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Chapter 35
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LEARN... Norbert shook his head and bellowed1 laughter. Learning would take years. How would you learn in a short time to do this?

The gnome2 took a lit candle, waved his bare hand through the flame, not once crying out, then snapped his fingers, and the flame was snuffed as if by magic. It's what comes natural that I need to know. So tell me,whaddaya do ?

Do... ? I muttered.

Do, the jester snapped. What kind of student have you brought me, auntie? Has a rock hit his head?What do you do? Juggle3, tumble, fall down?

I looked around. I spotted4 a staff leaning against a table, roughly the same size as mine. I winked5 at Norbert. I can do this. I placed one end of the staff on the palm of my hand, balancing it there, then lightly transferred it to a single finger. For a full minute, it stood straight on end.

Oh, that'sgoood , Norbert crooned. But can you do this? He snatched the staff from me. In a flash, he balanced it, just as I had, upon his index finger. Then, with almost no hesitation6, he flung it in the air and caught it as before on the same finger. Then again, on only one finger.

Or this? He smirked7 and began to twirl the staff so fast it looked as if six pairs of hands were twirling it. I could not even follow its path. Then he brought it to a stop and handed it to me in the same motion. Let me see you do that.

I cannot, I admitted.

Then this, perhaps... He winked at me with a bulging8 eye. The lady said you were sprightly9.

In a motion that defied my eyes, this squat10, curved man spun11 into a complete forward somersault, then backward again, landing precisely12 where he had started.

What about jokes, then? The lady said you could make me laugh. You must know some fabulous13 jokes.

I know a few, I said.

Norbert folded his arms. So, go ahead, boy. Bowl me over. Make me laugh until I piss myself.

Now I was eager to take the dare, eager to show the jester up. This I could surely do. I thought through my best inventory14. There's the one about the peasant who is so lazy that as he watches a gold coin drop from the money bag of a knight15 riding by...

Knowit, Norbert interrupted. He says to his friend, `If he comes back the same way, this just might be our lucky day.'

Then there's the one about the traveler and the whorehouse, I began. A traveler is walking down the road....

Knowit, the jester snapped again. The sign says, `Congratulations, you've just been screwed.'

I went through two other tales that never failed to stir a laugh.Knowit , he said to both. He seemed to know them all. Emilie held back a laugh.

So that's it? That's your entire repertoire16? The jester shook his head. Can you at leastrhyme? A dour17 king cannot ignore,refusedly , a spicy18 tale about his wife if it is told amusedly.

This stuff iseasy , right? Hump your back, hop19 around like an ape, everyone rolls over in stitches. C'mon, Red, you must have something decent. You want a pretext20? Well, I want to be a mentor21.I want to be a mentor. He pranced22 around and whined23 like a spoiled child. You know, maybe on second thought, you would have an easier time storming Baldwin's castle than making them laugh.

In a fit of vexation, I searched the room. This was no sport to me. No stupid audition24. This was about the fate of my wife. Then, in the corner of the jester's cell, I spotted a ball and chain.

That. I pointed25.

What? Wanna play catch? Norbert asked haughtily26.

No, jester. Fetch me the chain. I remembered something I had seen on the Crusade. A captured Saracen did a trick to amuse his captors; it worked so well they kept him alive.

Bind27 me with it, I said. Wrap it all the way around, tight as you can. I will extricate28 myself.

This brought a worried look from Emilie. The chain was heavy. Wound too tight, it could squeeze the air out of a man.

Your poison. Norbert shrugged29.

He went over and dragged the heavy chain back to me. I took several deep breaths, as I had seen the Saracen do when he performed the trick. Then the jester began to wrap. Slowly, heavily, the chain squeezed me. I lifted my arms and he wrapped it around my shoulders. And for good luck, between my legs.

Your rubicund30 friend has a knack31 to kill himself. Norbert chuckled32.

Please be careful, Emilie said.

I pushed out my chest as expansively as I could as the jester circled it with the chain. I had to enlarge myself. I had to hold my breath. I had seen this done. I had questioned the Turk about it myself. I only hoped I could re-create the effect now.

Time's a wasting, Norbert said after the chain was secure. He stood back.

The links felt heavy on my shoulders. Slowly, I released the captured air from my lungs. The slightest wiggle room developed around my chest. It was only a finger's breadth or two.

Then I was able to shift my shoulders back and forth33. Then gradually my arms. Every grueling minute advanced like an hour. The weight of the chains pressed me to the floor. My hands were pinned behind my back, but finally I pulled one free. I twisted it like a snake through an opening up around my shoulders.

Emilie gasped34. The jester looked on, finally interested in me.

It took all of my strength to get an arm free. My stomach and leg still ached from the boar's attack. Each exertion35 was grueling, but gradually, with the arm free, I was able to unwrap the chain. From between my legs, from under my arms, from around my chest. Layer after layer came off. Then I freed my other arm.

As I kicked off the final loop, Emilie screeched36 a happy cry.

I doubled over, drenched37 in sweat. I looked up at my mentor.

Norbert drummed his fingers along the side of his face. He smiled at Emilie. I think we can work with that.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 bellowed fa9ba2065b18298fa17a6311db3246fc     
v.发出吼叫声,咆哮(尤指因痛苦)( bellow的过去式和过去分词 );(愤怒地)说出(某事),大叫
参考例句:
  • They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
  • He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时,他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
2 gnome gnome     
n.土地神;侏儒,地精
参考例句:
  • The Swedes do not have Santa Claus.What they have is Christmas Gnome.瑞典人的圣诞节里没有圣诞老人,但他们却有一个圣诞守护神。
  • Susan bought a garden gnome to decorate her garden.苏珊买了一个土地神像来装饰她的花园。
3 juggle KaFzL     
v.变戏法,纂改,欺骗,同时做;n.玩杂耍,纂改,花招
参考例句:
  • If you juggle with your accounts,you'll get into trouble.你要是在帐目上做手脚,你可要遇到麻烦了。
  • She had to juggle her job and her children.她得同时兼顾工作和孩子。
4 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
5 winked af6ada503978fa80fce7e5d109333278     
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
参考例句:
  • He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
  • He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
6 hesitation tdsz5     
n.犹豫,踌躇
参考例句:
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
7 smirked e3dfaba83cd6d2a557bf188c3fc000e9     
v.傻笑( smirk的过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He smirked at Tu Wei-yueh. 他对屠维岳狞笑。 来自子夜部分
  • He smirked in acknowledgement of their uncouth greetings, and sat down. 他皮笑肉不笑地接受了他的粗鲁的招呼,坐了下来。 来自辞典例句
8 bulging daa6dc27701a595ab18024cbb7b30c25     
膨胀; 凸出(部); 打气; 折皱
参考例句:
  • Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
  • Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她:“问问是不是重要的事。”
9 sprightly 4GQzv     
adj.愉快的,活泼的
参考例句:
  • She is as sprightly as a woman half her age.她跟比她年轻一半的妇女一样活泼。
  • He's surprisingly sprightly for an old man.他这把年纪了,还这么精神,真了不起。
10 squat 2GRzp     
v.蹲坐,蹲下;n.蹲下;adj.矮胖的,粗矮的
参考例句:
  • For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
  • He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。
11 spun kvjwT     
v.纺,杜撰,急转身
参考例句:
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
12 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
参考例句:
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
13 fabulous ch6zI     
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的
参考例句:
  • We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
  • This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。
14 inventory 04xx7     
n.详细目录,存货清单
参考例句:
  • Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
  • We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。
15 knight W2Hxk     
n.骑士,武士;爵士
参考例句:
  • He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
  • A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。
16 repertoire 2BCze     
n.(准备好演出的)节目,保留剧目;(计算机的)指令表,指令系统, <美>(某个人的)全部技能;清单,指令表
参考例句:
  • There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
  • He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。
17 dour pkAzf     
adj.冷酷的,严厉的;(岩石)嶙峋的;顽强不屈
参考例句:
  • They were exposed to dour resistance.他们遭受到顽强的抵抗。
  • She always pretends to be dour,in fact,she's not.她总表现的不爱讲话,事实却相反。
18 spicy zhvzrC     
adj.加香料的;辛辣的,有风味的
参考例句:
  • The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
  • Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。
19 hop vdJzL     
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
参考例句:
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
20 pretext 1Qsxi     
n.借口,托词
参考例句:
  • He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
  • He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口,没参加那个会议。
21 mentor s78z0     
n.指导者,良师益友;v.指导
参考例句:
  • He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
  • He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。
22 pranced 7eeb4cd505dcda99671e87a66041b41d     
v.(马)腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Their horses pranced and whinnied. 他们的马奔腾着、嘶鸣着。 来自辞典例句
  • The little girl pranced about the room in her new clothes. 小女孩穿着新衣在屋里雀跃。 来自辞典例句
23 whined cb507de8567f4d63145f632630148984     
v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 );哀诉,诉怨
参考例句:
  • The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句
24 audition 8uazw     
n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)
参考例句:
  • I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音,可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
  • At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初,他们说他太小,但后来他们叫他去试听。
25 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
26 haughtily haughtily     
adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地
参考例句:
  • She carries herself haughtily. 她举止傲慢。
  • Haughtily, he stalked out onto the second floor where I was standing. 他傲然跨出电梯,走到二楼,我刚好站在那儿。
27 bind Vt8zi     
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬
参考例句:
  • I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
  • He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。
28 extricate rlCxp     
v.拯救,救出;解脱
参考例句:
  • How can we extricate the firm from this trouble?我们该如何承救公司脱离困境呢?
  • She found it impossible to extricate herself from the relationship.她发现不可能把自己从这种关系中解脱出来。
29 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 rubicund dXOxQ     
adj.(脸色)红润的
参考例句:
  • She watched the colour drain from Colin's rubicund face.她看见科林原本红润的脸渐渐失去了血色。
  • His rubicund face expressed consternation and fatigue.他那红通的脸显得又惊惶又疲乏。
31 knack Jx9y4     
n.诀窍,做事情的灵巧的,便利的方法
参考例句:
  • He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
  • Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难,但有窍门。
32 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
33 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
34 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
35 exertion F7Fyi     
n.尽力,努力
参考例句:
  • We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力,累得大汗淋漓。
  • She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡,她浑身发热。
36 screeched 975e59058e1a37cd28bce7afac3d562c     
v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
参考例句:
  • She screeched her disapproval. 她尖叫着不同意。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The car screeched to a stop. 汽车嚓的一声停住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
37 drenched cu0zJp     
adj.湿透的;充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 );在某人(某物)上大量使用(某液体)
参考例句:
  • We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨,淋得浑身透湿。
  • The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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