And the dusk-loving bat haunts the shadows deep.'
Great was the excitement in the family at the news of Aunt Helen's engagement, and equal were the lamentations when it became known that, instead of settling down near them as a pleasant and desirable uncle, Mr. Neville intended to carry his bride back with him to India as soon as matters could possibly be arranged, for he held a high position under Government in an outlying province, and could only be spared on short leave. Poor Aunt Helen was torn in two between the lover of her youth and the children of her adoption2; but I really believe, when she saw Bobby's tears, that if Father had not put his foot down firmly, she would have thrown up everything, and clung to her bairns.
As it was, the house seemed entirely3 upset. Miss Jones, the village dressmaker, was installed in the Rose Parlour, and appeared to be stitching morning, noon, and night; the postman's bag was quite heavy with patterns and catalogues of Indian outfits4; while distant relations and old acquaintances, who had neglected the Abbey for years, kept Nancy in a state of perpetual agitation5 by turning up suddenly to pay congratulatory calls.
[141]'If they'd only send a letter to say they'd be coming,' she complained, 'one would have a chance to be ready for 'em. But old Mrs. Osborne arrived o' Monday, with me in the midst of my washing, and never a bit of cake in the house; and there was Squire6 Henley and his lady o' churning day, and I had to leave the butter half made to bring in tea; and ten to one there'll be someone more o' Friday, when I'm cleaning my kitchens. What with visitors all days of the week, and Miss Jones with her snippings and mess in the parlour, I, for one, shall be glad when the wedding is over, though how the house is to go on without Miss Vaughan goodness only knows.'
Peggy and Bobby liked the fun of the preparations, though they crept out of the way of the visitors as much as possible, for to be shown up in the drawing-room involved an amount of dressing7 and tidying which did not fit in at all with their ideas of holiday enjoyment8, and they much preferred a picnic tea in the orchard9, with Rollo and the rabbits for company, to the more select charms of the best china and the stately patronage10 of the neighbouring dowagers.
Lilian was busy trying to grow up suddenly and be ready to take Aunt Helen's place, for she was old enough now to realize how much responsibility would rest with her when she must manage the reins11 of the household alone, and she was determined12 that Father should feel as little discomfort13 as possible from the change.
So the younger ones were left more than ever to their own devices, to amuse themselves as they liked, and to get into mischief14 or not, according to the whim15 of the moment. I am afraid, if there was any mischief in the case, the blame generally rested with Peggy, for[142] it was her enterprising mind which planned out the schemes of enjoyment.
It was certainly Peggy who suggested sitting on the top of the haystack, and making it sway backwards16 and forwards like a swing, a delightful17 sensation while it lasted, but which ended suddenly in the collapse18 of the whole top of the stack, much to Father's wrath19, for it took David a couple of hours to repair the damage, and certainly did not sweeten the old man's already crusty temper. It was also Peggy's most inopportune idea to ride the brown cow round the pasture on the very afternoon that Mrs. Davenport was paying a stiff call in the drawing-room. She gave Bobby a leg up on to Brindle's broad back, and had just succeeded in scrambling21 inelegantly behind him, when the astonished quadruped paused in her task of cropping the succulent grass and buttercups, and realizing that something unusual was oppressing her, fled in mad career over the meadow, with the delighted children clinging desperately22 to her horns.
'Hoop-la! Yoicks! Tally-ho! I believe she'll take the fence!' shouted Peggy in anything but a quiet and young-lady-like tone of voice.
'Gee23 up! Let her go! Hooray!' yelled Bobby, striking such a whack24 on Brindle's heaving side that she settled the matter by suddenly lying down to roll, and depositing her encumbrances25 in the miry ditch.
The children jumped up in fits of laughter, but they sobered down considerably26 at the sight of the shocked faces of Aunt Helen and Mrs. Davenport, who were walking towards them over the pasture.
Mrs. Davenport was a tall, majestic27, long-nosed lady, the wife of a clergyman in a neighbouring village. She ruled both the parish and her meek28 little husband with a rod of iron, and her mission in life seemed to be to[143] find out that everybody else was wrong, and to try to set them right again. She had five darlings of her own, in whom she could see no fault, and whom she invariably held up as models of good behaviour to all the children of her acquaintance.
Peggy and Bobby loathed29 the little Davenports, who were mild, pale, neat-looking little girls, so alike that each one seemed merely a copy of the next, a size smaller, and who always wore gloves, even in the garden, and never dreamed of tearing their pinafores, or using slang, and went on prim31 little walks with their governess, instead of scrambling over the fields; and, I grieve to say, that on the few occasions when they met, they had taken such a positive pleasure in leading their inoffensive companions into places which resulted in soiled dresses and dirty boots, that Mrs. Davenport discouraged the acquaintance as much as possible, never feeling easy even for the life and limbs of her progeny32 when they were in the society of 'those terrible young Vaughans,' and revenging herself by scathing33 remarks upon manners and deportment, which were extremely trying to the feelings of Aunt Helen, who naturally thought her children superior in every way to 'those mealy-faced little Davenports, who look as if they had not the strength or spirits to enjoy themselves, even if they were allowed to try.'
Mrs. Davenport came up now, picking her way daintily over the pasture, in her best dress, and expressing her disapproval34 in her usual emphatic35 tones.
'I hope you are not hurt,' she said, eyeing Peggy severely36, and distinctly hesitating before she accepted the grimy hand which that young lady offered in the agitation of the moment. 'Such an accident might have proved most serious. I have known a child[144] develop a spinal37 complaint from a far less fall, and I should have thought you were old enough, Margaret, to restrain your brother from such foolish feats38, instead of encouraging him. Dear me, you must be nearly twelve, I believe—the same age as my Bertha, and she is already beginning to help me with the parish accounts and spends all her spare time knitting for the Deep Sea Missions. I am thankful to say none of my girls are tomboys! If you will take my advice, Miss Vaughan, you will urge your brother to see at once about getting a good, strict governess to take charge of these children when you leave. A little wholesome39 discipline is just what they require. Indeed, I know of a lady who would exactly suit him; not too young, but still most energetic. Lived seven years with my cousin, the Hon. Mrs. Lyttleton at Bratherton Hall, and just leaving, having prepared the youngest boy for school. And I can assure you their manners are everything that could be desired, and she is able to impart a style and a finish which, living so wholly in the country, is most important. A truly admirable housekeeper40. Your dear Lilian is, of course, young and inexperienced—and——'
But here Mrs. Davenport's remarks, which had been wafted41 along in gusts42, died away in the distance as she departed down the pasture to inspect the hen-coops, and hint broadly for the gift of a couple of young pullets, 'for yours are such an excellent breed, dear Miss Vaughan, and such capital winter layers. I shall only be too delighted to add them to my stock, since you are so kind as to offer them, though really I am afraid you will think I never come to the Abbey without taking something away with me.'
Which was exactly what Aunt Helen did think, though she was too polite to say so, for Mrs. Daven[145]port was well known to have an extreme partiality for presents, perhaps considering them as only her due in exchange for so much good advice.
The children looked at one another with rather long faces.
'I had no idea she was there,' said Bobby in an awe-struck whisper, 'or we would have run away to the orchard. You don't think Father would really be likely to get us that governess, do you?'—the horrible possibility of the lady, still energetic, though no longer young, and evidently capable of so much in the way of discipline, quite casting a gloom over his youthful spirits.
'No, no,' said Peggy hurriedly; 'he can't afford it. That's one comfort in not being well off, at any rate. And you know he said Lilian was to do the housekeeping. Oh, I don't think he would like that kind of a governess any better than we should ourselves—' privately43 hoping that Father's notions of self-sacrifice would not make him see fit to inflict44 so great a penance45 on himself and his family.
But the very idea that such a course had evidently been suggested made the children uneasy, and kept them for several days at a pitch of sedate46 behaviour calculated to calm down Aunt Helen's possible fears for their future welfare, and to render unnecessary the criticism of the most faithful and interfering47 of friends.
Perhaps it was the natural reaction arising from this very unwonted state of affairs, or merely the desire to keep as much as possible out of the way of afternoon callers, that put it into Peggy's head one close, sultry afternoon that they should go and explore a cave which lay on the river at no great distance from the Abbey meadows.
That such a cave existed the children knew well,[146] for Joe had once been inside, and had told them wonderful stories of smugglers in bygone days, and of kegs of brandy, and bales of silk and lace, and boxes of tea and tobacco, which were still supposed to be hidden in its depths, only waiting for some enterprising spirit to discover their hiding-place and bring them to light again.
'And I don't see why we shouldn't find them as well as anybody else,' said Peggy with enthusiasm. 'Just think of yards and yards of silk as stiff as paper, and old French lace, all yellow with age! We shouldn't care about the brandy, but Father and David would like the tobacco, and Mrs. Davis and old Ephraim should have some of the tea. And we might find money, too. Smugglers always had bags of money—spade guineas, you know, and Spanish doubloons, and all those kinds of things you read about in books.'
Having a very shrewd suspicion that Father and Aunt Helen might not approve of such an escapade, Peggy took care not to mention her plans, and the children started off, feeling like a pair of conspirators48, with the stable-lantern, a few extra pieces of candle, and a box of matches.
At the bottom of the meadows which bounded the Abbey land the river took a sharp turn past a few bold cliffs which rose almost sheer out of the water, and by scrambling along the rocks at the base it was possible to get round this headland and reach the low entrance of the cave, which was raised only a few feet above the level of the river.
The mouth was overgrown with hazel-bushes and brambles and long, trailing twines49 of ivy50, and it seemed to the children as if no foot but theirs had disturbed it for a long time. Peggy looked at Bobby, and Bobby looked at Peggy, and I think each felt just[147] a little inclined to hang back, though neither would have confessed it for worlds; then, with the solemn air of a Guy Fawkes, Peggy lighted the lantern, and boldly plunged51 into the darkness, with Bobby following particularly closely at her elbow. At first the entrance was rather narrow and low, but it soon broadened out until the roof was ten feet or more above their heads. The sides of the rocky walls bulged52 out into irregular shelves, covered in parts with moss53, and moist and clammy with slowly-dripping water.
'Those will be the smugglers' cupboards that Joe spoke54 about,' said Peggy, flashing the lantern into every nook and cranny, but with no success, for there was never a sign of a box of tea or a keg of brandy to be seen.
The air was close and damp, and their footsteps raised strange echoes as they went, and loud voices seemed so out of place that, with one accord, the children spoke in whispers.
'O-o-gh! something soft flapped in my face then!' exclaimed Bobby.
Peggy held up the lantern over her head, and a number of bats, disturbed by the light, dropped from the roof where they had been suspended and whirled round the cave, 'cheeping' angrily for some moments, and opening their tiny jaws55 at the children in quite a threatening manner, till Bobby clapped his hands, and they flew off to find their way into some deeper retreat.
'Come along,' said Peggy; 'let's go higher up. There's nothing to be found here.'
Clinging together, the two walked with some caution, and it was well they did so, for the floor of the cave was suddenly interrupted by a chasm56, which seemed to have rent the earth in two, and was so deep that they could not see to the bottom. It was spanned by a[148] plank57, green with slime and rotten with age, placed there perhaps by the smugglers as a means of retreating to a more secure hiding-place.
Peggy flashed the light over the dark abyss to the still more gloomy depths beyond, but even her foolhardiness did not prompt her to try so perilous58 a bridge.
'We'll get Joe to come some time with a new plank, and help us across, and then perhaps we may find something,' she said rather hurriedly, in case Bobby might expect her to continue the explorations.
But that hero suggesting that it must be after teatime, she cordially agreed with him, and they began to retrace59 their steps to the entrance, feeling just a little disappointed, for somehow they had imagined a smugglers' cave would be a jolly, dry sort of a place, with at least a few remains60 of its former tenants61 strewn about—a pistol or two, perhaps, or a coil of rope, or a rusty20 dagger62, just sufficient to give an air of romance to the adventure, even if the missing treasure were not forthcoming.
The air seemed to have grown more close and sultry while the children were within the cave, and, just as they reached the mouth, a low, grumbling63 sound, which they had heard for some time, but not taken much notice of, broke into a crash of thunder that seemed to make the ground shake beneath them, while at the same instant a brilliant streak65 of lightning flashed zigzag66 across the sky, lighting67 up the gloom behind them to its furthest recess68.
The storm had broken. Peal69 after peal of thunder rent the air, echoing in the cavern70 till Peggy and Bobby clung to one another in terror, while the rain came down in a perfect deluge71, with such tropical fury that it seemed as if the very sky were descending72. Crouched73 down on the floor by the entrance, the[149] children waited for the storm to pass by, wondering at the vivid pink flashes and the size of the hailstones which beat in through the hazel-bushes. A little runnel of water, flowing uncomfortably near, brought Peggy to her feet with a sudden cry.
'Bobby! Bobby! the river is rising, and the rocks are covered. We cannot get round the point to the meadow again!'
It was but too true, for the sudden violence of the storm had swollen74 the mountain-streams that fed the river, and the once-placid waters were flowing past in a brown, turbulent flood, which seemed to sweep everything along in its course. The stones over which they had scrambled75 were completely covered, while waves were dashing against the face of the cliff. Here and there a dead sheep or pig drifted by, or a portion of a haystack; a hurdle77 floating like a raft bore on it a few disconsolate78 fowls79, clucking dismally80; while an occasional wash-tub or upturned table showed that the river must have already flooded some of the low-lying cottages higher up on its course.
'We must stay where we are for the present,' said Peggy, trying to speak bravely, 'and perhaps the water will fall soon, and we shall be able to get home.'
But the water did not fall. Each moment it seemed to flow with even swifter current, and to be rising with terrible sureness nearer and nearer the mouth of the cave. It was already growing dusk, and distant rumblings among the hills showed that the storm was still raging over the Welsh border, and sending down its torrents82 of rain to swell83 the already overflowing84 river.
Hungry, and chilly85 from the damp moisture that oozed86 down the walls, the poor children sat quietly[150] huddled87 together watching the cold gray surface of the water, which seemed like some cruel monster ever creeping nearer and nearer to infold them in its treacherous88 grasp.
'Perhaps Father will guess where we've gone, and come for us with a boat,' suggested Bobby. 'I wish he would be quick. It's so cold and horrid89 here, and I want my supper.'
'Perhaps he will,' replied Peggy, as hopefully as she could, though in her heart of hearts she knew that the cave was about the last place anyone would dream of searching for them.
There was a long silence; then, 'It's getting dark now,' said Bobby, 'and the water is beginning to wet my feet.'
'We must go back into the cave,' said Peggy. 'We shall be quite dry there, for the ground shelves up. See, I'm going to light the lantern again. What a good thing we brought several pieces of candle!'
The mere30 effort of having something to do cheered them up a little. They hunted about to find as dry a spot as possible, and put the lantern up upon one of the shelves of rock, so that it should cast as much light as it could around the cave. Then they sat down to wait again, for what seemed to them an eternity90 of time.
The mouth of the cavern loomed91 like a great eye, growing gradually fainter and fainter as the daylight faded and the darkness grew outside. The river flowed by with a dull, roaring sound, and the little channel had risen from the entrance, and began to lap gently on the floor. The moisture dripped from the walls in loud-sounding drops, and the bats had awakened92 again, and flew to and fro towards the lantern with a soft whir of wings. When the last[151] faint patch of light faded from the opening Bobby's bravery gave way, and the poor little fellow's tears chased each other down his cheeks as he crouched in a miserable93 heap on the damp ground.
'I want to go home!' he wailed94. 'Why doesn't Father come to fetch us? Don't you think they know where we are?'
Peggy flung her arms round him in an agony of self-reproach.
'Oh, Bobby darling! it's all my fault, for I made you come, and wouldn't let you tell where we were going, though you said we ought to ask leave first! Put your head on my shoulder, and try to go to sleep. Perhaps Father may find us after all, or the river will have gone down by morning, and we shall be able to scramble76 round by the rocks.'
'I must say my prayers first. Aunt Helen always comes into my room and hears them last thing before I get into bed.'
'Say them with me to-night,' said Peggy, with a lump in her throat, as she knelt by his side, thinking that perhaps Aunt Helen, too, was praying at that moment that her dear ones might be safe.
The old, familiar words seemed to have new meaning in them, said in the midst of the darkness and the danger, and the children felt that, though their earthly Father might be seeking far and wide for them in vain, they were known and cared for by 'our Father which art in heaven,' to whom the darkness is the same as daylight, and in whose sight not even a sparrow falls to the ground unnoticed.
Bobby fell asleep at last, with his head on Peggy's knee, the sound of his regular breathing mingling96 strangely with the lap of the water which crept nearer and ever nearer to them up the cave. Many thoughts[152] came to Peggy that night, as she sat watching the light of the lantern flicker97 upon the rough walls. Father's reproachful face seemed to rise up out of the darkness, asking 'Where is Bobby? What have you done with my little boy?' Good resolutions made, and alas98! too often forgotten, crowded in now upon her remembrance, and as she listened to the roar of the river, she thought how strange it would seem that they two, so full of life, might in a few hours be floating very still and silent upon that flowing stream, with the world only a memory behind them. But Peggy had been too much with the Rector to have any fear of death. He, she knew, viewed this life as merely the stepping-stone to a fuller and richer life beyond, and the body as but the worthless husk of the soul, so with a dreamy feeling that somehow Mr. Howell had set the gate of the next world ajar, and allowed some of the glory to steal out and comfort her, the child closed her tired eyes, and slept as quietly as if she had been safe in her bed at home, and the storm and the rushing water nothing but a vision of the night.
She woke with the sound of little lapping waves, to find that the water had risen higher, and now formed a deep pool on the floor of the cave, reaching almost to their feet. The candle had burnt low in the lantern, and even as she looked it gave a last flicker, and guttered99 out, leaving her in utter darkness. With trembling fingers, Peggy felt in her pocket for the remaining piece of candle and the box of matches. She tried to strike a light, but the match was damp, and fizzled away without igniting. A second and a third met with the same fate, and Peggy was in a panic of despair, until she remembered that Father had once told her to rub damp matches through her hair before striking them. This method proved a success,[153] and she was able to relight the lantern, laying Bobby gently down on the floor, hoping he might not wake.
But the movement disturbed him, and he sprang to his feet, calling: 'Father, is that you? We're here, in the cave!'
'It's not Father yet, dear; only me lighting the lantern again.'
'I was dreaming that it was morning,' said Bobby, rubbing his eyes, 'and that Father had come to fetch us away in a boat.'
'I think it will be morning soon,' said Peggy. 'We seem to have slept for a long time. Bobby, dear, the water is rising so fast that I don't think we shall be able to stay here much longer, but I have a plan which I think we might perhaps carry out. Joe told me that people say the cave was really only the entrance to a secret passage which runs to the Abbey, and in the old days the smugglers used to carry their goods up there, and hide them away amongst the ruins. We must try and cross by that plank, and see if there is really any possible opening, except by the river.'
Anything seemed better than sitting still in the darkness watching the growing water, so the children went up the cave again to where the chasm lay yawning across their path.
'We mustn't try to walk over it,' said Peggy, as she doubtfully examined the slippery, shaky plank. 'I shall crawl over first with the lantern, and then I'll hold the light for you, and you must follow in the same way.'
It felt a very insecure bridge to poor Peggy, as she crept over on her hands and knees, trying not to look down into the dark gulf100 below, so frail101 and insecure that she shuddered102 for Bobby, who seemed so unnerved that she scarcely dared allow him to make the trial.
[154]'Wait a moment!' she cried. 'Don't start just yet!'
And hurriedly taking off her pinafore, she tore it into strips, and knotting them together in a kind of rope, threw one end of it across to him.
'Now tie that firmly to your arm before you set off, and then, if you fall, I think I might be able to drag you up again.'
But luckily Peggy's childish strength was not put to the test, for Bobby accomplished103 the crossing in safety, and scrambled over the rocks which rose at the other side. Holding up the lantern, the children found they were in what seemed to be the entrance of a rough kind of passage. That it was not altogether of natural origin was evident from the traces of built-up stones, while here and there the walls showed the marks of the pick. The air was stale and damp and difficult to breathe, and the candle burnt so badly that several times Peggy feared it was going out altogether. They went stumbling along over the irregular floor, wondering whether their way was taking them to safety, or only into the bowels104 of the earth.
On and on the passage led them, sometimes through places so narrow they could scarcely scramble through, or so low that, small as they were, they were obliged to stoop; now up hill, now down, round many a sharp curve, till it ended suddenly in a small cavern about ten feet square.
Peggy lifted up the lantern high over her head, and looked anxiously round. Apparently105 they were in nothing but a blind alley106, for there seemed no possible way out, except the path by which they had come. The poor children stared at each other with hopeless horror.
'Oh, no, no! We can't go back over that hateful plank again and sit watching the water come up! I would rather be drowned here than there! Oh, Father, Father! do come and find us!' And Bobby sat down upon the ground with such a wail95 of despair that Peggy at last lost her self-control and found herself joining in his sobs108.
But she stopped suddenly, and laying a restraining hand on his shoulder, put up her finger for silence, for it seemed to her that from the region somewhere over their heads she had heard a distant shout.
'Call again, Bobby, like you did before!' And both together the children joined their voices in a wild shriek109 of 'Father!'
This time there was an unmistakable shout of reply, and after what seemed to them a long interval110 of calling they could hear Father's voice from above quite plainly saying, 'Where are you?'
'In a cave down below!' cried Peggy, trying to make her voice carry in the hollow atmosphere.
Now that help was near she was her brisk, capable self again, and, seizing the lantern, searched round every foot of the cavern till she discovered what seemed to be the beginning of a little staircase, long since blocked by earth and stones.
'Here, Father! Dig for us here!' she called, and taking up a stone, began to tap like she had heard of imprisoned111 miners doing in the coal-pits.
There was silence for a few minutes, and then the children began to hear the welcome sound of a pickaxe, and Father's voice every now and then, shouting a word of encouragement to them. At length there was a rumbling64 noise in the roof above, some loose stones and earth fell, and Father called loudly:
'Stand back! Keep out of the way!'
[156]Peggy clutched Bobby, and retreated into the passage, while a shower of stones and soil came pouring down into the cave, till a great rent was made in the roof, and Father dropped through the hole like Santa Claus down the chimney, only no saint was ever so welcome, even at Christmas-time.
It did not take very long for the children to be hauled up by Joe at the top, and they found themselves standing112 among the Abbey ruins in the early gray of the dawn, with Aunt Helen rushing to catch them in her arms, and Lilian hugging them and sobbing113 over them by turns, while Nancy, her face all blotched and swollen with crying, kept hovering114 round to put in a kiss whenever the others gave her a chance, and even old David cleared his throat hard, and 'blessed the Lord they were safe.'
Very little was said until the children had been warmed and fed and comforted by the dining-room fire, and then Mr. Vaughan would only allow the briefest account of their adventures before they were put to bed to sleep off the effects of their night of exposure. Nancy prophesied115 quinsy and pleurisy and rheumatic fever, but the Vaughans were a hardy116 race, and not even a cold resulted, in spite of her gloomy prognostications.
Peggy's quiet talk with Father next day was so entirely between themselves that I shall not repeat it; but it is often incidents, and not years, which help us to grow up, and somehow afterwards she always found herself dating events from that night in the cave, and all the part 'when I was little' came before, and the older and more sensible part seemed to follow afterwards.
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toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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outfits
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| n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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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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whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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23
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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24
whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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25
encumbrances
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| n.负担( encumbrance的名词复数 )；累赘；妨碍；阻碍 | |
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26
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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27
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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28
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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29
loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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30
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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31
prim
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| adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地 | |
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32
progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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33
scathing
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| adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词) | |
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34
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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35
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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36
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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37
spinal
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| adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的 | |
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38
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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39
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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40
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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41
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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43
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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44
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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45
penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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46
sedate
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| adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的 | |
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47
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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48
conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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49
twines
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| n.盘绕( twine的名词复数 )；麻线；捻；缠绕在一起的东西 | |
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50
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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51
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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52
bulged
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| 凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物） | |
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53
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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54
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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55
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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56
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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57
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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58
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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59
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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60
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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61
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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62
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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63
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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64
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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65
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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66
zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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67
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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68
recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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69
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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70
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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71
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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72
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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73
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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75
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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76
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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77
hurdle
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| n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛 | |
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78
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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79
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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80
dismally
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| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
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81
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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82
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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83
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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84
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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85
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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86
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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87
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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88
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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89
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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90
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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91
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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92
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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93
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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94
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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96
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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97
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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98
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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99
guttered
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| vt.形成沟或槽于…（gutter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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100
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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101
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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102
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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103
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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104
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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105
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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106
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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107
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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108
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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109
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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110
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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111
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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112
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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113
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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114
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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115
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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