The fact was that, at breakfast on the morning after the arrival of the letter, I had still found that inexplicable6 lightening which I mentioned before, and strong enough to warrant a revival7 of the pros9 and cons10. An important pro8 which I had not thought of before was that after all it was a good-natured piece of unselfishness to join Davies; for he had spoken of the want of a pal12, and seemed honestly to be in need of me. I almost clutched at this consideration. It was an admirable excuse, when I reached my office that day, for a resigned study of the Continental13 Bradshaw, and an order to Carter to unroll a great creaking wall-map of Germany and find me Flensburg. The latter labour I might have saved him, but it was good for Carter to have something to do; and his patient ignorance was amusing. With most of the map and what it suggested I was tolerably familiar, for I had not wasted my year in Germany, whatever I had done or not done since. Its people, history, progress, and future had interested me intensely, and I had still friends in Dresden and Berlin. Flensburg recalled the Danish war of ’64, and by the time Carter’s researches had ended in success I had forgotten the task set him, and was wondering whether the prospect15 of seeing something of that lovely region of Schleswig-Holstein, [See Map A] as I knew from hearsay16 that it was, was at all to be set against such an uncomfortable way of seeing it, with the season so late, the company so unattractive, and all the other drawbacks which I counted and treasured as proofs of my desperate condition, if I were to go. It needed little to decide me, and I think K——’s arrival from Switzerland, offensively sunburnt, was the finishing touch. His greeting was “Hullo, Carruthers, you here? Thought you had got away long ago. Lucky devil, though, to be going now, just in time for the best driving and the early pheasants. The heat’s been shocking out there. Carter, bring me a Bradshaw”—(an extraordinary book, Bradshaw, turned to from habit, even when least wanted, as men fondle guns and rods in the close season).
By lunch-time the weight of indecision had been removed, and I found myself entrusting18 Carter with a telegram to Davies, P.O., Flensburg. “Thanks; expect me 9.34 p.m. 26th”; which produced, three hours later, a reply: “Delighted; please bring a No. 3 Rippingille stove”—a perplexing and ominous19 direction, which somehow chilled me in spite of its subject matter.
Indeed, my resolution was continually faltering20. It faltered21 when I turned out my gun in the evening and thought of the grouse22 it ought to have accounted for. It faltered again when I contemplated23 the miscellaneous list of commissions, sown broadcast through Davies’s letter, to fulfil which seemed to make me a willing tool where my chosen rôle was that of an embittered24 exile, or at least a condescending25 ally. However, I faced the commissions manfully, after leaving the office.
At Lancaster’s I inquired for his gun, was received coolly, and had to pay a heavy bill, which it seemed to have incurred26, before it was handed over. Having ordered the gun and No. 4’s to be sent to my chambers27, I bought the Raven28 mixture with that peculiar29 sense of injury which the prospect of smuggling30 in another’s behalf always entails31; and wondered where in the world Carey and Neilson’s was, a firm which Davies spoke11 of as though it were as well known as the Bank of England or the Stores, instead of specialising in “rigging-screws”, whatever they might be. They sounded important, though, and it would be only polite to unearth32 them. I connected them with the “few repairs,” and awoke new misgivings33. At the Stores I asked for a No. 3 Rippingille stove, and was confronted with a formidable and hideous34 piece of ironmongery, which burned petroleum35 in two capacious tanks, horribly prophetic of a smell of warm oil. I paid for this miserably36, convinced of its grim efficiency, but speculating as to the domestic conditions which caused it to be sent for as an afterthought by telegram. I also asked about rigging-screws in the yachting department, but learnt that they were not kept in stock; that Carey and Neilson’s would certainly have them, and that their shop was in the Minories, in the far east, meaning a journey nearly as long as to Flensburg, and twice as tiresome37. They would be shut by the time I got there, so after this exhausting round of duty I went home in a cab, omitted dressing38 for dinner (an epoch39 in itself), ordered a chop up from the basement kitchen, and spent the rest of the evening packing and writing, with the methodical gloom of a man setting his affairs in order for the last time.
The last of those airless nights passed. The astonished Withers40 saw me breakfasting at eight, and at 9.30 I was vacantly examining rigging-screws with what wits were left me after a sulphurous ride in the underground to Aldgate. I laid great stress on the 3/8’s, and the galvanism, and took them on trust, ignorant as to their functions. For the eleven-shilling oilskins I was referred to a villainous den14 in a back street, which the shopman said they always recommended, and where a dirty and bejewelled Hebrew chaffered with me (beginning at 18s.) over two reeking41 orange slabs42 distantly resembling moieties43 of the human figure. Their odour made me close prematurely44 for 14s., and I hurried back (for I was due there at 11) to my office with my two disreputable brown-paper parcels, one of which made itself so noticeable in the close official air that Carter attentively45 asked if I would like to have it sent to my chambers, and K—— was inquisitive46 to bluntness about it and my movements. But I did not care to enlighten K——, whose comments I knew would be provokingly envious47 or wounding to my pride in some way.
I remembered, later on, the prismatic compass, and wired to the Minories to have one sent at once, feeling rather relieved that I was not present there to be cross-examined as to size and make. The reply was, “Not stocked; try surveying-instrument maker”—a reply both puzzling and reassuring48, for Davies’s request for a compass had given me more uneasiness than anything, while, to find that what he wanted turned out to be a surveying-instrument, was a no less perplexing discovery. That day I made my last précis and handed over my schedules—Procrustean beds, where unwilling50 facts were stretched and tortured—and said good-bye to my temporary chief, genial51 and lenient52 M——, who wished me a jolly holiday with all sincerity53.
At seven I was watching a cab packed with my personal luggage and the collection of unwieldy and incongruous packages that my shopping had drawn54 down on me. Two deviations55 after that wretched prismatic compass—which I obtained in the end secondhand, faute de mieux, near Victoria, at one of those showy shops which look like jewellers’ and are really pawnbrokers’—nearly caused me to miss my train. But at 8.30 I had shaken off the dust of London from my feet, and at 10.30 I was, as I have announced, pacing the deck of a Flushing steamer, adrift on this fatuous56 holiday in the far Baltic.
An air from the west, cooled by a midday thunderstorm, followed the steamer as she slid through the calm channels of the Thames estuary57, passed the cordon58 of scintillating59 lightships that watch over the sea-roads to the imperial city like pickets60 round a sleeping army, and slipped out into the dark spaces of the North Sea. Stars were bright, summer scents62 from the Kent cliffs mingled63 coyly with vulgar steamer-smells; the summer weather held immutably64. Nature, for her part, seemed resolved to be no party to my penance, but to be imperturbably65 bent66 on shedding mild ridicule67 over my wrongs. An irresistible68 sense of peace and detachment, combined with that delicious physical awakening69 that pulses through the nerve-sick townsman when city airs and bald routine are left behind him, combined to provide me, however thankless a subject, with a solid background of resignation. Stowing this safely away, I could calculate my intentions with cold egotism. If the weather held I might pass a not intolerable fortnight with Davies. When it broke up, as it was sure to, I could easily excuse myself from the pursuit of the problematical ducks; the wintry logic70 of facts would, in any case, decide him to lay up his yacht, for he could scarcely think of sailing home at such a season. I could then take a chance lying ready of spending a few weeks in Dresden or elsewhere. I settled this programme comfortably and then turned in.
From Flushing eastward71 to Hamburg, then northward72 to Flensburg, I cut short the next day’s sultry story. Past dyke73 and windmill and still canals, on to blazing stubbles and roaring towns; at the last, after dusk, through a quiet level region where the train pottered from one lazy little station to another, and at ten o’clock I found myself, stiff and stuffy74, on the platform at Flensburg, exchanging greetings with Davies.
“Not at all; it’s very good of you to ask me.”
We were both of us ill at ease. Even in the dim gaslight he clashed on my notions of a yachtsman—no cool white ducks or neat blue serge; and where was the snowy crowned yachting cap, that precious charm that so easily converts a landsman into a dashing mariner76? Conscious that this impressive uniform, in high perfection, was lying ready in my portmanteau, I felt oddly guilty. He wore an old Norfolk jacket, muddy brown shoes, grey flannel77 trousers (or had they been white?), and an ordinary tweed cap. The hand he gave me was horny, and appeared to be stained with paint; the other one, which carried a parcel, had a bandage on it which would have borne renewal78. There was an instant of mutual79 inspection80. I thought he gave me a shy, hurried scrutiny81 as though to test past conjectures82, with something of anxiety in it, and perhaps (save the mark!) a tinge83 of admiration84. The face was familiar, and yet not familiar; the pleasant blue eyes, open, clean-cut features, unintellectual forehead were the same; so were the brisk and impulsive85 movements; there was some change; but the moment of awkward hesitation86 was over and the light was bad; and, while strolling down the platform for my luggage, we chatted with constraint87 about trivial things.
“By the way,” he suddenly said, laughing, “I’m afraid I’m not fit to be seen; but it’s so late it doesn’t matter. I’ve been painting hard all day, and just got it finished. I only hope we shall have some wind to-morrow—it’s been hopelessly calm lately. I say, you’ve brought a good deal of stuff,” he concluded, as my belongings88 began to collect.
“You gave me a good many commissions!”
“Oh, I didn’t mean those things,” he said, absently. “Thanks for bringing them, by the way. That’s the stove, I suppose; cartridges90, this one, by the weight. You got the rigging-screws all right, I hope? They’re not really necessary, of course” (I nodded vacantly, and felt a little hurt); “but they’re simpler than lanyards, and you can’t get them here. It’s that portmanteau,” he said, slowly, measuring it with a doubtful eye. “Never mind! we’ll try. You couldn’t do with the Gladstone only, I suppose? You see, the dinghy—h’m, and there’s the hatchway, too”—he was lost in thought. “Anyhow, we’ll try. I’m afraid there are no cabs; but it’s quite near, and the porter’ll help.”
Sickening forebodings crept over me, while Davies shouldered my Gladstone and clutched at the parcels.
“Aren’t your men here?” I asked, faintly.
“Men?” He looked confused. “Oh, perhaps I ought to have told you, I never have any paid hands; it’s quite a small boat, you know—I hope you didn’t expect luxury. I’ve managed her single-handed for some time. A man would be no use, and a horrible nuisance.” He revealed these appalling91 truths with a cheerful assurance, which did nothing to hide a naïve apprehension92 of their effect on me. There was a check in our mobilisation.
“It’s rather late to go on board, isn’t it?” I said, in a wooden voice. Someone was turning out the gaslights, and the porter yawned ostentatiously. “I think I’d rather sleep at an hotel to-night.” A strained pause.
“Oh, of course you can do that, if you like,” said Davies, in transparent93 distress94 of mind. “But it seems hardly worth while to cart this stuff all the way to an hotel (I believe they’re all on the other side of the harbour), and back again to the boat to-morrow. She’s quite comfortable, and you’re sure to sleep well, as you’re tired.”
“We can leave the things here,” I argued feebly, “and walk over with my bag.”
“Oh, I shall have to go aboard anyhow,” he rejoined; “I never sleep on shore.”
He seemed to be clinging timidly, but desperately95, to some diplomatic end. A stony96 despair was invading me and paralysing resistance. Better face the worst and be done with it.
“Come on,” I said, grimly.
Heavily loaded, we stumbled over railway lines and rubble97 heaps, and came on the harbour. Davies led the way to a stairway, whose weedy steps disappeared below in gloom.
I descended99 gingerly, holding as a guide a sodden100 painter which ended in a small boat, and conscious that I was collecting slime on cuffs101 and trousers.
“Hold up!” shouted Davies, cheerfully, as I sat down suddenly near the bottom, with one foot in the water.
I climbed wretchedly into the dinghy and awaited events.
“Now float her up close under the quay102 wall, and make fast to the ring down there,” came down from above, followed by the slack of the sodden painter, which knocked my cap off as it fell. “All fast? Any knot’ll do,” I heard, as I grappled with this loathsome103 task, and then a big, dark object loomed104 overhead and was lowered into the dinghy. It was my portmanteau, and, placed athwart, exactly filled all the space amidships. “Does it fit?” was the anxious inquiry105 from aloft.
“Beautifully.”
“Capital!”
Scratching at the greasy106 wall to keep the dinghy close to it, I received in succession our stores, and stowed the cargo107 as best I could, while the dinghy sank lower and lower in the water, and its precarious108 superstructure grew higher.
“Catch!” was the final direction from above, and a damp soft parcel hit me in the chest. “Be careful of that, it’s meat. Now back to the stairs!”
I painfully acquiesced109, and Davies appeared.
“It’s a bit of a load, and she’s rather deep; but I think we shall manage,” he reflected. “You sit right aft, and I’ll row.”
I was too far gone for curiosity as to how this monstrous110 pyramid was to be rowed, or even for surmises111 as to its foundering112 by the way. I crawled to my appointed seat, and Davies extricated113 the buried sculls by a series of tugs114, which shook the whole structure, and made us roll alarmingly. How he stowed himself into rowing posture115 I have not the least idea, but eventually we were moving sluggishly116 out into the open water, his head just visible in the bows. We had started from what appeared to be the head of a narrow loch, and were leaving behind us the lights of a big town. A long frontage of lamp-lit quays117 was on our left, with here and there the vague hull17 of a steamer alongside. We passed the last of the lights and came out into a broader stretch of water, when a light breeze was blowing and dark hills could be seen on either shore.
“I’m lying a little way down the fiord, you see,” said Davies. “I hate to be too near a town, and I found a carpenter handy here— There she is! I wonder how you’ll like her!”
I roused myself. We were entering a little cove49 encircled by trees, and approaching a light which flickered118 in the rigging of a small vessel119, whose outline gradually defined itself.
“Keep her off,” said Davies, as we drew alongside.
In a moment he had jumped on deck, tied the painter, and was round at my end.
“You hand them up,” he ordered, “and I’ll take them.”
It was a laborious120 task, with the one relief that it was not far to hand them—a doubtful compensation, for other reasons distantly shaping themselves. When the stack was transferred to the deck I followed it, tripping over the flabby meat parcel, which was already showing ghastly signs of disintegration121 under the dew. Hazily122 there floated through my mind my last embarkation123 on a yacht; my faultless attire124, the trim gig and obsequious125 sailors, the accommodation ladder flashing with varnish126 and brass127 in the August sun; the orderly, snowy decks and basket chairs under the awning128 aft. What a contrast with this sordid129 midnight scramble130, over damp meat and littered packing-cases! The bitterest touch of all was a growing sense of inferiority and ignorance which I had never before been allowed to feel in my experience of yachts.
Davies awoke from another reverie over my portmanteau to say, cheerily: “I’ll just show you round down below first, and then we’ll stow things away and get to bed.”
He dived down a companion ladder, and I followed cautiously. A complex odour of paraffin, past cookery, tobacco, and tar61 saluted131 my nostrils132.
“Mind your head,” said Davies, striking a match and lighting133 a candle, while I groped into the cabin. “You’d better sit down; it’s easier to look round.”
There might well have been sarcasm134 in this piece of advice, for I must have cut a ridiculous figure, peering awkwardly and suspiciously round, with shoulders and head bent to avoid the ceiling, which seemed in the half-light to be even nearer the floor than it was.
“You see,” were Davies’s reassuring words, “there’s plenty of room to sit upright” (which was strictly135 true; but I am not very tall, and he is short). “Some people make a point of head-room, but I never mind much about it. That’s the centreboard case,” he explained, as, in stretching my legs out, my knee came into contact with a sharp edge.
I had not seen this devilish obstruction136, as it was hidden beneath the table, which indeed rested on it at one end. It appeared to be a long, low triangle, running lengthways with the boat and dividing the naturally limited space into two.
“You see, she’s a flat-bottomed boat, drawing very little water without the plate; that’s why there’s so little headroom. For deep water you lower the plate; so, in one way or another, you can go practically anywhere.”
I was not nautical137 enough to draw any very definite conclusions from this, but what I did draw were not promising138. The latter sentences were spoken from the forecastle, whither Davies had crept through a low sliding door, like that of a rabbit-hutch, and was already busy with a kettle over a stove which I made out to be a battered139 and disreputable twin brother of the No. 3 Rippingille.
“It’ll be boiling soon,” he remarked, “and we’ll have some grog.”
My eyes were used to the light now, and I took in the rest of my surroundings, which may be very simply described. Two long cushion-covered seats flanked the cabin, bounded at the after end by cupboards, one of which was cut low to form a sort of miniature sideboard, with glasses hung in a rack above it. The deck overhead was very low at each side but rose shoulder high for a space in the middle, where a “coach-house roof” with a skylight gave additional cabin space. Just outside the door was a fold-up washing-stand. On either wall were long net-racks holding a medley140 of flags, charts, caps, cigar-boxes, hanks of yarn141, and such like. Across the forward bulkhead was a bookshelf crammed142 to overflowing143 with volumes of all sizes, many upside down and some coverless. Below this were a pipe-rack, an aneroid, and a clock with a hearty144 tick. All the woodwork was painted white, and to a less jaundiced eye than mine the interior might have had an enticing145 look of snugness146. Some Kodak prints were nailed roughly on the after bulkhead, and just over the doorway147 was the photograph of a young girl.
“That’s my sister,” said Davies, who had emerged and saw me looking at it. “Now, let’s get the stuff down.” He ran up the ladder, and soon my portmanteau blackened the hatchway, and a great straining and squeezing began. “I was afraid it was too big,” came down; “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to unpack148 on deck—we may be able to squash it down when it’s empty.”
Then the wearisome tail of packages began to form a fresh stack in the cramped149 space at my feet, and my back ached with stooping and moiling in unfamiliar150 places. Davies came down, and with unconcealed pride introduced me to the sleeping cabin (he called the other one “the saloon”). Another candle was lit and showed two short and narrow berths152 with blankets, but no sign of sheets; beneath these were drawers, one set of which Davies made me master of, evidently thinking them a princely allowance of space for my wardrobe.
“You can chuck your things down the skylight on to your berth151 as you unpack them,” he remarked. “By the way, I doubt if there’s room for all you’ve got. I suppose you couldn’t manage——”
“No, I couldn’t,” I said shortly.
“If you’ll go out I shall be able to get out too,” I added. He seemed miserable154 at this ghost of an altercation155, but I pushed past, mounted the ladder, and in the expiring moonlight unstrapped that accursed portmanteau and, brimming over with irritation156, groped among its contents, sorting some into the skylight with the same feeling that nothing mattered much now, and it was best to be done with it; repacking the rest with guilty stealth ere Davies should discover their character, and strapping157 up the whole again. Then I sat down upon my white elephant and shivered, for the chill of autumn was in the air. It suddenly struck me that if it had been raining things might have been worse still. The notion made me look round. The little cove was still as glass; stars above and stars below; a few white cottages glimmering158 at one point on the shore; in the west the lights of Flensburg; to the east the fiord broadening into unknown gloom. From Davies toiling159 below there were muffled160 sounds of wrenching161, pushing, and hammering, punctuated162 occasionally by a heavy splash as something shot up from the hatchway and fell into the water.
How it came about I do not know. Whether it was something pathetic in the look I had last seen on his face—a look which I associated for no reason whatever with his bandaged hand; whether it was one of those instants of clear vision in which our separate selves are seen divided, the baser from the better, and I saw my silly egotism in contrast with a simple generous nature; whether it was an impalpable air of mystery which pervaded163 the whole enterprise and refused to be dissipated by its most mortifying164 and vulgarising incidents—a mystery dimly connected with my companion’s obvious consciousness of having misled me into joining him; whether it was only the stars and the cool air rousing atrophied165 instincts of youth and spirits; probably, indeed, it was all these influences, cemented into strength by a ruthless sense of humour which whispered that I was in danger of making a mere166 commonplace fool of myself in spite of all my laboured calculations; but whatever it was, in a flash my mood changed. The crown of martyrdom disappeared, the wounded vanity healed; that precious fund of fictitious167 resignation drained away, but left no void. There was left a fashionable and dishevelled young man sitting in the dew and in the dark on a ridiculous portmanteau which dwarfed168 the yacht that was to carry it; a youth acutely sensible of ignorance in a strange and strenuous169 atmosphere; still feeling sore and victimised; but withal sanely170 ashamed and sanely resolved to enjoy himself. I anticipate; for though the change was radical171 its full growth was slow. But in any case it was here and now that it took its birth.
“Grog’s ready!” came from below. Bunching myself for the descent I found to my astonishment172 that all trace of litter had miraculously173 vanished, and a cosy174 neatness reigned175. Glasses and lemons were on the table, and a fragrant176 smell of punch had deadened previous odours. I showed little emotion at these amenities177, but enough to give intense relief to Davies, who delightedly showed me his devices for storage, praising the “roominess” of his floating den. “There’s your stove, you see,” he ended; “I’ve chucked the old one overboard.” It was a weakness of his, I should say here, to rejoice in throwing things overboard on the flimsiest pretexts178. I afterwards suspected that the new stove had not been “really necessary” any more than the rigging-screws, but was an excuse for gratifying this curious taste.
We smoked and chatted for a little, and then came the problem of going to bed. After much bumping of knuckles179 and head, and many giddy writhings, I mastered it, and lay between the rough blankets. Davies, moving swiftly and deftly180, was soon in his.
“It’s quite comfortable, isn’t it?” he said, as he blew out the light from where he lay, with an accuracy which must have been the fruit of long practice.
I felt prickly all over, and there was a damp patch on the pillow, which was soon explained by a heavy drop of moisture falling on my forehead.
“I suppose the deck’s not leaking?” I said, as mildly as I could.
“I’m awfully sorry,” said Davies, earnestly, tumbling out of his bunk181. “It must be the heavy dew. I did a lot of caulking182 yesterday, but I suppose I missed that place. I’ll run up and square it with an oilskin.”
“What’s wrong with your hand?” I asked, sleepily, on his return, for gratitude183 reminded me of that bandage.
“Nothing much; I strained it the other day,” was the reply; and then the seemingly inconsequent remark: “I’m glad you brought that prismatic compass. It’s not really necessary, of course; but” (muffled by blankets) “it may come in useful.”
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1
penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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pro
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| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
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pros
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| abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物 | |
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cons
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| n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 ) | |
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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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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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entrusting
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的现在分词 ) | |
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ominous
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faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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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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grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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embittered
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| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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condescending
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incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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27
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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28
raven
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| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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29
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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30
smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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31
entails
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| 使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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32
unearth
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| v.发掘，掘出，从洞中赶出 | |
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33
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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34
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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35
petroleum
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| n.原油，石油 | |
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36
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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37
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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38
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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39
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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40
withers
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| 马肩隆 | |
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41
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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42
slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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43
moieties
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| n.一半( moiety的名词复数 )；（两个组成部分中的一）部分 | |
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44
prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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45
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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46
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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47
envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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48
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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49
cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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50
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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51
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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52
lenient
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| adj.宽大的，仁慈的 | |
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53
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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54
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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55
deviations
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| 背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为 | |
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56
fatuous
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| adj.愚昧的；昏庸的 | |
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57
estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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58
cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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59
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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60
pickets
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| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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61
tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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62
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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63
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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64
immutably
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| adv.不变地，永恒地 | |
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65
imperturbably
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| adv.泰然地，镇静地，平静地 | |
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66
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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67
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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68
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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69
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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70
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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71
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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72
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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73
dyke
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| n.堤，水坝，排水沟 | |
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74
stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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75
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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76
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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77
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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78
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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79
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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80
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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81
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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82
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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83
tinge
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|
| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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84
admiration
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|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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85
impulsive
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|
| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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86
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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87
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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88
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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89
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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90
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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91
appalling
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|
| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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92
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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93
transparent
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|
| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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94
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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95
desperately
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|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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96
stony
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|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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97
rubble
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| n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾 | |
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98
briskness
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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99
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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100
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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101
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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102
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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103
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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104
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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105
inquiry
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|
| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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106
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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107
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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108
precarious
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|
| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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109
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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110
monstrous
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|
| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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111
surmises
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|
| v.臆测，推断( surmise的第三人称单数 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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112
foundering
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| v.创始人( founder的现在分词 ) | |
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113
extricated
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| v.使摆脱困难，脱身( extricate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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114
tugs
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| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
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115
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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116
sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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117
quays
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| 码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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118
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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119
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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120
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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121
disintegration
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| n.分散，解体 | |
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122
hazily
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| ad. vaguely, not clear | |
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123
embarkation
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| n. 乘船, 搭机, 开船 | |
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124
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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125
obsequious
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| adj.谄媚的，奉承的，顺从的 | |
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126
varnish
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| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
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127
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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128
awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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129
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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130
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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131
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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132
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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133
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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134
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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135
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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136
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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137
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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138
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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139
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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140
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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141
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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142
crammed
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|
| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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143
overflowing
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|
| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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144
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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145
enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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146
snugness
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147
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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148
unpack
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| vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货 | |
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149
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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150
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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151
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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152
berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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153
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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154
miserable
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|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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155
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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156
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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157
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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158
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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159
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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160
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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161
wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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162
punctuated
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| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
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163
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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164
mortifying
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| adj.抑制的，苦修的v.使受辱( mortify的现在分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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165
atrophied
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| adj.萎缩的，衰退的v.（使）萎缩，（使）虚脱，（使）衰退( atrophy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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166
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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167
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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168
dwarfed
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| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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169
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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170
sanely
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| ad.神志清楚地 | |
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171
radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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172
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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173
miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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174
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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175
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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176
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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177
amenities
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| n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快 | |
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178
pretexts
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| n.借口，托辞( pretext的名词复数 ) | |
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179
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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180
deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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181
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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182
caulking
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| n.堵缝；敛缝；捻缝；压紧v.堵（船的）缝( caulk的现在分词 )；泥…的缝；填塞；使不漏水 | |
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183
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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