The young minister and the elderly skipper discussed the subject of marriage in a shabby antique room of small size, which had the appearance of having been used to more aristocratic company. The dark-oak panelled walls, the grotesquely-carved ceiling-beams, the Dutch-tiled fire-place, with its ungainly brass6 dogs, and the deep slanting7 embrasure of the lozenge-paned casement8, suggested Georgian beaux and belles9 dancing buckram minutes, or at least hard-riding country squires10 plotting Jacobite restoration. But these happenings were in the long-ago, but this stately Essex manor-house had declined woefully from its high estate, and now sheltered a rough and ready mariner11, who camped, rather than dwelt, under its roof.
Captain Huxham, seated on the broad, low window-sill, thrust his hands into the pockets of his brass-buttoned pea-jacket, and swung his short, sturdy legs, which were enveloped12 in wide blue-cloth trousers. He was a squat13 man, with lengthy14 arms and aggressively square shoulders, and his large, flat face was as the winter sun for redness. Clean-shaven, save for a fringe of white hair which curved under his stubborn chin from one large ear to the other, his tough skin was seamed with innumerable wrinkles, accumulating particularly thickly about his eyes. He had gold rings in his ears, and plenteous grey hair hung like seaweed from under a peaked cap, pushed back from his lined forehead. He looked what he truly was—a rough, uneducated, imperious old sea-dog, whose knowledge of strong drink and stronger language was only exceeded by his strenuous16 grip of the purse which held the savings17 of many rapacious18 years. In this romantic room he looked entirely19 out of place. Nevertheless it was his own property, and while considering his answer to Mr. Pence, he examined it mechanically.
To the left he beheld20 a large open fire-place, which gaped21 under an ornate oak mantel-piece, carved with the crest22 and motto of the dispossessed family. A door appeared on the right, leading to the entrance hall, and this also was elaborately carved with wreaths of fruit and flowers, and with fat, foolish Cupids, entangled23 in knots of ribbon. The fourth wall was unbroken, and faced the window, but against it stood a common deal table covered incongruously with an embroidered24 Indian cloth. Above this, and leaning forward, was a round convex mirror, surmounted25 by a Napoleonic eagle. This was flanked on one side by an oilskin coat and a sou'-wester, and on the other by a sextant and a long brass telescope. A Louis Quinze sofa, with a gilt26 frame, and covered with faded brocade, fitted into the space between the fire-place and the casement. In the opposite corner, with its back to the outer wall, stood a large modern office-desk of mahogany, with a flexible curved lid, which was drawn27 down and fastened, because a visitor was in the room. Captain Huxham never received anyone in his sanctum unless he first assured himself that the desk was closed, and a small, green-painted safe near it fast-locked.
There were three or four rush-bottomed chairs, which looked plebeian28 even on the dusty, uncarpeted floor. On the mantel-shelf stood a lyre-shaped clock, bearing the sun symbol of Louis XIV.; several cheap and gaudy29 vases, and many fantastic shells picked up on South Sea beaches. Here and there were Japanese curios, Polynesian mats and war weapons; uncouth30 Chinese idols31, stuffed birds, Indian ivory carvings32, photographs and paintings of various ships, and all the flotsam and jetsam which collects in a sailor's sea-chest during endless voyages. The deal table was littered with old magazines, yellow-backed novels, and navigation books with ragged33 covers; while the fire-place was a species of dust-bin1 for matches, cigar-ends, torn papers, orange peel, and such like. Everywhere the dust lay thick. It was an odd room—at once sumptuous34 and dingy35, markedly chaotic36, yet orderly in an untidy way. It reflected more or less the mind of its present owner, who, as has been before remarked, camped, rather than lived, amidst his surroundings. In the same way do Eastern nomads37 house in the ruined palaces of kings.
Silas Pence, who was the minister of the Little Bethel Chapel38 in Marshely village, curled his long thin legs under his chair and looked anxiously at his meditative39 host. That portion of the light from the casement not intercepted40 by Huxham's bulky figure, revealed a lean, eager face, framed in sparse41, fair hair, parted in the centre and falling untidily on the coat collar. The young preacher's features were sharply defined and somewhat mean, while a short and scanty42 beard scarcely concealed43 his sensitive mouth. His forehead was lofty, his chin weak, and his grey eyes glittered in a strange, fanatical fashion. There were exceptional possibilities both for good and evil in that pale countenance44, and it could be guessed that environment would have much to do with the development of such possibilities. Mr. Pence was arrayed in a tightly-fitting frock coat and loose trousers, both of worn broadcloth. He wore also a low collar with a white tie, bow-fashion, white socks, and low-heeled shoes, and every part of his attire45, although neat and well-brushed and well-mended, revealed dire46 poverty. On the whole, he had the rapt ascetic47 gaze of a mediæval saint, and a monkish48 robe would have suited him better than his semi-ecclesiastical garb49 as a Non-conformist preacher.
But if Pence resembled a saint, Huxham might have passed for a grey old badger50, sullen51 and infinitely52 wary53. Having taken stock of his worldly possessions, recalling meanwhile a not altogether spotless past, he brought his shrewd eyes back again to his visitor's attentive54 face. Still anxious to gain time for further consideration, he remarked once more, "So' y' want t' merry m' gel, Bella, Mr. Pence? Jus' so! Jus' so!"
The other replied, in a musical but high-pitched voice almost feminine in its timbre55, "I am not comely56; I am not wealthy; nor do I sit in the seat of the rulers. But the Lord has gifted me with a pleading tongue, an admiring eye, and an admonishing57 nature. With Isabella by my side, Brother Huxham, I can lead more hopefully our little flock towards the pleasant land of Beulah. What says Isaiah?"
"Dunno!" confessed the mariner. "Ain't bin readin' Isaiaher's log lately."
"Thou shalt be called Hephzibah," quoted Mr. Pence shrilly58, "and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land will be married."
"Didn't know es Isaiaher knew of m' twenty acres," growled59 Huxham, with another turn of his quid; "'course ef it be, es y' merry Bella, th' land goes with her when I fits int' m' little wooden overcoat. Y' kin15 take yer davy on thet, Mr. Pence, fur I've a conscience, I hev,—let 'em say contrary es likes."
It must have been an uneasy conscience, for Captain Huxham glared defiantly60 at his visitor, and then cast a doubtful look over his left shoulder, as though he expected to be tapped thereon. Pence was puzzled as much by this behaviour as by the literal way in which the sailor had taken the saying of the prophet. "Isaiah spoke61 in parables62," he explained, lamely63.
"Maybe," grunted64 Huxham, "but y' speak sraight 'nough, Mr. Pence. Touching65 this merrage. Y' love Bella, es I take it?"
"I call her Hephzibah," burst out the young minister enthusiastically, "which, being interpreted, means—my delight is in her."
"Jus' so! Jus' so! But does th' gel love you, Mr. Pence?"
The face of the suitor clouded. "I have my doubts," he sighed, "seeing that she has looked upon vanity in the person of a man from Babylon."
"Damn your parables!" snapped the captain; "put a blamed name t' him."
"Mr. Cyril Lister," began Pence, and was about to reprove his host for the use of strong language, when he was startled by much worse. And Huxham grew purple in the face when using it.
It is unnecessary to set down the exact words, but the fluency66 and originality67 and picturesqueness68 of the retired69 mariner's speech made Silas close his scandalised ears. With many adjectives of the most lurid70 description, the preacher understood Huxham to say that he would see his daughter grilling71 in the nethermost72 pit of Tophet before he would permit his daughter to marry this—adjective, double adjective—swab from London.
"I ain't seen th' blighter," bellowed73 the captain, furiously, "but I've heard of his blessed name. Bella met him et thet blamed Miss Ankers', the school-mistress', house, she did. Sh' wanted him t' kim an' see this old shanty74, 'cause he writes fur the noospapers, cuss him. But I up an' tole her, es I'd twist her damned neck ef she spoke agin with the lop-sided—"
"Stop! stop!" remonstrated75 Pence feebly. "We are all brothers in——"
"The lubber ain't no relative o' mine, hang him; an' y' too, fur sayin' so. Oh, Lister, Lister!" Huxham swung two huge fists impotently. "I hate him."
The surprise in his tones brought Huxham to his calmer senses, like the cunning old badger he was.
"'Cause I jolly well do," he snorted, wiping his perspiring77 face with a flaunting78 red and yellow bandana. "But it don't matter nohow, and I arsk yer pardon fur gittin' up steam. My gel don't merry no Lister, y' kin lay yer soul t' thet, Mr. Pence. Lister! Lister!" He slipped off the sill in his excitement. "I hates the whole damned breed of 'em; sea-cooks all, es oughter t' hev their silly faces in the slush tub."
This remark cooled the captain still further. "Shut yer silly mouth," he growled, rolling porpoise-fashion across the room, "and wait till I git m' breath back int' m' bellers."
Being a discreet80 young man, Pence took the hint and silently watched the squat, ungainly figure of his host lunging and plunging81 in the narrow confines of the apartment. Whatever may have been the reason, it was evident that the name of Lister acted like a red rag to this nautical82 bull. Pence ran over in his mind what he knew of the young stranger, to see if he could account for this outbreak. He could recall nothing pertinent83. Cyril Lister had come to remain in Marshely some six months previously84, and declared himself to be a journalist in search of quiet, for the purpose of writing a novel. He occupied a tiny cottage in the village, and was looked after by Mrs. Block, a stout, gossiping widow, who spoke well of her master. So far as Pence knew, Captain Huxham had never set eyes on the stranger, and could not possibly know anything of him or of his family. Yet, from his late outburst of rage, it was apparent that he hated the young man.
Lister sometimes went to London, but for the most part remained in the village, writing his novel and making friends with the inhabitants. At the house of the board-school mistress he had met Bella Huxham, and the two had been frequently in one another's company, in spite of the captain's prohibition85. But it was evident that Huxham knew nothing of their meetings. Pence did, however, and resented that the girl should prefer Lister's company to his own. He was very deeply in love, and it rejoiced his heart when he heard how annoyed the captain was at the mere86 idea of a marriage between Lister and his daughter. The preacher was by no means a selfish man, or a bad man, but being in love he naturally wished to triumph over his rival. He now knew that his suit would be supported by Huxham, if only out of his inexplicable87 hatred88 for the journalist.
Meanwhile Huxham stamped and muttered, and wiped his broad face as he walked off his anger. Finally he stopped opposite his visitor and waved him to the door. "Y' shell merry m' gel, Bella," he announced hoarsely89; "m' conscience won't let me merry her t' thet—thet—oh, cuss him! why carn't he an' the likes o' he keep away!" He paused, and again cast an uncomfortable look over his left shoulder. "Kim up on th' roof," he said abruptly90, driving Pence into the entrance hall. "I'll show y' wot I'll give y' with m' gel—on conditions."
"Conditions!" The preacher was bewildered.
Huxham vouchsafed91 no reply, but mounted the shallow steps of the grand staircase. The manor-house was large and rambling92, and of great age, having been built in the reign93 of Henry VII. The rooms were spacious94, the corridors wide, and the ceilings lofty. The present possessor led his guest up the stairs into a long, broad passage, with many doors leading into various bedrooms. At the end he opened a smaller door to reveal a narrow flight of steep steps. Followed by the minister, Huxham ascended95 these, and the two emerged through a wooden trap-door on the roof. Silas then beheld a moderately broad space running parallel with the passage below, and extending from one parapet to the other. On either side of this walk—as it might be termed—the red-tiled roofs sloped abruptly upward to cover the two portions of the mansion96, here joined by the flat leads forming the walk aforesaid. On the slope of the left roof, looking from the trap-door, was a wooden ladder which led up to a small platform, also of wood, built round the emerging chimney stack. This was Captain Huxham's quarter deck, whither he went on occasions to survey his property. He clambered up the ladder with the agility98 of a sailor, in spite of his age, and was followed by the preacher with some misgivings99. These proved to be correct, for when he reached the quarter-deck, the view which met his startled eyes so shook his nerve, that he would have fallen but that the captain propped100 him up against the broad brick-work of the chimney.
"Oh, me," moaned the unfortunate Silas, holding on tightly to the iron clamps of the brick-work. "I am throned on a dangerous eminence," and closed his eyes.
"Open 'em, open 'em," commanded the captain gruffly, "an' jes' look et them twenty acres of corn, es y'll git with m' gel when I'm a deader."
Pence slipped into a sitting position and looked as directed. He beheld from his dizzy elevation101 the rolling marshland, extending from the far-distant stream of the Thames to the foot of low-lying inland hills. As it was July, and the sun shone strongly, the marshes102 were comparatively dry, but here and there Pence beheld pools and ditches flashing like jewels in the yellow radiance. Immediately before him he could see the village of Marshely, not so very far away, with red-roofed houses gathered closely round the grey, square tower of the church; he could even see the tin roof of his own humble103 Bethel gleaming like silver in the sunlight. And here and there, dotted indiscriminately, were lonely houses, single huts, clumps104 of trees, and on the higher ground rising inland, more villages similar to Marshely. The flat and perilously105 green lands were divided by hedges and ditches and fences into squares and triangles and oblongs and rectangles, all as emerald-hued as faery rings. The human habitations were so scattered106, that it looked as though some careless genii had dropped them by chance when flying overhead. Far away glittered the broad stream of the Thames, with ships and steamers and boats and barges107 moving, outward and inward bound, on its placid108 surface. The rigid109 line of the railway shot straightly through villages and trees and occasional cuttings, across the verdant110 expanse, with here and there a knot representing a station. Smoke curled from the tall chimneys of the dynamite111 factories near the river, and silvery puffs112 of steam showed that a train was on its way to Tilbury. All was fresh, restful, beautiful, and so intensely green as to be suggestive of early Spring buddings.
"When I took command of this here farm, ten years back," observed Captain Huxham, drawing in a deep breath of moist air, "it were water-logged like a derelict, es y' might say. Cast yer weather-eye over it now, Mr. Pence, an' wot's yer look-out: a gardin of Edin, smilin' with grain."
"Yet it's a derelict still," remarked the preacher, struggling to his feet and holding on by the chimney; "let me examine your farm of Bleacres."
Bleacres—a corruption113 of bleakacres—consisted of only twenty acres not at all bleak114, but a mere slice out of the wide domains115 formerly117 owned by the aristocratic family dispossessed by Huxham. It extended all round the ancient manor-house, which stood exactly in the centre, and every foot of it was sown with corn. On every side waved the greenish-bluish crop, now almost breast high. It rolled right up to the walls of the house, so that this was drowned, so to speak, in the ocean of grain. The various fields were divided and sub-divided by water-ways wide and narrow, which drained the land, and these gave the place quite a Dutch look, as fancy might picture them as canals. But the corn grew everywhere so thick and high, in contrast to the barren marshes, that the farm looked almost aggressively cultivated. Bleacres was widely known as "The Solitary118 Farm," for there was not another like it for many miles, though why it should have been left to a retired sailor to cultivate the soil it is hard to say. But Huxham for many years had sown corn on his twenty acres, so that the mansion for the most part of the year was quite shut off from the world. Only a narrow path was left, which meandered119 from the front door and across various water-ways to Marshely village, one mile distant. In no other way save by this path could the mansion be approached. And as guardian120 of the place a red-coated scarecrow stood sentinel a stone-throw from the house. The bit of brilliant colour looked gay amidst the rolling acres of green.
"The domain116 of Ceres," said Pence dreamily, and recalling his meagre classical studies; "here the goddess might preside. Yet," he added again, with a side glance at his rugged121 host, "a derelict still."
"Mr. Pence don't know the English langwidge, apparently," said Huxham, addressing the landscape with a pitying smile. "A derelict's a ship abandoned."
"And a derelict," insisted Pence, "can also be described as a tract122 of land left dry by the sea, and fit for cultivation123 or use. You will find that explanation in Nuttall's Standard Dictionary, captain."
"Live an' larn; live an' larn," commented Huxham, accepting the explanation without question; "but I ain't got no use for dix'onaries m'self. Made m' dollars to buy this here farm without sich truck."
"In what way, captain?" asked Silas absently, and looked at the view.
Had he looked instead at Huxham's weather-beaten face he might have been surprised. The captain grew a little trifle paler under his bronze, an uneasy look crept into his hard blue eyes, and he threw another anxious glance over his shoulder. But a stealthy examination of the minister's indifferent countenance assured him that the question, although a leading one, had been asked in all innocence124. And in all innocence the captain replied, for the momentary125 pause had given him time to frame his reply.
"I arned m' dollars, Mr. Pence, es an honest man should, by sweatin' on th' high an' narrer seas these forty year'. Ran away fro' m' father, es wos a cobbler," added Huxham, addressing the landscape once more, "when I wos ten year old, an' a hop-me-thumb et thet, es y' could hev squeezed int' a pint126 pot. Cabin boy, A.B., mate, fust an' second, and a skipper by m' own determination t' git top-hole. Likewise hard tack97, cold quarters, kickin's an' brimstone langwidge es would hev made thet hair of yours curl tremenjous, Mr. Pence. I made 'nough when fifty an' more, t' buy this here farm, an' this here house, th' roof of which I've walked quarter-deck fashion, es y' see, these ten years—me bein' sixty odd, so t' speak. Waitin' now fur a hail t' jine th' angels, an' Mrs. Arabeller Huxham, who is a flier with a halo, an' expectin' me aloft, es she remarked frequent when chokin' in her engine pipes. Asthma127 et wos," finished the widower128, spitting out some tobacco juice, "es settled her hash."
This astonishing speech, delivered with slow gruffness, did not startle Silas, as he had known Captain Huxham for at least five years, and had before remarked upon his eccentric way of talking. "Very interesting; very commendable," he murmured, and returned to the object of his visit. "And your daughter, sir?"
"Y' shell hev her, an' hev this here," the captain waved his hand to the four points of the compass, "when I jine the late Mrs. Arabeller Huxham, ef y'—ef y'—thet is——" he halted dubiously129.
"If what?" demanded Pence, unsuspiciously.
"Ef y' chuck thet Lister int' one of them water-ways," said Huxham.
"What?" cried the preacher, considerably130 startled.
"I want him dead," growled Huxham gruffly, "drown dead an' buried."
Perhaps his sojourn131 in distant lands on the fringes of the empire had familiarised the captain with sudden death and murder, for he made this amazing proposition in a calm and cheerful voice. But the minister was not so steeled to horrors.
"All fur you," murmured the tempter persuasively133, "every blamed acre of et, t' say nothing of Bella es is a fine gel, an'——"
"No, no, no!" cried Silas vehemently134, spreading his hands across his lean, agitated135 face, "how dare you ask such a thing?"
"Jus' a push," went on Huxham softly, "he bein' on the edge of one of them ditches, es y' might say. Wot th' water gits th' water holds. He'd go down int' the black slime an' never come up. It 'ud choke him. Cuss me," murmured Huxham softly, "I'd like t' see the black slime choke a Lister."
Pence gasped136 again and recalled how the Evil One had taken the Saviour137 of men up to an exceedingly high mountain, to show Him the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. "All these things will I give thee," said Satan, "if——"
"No!" shouted Silas, his eyes lighting138 up with wrath139. "Get thee behind me——" Before finishing his sentence, and before Huxham could reply, he scrambled140 down the ladder to rush for the open trap. The captain leaned from his quarter-deck scornfully. "Y' needn't say es I gave y' the chance, fur no one 'ull believe y'," he cried out, coolly, "an' a milksop y' are. Twenty acres, a house, an' a fine gel—y'd be set up for life, ef y'd only push——"
Pence heard no more. In a frenzy141 of horror he dropped through the trap-door, inwardly praying that he might be kept from temptation. Huxham saw him vanish and scowled142. "Blamed milky143 swab," he grumbled144, then turned to survey the bribe145 he had offered for wilful146 murder. He looked at the corn and across the corn uneasily, as though he saw danger in the distance. "No cause to be afeared," muttered the ex-mariner; "he can't get through the corn. It keeps me safe anyhow."
But who the "he" referred to might be, Huxham did not say.
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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bulged
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| 凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物） | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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belles
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| n.美女( belle的名词复数 )；最美的美女 | |
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squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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embroidered
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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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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plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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carvings
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| n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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37
nomads
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| n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活 | |
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38
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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39
meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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40
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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41
sparse
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| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
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42
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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43
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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44
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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45
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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46
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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47
ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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48
monkish
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| adj.僧侣的，修道士的，禁欲的 | |
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49
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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50
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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51
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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52
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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53
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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54
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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55
timbre
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| n.音色，音质 | |
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56
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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57
admonishing
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| v.劝告( admonish的现在分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
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58
shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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59
growled
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| 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 | |
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60
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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61
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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62
parables
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| n.（圣经中的）寓言故事( parable的名词复数 ) | |
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63
lamely
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| 一瘸一拐地，不完全地 | |
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64
grunted
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| （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 | |
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65
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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66
fluency
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| n.流畅，雄辩，善辩 | |
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67
originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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68
picturesqueness
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69
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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70
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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71
grilling
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| v.烧烤( grill的现在分词 )；拷问，盘问 | |
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72
nethermost
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| adj.最下面的 | |
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73
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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74
shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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75
remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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76
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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77
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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78
flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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79
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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80
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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81
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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82
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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83
pertinent
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| adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的 | |
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84
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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85
prohibition
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| n.禁止；禁令，禁律 | |
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86
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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87
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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88
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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89
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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90
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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91
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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92
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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93
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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94
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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95
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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96
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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97
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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98
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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99
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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100
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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102
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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103
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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104
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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105
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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106
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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107
barges
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| 驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
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108
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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109
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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110
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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111
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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112
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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113
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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114
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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115
domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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116
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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117
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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118
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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119
meandered
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| （指溪流、河流等）蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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121
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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122
tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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123
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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124
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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125
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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126
pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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127
asthma
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| n.气喘病，哮喘病 | |
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128
widower
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| n.鳏夫 | |
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129
dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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130
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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131
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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132
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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133
persuasively
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| adv.口才好地；令人信服地 | |
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134
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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135
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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136
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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137
saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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138
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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139
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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140
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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141
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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142
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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143
milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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144
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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145
bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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146
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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