"Prosaic miles of street stretch all around,
Astir with restless, hurried life, and spanned
In modern prose, all poetry seems drowned.
Yet in ten thousand homes this April night
An ancient people celebrates its birth
To Freedom, with a reverential mirth,
Its God shall be the God of all the Earth."
To an imaginative child like Esther, _Seder_ night was a charmed time. The strange symbolic11 dishes--the bitter herbs and the sweet mixture of apples, almonds, spices and wine, the roasted bone and the lamb, the salt water and the four cups of raisin12 wine, the great round unleavened cakes, with their mottled surfaces, some specially15 thick and sacred, the special Hebrew melodies and verses with their jingle16 of rhymes and assonances, the quaint ceremonial with its striking moments, as when the finger was dipped in the wine and the drops sprinkled over the shoulder in repudiation17 of the ten plagues of Egypt cabalistically magnified to two hundred and fifty; all this penetrated18 deep into her consciousness and made the recurrence19 of every Passover coincide with a rush of pleasant anticipations21 and a sense of the special privilege of being born a happy Jewish child. Vaguely22, indeed, did she co-ordinate the celebration with the history enshrined in it or with the prospective23 history of her race. It was like a tale out of the fairy-books, this miraculous24 deliverance of her forefathers25 in the dim haze26 of antiquity27; true enough but not more definitely realized on that account. And yet not easily dissoluble links were being forged with her race, which has anticipated Positivism in vitalizing history by making it religion.
The _Matzoth_ that Esther ate were not dainty--they were coarse, of the quality called "seconds," for even the unleavened bread of charity is not necessarily delicate eating--but few things melted sweeter on the palate than a segment of a _Matso_ dipped in cheap raisin wine: the unconventionally of the food made life less common, more picturesque28. Simple Ghetto29 children into whose existence the ceaseless round of fast and feast, of prohibited and enjoyed pleasures, of varying species of food, brought change and relief! Imprisoned30 in the area of a few narrow streets, unlovely and sombre, muddy and ill-smelling, immured31 in dreary32 houses and surrounded with mean and depressing sights and sounds, the spirit of childhood took radiance and color from its own inner light and the alchemy of youth could still transmute33 its lead to gold. No little princess in the courts of fairyland could feel a fresher interest and pleasure in life than Esther sitting at the _Seder_ table, where her father--no longer a slave in Egypt--leaned royally upon two chairs supplied with pillows as the _Din_ prescribes. Not even the monarch's prime minister could have had a meaner opinion of Pharaoh than Moses Ansell in this symbolically34 sybaritic attitude. A live dog is better than a dead lion, as a great teacher in Israel had said. How much better then a live lion than a dead dog? Pharaoh, for all his purple and fine linen35 and his treasure cities, was at the bottom of the Red Sea, smitten36 with two hundred and fifty plagues, and even if, as tradition asserted, he had been made to live on and on to be King of Nineveh, and to give ear to the warnings of Jonah, prophet and whale-explorer, even so he was but dust and ashes for other sinners to cover themselves withal; but he, Moses Ansell, was the honored master of his household, enjoying a foretaste of the lollings of the righteous in Paradise; nay37, more, dispensing38 hospitality to the poor and the hungry. Little fleas39 have lesser40 fleas, and Moses Ansell had never fallen so low but that, on this night of nights when the slave sits with the master on equal terms, he could manage to entertain a Passover guest, usually some newly-arrived Greener, or some nondescript waif and stray returned to Judaism for the occasion and accepting a seat at the board in that spirit of _camaraderie_ which is one of the most delightful41 features of the Jewish pauper42. _Seder_ was a ceremonial to be taken in none too solemn and sober a spirit, and there was an abundance of unreproved giggling43 throughout from the little ones, especially in those happy days when mother was alive and tried to steal the _Afikuman_ or _Matso_ specially laid aside for the final morsel44, only to be surrendered to father when he promised to grant her whatever she wished. Alas45! it is to be feared Mrs. Ansell's wishes did not soar high. There was more giggling when the youngest talking son--it was poor Benjamin in Esther's earliest recollections--opened the ball by inquiring in a peculiarly pitched incantation and with an air of blank ignorance why this night differed from all other nights--in view of the various astonishing peculiarities46 of food and behavior (enumerated in detail) visible to his vision. To which Moses and the _Bube_ and the rest of the company (including the questioner) invariably replied in corresponding sing-song: "Slaves have we been in Egypt," proceeding47 to recount at great length, stopping for refreshment48 in the middle, the never-cloying tale of the great deliverance, with irrelevant49 digressions concerning Haman and Daniel and the wise men of Bona Berak, the whole of this most ancient of the world's extant domestic rituals terminating with an allegorical ballad50 like the "house that Jack51 built," concerning a kid that was eaten by a cat, which was bitten by a dog, which was beaten by a stick, which was burned by a fire, which was quenched52 by some water, which was drunk by an ox, which was slaughtered53 by a slaughterer54, who was slain55 by the Angel of Death, who was slain by the Holy One, blessed be He.
In wealthy houses this _Hagadah_ was read from manuscripts with rich illuminations--the one development of pictorial56 art among the Jews--but the Ansells had wretchedly-printed little books containing quaint but unintentionally comic wood-cuts, pre-Raphaelite in perspective and ludicrous in draughtsmanship, depicting57 the Miracles of the Redemption, Moses burying the Egyptian, and sundry58 other passages of the text. In one a king was praying in the Temple to an exploding bomb intended to represent the Shechinah or divine glory. In another, Sarah attired59 in a matronly cap and a fashionable jacket and skirt, was standing60 behind the door of the tent, a solid detached villa61 on the brink62 of a lake, whereon ships and gondolas63 floated, what time Abraham welcomed the three celestial64 messengers, unobtrusively disguised with heavy pinions65. What delight as the quaking of each of the four cups of wine loomed66 in sight, what disappointment and mutual67 bantering68 when the cup had merely to be raised in the hand, what chaff70 of the greedy Solomon who was careful not to throw away a drop during the digital manoeuvres when the wine must be jerked from the cup at the mention of each plague. And what a solemn moment was that when the tallest goblet71 was filled to the brim for the delectation of the prophet Elijah and the door thrown open for his entry. Could one almost hear the rustling72 of the prophet's spirit through the room? And what though the level of the wine subsided73 not a barley-corn? Elijah, though there was no difficulty in his being in all parts of the world simultaneously74, could hardly compass the greater miracle of emptying so many million goblets75. Historians have traced this custom of opening the door to the necessity of asking the world to look in and see for itself that no blood of Christian76 child figured in the ceremonial--and for once science has illumined naive77 superstition78 with a tragic79 glow more poetic80 still. For the London Ghetto persecution81 had dwindled82 to an occasional bellowing83 through the keyhole, as the local rowdies heard the unaccustomed melodies trolled forth84 from jocund85 lungs and then the singers would stop for a moment, startled, and some one would say: "Oh, it's only a Christian rough," and take up the thread of song.
And then, when the _Ajikuman_ had been eaten and the last cup of wine drunk, and it was time to go to bed, what a sweet sense of sanctity and security still reigned86. No need to say your prayers to-night, beseeching87 the guardian88 of Israel, who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, to watch over you and chase away the evil spirits; the angels are with you--Gabriel on your right and Raphael on your left, and Michael behind you. All about the Ghetto the light of the Passover rested, transfiguring the dreary rooms and illumining the gray lives.
Dutch Debby sat beside Mrs. Simons at the table of that good soul's married daughter; the same who had suckled little Sarah. Esther's frequent eulogiums had secured the poor lonely narrow-chested seamstress this enormous concession89 and privilege. Bobby squatted90 on the mat in the passage ready to challenge Elijah. At this table there were two pieces of fried fish sent to Mrs. Simons by Esther Ansell. They represented the greatest revenge of Esther's life, and she felt remorseful91 towards Malka, remembering to whose gold she owed this proud moment. She made up her mind to write her a letter of apology in her best hand.
At the Belcovitches' the ceremonial was long, for the master of it insisted on translating the Hebrew into jargon93, phrase by phrase; but no one found it tedious, especially after supper. Pesach was there, hand in hand with Fanny, their wedding very near now; and Becky lolled royally in all her glory, aggressive of ringlet, insolently94 unattached, a conscious beacon95 of bedazzlement to the pauper _Pollack_ we last met at Reb Shemuel's Sabbath table, and there, too, was Chayah, she of the ill-matched legs. Be sure that Malka had returned the clothes-brush, and was throned in complacent96 majesty97 at Milly's table; and that Sugarman the _Shadchan_ forgave his monocular consort98 her lack of a fourth uncle; while Joseph Strelitski, dreamer of dreams, rich with commissions from "Passover" cigars, brooded on the Great Exodus99. Nor could the Shalotten _Shammos_ be other than beaming, ordering the complex ceremonial with none to contradict; nor Karlkammer be otherwise than in the seven hundred and seventy-seventh heaven, which, calculated by _Gematriyah_, can easily be reduced to the seventh.
Shosshi Shmendrik did not fail to explain the deliverance to the ex-widow Finkelstein, nor Guedalyah, the greengrocer, omit to hold his annual revel100 at the head of half a hundred merry "pauper-aliens." Christian roughs bawled101 derisively102 in the street, especially when doors were opened for Elijah; but hard words break no bones, and the Ghetto was uplifted above insult.
Melchitsedek Pinchas was the Passover guest at Reb Shemuel's table, for the reek103 of his Sabbath cigar had not penetrated to the old man's nostrils104. It was a great night for Pinchas; wrought105 up to fervid106 nationalistic aspirations107 by the memory of the Egyptian deliverance, which he yet regarded as mythical108 in its details. It was a terrible night for Hannah, sitting opposite to him under the fire of his poetic regard. She was pale and rigid109, moving and speaking mechanically. Her father glanced towards her every now and again, compassionately110, but with trust that the worst was over. Her mother realized the crisis much less keenly than he, not having been in the heart of the storm. She had never even seen her intended son-in-law except through the lens of a camera. She was sorry--that was all. Now that Hannah had broken the ice, and encouraged one young man, there was hope for the others.
Hannah's state of mind was divined by neither parent. Love itself is blind in those tragic silences which divide souls.
All night, after that agonizing112 scene, she did not sleep; the feverish113 activity of her mind rendered that impossible, and unerring instinct told her that David was awake also--that they two, amid the silence of a sleeping city, wrestled114 in the darkness with the same terrible problem, and were never so much at one as in this their separation. A letter came for her in the morning. It was unstamped, and had evidently been dropped into the letter-box by David's hand. It appointed an interview at ten o'clock at a corner of the Ruins; of course, he could not come to the house. Hannah was out: with a little basket to make some purchases. There was a cheery hum of life about the Ghetto; a pleasant festival bustle115; the air resounded116 with the raucous117 clucking of innumerable fowls118 on their way to the feather-littered, blood-stained shambles119, where professional cut-throats wielded120 sacred knives; boys armed with little braziers of glowing coal ran about the Ruins, offering halfpenny pyres for the immolation121 of the last crumbs122 of leaven14. Nobody paid the slightest attention to the two tragic figures whose lives turned on the brief moments of conversation snatched in the thick of the hurrying crowd.
David's clouded face lightened a little as he saw Hannah advancing towards him.
"I knew you would come," he said, taking her hand for a moment. His palm burned, hers was cold and limp. The stress of a great tempest of emotion had driven the blood from her face and limbs, but inwardly she was on fire. As they looked each read revolt in the other's eyes.
"Let us walk on," he said.
They moved slowly forwards. The ground was slippery and muddy under foot. The sky was gray. But the gayety of the crowds neutralized123 the dull squalor of the scene.
"Well?" he said, in a low tone.
"I thought you had something to propose," she murmured.
"Let me carry your basket."
"No, no; go on. What have you determined124?"
"Not to give you up, Hannah, while I live."
"Ah!" she said quietly. "I have thought it all over, too, and I shall not leave you. But our marriage by Jewish law is impossible; we could not marry at any synagogue without my father's knowledge; and he would at once inform the authorities of the bar to our union."
"I know, dear. But let us go to America, where no one will know. There we shall find plenty of Rabbis to marry us. There is nothing to tie me to this country. I can start my business in America just as well as here. Your parents, too, will think more kindly125 of you when you are across the seas. Forgiveness is easier at a distance. What do you say, dear?"
She shook her head.
"Why should we be married in a synagogue?" she asked.
"Why?" repeated he, puzzled.
"Yes, why?"
"Because we are Jews."
"You would use Jewish forms to outwit Jewish laws?" she asked quietly.
"No, no. Why should you put it that way? I don't doubt the Bible is all right in making the laws it does. After the first heat of my anger was over, I saw the whole thing in its proper bearings. Those laws about priests were only intended for the days when we had a Temple, and in any case they cannot apply to a merely farcical divorce like yours. It is these old fools,--I beg your pardon,--it is these fanatical Rabbis who insist on giving them a rigidity126 God never meant them to have, just as they still make a fuss about _kosher_ meat. In America they are less strict; besides, they will not know I am a _Cohen_."
"No. David," said Hannah firmly. "There must be no more deceit. What need have we to seek the sanction of any Rabbi? If Jewish law cannot marry us without our hiding something, then I will have nothing to do with Jewish law. You know my opinions: I haven't gone so deeply into religious questions as you have--"
"Don't be sarcastic," he interrupted.
"I have always been sick to death of this eternal ceremony, this endless coil of laws winding127 round us and cramping128 our lives at every turn; and now it has become too oppressive to be borne any longer. Why should we let it ruin our lives? And why, if we determine to break from it, shall we pretend to keep to it? What do you care for Judaism? You eat _triphas_, you smoke on _Shabbos_ when you want to--"
"Yes, I know, perhaps I'm wrong. But everybody does it now-a-days. When I was a boy nobody dared be seen riding in a 'bus on _Shabbos_--now you meet lots. But all that is only old-fashioned Judaism. There must be a God, else we shouldn't be here, and it's impossible to believe that Jesus was He. A man must have some religion, and there isn't anything better. But that's neither here nor there. If you don't care for my plan," he concluded anxiously, "what's yours?"
"Any way you like, dear," he said readily, "so long as we are married--and quickly."
"As quickly as you like."
He seized her disengaged hand and pressed it passionately111. "That's my own darling Hannah. Oh, if you could realize what I felt last night when you seemed to be drifting away from me."
"But have you the courage to do this and remain in London?"
"I have courage for anything. But, as you say, it might be better to travel. It will be less of a break if we break away altogether--change everything at once. It sounds contradictory131, but you understand what I mean."
"Perfectly132. It is difficult to live a new life with all the old things round you. Besides, why should we give our friends the chance to cold-shoulder us? They will find all sorts of malicious133 reasons why we were not married in a _Shool_, and if they hit on the true one they may even regard our marriage as illegal. Let us go to America, as I proposed."
"Very well. Do we go direct from London?"
"No, from Liverpool."
"Then we can be married at Liverpool before sailing?"
"A good idea. But when do we start?"
"At once. To-night. The sooner the better."
He looked at her quickly. "Do you mean it?" he said. His heart beat violently as if it would burst. Waves of dazzling color swam before his eyes.
"I mean it," she said gravely and quietly. "Do you think I could face my father and mother, knowing I was about to wound them to the heart? Each day of delay would be torture to me. Oh, why is religion such a curse?" She paused, overwhelmed for a moment by the emotion she had been suppressing. She resumed in the same quiet manner. "Yes, we must break away at once. We have kept our last Passover. We shall have to eat leavened13 food--it will be a decisive break. Take me to Liverpool, David, this very day. You are my chosen husband; I trust in you."
She looked at him frankly134 with her dark eyes that stood out in lustrous135 relief against the pale skin. He gazed into those eyes, and a flash as from the inner heaven of purity pierced his soul.
"Thank you, dearest," he said in a voice with tears in it.
They walked on silently. Speech was as superfluous136 as it was inadequate137. When they spoke138 again their voices were calm. The peace that comes of resolute139 decision was theirs at last, and each was full of the joy of daring greatly for the sake of their mutual love. Petty as their departure from convention might seem to the stranger, to them it loomed as a violent breach140 with all the traditions of the Ghetto and their past lives; they were venturing forth into untrodden paths, holding each other's hand.
Jostling the loquacious141 crowd, in the unsavory by-ways of the Ghetto, in the gray chillness of a cloudy morning, Hannah seemed to herself to walk in enchanted142 gardens, breathing the scent143 of love's own roses mingled144 with the keen salt air that blew in from the sea of liberty. A fresh, new blessed life was opening before her. The clogging145 vapors146 of the past were rolling away at last. The unreasoning instinctive147 rebellion, bred of ennui148 and brooding dissatisfaction with the conditions of her existence and the people about her, had by a curious series of accidents been hastened to its acutest development; thought had at last fermented149 into active resolution, and the anticipation20 of action flooded her soul with peace and joy, in which all recollection of outside humanity was submerged.
"What time can you be ready by?" he said before they parted.
"Any time," she answered. "I can take nothing with me. I dare not pack anything. I suppose I can get necessaries in Liverpool. I have merely my hat and cloak to put on."
"I know it, dear," she answered gently. "If you were as other Jewish young men I could not give up all else for you."
"You shall never regret it, Hannah," he said, moved to his depths, as the full extent of her sacrifice for love dawned upon him. He was a vagabond on the face of the earth, but she was tearing herself away from deep roots in the soil of home, as well as from the conventions of her circle and her sex. Once again he trembled with a sense of unworthiness, a sudden anxious doubt if he were noble enough to repay her trust. Mastering his emotion, he went on: "I reckon my packing and arrangements for leaving the country will take me all day at least. I must see my bankers if nobody else. I shan't take leave of anybody, that would arouse suspicion. I will be at the corner of your street with a cab at nine, and we'll catch the ten o'clock express from Euston. If we missed that, we should have to wait till midnight. It will be dark; no one is likely to notice me. I will get a dressing-case for you and anything else I can think of and add it to my luggage."
"Very well," she said simply.
They did not kiss; she gave him her hand, and, with a sudden inspiration, he slipped the ring he had brought the day before on her finger. The tears came into her eyes as she saw what he had done. They looked at each other through a mist, feeling bound beyond human intervention151.
"Good-bye," he said. "At nine."
"At nine," she breathed. And hurried off without looking behind.
It was a hard day, the minutes crawling reluctantly into the hours, the hours dragging themselves wearily on towards the night. It was typical April weather--squalls and sunshine in capricious succession. When it drew towards dusk she put on her best clothes for the Festival, stuffing a few precious mementoes into her pockets and wearing her father's portrait next to her lover's at her breast. She hung a travelling cloak and a hat on a peg153 near the hall-door ready to hand as she left the house. Of little use was she in the kitchen that day, but her mother was tender to her as knowing her sorrow. Time after time Hannah ascended154 to her bedroom to take a last look at the things she had grown so tired of--the little iron bed, the wardrobe, the framed lithographs155, the jug156 and basin with their floral designs. All things seemed strangely dear now she was seeing them for the last time. Hannah turned over everything--even the little curling iron, and the cardboard box full of tags and rags of ribbon and chiffon and lace and crushed artificial flowers, and the fans with broken sticks and the stays with broken ribs157, and the petticoats with dingy158 frills and the twelve-button ball gloves with dirty fingers, and the soiled pink wraps. Some of her books, especially her school-prizes, she would have liked to take with her--but that could not be. She went over the rest of the house, too, from top to bottom. It weakened her but she could not conquer the impulse of farewell, finally she wrote a letter to her parents and hid it under her looking-glass, knowing they would search her room for traces of her. She looked curiously159 at herself as she did so; the color had not returned to her cheeks. She knew she was pretty and always strove to look nice for the mere69 pleasure of the thing. All her instincts were aesthetic160. Now she had the air of a saint wrought up to spiritual exaltation. She was almost frightened by the vision. She had seen her face frowning, weeping, overcast161 with gloom, never with an expression so fateful. It seemed as if her resolution was writ92 large upon every feature for all to read.
In the evening she accompanied her father to _Shool_. She did not often go in the evening, and the thought of going only suddenly occurred to her. Heaven alone knew if she would ever enter a synagogue again--the visit would be part of her systematic162 farewell. Reb Shemuel took it as a symptom of resignation to the will of God, and he laid his hand lightly on her head in silent blessing163, his eyes uplifted gratefully to Heaven. Too late Hannah felt the misconception and was remorseful. For the festival occasion Reb Shemuel elected to worship at the Great Synagogue; Hannah, seated among the sparse164 occupants of the Ladies' Gallery and mechanically fingering a _Machzor_, looked down for the last time on the crowded auditorium165 where the men sat in high hats and holiday garments. Tall wax-candles twinkled everywhere, in great gilt166 chandeliers depending from the ceiling, in sconces stuck about the window ledges167, in candelabra branching from the walls. There was an air of holy joy about the solemn old structure with its massive pillars, its small side-windows, high ornate roof, and skylights, and its gilt-lettered tablets to the memory of pious168 donors169.
The congregation gave the responses with joyous170 unction. Some of the worshippers tempered their devotion by petty gossip and the beadle marshalled the men in low hats within the iron railings, sonorously171 sounding his automatic amens. But to-night Hannah had no eye for the humors that were wont172 to awaken173 her scornful amusement--a real emotion possessed174 her, the same emotion of farewell which she had experienced in her own bedroom. Her eyes wandered towards the Ark, surmounted175 by the stone tablets of the Decalogue, and the sad dark orbs176 filled with the brooding light of childish reminiscence. Once when she was a little girl her father told her that on Passover night an angel sometimes came out of the doors of the Ark from among the scrolls177 of the Law. For years she looked out for that angel, keeping her eyes patiently fixed178 on the curtain. At last she gave him up, concluding her vision was insufficiently179 purified or that he was exhibiting at other synagogues. To-night her childish fancy recurred180 to her--she found herself involuntarily looking towards the Ark and half-expectant of the angel.
She had not thought of the _Seder_ service she would have to partially181 sit through, when she made her appointment with David in the morning, but when during the day it occurred to her, a cynical182 smile traversed her lips. How apposite it was! To-night would mark _her_ exodus from slavery. Like her ancestors leaving Egypt, she, too, would partake of a meal in haste, staff in hand ready for the journey. With what stout183 heart would she set forth, she, too, towards the promised land! Thus had she thought some hours since, but her mood was changed now. The nearer the _Seder_ approached, the more she shrank from the family ceremonial. A panic terror almost seized her now, in the synagogue, when the picture of the domestic interior flashed again before her mental vision--she felt like flying into the street, on towards her lover without ever looking behind. Oh, why could David not have fixed the hour earlier, so as to spare her an ordeal184 so trying to the nerves? The black-stoled choir185 was singing sweetly, Hannah banished186 her foolish flutter of alarm by joining in quietly, for congregational singing was regarded rather as an intrusion on the privileges of the choir and calculated to put them out in their elaborate four-part fugues unaided by an organ.
"With everlasting187 love hast Thou loved the house of Israel, Thy people," she sang: "a Law and commandments, statutes188 and judgments189 hast thou taught us. Therefore, O Lord our God, when we lie down and when we rise up we will meditate190 on Thy statutes: yea, we will rejoice in the words of Thy Law and in Thy commandments for ever, for they are our life and the length of our days, and will meditate on them day and night. And mayest Thou never take away Thy love from us. Blessed art Thou. O Lord, who lovest Thy people Israel."
Hannah scanned the English version of the Hebrew in her _Machzor_ as she sang. Though she could translate every word, the meaning of what she sang was never completely conceived by her consciousness. The power of song over the soul depends but little on the words. Now the words seem fateful, pregnant with special message. Her eyes were misty191 when the fugues were over. Again she looked towards the Ark with its beautifully embroidered192 curtain, behind which were the precious scrolls with their silken swathes and their golden bells and shields and pomegranates. Ah, if the angel would come out now! If only the dazzling vision gleamed for a moment on the white steps. Oh, why did he not come and save her?
Save her? From what? She asked herself the question fiercely, in defiance193 of the still, small voice. What wrong had she ever done that she so young and gentle should be forced to make so cruel a choice between the old and the new? This was the synagogue she should have been married in; stepping gloriously and honorably under the canopy194, amid the pleasant excitement of a congratulatory company. And now she was being driven to exile and the chillness of secret nuptials195. No, no; she did not want to be saved in the sense of being kept in the fold: it was the creed196 that was culpable197, not she.
The service drew to an end. The choir sang the final hymn198, the _Chasan_ giving the last verse at great length and with many musical flourishes.
"The dead will God quicken in the abundance of His loving kindness. Blessed for evermore be His glorious name."
There was a clattering199 of reading-flaps and seat-lids and the congregation poured out, amid the buzz of mutual "Good _Yomtovs."_ Hannah rejoined her father, the sense of injury and revolt still surging in her breast. In the fresh starlit air, stepping along the wet gleaming pavements, she shook off the last influences of the synagogue; all her thoughts converged200 on the meeting with David, on the wild flight northwards while good Jews were sleeping off the supper in celebration of their Redemption; her blood coursed quickly through her veins201, she was in a fever of impatience202 for the hour to come.
And thus it was that she sat at the _Seder_ table, as in a dream, with images of desperate adventure flitting in her brain. The face of her lover floated before her eyes, close, close to her own as it should have been to-night had there been justice in Heaven. Now and again the scene about her flashed in upon her consciousness, piercing her to the heart. When Levi asked the introductory question, it set her wondering what would become of him? Would manhood bring enfranchisement203 to him as womanhood was doing to her? What sort of life would he lead the poor Reb and his wife? The omens204 were scarcely auspicious205; but a man's charter is so much wider than a woman's; and Levi might do much without paining them as she would pain them. Poor father! The white hairs were predominating in his beard, she had never noticed before how old he was getting. And mother--her face was quite wrinkled. Ah, well; we must all grow old. What a curious man Melchitsedek Pinchas was, singing so heartily206 the wonderful story. Judaism certainly produced some curious types. A smile crossed her face as she thought of herself as his bride.
At supper she strove to eat a little, knowing she would need it. In bringing some plates from the kitchen she looked at her hat and cloak, carefully hung up on the peg in the hall nearest the street door. It would take but a second to slip them on. She nodded her head towards them, as who should say "Yes, we shall meet again very soon." During the meal she found herself listening to the poet's monologues207 delivered in his high-pitched creaking voice.
Melchitsedek Pinchas had much to say about a certain actor-manager who had spoiled the greatest jargon-play of the century and a certain labor-leader who, out of the funds of his gulls208, had subsidized the audience to stay away, and (though here the Reb cut him short for Hannah's sake) a certain leading lady, one of the quartette of mistresses of a certain clergyman, who had been beguiled209 by her paramour into joining the great English conspiracy210 to hound down Melchitsedek Pinchas,--all of whom he would shoot presently and had in the meantime enshrined like dead flies in the amber211 of immortal212 acrostics. The wind began to shake the shutters213 as they finished supper and presently the rain began to patter afresh against the panes214. Reb Shemuel distributed the pieces of _Afikuman_ with a happy sigh, and, lolling on his pillows and almost forgetting his family troubles in the sense of Israel's blessedness, began to chant the Grace like the saints in the Psalm215 who sing aloud on their couches. The little Dutch clock on the mantelpiece began to strike. Hannah did not move. Pale and trembling she sat riveted216 to her chair. One--two--three--four--five--six--seven--eight. She counted the strokes, as if to count them was the only means of telling the hour, as if her eyes had not been following the hands creeping, creeping. She had a mad hope the striking would cease with the eight and there would be still time to think. _Nine_! She waited, her ear longing217 for the tenth stroke. If it were only ten o'clock, it would be too late. The danger would be over. She sat, mechanically watching the hands. They crept on. It was five minutes past the hour. She felt sure that David was already at the corner of the street, getting wet and a little impatient. She half rose from her chair. It was not a nice night for an elopement. She sank back into her seat. Perhaps they had best wait till to-morrow night. She would go and tell David so. But then he would not mind the weather; once they had met he would bundle her into the cab and they would roll on leaving the old world irrevocably behind. She sat in a paralysis218 of volition219; rigid on her chair, magnetized by the warm comfortable room, the old familiar furniture, the Passover table--with its white table-cloth and its decanter and wine-glasses, the faces of her father and mother eloquent220 with the appeal of a thousand memories. The clock ticked on loudly, fiercely, like a summoning drum; the rain beat an impatient tattoo221 on the window-panes, the wind rattled222 the doors and casements223. "Go forth, go forth," they called, "go forth where your lover waits you, to bear you of into the new and the unknown." And the louder they called the louder Reb Shemuel trolled his hilarious224 Grace: _May He who maketh Peace in the High Heavens, bestow225 Peace upon us and upon all Israel and say ye, Amen_.
The hands of the clock crept on. It was half-past nine. Hannah sat lethargic226, numb227, unable to think, her strung-up nerves grown flaccid, her eyes full of bitter-sweet tears, her soul floating along as in a trance on the waves of a familiar melody. Suddenly she became aware that the others had risen and that her father was motioning to her. Instinctively228 she understood; rose automatically and went to the door; then a great shock of returning recollection whelmed her soul. She stood rooted to the floor. Her father had filled Elijah's goblet with wine and it was her annual privilege to open the door for the prophet's entry. Intuitively she knew that David was pacing madly in front of the house, not daring to make known his presence, and perhaps cursing her cowardice229. A chill terror seized her. She was afraid to face him--his will was strong and mighty230; her fevered imagination figured it as the wash of a great ocean breaking on the doorstep threatening to sweep her off into the roaring whirlpool of doom231. She threw the door of the room wide and paused as if her duty were done.
"_Nu, nu_," muttered Reb Shemuel, indicating the outer door. It was so near that he always had that opened, too.
Hannah tottered232 forwards through the few feet of hall. The cloak and hat on the peg nodded to her sardonically233. A wild thrill of answering defiance shot through her: she stretched out her hands towards them. "Fly, fly; it is your last chance," said the blood throbbing in her ears. But her hand dropped to her side and in that brief instant of terrible illumination, Hannah saw down the whole long vista234 of her future life, stretching straight and unlovely between great blank walls, on, on to a solitary235 grave; knew that the strength had been denied her to diverge236 to the right or left, that for her there would be neither Exodus nor Redemption. Strong in the conviction of her weakness she noisily threw open the street door. The face of David, sallow and ghastly, loomed upon her in the darkness. Great drops of rain fell from his hat and ran down his cheeks like tears. His clothes seemed soaked with rain.
"_Boruch Habo_! (Welcome art thou who arrivest)" came the voice of Reb Shemuel front within, greeting the prophet.
The sing-song undulations of the old Rabbi's voice mingled harshly with the wail239 of the wind: "_Pour out Thy wrath240 on the heathen who acknowledge Thee not and upon the Kingdoms which invoke241 not Thy name, for they have devoured242 Jacob and laid waste his Temple. Pour out Thy indignation upon them and cause Thy fierce anger to overtake them. Pursue them in wrath and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord_."
"Quick, Hannah!" whispered David. "We can't wait a moment more. Put on your things. We shall miss the train."
A sudden inspiration came to her. For answer she drew his ring out of her pocket and slipped it into his hand.
"Good-bye!" she murmured in a strange hollow voice, and slammed the street door in his face.
"Hannah!"
His startled cry of agony and despair penetrated the woodwork, muffled243 to an inarticulate shriek. He rattled the door violently in unreasoning frenzy244.
"Who's that? What's that noise?" asked the Rebbitzin.
"Only some Christian rough shouting in the street," answered Hannah.
It was truer than she knew.
* * * * *
The rain fell faster, the wind grew shriller, but the Children of the Ghetto basked245 by their firesides in faith and hope and contentment. Hunted from shore to shore through the ages, they had found the national aspiration--Peace--in a country where Passover came, without menace of blood. In the garret of Number 1 Royal Street little Esther Ansell sat brooding, her heart full of a vague tender poetry and penetrated by the beauties of Judaism, which, please God, she would always cling to; her childish vision looking forward hopefully to the larger life that the years would bring.
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1
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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burlesque
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| v.嘲弄，戏仿；n.嘲弄，取笑，滑稽模仿 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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tarnished
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| （通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏 | |
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symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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raisin
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| n.葡萄干 | |
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leavened
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| adj.加酵母的v.使（面团）发酵( leaven的过去式和过去分词 )；在…中掺入改变的因素 | |
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14
leaven
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| v.使发酵；n.酵母；影响 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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16
jingle
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| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
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repudiation
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| n.拒绝；否认；断绝关系；抛弃 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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19
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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anticipations
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| 预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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23
prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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24
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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25
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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26
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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27
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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28
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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ghetto
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| n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区 | |
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30
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
immured
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| v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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33
transmute
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| vt.使变化，使改变 | |
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symbolically
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| ad.象征地，象征性地 | |
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35
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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36
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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37
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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dispensing
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| v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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fleas
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| n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求） | |
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40
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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41
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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42
pauper
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| n.贫民，被救济者，穷人 | |
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43
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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44
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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45
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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46
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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47
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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49
irrelevant
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| adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的 | |
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50
ballad
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| n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲 | |
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51
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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52
quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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53
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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slaughterer
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| 屠夫，刽子手 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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56
pictorial
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| adj.绘画的；图片的；n．画报 | |
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57
depicting
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| 描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述 | |
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58
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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59
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
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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61
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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62
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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63
gondolas
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| n.狭长小船( gondola的名词复数 )；货架（一般指商店，例如化妆品店）；吊船工作台 | |
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64
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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66
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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67
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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68
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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69
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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70
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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71
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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72
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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73
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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74
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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75
goblets
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| n.高脚酒杯( goblet的名词复数 ) | |
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76
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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77
naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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80
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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81
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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82
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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84
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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85
jocund
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| adj.快乐的，高兴的 | |
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86
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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87
beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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88
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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89
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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90
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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remorseful
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| adj.悔恨的 | |
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92
writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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93
jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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insolently
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| adv.自豪地，自傲地 | |
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beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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complacent
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| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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97
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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98
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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99
exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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100
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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101
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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102
derisively
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| adv. 嘲笑地，嘲弄地 | |
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103
reek
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| v.发出臭气；n.恶臭 | |
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104
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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105
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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106
fervid
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| adj.热情的；炽热的 | |
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107
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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108
mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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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
compassionately
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| adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地 | |
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111
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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112
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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113
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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114
wrestled
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| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
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115
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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116
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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117
raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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118
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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119
shambles
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| n.混乱之处；废墟 | |
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120
wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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121
immolation
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| n.牺牲品 | |
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122
crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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123
neutralized
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| v.使失效( neutralize的过去式和过去分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化 | |
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124
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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125
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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126
rigidity
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| adj.钢性，坚硬 | |
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127
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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128
cramping
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| 图像压缩 | |
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129
registrar
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| n.记录员，登记员；(大学的)注册主任 | |
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130
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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131
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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132
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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133
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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134
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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135
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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136
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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137
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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138
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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139
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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140
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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141
loquacious
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| adj.多嘴的，饶舌的 | |
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142
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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143
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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144
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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145
clogging
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| 堵塞，闭合 | |
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146
vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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147
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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148
ennui
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| n.怠倦，无聊 | |
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149
fermented
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| v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰 | |
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150
ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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151
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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152
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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153
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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154
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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155
lithographs
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| n.平版印刷品( lithograph的名词复数 ) | |
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156
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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157
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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158
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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159
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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160
aesthetic
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| adj.美学的，审美的，有美感 | |
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161
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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162
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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163
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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164
sparse
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| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
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165
auditorium
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| n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂 | |
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166
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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167
ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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168
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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169
donors
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| n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者 | |
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170
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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171
sonorously
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| adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；堂皇地；朗朗地 | |
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172
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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173
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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174
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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175
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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176
orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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177
scrolls
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| n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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178
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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179
insufficiently
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| adv.不够地，不能胜任地 | |
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180
recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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181
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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182
cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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184
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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185
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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186
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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187
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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188
statutes
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| 成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程 | |
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189
judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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190
meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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191
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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192
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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193
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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194
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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195
nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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196
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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197
culpable
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| adj.有罪的，该受谴责的 | |
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198
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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199
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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200
converged
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| v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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201
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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202
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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203
enfranchisement
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| 选举权 | |
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204
omens
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| n.前兆，预兆( omen的名词复数 ) | |
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205
auspicious
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| adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的 | |
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206
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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207
monologues
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| n.（戏剧）长篇独白( monologue的名词复数 )；滔滔不绝的讲话；独角戏 | |
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208
gulls
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| n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 ) | |
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209
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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210
conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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211
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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212
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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213
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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214
panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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215
psalm
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| n.赞美诗，圣诗 | |
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216
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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217
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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218
paralysis
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| n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症) | |
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volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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221
tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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casements
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| n.窗扉( casement的名词复数 ) | |
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224
hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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lethargic
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| adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的 | |
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numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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231
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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232
tottered
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| v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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sardonically
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| adv.讽刺地，冷嘲地 | |
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234
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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235
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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236
diverge
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| v.分叉，分歧，离题，使...岔开，使转向 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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238
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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239
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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240
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
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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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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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244
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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basked
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的过去式和过去分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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