On the upper terrace a dozen lacqueys with wax lights hastened out toreceive the travellers. A laughing group followed, headed by a tallvivacious woman covered with jewels, whom Odo guessed to be theProcuratessa Bra. The Marquess, hastening forward, kissed the lady'shand, and turned to summon the actors, who hung back at the farther endof the terrace. The light from the windows and from the lacquey's tapersfell full on the motley band, and Odo, roused to the singularity of hisposition, was about to seek shelter behind the Pantaloon when he heard acry of recognition, and Mirandolina, darting1 out of the Procuratessa'scircle, fell at that lady's feet with a whispered word.
The Procuratessa at once advanced with a smile of surprise and bade theCavaliere Valsecca welcome. Seeing Odo's embarrassment2, she added thathis Highness of Monte Alloro had already apprised3 her of the cavaliere'scoming, and that she and her husband had the day before despatched amessenger to Venice to enquire4 if he were already there to invite him tothe villa5. At the same moment a middle-aged6 man with an air of carelesskindly strength emerged from the house and greeted Odo.
"I am happy," said he bowing, "to receive at Bellocchio a member of theprincely house of Pianura; and your excellency will no doubt be aswell-pleased as ourselves that accident enables us to make acquaintancewithout the formalities of an introduction."This, then, was the famous Procuratore Bra, whose house had given threeDoges to Venice, and who was himself regarded as the most powerful ifnot the most scrupulous8 noble of his day. Odo had heard many tales ofhis singularities, for in a generation of elegant triflers his figurestood out with the ruggedness9 of a granite10 boulder11 in a clipped andgravelled garden. To hereditary13 wealth and influence he added a love ofpower seconded by great political sagacity and an inflexible14 will. Ifhis means were not always above suspicion they at least tended tostatesmanlike ends, and in his public capacity he was faithful to thehighest interests of the state. Reports differed as to his private useof his authority. He was noted15 for his lavish16 way of living, and for ahospitality which distinguished17 him from the majority of his class, who,however showy in their establishments, seldom received strangers, andentertained each other only on the most ceremonious occasions. TheProcuratore kept open house both in Venice and on the Brenta, and in hisdrawing-rooms the foreign traveller was welcomed as freely as in Parisor London. Here, too, were to be met the wits, musicians and literatiwhom a traditional morgue still excluded from many aristocratic houses.
Yet in spite of his hospitality (or perhaps because of it) theProcuratore, as Odo knew, was the butt19 of the very poets he entertained,and the worst satirised man in Venice. It was his misfortune to be inlove with his wife; and this state of mind (in itself sufficientlyridiculous) and the shifts and compromises to which it reduced him, werea source of endless amusement to the humorists. Nor were graver rumourswanting; for it was known that the Procuratore, so proof against otherpersuasions, was helpless in his wife's hands, and that honest men hadbeen undone20 and scoundrels exalted21 at a nod of the beautifulProcuratessa. That lady, as famous in her way as her husband, was notedfor quite different qualities; so that, according to one satirist22, herhospitality began where his ended, and the Albergo Bra (the nicknametheir palace went by) was advertised in the lampoons23 of the day asfurnishing both bed and board. In some respects, however, the tastes ofthe noble couple agreed, both delighting in music, wit, good company,and all the adornments of life; while, with regard to their privateconduct, it doubtless suffered by being viewed through the eyes of anarrow and trivial nobility, apt to look with suspicion on any deviationfrom the customs of their class. Such was the household in which Odofound himself unexpectedly included. He learned that his hosts were inthe act of entertaining the English Duke who had captured his burchiellothat morning; and having exchanged his travelling-dress for a moresuitable toilet he was presently conducted to the private theatre wherethe company had gathered to witness an improvised24 performance byMirandolina and the newly-arrived actors.
The Procuratessa at once beckoned25 him to the row of gilt26 armchairs whereshe sat with the noble Duke and several ladies of distinction. Thelittle theatre sparkled with wax-lights reflected in the facets27 of glasschandeliers and in the jewels of the richly-habited company, and Odo wasstruck by the refined brilliancy of the scene. Before he had time tolook about him the curtains of the stage were drawn28 back, andMirandolina flashed into view, daring and radiant as ever, and dressedwith an elegance29 which spoke30 well for the liberality of her newprotector. She was as much at her ease as before the vulgar audience ofVercelli, and spite of the distinguished eyes fixed31 upon her, her smilesand sallies were pointedly32 addressed to Odo. This made him the object ofthe Procuratessa's banter34, but had an opposite effect on the Marquess,who fixed him with an irritated eye and fidgeted restlessly in his seatas the performance went on.
When the curtain fell the Procuratessa led the company to the circularsaloon which, as in most villas35 of the Venetian mainland, formed thecentral point of the house. If Odo had been charmed by the gracefuldecorations of the theatre, he was dazzled by the airy splendour of thisapartment. Dance-music was pouring from the arched recesses36 above thedoorways, and chandeliers of coloured Murano glass diffused39 a softbrightness over the pilasters of the stuccoed walls, and the floor ofinlaid marbles on which couples were rapidly forming for thecontradance. His eye, however, was soon drawn from these to the ceilingwhich overarched the dancers with what seemed like an Olympian revelreflected in sunset clouds. Over the gilt balustrade surmounting40 thecornice lolled the figures of fauns, bacchantes, nereids and tritons,hovered over by a cloud of amorini blown like rose-leaves across a rosysky, while in the centre of the dome42 Apollo burst in his chariot throughthe mists of dawn, escorted by a fantastic procession of the humanraces. These alien subjects of the sun--a fur-clad Laplander, a turbanedfigure on a dromedary, a blackamoor and a plumed43 American Indian--werein turn surrounded by a rout44 of Maenads and Silenuses, whose flushedadvance was checked by the breaking of cool green waves, through whichboys wreathed with coral and seaweed disported45 themselves among shoalsof flashing dolphins. It was as though the genius of Pleasure had pouredall the riches of his inexhaustible realm on the heads of the revellersbelow.
The Procuratessa brought Odo to earth by remarking that it was amaster-piece of the divine Tiepolo he was admiring. She added that atBellocchio all formalities were dispensed46 with, and begged him toobserve that, in the rooms opening into the saloon, recreations wereprovided for every taste. In one of these apartments silver trays wereset out with sherbets, cakes, and fruit cooled in snow, while in anotherstood gaming-tables around which the greater number of the company werealready gathering47 for tresette. A third room was devoted48 to music; andhither Mirandolina, who was evidently allowed a familiarity ofintercourse not accorded to the other comedians50, had withdrawn51 with thepacified Marquess, and perched on the arm of a high gilt chair waspinching the strings52 of a guitar and humming the first notes of aboatman's song...
After completing the circuit of the rooms Odo stepped out on theterrace, which was now bathed in the whiteness of a soaring moon. Thecolonnades detached against silver-misted foliage53, the gardensspectrally outspread, seemed to enclose him in a magic circle ofloveliness which the first ray of daylight must dispel54. He wandered on,drawn to the depths of shade on the lower terraces. The hush55 grewdeeper, the murmur56 of the river more mysterious. A yew-arbour invitedhim and he seated himself on the bench niched in its inmost dusk. Seenthrough the black arch of the arbour the moonlight lay like snow onparterres and statues. He thought of Maria Clementina, and of thedelight she would have felt in such a scene as he had just left. Thenthe remembrance of Mirandolina's blandishments stole over him and spiteof himself he smiled at the Marquess's discomfiture57. Though he was in nohumour for an intrigue58 his fancy was not proof against the romance ofhis surroundings, and it seemed to him that Miranda's eyes had neverbeen so bright or her smile so full of provocation59. No wonder Frattantofollowed her like a lost soul and the Marquess abandoned Rome andBaalbec to sit at the feet of such a teacher! Had not that lightphilosopher after all chosen the true way and guessed the Sphinx'sriddle? Why should today always be jilted for tomorrow, sensationsacrificed to thought?
As he sat revolving60 these questions the yew-branches seemed to stir, andfrom some deeper recess37 of shade a figure stole to his side. He started,but a hand was laid on his lips and he was gently forced back into hisseat. Dazzled by the outer moonlight he could just guess the outline ofthe figure pressed against his own. He sat speechless, yielding to thecharm of the moment, till suddenly he felt a rapid kiss and the visitorvanished as mysteriously as she had come. He sprang up to follow, butinclination failed with his first step. Let the spell of mystery remainunbroken! He sank down on the seat again lulled62 by dreamy musings...
When he looked up the moonlight had faded and he felt a chill in theair. He walked out on the terrace. The moon hung low and the tree-topswere beginning to tremble. The villa-front was grey, with oblongs ofyellow light marking the windows of the ball-room. As he looked up atit, the dance-music ceased and not a sound was heard but the stir of thefoliage and the murmur of the river against its banks. Then, from aloggia above the central portico63, a woman's clear contralto notes tookflight:
Before the yellow dawn is up,With pomp of shield and shaft,Drink we of Night's fast-ebbing cupOne last delicious draught64.
The shadowy wine of Night is sweet,With subtle slumbrous fumesCrushed by the Hours' melodious65 feetFrom bloodless elder-blooms...
The days at Bellocchio passed in a series of festivities. The morningswere spent in drinking chocolate, strolling in the gardens and visitingthe fish-ponds, meanders66 and other wonders of the villa; thence thegreater number of guests were soon drawn to the card-tables, from whichthey rose only to dine; and after an elaborate dinner prepared by aFrench cook the whole company set out to explore the country or toexchange visits with the hosts of the adjoining villas. Each eveningbrought some fresh diversion: a comedy or an operetta in the miniaturetheatre, an al fresco67 banquet on the terrace or a ball attended by theprincipal families of the neighbourhood. Odo soon contrived69 to reassurethe Marquess as to his designs upon Miranda, and when Coeur-Volant wasnot at cards the two young men spent much of their time together. TheMarquess was never tired of extolling70 the taste and ingenuity71 with whichthe Venetians planned and carried out their recreations. "Natureherself," said he, "seems the accomplice72 of their merry-making, and inno other surroundings could man's natural craving73 for diversion find sograceful and poetic74 an expression."The scene on which they looked out seemed to confirm his words. It wasthe last evening of their stay at Bellocchio, and the Procuratessa hadplanned a musical festival on the river. Festoons of coloured lanternswound from the portico to the water; and opposite the landing lay theProcuratore's Bucentaur, a great barge75 hung with crimson76 velvet77. In theprow were stationed the comedians, in airy mythological79 dress, and asthe guests stepped on board they were received by Miranda, a rosy41 Venuswho, escorted by Mars and Adonis, recited an ode composed by Cantaprestoin the Procuratessa's honour. A banquet was spread in the deck-house,which was hung with silk arras and Venetian mirrors, and, while theguests feasted, dozens of little boats hung with lights and filled withmusicians flitted about the Bucentaur like a swarm80 of musicalfireflies...
The next day Odo accompanied the Procuratessa to Venice. Had he been atraveller from beyond the Alps he could hardly have been more unpreparedfor the spectacle that awaited him. In aspect and customs Venicediffered almost as much from other Italian cities as from those of therest of Europe. From the fanciful stone embroidery81 of her churches andpalaces to a hundred singularities in dress and manners--thefull-bottomed wigs82 and long gowns of the nobles, the black mantles83 andhead-draperies of the ladies, the white masks worn abroad by both sexes,the publicity84 of social life under the arcades86 of the Piazza87, theextraordinary freedom of intercourse49 in the casini, gaming-rooms andtheatres--the city proclaimed, in every detail of life and architecture,her independence of any tradition but her own. This was the moresingular as Saint Mark's square had for centuries been the meeting-placeof East and West, and the goal of artists, scholars and pleasure-seekersfrom all parts of the world. Indeed, as Coeur-Volant pointed33 out, theVenetian customs almost appeared to have been devised for theconvenience of strangers. The privilege of going masked at almost allseasons and the enforced uniformity of dress, which in itself provided akind of incognito88, made the place singularly favourable89 to every kind ofintrigue and amusement; while the mild temper of the people and thewatchfulness of the police prevented the public disorders90 that suchlicense might have occasioned. These seeming anomalies abounded91 on everyside. From the gaming-table where a tinker might set a ducat against aprince it was but a few steps to the Broglio, or arcade85 under the ducalpalace, into which no plebeian92 might intrude93 while the nobility walkedthere. The great ladies, who were subject to strict sumptuary laws, andmight not display their jewels or try the new French fashions but on thesly, were yet privileged at all hours to go abroad alone in theirgondolas. No society was more haughty95 and exclusive in its traditions,yet the mask leveled all classes and permitted, during the greater partof the year, an equality of intercourse undreamed of in other cities;while the nobles, though more magnificently housed than in any othercapital of Europe, generally sought amusement at the public casini orassembly-rooms instead of receiving company in their own palaces. Suchwere but a few of the contradictions in a city where the theatres werenamed after the neighbouring churches, where there were innumerablereligious foundations but scarce an ecclesiastic96 to be met in company,and where the ladies of the laity97 dressed like nuns98, while the nuns inthe aristocratic convents went in gala habits and with uncovered heads.
No wonder that to the bewildered stranger the Venetians seemed to keepperpetual carnival99 and Venice herself to be as it were the mere100 stage ofsome huge comic interlude.
To Odo the setting was even more astonishing than the performance. Neverhad he seen pleasure and grace so happily allied101, all the arts of lifeso combined in the single effort after enjoyment102. Here was not a meretendency to linger on the surface, but the essence of superficialityitself; not an ignoring of what lies beneath, but an elimination103 of it;as though all human experience should be beaten thin and spread outbefore the eye like some brilliant tenuous104 plaque105 of Etruscan gold. Andin this science of pleasure--mere jeweller's work though it were--thegreatest artists had collaborated106, each contributing his page to thephilosophy of enjoyment in the form of some radiant allegory floweringfrom palace wall or ceiling like the enlarged reflection of the lifebeneath it. Nowhere was the mind arrested by a question or an idea.
Thought slunk away like an unmasked guest at the ridotto. Sensationruled supreme107, and each moment was an iridescent108 bubble fresh-blown fromthe lips of fancy.
Odo brought to the spectacle the humour best fitted for its enjoyment.
His weariness and discouragement sought refuge in the emotionalsatisfaction of the hour. Here at least the old problem of living hadbeen solved, and from the patrician110 taking the air in his gondola94 to thegondolier himself, gambling111 and singing on the water-steps of hismaster's palace, all seemed equally satisfied with the solution. Now ifever was the time to cry "halt!" to the present, to forget the travelledroad and take no thought for the morrow...
The months passed rapidly and agreeably. The Procuratessa was the mostamiable of guides, and in her company Odo enjoyed the best that Venicehad to offer, from the matchless music of the churches and hospitals tothe petits soupers in the private casini of the nobility; whileCoeur-Volant and Castelrovinato introduced him to scenes where even alady of the Procuratessa's intrepidity112 might not venture.
Such a life left little time for thoughtful pleasures; nor did Odo findin the society about him any sympathy with his more personal tastes. Atfirst he yielded willingly enough to the pressure of his surroundings,glad to escape from thoughts of the past and speculations113 about thefuture; but it was impossible for him to lose his footing in such anelement, and at times he felt the lack of such companionship as deCrucis had given him. There was no society in Venice corresponding withthe polished circles of Milan or Naples, or with the academic class insuch University towns as Padua and Pavia. The few Venetians destined114 tobe remembered among those who had contributed to the intellectualadvancement of Italy vegetated115 in obscurity, suffering not so much fromreligious persecution116--for the Inquisition had little power inVenice--as from the incorrigible117 indifference118 of a society which ignoredall who did not contribute to its amusement. Odo indeed might havesought out these unhonoured prophets, but that all the influences abouthim set the other way, and that he was falling more and more into thehabit of running with the tide. Now and then, however, a vague ennuidrove him to one of the bookshops which, throughout Italy were the chiefmeeting-places of students and authors. On one of these occasions thedealer invited him into a private room where he kept some rare volumes,and here Odo was surprised to meet Andreoni, the liberal bookseller ofPianura.
Andreoni at first seemed somewhat disconcerted by the meeting; butpresently recovering his confidence, he told Odo that he had beenrecently banished119 from Pianura, the cause of his banishment120 being thepublication of a book on taxation121 that was supposed to reflect on thefiscal system of the duchy. Though he did not name the author, Odo atonce suspected Gamba; but on his enquiring122 if the latter had also beenbanished, Andreoni merely replied that he had been dismissed from hispost, and had left Pianura. The bookseller went on to say that he hadcome to Venice with the idea of setting up his press either there or inPadua, where his wife's family lived. Odo was eager to hear more; butAndreoni courteously123 declined to wait on him at his lodgings124, on theplea that it might harm them both to be seen together. They agreed,however, to meet in San Zaccaria after low mass the next morning, andhere Andreoni gave Odo a fuller report of recent events in the duchy.
It appeared that in the incessant125 see-saw of party influences the Churchhad once more gained on the liberals. Trescorre was out of favour, theDominican had begun to show his hand more openly, and the Duke, morethan ever apprehensive126 about his health, was seeking to conciliateheaven by his renewed persecution of the reformers. In the generalupheaval even Crescenti had nearly lost his place; and it was rumouredthat he kept it only through the intervention127 of the Pope, who hadrepresented to the Duke that the persecution of a scholar already famousthroughout Europe would reflect little credit on the Church.
As for Gamba, Andreoni, though unwilling128 to admit a knowledge of hisexact whereabouts, assured Odo that he was well and had not lostcourage. At court matters remained much as usual. The Duchess,surrounded by her familiars, had entered on a new phase of madexpenditure, draining the exchequer129 to indulge her private whims,filling her apartments with mountebanks and players, and borrowing fromcourtiers and servants to keep her creditors130 from the door. Trescorrewas no longer able to check her extravagance, and his influence with theDuke being on the wane131, the court was once more the scene of unseemlyscandals and disorders.
The only new figure to appear there since Odo's departure was that ofthe little prince's governor, who had come from Rome a few monthspreviously to superintend the heir's education, which was found to havebeen grievously neglected under his former masters. This was anecclesiastic, an ex-Jesuit as some said, but without doubt a man ofparts, and apparently132 of more tolerant views than the other churchmenabout the court.
"But," Andreoni added, "your excellency may chance to recall him; for heis the same abate133 de Crucis who was sent to Pianura by the Holy Officeto arrest the German astrologer."Odo heard him with surprise. He had had no news of de Crucis since theirparting in Rome, where, as he supposed, the latter was to remain forsome years in the service of Prince Bracciano. Odo was at a loss toconceive how or why the Jesuit had come to Pianura; but, whatever hisreasons for being there, it was certain that his influence must makeitself felt far beyond the range of his immediate134 duties. Whether thisinfluence would be exerted for good or ill it was impossible toforecast; but much as Odo admired de Crucis, he could not forget thatthe Jesuit, by his own avowal135, was still the servant of the greatestorganised opposition136 to moral and intellectual freedom that the worldhad ever known. That this opposition was not always actively137 manifestedOdo was well aware. He knew that the Jesuit spirit moved in manydirections and that its action was often more beneficial than that ofits opponents; but it remained an incalculable element in thecomposition of human affairs, and one the more to be feared since, inceasing to have a material existence, it had acquired the dreadpervasiveness of an idea.
With the Epiphany the wild carnival-season set in. Nothing could surpassthe excesses of this mad time. All classes seemed bitten by thetarantula of mirth, every gondola hid an intrigue, the patrician'stabarro concealed138 a noble lady, the feminine hood68 and cloak a youngspark bent140 on mystification, the friar's habit a man of pleasure and thenun's veil a lady of the town. The Piazza swarmed141 with merry-makers ofall degrees. The square itself was taken up by the booths of hucksters,rope-dancers and astrologers, while promenaders in travesty143 thronged144 thearcades, and the ladies of the nobility, in their white masks and blackzendaletti, surveyed the scene from the windows of the assembly-rooms inthe Procuratie, or, threading the crowd on the arms of their gallants,visited the various peep-shows and flocked about the rhinocerosexhibited in a great canvas tent in the Piazzetta. The characteristiccontrasts of Venetian life seemed to be emphasised by the vagaries147 ofthe carnival, and Odo never ceased to be diverted by the sight of a longline of masqueraders in every kind of comic disguise kneeling devoutlybefore the brilliantly-lit shrine148 of the Virgin149 under the arches of theProcuratie, while the friar who led their devotions interrupted hislitany whenever the quack150 on an adjoining platform began to bawl151 througha tin trumpet152 the praise of his miraculous153 pills.
The mounting madness culminated154 on Giovedi Grasso, the last Thursdaybefore Lent, when the Piazzetta became the scene of ceremonies in whichthe Doge himself took part. These opened with the decapitation of threebulls: a rite155 said to commemorate156 some long-forgotten dispute betweenthe inveterate157 enemies, Venice and Aquileia. The bulls, preceded byhalberdiers and trumpeters, and surrounded by armed attendants, were ledin state before the ducal palace, and the executioner, practised in hisbloody work, struck off each head with a single stroke of his hugesword. This slaughter158 was succeeded by pleasanter sights, such as thefamous Vola, or flight of a boy from the bell-tower of Saint Mark's to awindow of the palace, where he presented a nosegay to his Serenity159 andwas caught up again to his airy vaulting-ground. After this ingeniousfeat came another called the "Force of Hercules," given by a band ofyouths who, building themselves into a kind of pyramid, shifted theirpostures with inexhaustible agility160, while bursts of fireworks woveyellow arches through the midday light. Meanwhile the crowds in thestreets fled this way and that as a throng145 of uproarious young fellowsdrove before them the bulls that were to be baited in the open squares;and wherever a recessed161 doorway38 or the angle of a building affordedshelter from the rout, some posture-maker or ballad-singer had gathereda crowd about his carpet.
Ash Wednesday brought about a dramatic transformation162. Every travestylaid aside, every tent and stall swept away, the people again gatheredin the Piazza to receive the ashes of penitence163 on their heads, thechurches now became the chief centres of interest. Venice was noted forher sacred music and for the lavish illumination of her favouriteshrines and chapels165; and few religious spectacles were more impressivethan the Forty Hours' devotion in the wealthier churches of the city.
All the magic of music, painting and sculpture were combined in theservice of religion, and Odo's sense of the dramatic quality of theCatholic rites164 found gratification in the moving scenes where, amid theimperishable splendours of his own creation, man owned himself but dust.
Never before had he been so alive to the symbolism of the penitentialseason, so awed166 by the beauty and symmetry of that great structure ofthe Liturgical167 Year that leads the soul up, step by step, to the awfulheights of Calvary. The very carelessness of those about him seemed todeepen the solemnity of the scenes enacted--as though the Church, afterall her centuries of dominion168, were still, as in those early days, but avoice crying in the wilderness169.
The Easter bells ushered170 in the reign18 of another spirit. If the carnivalfolly was spent, the joy of returning life replaced it. After the winterdiversions of cards, concerts and theatres, came the excursions to theisland-gardens of the lagoon171 and the evening promenade142 of the fresca onthe Grand Canal. Now the palace-windows were hung with awnings172, theoleanders in the balconies grew rosy against the sea-worn marble, andyellow snap-dragons blossomed from the crumbling173 walls. The market-boatsbrought early fruits and vegetables from the Brenta and roses andgilly-flowers from the Paduan gardens; and when the wind set from shoreit carried with it the scent109 of lime-blossoms and flowering fields. Nowalso was the season when the great civic174 and religious processions tookplace, dyeing the water with sunset hues175 as they swept from the steps ofthe Piazzetta to San Giorgio, the Redentore or the Salute176. In thefashionable convents the nuns celebrated177 the festivals of their patronsaints with musical and dramatic entertainments to which secularvisitors were invited. These entertainments were a noted feature ofVenetian life, and the subject of much scandalous comment among visitorsfrom beyond the Alps. The nuns of the stricter orders were as closelycloistered as elsewhere; but in the convents of Santa Croce, SantaChiara, and a few others, mostly filled by the daughters of thenobility, an unusual liberty prevailed. It was known that the inmateshad taken the veil for family reasons, and to the indulgent Venetiantemper it seemed natural that their seclusion179 should be made as littleirksome as possible. As a rule the privileges accorded to the nunsconsisted merely in their being allowed to receive visits in thepresence of a lay-sister, and to perform in concerts on the feast-daysof the order; but some few convents had a name for far greater license,and it was a common thing for the noble libertine180 returned from Italy toboast of his intrigue with a Venetian nun61.
Odo, in the Procuratessa's train, had of course visited many of theprincipal convents. Whether it were owing to the malicious181 pleasure ofcontrasting their own state with that of their cloistered178 sisters, or tothe discreet182 shelter which the parlour afforded to their privateintrigues, the Venetian ladies were exceedingly partial to these visits.
The Procuratessa was no exception to the rule, and as was natural to oneof her complexion183, she preferred the convents where the greatest freedomprevailed. Odo, however, had hitherto found little to tempt184 him in theseglimpses of forbidden fruit. The nuns, though often young and pretty,had the insipidity185 of women secluded186 from the passions and sorrows oflife without being raised above them; and he preferred the frankcoarseness of the Procuratessa's circle to the simpering graces of thecloister.
Even Coeur-Volant's mysterious boast of a conquest he had made among thesisters failed to excite his friend's curiosity. The Marquess, thoughstill devoted to Miranda, was too much the child of his race not to seekvariety in his emotions; indeed he often declared that the one fault ofthe Italian character was its unimaginative fidelity187 in love-affairs.
"Does a man," he asked, "dine off one dish at a gourmet's banquet? Andwhy should I restrict myself to one course at the most richly-spreadtable in Europe? One must love at least two women to appreciate either;and, did the silly creatures but know it, a rival becomes them like apatch."Sister Mary of the Crucifix, he went on to explain, possessed188 the veryqualities that Miranda lacked. The daughter of a rich nobleman ofTreviso, she was skilled in music, drawing and all the operations of theneedle, and was early promised in marriage to a young man whose estatesadjoined her father's. The jealousy189 of a younger sister, who wassecretly in love with the suitor, caused her to accuse Coeur-Volant'smistress of misconduct and thus broke off the marriage; and the unhappygirl, repudiated190 by her bridegroom, was at once despatched to a conventin Venice. Enraged191 at her fate, she had repeatedly appealed to theauthorities to release her; but her father's wealth and influenceprevailed against all her efforts. The abbess, however, felt such pityfor her that she was allowed more freedom than the other nuns, with whomher wit and beauty made her a favourite in spite of her exceptionalprivileges. These, as Coeur-Volant hinted, included the liberty ofleaving the convent after night-fall to visit her friends; and heprofessed to be one of those whom she had thus honoured. Always eager tohave his good taste ratified192 by the envy of his friends, he was urgentwith Odo to make the lady's acquaintance, and it was agreed that, on thefirst favourable occasion, a meeting should take place at Coeur-Volant'scasino. The weeks elapsed, however, without Odo's hearing further of thematter, and it had nearly passed from his mind when one August day hereceived word that the Marquess hoped for his company that evening.
He was in that mood of careless acquiescence193 when any novelty invites,and the heavy warmth of the summer night seemed the accomplice of hishumour. Cloaked and masked, he stepped into his gondola and was sweptrapidly along the Grand Canal and through winding194 channels to theGiudecca. It was close on midnight and all Venice was abroad. Gondolasladen with musicians and hung with coloured lamps lay beneath the palacewindows or drifted out on the oily reaches of the lagoon. There was nomoon, and the side-canals were dark and noiseless but for the hundredsof caged nightingales that made every byway musical. As his prow78 slippedpast garden walls and under the blackness of low-ached bridges Odo feltthe fathomless195 mystery of the Venetian night: not the open night of thelagoons, but the secret dusk of nameless waterways between blind windowsand complaisant196 gates.
At one of these his gondola presently touched. The gate was cautiouslyunbarred and Odo found himself in a strip of garden preceding a lowpavilion in which not a light was visible. A woman-servant led himindoors and the Marquess greeted him on the threshold.
"You are late!" he exclaimed. "I began to fear you would not be here toreceive our guests with me.""Your guests?" Odo repeated. "I had fancied there was but one."The Marquess smiled. "My dear Mary of the Crucifix," he said, "is toowell-born to venture out alone at this late hour, and has prevailed onher bosom197 friend to accompany her.--Besides," he added with hisdeprecating shrug198, "I own I have had too recent an experience of yoursuccess to trust you alone with my enchantress; and she has promised tobring the most fascinating nun in the convent to protect her from yourwiles."As he spoke he led Odo into a room furnished in the luxurious199 style of aFrench boudoir. A Savonnerie carpet covered the floor, the lounges andeasy-chairs were heaped with cushions, and the panels hung with pasteldrawings of a lively or sentimental200 character. The windows toward thegarden were close-shuttered, but those on the farther side of the roomstood open on a starlit terrace whence the eye looked out over thelagoon to the outer line of islands.
"Confess," cried Coeur-Volant, pointing to a table set with delicaciesand flanked by silver wine-coolers, "that I have spared no pains to domy goddess honour and that this interior must present an agreeablecontrast to the whitewashed201 cells and dismal202 refectory of her convent!
No passion," he continued, with his quaint7 didactic air, "is sosusceptible as love to the influence of its surroundings; and principleswhich might have held out against a horse-hair sofa and soupe a l'oignonhave before now been known to succumb203 to silk cushions and champagne204."He received with perfect good-humour the retort that if he failed in hisdesigns his cook and his upholsterer would not be to blame; and theyoung men were still engaged in such banter when the servant returned tosay that a gondola was at the water-gate. The Marquess hastened out andpresently reappeared with two masked and hooded205 figures. The first ofthese, whom he led by the hand, entered with the air of one notunaccustomed to her surroundings; but the other hung back, and on theMarquess's inviting206 them to unmask, hurriedly signed to her friend torefuse.
"Very well, fair strangers," said Coeur-Volant with a laugh; "if youinsist on prolonging our suspense207 we shall avenge208 ourselves byprolonging yours, and neither my friend nor I will unmask till you arepleased to set us the example."The first lady echoed his laugh. "Shall I own," she cried, "that Isuspect in this unflattering compliance209 a pretext210 to conceal139 yourfriend's features from me as long as possible? For my part," shecontinued, throwing back her hood, "the mask of hypocrisy211 I am compelledto wear in the convent makes me hate every form of disguise, and withall my defects I prefer to be known as I am." And with that she detachedher mask and dropped the cloak from her shoulders.
The gesture revealed a beauty of the laughing sensuous212 type best suitedto such surroundings. Sister Mary of the Crucifix, in her sumptuous213 gownof shot-silk, with pearls wound through her reddish hair and hanging onher bare shoulders, might have stepped from some festal canvas ofBonifazio's. She had laid aside even the light gauze veil worn by thenuns in gala habit, and no vestige214 of her calling showed itself in dressor bearing.
"Do you accept my challenge, cavaliere?" she exclaimed, turning on Odo aglance confident of victory.
The Marquess meanwhile had approached the other nun with the intentionof inducing her to unmask; but as Sister Mary of the Crucifix advancedto perform the same service for his friend, his irrepressible jealousymade him step hastily between them.
"Come cavaliere," he cried, drawing Odo gaily215 toward the unknown nun,"since you have induced one of our fair guests to unmask perhaps you maybe equally successful with the other, who appears provokinglyindifferent to my advances."The masked nun had in fact retreated to a corner of the room and stoodthere, drawing her cloak about her, rather in the attitude of afrightened child than in that of a lady bent on a gallant146 adventure.
Sister Mary of the Crucifix approached her playfully. "My dear SisterVeronica," said she, throwing her arm about the other's neck, "hesitatesto reveal charms which she knows must cast mine in the shade; but I amnot to be outdone in generosity216, and if the Marquess will unmask hisfriend I will do the same by mine."As she spoke she deftly217 pinioned218 the nun's hands and snatched off hermask with a malicious laugh. The Marquess, entering into her humour,removed Odo's at the same instant, and the latter, turning with a laugh,found himself face to face with Fulvia Vivaldi. He grew white, and Maryof the Crucifix sprang forward to catch her friend.
"Good God! What is this?" gasped219 the Marquess, staring from one to theother.
A glance of entreaty220 from Fulvia checked the answer on Odo's lips, andfor a moment there was silence in the room; then Fulvia, breaking awayfrom her companion, fled out on the terrace. The other was about tofollow; but Odo, controlling himself, stepped between them.
"Madam," said he in a low voice, "I recognise in your companion a friendof whom I have long had no word. Will you pardon me if I speak with heralone?"Sister Mary drew back with a meaning sparkle in her handsome eyes. "Why,this," she cried, not without a touch of resentment221, "is the prettiestending imaginable; but what a sly creature, to be sure, to make me thinkit was her first assignation!"Odo, without answering, hastened out on the terrace. It was so darkafter the brightly lit room that for a moment he did not distinguish thefigure which had sprung to the low parapet above the water; and hestumbled forward just in time to snatch Fulvia back to safety.
"This is madness!" he cried, as she hung upon him trembling.
"The boat," she stammered222 in a strange sobbing223 voice--"the boat shouldbe somewhere below--""The boat lies at the water-gate on the other side," he answered.
She drew away from him with a gesture of despair. The struggle withSister Mary had disordered her hair and it fell on her white neck inloosened strands224. "My cloak--my mask--" she faltered225 vaguely226, claspingher hands across her bosom; then suddenly dropped to a seat and burstinto tears. Once before--but in how different a case!--he had seen herthus thrilled with weeping. Then fate had thrown him humbled227 at herfeet, now it was she who cried him mercy in every line of her bowed headand shaken breast; and the thought of that other meeting flooded hisheart with pity.
He knelt before her, seeking her hands. "Fulvia, why do you shrink fromme?" he whispered. But she shook her head and wept on.
At last her sobs228 subsided229 and she rose to her feet. "I must go back,"said she in a low tone, and would have passed him.
"Back? To the convent?""To the convent," she said after him; but she made no farther effort tomove.
The question that tortured him sprang forth230. "You have taken the vows231?""A month since," she answered.
He hid his face in his hands and for a moment both were silent. "And youhave no other word for me--none?" he faltered at last.
She fixed him with a hard bright stare. "Yes--one," she cried; "keep aplace for me among your gallant recollections.""Fulvia!" he said with sudden strength, and caught her by the arm.
"Let me pass!" she cried.
"No, by heaven!" he retorted; "not till you listen to me--not till youtell me how it is that I come upon you here!--Ah, child," he broke out,"do you fancy I don't see how little you belong in such scenes? That Idon't know you are here through some dreadful error? Fulvia," hepleaded, "will you never trust me?" And at the word he burned withblushes in the darkness.
His voice, perhaps, rather than what he said, seemed to have struck ayielding fibre. He felt her arm tremble in his hold; but after a momentshe said with cruel distinctness: "There was no error. I came knowingly.
It was the company and not the place I was deceived in."Odo drew back with a start; then, as if in spite of himself, he brokeinto a laugh. "By the saints," said he, almost joyously232, "I am sorry tobe where I am not wanted; but since no better company offers, will younot make the best of mine and suffer me to hand you in to supper withour friends?" And with a low bow he offered her his arm.
The effect was instantaneous. He saw her catch at the balustrade forsupport.
"Sancta simplicitas!" he exulted233, "and did you think to play the part atsuch short notice?" He fell at her feet and covered her hands withkisses. "My Fulvia! My poor child! come with me, come away from here,"he entreated234. "I know not what mad hazard has brought us thus together,but I thank God on my knees for the encounter. You shall tell me all ornothing, as you please--you shall presently dismiss me at yourconvent-gate, and never see me again if you so will it--but till then, Iswear, you are in my charge, and no human power shall come between us!"As he ended the Marquess's voice called gaily through the open window:
"Friends, the burgundy is uncorked! Will you not join us in a glass ofgood French wine?"Fulvia flung herself upon Odo. "Yes--yes; away--take me away from here!"she cried, clinging to him. She had gathered her cloak about her anddrawn the hood over her disordered hair. "Away! Away!" she repeated. "Icannot see them again. Good God, is there no other way out?"With a gesture he warned her to be silent and drew her along the terracein the shadow of the house. The gravel12 creaked beneath their feet, andshe shook at the least sound; but her hand lay in his like a child's andhe felt himself her master. At the farther end of the terrace a flightof steps led to a narrow strip of shore. He helped her down and afterlistening a moment gave a whistle. Presently they heard a low plash ofoars and saw the prow of a gondola cautiously rounding the angle of theterrace. The water was shallow and the boatmen proceeded slowly and atlength paused a few yards from the land.
"We can come no nearer," one of them called; "what is it?""Your mistress is unwell and wishes to return," Odo answered; andcatching Fulvia in his arms he waded235 out with her to the gondola andlifted her over the side. "To Santa Chiara!" he ordered, as he laid heron the cushions beneath the felze; and the boatmen, recognising her asone of their late fares, without more ado began to row rapidly towardthe city.
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1
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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apprised
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| v.告知，通知( apprise的过去式和过去分词 )；评价 | |
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enquire
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| v.打听，询问；调查，查问 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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ruggedness
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| 险峻，粗野； 耐久性； 坚固性 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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satirist
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| n.讽刺诗作者，讽刺家，爱挖苦别人的人 | |
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lampoons
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| n.讽刺文章或言辞( lampoon的名词复数 )v.冷嘲热讽，奚落( lampoon的第三人称单数 ) | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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facets
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| n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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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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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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banter
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| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
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villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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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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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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40
surmounting
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| 战胜( surmount的现在分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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42
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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plumed
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| 饰有羽毛的 | |
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rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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45
disported
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| v.嬉戏，玩乐，自娱( disport的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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47
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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48
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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49
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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50
comedians
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| n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 ) | |
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51
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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52
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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53
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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54
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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55
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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56
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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57
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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58
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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59
provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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60
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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61
nun
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| n.修女，尼姑 | |
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62
lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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63
portico
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| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
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64
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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65
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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66
meanders
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| 曲径( meander的名词复数 )； 迂回曲折的旅程 | |
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67
fresco
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| n.壁画；vt.作壁画于 | |
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68
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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69
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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70
extolling
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| v.赞美( extoll的现在分词 )；赞颂，赞扬，赞美( extol的现在分词 ) | |
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71
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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72
accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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73
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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75
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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76
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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77
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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78
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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79
mythological
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| adj.神话的 | |
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80
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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81
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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82
wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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83
mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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84
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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85
arcade
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| n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道 | |
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86
arcades
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| n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物 | |
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87
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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88
incognito
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|
| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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89
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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90
disorders
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| n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调 | |
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91
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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92
plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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93
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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94
gondola
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| n.威尼斯的平底轻舟；飞船的吊船 | |
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95
haughty
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|
| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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96
ecclesiastic
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|
| n.教士，基督教会；adj.神职者的，牧师的，教会的 | |
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97
laity
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| n.俗人；门外汉 | |
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98
nuns
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| n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
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99
carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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100
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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101
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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102
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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103
elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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104
tenuous
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| adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的 | |
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105
plaque
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| n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板 | |
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106
collaborated
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| 合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国 | |
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107
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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108
iridescent
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| adj.彩虹色的，闪色的 | |
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109
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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110
patrician
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|
| adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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111
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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112
intrepidity
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| n.大胆，刚勇；大胆的行为 | |
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113
speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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114
destined
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|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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115
vegetated
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| v.过单调呆板的生活( vegetate的过去式和过去分词 )；植物似地生长；（瘤、疣等）长大 | |
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116
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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117
incorrigible
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| adj.难以纠正的，屡教不改的 | |
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118
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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119
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
banishment
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| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
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121
taxation
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| n.征税，税收，税金 | |
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122
enquiring
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| a.爱打听的，显得好奇的 | |
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123
courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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124
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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125
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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126
apprehensive
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|
| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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127
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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128
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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129
exchequer
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| n.财政部；国库 | |
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130
creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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131
wane
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| n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦 | |
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132
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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133
abate
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| vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退 | |
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134
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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135
avowal
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| n.公开宣称，坦白承认 | |
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136
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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137
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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138
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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139
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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140
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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141
swarmed
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|
| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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142
promenade
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|
| n./v.散步 | |
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143
travesty
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|
| n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化 | |
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144
thronged
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|
| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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145
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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146
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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147
vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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148
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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149
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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150
quack
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| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
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151
bawl
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|
| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
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152
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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153
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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154
culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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155
rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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156
commemorate
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| vt.纪念，庆祝 | |
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157
inveterate
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|
| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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158
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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159
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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160
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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161
recessed
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| v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的过去式和过去分词 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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162
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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163
penitence
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|
| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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164
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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165
chapels
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| n.小教堂， （医院、监狱等的）附属礼拜堂( chapel的名词复数 )；（在小教堂和附属礼拜堂举行的）礼拜仪式 | |
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166
awed
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|
| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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167
liturgical
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|
| adj.礼拜仪式的 | |
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168
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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169
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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170
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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171
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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172
awnings
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| 篷帐布 | |
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173
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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174
civic
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| adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的 | |
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175
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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176
salute
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|
| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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177
celebrated
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|
| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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178
cloistered
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| adj.隐居的，躲开尘世纷争的v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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179
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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180
libertine
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| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
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181
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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182
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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183
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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184
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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185
insipidity
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| n.枯燥无味，清淡，无精神；无生气状 | |
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186
secluded
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|
| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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187
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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188
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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189
jealousy
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|
| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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190
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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191
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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192
ratified
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| v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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193
acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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194
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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195
fathomless
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| a.深不可测的 | |
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196
complaisant
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| adj.顺从的，讨好的 | |
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197
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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198
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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199
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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200
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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201
whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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202
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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203
succumb
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| v.屈服，屈从；死 | |
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204
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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205
hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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206
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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207
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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208
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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209
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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210
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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211
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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212
sensuous
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| adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的 | |
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213
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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214
vestige
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| n.痕迹，遗迹，残余 | |
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215
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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216
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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deftly
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| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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218
pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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219
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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220
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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222
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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224
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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225
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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226
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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227
humbled
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| adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低 | |
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228
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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230
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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231
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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232
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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233
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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234
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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235
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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