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CHAPTER VIII
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 Henry arrived on the following day and was shown straight into Sir William’s study.
 
Half an hour later Sir William rang the bell and sent for Lady Heritage. He hardly gave her time to shake hands before he burst out:
 
“I said you must be told. I take all responsibility for your being told. After all, if I am conducting these experiments, something is due to me, though the Government appear to think otherwise. But I take all responsibility; I insist on your being told.”
 
He sat at his littered table, and all the time that he was speaking his hands were lifting and shuffling1 the papers on it. At his elbow stood a tray with tantalus and glasses and a syphon. Only one glass had been used.
 
“What is it?” said Raymond.
 
Her eyes went from her father to Henry.
 
Sir William’s hand was shaking. Henry wore a look of grave concern.
 
“What is it?” she repeated.
 
“It’s Formula ‘A’”—Sir William’s voice was just a deep growl2. “He comes here, and he tells me that Formula ‘A’ has been stolen. I’ve told him to his face, and I tell him again, that it’s a damned impossibility.”
 
The shaking hand fell heavily upon the table and made the glasses ring.
 
“Formula ‘A’?” said Raymond—“stolen? Henry, you can’t mean it?”
 
“I’m afraid I do,” said Henry, at his quietest. “I’m afraid there’s no doubt about it. We have the most indisputable evidence that Formula ‘A’ has been offered to—well, to a foreign power.”
 
The flush upon Sir William’s face deepened alarmingly. Under the bristling3 grey brows his eyes were hard with anger. He began to speak, broke off, swept his papers to one side, and, taking up the tantalus and the used glass, poured out a third of a glass of whisky. He let a small quantity of soda4 into it with a vicious jerk, and then sat with the glass between his hands, alternately sipping5 from it and interjecting sounds of angry protest.
 
“The information is, I’m afraid, correct.”
 
Henry’s tone, though studiously moderate, was extremely firm. “There is undoubtedly6 a leak, and, in view of Formula ‘B,’ it is vital that the leak should be found and stopped.”
 
He addressed himself to Lady Heritage:
 
“Sir William tells me that all employés correspond with the list in my possession, that none of them leave the enclosure, and that all letters are censored7. By the way, who censors8 them?”
 
“Ember,” growled9 Sir William.
 
Lady Heritage elaborated the remark.
 
“Mr. Ember—Father’s secretary.”
 
She and Henry were both standing10, with the corner of the writing-table between them. She saw inquiry11 in Henry’s face. He said:
 
 
“Who does leave the premises12?”
 
“Father, once in a blue moon, I when I have any shopping to do, and, of course, Mr. Ember.”
 
“And when you go you drive, of course? What I mean is—a chauffeur13 goes too?”
 
Sir William made a sound between a snort and a laugh; Lady Heritage smiled. Both had the air of being pleased to catch Henry out.
 
“The chauffeur is Lewis, who was your uncle’s coachman here for twenty-five years. Are you going to suggest that he has been selling Formula ‘A’ to a foreign power? I’m afraid you must think again.”
 
“Who is Mr. Ember?”
 
Sir William exploded.
 
“Ember’s my secretary. He’s been my right hand for ten years, and if you’re going to make insinuations about him, you can leave my house and make them elsewhere. Why, damn it all, March!—why not accuse Raymond, or me?”
 
“I don’t accuse any one, sir.”
 
There was a pause, whilst the two men looked at one another. It was Sir William who looked away at last. He drained his glass and got up, pushing his chair so hard that it overturned.
 
“You want to see all the men to check ’em by that infernal list of yours, do you? The sooner the better then; let’s get it over.”
 
 
Later, as the men answered to their names in the long, bare room which had once been the Blue Parlour, Henry was struck with the strangeness of the scene. Here his aunt had loved to sit doing an interminable embroidery15 of fruits and flowers upon canvas. Here he and Anthony had lain prone16 before the fire, each with his head in a book and his heels waving aloft. Memories of Fenimore Cooper and Henty filled the place when for a moment he closed his eyes. Then, as they opened, there was the room all bare, the windows barred and uncurtained, the long stretcher tables with their paraphernalia17 of glass retorts, queer, twisted apparatus18, powerful electric appliances, and this row of men answering to their names whilst he checked each from his list.
 
“James Mallaby.” He called the name and glanced from the man who answered it to the paper in his hand. A small photograph was followed by a description: “5 feet 7 inches, grey eyes, mole19 on chin, fair complexion20, sandy hair.” All correct. He passed to the next.
 
“Jacob Moss—5 feet 5 inches, dark complexion, black hair and eyes, no marks....”
 
“George Patterson—5 feet 10 inches, sallow complexion, brown hair and beard, grey on temples, grey eyes, scar....”
 
The man who answered to the name of George Patterson stepped forward. He had the air of being taller than his scheduled height. His beard and hair were unkempt, and the scar set down against him was a red seam that ran from the left temple to the chin, where it lost itself in grizzled hair. He stooped, and walked with a dragging step.
 
Henry, who for the moment was speaking to Sir William, looked at him casually21 enough. He opened his list, and in turning the page, the papers slipped from his hand and fell. George Patterson picked them up. Henry went on to the next name.
 
Jane had keyed herself up to meeting him at teatime, but neither Henry nor Sir William appeared.
 
 
“Captain March is an extremely conscientious22 person,” said Lady Heritage. It was not a trait which appeared to commend itself to her. “I should think he must have interviewed the very black-beetles by now. Have you been passed, Jeffrey?”
 
“I don’t know,” said Mr. Ember, “but it hasn’t taken away my appetite for tea.”
 
In fact it had not. It was Raymond who ate nothing.
 
Jane and Henry did not meet until dinner-time. As she dressed, Jane kept looking at herself in the glass. She was pale, and she must not look pale. She took a towel and rubbed her cheeks—that was better. Then a little later, when she looked again, her eyes were far too bright, her face unnaturally23 flushed.
 
“As if any one was going to look at you at all—idiot!” she said.
 
After this she kept her back to the mirror.
 
In all the books that she had ever read the secretary or companion invariably wore a dinner dress of black silk made, preferably, out of one which had belonged to a grandmother or some even more remote relative. In this garb24 she outshone all the other women and annexed25 the affections of at least two of the most eligible26 men.
 
Renata did not possess a black silk gown.
 
“Thank goodness, for I should look perfectly27 awful in it,” was Jane’s thought.
 
 
With almost equal distaste she viewed the white muslin sacred to prize-givings and school concerts. Attired28 in this garment Renata had played the “Sonata Pathétique” amidst the applause of boarders and parents. With this pale blue sash about her waist she had recited “How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix.” Jane tied it in a vicious knot. Her only comfort as she went downstairs was that it was impossible to look more like a schoolgirl and less like a conspirator29.
 
Sir William and Henry were in the hall—Mr. Ember too, close to the fire as usual.
 
Sir William jerked his head in Jane’s direction and grunted30, “Miss Molloy, my daughter’s secretary.” Henry bowed. Jane inclined her head.
 
Next moment they all turned to watch Raymond Heritage come down the stair.
 
She wore black velvet31. Her neck and arms were bare. A long rope of pearls fell to her knee.
 
Jane wondered whether the world held another woman so beautiful, then looked quickly at Henry, and the same thought was visible upon Henry’s face.
 
Dinner was not a cheerful meal. Lady Heritage hardly opened her lips. Sir William sat hunched32 forward over the table; when addressed, the remark had to be repeated before he answered; he drank a good deal.
 
Jane considered that a modest silence became her, and the conversation was sustained with some effect of strain by Captain March and Mr. Ember. They talked fitfully of politics, musical comedy, the weather, and the American Exchange.
 
It was a relief, to Jane at least, when she and Lady Heritage found their way to the drawing-room.
 
 
Henry wondered at their using this large, formal room for so small a party. His aunt, he remembered, had kept it shut up for the most part. The sense of space was, however, grateful to Jane. The small circle of candlelight in the dining-room had seemed to shut them in, forcing an intimacy33 for which no one of them was prepared.
 
The Yellow Drawing-Room was a very stately apartment. The walls were hung with a Chinese damask which a hundred years had not robbed of its imperial colour. Beneath their pagoda-patterned blue linen34 covers Jane knew that the chairs and sofas wore a stiff yellow satin like a secret pride. Electric candles in elaborate sconces threw a cold, steady light upon the scene.
 
Lady Heritage sat by the fire, the Revue des Deux Mondes in her hand. Her eyes were on the page and never left it, but she was not reading. In fifteen minutes her glance had not shifted, and the page remained unturned.
 
Then the door opened, and the two younger men came in. Lady Heritage looked up for a moment, and then went back to her Revue. She made no attempt to entertain Captain March, who, for his part, showed some desire to be entertained.
 
“You are using the big rooms, I see. Aunt Mary always said they were too cold. You remember she always sat in the Blue Parlour, or the little oak room at the head of the stair.”
 
Raymond’s lip lifted slightly.
 
“I’m afraid the Blue Parlour would not be very comfortable now,” she said without looking up.
 
 
Henry possessed35 a persevering36 nature. He produced, in rapid succession, a remark about the weather, an inquiry as to the productiveness of the kitchen garden, and a comment upon the pleasant warmth of the log fire. The first and last of these efforts elicited37 no reply at all. To the question about the garden produce Lady Heritage answered that she had no idea.
 
Mr. Ember’s habitual38 expression of cynicism became a trifle more marked.
 
Jane had the feeling that the pressure in the atmosphere was steadily39 on the increase.
 
“Won’t you sing something, Raymond,” said Henry. His pleasant ease of manner appeared quite impervious40 to snubs.
 
Lady Heritage closed the Revue des Deux Mondes and, for the first time, looked full at Captain March. If he was startled by the furious resentment41 of that gaze he did not show it.
 
“And what do you expect me to sing, Henry?” she said—“the latest out of the Jazz Girls?”
 
“I don’t mind; whatever you like, but do sing, won’t you?”
 
Raymond got up with an abrupt42 movement. Walking to one of the long windows which opened upon the terrace, she drew the heavy yellow brocade curtain back with a jerk. Beyond the glass the terrace lay in deepest shadow, but moonlight touched the sea. She bent43, drew the bolt, and opened half the door.
 
“The room is stifling,” she said. “Jeffrey, it’s your fault they pile the fire up so. I wish you’d sometimes look at a calendar and realise that this is April, not January.”
 
Then, turning, she crossed to the piano.
 
“If I sing, it will be to please myself, and I shall probably not please any one else.”
 
 
Ember came forward and opened the piano. He bent as he did so, and said a few words very low. She answered him.
 
Henry, left by the fireside with Jane, leaned forward conversationally44, the last Punch in his hand.
 
“This is a good cartoon,” he said. “Have you seen it, Miss Molloy?”
 
And as she bent to look at the page, he added in that low, effaced45 tone which does not carry a yard:
 
“Which room have they given you?”
 
“I like the line,” said Jane in her clear voice, “and that very black shadow.” Then, in an almost soundless breath—“The end room, south wing.”
 
“Don’t go to bed,” said Henry. “Wonderful how they keep it up, week after week. I mean to say, it must put you off your stroke like anything, knowing you’ve got to come right up to time like that.”
 
“Your department doesn’t work by the calendar, then? You don’t have to bother about results?”
 
Ember strolled back to his favourite place by the fire as he spoke46, and Lady Heritage broke into a resounding47 chord. She played what Henry afterwards described as “an infernal pandemonium48 of a thing.” It appeared to be in several keys at once, and marched from one riot of discord49 to another until it ended with a strident crash which set up a humming jangle of vibrations50.
 
“Like that, Henry?” said Lady Heritage.
 
“No,” said Henry, monosyllabic in his turn.
 
 
“No one ever likes to hear the truth,” said Raymond. “You all want something pleasant, something smooth, something like this”—her fingers slipped into the “Blue Danube” waltz. She played it exquisitely51, with a melting delicacy52 of touch and a beautiful sense of rhythm. After a dozen bars or so she stopped suddenly, leaned her elbow on the keyboard, and through the little clang of the impact said:
 
“Well?”
 
“That’s topping,” said Henry. He looked across at her admiringly—the long sweep of the ebony piano, the white keyboard with the black notes standing clear, Raymond in her velvet and pearls, and behind her the imperial yellow of China.
 
Soothing53 syrup,” she said. “You’re not up to date, Henry, I’m afraid. The moderns show us things as they are, and we don’t like it, but the soothing syrups54 lose their power to soothe55 once you find out that they are just ... dope.”
 
“I wish you’d sing,” said Henry.
 
She looked across him at Ember, and an expression difficult to define hardened her face.
 
“This isn’t modern, but will you like it?” she said, and preluded56. Then she began to sing in a deep mezzo:
 
“The Worldly Hope Men set their Hearts upon
 
Turns Ashes—or it prospers57; and anon,
 
Like Snow upon the Desert’s dusty Face
 
Lighting58 its little Hour or two—is gone.
 
Here in this battered59 Caravanserai,
 
Whose Portals are alternate Night and Day,
 
How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
 
Abode60 his destined61 Hour, and went his Way.”
 
 
The notes came heavy and tragic62. In her voice there seemed to be gathered all the tragedy, all the emotion of human life. The sound fell almost to a whisper:
 
“The Worldly Hope Men set their Hearts upon
 
Turns Ashes—or it prospers; and anon,
 
Like Snow upon the Desert’s dusty Face
 
Lighting its little Hour or two—is gone.”
 
Suddenly the voice rose ringing like a trumpet63, a great chord crashed out:
 
“Waste not your Hour!”
 
The deep octaves followed. Then she passed into modulating64 phrases and began to sing again.
 
“Her voice is nearly as beautiful as she is,” thought Jane, “but somehow—she shakes one.”
 
“Ah Love, could you and I with Fate conspire65
 
To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
 
Would we not shatter it to bits, and then
 
Re-mould it nearer to the Heart’s Desire?”
 
With the last word she rose, turned from the piano and the room, and went out to the terrace.
 
Henry got up, strolled casually across the room, and followed her. She was standing by the low parapet looking over the sea. The night was still, the scent66 of hyacinths was heavy on the air, but every now and then a breath—something not to be called a wind—came up from across the water and brought with it cold, and a tang of salt.
 
The moon was still behind the house, but near to clearing it, and though they stood in the dusk, Henry could see Lady Heritage’s features as though through a veil.
 
Her icy mood was broken; the tears were rolling down her cheeks. She turned on him with a flame of anger.
 
 
“Why did you come? Why did you come? Do you know what Father said to me yesterday? I said I wouldn’t have you here, and he said—he said, ‘Good heaven! how can I keep the man away from what is practically his own house?’ Is it yours now?—have you come to see your property?”
 
Henry looked at her gravely.
 
“No, it is not mine yet,” he said, “and I came for a very different reason, as I think you know.”
 
“And you expected me to welcome you ... as if it wasn’t enough to be here, to live here—without——” She broke off, gripping the rough stone of the parapet with both hands. “You ask me why I don’t use the Oak Room—do you forget how you and I and Tony used to roast chestnuts67 there, and tell ghost stories—till we were afraid to go to bed? If there were no worse ghosts than those.... Do you know, every time you come into the room I expect to see Anthony behind you, and when you speak I catch myself listening for his voice?... Do you still wonder why I don’t use the Oak Room? What are men made of?”
 
“I don’t know,” said Henry. “Did I hurt you, Raymond? I’m sorry if I did, but it wasn’t meant.”
 
She sank down upon the parapet. All the vehemence68 went out of her.
 
“You see,” she said in a whispering voice—“you see, I can’t forget. God knows how hard I’ve tried. Every one else has forgotten, but I can’t forget. If I could, I should sleep—but I can’t. Henry, have you ever tried very hard to forget anything?”
 
“Yes,” said Henry.
 
“Will you tell me what it was?”
 
“I’m afraid I can’t.”
 
 
“Oh well, it doesn’t matter, and if you really understand, you know that the more one tries the more vivid it all becomes.”
 
“It’s Tony?” asked Henry.
 
“Yes, it’s Tony,” said Raymond, in an odd voice—“but it’s not because he’s dead—I don’t want you to think that. I could have borne that; I could have borne anything if I could have seen him once again, or if he had known that I cared, but he went away in anger and he never knew.”
 
“I didn’t know,” said Henry—“I’m sorry.”
 
Lady Heritage looked away across the sea. The moonlight showed where the jagged line of rocks cut sharp through the sleeping water.
 
“There’s a verse in the Bible—do you ever read the Bible, Henry? I don’t, but I remember this verse; one was taught it as a child. ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath69.’ I let the moon rise and go down on mine.” She spoke very, very quietly. “Anthony stood there, just by that urn14. He said, ‘You’ll have all the rest of your life to be sorry in....’ That was the last thing he said to me. He never forgave, and he never wrote. I didn’t think any man would let me go so easily, so I married John Heritage to show that I didn’t care. And, whilst we were on our honeymoon70, I saw Anthony’s name in the list of missing. Now, do you wonder that I hate you for coming here, and for being alive, and taking Tony’s place? And do you wonder that there are times when I hate everything so much that I’d like well enough to see this whole sorry scheme shattered to bits—if it could be done?”
 
“I’m not so keen on this shattering business, Raymond,” said Henry. “Don’t you think there’s been about enough of it? There are a lot of rotten things, and a lot of good things, and they’re all mixed up. If you start shattering, the odds71 are you bring down everything together.”
 
“Well?” said Raymond, just one word, cold and still.
 
There was a little pause. Then she laughed.
 
“Is Henry also among the preachers?” she said mockingly. “You should take Orders; a surplice would be becoming.”
 
Henry was annoyed to feel that he was flushing.
 
“Shall I go on preaching?” he said, and as he spoke, Mr. Ember came through the open glass door with a cloak over his arm.
 
“I am a relief expedition,” he announced. “You must be frozen. Never trust a moonlight night.”
 
He put the wrap about Raymond’s shoulders, but she did not fasten it.
 
“I’m coming in,” she said.
 
She and Ember passed into the lighted room. Henry stood still for a minute, listened acutely; then he followed them.
 
There was a hedge of stiffly growing veronica bushes at the foot of the terrace wall. After Henry had gone in, the man called George Patterson came out from behind the bushes at the far end of the terrace. He walked slowly with a dragging step, keeping in the shadow of the house, and he made his way to the far end of the north wing.
 
Inside the Yellow Drawing-Room Henry was bidding his hostess good-night, and announcing his intention of taking a moonlight stroll.
 
Presently he emerged upon the terrace, descended72 the steps on the right, and made his way in the direction taken by George Patterson.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 shuffling 03b785186d0322e5a1a31c105fc534ee     
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
2 growl VeHzE     
v.(狗等)嗥叫,(炮等)轰鸣;n.嗥叫,轰鸣
参考例句:
  • The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫,尾巴也跟着摇摆。
  • The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。
3 bristling tSqyl     
a.竖立的
参考例句:
  • "Don't you question Miz Wilkes' word,'said Archie, his beard bristling. "威尔克斯太太的话,你就不必怀疑了。 "阿尔奇说。他的胡子也翘了起来。
  • You were bristling just now. 你刚才在发毛。
4 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
5 sipping e7d80fb5edc3b51045def1311858d0ae     
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
  • She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。
6 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
7 censored 5660261bf7fc03555e8d0f27b09dc6e5     
受审查的,被删剪的
参考例句:
  • The news reports had been heavily censored . 这些新闻报道已被大幅删剪。
  • The military-backed government has heavily censored the news. 有军方撑腰的政府对新闻进行了严格审查。
8 censors 0b6e14d26afecc4ac86c847a7c99de15     
删剪(书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容)( censor的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the President. 审查员删去了该书的精华以取悦于总统。
  • The censors let out not a word. 检察官一字也不发。
9 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
11 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
参考例句:
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
12 premises 6l1zWN     
n.建筑物,房屋
参考例句:
  • According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定,场内不准饮酒。
  • All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行,不用送到外面去做。
13 chauffeur HrGzL     
n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机;v.为…开车
参考例句:
  • The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
  • She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。
14 urn jHaya     
n.(有座脚的)瓮;坟墓;骨灰瓮
参考例句:
  • The urn was unearthed entire.这只瓮出土完整无缺。
  • She put the big hot coffee urn on the table and plugged it in.她将大咖啡壶放在桌子上,接上电源。
15 embroidery Wjkz7     
n.绣花,刺绣;绣制品
参考例句:
  • This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品,使人惊叹不已。
  • This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。
16 prone 50bzu     
adj.(to)易于…的,很可能…的;俯卧的
参考例句:
  • Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
  • He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。
17 paraphernalia AvqyU     
n.装备;随身用品
参考例句:
  • Can you move all your paraphernalia out of the way?你可以把所有的随身物品移开吗?
  • All my fishing paraphernalia is in the car.我的鱼具都在汽车里。
18 apparatus ivTzx     
n.装置,器械;器具,设备
参考例句:
  • The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
  • They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。
19 mole 26Nzn     
n.胎块;痣;克分子
参考例句:
  • She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
  • The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。
20 complexion IOsz4     
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格
参考例句:
  • Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
  • Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。
21 casually UwBzvw     
adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地
参考例句:
  • She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
  • I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。
22 conscientious mYmzr     
adj.审慎正直的,认真的,本着良心的
参考例句:
  • He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责,也很懂行。
  • He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。
23 unnaturally 3ftzAP     
adv.违反习俗地;不自然地;勉强地;不近人情地
参考例句:
  • Her voice sounded unnaturally loud. 她的嗓音很响亮,但是有点反常。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Her eyes were unnaturally bright. 她的眼睛亮得不自然。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 garb JhYxN     
n.服装,装束
参考例句:
  • He wore the garb of a general.他身着将军的制服。
  • Certain political,social,and legal forms reappear in seemingly different garb.一些政治、社会和法律的形式在表面不同的外衣下重复出现。
25 annexed ca83f28e6402c883ed613e9ee0580f48     
[法] 附加的,附属的
参考例句:
  • Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
  • The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。
26 eligible Cq6xL     
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句:
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
27 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
28 attired 1ba349e3c80620d3c58c9cc6c01a7305     
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The bride was attired in white. 新娘穿一身洁白的礼服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It is appropriate that everyone be suitably attired. 人人穿戴得体是恰当的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
29 conspirator OZayz     
n.阴谋者,谋叛者
参考例句:
  • We started abusing him,one conspirator after another adding his bitter words.我们这几个预谋者一个接一个地咒骂他,恶狠狠地骂个不停。
  • A conspirator is not of the stuff to bear surprises.谋反者是经不起惊吓的。
30 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
31 velvet 5gqyO     
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的
参考例句:
  • This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
  • The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
32 hunched 532924f1646c4c5850b7c607069be416     
(常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦)耸肩弓身的,伏首前倾的
参考例句:
  • He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
  • Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。
33 intimacy z4Vxx     
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行
参考例句:
  • His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切,这有点言过其实。
  • I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。
34 linen W3LyK     
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的
参考例句:
  • The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
  • Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。
35 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的
参考例句:
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
36 persevering AltztR     
a.坚忍不拔的
参考例句:
  • They will only triumph by persevering in their struggle against natural calamities. 他们只有坚持与自然灾害搏斗,才能取得胜利。
  • Success belongs to the persevering. 胜利属于不屈不挠的人。
37 elicited 65993d006d16046aa01b07b96e6edfc2     
引出,探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。
  • The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。
38 habitual x5Pyp     
adj.习惯性的;通常的,惯常的
参考例句:
  • He is a habitual criminal.他是一个惯犯。
  • They are habitual visitors to our house.他们是我家的常客。
39 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
40 impervious 2ynyU     
adj.不能渗透的,不能穿过的,不易伤害的
参考例句:
  • He was completely impervious to criticism.他对批评毫不在乎。
  • This material is impervious to gases and liquids.气体和液体都透不过这种物质。
41 resentment 4sgyv     
n.怨愤,忿恨
参考例句:
  • All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
  • She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。
42 abrupt 2fdyh     
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的
参考例句:
  • The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
  • His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。
43 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
44 conversationally c99513d77f180e80661b63a35b670a58     
adv.会话地
参考例句:
  • I am at an unfavourable position in being conversationally unacquainted with English. 我由于不熟悉英语会话而处于不利地位。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The findings suggest that happy lives are social and conversationally deep, rather than solitary and superficial. 结论显示,快乐的生活具有社会层面的意义并与日常交谈有关,而并不仅仅是个体差异和表面现象。 来自互联网
45 effaced 96bc7c37d0e2e4d8665366db4bc7c197     
v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;超越;使黯然失色
参考例句:
  • Someone has effaced part of the address on his letter. 有人把他信上的一部分地址擦掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The name of the ship had been effaced from the menus. 那艘船的名字已经从菜单中删除了。 来自辞典例句
46 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
47 resounding zkCzZC     
adj. 响亮的
参考例句:
  • The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
  • He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。
48 pandemonium gKFxI     
n.喧嚣,大混乱
参考例句:
  • The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂,而且喧嚣刺耳。
  • I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。
49 discord iPmzl     
n.不和,意见不合,争论,(音乐)不和谐
参考例句:
  • These two answers are in discord.这两个答案不一样。
  • The discord of his music was hard on the ear.他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。
50 vibrations d94a4ca3e6fa6302ae79121ffdf03b40     
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 );震动;感受;(偏离平衡位置的)一次性往复振动
参考例句:
  • We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
  • I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了,她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
51 exquisitely Btwz1r     
adv.精致地;强烈地;剧烈地;异常地
参考例句:
  • He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服,还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分
52 delicacy mxuxS     
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴
参考例句:
  • We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
  • He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。
53 soothing soothing     
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
参考例句:
  • Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
  • His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。
54 syrups 15e12567ac16f38caa2fa4def95012a6     
n.糖浆,糖汁( syrup的名词复数 );糖浆类药品
参考例句:
  • A variety of cocktails were created all using Monin syrups and purees. 我们用莫林糖浆和果泥创作了许多鸡尾酒。 来自互联网
  • Other applications include fruit juices, flavors, and sugar syrups. 其它的应用包括水果汁、香精和糖浆。 来自互联网
55 soothe qwKwF     
v.安慰;使平静;使减轻;缓和;奉承
参考例句:
  • I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
  • This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。
56 preluded 2128449a05297528c1a23b19d9110de7     
v.为…作序,开头(prelude的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • He preluded with some cliche. 他一开场便是老生常谈。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He preluded with some friendly remarks. 他讲了几句友好的话作为开场白。 来自辞典例句
57 prospers 2df02d3eacf3e8fe61add7b23ce7a1bd     
v.成功,兴旺( prosper的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Whatever prospers my business is welcome. 凡使我生意兴隆者皆竭诚欢迎。 来自辞典例句
  • Whatever prospers my business is good. 任何使我生意兴隆的都是好的。 来自辞典例句
58 lighting CpszPL     
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光
参考例句:
  • The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
  • The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
59 battered NyezEM     
adj.磨损的;v.连续猛击;磨损
参考例句:
  • He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
  • The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。
60 abode hIby0     
n.住处,住所
参考例句:
  • It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫,才好不容易打听到他的住处。
  • Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍!
61 destined Dunznz     
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的
参考例句:
  • It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
  • The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。
62 tragic inaw2     
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的
参考例句:
  • The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
  • Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。
63 trumpet AUczL     
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘
参考例句:
  • He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴,我吹喇叭。
  • The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。
64 modulating 3831b0b9165a263a37199f6886a6a3ff     
调整( modulate的现在分词 ); (对波幅、频率的)调制; 转调; 调整或改变(嗓音)的音调
参考例句:
  • In his horn solo,he kept modulating from key to key. 他在喇叭独奏时不断地变调。
  • Water vapour and clouds are the primary variables modulating direct solar absorption. 水汽和云是调节直接太阳吸收的主要要素。
65 conspire 8pXzF     
v.密谋,(事件等)巧合,共同导致
参考例句:
  • They'd conspired to overthrow the government.他们曾经密谋推翻政府。
  • History and geography have conspired to bring Greece to a moment of decision.历史和地理因素共同将希腊推至作出抉择的紧要关头。
66 scent WThzs     
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉
参考例句:
  • The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
  • The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
67 chestnuts 113df5be30e3a4f5c5526c2a218b352f     
n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 );栗色;栗树;栗色马
参考例句:
  • A man in the street was selling bags of hot chestnuts. 街上有个男人在卖一包包热栗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Talk of chestnuts loosened the tongue of this inarticulate young man. 因为栗子,正苦无话可说的年青人,得到同情他的人了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
68 vehemence 2ihw1     
n.热切;激烈;愤怒
参考例句:
  • The attack increased in vehemence.进攻越来越猛烈。
  • She was astonished at his vehemence.她对他的激昂感到惊讶。
69 wrath nVNzv     
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒
参考例句:
  • His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
  • The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。
70 honeymoon ucnxc     
n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月
参考例句:
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
71 odds n5czT     
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别
参考例句:
  • The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
  • Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗?
72 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。


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