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CHAPTER II
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 A delicate business—What Ethelbertha might have said—What she did say—What Mrs. Harris said—What we told George—We will start on Wednesday—George suggests the possibility of improving our minds—Harris and I are doubtful—Which man on a tandem1 does the most work?—The opinion of the man in front—Views of the man behind—How Harris lost his wife—The luggage question—The wisdom of my late Uncle Podger—Beginning of story about a man who had a bag.
 
I opened the ball with Ethelbertha that same evening.  I commenced by being purposely a little irritable2.  My idea was that Ethelbertha would remark upon this.  I should admit it, and account for it by over brain pressure.  This would naturally lead to talk about my health in general, and the evident necessity there was for my taking prompt and vigorous measures.  I thought that with a little tact3 I might even manage so that the suggestion should come from Ethelbertha herself.  I imagined her saying: “No, dear, it is change you want; complete change.  Now be persuaded by me, and go away for a month.  No, do not ask me to come with you.  I know you would rather that I did, but I will not.  It is the society of other men you need.  Try and persuade George and Harris to go with you.  Believe me, a highly strung brain such as yours demands occasional relaxation4 from the strain of domestic surroundings.  Forget for a little while that children want music lessons, and boots, and bicycles, with tincture of rhubarb three times a day; forget there are such things in life as cooks, and house decorators, and next-door dogs, and butchers’ bills.  Go away to some green corner of the earth, where all is new and strange to you, where your over-wrought mind will gather peace and fresh ideas.  Go away for a space and give me time to miss you, and to reflect upon your goodness and virtue5, which, continually present with me, I may, human-like, be apt to forget, as one, through use, grows indifferent to the blessing6 of the sun and the beauty of the moon.  Go away, and come back refreshed in mind and body, a brighter, better man—if that be possible—than when you went away.”
 
But even when we obtain our desires they never come to us garbed7 as we would wish.  To begin with, Ethelbertha did not seem to remark that I was irritable; I had to draw her attention to it.  I said:
 
“You must forgive me, I’m not feeling quite myself to-night.”
 
She said: “Oh!  I have not noticed anything different; what’s the matter with you?”
 
“I can’t tell you what it is,” I said; “I’ve felt it coming on for weeks.”
 
“It’s that whisky,” said Ethelbertha.  “You never touch it except when we go to the Harris’s.  You know you can’t stand it; you have not a strong head.”
 
“It isn’t the whisky,” I replied; “it’s deeper than that.  I fancy it’s more mental than bodily.”
 
“You’ve been reading those criticisms again,” said Ethelbertha, more sympathetically; “why don’t you take my advice and put them on the fire?”
 
“And it isn’t the criticisms,” I answered; “they’ve been quite flattering of late—one or two of them.”
 
“Well, what is it?” said Ethelbertha; “there must be something to account for it.”
 
“No, there isn’t,” I replied; “that’s the remarkable8 thing about it; I can only describe it as a strange feeling of unrest that seems to have taken possession of me.”
 
Ethelbertha glanced across at me with a somewhat curious expression, I thought; but as she said nothing, I continued the argument myself.
 
“This aching monotony of life, these days of peaceful, uneventful felicity, they appall9 one.”
 
“I should not grumble10 at them,” said Ethelbertha; “we might get some of the other sort, and like them still less.”
 
“I’m not so sure of that,” I replied.  “In a life of continuous joy, I can imagine even pain coming as a welcome variation.  I wonder sometimes whether the saints in heaven do not occasionally feel the continual serenity11 a burden.  To myself a life of endless bliss12, uninterrupted by a single contrasting note, would, I feel, grow maddening.  I suppose,” I continued, “I am a strange sort of man; I can hardly understand myself at times.  There are moments,” I added, “when I hate myself.”
 
Often a little speech like this, hinting at hidden depths of indescribable emotion has touched Ethelbertha, but to-night she appeared strangely unsympathetic.  With regard to heaven and its possible effect upon me, she suggested my not worrying myself about that, remarking it was always foolish to go half-way to meet trouble that might never come; while as to my being a strange sort of fellow, that, she supposed, I could not help, and if other people were willing to put up with me, there was an end of the matter.  The monotony of life, she added, was a common experience; there she could sympathise with me.
 
“You don’t know I long,” said Ethelbertha, “to get away occasionally, even from you; but I know it can never be, so I do not brood upon it.”
 
I had never heard Ethelbertha speak like this before; it astonished and grieved me beyond measure.
 
“That’s not a very kind remark to make,” I said, “not a wifely remark.”
 
“I know it isn’t,” she replied; “that is why I have never said it before.  You men never can understand,” continued Ethelbertha, “that, however fond a woman may be of a man, there are times when he palls13 upon her.  You don’t know how I long to be able sometimes to put on my bonnet14 and go out, with nobody to ask me where I am going, why I am going, how long I am going to be, and when I shall be back.  You don’t know how I sometimes long to order a dinner that I should like and that the children would like, but at the sight of which you would put on your hat and be off to the Club.  You don’t know how much I feel inclined sometimes to invite some woman here that I like, and that I know you don’t; to go and see the people that I want to see, to go to bed when I am tired, and to get up when I feel I want to get up.  Two people living together are bound both to be continually sacrificing their own desires to the other one.  It is sometimes a good thing to slacken the strain a bit.”
 
On thinking over Ethelbertha’s words afterwards, have come to see their wisdom; but at the time I admit I was hurt and indignant.
 
“If your desire,” I said, “is to get rid of me—”
 
“Now, don’t be an old goose,” said Ethelbertha; “I only want to get rid of you for a little while, just long enough to forget there are one or two corners about you that are not perfect, just long enough to let me remember what a dear fellow you are in other respects, and to look forward to your return, as I used to look forward to your coming in the old days when I did not see you so often as to become, perhaps, a little indifferent to you, as one grows indifferent to the glory of the sun, just because he is there every day.”
 
I did not like the tone that Ethelbertha took.  There seemed to be a frivolity15 about her, unsuited to the theme into which we had drifted.  That a woman should contemplate16 cheerfully an absence of three or four weeks from her husband appeared to me to be not altogether nice, not what I call womanly; it was not like Ethelbertha at all.  I was worried, I felt I didn’t want to go this trip at all.  If it had not been for George and Harris, I would have abandoned it.  As it was, I could not see how to change my mind with dignity.
 
“Very well, Ethelbertha,” I replied, “it shall be as you wish.  If you desire a holiday from my presence, you shall enjoy it; but if it be not impertinent curiosity on the part of a husband, I should like to know what you propose doing in my absence?”
 
“We will take that house at Folkestone,” answered Ethelbertha, “and I’ll go down there with Kate.  And if you want to do Clara Harris a good turn,” added Ethelbertha, “you’ll persuade Harris to go with you, and then Clara can join us.  We three used to have some very jolly times together before you men ever came along, and it would be just delightful17 to renew them.  Do you think,” continued Ethelbertha, “that you could persuade Mr. Harris to go with you?”
 
I said I would try.
 
“There’s a dear boy,” said Ethelbertha; “try hard.  You might get George to join you.”
 
I replied there was not much advantage in George’s coming, seeing he was a bachelor, and that therefore nobody would be much benefited by his absence.  But a woman never understands satire18.  Ethelbertha merely remarked it would look unkind leaving him behind.  I promised to put it to him.
 
I met Harris at the Club in the afternoon, and asked him how he had got on.
 
He said, “Oh, that’s all right; there’s no difficulty about getting away.”
 
But there was that about his tone that suggested incomplete satisfaction, so I pressed him for further details.
 
“She was as sweet as milk about it,” he continued; “said it was an excellent idea of George’s, and that she thought it would do me good.”
 
“That seems all right,” I said; “what’s wrong about that?”
 
“There’s nothing wrong about that,” he answered, “but that wasn’t all.  She went on to talk of other things.”
 
“I understand,” I said.
 
“There’s that bathroom fad19 of hers,” he continued.
 
“I’ve heard of it,” I said; “she has started Ethelbertha on the same idea.”
 
“Well, I’ve had to agree to that being put in hand at once; I couldn’t argue any more when she was so nice about the other thing.  That will cost me a hundred pounds, at the very least.”
 
“As much as that?” I asked.
 
“Every penny of it,” said Harris; “the estimate alone is sixty.”
 
I was sorry to hear him say this.
 
“Then there’s the kitchen stove,” continued Harris; “everything that has gone wrong in the house for the last two years has been the fault of that kitchen stove.”
 
“I know,” I said.  “We have been in seven houses since we were married, and every kitchen stove has been worse than the last.  Our present one is not only incompetent20; it is spiteful.  It knows when we are giving a party, and goes out of its way to do its worst.”
 
“We are going to have a new one,” said Harris, but he did not say it proudly.  “Clara thought it would be such a saving of expense, having the two things done at the same time.  I believe,” said Harris, “if a woman wanted a diamond tiara, she would explain that it was to save the expense of a bonnet.”
 
“How much do you reckon the stove is going to cost you?” I asked.  I felt interested in the subject.
 
“I don’t know,” answered Harris; “another twenty, I suppose.  Then we talked about the piano.  Could you ever notice,” said Harris, “any difference between one piano and another?”
 
“Some of them seem to be a bit louder than others,” I answered; “but one gets used to that.”
 
“Ours is all wrong about the treble,” said Harris.  “By the way, what is the treble?”
 
“It’s the shrill21 end of the thing,” I explained; “the part that sounds as if you’d trod on its tail.  The brilliant selections always end up with a flourish on it.”
 
“They want more of it,” said Harris; “our old one hasn’t got enough of it.  I’ll have to put it in the nursery, and get a new one for the drawing-room.”
 
“Anything else?” I asked.
 
“No,” said Harris; “she didn’t seem able to think of anything else.”
 
“You’ll find when you get home,” I said, “she has thought of one other thing.”
 
“What’s that?” said Harris.
 
“A house at Folkestone for the season.”
 
“What should she want a house at Folkestone for?” said Harris.
 
“To live in,” I suggested, “during the summer months.”
 
“She’s going to her people in Wales,” said Harris, “for the holidays, with the children; we’ve had an invitation.”
 
“Possibly,” I said, “she’ll go to Wales before she goes to Folkestone, or maybe she’ll take Wales on her way home; but she’ll want a house at Folkestone for the season, notwithstanding.  I may be mistaken—I hope for your sake that I am—but I feel a presentiment22 that I’m not.”
 
“This trip,” said Harris, “is going to be expensive.”
 
“It was an idiotic23 suggestion,” I said, “from the beginning.”
 
“It was foolish of us to listen to him,” said Harris; “he’ll get us into real trouble one of these days.”
 
“He always was a muddler,” I agreed.
 
“So headstrong,” added Harris.
 
We heard his voice at that moment in the hall, asking for letters.
 
“Better not say anything to him,” I suggested; “it’s too late to go back now.”
 
“There would be no advantage in doing so,” replied Harris.  “I should have to get that bathroom and piano in any case now.”
 
He came in looking very cheerful.
 
“Well,” he said, “is it all right?  Have you managed it?”
 
There was that about his tone I did not altogether like; I noticed Harris resented it also.
 
“Managed what?” I said.
 
“Why, to get off,” said George.
 
I felt the time was come to explain things to George.
 
“In married life,” I said, “the man proposes, the woman submits.  It is her duty; all religion teaches it.”
 
George folded his hands and fixed24 his eyes on the ceiling.
 
“We may chaff25 and joke a little about these things,” I continued; “but when it comes to practice, that is what always happens.  We have mentioned to our wives that we are going.  Naturally, they are grieved; they would prefer to come with us; failing that, they would have us remain with them.  But we have explained to them our wishes on the subject, and—there’s an end of the matter.”
 
George said, “Forgive me; I did not understand.  I am only a bachelor.  People tell me this, that, and the other, and I listen.”
 
I said, “That is where you do wrong.  When you want information come to Harris or myself; we will tell you the truth about these questions.”
 
George thanked us, and we proceeded with the business in hand.
 
“When shall we start?” said George.
 
“So far as I am concerned,” replied Harris, “the sooner the better.”
 
His idea, I fancy, was to get away before Mrs. H. thought of other things.  We fixed the following Wednesday.
 
“What about route?” said Harris.
 
“I have an idea,” said George.  “I take it you fellows are naturally anxious to improve your minds?”
 
I said, “We don’t want to become monstrosities.  To a reasonable degree, yes, if it can be done without much expense and with little personal trouble.”
 
“It can,” said George.  “We know Holland and the Rhine.  Very well, my suggestion is that we take the boat to Hamburg, see Berlin and Dresden, and work our way to the Schwarzwald, through Nuremberg and Stuttgart.”
 
“There are some pretty bits in Mesopotamia, so I’ve been told,” murmured Harris.
 
George said Mesopotamia was too much out of our way, but that the Berlin-Dresden route was quite practicable.  For good or evil, he persuaded us into it.
 
“The machines, I suppose,” said George, “as before.  Harris and I on the tandem, J.—”
 
“I think not,” interrupted Harris, firmly.  “You and J. on the tandem, I on the single.”
 
“All the same to me,” agreed George.  “J. and I on the tandem, Harris—”
 
“I do not mind taking my turn,” I interrupted, “but I am not going to carry George all the way; the burden should be divided.”
 
“Very well,” agreed Harris, “we’ll divide it.  But it must be on the distinct understanding that he works.”
 
“That he what?” said George.
 
“That he works,” repeated Harris, firmly; “at all events, uphill.”
 
“Great Scott!” said George; “don’t you want any exercise?”
 
There is always unpleasantness about this tandem.  It is the theory of the man in front that the man behind does nothing; it is equally the theory of the man behind that he alone is the motive26 power, the man in front merely doing the puffing27.  The mystery will never be solved.  It is annoying when Prudence28 is whispering to you on the one side not to overdo29 your strength and bring on heart disease; while Justice into the other ear is remarking, “Why should you do it all?  This isn’t a cab.  He’s not your passenger:” to hear him grunt30 out:
 
“What’s the matter—lost your pedals?”
 
Harris, in his early married days, made much trouble for himself on one occasion, owing to this impossibility of knowing what the person behind is doing.  He was riding with his wife through Holland.  The roads were stony31, and the machine jumped a good deal.
 
“Sit tight,” said Harris, without turning his head.
 
What Mrs. Harris thought he said was, “Jump off.”  Why she should have thought he said “Jump off,” when he said “Sit tight,” neither of them can explain.
 
Mrs. Harris puts it in this way, “If you had said, ‘Sit tight,’ why should I have jumped off?”
 
Harris puts it, “If I had wanted you to jump off, why should I have said ‘Sit tight!’?”
 
The bitterness is past, but they argue about the matter to this day.
 
Be the explanation what it may, however, nothing alters the fact that Mrs. Harris did jump off, while Harris pedalled away hard, under the impression she was still behind him.  It appears that at first she thought he was riding up the hill merely to show off.  They were both young in those days, and he used to do that sort of thing.  She expected him to spring to earth on reaching the summit, and lean in a careless and graceful32 attitude against the machine, waiting for her.  When, on the contrary, she saw him pass the summit and proceed rapidly down a long and steep incline, she was seized, first with surprise, secondly33 with indignation, and lastly with alarm.  She ran to the top of the hill and shouted, but he never turned his head.  She watched him disappear into a wood a mile and a half distant, and then sat down and cried.  They had had a slight difference that morning, and she wondered if he had taken it seriously and intended desertion.  She had no money; she knew no Dutch.  People passed, and seemed sorry for her; she tried to make them understand what had happened.  They gathered that she had lost something, but could not grasp what.  They took her to the nearest village, and found a policeman for her.  He concluded from her pantomime that some man had stolen her bicycle.  They put the telegraph into operation, and discovered in a village four miles off an unfortunate boy riding a lady’s machine of an obsolete34 pattern.  They brought him to her in a cart, but as she did not appear to want either him or his bicycle they let him go again, and resigned themselves to bewilderment.
 
Meanwhile, Harris continued his ride with much enjoyment35.  It seemed to him that he had suddenly become a stronger, and in every way a more capable cyclist.  Said he to what he thought was Mrs. Harris:
 
“I haven’t felt this machine so light for months.  It’s this air, I think; it’s doing me good.”
 
Then he told her not to be afraid, and he would show her how fast he could go.  He bent36 down over the handles, and put his heart into his work.  The bicycle bounded over the road like a thing of life; farmhouses37 and churches, dogs and chickens came to him and passed.  Old folks stood and gazed at him, the children cheered him.
 
In this way he sped merrily onward38 for about five miles.  Then, as he explains it, the feeling began to grow upon him that something was wrong.  He was not surprised at the silence; the wind was blowing strongly, and the machine was rattling39 a good deal.  It was a sense of void that came upon him.  He stretched out his hand behind him, and felt; there was nothing there but space.  He jumped, or rather fell off, and looked back up the road; it stretched white and straight through the dark wood, and not a living soul could be seen upon it.  He remounted, and rode back up the hill.  In ten minutes he came to where the road broke into four; there he dismounted and tried to remember which fork he had come down.
 
While he was deliberating a man passed, sitting sideways on a horse.  Harris stopped him, and explained to him that he had lost his wife.  The man appeared to be neither surprised nor sorry for him.  While they were talking another farmer came along, to whom the first man explained the matter, not as an accident, but as a good story.  What appeared to surprise the second man most was that Harris should be making a fuss about the thing.  He could get no sense out of either of them, and cursing them he mounted his machine again, and took the middle road on chance.  Half-way up, he came upon a party of two young women with one young man between them.  They appeared to be making the most of him.  He asked them if they had seen his wife.  They asked him what she was like.  He did not know enough Dutch to describe her properly; all he could tell them was she was a very beautiful woman, of medium size.  Evidently this did not satisfy them, the description was too general; any man could say that, and by this means perhaps get possession of a wife that did not belong to him.  They asked him how she was dressed; for the life of him he could not recollect40.
 
I doubt if any man could tell how any woman was dressed ten minutes after he had left her.  He recollected41 a blue skirt, and then there was something that carried the dress on, as it were, up to the neck.  Possibly, this may have been a blouse; he retained a dim vision of a belt; but what sort of a blouse?  Was it green, or yellow, or blue?  Had it a collar, or was it fastened with a bow?  Were there feathers in her hat, or flowers?  Or was it a hat at all?  He dared not say, for fear of making a mistake and being sent miles after the wrong party.  The two young women giggled42, which in his then state of mind irritated Harris.  The young man, who appeared anxious to get rid of him, suggested the police station at the next town.  Harris made his way there.  The police gave him a piece of paper, and told him to write down a full description of his wife, together with details of when and where he had lost her.  He did not know where he had lost her; all he could tell them was the name of the village where he had lunched.  He knew he had her with him then, and that they had started from there together.
 
The police looked suspicious; they were doubtful about three matters: Firstly, was she really his wife?  Secondly, had he really lost her?  Thirdly, why had he lost her?  With the aid of a hotel-keeper, however, who spoke43 a little English, he overcame their scruples44.  They promised to act, and in the evening they brought her to him in a covered wagon45, together with a bill for expenses.  The meeting was not a tender one.  Mrs. Harris is not a good actress, and always has great difficulty in disguising her feelings.  On this occasion, she frankly46 admits, she made no attempt to disguise them.
 
The wheel business settled, there arose the ever-lasting luggage question.
 
“The usual list, I suppose,” said George, preparing to write.
 
That was wisdom I had taught them; I had learned it myself years ago from my Uncle Podger.
 
“Always before beginning to pack,” my Uncle would say, “make a list.”
 
He was a methodical man.
 
“Take a piece of paper”—he always began at the beginning—“put down on it everything you can possibly require, then go over it and see that it contains nothing you can possibly do without.  Imagine yourself in bed; what have you got on?  Very well, put it down—together with a change.  You get up; what do you do?  Wash yourself.  What do you wash yourself with?  Soap; put down soap.  Go on till you have finished.  Then take your clothes.  Begin at your feet; what do you wear on your feet?  Boots, shoes, socks; put them down.  Work up till you get to your head.  What else do you want besides clothes?  A little brandy; put it down.  A corkscrew, put it down.  Put down everything, then you don’t forget anything.”
 
That is the plan he always pursued himself.  The list made, he would go over it carefully, as he always advised, to see that he had forgotten nothing.  Then he would go over it again, and strike out everything it was possible to dispense47 with.
 
Then he would lose the list.
 
Said George: “Just sufficient for a day or two we will take with us on our bikes.  The bulk of our luggage we must send on from town to town.”
 
“We must be careful,” I said; “I knew a man once—”
 
Harris looked at his watch.
 
“We’ll hear about him on the boat,” said Harris; “I have got to meet Clara at Waterloo Station in half an hour.”
 
“It won’t take half an hour,” I said; “it’s a true story, and—”
 
“Don’t waste it,” said George: “I am told there are rainy evenings in the Black Forest; we may be glad of it.  What we have to do now is to finish this list.”
 
Now I come to think of it, I never did get off that story; something always interrupted it.  And it really was true.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tandem 6Ibzp     
n.同时发生;配合;adv.一个跟着一个地;纵排地;adj.(两匹马)前后纵列的
参考例句:
  • Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.马尔科姆的合同将与他手头的合同同时生效。
  • He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.他正配合欺诈重案办公室的官员工作。
2 irritable LRuzn     
adj.急躁的;过敏的;易怒的
参考例句:
  • He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
  • Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。
3 tact vqgwc     
n.机敏,圆滑,得体
参考例句:
  • She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。
  • Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。
4 relaxation MVmxj     
n.松弛,放松;休息;消遣;娱乐
参考例句:
  • The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
  • She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。
5 virtue BpqyH     
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力
参考例句:
  • He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
  • You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。
6 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
7 garbed 444f7292bad50cd579f38d7c8c5f1345     
v.(尤指某类人穿的特定)服装,衣服,制服( garb的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The widow was garbed in black. 那寡妇穿着黑衣服。 来自辞典例句
  • He garbed himself as a sailor. 他装扮成水手。 来自辞典例句
8 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
9 appall MNAza     
vt.使惊骇,使大吃一惊
参考例句:
  • They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war.他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。
  • The enemy was appalled at our attack.敌人被我们的进攻吓得魂飞丧胆。
10 grumble 6emzH     
vi.抱怨;咕哝;n.抱怨,牢骚;咕哝,隆隆声
参考例句:
  • I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
  • He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。
11 serenity fEzzz     
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗
参考例句:
  • Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤,但仍使人感觉安详。
  • She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。
12 bliss JtXz4     
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福
参考例句:
  • It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
  • He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴,因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。
13 palls b9fadb5ea91976d0e8c69546808b14c2     
n.柩衣( pall的名词复数 );墓衣;棺罩;深色或厚重的覆盖物v.(因过多或过久而)生厌,感到乏味,厌烦( pall的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • My stomach palls with it. 这东西我吃腻了。 来自辞典例句
  • Dense palls of smoke hung over the site. 浓密的烟幕罩着这个地方。 来自互联网
14 bonnet AtSzQ     
n.无边女帽;童帽
参考例句:
  • The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光,使之不刺眼。
  • She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽,帽上缀着褪了色的假花。
15 frivolity 7fNzi     
n.轻松的乐事,兴高采烈;轻浮的举止
参考例句:
  • It was just a piece of harmless frivolity. 这仅是无恶意的愚蠢行为。
  • Hedonism and frivolity will diffuse hell tnrough all our days. 享乐主义和轻薄浮佻会将地狱扩展到我们的整个日子之中。 来自辞典例句
16 contemplate PaXyl     
vt.盘算,计议;周密考虑;注视,凝视
参考例句:
  • The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了,真不堪细想。
  • The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。
17 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
18 satire BCtzM     
n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品
参考例句:
  • The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
  • Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。
19 fad phyzL     
n.时尚;一时流行的狂热;一时的爱好
参考例句:
  • His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
  • A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。
20 incompetent JcUzW     
adj.无能力的,不能胜任的
参考例句:
  • He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
  • He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。
21 shrill EEize     
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫
参考例句:
  • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
  • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。
22 presentiment Z18zB     
n.预感,预觉
参考例句:
  • He had a presentiment of disaster.他预感会有灾难降临。
  • I have a presentiment that something bad will happen.我有某种不祥事要发生的预感。
23 idiotic wcFzd     
adj.白痴的
参考例句:
  • It is idiotic to go shopping with no money.去买东西而不带钱是很蠢的。
  • The child's idiotic deeds caused his family much trouble.那小孩愚蠢的行为给家庭带来许多麻烦。
24 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
25 chaff HUGy5     
v.取笑,嘲笑;n.谷壳
参考例句:
  • I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
  • Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。
26 motive GFzxz     
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的
参考例句:
  • The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
  • He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
27 puffing b3a737211571a681caa80669a39d25d3     
v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
参考例句:
  • He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 prudence 9isyI     
n.谨慎,精明,节俭
参考例句:
  • A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
  • The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。
29 overdo 9maz5o     
vt.把...做得过头,演得过火
参考例句:
  • Do not overdo your privilege of reproving me.不要过分使用责备我的特权。
  • The taxi drivers' association is urging its members,who can work as many hours as they want,not to overdo it.出租车司机协会劝告那些工作时长不受限制的会员不要疲劳驾驶。
30 grunt eeazI     
v.嘟哝;作呼噜声;n.呼噜声,嘟哝
参考例句:
  • He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
  • I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽,他只哼了一声。
31 stony qu1wX     
adj.石头的,多石头的,冷酷的,无情的
参考例句:
  • The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干,而且布满了石头。
  • He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。
32 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
33 secondly cjazXx     
adv.第二,其次
参考例句:
  • Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二,动脑筋提出自己的见解。
  • Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次,需要确定所作用的载荷。
34 obsolete T5YzH     
adj.已废弃的,过时的
参考例句:
  • These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了,在市场上卖不了高价。
  • They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。
35 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
36 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。
37 farmhouses 990ff6ec1c7f905b310e92bc44d13886     
n.农舍,农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Then perhaps she is staying at one of cottages or farmhouses? 那么也许她现在住在某个农舍或哪个农场的房子里吧? 来自辞典例句
  • The countryside was sprinkled with farmhouses. 乡间到处可见农家的房舍。 来自辞典例句
38 onward 2ImxI     
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先
参考例句:
  • The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
  • He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。
39 rattling 7b0e25ab43c3cc912945aafbb80e7dfd     
adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词
参考例句:
  • This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
  • At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时,一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来,把窗玻璃震得当当地响。
40 recollect eUOxl     
v.回忆,想起,记起,忆起,记得
参考例句:
  • He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
  • She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。
41 recollected 38b448634cd20e21c8e5752d2b820002     
adj.冷静的;镇定的;被回忆起的;沉思默想的v.记起,想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I recollected that she had red hair. 我记得她有一头红发。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His efforts, the Duke recollected many years later, were distinctly half-hearted. 据公爵许多年之后的回忆,他当时明显只是敷衍了事。 来自辞典例句
42 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
43 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。
44 scruples 14d2b6347f5953bad0a0c5eebf78068a     
n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • I overcame my moral scruples. 我抛开了道德方面的顾虑。
  • I'm not ashamed of my scruples about your family. They were natural. 我并未因为对你家人的顾虑而感到羞耻。这种感觉是自然而然的。 来自疯狂英语突破英语语调
45 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
46 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
47 dispense lZgzh     
vt.分配,分发;配(药),发(药);实施
参考例句:
  • Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
  • The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱,可自行适当分配。


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