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Chapter 12 Miss Amedroz Returns Home
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Clara was to start by a train leaving Perivale at eight on the following morning, and therefore there was not much time for conversation before she went. During the night she had endeavoured so to school herself as to banish1 from her breast all feelings of anger against her lover, and of regret as regarded herself. Probably, as she told herself, she had made more of what he had said than he had intended that she should do; and then, was it not natural that he should think much of his mother, and feel anxious as to the way in which she might receive his wife. As to that feeling of anger on her own part, she did get quit of it; but the regret was not to be so easily removed. It was not only what Captain Aylmer had said about his mother that clung to her, doing much to quench2 her joy; but there had been a coldness in his tone to her throughout the evening which she recognized almost unconsciously, and which made her heart heavy in spite of the joy which she repeatedly told herself ought to be her own. And she also felt though she was not clearly aware that she did so that his manner towards her had become less affectionate, less like that of a lover, since the honest tale she had told him of her own early love for him. She should have been less honest, and more discreet3; less bold, and more like in her words to the ordinary run of women. She had known this as she was packing last night, and she told herself that it was so as she was dressing4 on this her last morning at Perivale. That frankness of hers had not been successful, and she regretted that she had not imposed on herself some little reticence5 or even a little of that coy pretence6 of indifference7 which is so often used by ladies when they are wooed. She had been boldly honest, and had found her honesty to be bad policy. She thought, at least, that she had found its policy to be bad. Whether in truth it may not have been very good have been the best policy in the world tending to give her the first true intimation which she had ever yet received of the real character of the man who was now so much to her that is altogether another question.

But it was clearly her duty to make the best of her present circumstances, and she went down-stairs with a smiling face and with pleasant words on her tongue. When she entered the breakfast-room Captain Aylmer was there; but Martha was there also, and her pleasant words were received indifferently in the presence of the servant. When the old woman was gone, Captain Aylmer assumed a grave face, and began a serious little speech which he had prepared. But he broke down in the utterance8 of it, and was saying things very different from what he had intended before he had completed it.

‘Clara,’ he began, ‘what occurred between us yesterday is a source of great satisfaction to me.’

‘I am glad of that, Frederick,’ said she, trying to be a little less serious than her lover.

‘Of very great satisfaction,’ he continued; ‘and I cannot but think that we were justified9 by the circumstances of our position in forgetting for a time the sad solemnity of the occasion. When I remember that it was but the day before yesterday that I followed my dear old aunt to the grave, I am astonished to think that yesterday I should have made an offer of marriage.’

What could be the good of his talking in this strain? Clara, too, had had her own misgivings10 on the same subject little qualms11 of conscience that had come to her as she remembered her old friend in the silent watches of the night; but such thoughts were for the silent watches, and not for open expression in the broad daylight. But he had paused, and she must say something.

‘One’s excuse to oneself is this that she would have wished it so.’

‘Exactly. She would have wished it. Indeed she did wish it, and therefore ‘ He paused in what he was saying, and felt himself to be on difficult ground. Her eye was full upon him, and she waited for a moment or two as though expecting that he would finish his words. But as he did not go on, she finished them for him.

‘And therefore you sacrificed your own feelings.’ Her heart was becoming sore, and she was unable to restrain the utterance of her sarcasm12.

‘Just so,’ said he; ‘or, rather, not exactly that. I don’t mean that I am sacrificed; for, of course, as I have just now said, nothing as regards myself can be more satisfactory. But yesterday should have been a solemn day to us; and as it was not’

‘I thought it very solemn.’

‘What I mean is that I find an excuse in remembering that I was doing what she asked me to do.’

‘What she asked you to do, Fred?’

‘What I had promised, I mean.’

‘What you had promised? I did not hear that before.’ These last words were spoken in a very low voice, but they went direct to Captain Aylmer’s ears.

‘But you have heard me declare,’ he said, ‘that as regards myself nothing could be more satisfactory.’

‘Fred,’ she said, ‘listen to me for a moment. You and I engaged ourselves to each other yesterday as man and wife.’

‘Of course we did.’

‘Listen to me, dear Fred. In doing that there was nothing in my mind unbefitting the sadness of the day. Even in death we must think of life, and if it were well for you and me that we should be together it would surely have been but a foolish ceremony between us to have abstained14 from telling each other that it would be so because my aunt had died last week. But it may be, and I think it is the case, that the feelings arising from her death have made us both too precipitate15.’

‘I don’t understand how that can be.’

‘You have been anxious to keep a promise made to her, without considering sufficiently16 whether in doing so you would secure your own happiness; and I’

‘I don’t know about you, but as regards myself I must be considered to be the best judge.’

‘And I have been too much in a hurry in believing that which I wished to believe.’

‘What do you mean by all this, Clara?’

‘I mean that our engagement shall be at an end; not necessarily so for always. But that as an engagement binding17 us both, it shall for the present cease to exist. You shall be again free’

‘But I don’t choose to be free.’

‘When you think of it you will find it best that it should be so. You have performed your promise honestly, even though at a sacrifice to yourself. Luckily for you for both of us, I should say the full truth has come out; and we can consider quietly what will be best for us to do, independently of that promise. We will part, therefore, as dear friends but not as engaged to each other as man and wife.’

‘But we are engaged, and I will not hear of its being broken.’

‘A lady’s word, Fred, is always the most potential before marriage; and you must therefore yield to me in this matter. I am sure your judgment18 will approve of my decision when you think of it. There shall be no engagement between us. I shall consider myself quite free free to do as I please altogether; and you, of course, will be free also.’

‘If you please, of course it must be so.’

‘I do please, Fred.’

‘And yesterday, then, is to go for nothing.’

‘Not exactly. It cannot go for nothing with me. I told you too many of my secrets for that. But nothing that was done or said yesterday is to be held as binding upon either of us.’

‘And you made up your mind to that last night?’

‘It is at any rate made up to that now. Come I shall have to go without my breakfast if I do not eat it at once. Will you have your tea now, or wait and take it comfortably when I am gone?’

Captain Aylmer breakfasted with her, and took her to the station, and saw her off with all possible courtesy and attention, and then he walked back by himself to his own great house in Perivale. Not a word more had been said between him and Clara as to their engagement, and he recognized it as a fact that he was no longer bound to her as her future husband. Indeed, he had no power of not recognizing the fact, so decided19 had been her language, and so imperious her manner It had been of no avail that he had said that the engagement should stand. She had told him that her voice was to be the more potential, and he had felt that it was so. Well might it not be best for him that it should be so? He had kept his promise to his aunt, and bad done all that lay in his power to make Clara Amedroz his wife. If she chose to rebel against her own good fortune simply because he spoke13 to her a few words which seemed to him to be fitting, might it not be well for him to take her at her word?

Such were his first thoughts; but as the day wore on with him, something more generous in his nature came to his aid, and something also that was akin20 to real love. Now that she was no longer his own, he again felt a desire to have her. Now that there would be again something to be done in winning her, he was again stirred by a man’s desire to do that something. He ought not to have told her of the promise. He was aware that what he had said on that point had been dropped by him accidentally, and that Clara’s resolution after that had not been unnatural21. He would, therefore, give her another chance, and resolved before he went to bed that night that he would allow a fortnight to pass away, and would then write to her, renewing his offer with all the strongest declarations of affection which he would be enabled to make.

Clara on her way home was not well satisfied with herself or with her position. She had had great joy, during the few hours of joy which had been hers, in thinking of the comfort which her news would give to her father. He would be released from all further trouble on her account by the tidings which she would convey to him by the tidings which she had intended to convey to him. But now the story which she would have to tell would by no means be comfortable. She would have to explain to him that her aunt had left no provision for her, and that would be the beginning and the end of her story. As for those conversations about the fifteen hundred pounds of them she would say nothing. When she reflected on what had taken place between herself and Captain Aylmer she was more resolved than ever that she would not touch any portion of that money or of any money that should come from him. Nor would she tell her father anything of the marriage engagement which had been made on one day and unmade on the next. Why should she add to his distress22 by showing him what good things might have been hers had she only had the wit to keep them? No; she would tell her father simply of the will, and then comfort him in his affliction as best she might.

As regarded her position with Captain Aylmer, the more she thought of it the more sure she became that everything was over in that quarter. She had, indeed, told him that such need not necessarily be the case but this she had done in her desire at the moment to mitigate23 the apparent authoritativeness24 of her own decision, rather than with any idea of leaving the matter open for further consideration. She was sure that Captain Aylmer would be glad of a means of escape, and that he would not again place himself in the jeopardy25 which the promise exacted from him by his aunt had made so nearly fatal to him. And for herself, though she still loved the man so loved him that she lay back in the corner of her carriage weeping behind her veil as she thought of what she had lost still she would not take him, though he should again press his suit upon her with all the ardour at his command. No, indeed. No man should ever be made to regard her as a burden imposed upon him by an extorted26 promise! What! let a man sacrifice himself to a sense of duty on her behalf! And then she repeated the odious27 words to herself, till she came to think that it had fallen from his lips and not from her own.

In writing to her father from Perivale, she had merely told him of Mrs Winterfield’s death and of her own intended return. At the Taunton station she met the well-known old fly and the well-known old driver, and was taken home in the accustomed manner. As she drew nearer to Belton the sense of her distress became stronger and stronger, till at last she almost feared to meet her father. What could she say to him when he should repeat to her, as be would be sure to do, his lamentation28 as to her future poverty?

On arriving at the house she learned that he was upstairs in his bedroom. He had been ill, the servant said, and though he was not now in bed, he had not come down-stairs. So she ran up to his room, and finding him seated in an old arm-chair by the fire-side, knelt down at his feet, as she took his hand and asked him as to his health.

‘What has Mrs Winterfield done for you in her will?’ These were the first words he spoke to her.

‘Never mind about wills now, papa. I want you to tell me of yourself.’

‘Nonsense, Clara. Answer my question.’

‘Oh, papa, I wish you would not think so much about money for me.’

‘Not think about it? Why am I not to think about it? What else have I got to think of? Tell me at once, Clara, what she has done. You ought to have written to me directly the will was made known.’

There was no help for her, and the terrible word must be spoken. ‘She has left her property to Captain Aylmer, papa; and I must say that I think she is right.’

‘You do not mean everything?’

‘She has provided for her servants.’

‘And has made no provision for you?’

‘No, papa.’

‘Do you mean to tell me that she has left you nothing absolutely nothing?’ The old man’s manner was altogether altered as he asked the question; and there came over his face so unusual a look of energy of the energy of anger that Clara was frightened, and knew not how to answer him with that tone of authority which she was accustomed to use when she found it necessary to exercise control over him. ‘Do you mean to say that there is nothing nothing?’ And as he repeated the question he pushed her away from his knees and stood up with an effort, leaning against the back of his chair.

‘Dear papa, do not let this distress you.’

‘But is it so? Is there in truth nothing?’

‘Nothing, papa. Remember that she was not really my aunt.’

‘Nonsense, child! nonsense! How can you talk such trash to me as that? And then you tell me not to distress myself! I am to know that you will be a beggar in a year or two probably in a few months and that is not to distress me! She has been a wicked woman!’

‘Oh, papa, do not say that.’

‘A wicked woman. A very wicked woman. It is always so with those who pretend to be more religious than their neighbours. She has been a very wicked woman, alluring29 you into her house with false hopes.’

‘No, papa no; I must contradict you. She had given me no grounds for such hope.’

‘I say she had even though she may not have made a promise. I say she had. Did not everybody think that you were to have her money?’

‘I don’t know what people may have thought. Nobody has had any right to think about it at all.’

‘That is nonsense, Clara. You know that I expected it that you expected it yourself.’

‘No no, no!’

‘Clara how can you tell me that?’

‘Papa, I knew that she intended to leave me nothing. She told me so when I was there in the spring.’

‘She told you so?’

‘Yes, papa. She told me that Frederic Aylmer was to have all her property. She explained to me everything that she meant to do, and I thought that she was right.’

‘And why was not I told when you came home?’

‘Dear papa!’

‘Dear papa, indeed. What is the meaning of dear papa? Why have I been deceived?’

‘What good could I do by telling you? You could not change it.’

‘You have been very undutiful; and as for her, her wickedness and cruelty shock me shock me. They do, indeed. That she should have known your position, and had you with her always and then have made such a will as that! Quite heartless! She must have been quite heartless.’

Clara now began to find that she must in justice to her aunt’s memory tell her father something more. And yet it would be very difficult to tell him anything that would not bring greater affliction upon him, and would not also lead her into deeper trouble. Should it come to pass that her aunt’s intention with reference to the fifteen hundred pounds was mentioned, she would be subjected to an endless persecution30 as to the duty of accepting that money from Captain Aylmer. But her present feelings would have made her much prefer to beg her bread upon the roads than accept her late lover’s generosity31. And then again, how could she explain to her father Mrs Winterfield’s mistake about her own position without seeming to accuse her father of having robbed her? But nevertheless she must say something, as Mr Amedroz continued to apply that epithet32 of heartless to Mrs Winterfield, going on with it in a low droning tone, that was more injurious to Clara’s ears than the first full energy of his anger.

‘Heartless quite heartless shockingly heartless shockingly heartless!’

‘The truth is, papa,’ Clara said at last, ‘that when my aunt told me about her will, she did not know but what I had some adequate provision from my own family.’

‘Oh, Clara!’

‘That is the truth, papa for she explained the whole thing to me. I could not tell her that she was mistaken, and thus ask for her money.’

‘But she knew everything about that poor wretched boy.’ And now the father dropped back into his chair, and buried his face in his hands.

When he did this Clara again knelt at his feet. She felt that she had been cruel, and that she had defended her aunt at the cost of her own father. She had, as it were, thrown in his teeth his own imprudence, and twitted him with the injuries which he had done to her. ‘Papa,’ she said, ‘dear papa, do not think about it at all. What is the use? After all, money is not everything. I care nothing for money. If you will only agree to banish the subject altogether, we shall be so comfortable.’

‘How is it to be banished33?’

‘At any rate we need not speak of it. Why should we talk on a subject which is simply uncomfortable, and which we cannot mend?’

‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!’ And now he swayed himself backwards34 and forwards in his chair, bewailing his own condition and hers, and his past imprudence, while the tears ran down his checks. She still knelt there at his feet, looking up into his face with loving, beseeching36 eyes, praying him to be comforted, and declaring that all would still be well if he would only forget the subject, or, at any rate, cease to speak of it. But still he went on wailing35, complaining of his lot as a child complains, and refusing all consolation37. ‘Yes; I know,’ said he, ‘it has all been my fault. But how could I help it? What was I to do?’

‘Papa, nobody has said that anything was your fault; nobody has thought so.’

‘I never spent anything on myself never, never; and yet and yet and yet !’

‘Look at it with more courage, papa. After all, what harm will it be if I should have to go out and earn my own bread like any other young woman? I am not afraid.’

At last he wept himself into an apathetic38 tranquillity39, as though he had at present no further power for any of the energy of grief; and she left him while she went about the house and learned how things had gone on during her absence. It seemed, from the tidings which the servant gave her, that he had been ill almost since she had been gone. He had, at any rate, chosen to take his meals in his own room, and as far as was remembered, had not once left the house since she had been away. He had on two or three occasions spoken of Mr Belton, appearing to be anxious for his coming, and asking questions as to the cattle and the work that was still going on about the place; and Clara, when she returned to his room, tried to interest him again about her cousin. But he had in truth been too much distressed40 by the ill news as to Mrs Winterfield’s will to be able to rally himself, and the evening that was spent up in his room was very comfortless to both of them. Clara had her own sorrows to bear as well as her father’s, and could take no pleasant look out into the world of her own circumstances. She had gained her lover merely to lose him and had lost him under circumstances that were very painful to her woman’s feeling. Though he had been for one night betrothed41 to her as her husband, he had never loved her. He had asked her to be his wife simply in fulfilment of a death-bed promise! The more she thought of it the more bitter did the idea of it become to her. And she could not also but think of her cousin. Poor Will! He, at any rate, had loved her, though his eagerness in love had been, as she told herself, but short-lived. As she thought of him, it seemed but the other day that he had been with her up on the rock in the park but as she thought of Captain Aylmer, to whom she had become engaged only yesterday, and from whom she had separated herself only that morning, she felt that an eternity42 of time had passed since she had parted from him.

On the following day, a dull, dark, melancholy43 day, towards the end of November, she went out to saunter about the park, leaving her father still in his bedroom, and after a while made her way down to the cottage. She found Mrs Askerton as usual alone in the little drawing-room, sitting near the window with a book in her hand; but Clara knew at once that her friend had not been reading that she had been sitting there looking out upon the clouds, with her mind fixed44 upon things far away. The general cheerfulness of this woman had often been cause of wonder to Clara, who knew how many of her hours were passed in solitude45; but there did occasionally come upon her periods of melancholy in which she was unable to act up to the settled rule of her life, and in which she would confess that the days and weeks and months were too long for her.

‘So you are back,’ said Mrs Askerton, as soon as the first greeting was over.

‘Yes; I am back.’

‘I supposed you would not stay there long after the funeral.’

‘No; what good could I do?’

‘And Captain Aylmer is still there, I suppose?’

‘I left him at Perivale.’

There was a slight pause, as Mrs Askerton hesitated before she asked her next question. ‘May I be told anything about the will?’ she said.

‘The weary will! If you knew how I hated the subject you would not ask me. But you must not think I hate it because it has given me nothing.’

‘Given you nothing?’

‘Nothing ! But that does not make me hate it. It is the nature of the subject that is so odious. I have now told you all everything that there is to be told, though we were to talk for a week. If you are generous you will not say another word about it.’

‘But I am so sorry.’

‘There that’s it. You won’t perceive that the expression of such sorrow is a personal injury to me. I don’t want you to be sorry.’

‘How am I to help it?’

‘You need not express it. I don’t come pitying you for supposed troubles. You have plenty of money; but if you were so poor that you could eat nothing but cold mutton, I shouldn’t condole46 with you as to the state of your larder47. I should pretend to think that poultry48 and piecrust were plentiful49 with you.’

‘No, you wouldn’t, dear not if I were as dear to you as you are to me.’

‘Well, then, be sorry; and let there be an end of it. Remember how much of all this I must of necessity have to go through with poor papa.’

‘Ah, yes; I can believe that.’

‘And he is so far from well. Of course you have not seen him since I have been gone.’

‘No; we never see him unless he comes up to the gate there.’ Then there was another pause for a moment. And what about Captain Aylmer?’ asked Mrs Askerton.

‘Well what about him?’

‘He is the heir now?’

‘Yes he is the heir.’

‘And that is all?’

‘Yes; that is all. What more should there be? The poor old house at Perivale will be shut up, I suppose.’

‘I don’t care about the old house much, as it is not to be your house.’

‘No it is not to be my house certainly.’

‘There were two ways in which it might have become yours.’

‘Though there were ten ways, none of those ways have come my way,’ said Clara.

‘Of course I know that you are so close that though there were anything to tell you would not tell it.’

‘I think I would tell you anything that was proper to be told; but now there is nothing proper or improper50.’

‘Was it proper or improper when Mr Belton made an offer to you as I knew he would do of course; as I told you that he would? Was that so improper that it could not be told?’

Clara was aware that the tell-tale colour in her face at once took from her the possibility of even pretending that the allegation was untrue, and that in any answer she might give she must acknowledge the fact. ‘I do not think,’ she said, ‘that it is considered fair to gentlemen to tell such stories as that.’

‘Then I can only say that the young ladies I have known are generally very unfair.’

‘But who told you?’

‘Who told me? My maid. Of course she got it from yours. Those things are always known.’

‘Poor Will!’

‘Poor Will, indeed. He is coming here again, I hear, almost immediately, and it needn’t be “poor Will” unless you like it. But as for me, I am not going to be an advocate in his favour. I tell you fairly that I did not like what little I saw of poor Will.’

‘I like him of all things.’

‘You should teach him to be a little more courteous51 in his demeanour to ladies; that is all. I will tell you something else, too, about poor Will but not now. Some other day I will tell you something of your Cousin Will.’

Clara did not care to ask any questions as to this something that was to be told, and therefore took her leave and went away.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 banish nu8zD     
vt.放逐,驱逐;消除,排除
参考例句:
  • The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.医生劝她消除恐惧和忧虑。
  • He tried to banish gloom from his thought.他试图驱除心中的忧愁。
2 quench ii3yQ     
vt.熄灭,扑灭;压制
参考例句:
  • The firemen were unable to quench the fire.消防人员无法扑灭这场大火。
  • Having a bottle of soft drink is not enough to quench my thirst.喝一瓶汽水不够解渴。
3 discreet xZezn     
adj.(言行)谨慎的;慎重的;有判断力的
参考例句:
  • He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
  • It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
4 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
5 reticence QWixF     
n.沉默,含蓄
参考例句:
  • He breaks out of his normal reticence and tells me the whole story.他打破了平时一贯沈默寡言的习惯,把事情原原本本都告诉了我。
  • He always displays a certain reticence in discussing personal matters.他在谈论个人问题时总显得有些保留。
6 pretence pretence     
n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰
参考例句:
  • The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
  • He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。
7 indifference k8DxO     
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎
参考例句:
  • I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
  • He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
8 utterance dKczL     
n.用言语表达,话语,言语
参考例句:
  • This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
  • My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽,泣不成声。
9 justified 7pSzrk     
a.正当的,有理的
参考例句:
  • She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
  • The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
10 misgivings 0nIzyS     
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧
参考例句:
  • I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
  • Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后, 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧! 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
11 qualms qualms     
n.不安;内疚
参考例句:
  • He felt no qualms about borrowing money from friends.他没有对于从朋友那里借钱感到不安。
  • He has no qualms about lying.他撒谎毫不内疚。
12 sarcasm 1CLzI     
n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic)
参考例句:
  • His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
  • She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。
13 spoke XryyC     
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
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
14 abstained d7e1885f31dd3d021db4219aad4071f1     
v.戒(尤指酒),戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 );弃权(不投票)
参考例句:
  • Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained. 十人投票赞成,五人反对,两人弃权。
  • They collectively abstained (from voting) in the elections for local councilors. 他们在地方议会议员选举中集体弃权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 precipitate 1Sfz6     
adj.突如其来的;vt.使突然发生;n.沉淀物
参考例句:
  • I don't think we should make precipitate decisions.我认为我们不应该贸然作出决定。
  • The king was too precipitate in declaring war.国王在宣战一事上过于轻率。
16 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
17 binding 2yEzWb     
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的
参考例句:
  • The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
  • Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。
18 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
19 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
20 akin uxbz2     
adj.同族的,类似的
参考例句:
  • She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
  • Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。
21 unnatural 5f2zAc     
adj.不自然的;反常的
参考例句:
  • Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗?
  • She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
22 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛
参考例句:
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
23 mitigate EjRyf     
vt.(使)减轻,(使)缓和
参考例句:
  • The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
  • Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。
24 authoritativeness 3b5916a361d4f9fd1b24e00b4914c2dd     
[法]权威
参考例句:
  • In the tourist zone, should emphasize the authoritativeness of planning. 在旅游区,应强调规划的权威性。
  • Urgency, danger, authoritativeness, human itarianism and systematicness are the five basic characteristics of public crisis management. 公共危机管理具有紧迫性、危险性、权威性、人本性和系统性五个基本特征。
25 jeopardy H3dxd     
n.危险;危难
参考例句:
  • His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
  • It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻,上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。
26 extorted 067a410e7b6359c130b95772a4b83d0b     
v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 );曲解
参考例句:
  • The gang extorted money from over 30 local businesses. 这帮歹徒向当地30多户商家勒索过钱财。
  • He extorted a promise from me. 他硬要我答应。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
27 odious l0zy2     
adj.可憎的,讨厌的
参考例句:
  • The judge described the crime as odious.法官称这一罪行令人发指。
  • His character could best be described as odious.他的人格用可憎来形容最贴切。
28 lamentation cff7a20d958c75d89733edc7ad189de3     
n.悲叹,哀悼
参考例句:
  • This ingredient does not invite or generally produce lugubrious lamentation. 这一要素并不引起,或者说通常不产生故作悲伤的叹息。 来自哲学部分
  • Much lamentation followed the death of the old king. 老国王晏驾,人们悲恸不已。 来自辞典例句
29 alluring zzUz1U     
adj.吸引人的,迷人的
参考例句:
  • The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
  • Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。
30 persecution PAnyA     
n. 迫害,烦扰
参考例句:
  • He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
  • Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。
31 generosity Jf8zS     
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为
参考例句:
  • We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
  • We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。
32 epithet QZHzY     
n.(用于褒贬人物等的)表述形容词,修饰语
参考例句:
  • In "Alfred the Great","the Great"is an epithet.“阿尔弗雷德大帝”中的“大帝”是个称号。
  • It is an epithet that sums up my feelings.这是一个简洁地表达了我思想感情的形容词。
33 banished b779057f354f1ec8efd5dd1adee731df     
v.放逐,驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚,五年后在那里去世。
  • He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
34 backwards BP9ya     
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地
参考例句:
  • He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
  • All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。
35 wailing 25fbaeeefc437dc6816eab4c6298b423     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的现在分词 );沱
参考例句:
  • A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
  • The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
36 beseeching 67f0362f7eb28291ad2968044eb2a985     
adj.恳求似的v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲,恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
  • He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句
37 consolation WpbzC     
n.安慰,慰问
参考例句:
  • The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
  • This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。
38 apathetic 4M1y0     
adj.冷漠的,无动于衷的
参考例句:
  • I realised I was becoming increasingly depressed and apathetic.我意识到自己越来越消沉、越来越冷漠了。
  • You won't succeed if you are apathetic.要是你冷淡,你就不能成功。
39 tranquillity 93810b1103b798d7e55e2b944bcb2f2b     
n. 平静, 安静
参考例句:
  • The phenomenon was so striking and disturbing that his philosophical tranquillity vanished. 这个令人惶惑不安的现象,扰乱了他的旷达宁静的心境。
  • My value for domestic tranquillity should much exceed theirs. 我应该远比他们重视家庭的平静生活。
40 distressed du1z3y     
痛苦的
参考例句:
  • He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑,无法回答他们的问题。
  • The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。
41 betrothed betrothed     
n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • She is betrothed to John. 她同约翰订了婚。
  • His daughter was betrothed to a teacher. 他的女儿同一个教师订了婚。
42 eternity Aiwz7     
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷
参考例句:
  • The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
  • Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞,永世相随。
43 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
44 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
45 solitude xF9yw     
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方
参考例句:
  • People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
  • They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
46 condole Rpxzo     
v.同情;慰问
参考例句:
  • We condole with him on his loss.我们对他的损失深表同情。
  • I condole with you.We have lost a most dear and valuable relation.我向你表示唁慰,我们失去了一位最可爱的、最可贵的亲人。
47 larder m9tzb     
n.食物贮藏室,食品橱
参考例句:
  • Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。
  • They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。
48 poultry GPQxh     
n.家禽,禽肉
参考例句:
  • There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
  • What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?
49 plentiful r2izH     
adj.富裕的,丰富的
参考例句:
  • Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
  • Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。
50 improper b9txi     
adj.不适当的,不合适的,不正确的,不合礼仪的
参考例句:
  • Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
  • Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。
51 courteous tooz2     
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的
参考例句:
  • Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一,但她总是很谦恭有礼。
  • He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善,而且彬彬有礼。


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