An Unexpected Rencontre, and a Happy Revolution in the Affairs of Our Adventurer.
As she did not lodge1 within the precincts of this garrison2, she was one day, after tea, conducted to the gate by the captain and the Count, and just as they approached the turnkey’s lodge, our hero’s eyes were struck with the apparition3 of his old companion Renaldo, son of his benefactor4 and patron, the Count de Melvil. What were the emotions of his soul, when he saw that young gentleman enter the prison, and advance towards him, after having spoke5 to the jailor! He never doubted that, being informed of his confinement6, he was come to upbraid7 him with his villany and ingratitude8, and he in vain endeavoured to recollect10 himself from that terror and guilty confusion which his appearance had inspired; when the stranger, lifting up his eyes, started back with signs of extreme amazement11, and, after a considerable pause, exclaimed, “Heaven and earth! Sure my eyes do not deceive me! is not your name Fathom12? It is, it must be my old friend and companion, the loss of whom I have so long regretted!” With these words he ran towards our adventurer, and, while he clasped him in his arms with all the eagerness of affection, protested that this was one of the happiest days he had ever seen.
Ferdinand, who, from this salutation, concluded himself still in possession of Renaldo’s good opinion, was not deficient13 in expressions of tenderness and joy; he returned his embraces with equal ardour, the tears trickled14 down his cheeks, and that perturbation which proceeded from conscious perfidy15 and fear, was mistaken by the unsuspecting Hungarian for the sheer effects of love, gratitude9, and surprise. These first transports having subsided16, they adjourned17 to the lodgings18 of Fathom, who soon recollected19 his spirits and invention so well as to amuse the other with a feigned20 tale of his having been taken by the French, sent prisoner into Champagne21, from whence he had written many letters to Count Melvil and his son, of whom he could hear no tidings; of his having contracted an intimacy22 with a young nobleman of France, who died in the flower of his age, after having, in token of his friendship, bequeathed to him a considerable legacy23; by this he had been enabled to visit the land of his forefathers24 in the character of a gentleman, which he had supported with some figure, until he was betrayed into a misfortune that exhausted25 his funds, and drove him to the spot where he was now found. And he solemnly declared, that, far from forgetting the obligation he owed to Count Melvil, or renouncing26 the friendship of Renaldo, he had actually resolved to set out for Germany on his return to the house of his patron in the beginning of the week posterior to that in which he had been arrested.
Young Melvil, whose own heart had never known the instigations of fraud, implicitly27 believed the story and protestations of Fathom; and though he would not justify28 that part of his conduct by which the term of his good fortune was abridged29, he could not help excusing an indiscretion into which he had been hurried by the precipitancy of youth, and the allurements30 of an artful woman. Nay31, with the utmost warmth of friendship, he undertook to wait upon Trapwell, and endeavour to soften32 him into some reasonable terms of composition.
Fathom seemed to be quite overwhelmed with a deep sense of all this goodness, and affected33 the most eager impatience34 to know the particulars of Renaldo’s fate, since their unhappy separation, more especially his errand to this uncomfortable place, which he should henceforth revere35 as the providential scene of their reunion. Nor did he forget to inquire, in the most affectionate and dutiful manner, about the situation of his noble parents and amiable36 sister.
At mention of these names, Renaldo, fetching a deep sigh, “Alas! my friend,” said he, “the Count is no more; and, what aggravates37 my affliction for the loss of such a father, it was my misfortune to be under his displeasure at the time of his death. Had I been present on that melancholy38 occasion, so well I knew his generosity39 and paternal40 tenderness, that, sure I am, he would in his last moments have forgiven an only son, whose life had been a continual effort to render himself worthy41 of such a parent, and whose crime was no other than an honourable42 passion for the most meritorious43 of her sex. But I was removed at a fatal distance from him, and doubtless my conduct must have been invidiously misrepresented. Be that as it will, my mother has again given her hand in wedlock44 to Count Trebasi; by whom I have the mortification45 to be informed that I am totally excluded from my father’s succession; and I learn from other quarters, that my sister is barbarously treated by this inhuman46 father-in-law. Grant, Heaven, I may soon have an opportunity of expostulating with the tyrant47 upon that subject.”
So saying, his cheeks glowed, and his eyes lightened with resentment48. Then he thus proceeded: “My coming hither to-day was with a view to visit a poor female relation, from whom I yesterday received a letter, describing her most deplorable situation, and soliciting49 my assistance; but the turnkey affirms that there is no such person in the jail, and I was on my way to consult the keeper, when I was agreeably surprised with the sight of my dear Fathom.”
Our adventurer having wiped from his eyes the tears which were produced by the news of his worthy patron’s death, desired to know the name of that afflicted50 prisoner, in whose behalf he interested himself so much, and Renaldo produced the letter, subscribed51, “Your unfortunate cousin, Helen Melvil.” This pretended relation, after having explained the degree of consanguinity52 which she and the Count stood in to each other, and occasionally mentioned some anecdotes53 of the family in Scotland, gave him to understand that she had married a merchant of London, who, by repeated losses in trade, had been reduced to indigence54, and afterwards confined to prison, where he then lay a breathless corpse55, having left her in the utmost extremity56 of wretchedness and want, with two young children in the smallpox57, and an incurable58 cancer in one of her own breasts. Indeed, the picture she drew was so moving, and her expressions so sensibly pathetic, that no person, whose heart was not altogether callous59, could peruse60 it without emotion. Renaldo had sent two guineas by the messenger, whom she had represented as a trusty servant, whose fidelity61 had been proof against all the distress62 of her mistress; and he was now arrived in order to reinforce his bounty63.
Fathom, in the consciousness of his own practices, immediately comprehended the scheme of this letter, and confidently assured him that no such person resided in the prison or in any other place. And when his friend applied64 for information to the keeper, these assurances were confirmed; and that stern janitor65 told him he had been imposed upon by a stale trick, which was often practised upon strangers by a set of sharpers, who make it their business to pick up hints of intelligence relating to private families, upon which they build such superstructures of fraud and imposition.
However piqued66 the young Hungarian might be to find himself duped in this manner, he rejoiced at the occasion which had thrown Fathom in his way; and, after having made him a tender of his purse, took his leave, on purpose to wait upon Trapwell, who was not quite so untractable as an enraged67 cuckold commonly is; for, by this time, he had accomplished68 the best part of his aim, which was to be divorced from his wife, and was fully69 convinced that the defendant70 was no more than a needy71 adventurer, who, in all probability, would be released by an act of parliament for the benefit of insolvent72 debtors73; in which case, he, the plaintiff, would reap no solid advantage from his imprisonment74.
He, therefore, listened to the remonstrances75 of the mediator76, and, after much canvassing77, agreed to discharge the defendant, in consideration of two hundred pounds, which were immediately paid by Count Melvil, who, by this deduction78, was reduced to somewhat less than thirty.
Nevertheless, he cheerfully beggared himself in behalf of his friend, for whose release he forthwith obtained an order; and, next day, our adventurer, having bid a formal adieu to his fellows in distress, and, in particular, to his majesty79, for whose restoration his prayers were preferred, he quitted the jail, and accompanied his deliverer, with all the outward marks of unutterable gratitude and esteem80.
Surely, if his heart had been made of penetrable81 stuff, it would have been touched by the circumstances of this redemption; but had not his soul been invincible82 to all such attacks, these memoirs83 would possibly never have seen the light.
When they arrived at Renaldo’s lodgings, that young gentleman honoured him with other proofs of confidence and friendship, by giving him a circumstantial detail of all the adventures in which he had been engaged after Fathom’s desertion from the imperial camp. He told him, that, immediately after the war was finished, his father had pressed him to a very advantageous84 match, with which he would have complied, though his heart was not at all concerned, had not he been inflamed85 with the desire of seeing the world before he could take any step towards a settlement for life. That he had signified his sentiments on this head to the Count, who opposed them with unusual obstinacy86, as productive of a delay which might be fatal to his proposal; for which reason he had retired87 incognito88 from his family, and travelled through sundry89 states and countries, in a disguise by which he eluded90 the inquiries91 of his parents.
That, in the course of these peregrinations, he was captivated by the irresistible92 charms of a young lady, on whose heart he had the good fortune to make a tender impression. That their mutual93 love had subjected both to many dangers and difficulties, during which they suffered a cruel separation; after the torments94 of which, he had happily found her in England, where she now lived entirely95 cut off from her native country and connexions, and destitute96 of every other resource but his honour, love, and protection. And, finally, that he was determined97 to combat his own desires, how violent soever they might be, until he should have made some suitable provision for the consequences of a stricter union with the mistress of his soul, that he might not, by a precipitate98 marriage, ruin the person whom he adored.
This end he proposed to attain99, by an application to the court of Vienna, which he did not doubt would have some regard to his own service, and that of his father; and thither100 he resolved to repair, with the first opportunity, now that he had found a friend with whom he could intrust the inestimable jewel of his heart.
He likewise gave our hero to understand, that he had been eight months in England, during which he had lived in a frugal101 manner, that he might not unnecessarily exhaust the money he had been able to raise upon his own credit; that, hitherto, he had been obliged to defer102 his departure for Germany on account of his attendance upon the mother of his mistress, who was lately dead of sorrow and chagrin103; and that, since he resided in London, he had often heard of the celebrated104 Count Fathom, though he never imagined that his friend Ferdinand could be distinguished105 by that appellation106.
1 lodge | |
v.临时住宿,寄宿,寄存,容纳;n.传达室,小旅馆 | |
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2 garrison | |
n.卫戍部队;驻地,卫戍区;vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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3 apparition | |
n.幽灵,神奇的现象 | |
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4 benefactor | |
n. 恩人,行善的人,捐助人 | |
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5 spoke | |
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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6 confinement | |
n.幽禁,拘留,监禁;分娩;限制,局限 | |
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7 upbraid | |
v.斥责,责骂,责备 | |
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8 ingratitude | |
n.忘恩负义 | |
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9 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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10 recollect | |
v.回忆,想起,记起,忆起,记得 | |
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11 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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12 fathom | |
v.领悟,彻底了解 | |
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13 deficient | |
adj.不足的,不充份的,有缺陷的 | |
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14 trickled | |
v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 );淌;使)慢慢走;缓慢移动 | |
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15 perfidy | |
n.背信弃义,不忠贞 | |
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16 subsided | |
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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17 adjourned | |
(使)休会, (使)休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18 lodgings | |
n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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19 recollected | |
adj.冷静的;镇定的;被回忆起的;沉思默想的v.记起,想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20 feigned | |
a.假装的,不真诚的 | |
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21 champagne | |
n.香槟酒;微黄色 | |
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22 intimacy | |
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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23 legacy | |
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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24 forefathers | |
n.祖先,先人;祖先,祖宗( forefather的名词复数 );列祖列宗;前人 | |
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25 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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26 renouncing | |
v.声明放弃( renounce的现在分词 );宣布放弃;宣布与…决裂;宣布摒弃 | |
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27 implicitly | |
adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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28 justify | |
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护 | |
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29 abridged | |
削减的,删节的 | |
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30 allurements | |
n.诱惑( allurement的名词复数 );吸引;诱惑物;有诱惑力的事物 | |
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31 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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32 soften | |
v.(使)变柔软;(使)变柔和 | |
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33 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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34 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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35 revere | |
vt.尊崇,崇敬,敬畏 | |
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36 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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37 aggravates | |
使恶化( aggravate的第三人称单数 ); 使更严重; 激怒; 使恼火 | |
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38 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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39 generosity | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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40 paternal | |
adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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41 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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42 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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43 meritorious | |
adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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44 wedlock | |
n.婚姻,已婚状态 | |
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45 mortification | |
n.耻辱,屈辱 | |
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46 inhuman | |
adj.残忍的,不人道的,无人性的 | |
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47 tyrant | |
n.暴君,专制的君主,残暴的人 | |
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48 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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49 soliciting | |
v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 );(指娼妇)拉客;索求;征求 | |
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50 afflicted | |
使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51 subscribed | |
v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 );签署,题词;订阅;同意 | |
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52 consanguinity | |
n.血缘;亲族 | |
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53 anecdotes | |
n.掌故,趣闻,轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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54 indigence | |
n.贫穷 | |
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55 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
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56 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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57 smallpox | |
n.天花 | |
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58 incurable | |
adj.不能医治的,不能矫正的,无救的;n.不治的病人,无救的人 | |
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59 callous | |
adj.无情的,冷淡的,硬结的,起老茧的 | |
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60 peruse | |
v.细读,精读 | |
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61 fidelity | |
n.忠诚,忠实;精确 | |
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62 distress | |
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
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63 bounty | |
n.慷慨的赠予物,奖金;慷慨,大方;施与 | |
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64 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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65 janitor | |
n.看门人,管门人 | |
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66 piqued | |
v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 );激起(好奇心) | |
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67 enraged | |
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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68 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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69 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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70 defendant | |
n.被告;adj.处于被告地位的 | |
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71 needy | |
adj.贫穷的,贫困的,生活艰苦的 | |
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72 insolvent | |
adj.破产的,无偿还能力的 | |
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73 debtors | |
n.债务人,借方( debtor的名词复数 ) | |
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74 imprisonment | |
n.关押,监禁,坐牢 | |
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75 remonstrances | |
n.抱怨,抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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76 mediator | |
n.调解人,中介人 | |
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77 canvassing | |
v.(在政治方面)游说( canvass的现在分词 );调查(如选举前选民的)意见;为讨论而提出(意见等);详细检查 | |
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78 deduction | |
n.减除,扣除,减除额;推论,推理,演绎 | |
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79 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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80 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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81 penetrable | |
adj.可穿透的 | |
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82 invincible | |
adj.不可征服的,难以制服的 | |
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83 memoirs | |
n.回忆录;回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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84 advantageous | |
adj.有利的;有帮助的 | |
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85 inflamed | |
adj.发炎的,红肿的v.(使)变红,发怒,过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86 obstinacy | |
n.顽固;(病痛等)难治 | |
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87 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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88 incognito | |
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 sundry | |
adj.各式各样的,种种的 | |
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90 eluded | |
v.(尤指机敏地)避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 );逃避;躲避;使达不到 | |
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91 inquiries | |
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
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92 irresistible | |
adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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93 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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94 torments | |
(肉体或精神上的)折磨,痛苦( torment的名词复数 ); 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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95 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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96 destitute | |
adj.缺乏的;穷困的 | |
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97 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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98 precipitate | |
adj.突如其来的;vt.使突然发生;n.沉淀物 | |
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99 attain | |
vt.达到,获得,完成 | |
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100 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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101 frugal | |
adj.节俭的,节约的,少量的,微量的 | |
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102 defer | |
vt.推迟,拖延;vi.(to)遵从,听从,服从 | |
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103 chagrin | |
n.懊恼;气愤;委屈 | |
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104 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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105 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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106 appellation | |
n.名称,称呼 | |
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