Intent upon picking his way back over the wet Rocks to the Sea-Steps, ascending1 with the same care, Mason doesn't notice Maskelyne till he's ashore2 and nearly upon him. It seems an odd place to find him, unless he's here for the departure of a ship,— and upon this Tide, only Dixon's is bound away. Withal, Mason doubts that he wishes to be seen,— his Eyes, on detecting Mason, performing a swift Passado.
"My Early Stroll," he greets Mason. "Up most of the Night, anyway, Stargazer's Curse. Mr. Dixon and the Clock successfully embark'd, I trust."
Mason nods, gazing past the little Harbor, out to Sea. None of his busi?ness where Maskelyne goes, or comes,— God let it remain so. The Stars wheel into the blackness of the broken steep Hills guarding the Mouth of the Valley. Fog begins to stir against the Day swelling4 near. Among the whiten'd Rock Walls of the Houses seethes5 a great Whisper of living Voice.
"Shall we enter again the Atlantick Whore-House, find Breakfast, and get to work?"
At this hour, Lanthorns through Window-Glass beckon6 ev'rywhere. "It certainly isn't Cape7 Town," Mason marvels8. Sailors a-stagger, Nymphs going on and off Shift, novice9 Company Writers too perplex'd to sleep, Fish-Mongers in Tandem10 with giant Tunas slung11 betwixt 'em con-sid'rately as Chair riders, Slaves singing in the local patois12, Torches a-twinkle ev'rywhere,— and no Curfew. John Company, unlike its Dutch counterpart, recognizes here the primacy of Tide Tables, and, beyond them, of the Moon,— ceding13 to her de facto rule over all arrivals and departures, including Life and Death, upon this broken Island, so long ill us'd.
They cross the Bridge, go along the Main Parade, the Waves ever beating, and past the Company Castle, pausing at the bottom of the prin?cipal Street. "Tho' small in secular15 Dimensions," Maskelyne gesturing in at the Town, "yet entering, ye discover its true Extent,— which proves Mazy as an European City...no end of corners yet to be turn'd. 'Tis Loaves and Fishes, here in James's Town, and Philosophy has no answer." He appears lucid17 and sincere.
"Then" (Mason, as he reviews it later, should likely not have blurted) "if someone wish'd to disappear for a while, yet remain upon the Island,- "
The bright eyes begin to blink, as if in some Code. "Of course, forever would be easier,— because of the Sea, that is."
Mason isn't sure he wants to know what this means. "Of course, but, say for a Se'nnight?"
' 'Twould depend who's in Pursuit."
"Say, Honorable John."
"Hum. The first two or three days'd be easy,— assuming one had a perfect knowledge of the Town and the Island,— for the initial Search-Parties would be of younger Writers and 'Prentices, too new here to know even the Castle in its true Extension, disruptive lads, intimidating18, alert?ing ev'ry Soul to the Imminence19 of a Search Island-wide,— that is, thro' this entire World,—
"You've, ehm, certainly thought this out...."
"You were inquiring upon your own Behalf, I'd assum'd.... No need for me to disappear. Oh, Dear, the Royal Soc's quite forgotten all about old N.M., Esq. Lounging his life away waiting at the King's Expense for the Home Planet to move along. But now at the very Instant there is work to be done at last, the Heav'ns have provided me—
"Yes?" inquires Mason, pleasantly enough.
"— a veteran Astronomer20, with a brilliant Success to his Credit, to share in my simpler, meaner Duties.”
"Mr. Waddington, I collect, being...somehow unavailable for the Honor."
Maskelyne shrugs22. "No sooner did the Planet detach from the Sun's further limb than 'twas D.I.O. for Mr. Waddington."
Waddington left, in fact, three weeks after the Transit23. "I don't do Par3?allaxes of Sirius, I don't do Tides," he mutter'd as they made their Farewells, "I don't do Satellites of Jupiter, all it says in my Contract is one Transit of Venus,— and that's what I did. If you wish me to observe the next, there'll have to be a new Contract."
"Easy Passage to ye, Robert," replied Maskelyne equably, "moonlit Nights and successful Lunars all the way," as he turn'd, toward the Town, and the Whores' Quarter again by the little Bridge, and the somber24 Cleft25 of the Valley ascending in back of it all, to go and re-engage with his Tasks.
"This Island," Maskelyne sighs, " - not ev'ryone's Brochette of Cur?ried Albacore, is it?" Waddington express'd his displeasure upon their Indiaman's first sight of Lot and Lot's Wife, and the grim Company Fort at Sandy Bay,— not a Day of his Engagement was to pass, without the Island providing new ways to disappoint him. Too few Streets, too many Stares, the Coffee seeming to him adulterated with inferior Javas, obvi?ously broken from Company Cargoes26 by enterprizing Pursers—
"Surely not," Mason alarm'd.
"Be easy. 'Twas his Phantasy. Afterward27, appearing before the Royal Society, he prais'd St. Helena, and its Governor, very extravagantly28 and generously, having withal, on the way Home, got his Lunars beauti?fully,— the Captain forgave him the cost of his Passage, they came that near,— tho' the Weather grew so thick at the end that they were all the way in to Portland Bill before anyone saw Land, Waddington being heard to let out a heart-felt cry of Joy, that at least he'd liv'd to see England again."
"I must try to honor his precedent," Mason supposes, "mustn't I."
"You mean you won't help me with the Tidal data either? A couple of Sticks to be set in the Water, where's the Hardship?"
"I meant, rather, that I must obtain Lunars in quantity and of a Qual?ity to match. If I weren't intending to help, I should have sail'd with Dixon, away from this,— that is,—
"Pray you. There is no Comment upon the Island so unfavorable, that I've not heard already from Waddington, or utter'd myself. For a while I firmly believ'd this Place a conscious Creature, animated29 by power drawn30 from beneath the Earth, assembl'd in secret, by the Company,— entirely31 theirs,— no Action, no Thought nor Dream, that had not the Co. for its Author. Ha-ha, yes imagine, fanciful me. I tried to walk lightly. I did not want It feeling my Foot-Steps. If I trod too hard, I would feel It flinch32. So I try not to do that. So might you. All, even the large popula?tion here of Insane, go about most softly. What Authority enforces the Practice? Governor Hutchinson? The Company Troops? I suggest that more than either, 'tis the awareness33 of living upon a Slumbering34 Crea?ture, compar'd to whose Size, we figure not quite as Lice,— that keeps us uniquely attentive36 to Life so precarious37, and what Civility is truly neces?sary, to carry it on. Hence, no Curfew. To live, we must be up at all hours. Every moment of our Waking, pass'd in fear, with the possibility cease?less of sliding into licentiousness38 and squalor,—
"Ah! Well now ye've brought the Topick up,—
"Sir. Ye may speak lightly in London of these things, but here we may, only at our Peril39. You have not yet seen Squalor, Sir,— be advis'd that you now live in the Metropolis40 of that Condition."
Mason is sweating heavily, thinking, Dixon has left me alone here with a dangerously insane person. And, and why did Waddington really have to leave so quickly? Hey? Fool?— why, 'tis plain as Day, his Depar?ture had Panick written all over it! Obviously, one must live in perpetual caution, here, never to Alarm Maskelyne. Ahhrr....
Mason begins by trying to slow down his usually convulsive shrug21?ging. "I'm...but newly come."
"What are you saying? Hey? That I should have left with Wadding?ton? How? Why are you caressing41 your Hat so forcefully? Obs of Sirius must be taken as far apart as possible, mustn't they,— at least six months of what the World no doubt sees as Idleness, whilst the Planet, in its good time, cranketh about, from one side of its Orbit to the other, the Base Line creeping ever longer, the longer being the better.. .how is any of that my fault?" Is he expecting an answer? They have pass'd thro' the level part of the Town, and begun to climb.
"You think me neglectful?" Maskelyne with an unsettl'd frown. "You can tell me freely, how I seem to you. Alone in this place, how am I to know anything, even of how I look? Wore my Wig42 for a while, but ev'ry-one gave it such queer Stares? There's not a Looking-Glass of any useful size 'pon the Island. Too luxurious43 to merit the Lading. No one here knows how he appears to anyone else, save for some Maidens44 down by the Bridge, who are said to possess Rouge-Boxes with miniature mirrors set inside the Covers, that allow them to View their Features, tho' one at a Time. All that is not thus in Fragments, is Invisible. And if my Char45?acter as well be experiencing some like 'Morphosis, some Veering46 into Error, how am I to know? Perhaps you are sent, upon this Anti-Etesian Wind unbearable47, as Correction,— to act as my moral Regulator.— How we've all long'd for one of those, hey?"
With any number of ways to respond to this, Mason chooses a Silence, which he hopes will not be taken as unsociable, and they climb on.
As the Island's only Harbor out of the Wind, James's Town knows slumber35 but fleetingly48. Sailors speak of it, before and after coming ashore, as of a place visited in an Opium49 Dream. Musick ev'ry time a Door or shutter50 comes open, Torches trailing scarves of flame ever rising. Chuck-farthing players in the Alley-way. Ornamental51 Lanthorns scarcely bigger than the Flames they hold, dangling52 from the Wrists of young Ladies with business at this Hour,— "All the Rage in Town just now," Maskelyne assures Mason. "These Girls flock to the Indiamen as much for the Shopping, as for the Sailors,— taking up one novelty upon the next, discarding each as lightly as they choose another.. .a mix'd lot, as you see, African.. .Malay.. .the odd Irish Rose—"
"Oo Reverend, who's your attractive friend?"
"Now now, Bridget Yes, a lovely Day to you,— " waving amiably53.
"Not that one ever lacks for wholesome54 Activities, here, one can pick-nick up the Valley. Visit Sandy Bay. Improve one's mind, study Vor?tices, learn Chinese. Drink." He pretends now to reel in astonishment55 before an Entry, in a Wall more Brick than Lime, above which swings a Sign depicting56 a White Luminary57 with the face of a Woman of the Town, multiply-patch'd to indicate Behavior she might, upon Acquain?tance, prove to be a Good Sport about.
"Ah, ha. Amazing! Why, here again's The Moon. Care to pop in?" Inside, a chorus of pleasant-looking young Women begin to sing,—
Well Sailor ahoy,
Put down that Harpoon59,
You're a fortunate Boy,
For ye've beach'd on The Moon,
And we Moon Maidens hope,
We shall know ye quite soon,
'Tis the end of our Rope,—
We need Men, in The Moon.
[refrain]
Ah, Men in The Moon,
A miraculous60 Boon61,
Midnight and Noon, we need
Men in The Moon!
What but Maskelyne's local? "Usual Sir Cloudsley, Gov? and the Madeira for your friend? Mr. Mas-son,, excellent. Mr. Dixon successfully embark'd, I trust?"
"Once again, a Pleasure," Mason squints63.
The landlord, Mr. Blackner, is that extremity64 of Quidnunc which, given enough time, necessarily emerges upon a small Island surrounded by Ocean for thousands of Soul-less leagues in ev'ry direction, where the village-siz'd population have only one another to talk about, and anyone newly arriv'd is feasted upon with an eagerness match'd only in certain rivers of South America. Everyone comes to know what everyone else knows,— and the strange mind-to-mind Throb65 may be felt distinctly, not to mention apprehensively66, by the New-comer.
As soon as Mr. Blackner, by way of this remarkable67 intelligence-gathering Mirror, discover'd Maskelyne's connections to Clive and the East India Company, he began announcing the news to Visitors, some of them no more than common Seamen68, with a jerk of the Thumb in Maske?lyne's direction,— "That's Clive of India's brother-in-law, over there. Right by the Crock of Gin?"
"Out in the Wind a bit too long again, Mr. B.”
"My Oath,— the Celebrated69 Super-Nabob his brother-in-law, right before your eyes,— and he has two Brothers, and Clive of India's their brother-in-law, too." Sometimes actually bringing over to Maskelyne the wary70 pint-clutching Visitor, "Here, Nevil my Lad,— who's your brother-in-law? Go ahead, tell him."
Annoying himself each time, Maskelyne, reluctant to fuss, wishing only to have it over with, replies, "Aye, 'tis Lord Clive."
"But,— Clive of India?" the shrewd Visitor will wish to make sure.
"That very Hero, sir, has the great good fortune to be married to my sister."
"Ah yes, yes," their Host far too avid71, "that of course'd be Miss Peggy."
For this sort of thing he has receiv'd nearly audible glares,— 'tis a finely pois'd arrangement here at The Moon. In return for suffering the familiarities of a celebrity-mad Knit-wit, Maskelyne is allow'd to run up a Tab, already legendary72 even in a hard-drinking port like this, that might finance a small War,— chargeable to the Royal Society of course, and beyond them, should they demur73 above a sum Mr. Blackner is not certain of (which will disagreeably prove to be but five shillings per Day), to the wealthy-without-limit Clive of India. Maskelyne may also feel the weight of Family Tradition, his brother Edmund, known as Mun, ten years before, on his way out to the Carnatic as a young Company Writer, having also visited The Moon, and not cared for it much,— sug?gesting it might, however, be just young Nevil's sort of place. Maskelyne is still trying to work out what that might be.
Later, up at the Upper Observatory74 upon Alarum Ridge14, Mason tries to have a look at the Plumb-line Suspension without appearing too bla?tant about it, Maskelyne having grown ever more fretful,— not to men?tion resentful. On the Day of the Transit, Mason and Dixon had obtain'd Times for all four contacts internal and external of Venus and the Sun, whilst here at St. Helena, just at the crucial moment of first contact, a Cloud had appear'd, and made directly for the Sun. How Maskelyne's heart must have sunk. He'd been warn'd not to place his observatory too low, had known of Dr. Halley's difficulties with the early Fog that often fill'd the great Ravine. Upon hearing of Maskelyne's ill-fortune, Mason understands that his Task will be never to appear pleas'd in front of him,— nor for that matter to respond to any of his Stiletto-Flourishes, which will prove to be frequent.
"Of course not all are chosen for the Cape,— you Lads had the Pearl of the Lot, damme 'f you didn't." Maskelyne's voice, in such times of stress, edges toward a throat-bas'd Soprano.
' 'Twas the only port we could make in time." If Mason repeats it once, in this St. Helenian Sojourn75, he does so a thousand times,— sug?gesting an average of ten times per Day.
"Damme if you're not simply bless'd, aye, and blessed as well, I've a Curacy, you may trust me in that Article. As for the rest of us, why, what matter that all Curricula are brought in the ill-starr'd Instant each to the same ignominious76 Halt, poor Boobies as we be.
"Yet there go I, repining at what really was too much, too quickly,— not only the Weather, you do appreciate, for even had the seeing been
perfect that day, there'd yet have been the d——'d Sector77, do forgive me,
'tis the matter of the Plumb-line, falsum in unum Principle, how can I trust anything I may see thro' it, now?
"Especially here. Somewhere else it might not have matter'd as much, but it's disturbing here, Mason,— don't you think? Aren't you feeling, I don't know,— disturb'd?"
"Disturb'd? Why, no, Maskelyne, after the Cape I find it quite calm?ing here, in a Tropical way, pure Air, Coffee beyond compare,— from Bush to Oast unmediated!— the Sky remarkably78 productive of Obs,— what more could a man ask?"
"What more— " slapping himself smartly once upon each cheek, as if to restrain an outburst. "Of course,— I am being far too nice, aye and no doubt namby-pambical as well,— ha ha, ha,— after all, what's being confin'd upon the Summit of a living Volcanoe whose History includes violent Explosion, hey? which might indeed re-awaken at any moment, with nought79 to escape to in that lively Event, but thousands of Leagues of Ocean, empty in ev'ry direction,— Aahckk! Mason, can y' not feel it? This place! this great Ruin,— haunted...an Obstinate80 Spectre,— an ancient Crime,— none here will ever escape it, 'tis in the Gases they breathe, Generation unto Generation,— Ah! 'Tis it! There! Look ye!"-pointing beyond the circle of Lanthorn-light, his features clench'd uncomfortably.
The first time Maskelyne carried on thus, Mason became very alarm'd. He already suspects that the Island enjoys a Dispensation not perhaps as relentlessly81 Newtonian as Southern England's,— and as to whose Author's Identity, one may grow confus'd, so ubiquitous here are signs of the Infernal. Howbeit, after some number of these Seizures82, Mason no longer feels quite so oblig'd to react. It is thus with some surprize and a keen rectal Pang83 that his leisurely84 Gaze now does detect something out there, and quite large, too, that should not be,— a patch of Nothing, where but the other moment shone a safe Wedge of Stars Encyclopedi?cally nam'd. "Um, this Observatory, Maskelyne? The Company's pro16?vided you some sort of, that is,...Armory85?"
"Ha! a set of French Duelling-pieces, with the Flints unreliable. Take your pick,— does it matter? against What approaches, Shot is without effect." The Visitant,— by now more than Shadow,— has crept toward the Zenith, engrossing86 more and more of the field of Stars, till at length rolling overhead and down toward the Horizon.
"Weatherr," Mason almost disappointed. With that, rain begins to fall, dense87 and steaming, sending him cursing outside to make secure the sliding Roof, whilst Maskelyne occupies himself inside with a fresh Pipe, snug88 as Punch in his Booth. Mason feels less resentful than resign'd, preferring anyway the certain uproar89 of Elements he knows, to the spookish fug of Maskelyne's Sermons upon the Unknown. Soon the Rain-Fall is spouting90 from all three corners of his Hat at once, regardless of what Angle he places his Head at.
Later, Obless, reluctant to sleep, they open another bottle of Moun?tain. Outside this ephemeral Hut, anything may wait. Mountains sharp and steep as the Heights of Hell. The next Planet, yet without a name,— so, in The Moon, have they been solemnly assur'd.— A little traveling Stage-Troupe, is St. Helena really, all Performance,— a Plan?tation, sent out years since by its metropolitan91 Planet, which will remain invisible for years indeterminate before revealing itself and acquiring a Name, till then this place must serve as an Aide-Memoire, a Representation of Home. Many here, Descendants of the first Set?tlers, would never visit the Home Planet, altho' some claim to've been there and back, and more than once. "What if 'twere so?" declares Maskelyne. "Ev'ry People have a story of how they were created. If one
were heretickal enough, which I certainly am not, one might begin to entertain some notion of the Garden in Genesis, as an instance of extra-terrestrial Plantation92."
Maskelyne is the pure type of one who would transcend93 the Earth,— making him, for Mason, a walking cautionary Tale. For years now, after midnight Culminations94, has he himself lain and listen'd to the Sky-Temptress, whispering, Forget the Boys, forget your loyalties95 to your Dead, first of all to Rebekah, for she, they, are but distractions96, tempo97?ral, flesh, ever attempting to drag the Uranian Devotee back down out of his realm of pure Mathesis, of that which abides98.
"For if each Star is little more a mathematickal Point, located upon the Hemisphere of Heaven by Right Ascension and Declination, then all the Stars, taken together, tho' innumerable, must like any other set of points, in turn represent some single gigantick Equation, to the mind of God as straightforward99 as, say, the Equation of a Sphere,— to us unread?able, incalculable. A lonely, uncompensated, perhaps even impossible Task,— yet some of us must ever be seeking, I suppose."
"Those of us with the Time for it," suggests Mason.
One cloudless afternoon they stand in the scent100 of an orange-grove,— as tourists elsewhere might stand and gape101 at some mighty102 cataract103 or
chasm,— nose-gaping, rather, at a manifold of odor neither Englishman
has ever encountered before. They have been searching for it all the long
declining Day,— it is the last Orange-Grove upon the Island,— a sou?
venir of a Paradise decrepit104 Shadows of Clouds dapple the green hill?
sides, Houses with red Tile roofs preside over small Valleys, the Pasture
lying soft as Sheep,— all, with the volcanic105 Meadow where the two
stand, circl'd by the hellish Cusps of Peaks unnatural,— frozen in mid-
thrust, jagged at every scale. "Saint Brendan set out in the fifth century
to discover an Island he believ'd was the Paradise of the Scriptures,— and found it. Some believ'd it Madeira, Columbus was told by some at
Madeira that they had seen it in the West, Philosophers of our own Day
say they have prov'd it but a Mirage106. So will the Reign107 of Reason cheer?
ily dispose of any allegations of Paradise.
"Yet suppose this was the Island. He came back, did he not? He died the very old Bishop108 of the Monastery109 he founded at Clonfert, as far from
the Western Sea as he might, this side of Shannon. Perhaps that was Par?adise. Else, why leave?"
"A Riddle110! Wondrous111! Just the Ticket! Why, ere 'tis solv'd, we may be back in England and done with this!"
"The Serpent, being the obvious Answer."
"What Serpent?"
"The one dwelling112 within the Volcanoe, Mason, surely you are not ignorant upon the Topick?"
"Regretfully, Sir,— "
"Serpent, Worm, or Dragon, 'tis all the same to It, for It speaketh no Tongue but its own. It Rules this Island, whose ancient Curse and secret Name, is Disobedience. In thoughtless Greed, within a few pitiably brief Generations, have these People devastated113 a Garden in which, once, anything might grow. Their Muck-heaps ev'rywhere, Disease, Madness. One day, not far distant, with the last leaf of the last Old-Father-Never-Die bush destroy'd, whilst the unremitting Wind carries off the last soil from the last barren Meadow, with nought but other Humans the only Life remaining then to the Island,— how will they take their own last step,— how disobey themselves into Oblivion? Sim?ply58 die one by one, alone and suspicious, as is the style of the place, till all are done? Or will they rather choose to murder one another, for the joy to be had in that?"
"How soon is this, that we're talking about?"
"Pray we may be gone by then. We have our own ways of Disobedi?ence,— unless I presume,— express'd in the Motto of Jakob Bernouilli the second,— Invito Patre Sidera Verso,— 'Against my father's wishes I study the stars.'''
Mason pauses to squint62 and shake his head free of annoyance114. "How do you know anything of my Father's wishes? Do you mean, that because he is only a Miller115 and a Baker116, he would naturally oppose Star-Gazing, out of Perverse117 and willful Ignorance?"
"I mean only that in our Times, 'tis not a rare Dispute," Maskelyne assures him. "Reason, or any Vocation118 to it,— the Pursuit of the Sci?ences,— these are the hope of the Young, the new Music their Families cannot follow, occasionally not even listen to. I know well the struggle, mine being with Mun especially, tho' Peggy as well would rag me.. .they cozen'd me once into casting her Horoscope, with particular reference to the likelihood of her being married any time soon. Twas but a moment's work to contrive119 the Wheel of a Maiden's dreams,— Jupiter smiling upon Venus in the house of partnerships120, Mars exactly at the mid-heaven, Mercury with smooth sailing ahead, not a retrograde body in sight. Was I thank'd? Rather, one simple Horo, and 'twas 'Nevil the Astrologer,' thenceforward."
"Not as insulting as 'Star-Gazer,' anyway."
"And what if I did cast a Natal121 Chart or two whilst at Westminster,— and of course later, at Cambridge, when I found I could get sixpence,— well. I suppose you've lost respect for me now," this being their second week up on the Ridge, with confession122 apt to flow like the "water that cometh down out of the country" noted123 in ancient Maps of this place.
"You got sixpence? I never did better than three, and that was with all the Arabian Parts thrown in as Inducement."
"Oh, don't I remember those, Lens-brother,— 'tis our Burden. Kepler said that Astrology is Astronomy's wanton little sister, who goes out and sells herself that Astronomy may keep her Virtue,— surely we have all done the Covent Garden turn. As to the older Sister, how many Steps may she herself indeed already have taken into Compromise? for,
Be the Instrument brazen124, or be it Fleshen,
[Maskelyne sings, in a competent Tenor]
Star-Gazing's ever a Whore's profession,—
(Isn't it?)
收听单词发音 |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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par
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swelling
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seethes
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| （液体）沸腾( seethe的第三人称单数 )； 激动，大怒； 强压怒火； 生闷气(~with sth|~ at sth) | |
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beckon
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| v.(以点头或打手势)向...示意，召唤 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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novice
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tandem
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| n.同时发生；配合；adv.一个跟着一个地；纵排地；adj.（两匹马）前后纵列的 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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patois
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| n.方言；混合语 | |
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ceding
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| v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的现在分词 ) | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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pro
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| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
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lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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intimidating
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| vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词) | |
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imminence
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astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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shrugs
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transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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27
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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28
extravagantly
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| adv.挥霍无度地 | |
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29
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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30
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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31
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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32
flinch
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| v.畏缩，退缩 | |
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33
awareness
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| n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智 | |
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34
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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35
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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36
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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37
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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38
licentiousness
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| n.放肆，无法无天 | |
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39
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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40
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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41
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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42
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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43
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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44
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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45
char
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| v.烧焦；使...燃烧成焦炭 | |
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46
veering
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| n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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47
unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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48
fleetingly
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| adv.飞快地，疾驰地 | |
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49
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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50
shutter
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| n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置 | |
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51
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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52
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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53
amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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54
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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55
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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56
depicting
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| 描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述 | |
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57
luminary
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| n.名人，天体 | |
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58
ply
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| v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲 | |
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59
harpoon
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| n.鱼叉；vt.用鱼叉叉，用鱼叉捕获 | |
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60
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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61
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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62
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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63
squints
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| 斜视症( squint的名词复数 )； 瞥 | |
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64
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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65
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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66
apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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67
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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68
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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69
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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70
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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71
avid
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| adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的 | |
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72
legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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73
demur
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| v．表示异议，反对 | |
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74
observatory
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| n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台 | |
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75
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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76
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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77
sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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78
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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79
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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80
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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81
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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82
seizures
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| n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物 | |
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83
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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84
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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85
armory
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| n.纹章，兵工厂，军械库 | |
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86
engrossing
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| adj.使人全神贯注的，引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 ) | |
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87
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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88
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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89
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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90
spouting
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| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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91
metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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92
plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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93
transcend
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| vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围 | |
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94
culminations
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| n.顶点，极点（culmination的复数形式） | |
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95
loyalties
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| n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情 | |
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96
distractions
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| n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱 | |
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97
tempo
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| n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度 | |
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98
abides
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| 容忍( abide的第三人称单数 )； 等候； 逗留； 停留 | |
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99
straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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100
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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101
gape
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| v.张口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝视 | |
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102
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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103
cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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104
decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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105
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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106
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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107
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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108
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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109
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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110
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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111
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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112
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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113
devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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114
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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115
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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116
baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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117
perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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118
vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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119
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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120
partnerships
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| n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系 | |
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121
natal
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| adj.出生的，先天的 | |
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122
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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123
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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124
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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