MY BELOVED BARBARA ALEXIEVNA,—Today there took place in this house a most
lamentable1, a most mysterious, a most unlooked-for occurrence. First of all, let me tell you that poor Gorshkov has been
entirely2 absolved3 of
guilt4. The decision has been long in coming, but this morning he went to hear the final resolution read. It was entirely in his favour. Any
culpability5 which had been
imputed6 to him for
negligence7 and irregularity was removed by the resolution. Likewise, he was authorised to recover of the merchant a large sum of money. Thus, he stands entirely
justified8, and has had his character
cleansed9 from all stain. In short, he could not have wished for a more complete
vindication10. When he arrived home at three o’clock he was looking as white as a sheet, and his lips were quivering. Yet there was a smile on his face as he embraced his wife and children. In a body the rest of us ran to congratulate him, and he was greatly moved by the act. Bowing to us, he pressed our hands in turn. As he did so I thought, somehow, that he seemed to have grown taller and straighter, and that the pus-drops seemed to have disappeared from his eyelashes. Yet how
agitated11 he was, poor fellow! He could not rest quietly for two minutes together, but kept picking up and then dropping
whatsoever12 came to his hand, and bowing and smiling without intermission, and sitting down and getting up, and again sitting down, and
chattering13 God only knows what about his honour and his good name and his little ones. How he did talk—yes, and weep too! Indeed, few of ourselves could refrain from tears; although Rataziaev remarked (probably to encourage Gorshkov) that honour mattered nothing when one had nothing to eat, and that money was the chief thing in the world, and that for it alone ought God to be thanked. Then he slapped Gorshkov on the shoulder, but I thought that Gorshkov somehow seemed hurt at this. He did not express any open displeasure, but threw Rataziaev a curious look, and removed his hand from his shoulder. ONCE upon a time he would not have acted thus; but characters differ. For example, I myself should have hesitated, at such a season of rejoicing, to seem proud, even though excessive
deference14 and civility at such a moment might have been
construed15 as a
lapse16 both of moral courage and of mental
vigour17. However, this is none of my business. All that Gorshkov said was: “Yes, money IS a good thing, glory be to God!” In fact, the whole time that we remained in his room he kept repeating to himself: “Glory be to God, glory be to God!” His wife ordered a richer and more delicate meal than usual, and the
landlady18 herself cooked it, for at heart she is not a bad woman. But until the meal was served Gorshkov could not remain still. He kept entering everyone’s room in turn (whether invited
thither19 or not), and, seating himself smilingly upon a chair, would sometimes say something, and sometimes not utter a word, but get up and go out again. In the
naval20 officer’s room he even took a pack of playing-cards into his hand, and was thereupon invited to make a fourth in a game; but after losing a few times, as well as making several blunders in his play, he abandoned the pursuit. “No,” said he, “that is the sort of man that I am—that is all that I am good for,” and departed. Next, encountering myself in the corridor, he took my hands in his, and gazed into my face with a rather curious air. Then he pressed my hands again, and moved away still smiling, smiling, but in an odd, weary sort of manner, much as a
corpse21 might smile. Meanwhile his wife was weeping for joy, and everything in their room was decked in holiday
guise22. Presently dinner was served, and after they had dined Gorshkov said to his wife: “See now, dearest, I am going to rest a little while;” and with that went to bed. Presently he called his little daughter to his side, and, laying his hand upon the child’s head, lay a long while looking at her. Then he turned to his wife again, and asked her: “What of Petinka? Where is our Petinka?” whereupon his wife crossed herself, and replied: “Why, our Petinka is dead!” “Yes, yes, I know—of course,” said her husband. “Petinka is now in the Kingdom of Heaven.” This showed his wife that her husband was not quite in his right senses—that the recent occurrence had upset him; so she said: “My dearest, you must sleep awhile.” “I will do so,” he replied, “—at once—I am rather—” And he turned over, and lay silent for a time. Then again he turned round and tried to say something, but his wife could not hear what it was. “What do you say?” she inquired, but he made no reply. Then again she waited a few moments until she thought to herself, “He has gone to sleep,” and departed to spend an hour with the landlady. At the end of that hour she returned—only to find that her husband had not yet awoken, but was still lying motionless. “He is sleeping very soundly,” she reflected as she sat down and began to work at something or other. Since then she has told us that when half an hour or so had elapsed she fell into a reverie. What she was thinking of she cannot remember, save that she had forgotten altogether about her husband. Then she awoke with a curious sort of sensation at her heart. The first thing that struck her was the deathlike stillness of the room. Glancing at the bed, she perceived her husband to be lying in the same position as before. Thereupon she approached him, turned the coverlet back, and saw that he was stiff and cold—that he had died suddenly, as though
smitten23 with a stroke. But of what
precisely24 he died God only knows. The affair has so terribly impressed me that even now I cannot
fully25 collect my thoughts. It would scarcely be believed that a human being could die so simply—and he such a poor,
needy26 wretch27, this Gorshkov! What a fate, what a fate, to be sure! His wife is
plunged28 in tears and panic-stricken, while his little daughter has run away somewhere to hide herself. In their room, however, all is
bustle29 and confusion, for the doctors are about to make an
autopsy30 on the corpse. But I cannot tell you things for certain; I only know that I am most grieved, most grieved. How sad to think that one never knows what even a day, what even an hour, may bring
forth31! One seems to die to so little purpose!...—Your own
MAKAR DIEVUSHKIN.
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收听单词发音
1
lamentable
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adj.令人惋惜的,悔恨的 |
参考例句: |
- This lamentable state of affairs lasted until 1947.这一令人遗憾的事态一直持续至1947年。
- His practice of inebriation was lamentable.他的酗酒常闹得别人束手无策。
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2
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 |
参考例句: |
- The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
- His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
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3
absolved
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宣告…无罪,赦免…的罪行,宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 ); 不受责难,免除责任 [义务] ,开脱(罪责) |
参考例句: |
- The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. 法院宣告他对该事故不负任何责任。
- The court absolved him of guilt in her death. 法庭赦免了他在她的死亡中所犯的罪。
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4
guilt
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n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责 |
参考例句: |
- She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
- Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
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5
culpability
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n.苛责,有罪 |
参考例句: |
- As if the estrangement between them had come of any culpability of hers. 姐弟俩疏远的责任竟仿佛落到了她的身上! 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
- The offence, as now defined in English law, covers a wide spectrum of culpability. 英国法律规定,违法包括很多种过失行为。 来自互联网
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6
imputed
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v.把(错误等)归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- They imputed the accident to the driver's carelessness. 他们把这次车祸归咎于司机的疏忽。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- He imputed the failure of his marriage to his wife's shortcomings. 他把婚姻的失败归咎于妻子的缺点。 来自辞典例句
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7
negligence
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n.疏忽,玩忽,粗心大意 |
参考例句: |
- They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
- The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。
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8
justified
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a.正当的,有理的 |
参考例句: |
- She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
- The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
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9
cleansed
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弄干净,清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The nurse cleansed the wound before stitching it. 护士先把伤口弄干净后才把它缝合。
- The notorious Hell Row was burned down in a fire, and much dirt was cleansed away. 臭名远场的阎王路已在一场大火中化为乌有,许多焦土灰烬被清除一空。
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10
vindication
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n.洗冤,证实 |
参考例句: |
- There is much to be said in vindication of his claim.有很多理由可以提出来为他的要求作辩护。
- The result was a vindication of all our efforts.这一结果表明我们的一切努力是必要的。
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11
agitated
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adj.被鼓动的,不安的 |
参考例句: |
- His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
- She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
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12
whatsoever
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adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 |
参考例句: |
- There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
- All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样,你就怎样对人。
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13
chattering
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n. (机器振动发出的)咔嗒声,(鸟等)鸣,啁啾
adj. 喋喋不休的,啾啾声的
动词chatter的现在分词形式 |
参考例句: |
- The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
- I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。
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14
deference
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n.尊重,顺从;敬意 |
参考例句: |
- Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗?
- The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。
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15
construed
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v.解释(陈述、行为等)( construe的过去式和过去分词 );翻译,作句法分析 |
参考例句: |
- He considered how the remark was to be construed. 他考虑这话该如何理解。
- They construed her silence as meaning that she agreed. 他们把她的沉默解释为表示赞同。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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16
lapse
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n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 |
参考例句: |
- The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
- I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。
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17
vigour
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(=vigor)n.智力,体力,精力 |
参考例句: |
- She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情,有朝气。
- At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。
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18
landlady
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n.女房东,女地主 |
参考例句: |
- I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
- The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。
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19
thither
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adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 |
参考例句: |
- He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
- He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。
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20
naval
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adj.海军的,军舰的,船的 |
参考例句: |
- He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
- The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
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21
corpse
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n.尸体,死尸 |
参考例句: |
- What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
- The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
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22
guise
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n.外表,伪装的姿态 |
参考例句: |
- They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
- The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。
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23
smitten
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猛打,重击,打击( smite的过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起,他就完全被她迷住了。
- It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。
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24
precisely
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adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 |
参考例句: |
- It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
- The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
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25
fully
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adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 |
参考例句: |
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
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26
needy
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adj.贫穷的,贫困的,生活艰苦的 |
参考例句: |
- Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷,但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
- They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。
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27
wretch
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n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人 |
参考例句: |
- You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他,还埋怨他,真不知好歹。
- The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。
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28
plunged
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v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 |
参考例句: |
- The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
- She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳,从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
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29
bustle
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v.喧扰地忙乱,匆忙,奔忙;n.忙碌;喧闹 |
参考例句: |
- The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深,喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
- There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。
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30
autopsy
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n.尸体解剖;尸检 |
参考例句: |
- They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
- A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。
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31
forth
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adv.向前;向外,往外 |
参考例句: |
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
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