On the way up there had been considerable speculation4 among those who knew Sam Kirby best, for none of them had ever seen the old fellow in quite such a frame of mind as now. His misfortune had crushed him; he appeared to be numbed6 by the realization7 of his overwhelming loss; gone entirely8 was that gambler's nonchalance9 for which he was famous. The winning or the losing of large sums of money had never deeply stirred the old sporting-man; the turn of a card, the swift tattoo10 of horses' hoofs11, often had meant far more to him in dollars and cents than the destruction of that barge-load of liquor; he had seen sizable fortunes come and go without a sign of emotion, and yet to-night he was utterly12 unnerved.
With a man of less physical courage such an ordeal13 as he had undergone might well have excused a nervous collapse14, but Kirby had no nerves; he had, times without number, proved himself to be a man of steel, and so it greatly puzzled his friends to see him shaken and broken.
He referred often to Danny Royal's fate, speaking in a dazed and disbelieving manner, but through that daze15 ran lightning-bolts of blind, ferocious16 rage—rage at the river, rage at this hostile, sinister17 country and at the curse it had put upon him. Over and over, through blue lips and chattering18 teeth, he reviled19 the rapids; more than once he lifted the broken-necked bottle to his lips. Of thanksgiving, of gratitude20 at his own and his daughter's deliverance, he appeared to have none, at least for the time being.
Rouletta's condition was pitiable enough, but she was concerned less with it than with her father's extraordinary behavior, and when the Countess undertook to procure21 for her dry clothing she protested:
"Please don't trouble. I'll warm up a bit; then I must go back to dad."
"My dear, you're chilled through—you'll die in those wet things," the older woman told her.
Miss Kirby shook her head and, in a queer, strained, apprehensive22 voice, said: "You don't understand. He's had a drink; if he gets started—" She shivered wretchedly and hid her white face in her hands, then moaned: "Oh, what a day! Danny's gone! I saw him drown—"
"There, there!" The Countess comforted her as best she could. "You've had a terrible experience, but you mustn't think of it just yet. Now let me help you."
Finding that the girl's fingers were stiff and useless, the Countess removed the wet skirt and jacket, wrung23 them out, and hung them up. Then she produced some dry undergarments, but Miss Kirby refused to put them on.
"You'll need what few things you have," said she, "and—I'll soon warm up. There's no telling what dad will do. I must keep an eye on him."
"You give yourself too much concern. He's chilled through and it's natural that he should take a drink. My men will give him something dry to wear, and meanwhile—"
Rouletta interrupted with a shake of her head, but the Countess gently persisted:
"Don't take your misfortune too hard. The loss of your outfit24 means nothing compared with your safety. It was a great tragedy, of course, but you and your father were saved. You still have him and he has you."
"Danny knew what was coming," said the girl, and tears welled into her eyes, then slowly overflowed25 down her white cheeks. "But he faced it. He was game. He was a good man at heart. He had his faults, of course, but he loved dad and he loved me; why, he used to carry me out to see the horses before I could walk; he was my friend, my playmate, my pal26. He'd have done murder for me!" Through her tears Rouletta looked up. "It's hard for you to believe that I know, after what he did to you, but—you know how men are on the trail. Nothing matters. He was angry when you outwitted him, and so was father, for that matter, but I told them it served us right and I forbade them to molest27 you further."
"You did that? Then it's you I have to thank." The Countess smiled gravely. "I could never understand why I came off so easily."
"I'm glad I made them behave. You've more than repaid—" Rouletta paused, she strained her ears to catch the sound of voices from the neighboring tents. "I don't hear father," said she. "I wonder if he could have gone?"
"Perhaps the men have put him to bed—"
But Miss Kirby would not accept this explanation. "I'm afraid—" Again she listened apprehensively28. "Once he gets a taste of liquor there's no handling him; he's terrible. Even Danny couldn't do anything with him; sometimes even I have failed." Hurriedly she took down her sodden29 skirt and made as if to draw it on.
"Oh, child, you MUSTN'T! You simply must NOT go out this way. Wait here. I'll find him for you and make sure he's all right."
The half-clad girl smiled miserably30. "Thank you," said she. But when the Countess had stepped out into the night she finished dressing31 herself. Her clothing, of course, was as wet as ever, for the warmth of the tent in these few moments had not even heated it through; nevertheless, her apprehension32 was so keen that she was conscious of little bodily discomfort33.
"You were right," the Countess announced when she returned. "He slipped into some borrowed clothes and went up-town. He told the boys he couldn't sit still. But you mustn't follow—at least in that dress-"
"Did he—drink any more?"
"I'm afraid he did."
Heedless of the elder woman's restraining hands, Rouletta Kirby made for the tent opening. "Please don't stop me," she implored34. "There's no time to lose and—I'll dry out in time."
"Let me go for you."
"No, no!"
"Then may I go along?"
Again the girl shook her head. "I can handle him better alone. He's a strange man, a terrible man, when he's this way. I—hope I'm not too late."
Rouletta's wet skirts slatted about her ankles as she ran; it was a windy, chilly night, and, in spite of the fact that it was a steep climb to the top of the low bluff35, she was chilled to the bone when she came panting into the sprawling36 cluster of habitations that formed the temporary town of White Horse. Tents were scattered37 over a dim, stumpy clearing, lights shone through trees that were still standing38, a meandering39 trail led past a straggling row of canvas-topped structures, and from one of these issued the wavering, metallic40 notes of a phonograph, advertising41 the place as a house of entertainment.
Sam Kirby was at the bar when his daughter discovered him, and her first searching look brought dismay to the girl. Pushing her way through the crowd, she said, quietly:
"Father!"
"Hello!" he exclaimed, in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I want to speak to you."
"Now, Letty," he protested, when she had drawn42 him aside, "haven't you been through enough for one day? Run back to the Countess' camp where I left you."
Kirby's bleak44 countenance45 set itself in stony46 lines. "I've got to," said he. "I'm cold—frozen to the quick. I need something to warm me up."
Letty could smell the whisky on his breath, she could see a new light in his eyes and already she sensed rather than observed a subtle change in his demeanor47.
"Oh, dad!" she quavered; then she bowed her head weakly upon his arm and her shoulders shook.
Kirby laid a gentle hand upon her, then exclaimed, in surprise: "Why, kid, you're still wet! Got those same clothes on, haven't you?" He raised his voice to the men he had just left. "Want to see the gamest girl in the world? Well, here she is. You saw how she took her medicine to-day? Now listen to this: she's wet through, but she came looking for her old dad—afraid he'd get into trouble!"
Disregarding the crowd and the appreciative48 murmur49 her father's praise evoked50, Rouletta begged, in a low, earnest voice: "Please, dear, come away. Please—you know why. Come away—won't you—for my sake?"
Kirby stirred uneasily. "I tell you I'm cold," he muttered, but stopped short, staring. "Yes, and I see Danny. I see him as he went overboard. Drowned! I'll never get him out of my sight. I can't seem to understand that he's gone, but—everything's gone, for that matter. Everything!"
"Oh no, dad. Why, you're here and I'm here! We've been broke before."
Kirby smiled again, but cheerlessly. "Oh, we ain't exactly broke; I've got the bank-roll on me and it 'll pull us through. We've had bad luck for a year or two, but it's bound to change. You cheer up—and come over to the stove. What you need is to warm up while I get you a little drink."
Rouletta gazed up into the gray face above her. "Dad, look at me." She took his hand. "Haven't we had enough trouble for one day?"
The gambler was irritated at this persistence51 and he showed it. "Don't be foolish," he cried, shortly. "I know what I need and I know what I can stand. These men are friends of mine, and you needn't be uneasy. Now, kid, you let me find a place for you to spend the night."
"Not until you're ready to go along."
"All right, stick around for a little while. I Won't be long." Old Sam drew a bench up beside the stove and seated the girl upon it. "I'm all broke up and I've just got to keep moving," he explained, more feelingly. Then he returned to the bar.
Realizing that he was completely out of hand and that further argument was futile52, Rouletta Kirby settled herself to wait. In spite of her misery53, it never occurred to her to abandon her father to his own devices, even for an hour—she knew him too well to run that risk. But her very bones were frozen and she shivered wretchedly as she held her shoes up to the stove. Although the fire began slowly to dry her outer garments, the clothes next to her flesh remained cold and clammy. Even so, their chill was as nothing to the icy dread that paralyzed the very core of her being.
Pierce Phillips told himself that this had been a wonderful day—an epoch-making day—for him. Lately he had been conscious that the North was working a change in him, but the precise extent of that change, even the direction it was taking, had not been altogether clear; now, however, he thought he understood.
He had been quite right, that first hour in Dyea, when he told himself that Life lay just ahead of him—just over the Chilkoot. Such, indeed, had proved to be the case. Yes, and it had welcomed him with open arms; it had ushered54 him into a new and wondrous55 world. His hands had fallen to men's tasks, experience had come to him by leaps and bounds. In a rush he had emerged from groping boyhood into full maturity56; physically57, mentally, morally, he had grown strong and broad and brown. Having abandoned himself to the tides of circumstance, he had been swept into a new existence where Adventure had rubbed shoulders with him, where Love had smiled into his eyes. Danger had tested his mettle58, too, and to-day the final climax59 had come. What roused his deepest satisfaction now was the knowledge that he had met that climax with credit. To-night it seemed to him that he had reached full manhood, and in the first flush of realization he assured himself that he could no longer drift with the aimless current of events, but must begin to shape affairs to his own ends.
More than once of late he had pondered a certain thought, and now, having arrived at a decision, he determined60 to act upon it. Ever since that stormy evening at Linderman his infatuation for Hilda had increased, but, owing to circumstances, he had been thwarted61 in enjoying its full delights. During the daylight hours of their trip, as matter of fact, the two had never been alone together even for a quarter of an hour; they had scarcely had a word in confidence, and in consequence he had been forced to derive62 what comfort he could from a chance look, a smile, some inflection of her voice. Even at night, after camp was pitched, it had been little better, for the thin walls of her canvas shelter afforded little privacy, and, being mindful of appearances, he had never permitted himself to be alone with her very long at a time—only long enough, in fact, to make sure that his happiness was not all a dream. A vibrant63 protestation now and then, a secret kiss or two, a few stolen moments of delirium64, that was as far as his love-affair had progressed. Not yet had he and Hilda arrived at a definite understanding; never had they thoroughly65 talked out the subject that engrossed66 them both, never had they found either time or opportunity in which to do more than sigh and whisper and hold hands, and as a result the woman remained almost as much of a mystery to Pierce as she had been at the moment of her first surrender.
It was an intolerable situation, and so, under the spell of his buoyant spirits, he determined to make an end of it once for all.
The Countess recognized his step when he came to her tent and she spoke67 to him. Mistaking her greeting for permission to enter, he untied68 the strings69 and stepped inside, only to find her unprepared for his reception. She had made her shelter snug70, a lively fire was burning, the place was fragrant71 of pine boughs72, and a few deft73 feminine touches here and there had transformed it into a boudoir. Hilda had removed her jacket and waist and was occupied in combing her hair, but at Pierce's unexpected entrance she hurriedly gathered the golden shower about her bare shoulders and voiced a protest at his intrusion. He stood smiling down at her and refused to withdraw.
Never had Phillips seen such an alluring74 picture. Now that her hair was undone75, its length and its profusion76 surprised him, for it completely mantled77 her, and through it the snowy whiteness of her bare arms, folded protectingly across her rounded breasts, was dazzling. The sight put him in a conquering mood; he strode forward, lifted her into his embrace, then smothered78 her gasping79 protest with his lips. For a long moment they stood thus. Finally the woman freed herself, then chided him breathlessly, but the fragrance80 of her hair had gone to his brain; he continued to hold her tight, meanwhile burying his face in the golden cascade81.
Roughly, masterfully, he rained kisses upon her. He devoured83 her with his caresses85, and the heat of his ardor86 melted her resistance until, finally, she surrendered, abandoning herself wholly to his passion.
When, after a time, she flung back her head and pushed him away, her face, her neck, her shoulders were suffused87 with a coral pinkness and her eyes were misty88.
"You must be careful!" she whispered in a tone that was less of a remonstrance89 than an invitation. "Remember, we're making shadowgraphs for our neighbors. That's the worst of a tent at night—one silhouettes90 one's very thoughts."
"Then put out the light," he muttered, thickly; but she slipped away, and her moist lips mocked him in silent laughter.
"The idea! What in the world has come over you? Why, you're the most impetuous boy—"
"Boy!" Pierce grimaced91 his dislike of the word. "Don't be motherly; don't treat me as if I had rompers on. You're positively92 maddening to-night. I never saw you like this. Why, your hair"—he ran his hands through that silken shower once more and pressed it to his face—"it's glorious!"
The Countess slipped into a combing-jacket; then she seated herself on the springy couch of pine branches over which her fur robe was spread, and deftly93 caught up her long runaway94 tresses, securing them in place with a few mysterious twists and expert manipulations.
"Oh, I don't feel motherly," she asserted, still suffused with that telltale flush. "Not in the way you mean. But you'll always be a boy to me—and to every other woman who learns to care for you."
"Every other woman?" Pierce's eyes opened. "What a queer speech. There aren't going to be any OTHER women." He looked on while she lighted a cigarette, then after a moment he inquired, "What do you mean?"
She answered him with another question. "Do you think I'm the only woman who will love you?"
"Why—I haven't given it any thought! What's the difference, as long as you're the only one I care for? And I do love you, I worship—"
"But there WILL be others," she persisted, "There are bound to be.
You're that kind."
"Really?"
The Countess nodded her head with emphasis. "I can read men; I can see the color of their souls. You have the call."
"What call?" Pierce was puzzled.
"The—well, the sex-call, the sex appeal."
"Indeed? Am I supposed to feel flattered at that?"
"By no means; you're not a cad. Men who possess that attraction are spoiled sooner or later. You don't realize that you have it, and that's what makes you so nice, but—I felt it from the first, and when you feel it you'll probably become spoiled, too, like the others." This amused Phillips, but the woman was in sober earnest. "I mean what I say. You're the kind who cause women to make fools of themselves—old or young, married or single. When a girl has it—she's lost."
"I'm not sure I understand. At any rate, you haven't made a fool of yourself."
"No?" The Countess smiled vaguely96, questioningly. She opened her lips to say more, but changed her mind and in an altered tone declared, "My dear boy, if you understood fully82 what I'm driving at you'd be insufferable." Laying her warm hand over his, she continued: "You resent what you call my 'motherly way,' but if I were sixteen and you were forty it would be just the same. Women who are afflicted97 with that sex appeal become men's playthings; the man who possesses it always remains98 a 'boy' to the woman who loves him—a bad boy, a dangerous boy, perhaps, but a boy, nevertheless. She may, and probably will, adore him fiercely, passionately99, jealously, but at the same time she will hover100 him as a hen hovers101 her chick. He will be both son and lover to her."
He had listened closely, but now he stirred uneasily. "I don't follow you," he said. "And it isn't exactly pleasant for a fellow to be told that he's a baby Don Juan, to be called a male vampire102 in knee-pants—especially by the woman he's going to marry." Disregarding her attempt to speak, he went on: "What you said about other women—the way you said it—sounded almost as if—well, as if you expected there would be such, and didn't greatly care. You didn't mean it that way, I hope. You do care, don't you, dear? You do love me?" The face Phillips turned upon the Countess Courteau was earnest, worried.
Her fingers tightened103 over his hand. When she spoke there was a certain listlessness, a certain fatigue104 in her tone. "Do you need to ask that after—what happened just now? Of course I care. I care altogether too much. That's the whole trouble. You see, the thing has run away with me, Pierce; it has carried me off my feet, and—that's precisely105 the point I'm trying to make."
He slipped an arm about her waist and drew her close. "I knew it wasn't merely an animal appeal that stirred you. I knew it was something bigger and more lasting106 than that."
"Even yet you don't understand," she declared. "The two may go together and—" But without allowing her to finish he said, vibrantly107:
"Whatever it is, you seem to find it an obstacle, an objection. Why struggle against the inevitable108? You ARE struggling—I've seen you fighting something ever since that first night when truth came to us out of the storm. But, Hilda dear, I adore you. You're the most wonderful creature in the world! You're a goddess! I feel unworthy to touch the hem5 of your garments, but I know—that you are mine! Nothing else matters. Think of the miracle, the wonder of it! It's like a beautiful dream. I've had doubts about myself, and that's why I've let matters drift. You see, I was a sort of unknown quantity, but now I know that I've found myself. To-day I went through hell and—I came out a man. I'm going to play a man's part right along after this." He urged her eagerly. "We've a hard trip ahead of us before we reach Dawson; winter may overtake us and delay us. We can't continue in this way. Why wait any longer?"
"You mean—?" the woman inquired, faintly.
"I mean this—marry me here, to-morrow."
"No, no! Please—" The Countess freed herself from Pierce's embrace.
"Why not? Are you afraid of me?" She shook her head silently.
"Then why not to-morrow instead of next month? Are you afraid of yourself?"
"No, I'm afraid of-what I must tell you."
Phillips' eyes were dim with desire, he was ablaze109 with yearning110; in a voice that shook he said: "Don't tell me anything. I won't hear it!" Then, after a brief struggle with himself, he continued, more evenly: "That ought to prove to you that I've grown up. I couldn't have said it three months ago, but I've stepped out of—of the nursery into a world of big things and big people, and I want you. I dare say you've lived—a woman like you must have had many experiences, many obstacles to overcome; but—I might not understand what they were even if you told me, for I'm pretty green. Anyhow, I'm sure you're good. I wouldn't believe you if you told me you weren't. It's no credit to me that I haven't confessions111 of my own to make, for I'm like other men and it merely so happens that I've had no chance to-soil myself. The credit is due to circumstance."
"Everything is due to circumstance," the woman said. "Our lives are haphazard112 affairs; we're blown by chance—"
"We'll take a new start to-morrow and bury the past, whatever it is."
"You make it absolutely necessary for me to speak," the Countess told him. Her tone again had a touch of weariness in it, but Pierce did not see this. "I knew I'd have to, sooner or later, but it was nice to drift and to dream—oh, it was pleasant—so I bit down on my tongue and I listened to nothing but the song in my heart." She favored Pierce with that shadowy, luminous113 smile he had come to know. "It was a clean, sweet song and it meant a great deal to me." When he undertook to caress84 her she drew away, then sat forward with her heels tucked close into the pine boughs, her chin upon her knees. It was her favorite attitude of meditation114; wrapped thus in the embrace of her own arms, she appeared to gain the strength and the determination necessary to go on.
"I'm not a weak woman," she began, staring at the naked candle-flame which gave light to the tent. "It wasn't weakness that impelled115 me to marry a man I didn't love; it was the determination to get ahead and the ambition to make something worth while out of myself—a form of selfishness, perhaps, but I tell you all women are selfish. Anyhow, he seemed to promise better things and to open a way whereby I could make something out of my life. Instead of that he opened my eyes and showed me the world as it is, not as I had imagined it to be. He was—no good. You may think I was unhappy over that, but I wasn't. Really, he didn't mean much to me. What did grieve me, though, was the death of my illusions. He was mercenary—the fault of his training, I dare say—but he had that man-call I spoke about. It's really a woman-call. He was weak, worthless, full of faults, mean in small things, but he had an attraction and it was impossible to resist mothering him. Other women felt it and yielded to it, so finally we went our separate ways. I've seen nothing of him for some time now, but he keeps in touch with me and—I've sent him a good deal of money. When he learns that I have prospered116 in a big way he'll undoubtedly117 turn up again."
Pierce weighed the significance of these words; then he smiled. "Dear, it's all the more reason why we should be married at once. I'd dare him to annoy you then."
"My boy, don't you understand? I can't marry you, being still married to him."
Phillips recoiled118; his face whitened. Dismay, reproach, a shocked surprise were in the look he turned upon his companion.
She nodded and lowered her eyes. "I supposed you knew—until I got to telling you, and then it was too late."
Pierce rose; his lips now were as colorless as his cheeks. "I'm surprised, hurt," he managed to say. "How should I know? Why, this is wretched—rotten! People will say that I've got in a mess with a married woman. That's what it looks like, too." His voice broke huskily. "How could you do it, when I meant my love to be clean, honorable? How could you let me put myself, and you, in such a position?"
"You see!" The woman continued to avoid his eye. "You haven't grown up.
You haven't the least understanding."
"I understand this much," he cried, hotly, "that you've led me to make something worse than a cad of myself. Look here! There are certain things which no decent fellow goes in for—certain things he despises in other men—and that's one of them." He turned as if to leave, then he halted at the tent door and battled with himself. After a moment, during which the Countess Courteau watched him fixedly120, he whirled, crying:
"Well, the damage is done. I love you. I can't go along without you.
Divorce that man. I'll wait."
"I'm not sure I have legal grounds for a divorce. I'm not sure that I care to put the matter to a test—as yet."
"WHAT?" Pierce gazed at her, trying to understand. "Say that over again!"
"You think you've found yourself, but—have you? I know men pretty well and I think I know you. You've changed—yes, tremendously—but what of a year, two years from now? You've barely tasted life and this is your first intoxication121."
"Do you love me, or do you not?" he demanded.
"I love you as you are now. I may hate you as you will be to-morrow. I've had my growth; I've been through what you're just beginning—we can't change together."
The Countess shook her head. "It's a promise that would hold only me.
Why ask it?"
"You're thinking of no one but yourself," he protested, furiously. "Think of me. I've given you all I have, all that's best and finest in me. I shall never love another woman—"
"Not in quite the way you love me, perhaps, but the peach ripens123 even after its bloom has been rubbed off. You HAVE given me what is best and finest, your first love, and I shall cherish it."
"Then I can put but one interpretation125 upon your actions."
"Don't be too hasty in your judgment126. Can't you see? I was weak. I was tired. Then you came, like a draught127 of wine, and—I lost my head. But I've regained128 it. I dreamed my dream, but it's daylight now and I'm awake. I know that you believe me a heartless, selfish woman. Maybe I am, but I've tried to think for you, and to act on that good impulse. I tell you I would have been quite incapable129 of it before I knew you. A day, a month, a year of happiness! Most women of my age and experience would snatch at it, but I'm looking farther ahead than that. I can't afford another mistake. Life fits me, but you—why, you're bursting your seams."
"You've puzzled me with a lot of words," the young man said, with ever-growing resentment130, "but what do they all amount to? You amused yourself with me and you're ready enough to continue so long as I pour my devotion at your feet. Well, I won't do it. If you loved me truly you wouldn't refuse to marry me. Isn't that so? True love isn't afraid, it doesn't quibble and temporize131 and split hairs the way you do. No, it steps out boldly and follows the light. You've had your fun, you've—broken my heart." Phillips' voice shook and he swallowed hard. "I'm through; I'm done. I shall never love another woman as I love you, but if what you said about that sex-call is true, I—I'll play the game as you played it." He turned blindly and with lowered head plunged132 out of the tent into the night.
The Countess listened to the sounds of his departing footsteps; then, when they had ceased, she rose wearily and flung out her arms. There was a real and poignant133 distress134 in her eyes.
"Boy! Boy!" she whispered. "It was sweet, but—there had to be an end."
For a long time she stood staring at nothing; then she roused herself with a shiver, refilled the stove, and seated herself again, dropping her chin upon her knees as she did instinctively135 when in deep thought.
"If only I were sure," she kept repeating to herself. "But he has the call and—I'm too old."
该作者的其它作品
《The Barrier》
《The Auction Block》
该作者的其它作品
《The Barrier》
《The Auction Block》
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chilly
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twilight
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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18
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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19
reviled
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| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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21
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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22
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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23
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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24
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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25
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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26
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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27
molest
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| vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏 | |
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apprehensively
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| adv.担心地 | |
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29
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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31
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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33
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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34
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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36
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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37
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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38
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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39
meandering
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| 蜿蜒的河流，漫步，聊天 | |
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40
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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41
advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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42
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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43
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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44
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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45
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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46
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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47
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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48
appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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49
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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50
evoked
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| [医]诱发的 | |
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51
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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52
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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53
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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54
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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56
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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57
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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58
mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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59
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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60
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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61
thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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62
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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63
vibrant
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| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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64
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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65
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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66
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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67
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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68
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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69
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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70
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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71
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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72
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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73
deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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74
alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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75
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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76
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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77
mantled
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| 披着斗篷的，覆盖着的 | |
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78
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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79
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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80
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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81
cascade
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| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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82
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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83
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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84
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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85
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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86
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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87
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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89
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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90
silhouettes
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| 轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影 | |
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91
grimaced
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| v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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92
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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93
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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94
runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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95
scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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96
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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97
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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99
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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100
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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101
hovers
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| 鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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102
vampire
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| n.吸血鬼 | |
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103
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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104
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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105
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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106
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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107
vibrantly
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108
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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109
ablaze
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| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
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110
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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111
confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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112
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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113
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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114
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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115
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
prospered
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| 成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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117
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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118
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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119
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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120
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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121
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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122
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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123
ripens
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的第三人称单数 ) | |
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124
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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125
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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126
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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127
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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128
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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129
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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130
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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131
temporize
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| v.顺应时势；拖延 | |
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132
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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133
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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134
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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135
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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