I?" she rejoined. "You advised me to leave the yacht, and I'm leaving it."
He saw then, with a pang154 of self-reproach, that she meant neither to explain nor to defend herself; that by his miserable silence he had forfeited155 all chance of helping156 her, and that the decisive hour was past.
She had risen, and stood before him in a kind of clouded majesty, like some deposed157 princess moving tranquilly158 to exile.
"Lily!" he exclaimed, with a note of despairing appeal; but--"Oh, not now," she gently admonished159 him; and then, in all the sweetness of her recovered composure: "Since I must find shelter somewhere, and since you're so kindly160 here to help me---"
He gathered himself up at the challenge. "You will do as I tell you? There's but one thing, then; you must go straight to your cousins, the Stepneys."
"Oh--" broke from her with a movement of instinctive161 resistance; but he insisted: "Come--it's late, and you must appear to have gone there directly."
He had drawn her hand into his arm, but she held him back with a last gesture of protest. "I can't--I can't--not that--you don't know Gwen: you mustn't ask me!"
"I MUST ask you--you must obey me," he persisted, though infected at heart by her own fear.
Her voice sank to a whisper: "And if she refuses?"--but, "Oh, trust me--trust me!" he could only insist in return; and yielding to his touch, she let him lead her back in silence to the edge of the square.
In the cab they continued to remain silent through the brief drive which carried them to the illuminated portals of the Stepneys' hotel. Here he left her outside, in the darkness of the raised hood67, while his name was sent up to Stepney, and he paced the showy hall, awaiting the latter's descent. Ten minutes later the two men passed out together between the gold-laced custodians162 of the threshold; but in the vestibule Stepney drew up with a last flare163 of reluctance164.
"It's understood, then?" he stipulated165 nervously, with his hand on Selden's arm. "She leaves tomorrow by the early train--and my wife's asleep, and can't be disturbed."
收听单词发音 |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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subside
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| vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降 | |
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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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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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averting
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| 防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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temporize
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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abysmal
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perversely
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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28
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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29
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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30
exasperating
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| adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式 | |
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31
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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32
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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33
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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34
participation
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| n.参与，参加，分享 | |
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35
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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36
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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37
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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38
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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39
conspiring
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| 密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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40
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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41
pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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42
repenting
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的现在分词 ) | |
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43
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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44
contortions
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| n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 ) | |
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45
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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46
hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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47
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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48
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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49
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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50
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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51
resentment
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|
| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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52
apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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53
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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54
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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55
revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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56
tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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57
impatience
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|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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58
justifiably
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| adv.无可非议地 | |
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59
intimacy
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|
| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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60
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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61
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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62
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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63
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
gratuitously
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| 平白 | |
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65
audacity
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|
| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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66
emphatic
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|
| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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67
hood
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|
| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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68
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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69
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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70
rehabilitation
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| n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位 | |
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71
defensive
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|
| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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72
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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73
hovering
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|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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74
inviting
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|
| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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75
peril
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|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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76
inevitably
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|
| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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77
contrive
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|
| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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78
decided
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|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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79
forth
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|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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80
hovered
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|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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81
agitating
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|
| 搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论 | |
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82
pretext
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|
| n.借口，托词 | |
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83
tragic
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|
| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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84
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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85
reassurance
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|
| n.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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86
valiantly
|
|
| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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87
assented
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|
| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
thronged
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|
| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89
illuminated
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|
| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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90
attained
|
|
| （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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91
labyrinth
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|
| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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92
watchful
|
|
| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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93
watchfulness
|
|
| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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94
overflow
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|
| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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95
bounteous
|
|
| adj.丰富的 | |
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96
abounded
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|
| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
aspired
|
|
| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
poignancy
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|
| n.辛酸事，尖锐 | |
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99
chatter
|
|
| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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100
eloquence
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|
| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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101
admiration
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|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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102
lurid
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|
| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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103
costliness
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| 昂贵的 | |
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104
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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105
conspicuousness
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| 显著，卓越，突出； 显著性 | |
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106
scrutiny
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|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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107
tentacles
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|
| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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108
elegance
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|
| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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109
subtleties
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|
| 细微( subtlety的名词复数 )； 精细； 巧妙； 细微的差别等 | |
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110
worthy
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|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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111
preoccupying
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|
| v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的现在分词 ) | |
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112
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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113
triumphant
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|
| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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114
apoplectic
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|
| adj.中风的；愤怒的；n.中风患者 | |
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115
majesty
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|
| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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116
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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117
celebrities
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| n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉 | |
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118
gratitude
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|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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119
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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120
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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121
serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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122
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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123
slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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124
protracted
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|
| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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125
distinguished
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|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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126
replenish
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|
| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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127
effusiveness
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| n.吐露，唠叨 | |
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128
rosiest
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| adj.玫瑰色的( rosy的最高级 )；愉快的；乐观的；一切都称心如意 | |
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129
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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130
crimsoned
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| 变为深红色（crimson的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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131
congestion
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| n.阻塞，消化不良 | |
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132
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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133
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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134
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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135
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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136
incisively
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| adv.敏锐地，激烈地 | |
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137
erectness
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| n.直立 | |
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138
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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139
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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140
miserable
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|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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141
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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142
gusty
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| adj.起大风的 | |
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143
overcast
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|
| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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144
deserted
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|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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145
spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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146
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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147
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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148
abominably
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|
| adv. 可恶地，可恨地，恶劣地 | |
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149
harped
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| vi.弹竖琴（harp的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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150
corroboration
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|
| n.进一步的证实，进一步的证据 | |
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151
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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152
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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153
venting
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| 消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风 | |
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154
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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155
forfeited
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|
| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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156
helping
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|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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157
deposed
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| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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158
tranquilly
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| adv. 宁静地 | |
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159
admonished
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| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
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160
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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161
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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162
custodians
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| n.看守人，保管人( custodian的名词复数 ) | |
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163
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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164
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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165
stipulated
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| vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的 | |
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