A Cloud Of Misfortune Hangs Over The Plantation1
THE document Marston signed for Lorenzo-to release him from the difficulties into which he had been drawn2 by Graspum-guaranteed the holder3 against all loss. This, in the absence of Lorenzo, and under such stranger circumstances, implied an amount which might be increased according to the will of the man into whose hands he had so unfortunately fallen.
Nearly twelve months had now elapsed since the disclosure of the crime. Maxwell, our young Englishman, had spent the time among the neighbouring plantations4; and failing to enlist5 more than friendly considerations from Franconia, resolved to return to Bermuda and join his family. He had, however, taken a deep interest in Clotilda and Annette,--had gone to their apartment unobserved, and in secret interviews listened to Clotilda's tale of trouble. Its recital6 enlisted7 his sympathies; and being of an ardent8 and impressible temper, he determined9 to carry out a design for her relief. He realised her silent suffering,--saw how her degraded condition wrangled10 with her noble feelings,--how the true character of a woman loathed11 at being the slave of one who claimed her as his property. And this, too, without the hope of redeeming12 herself, except by some desperate effort. And, too, he saw but little difference between the blood of Franconia and the blood of Clotilda; the same outline of person was there,--her delicate countenance13, finely moulded bust14, smoothly15 converging16 shoulders. There was the same Grecian cast of face, the same soft, reflective eyes,--filling a smile with sweetness, and again with deep-felt sorrow. The same sensitive nature, ready to yield forth17 love and tenderness, or to press onward18 the more impassioned affections, was visible in both. And yet, what art had done for Franconia nature had replenished19 for Clotilda. But, the servile hand was upon her, she crouched20 beneath its grasp; it branded her life, and that of her child, with ignominy and death.
During these interviews he would watch her emotions as she looked upon her child; when she would clasp it to her bosom21, weeping, until from the slightest emotion her feelings would become frantic22 with anguish23.
"And you, my child, a mother's hope when all other pleasures are gone! Are you some day to be torn from me, and, like myself, sent to writhe24 under the coarse hand of a slave-dealer, to be stung with shame enforced while asking God's forgiveness? Sometimes I think it cannot be so; I think it must all be a dream. But it is so, and we might as well submit, say as little of the hardship as possible, and think it's all as they tell us-according to God's will," she would say, pressing the child closer and closer to her bosom, the agitation25 of her feelings rising into convulsions as the tears coursed down her cheeks. Then she would roll her soft eyes upwards26, her countenance filling with despair. The preservation27 of her child was pictured in the depth of her imploring28 look. For a time her emotions would recede29 into quiet,--she would smile placidly30 upon Annette, forget the realities that had just swept her mind into such a train of trouble.
One night, as Maxwell entered her apartment, he found her kneeling at her bed-side, supplicating31 in prayer. The word, "Oh, God; not me, but my child-guide her through the perils32 that are before her, and receive her into heaven at last," fell upon his ear. He paused, gazed upon her as if some angel spirit had touched the tenderest chord of his feelings-listened unmoved. A lovely woman, an affectionate mother, the offspring of a noble race,--herself forced by relentless33 injustice34 to become an instrument of licentiousness-stood before him in all that can make woman an ornament35 to her sex. What to Ellen Juvarna seemed the happiness of her lot, was pain and remorse36 to Clotilda; and when she arose there was a nervousness, a shrinking in her manner, betokening37 apprehension38. "It is not now; it is hereafter. And yet there is no glimmer39 of hope!" she whispers, as she seats herself in a chair, pulls the little curtain around the bed, and prepares to retire.
The scene so worked upon Maxwell's feelings that he could withstand the effect no longer; he approached her, held out his hand, greeted her with a smile: "Clotilda, I am your friend," he whispers, "come, sit down and tell me what troubles you!"
"If what I say be told in confidence?" she replied, as if questioning his advance.
"You may trust me with any secret; I am ready to serve you, if it be with my life!"
Clasping her arms round her child, again she wept in silence. The moment was propitious--the summer sun had just set beneath dark foliage40 in the west, its refulgent41 curtains now fading into mellow42 tints43; night was closing rapidly over the scene, the serene44 moon shone softly through the arbour into the little window at her bedside. Again she took him by the hand, invited him to sit down at her side, and, looking imploringly45 in his face, continued,--"If you are a friend, you can be a friend in confidence, in purpose. I am a slave! yes, a slave; there is much in the word, more than most men are disposed to analyse. It may seem simple to you, but follow it to its degraded depths-follow it to where it sows the seeds of sorrow, and there you will find it spreading poison and death, uprooting46 all that is good in nature. Worse than that, my child is a slave too. It is that which makes the wrong more cruel, that mantles47 the polished vice48, that holds us in that fearful grasp by which we dare not seek our rights.
"My mother, ah! yes, my mother"-Clotilda shakes her head in sorrow. "How strange that, by her misfortune, all, all, is misfortune for ever! from one generation to another, sinking each life down, down, down, into misery49 and woe50. How oft she clasped my hand and whispered in my ear: 'If we could but have our rights.' And she, my mother,--as by that sacred name I called her-was fair; fairer than those who held her for a hideous51 purpose, made her existence loathsome52 to herself, who knew the right but forced the wrong. She once had rights, but was stripped of them; and once in slavery who can ask that right be done?"
"What rights have you beyond these?" he interrupted, suddenly. "There is mystery in what you have said, in what I have seen; something I want to solve. The same ardent devotion, tenderness, affection,--the same touching53 chasteness54, that characterises Franconia, assimilates in you. You are a slave, a menial-she is courted and caressed55 by persons of rank and station. Heavens! here is the curse confounding the flesh and blood of those in high places, making slaves of their own kinsmen56, crushing out the spirit of life, rearing up those broken flowers whose heads droop57 with shame. And you want your freedom?"
"For my child first," she replied, quickly: "I rest my hopes of her in the future."
Maxwell hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating58 some plan for her escape, ran his fingers through his hair again and again, then rested his forehead in his hand, as the perspiration59 stood in heavy drops upon it. "My child!" There was something inexpressibly touching in the words of a mother ready to sacrifice her own happiness for the freedom of her child. And yet an awful responsibility hung over him; should he attempt to gain their freedom, and fail in carrying out the project, notwithstanding he was in a free country, the act might cost him his life. But there was the mother, her pride beaming forth in every action, a wounded spirit stung with the knowledge of being a slave, the remorse of her suffering soul-the vicissitudes60 of that sin thus forced upon her. The temptation became irresistible61.
"You are English!"-northerners and Englishmen know what liberty is.
Negroes at the South have a very high opinion of Northern cleverness in devising means of procuring62 their liberty. The Author here uses the language employed by a slave girl who frequently implored63 aid to devise some plan by which she would be enabled to make her escape. Northerners could do great things for us, if they would but know us as we are, study our feelings, cast aside selfish motives64, and sustain our rights!" Clotilda now commenced giving Maxwell a history of her mother,--which, however, we must reserve for another chapter. "And my mother gave me this!" she said, drawing from her pocket a paper written over in Greek characters, but so defaced as to be almost unintelligible65. "Some day you will find a friend who will secure your freedom through that," she would say. "But freedom-that which is such a boon66 to us-is so much feared by others that you must mark that friend cautiously, know him well, and be sure he will not betray the liberty you attempt to gain." And she handed him the defaced paper, telling him to put it in his pocket.
"And where is your mother?"
"There would be a store of balm in that, if I did but know. Her beauty doomed67 her to a creature life, which, when she had worn out, she was sold, as I may be, God knows how soon. Though far away from me, she is my mother still, in all that recollection can make her; her countenance seems like a wreath decorating our past associations. Shrink not when I tell it, for few shrink at such things now,--I saw her chained; I didn't think much of it then, for I was too young. And she took me in her arms and kissed me, the tears rolled down her cheeks; and she said-'Clotilda, Clotilda, farewell! There is a world beyond this, a God who knows our hearts, who records our sorrows;' and her image impressed me with feelings I cannot banish68. To look back upon it seems like a rough pilgrimage; and then when I think of seeing her again my mind gets lost in hopeless expectations"--
"You saw her chained?" interrupted Maxwell.
"Yes, even chained with strong irons. It need not surprise you. Slavery is a crime; and they chain the innocent lest the wrong should break forth upon themselves." And she raised her hands to her face, shook her head, and laid Annette in the little bed at the foot of her own.
What is it that in chaining a woman, whether she be black as ebony or white as snow, degrades all the traits of the southerner's character, which he would have the world think noble? It is fear! The monster which the southerner sees by day, tolerates in his silence, protects as part and parcel of a legal trade, only clothes him with the disgrace that menials who make themselves mere69 fiends are guilty of, Maxwell thought to himself.
"I will set you free, if it cost my life!" he exclaimed.
"Hush70, hush!" rejoined Clotilda: "remember those wretches71 on the plantation. They, through their ignorance, have learned to wield72 the tyranny of petty power; they look upon us with suspicious eyes. They know we are negroes (white negroes, who are despicable in their eyes), and feeling that we are more favoured, their envy is excited. They, with the hope of gaining favour, are first to disclose a secret. Save my child first, and then save me"--
"I will save you first; rest assured, I will save you;" he responded, shaking her hand, bidding her good night. On returning to the mansion73 he found Marston seated at the table in the drawing-room, in a meditative74 mood. Good night, my friend!" he accosted75 him.
"Ah, good night!" was the sudden response.
"You seem cast down?"
"No!-all's not as it seems with a man in trouble. How misfortune quickens our sense of right! O! how it unfolds political and moral wrongs! how it purges76 the understanding, and turns the good of our natures to thoughts of justice. But when the power to correct is beyond our reach we feel the wrong most painfully," Marston coldly replied.
"It never is too late to do good; my word for it, friend Marston, good is always worth its services. I am young and may serve you yet; rise above trouble, never let trifles trouble a man like you. The world seems wagging pleasantly for you; everybody on the plantation is happy; Lorenzo has gone into the world to distinguish himself; grief should never lay its scalpel in your feelings. Remember the motto-peace, pleasantry, and plenty; they are things which should always dispel77 the foreshadowing of unhappiness," says Maxwell, jocularly, taking a chair at Marston's request, and seating himself by the table.
Marston declares such consolation78 to be refreshing79, but too easily conceived to effect his purpose. The ripest fruits of vice often produce the best moral reflections: he feels convinced of this truth; but here the consequences are entailed80 upon others. The degradation81 is sunk too deep for recovery by him,--his reflections are only a burden to him. The principle that moves him to atone82 is crushed by the very perplexity of the law that compels him to do wrong. "There's what goads83 me," he says: "it is the system, the forced condition making one man merchandise, and giving another power to continue him as such." He arises from the table, his face flushed with excitement, and in silence paces the room to and fro for several minutes. Every now and then he watches at the window,--looks out towards the river, and again at the pine-woods forming a belt in the background, as if he expected some one from that direction. The serene scene without, calm and beautiful, contrasting with the perplexity that surrounded him within, brought the reality of the change which must soon take place in his affairs more vividly84 to his mind.
"Your feelings have been stimulated85 and modified by education; they are keenly sensitive to right,--to justice between man and man. Those are the beautiful results of early instruction. New England education! It founds a principle for doing good; it needs no contingencies86 to rouse it to action. You can view slavery with the unprejudiced eye of a philosopher. Listen to what I am about to say: but a few months have passed since I thought myself a man of affluence87, and now nothing but the inroads of penury88 are upon me. The cholera89 (that scourge90 of a southern plantation) is again sweeping91 the district: I cannot expect to escape it, and I am in the hands of a greater scourge than the cholera,--a slow death-broker. He will take from you that which the cholera would not deign92 to touch: he has no more conscience than a cotton-press," says Marston, reclining back in his chair, and calling the negro waiter.
The word conscience fell upon Maxwell's ear with strange effect. He had esteemed93 Marston according to his habits-not a good test when society is so remiss94 of its duties: he could not reconcile the touch of conscience in such a person, nor could he realise the impulse through which some sudden event was working a moral regeneration in his mind. There was something he struggled to keep from notice. The season had been unpropitious, bad crops had resulted; the cholera made its appearance, swept off many of the best negroes, spread consternation95, nearly suspended discipline and labour. One by one his negroes fell victims to its ravages96, until it became imperatively97 necessary to remove the remainder to the pine-woods.
Families might be seen here and there making their little preparations to leave for the hills: the direful scourge to them was an evil spirit, sent as a visitation upon their bad deeds. This they sincerely believe, coupling it with all the superstition98 their ignorance gives rise to. A few miles from the mansion, among the pines, rude camps are spread out, fires burn to absorb the malaria99, to war against mosquitoes, to cook the evening meal; while, up lonely paths, ragged100 and forlorn-looking negroes are quietly wending their way to take possession. The stranger might view this forest bivouac as a picture of humble101 life pleasantly domiciled; but it is one of those unfortunate scenes, fruitful of evil, which beset102 the planter when he is least able to contend against them. Such events develope the sin of an unrighteous institution, bring its supporters to the portals of poverty, consign103 harmless hundreds to the slave-marts.
In this instance, however, we must give Marston credit for all that was good in his intentions, and separate him from the system. Repentance104, however produced, is valuable for its example, and if too late for present utility, seldom fails to have an ultimate influence. Thus it was with Marston; and now that all these inevitable105 disasters were upon him, he resolved to be a father to Annette and Nicholas,--those unfortunates whom law and custom had hitherto compelled him to disown.
Drawing his chair close to Maxwell, he lighted a cigar, and resumed the disclosure his feelings had apparently106 interrupted a few minutes before. "Now, my good friend, all these things are upon me; there is no escaping the issue. My people will soon be separated from me; my old, faithful servants, Bob and Harry107, will regret me, and if they fall into the hands of a knave108, will die thinking of the old plantation. As for Harry, I have made him a preacher,--his knowledge is wonderfully up on Scripture109; he has demonstrated to me that niggers are more than mortal, or transitory things. My conscience was touched while listening to one of his sermons; and then, to think how I had leased him to preach upon a neighbouring plantation, just as a man would an ox to do a day's work! Planters paid me so much per sermon, as if the gospel were merchandise, and he a mere thing falsifying all my arguments against his knowledge of the Word of God. Well, it makes me feel as if I were half buried in my own degradation and blindness. And then, again, they are our property, and are bestowed110 upon us by a legal-"
"If that be wrong," interrupted Maxwell, "you have no excuse for continuing it."
"True! That's just what I was coming at. The evil in its broadest expanse is there. We look calmly on the external objects of the system without solving its internal grievances,--we build a right upon the ruins of ancient wrongs, and we swathe our thoughts with inconsistency that we may make the curse of a system invulnerable. It is not that we cannot do good under a bad system, but that we cannot ameliorate it, lest we weaken the foundation. And yet all this seems as nothing when I recall a sin of greater magnitude-a sin that is upon me-a hideous blot111, goading112 my very soul, rising up against me like a mountain, over which I can see no pass. Again the impelling113 force of conscience incites114 me to make a desperate effort; but conscience rebukes115 me for not preparing the way in time. I could translate my feelings further, but, in doing so, the remedy seems still further from me-"
"Is it ever too late to try a remedy-to make an effort to surmount116 great impediments-to render justice to those who have suffered from such acts?" inquired Maxwell, interrupting Marston as he proceeded.
"If I could do it without sacrificing my honour, without exposing myself to the vengeance118 of the law. We are great sticklers119 for constitutional law, while we care little for constitutional justice. There is Clotilda; you see her, but you don't know her history: if it were told it would resound120 through the broad expanse of our land. Yes, it would disclose a wrong, perpetrated under the smiles of liberty, against which the vengeance of high Heaven would be invoked121. I know the secret, and yet I dare not disclose it; the curse handed down from her forefathers122 has been perpetuated123 by me. She seems happy, and yet she is unhappy; the secret recesses124 of her soul are poisoned. And what more natural? for, by some unlucky incident, she has got an inkling of the foul125 means by which she was made a slave. To him who knows the right, the wrong is most painful; but I bought her of him whose trade it was to sell such flesh and blood! And yet that does not relieve me from the curse: there's the stain; it hangs upon me, it involves my inclinations126, it gloats over my downfall-"
"You bought her!" again interrupts Maxwell.
"True," rejoins the other, quickly, "'tis a trade well protected by our democracy. Once bought, we cannot relieve ourselves by giving them rights in conflict with the claims of creditors127. Our will may be good, but the will without the means falls hopeless. My heart breaks under the knowledge that those children are mine. It is a sad revelation to make,--sad in the eyes of heaven and earth. My participation128 in wrong has proved sorrow to them: how can I look to the pains and struggles they must endure in life, when stung with the knowledge that I am the cause of it? I shall wither129 under the torture of my own conscience. And there is even an interest about them that makes my feelings bound joyfully130 when I recur131 them. Can it be aught but the fruit of natural affection? I think not; and yet I am compelled to disown them, and even to smother132 with falsehood the rancour that might find a place in Franconia's bosom. Clotilda loves Annette with a mother's fondness; but with all her fondness for her child she dare not love me, nor I the child."
Maxwell suggests that his not having bought the child would certainly give him the right to control his own flesh and blood: but he knows little of slave law, and less of its customs. He, however, was anxious to draw from Marston full particulars of the secret that would disclose Clotilda's history, over which the partial exposition had thrown the charm of mystery. Several times he was on the eve of proffering133 his services to relieve the burden working upon Marston's mind; but his sympathies were enlisted toward the two unfortunate women, for whom he was ready to render good service, to relieve them and their children. Again, he remembered how singularly sensitive Southerners were on matters concerning the peculiar134 institution, especially when approached by persons from abroad. Perhaps it was a plot laid by Marston to ascertain135 his feelings on the subject, or, under that peculiar jealousy136 of Southerners who live in this manner, he might have discovered his interview with Clotilda, and, in forming a plan to thwart137 his project, adopted this singular course for disarming138 apprehensions139.
At this stage of the proceedings140 a whispering noise was heard, as if coming from another part of the room. They stopped at the moment, looked round with surprise, but not seeing anything, resumed the conversation.
"Of whom did you purchase?" inquired Maxwell, anxiously.
"One Silenus; a trader who trades in this quality of property only, and has become rich by the traffic. He is associated with Anthony Romescos, once a desperado on the Texan frontier. These two coveys would sell their mossmates without a scruple141, and think it no harm so long as they turned a dime117. They know every justice of the peace from Texas to Fort M'Henry. Romescos is turned the desperado again, shoots, kills, and otherwise commits fell deeds upon his neighbour's negroes; he even threatens them with death when they approach him for reparation. He snaps his fingers at law, lawyers, and judges: slave law is moonshine to those who have no rights in common law-"
"And he escapes? Then you institute laws, and substitute custom to make them null. It is a poor apology for a namesake. But do you assert that in the freest and happiest country-a country that boasts the observance of its statute142 laws-a man is privileged to shoot, maim143, and torture a fellow-being, and that public opinion fails to bring him to justice?" ejaculated Maxwell.
"Yes," returns Marston, seriously; "it is no less shameful144 than true. Three of my negroes has he killed very good-naturedly, and yet I have no proof to convict him. Even were I to seek redress145, it would be against that prejudice which makes the rights of the enslaved unpopular."
The trouble exists in making the man merchandise, reducing him to an abject146 being, without the protection of common law. Presently the tears began to flow down Marston's cheeks, as he unbuttoned his shirt-collar with an air of restlessness, approached a desk that stood in one corner of the room, and drew from it a somewhat defaced bill of sale. There was something connected with that bit of paper, which, apart from anything else, seemed to harass147 him most. "But a minute before you entered I looked upon that paper," he spoke148, throwing it upon the table, "and thought how much trouble it had brought me, how through it I had left a curse upon innocent life. I paid fifteen hundred dollars for the souls and bodies of those two women, creatures of sense, delicacy149, and tenderness. But I am not a bad man, after all. No, there are worse men than me in the world."
"Gather, gather, ye incubus150 of misfortune, bearing to me the light of heaven, with which to see my sins. May it come to turn my heart in the right way, to seek its retribution on the wrong!" Thus concluding, Marston covers his face in his hands, and for several minutes weeps like a child. Again rising from his seat, he throws the paper on a table near an open window, and himself upon a couch near by.
Maxwell attempts to quiet him by drawing his attention from the subject. There is little use, however,--it is a terrible conflict,--the conflict of conscience awakening151 to a sense of its errors; the fate of regrets when it is too late to make amends152.
While this was going on, a brawny153 hand reached into the window, and quickly withdrew the paper from the table. Neither observed it.
And at the moment, Marston ejaculated, "I will! I will! let it cost what it may. I will do justice to Clotilda and her child,--to Ellen and her child; I will free them, send them into a free country to be educated." In his excitement he forgot the bill of sale.
"Like enough you will!" responds a gruff voice; and a loud rap at the hall-door followed. Dandy was summoned, opened the door, bowed Romescos into the room. He pretends to be under the influence of liquor, which he hopes will excuse his extraordinary familiarity at such a late hour. Touching the hilt of his knife, he swaggers into the presence of Marston, looks at him fixedly154, impertinently demands something to drink. He cares not what it be, waits for no ceremony, tips the decanter, gulps155 his glass, and deliberately156 takes a seat.
The reader will perhaps detect the object of his presence; but, beyond that, there is something deep and desperate in the appearance of the man, rendering157 his familiarity exceedingly disagreeable. That he should present himself at such an untimely hour was strange, beyond Marston's comprehension. It was, indeed, most inopportune; but knowing him, he feared him. He could not treat him with indifference,--there was his connection with Graspum, his power over the poor servile whites; he must be courteous-so, summoning his suavity158, he orders Dandy to wait upon him.
Romescos amuses himself with sundry159 rude expressions about the etiquette160 of gentlemen,--their rights and associations,--the glorious freedom of a glorious land. Not heeding161 Dandy's attention, he fills another glass copiously162, twirls it upon the table, eyes Marston, and then Maxwell, playfully-drinks his beverage163 with the air of one quite at home.
"Marston, old feller," he says, winking164 at Maxwell, "things don't jibe165 so straight as they use't-do they? I wants a stave o' conversation on matters o' business with ye to-morrow. It's a smart little property arrangement; but I ain't in the right fix just now; I can't make the marks straight so we can understand two and two. Ye take, don't ye? Somethin' touching a genteel business with your fast young nephew, Lorenzo. Caution to the wise." Romescos, making several vain attempts, rises, laughing with a half-independent air, puts his slouch hat on his head, staggers to the door, makes passes at Dandy, who waits his egress166, and bidding them good night, disappears.
收听单词发音 |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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holder
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| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
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plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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enlist
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| vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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wrangled
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| v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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redeeming
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| 补偿的，弥补的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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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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converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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replenished
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| 补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 )； 重新装满 | |
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crouched
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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writhe
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| vt.挣扎，痛苦地扭曲；vi.扭曲，翻腾，受苦；n.翻腾，苦恼 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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26
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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27
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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28
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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29
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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30
placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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31
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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32
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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33
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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34
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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35
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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36
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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37
betokening
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 ) | |
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38
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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39
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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40
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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41
refulgent
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| adj.辉煌的，灿烂的 | |
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42
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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43
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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44
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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45
imploringly
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| adv. 恳求地, 哀求地 | |
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46
uprooting
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|
| n.倒根，挖除伐根v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的现在分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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47
mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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48
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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49
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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50
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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51
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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52
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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53
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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54
chasteness
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| n.贞操，纯洁，简洁 | |
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55
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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57
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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58
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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59
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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60
vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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61
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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62
procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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63
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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65
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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66
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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67
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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68
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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69
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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70
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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71
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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72
wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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73
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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74
meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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75
accosted
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|
| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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76
purges
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| 清除异己( purge的名词复数 )； 整肃（行动）； 清洗； 泻药 | |
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77
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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78
consolation
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|
| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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79
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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80
entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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81
degradation
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|
| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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82
atone
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| v.赎罪，补偿 | |
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83
goads
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|
| n.赶牲口的尖棒( goad的名词复数 )v.刺激( goad的第三人称单数 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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84
vividly
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|
| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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85
stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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86
contingencies
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|
| n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一 | |
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87
affluence
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|
| n.充裕，富足 | |
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88
penury
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|
| n.贫穷，拮据 | |
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89
cholera
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| n.霍乱 | |
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90
scourge
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|
| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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91
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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92
deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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93
esteemed
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|
| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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94
remiss
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| adj.不小心的，马虎 | |
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95
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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96
ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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97
imperatively
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| adv.命令式地 | |
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98
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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99
malaria
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| n.疟疾 | |
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100
ragged
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|
| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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101
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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102
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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103
consign
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| vt.寄售（货品），托运，交托，委托 | |
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104
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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105
inevitable
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|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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106
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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107
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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108
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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109
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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110
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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112
goading
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| v.刺激( goad的现在分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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113
impelling
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|
| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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114
incites
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| 刺激，激励，煽动( incite的第三人称单数 ) | |
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115
rebukes
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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116
surmount
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| vt.克服；置于…顶上 | |
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117
dime
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| n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角 | |
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118
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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119
sticklers
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| n.坚持…的人( stickler的名词复数 ) | |
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120
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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121
invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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122
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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123
perpetuated
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| vt.使永存（perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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124
recesses
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|
| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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125
foul
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|
| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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126
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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127
creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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128
participation
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| n.参与，参加，分享 | |
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129
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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130
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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131
recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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132
smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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133
proffering
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的现在分词 ) | |
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134
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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135
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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136
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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137
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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138
disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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139
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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140
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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141
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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142
statute
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| n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例 | |
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143
maim
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| v.使残废，使不能工作，使伤残 | |
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144
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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145
redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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146
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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147
harass
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| vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰 | |
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148
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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149
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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150
incubus
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| n.负担；恶梦 | |
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151
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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152
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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153
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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154
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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155
gulps
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| n.一大口（尤指液体）( gulp的名词复数 )v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的第三人称单数 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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156
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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157
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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158
suavity
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| n.温和；殷勤 | |
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159
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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160
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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161
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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162
copiously
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| adv.丰富地，充裕地 | |
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163
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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164
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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165
jibe
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| v.嘲笑，与...一致，使转向；n.嘲笑，嘲弄 | |
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166
egress
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| n.出去；出口 | |
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