Gibbie's agony passed, for God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Through the immortal1 essence in him, life became again life, and he ran about the streets as before. Some may think that wee Sir Gibbie—as many now called him, some knowing the truth, and others in kindly2 mockery—would get on all the better for the loss of such a father; but it was not so. In his father he had lost his Paradise, and was now a creature expelled. He was not so much to be pitied as many a child dismissed by sudden decree from a home to a school; but the streets and the people and the shops, the horses and the dogs, even the penny-loaves though he was hungry, had lost half their precious delight, when his father was no longer in the accessible background, the heart of the blissful city. As to food and clothing, he did neither much better nor any worse than before: people were kind as usual, and kindness was to Gibbie the very milk of mother Nature. Whose the hand that proffered3 it, or what the form it took, he cared no more than a stray kitten cares whether the milk set down to it be in a blue saucer or a white. But he always made the right return. The first thing a kindness deserves is acceptance, the next is transmission: Gibbie gave both, without thinking much about either. For he never had taken, and indeed never learned to take, a thought about what he should eat or what he should drink, or wherewithal he should be clothed—a fault rendering4 him, in the eyes of the economist5 of this world, utterly6 unworthy of a place in it. There is a world, however, and one pretty closely mixed up with this, though it never shows itself to one who has no place in it, the birds of whose air have neither storehouse nor barn, but are just such thoughtless cherubs—thoughtless for themselves, that is—as wee Sir Gibbie. It would be useless to attempt convincing the mere7 economist that this great city was a little better, a little happier, a little merrier, for the presence in it of the child, because he would not, even if convinced of the fact, recognize the gain; but I venture the assertion to him, that the conduct of not one of its inhabitants was the worse for the example of Gibbie's apparent idleness; and that not one of the poor women who now and then presented the small baronet with a penny, or a bit of bread, or a scrap8 of meat, or a pair of old trousers—shoes nobody gave him, and he neither desired nor needed any—ever felt the poorer for the gift, or complained that she should be so taxed.
Positively9 or negatively, then, everybody was good to him, and Gibbie felt it; but what could make up for the loss of his Paradise, the bosom10 of a father? Drunken father as he was, I know of nothing that can or ought to make up for such a loss, except that which can restore it—the bosom of the Father of fathers.
He roamed the streets, as all his life before, the whole of the day, and part of the night; he took what was given him, and picked up what he found. There were some who would gladly have brought him within the bounds of an ordered life; he soon drove them to despair, however, for the streets had been his nursery, and nothing could keep him out of them. But the sparrow and the rook are just as respectable in reality, though not in the eyes of the hen-wife, as the egg-laying fowl11, or the dirt-gobbling duck; and, however Gibbie's habits might shock the ladies of Mr. Sclater's congregation who sought to civilize12 him, the boy was no more about mischief13 in the streets at midnight, than they were in their beds. They collected enough for his behoof to board him for a year with an old woman who kept a school, and they did get him to sleep one night in her house. But in the morning, when she would not let him run out, brought him into the school-room, her kitchen, and began to teach him to write, Gibbie failed to see the good of it. He must have space, change, adventure, air, or life was not worth the name to him. Above all he must see friendly faces, and that of the old dame14 was not such. But he desired to be friendly with her, and once, as she leaned over him, put up his hand—not a very clean one, I am bound to give her the advantage of my confessing—to stroke her cheek: she pushed him roughly away, rose in indignation upon her crutch15, and lifted her cane16 to chastise17 him for the insult. A class of urchins18, to Gibbie's eyes at least looking unhappy, were at the moment blundering through the twenty-third psalm19. Ever after, even when now Sir Gilbert more than understood the great song, the words, "thy rod and thy staff," like the spell of a necromancer20 would still call up the figure of the dame irate21, in her horn spectacles and her black-ribboned cap, leaning with one arm on her crutch, and with the other uplifting what was with her no mere symbol of authority. Like a shell from a mortar22, he departed from the house. She hobbled to the door after him, but his diminutive23 figure many yards away, his little bare legs misty24 with swiftness as he ran, was the last she ever saw of him, and her pupils had a bad time of it the rest of the day. He never even entered the street again in which she lived. Thus, after one night's brief interval25 of respectability, he was again a rover of the city, a flitting insect that lighted here and there, and spread wings of departure the moment a fresh desire awoke.
It would be difficult to say where he slept. In summer anywhere; in winter where he could find warmth. Like animals better clad than he, yet like him able to endure cold, he revelled26 in mere heat when he could come by it. Sometimes he stood at the back of a baker's oven, for he knew all the haunts of heat about the city; sometimes he buried himself in the sids (husks of oats) lying ready to feed the kiln27 of a meal-mill; sometimes he lay by the furnace of the steam-engine of the water-works. One man employed there, when his time was at night, always made a bed for Gibbie: he had lost his own only child, and this one of nobody's was a comfort to him.
Even those who looked upon wandering as wicked, only scolded into the sweet upturned face, pouring gall28 into a cup of wine too full to receive a drop of it—and did not hand him over to the police. Useless verily that would have been, for the police would as soon have thought of taking up a town sparrow as Gibbie, and would only have laughed at the idea. They knew Gibbie's merits better than any of those good people imagined his faults. It requires either wisdom or large experience to know that a child is not necessarily wicked even if born and brought up in a far viler29 entourage than was Gibbie.
The merits the police recognized in him were mainly two—neither of small consequence in their eyes; the first, the negative, yet more important one, that of utter harmlessness; the second, and positive one—a passion and power for rendering help, taking notable shape chiefly in two ways, upon both of which I have already more than touched. The first was the peculiar30 faculty31 now pretty generally known—his great gift, some, his great luck, others called it—for finding things lost. It was no wonder the town crier had sought his acquaintance, and when secured, had cultivated it—neither a difficult task; for the boy, ever since he could remember, had been in the habit, as often as he saw the crier, or heard his tuck of drum in the distance, of joining him and following, until he had acquainted himself with all particulars concerning everything proclaimed as missing. The moment he had mastered the facts announced, he would dart32 away to search, and not unfrequently to return with the thing sought. But it was not by any means only things sought that he found. He continued to come upon things of which he had no simulacrum in his phantasy. These, having no longer a father to carry them to, he now, their owners unknown, took to the crier, who always pretended to receive them with a suspicion which Gibbie understood as little as the other really felt, and at once advertised them by drum and cry. What became of them after that, Gibbie never knew. If they did not find their owners, neither did they find their way back to Gibbie; if their owners were found, the crier never communicated with him on the subject. Plainly he regarded Gibbie as the favoured jackal, whose privilege it was to hunt for the crier, the royal lion of the city forest. But he spoke33 kindly to him, as well he might, and now and then gave him a penny.
The second of the positive merits by which Gibbie found acceptance in the eyes of the police, was a yet more peculiar one, growing out of his love for his father, and his experience in the exercise of that love. It was, however, unintelligible34 to them, and so remained, except on the theory commonly adopted with regard to Gibbie, namely, that he wasna a' there. Not the less was it to them a satisfactory whim35 of his, seeing it mitigated36 their trouble as guardians38 of the nightly peace and safety. It was indeed the main cause of his being, like themselves, so much in the street at night: seldom did Gibbie seek his lair—I cannot call it couch—before the lengthening39 hours of the morning. If the finding of things was a gift, this other peculiarity40 was a passion—and a right human passion—absolutely possessing the child: it was, to play the guardian37 angel to drunk folk. If such a distressed41 human craft hove in sight, he would instantly bear down upon and hover43 about him, until resolved as to his real condition. If he was in such distress42 as to require assistance, he never left him till he saw him safe within his own door. The police asserted that wee Sir Gibbie not only knew every drunkard in the city, and where he lived, but where he generally got drunk as well. That one was in no danger of taking the wrong turning, upon whom Gibbie was in attendance, to determine, by a shove on this side or that, the direction in which the hesitating, uncertain mass of stultified44 humanity was to go. He seemed a visible embodiment of that special providence45 which is said to watch over drunk people and children, only here a child was the guardian of the drunkard, and in this branch of his mission, was well known to all who, without qualifying themselves for coming under his cherubic cognizance, were in the habit of now and then returning home late. He was least known to those to whom he rendered most assistance. Rarely had he thanks for it, never halfpence, but not unfrequently blows and abuse. For the last he cared nothing; the former, owing to his great agility46, seldom visited him with any directness. A certain reporter of humorous scandal, after his third tumbler, would occasionally give a graphic47 description of what, coming from a supper-party, he once saw about two o'clock in the morning. In the great street of the city, he overhauled48 a huge galleon49, which proved, he declared, to be the provost himself, not exactly water-logged, and yet not very buoyant, but carrying a good deal of sail. He might possibly have escaped very particular notice, he said, but for the assiduous attendance upon him of an absurd little cock-boat, in the person of wee Gibbie—the two reminding him right ludicrously of the story of the Spanish Armada. Round and round the bulky provost gyrated the tiny baronet, like a little hero of the ring, pitching into him, only with open-handed pushes, not with blows, now on this side and now on that—not after such fashion of sustentation as might have sufficed with a man of ordinary size, but throwing all his force now against the provost's bulging50 bows, now against his over-leaning quarter, encountering him now as he lurched, now as he heeled, until at length he landed him high, though certainly not dry, on the top of his own steps. The moment the butler opened the door, and the heavy hulk rolled into dock, Gibbie darted51 off as if he had been the wicked one tormenting52 the righteous, and in danger of being caught by a pair of holy tongs53. Whether the tale was true or not, I do not know: with after-dinner humourists there is reason for caution. Gibbie was not offered the post of henchman to the provost, and rarely could have had the chance of claiming salvage54 for so distinguished55 a vessel56, seeing he generally cruised in waters where such craft seldom sailed. Though almost nothing could now have induced him to go down Jink Lane, yet about the time the company at Mistress Croale's would be breaking up, he would on most nights be lying in wait a short distance down the Widdiehill, ready to minister to that one of his father's old comrades who might prove most in need of his assistance; and if he showed him no gratitude57, Gibbie had not been trained in a school where he was taught to expect or even to wish for any.
I could now give a whole chapter to the setting forth58 of the pleasures the summer brought him, city summer as it was, but I must content myself with saying that first of these, and not least, was the mere absence of the cold of the other seasons, bringing with it many privileges. He could lie down anywhere and sleep when he would; or spend, if he pleased, whole nights awake, in a churchyard, or on the deck of some vessel discharging her cargo59 at the quay60, or running about the still, sleeping streets. Thus he got to know the shapes of some of the constellations61, and not a few of the aspects of the heavens. But even then he never felt alone, for he gazed at the vista62 from the midst of a cityful of his fellows. Then there were the scents63 of the laylocks and the roses and the carnations64 and the sweet-peas, that came floating out from the gardens, contending sometimes with those of the grocers' and chemists' shops. Now and then too he came in for a small feed of strawberries, which were very plentiful65 in their season. Sitting then on a hospitable66 doorstep, with the feet and faces of friends passing him in both directions, and love embodied67 in the warmth of summer all about him, he would eat his strawberries, and inherit the earth.
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1
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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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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proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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economist
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| n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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7
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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8
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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12
civilize
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| vt.使文明，使开化 (=civilise) | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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crutch
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| n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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17
chastise
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| vt.责骂，严惩 | |
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18
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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psalm
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| n.赞美诗，圣诗 | |
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necromancer
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| n. 巫师 | |
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irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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27
kiln
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| n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑 | |
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gall
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| v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难 | |
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29
viler
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| adj.卑鄙的( vile的比较级 )；可耻的；极坏的；非常讨厌的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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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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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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mitigated
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| v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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lengthening
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的现在分词 )； 加长 | |
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40
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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41
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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43
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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44
stultified
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| v.使成为徒劳，使变得无用( stultify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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46
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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47
graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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48
overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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49
galleon
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| n.大帆船 | |
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50
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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51
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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52
tormenting
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| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
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53
tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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54
salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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55
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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56
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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57
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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58
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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60
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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61
constellations
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| n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人） | |
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vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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63
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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64
carnations
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| n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 ) | |
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65
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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66
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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