The first fight was over the question of who would be allowed in the room. On the defense1 side, Jared Kurtin had full command of his battalion2 and there were no problems.
The brawl3 was on the other side.
Sterling4 Bintz arrived early and loudly with an entourage that included young men who appeared to be lawyers and others who appeared to be leg breakers. He claimed to represent over half of the Bowmore victims, and therefore deserved a lead role in the negotiations5. He spoke6 with a clipped nasal voice and in an accent quite foreign to south Mississippi, and he was instantly despised by everyone there. Wes settled him down, but only for a moment. F. Clyde Hardin watched from the safety of a corner, crunching7 a biscuit, enjoying the argument, and praying for a quick settlement. The IRS was now sending registered letters.
A national toxic8 tort star from Melbourne Beach, Florida, arrived with his support staff and joined in the debate. He, too, claimed to represent hundreds of injured people, and, since he was a veteran of mass tort settlement, he figured he should handle things from the plaintiffs' side.
The two class action lawyers were soon bickering9 over stolen clients.
There were seventeen other law firms jockeying for position. A few were reputable personal injury firms, but most were small-town car-wreck lawyers who had picked up a case or two while sniffing10 around Bowmore.
Tensions were high hours before the meeting began, and once the yelling started, there was the real possibility of a punch being thrown. When the voices were sharpest, Jared Kurtin calmly got their attention and announced that Wes and Mary Grace Payton would decide who sat where. If anyone had a problem with that, then he and his client and its insurance company would walk out the door with all the money. This calmed things down.
Then there was the issue of the press. At least three reporters were on hand to cover this "secret" meeting, and when asked to leave, they were quite reluctant. Fortunately, Kurtin had arranged for some armed security. The reporters were eventually escorted out of the hotel.
Kurtin had also suggested, and offered to pay for, a referee11, a disinterested12 person well versed13 in litigation and settlements. Wes had agreed, and Kurtin found a retired14 federal judge in Fort Worth who worked part-time as a mediator15. Judge Rosenthal quietly assumed control after the trial lawyers had settled down. It took him an hour to negotiate the seating. He would have the chair at the end of the long table. To his right, halfway16 down and in the center, would be Mr. Kurtin, flanked by his partners, associates, Frank Sully from Hattiesburg, two suits from Krane, and one from its liability insurance carrier. A total of eleven at the table for the defense, with another twenty packed behind them.
To his left, the Paytons sat in the center, opposite Jared Kurtin. They were flanked by Jim McMay, the Hattiesburg trial lawyer with four death cases out of Bowmore.
McMay had made a fortune on the fen-phen diet pill litigation and had participated in several mass settlement conferences. He was joined by a lawyer from Gulfport who had similar experience. The other chairs were taken by Mississippi lawyers who had legitimate17 cases from Bowmore. The class action boys were shoved into the background. Sterling Bintz voiced his objection to his placement in the room, and Wes angrily told him to shut up. When the leg breakers reacted badly, Jared Kurtin announced that the class actions were the lowest priority on Krane's list, and if he, Bintz, hoped to collect a dime18, then he should keep quiet and stay out of the way.
"This ain't Philadelphia," Judge Rosenthal said. "Are those bodyguards19 or lawyers?”
"Both," Bintz snapped back.
"Keep them under control.”
Bintz sat down, mumbling20 and cursing.
It was 10:00 a.m., and Wes was already exhausted21. His wife, though, was ready to begin.
For three hours nonstop they shuffled22 papers. Judge Rosenthal directed traffic as client summaries were produced, copied next door, reviewed, then classified according to the judge's arbitrary rating system: death was Class One, confirmed cancer was Class Two, all others were Class Three.
A stalemate occurred when Mary Grace suggested that Jeannette Baker23 be given first priority, and thus more money, because she had actually gone to trial. Why is her case worth more than the other death cases? a trial lawyer asked.
"Because she went to trial," Mary Grace shot back with a hard gaze. In other words, Baker's lawyers had the guts24 to take on Krane while the other lawyers chose to sit back and watch. In the months before the trial, the Paytons had approached at least five of the other trial lawyers present, including Jim McMay, and practically begged them for help. All declined.
"We will concede that the Baker case is worth more," Jared Kurtin said. "Frankly25, I'm unable to ignore a $41 million verdict." And for the first time in years, Mary Grace actually smiled at the man. She could have hugged him.
At one, they broke for a two-hour lunch. The Paytons and Jim McMay sat away in a corner of the hotel restaurant and tried to analyze27 the meeting so far. Going in, they were consumed with the question of Krane's intent. Was it serious about a settlement?
Or was it a stunt28 to push along the company's agenda? The fact that the national business papers knew so much about the secret settlement talks made the lawyers suspicious.
But so far Mr. Kurtin had given every indication that he was a man on a mission.
There had been no smiles from the Krane suits or the insurance boys, perhaps a sign that they were about to part with their money.
At 3:00 p.m. in New York, Carl Trudeau leaked the word that the negotiations were progressing nicely down in Mississippi. Krane was optimistic about a settlement.
Its stock closed the week at $16.50, up $4.00.
At 3:00 p.m. in Hattiesburg, the negotiators reassumed their positions, and Judge Rosenthal started the paper mill again. Three hours later, the initial accounting29 was complete. On the table were the claims of 704 people. Sixty-eight had died of cancer, and their families were blaming Krane. A hundred and forty-three were now suffering from cancer. The rest had a wide range of lesser30 illnesses and afflictions that were allegedly caused by the contaminated drinking water from the Bowmore pumping station.
Judge Rosenthal congratulated both sides on a hard and productive day, and adjourned31 the meeting until nine o'clock Saturday morning.
Wes and Mary Grace drove straight to the office and reported to the firm. Sherman had been in the negotiating room all day and shared his observations. They agreed that Jared Kurtin had returned to Hattiesburg with the goal of settling the Bowmore litigation and that his client seemed committed to that end. Wes cautioned that it was much too early to celebrate. They had managed only to identify the parties. The first dollar was nowhere near the table.
Mack and Liza begged them to go to the movies. Halfway through the eight o'clock show, Wes began to nod off. Mary Grace stared blankly at the screen, munching33 on popcorn34 and mentally crunching numbers related to medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of companionship, loss of wages, loss of everything. She did not dare entertain thoughts of calculating attorneys' fees.
There were fewer suits and ties at the table Saturday morning. Even Judge Rosenthal looked quite casual in a black polo shirt under a sport coat. When the restless lawyers were in place and things were quiet, he said, with a great old voice that must have dominated many trials, "I suggest we start with the death cases and walk through them all.”
No two death cases were the same from a settlement standpoint. Children were worth much less than adults because they have no record of earning power. Young fathers were worth more because of the loss of future wages. Some of the dead folks suffered for years, others went quickly. Everyone had a different figure for medical bills.
Judge Rosenthal presented another scale, arbitrary but at least a starting point, in which each case would be rated based on its value. The highest cases would get a 5, and the cheapest (children) would get a 1. Time-out was called several times as the plaintiffs' lawyers haggled35 over this. When it was finally agreed upon, they began with Jeannette Baker. She was given a 10. The next case involved a fifty-four-year-old woman who worked part-time in a bakery and died after a three-year battle with leukemia.
She was given a 3.
As they plowed36 through the list, each lawyer was allowed to present his particular case and plead for a higher rating. Through it all, there was no indication from Jared Kurtin of how much he was willing to pay for any of the death cases. Mary Grace watched him carefully when the other lawyers were talking. His face and actions revealed nothing but deep concentration.
At 2:30, they finished with Class One and moved to the longer list of those claimants who were still alive but battling cancer. Rating their case? was trickier37. No one could know how long each would survive or how much each would suffer.
No one could predict the likelihood of death. The lucky ones would live and become cancer-free. The discussion disintegrated38 into several heated arguments, and at times Judge Rosenthal was flustered39 and unable to suggest a compromise. Late in the day, Jared Kurtin began to show signs of strain and frustration40.
As 7:00 p.m. approached and the session was mercifully winding41 down, Sterling Bintz could not restrain himself. "I'm not sure how much longer I can sit here and watch this little exercise," he announced rudely as he approached the table at the far end, away from Judge Rosenthal. "I mean, I've been here for two days and I haven't been allowed to speak. Which, of course, means my clients have been ignored. Enough is enough. I represent a class action of over three hundred injured people, and you all seem determined42 to screw them.”
Wes started a rebuke43, but thought better of it. Let him ramble44. They were about to adjourn32 anyway.
"My clients are not going to be ignored," he practically shouted, and everyone grew still. There was a hint of madness in his voice and certainly in his eyes, and perhaps it was best to let him rant26 a little. "My clients have suffered greatly, and are still suffering. And you people are not concerned with them. I can't hang around here forever. I'm due in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon for another settlement.
I got eight thousand cases against Schmeltzer for their laxative pills. So, since everyone here seems quite content to chat about everything but money, let me tell you where I am.”
He had their attention. Jared Kurtin and the money boys perked45 up and stiffened46 a bit. Mary Grace watched every wrinkle in Kurtin's face. If this nut was about to throw a figure on the table, she wanted her adversary's reaction.
"I'm not settling my cases for less than a hundred thousand each," Bintz said with a sneer47. "Maybe more, depending on each client.”
Kurtin's face was frozen, but then it usually was. One of his associates shook his head, another one smiled a silly smile of amusement. The two Krane executives frowned and shifted as they dismissed this as absurd.
As the notion of $30 million floated around the room, Wes did the simple math. Bintz would probably take a third, throw a few crumbs48 at F. Clyde Hardin, then quickly move on to the next mass tort bonanza49.
F. Clyde was cowering50 in a far corner, the same spot he'd occupied for many hours now. The paper cup in his hand was filled with orange juice, crushed ice, and four ounces of vodka. It was, after all, almost 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday. The math was so simple he could do it in his sleep. His cut was 5 percent of the total fees, or $500,000 under the rather reasonable scheme being so boldly suggested by his co-counsel.
Their arrangement also paid F. Clyde $500 per client, and with three hundred clients he should have already received $150,000. He had not. Bintz had passed along about a third of that, but seemed disinclined to discuss the rest. He was a very busy lawyer and hard to get on the phone. Surely, he would come through as promised.
F. Clyde gulped51 his drink as Bintz's declaration rattled52 around the room.
Bintz continued. "We're not taking peanuts and going home," he threatened. "At some point in these negotiations, and the sooner the better, I want my clients' cases on the table.”
"Tomorrow morning at nine," Judge Rosenthal suddenly barked. "As for now, we are adjourned.”
"A Pathetic Campaign" was the tide of the lead editorial in Sunday's Clarion-Ledger out of Jackson. Using a page out of Nat Lester's report, the editors damned the Ron Fisk campaign for its sleazy advertising53. They accused Fisk of taking millions from big business and using it to mislead the public. His ads were filled with half-truths and statements taken wholly out of context. Fear was his weapon-fear of homosexuals, fear of gun control, fear of sexual predators54. He was condemned55 for labeling Sheila McCarthy a "liberal" when in fact her body of work, which the editrtrs had studied, could only be considered quite moderate. They blasted Fisk for promising56 to vote this way or that on cases he had yet to review as a member of the court.
The editorial also decried57 the entire process. So much money was being raised and spent, by both candidates, that fair and unbiased decision making was in jeopardy58.
How could Sheila McCarthy, who had so far received over $1.5 million from trial lawyers, be expected to ignore this money when those same lawyers appeared before the supreme59 court?
It finished with a call to abolish judicial60 elections and have the judges appointed based on merit by a nonpartisan panel.
The Sun Herald61 from Biloxi was even nastier. It accused the Fisk campaign of outright62 deceit and used the Darrel Sackett mailing as its prime example. Sackett was dead, not loose and on the prowl. He'd been dead for four years, something Nat Lester had learned with a couple of quick phone calls.
The Hattiesburg American challenged the Fisk campaign to retract63 its negative and misleading ads and to disclose, before Election Day, its contributions from big donors64 outside the state. It urged both candidates to clean up the race and honor the dignity of the supreme court.
On page 3 of section A of the New York Times, Gilbert's expose ran with photos of Meyerchec and Spano, as well as Fisk and McCarthy.
It covered the race in general, then focused on the gay marriage issue created and injected into the race by the two men from Illinois. Gilbert did a thorough job of accumulating evidence that the two men were longtime residents of Chicago and had virtually no ties to Mississippi. He did not speculate that they were being used by conservative political operatives to sabotage65 McCarthy. He didn't have to. The punch line was delivered in the final paragraph. Nat Lester was quoted as saying: "These guys are a couple of stooges being used by Ron Fisk and his backers to create an issue that does not exist. Their goal is to fire up the right-wing Christians67 and march them down to the polls.”
Ron and Doreen Fisk were at the kitchen table, ignoring their early coffee, rereading the Jackson editorial, and fuming68. The campaign had gone so smoothly69. They were ahead in all the polls. Nine days to go and they could see the victory Why, then, was Ron suddenly being described as "deceitful" and "dishonest" by the state's largest newspaper?
It was a painful, humiliating slap, one that they had no idea was coming. And it was certainly not deserved. They were honest, upstanding, clean-cut Christian66 people.
Why this?
The phone rang and Ron grabbed it. Tony's tired voice said, "Have you seen the Jackson paper?”
"Yes, we're looking at it now.”
"Have you seen the one from Hattiesburg and the Sun Herald?”
"No. Why?”
"Do you read the New York Times?”
"No.”
"Check them out online. Call me in an hour.”
"Is it bad?”
"Yes.”
They read and fumed70 for another hour, then decided71 to skip church. Ron felt betrayed and embarrassed and was in no mood to leave the house. According to the latest numbers from his pollster in Atlanta, he had a comfortable lead. Now, though, he felt defeat was certain. No candidate could survive such a thrashing. He blamed the liberal press.
He blamed Tony Zachary and those who controlled the campaign. And he blamed himself for being so naive72. Why did he place so much trust in people he barely knew?
Doreen assured him it was not his fault. He had thrown himself so completely into the campaigning that he'd had little time to watch everything else. Any campaign is chaotic73. No one can monitor the actions of all the workers and volunteers.
Ron unloaded on Tony during a lengthy74 and tense phone conversation. "You've embarrassed me," Ron said. "You've humiliated75 me and my family to the point that I really don't want to leave the house. I'm thinking about quitting.”
"You can't quit, Ron, you have too much invested," Tony replied, trying to control his panic and reassure76 his boy.
"That's the problem, Tony. I've allowed you guys to generate too much cash, and you cannot handle it. Stop all television ads right now.”
"That's impossible, Ron. They're already in the pipeline77.”
"So I'm not in control of my own campaign, is that what you're telling me, Tony?”
"It's not that simple.”
"I'm not leaving the house, Tony. Pull all the ads right now. Stop everything, and I'm calling the editors of these newspapers. I'm admitting my mistakes.”
"Ron, come on.”
"I'm the boss, Tony, it's my campaign.”
"Yes, and you've got the race won. Don't screw it up with only nine days to go.”
"Did you know that Darrel Sackett was dead?”
"Well, I really can't-”
"Answer the question, Tony. Did you know he was dead?”
"I'm not sure.”
"You knew he was dead and you deliberately78 ran a false ad, didn't you?”
"No, I-”
"You're fired, Tony. You're fired and I quit.”
"Don't overreact, Ron. Settle down.”
"You're fired.”
"I'll be down in an hour.”
"You do that, Tony. You get down here as quick as possible, and until then you're fired.”
"I'm leaving now. Don't do anything until I get there.”
"I'm calling the editors right now.”
"Don't do that, Ron. Please. Wait until I get there.”
The lawyers had little time for newspapers on Sunday morning. By eight o'clock they were gathering79 at the hotel for what would surely be the most important day yet.
There had been no indication from Jared Kurtin as to how long he might negotiate before heading back to Atlanta, but it was assumed that round one would be over on Sunday afternoon. Other than the $30 million suggestion made by Sterling Bintz the evening before, there had been no talk of money. That had to change on Sunday. Wes and Mary Grace were determined to leave that day with a general idea of how much the Class One and Class Two cases were worth.
By 8:30 all the plaintiffs' lawyers were in place, most of them huddled80 in serious conversations, all of them ignoring Sterling Bintz, who in turn ignored them. His entourage was still intact. He was not speaking to the other class action lawyer from Melbourne Beach. Judge Rosenthal arrived at 8:45 and commented on the absence of everyone on the defense side. The trial lawyers finally noticed this. There was not a soul sitting opposite them. Wes punched in the number of Jared Kurtin's cell phone, but listened to his recording81.
"We did agree on 9:00 a.m., didn't we?" asked Rosenthal, five minutes before the hour. It was unanimously agreed that nine was the magic hour. They waited, and time suddenly moved much slower.
At 9:02, Frank Sully, local counsel for Krane, walked into the room and said, somewhat sheepishly, almost in embarrassment82, "My client has decided to recess83 these negotiations until further notice. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience.”
"Where's Jared Kurtin?" Judge Rosenthal demanded.
"He's flying back to Atlanta right now.”
"When did your client make this decision?”
"I don't know. I was informed about an hour ago. I'm very sorry, Judge. I apologize to everyone here.”
The room seemed to tilt84 as one side sank under the weight of this sudden turn of events. Lawyers giddy in anticipation85 of finally slicing up the pie dropped their pens and pencils and gaped86 at one another in shock. Great gasps87 of air were discharged. Curses were mumbled88 just loud enough to be heard. Shoulders sagged89. They wanted to throw something at Sully, but he was just the local and they had learned a long time ago that he had no clout90.
F. Clyde Hardin wiped sweat from his wet face and tried valiantly91 not to throw up.
There was a sudden rush to leave, to clear out. It was maddening to sit there and stare at the empty chairs, chairs once occupied by men who just might have made them rich. The trial lawyers quickly gathered stacks of papers, restuffed their briefcases92, and offered brusque goodbyes.
Wes and Mary Grace said nothing as they drove to their apartment.
收听单词发音 |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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brawl
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| n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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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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crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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toxic
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| adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的 | |
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bickering
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| v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁 | |
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sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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referee
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| n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人 | |
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disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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mediator
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| n.调解人，中介人 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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dime
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| n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角 | |
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bodyguards
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| n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 ) | |
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mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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rant
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| v.咆哮；怒吼；n.大话；粗野的话 | |
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analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adjourn
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| v.（使）休会，（使）休庭 | |
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munching
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| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
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popcorn
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| n.爆米花 | |
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haggled
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| v.讨价还价( haggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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plowed
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| v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
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trickier
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| adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的 | |
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disintegrated
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| v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flustered
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| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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perked
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| （使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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bonanza
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| n.富矿带，幸运，带来好运的事 | |
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cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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predators
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| n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面） | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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decried
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| v.公开反对，谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jeopardy
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| n.危险；危难 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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retract
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| vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消 | |
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donors
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| n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者 | |
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sabotage
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| n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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fuming
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| 愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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pipeline
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| n.管道，管线 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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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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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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clout
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| n.用手猛击；权力，影响力 | |
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valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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briefcases
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| n.公文[事]包( briefcase的名词复数 ) | |
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