CHAPTER THE SECOND The Personality of Sir Isaac 6

 Presently as they paced the croquet lawn together, the preoccupation of Mr. Brumley's mind drew their conversation back to Lady Harman.

 

"I wish," he repeated, "you would go and see these people. She's not at all what you might infer from him."

 

"What could one infer about a wife from a man like that? Except that she'd have a lot to put up with."

 

"You know,—she's a beautiful person, tall, slender, dark...."

 

Lady Beach-Mandarin turned her full blue eye upon him.

 

"Now!" she said archly.

 

"I'm interested in the incongruity¹."

 

Lady Beach-Mandarin's reply was silent and singular. She compressed her lips very tightly, fixed² her eye firmly on Mr. Brumley's, lifted her finger to the level of her left eyelash, and then shook it at him very deliberately³ five times. Then with a little sigh and a sudden and complete restoration of manner she remarked that never in any year before had she seen peonies quite so splendid. "I've a peculiar⁴ sympathy with peonies," she said. "They're so exactly my style."

1 incongruity   

n.不协调，不一致

参考例句：

• She smiled at the incongruity of the question.面对这样突兀的问题，她笑了。
• When the particular outstrips the general,we are faced with an incongruity.当特别是超过了总的来讲，我们正面临着一个不协调。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

4 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。