This is what had taken place that same night at the La Force:--
An escape had been planned between Babet, Brujon, Guelemer, and Thenardier, although Thenardier was in close confinement1. Babet had arranged the matter for his own benefit, on the same day, as the reader has seen from Montparnasse's account to Gavroche. Montparnasse was to help them from outside.
Brujon, after having passed a month in the punishment cell, had had time, in the first place, to weave a rope, in the second, to mature a plan. In former times, those severe places where the discipline of the prison delivers the convict into his own hands, were composed of four stone walls, a stone ceiling, a flagged pavement, a camp bed, a grated window, and a door lined with iron, and were called dungeons3; but the dungeon2 was judged to be too terrible; nowadays they are composed of an iron door, a grated window, a camp bed, a flagged pavement, four stone walls, and a stone ceiling, and are called chambers5 of punishment. A little light penetrates6 towards mid-day. The inconvenient7 point about these chambers which, as the reader sees, are not dungeons, is that they allow the persons who should be at work to think.
So Brujon meditated8, and he emerged from the chamber4 of punishment with a rope. As he had the name of being very dangerous in the Charlemagne courtyard, he was placed in the New Building. The first thing he found in the New Building was Guelemer, the second was a nail; Guelemer, that is to say, crime; a nail, that is to say, liberty. Brujon, of whom it is high time that the reader should have a complete idea, was, with an appearance of delicate health and a profoundly premeditated languor9, a polished, intelligent sprig, and a thief, who had a caressing10 glance, and an atrocious smile. His glance resulted from his will, and his smile from his nature. His first studies in his art had been directed to roofs. He had made great progress in the industry of the men who tear off lead, who plunder11 the roofs and despoil12 the gutters13 by the process called double pickings.
The circumstance which put the finishing touch on the moment peculiarly favorable for an attempt at escape, was that the roofers were re-laying and re-jointing, at that very moment, a portion of the slates14 on the prison. The Saint-Bernard courtyard was no longer absolutely isolated15 from the Charlemagne and the Saint-Louis courts. Up above there were scaffoldings and ladders; in other words, bridges and stairs in the direction of liberty.
The New Building, which was the most cracked and decrepit16 thing to be seen anywhere in the world, was the weak point in the prison. The walls were eaten by saltpetre to such an extent that the authorities had been obliged to line the vaults17 of the dormitories with a sheathing18 of wood, because stones were in the habit of becoming detached and falling on the prisoners in their beds. In spite of this antiquity19, the authorities committed the error of confining in the New Building the most troublesome prisoners, of placing there "the hard cases," as they say in prison parlance20.
The New Building contained four dormitories, one above the other, and a top story which was called the Bel-Air (FineAir). A large chimney-flue, probably from some ancient kitchen of the Dukes de la Force, started from the groundfloor, traversed all four stories, cut the dormitories, where it figured as a flattened21 pillar, into two portions, and finally pierced the roof.
Guelemer and Brujon were in the same dormitory. They had been placed, by way of precaution, on the lower story. Chance ordained22 that the heads of their beds should rest against the chimney.
Thenardier was directly over their heads in the top story known as Fine-Air.The pedestrian who halts on the Rue23 Culture-Sainte-Catherine, after passing the barracks of the firemen, in front of the porte-cochere of the bathing establishment, beholds24 a yard full of flowers and shrubs25 in wooden boxes, at the extremity26 of which spreads out a little white rotunda27 with two wings, brightened up with green shutters28, the bucolic29 dream of Jean Jacques.
Not more than ten years ago, there rose above that rotunda an enormous black, hideous30, bare wall by which it was backed up.
This was the outer wall of La Force.
This wall, beside that rotunda, was Milton viewed through Berquin.
Lofty as it was, this wall was overtopped by a still blacker roof, which could be seen beyond. This was the roof of the New Building. There one could descry31 four dormer-windows, guarded with bars; they were the windows of the Fine-Air.
A chimney pierced the roof; this was the chimney which traversed the dormitories.
The Bel-Air, that top story of the New Building, was a sort of large hall, with a Mansard roof, guarded with triple gratings and double doors of sheet iron, which were studded with enormous bolts. When one entered from the north end, one had on one's left the four dormer-windows, on one's right, facing the windows, at regular intervals32, four square, tolerably vast cages, separated by narrow passages, built of masonry33 to about the height of the elbow, and the rest, up to the roof, of iron bars.
Thenardier had been in solitary34 confinement in one of these cages since the night of the 3d of February. No one was ever able to discover how, and by what connivance36, he succeeded in procuring37, and secreting38 a bottle of wine, invented, so it is said, by Desrues, with which a narcotic39 is mixed, and which the band of the Endormeurs, or Sleep-compellers, rendered famous.
There are, in many prisons, treacherous40 employees, half-jailers,half-thieves, who assist in escapes, who sell to the police an unfaithful service, and who turn a penny whenever they can.
On that same night, then, when Little Gavroche picked up the two lost children, Brujon and Guelemer, who knew that Babet, who had escaped that morning, was waiting for them in the street as well as Montparnasse, rose softly, and with the nail which Brujon had found, began to pierce the chimney against which their beds stood. The rubbish fell on Brujon's bed, so that they were not heard. Showers mingled41 with thunder shook the doors on their hinges, and created in the prison a terrible and opportune42 uproar43. Those of the prisoners who woke, pretended to fall asleep again, and left Guelemer and Brujon to their own devices. Brujon was adroit44; Guelemer was vigorous. Before any sound had reached the watcher, who was sleeping in the grated cell which opened into the dormitory, the wall had, been pierced, the chimney scaled, the iron grating which barred the upper orifice of the flue forced, and the two redoubtable45 ruffians were on the roof. The wind and rain redoubled, the roof was slippery.
"What a good night to leg it!" said Brujon.
An abyss six feet broad and eighty feet deep separated them from the surrounding wall. At the bottom of this abyss, they could see the musket46 of a sentinel gleaming through the gloom. They fastened one end of the rope which Brujon had spun47 in his dungeon to the stumps48 of the iron bars which they had just wrenched49 off, flung the other over the outer wall, crossed the abyss at one bound, clung to the coping of the wall, got astride of it, let themselves slip, one after the other, along the rope, upon a little roof which touches the bath-house, pulled their rope after them, jumped down into the courtyard of the bath-house, traversed it, pushed open the porter's wicket, beside which hung his rope, pulled this, opened the porte-cochere, and found themselves in the street.
Three-quarters of an hour had not elapsed since they had risen in bed in the dark, nail in hand, and their project in their heads.
A few moments later they had joined Babet and Montparnasse, who were prowling about the neighborhood.
They had broken their rope in pulling it after them, and a bit of it remained attached to the chimney on the roof. They had sustained no other damage, however, than that of scratching nearly all the skin off their hands.
That night, Thenardier was warned, without any one being able to explain how, and was not asleep.
Towards one o'clock in the morning, the night being very dark, he saw two shadows pass along the roof, in the rain and squalls, in front of the dormer-window which was opposite his cage. One halted at the window, long enough to dart50 in a glance. This was Brujon.
Thenardier recognized him, and understood. This was enough.
Thenardier, rated as a burglar, and detained as a measure of precaution under the charge of organizing a nocturnal ambush51, with armed force, was kept in sight. The sentry52, who was relieved every two hours, marched up and down in front of his cage with loaded musket. The Fine-Air was lighted by a skylight. The prisoner had on his feet fetters53 weighing fifty pounds. Every day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, a jailer, escorted by two dogs,--this was still in vogue54 at that time,--entered his cage, deposited beside his bed a loaf of black bread weighing two pounds, a jug55 of water, a bowl filled with rather thin bouillon, in which swam a few Mayagan beans, inspected his irons and tapped the bars. This man and his dogs made two visits during the night.
Thenardier had obtained permission to keep a sort of iron bolt which he used to spike56 his bread into a crack in the wall, "in order to preserve it from the rats," as he said. As Thenardier was kept in sight, no objection had been made to this spike. Still, it was remembered afterwards, that one of the jailers had said: "It would be better to let him have only a wooden spike."
At two o'clock in the morning, the sentinel, who was an old soldier,was relieved, and replaced by a conscript. A few moments later, the man with the dogs paid his visit, and went off without noticing anything, except, possibly, the excessive youth and "the rustic57 air" of the "raw recruit." Two hours afterwards, at four o'clock, when they came to relieve the conscript, he was found asleep on the floor, lying like a log near Thenardier's cage. As for Thenardier, he was no longer there. There was a hole in the ceiling of his cage, and, above it, another hole in the roof. One of the planks58 of his bed had been wrenched off, and probably carried away with him, as it was not found. They also seized in his cell a half-empty bottle which contained the remains60 of the stupefying wine with which the soldier had been drugged. The soldier's bayonet had disappeared.
At the moment when this discovery was made, it was assumed that Thenardier was out of reach. The truth is, that he was no longer in the New Building, but that he was still in great danger.
Thenardier, on reaching the roof of the New Building, had found the remains of Brujon's rope hanging to the bars of the upper trap of the chimney, but, as this broken fragment was much too short, he had not been able to escape by the outer wall, as Brujon and Guelemer had done.
When one turns from the Rue des Ballets into the Rue du Roi-de-Sicile, one almost immediately encounters a repulsive61 ruin. There stood on that spot, in the last century, a house of which only the back wall now remains, a regular wall of masonry, which rises to the height of the third story between the adjoining buildings. This ruin can be recognized by two large square windows which are still to be seen there; the middle one, that nearest the right gable, is barred with a worm-eaten beam adjusted like a prop62. Through these windows there was formerly63 visible a lofty and lugubrious64 wall, which was a fragment of the outer wall of La Force.
The empty space on the street left by the demolished65 house is half-filled by a fence of rotten boards, shored up by five stone posts. In this recess66 lies concealed67 a little shanty68 which leans against the portion of the ruin which has remained standing69. The fence has a gate, which, a few years ago, was fastened only by a latch70.
It was the crest71 of this ruin that Thenardier had succeeded in reaching, a little after one o'clock in the morning.
How had he got there? That is what no one has ever been able to explain or understand. The lightning must, at the same time, have hindered and helped him. Had he made use of the ladders and scaffoldings of the slaters to get from roof to roof, from enclosure to enclosure, from compartment72 to compartment, to the buildings of the Charlemagne court, then to the buildings of the Saint-Louis court, to the outer wall, and thence to the hut on the Rue du Roi-de-Sicile? But in that itinerary73 there existed breaks which seemed to render it an impossibility. Had he placed the plank59 from his bed like a bridge from the roof of the Fine-Air to the outer wall, and crawled flat, on his belly74 on the coping of the outer wall the whole distance round the prison as far as the hut? But the outer wall of La Force formed a crenellated and unequal line; it mounted and descended75, it dropped at the firemen's barracks, it rose towards the bath-house, it was cut in twain by buildings, it was not even of the same height on the Hotel Lamoignon as on the Rue Pavee; everywhere occurred falls and right angles; and then, the sentinels must have espied76 the dark form of the fugitive77; hence, the route taken by Thenardier still remains rather inexplicable78. In two manners, flight was impossible. Had Thenardier, spurred on by that thirst for liberty which changes precipices79 into ditches, iron bars into wattles of osier, a legless man into an athlete, a gouty man into a bird, stupidity into instinct, instinct into intelligence, and intelligence into genius, had Thenardier invented a third mode? No one has ever found out.
The marvels80 of escape cannot always be accounted for. The man who makes his escape, we repeat, is inspired; there is something of the star and of the lightning in the mysterious gleam of flight; the effort towards deliverance is no less surprising than theflight towards the sublime81, and one says of the escaped thief: "How did he contrive82 to scale that wall?" in the same way that one
says of Corneille: "Where did he find the means of dying?"
At all events, dripping with perspiration83, drenched84 with rain, with his clothes hanging in ribbons, his hands flayed85, his elbows bleeding, his knees torn, Thenardier had reached what children, in their figurative language, call the edge of the wall of the ruin, there he had stretched himself out at full length, and there his strength had failed him. A steep escarpment three stories high separated him from the pavement of the street.
The rope which he had was too short.
There he waited, pale, exhausted87, desperate with all the despair which he had undergone, still hidden by the night, but telling
himself that the day was on the point of dawning, alarmed at the idea of hearing the neighboring clock of Saint-Paul strike four within a few minutes, an hour when the sentinel was relieved and when the latter would be found asleep under the pierced roof, staring in horror at a terrible depth, at the light of the street lanterns, the wet, black pavement, that pavement longed for yet frightful88, which meant death, and which meant liberty.
He asked himself whether his three accomplices89 in flight had succeeded, if they had heard him, and if they would come to his assistance. He listened. With the exception of the patrol, no one had passed through the street since he had been there. Nearly the whole of the descent of the market-gardeners from Montreuil, from Charonne, from Vincennes, and from Bercy to the markets was accomplished90 through the Rue Saint-Antoine.
Four o'clock struck. Thenardier shuddered91. A few moments later, that terrified and confused uproar which follows the discovery of an escape broke forth92 in the prison. The sound of doors opening and shutting, the creaking of gratings on their hinges, a tumult93 in the guard-house, the hoarse94 shouts of the turnkeys, the shock of musket-butts on the pavement of the courts, reached his ears. Lights ascended95 and descended past the grated windows of the dormitories, a torch ran along the ridge-pole of the top story of the New Building, the firemen belonging in the barracks on the right had been summoned. Their helmets, which the torch lighted up in the rain, went and came along the roofs. At the same time, Thenardier perceived in the direction of the Bastille a wan96 whiteness lighting97 up the edge of the sky in doleful wise.
He was on top of a wall ten inches wide, stretched out under the heavy rains, with two gulfs to right and left, unable to stir, subject to the giddiness of a possible fall, and to the horror of a certain arrest, and his thoughts, like the pendulum98 of a clock, swung from one of these ideas to the other: "Dead if I fall, caught if I stay." In the midst of this anguish99, he suddenly saw, the street being still dark, a man who was gliding100 along the walls and coming from the Rue Pavee, halt in the recess above which Thenardier was, as it were, suspended. Here this man was joined by a second, who walked with the same caution, then by a third, then by a fourth. When these men were re-united, one of them lifted the latch of the gate in the fence, and all four entered the enclosure in which the shanty stood. They halted directly under Thenardier. These men had evidently chosen this vacant space in order that they might consult without being seen by the passers-by or by the sentinel who guards the wicket of La Force a few paces distant. It must be added, that the rain kept this sentinel blocked in his box. Thenardier, not being able to distinguish their visages, lent an ear to their words with the desperate attention of a wretch101 who feels himself lost.
Thenardier saw something resembling a gleam of hope flash before his eyes,--these men conversed102 in slang.
The first said in a low but distinct voice:--
"Let's cut. What are we up to here?"
The second replied: "It's raining hard enough to put out the very devil's fire. And the bobbies will be along instanter. There's a soldier on guard yonder. We shall get nabbed here."
These two words, icigo and icicaille, both of which mean ici, and which belong, the first to the slang of the barriers, the second to the slang of the Temple, were flashes of light for Thenardier. By the icigo he recognized Brujon, who was a prowler of the barriers, by the icicaille he knew Babet, who, among his other trades, had been an old-clothes broker103 at the Temple.
The antique slang of the great century is no longer spoken except in the Temple, and Babet was really the only person who spoke104 it in all its purity. Had it not been for the icicaille, Thenardier would not have recognized him, for he had entirely105 changed his voice.
In the meanwhile, the third man had intervened.
"There's no hurry yet, let's wait a bit. How do we know that he doesn't stand in need of us?"
By this, which was nothing but French, Thenardier recognized Montparnasse, who made it a point in his elegance106 to understand all slangs and to speak none of them.
As for the fourth, he held his peace, but his huge shouldersbetrayed him. Thenardier did not hesitate. It was Guelemer.
Brujon replied almost impetuously but still in a low tone:--
"What are you jabbering107 about? The tavern-keeper hasn't managed to cut his stick. He don't tumble to the racket, that he don't! You have to be a pretty knowing cove35 to tear up your shirt, cut up your sheet to make a rope, punch holes in doors, get up false papers, make false keys, file your irons, hang out your cord, hide yourself, and disguise yourself! The old fellow hasn't managed to play it, he doesn't understand how to work the business."
Babet added, still in that classical slang which was spoken by Poulailler and Cartouche, and which is to the bold, new, highly colored and risky108 argot109 used by Brujon what the language of Racine is to the language of Andre Chenier:--
"Your tavern-keeper must have been nabbed in the act. You have to be knowing. He's only a greenhorn. He must have let himself be taken in by a bobby, perhaps even by a sheep who played it on him as his pal86. Listen, Montparnasse, do you hear those shouts in the prison? You have seen all those lights. He's recaptured, there! He'll get off with twenty years. I ain't afraid, I ain't a coward, but there ain't anything more to do, or otherwise they'd lead us a dance. Don't get mad, come with us, let's go drink a bottle of old wine together."
"One doesn't desert one's friends in a scrape," grumbled110 Montparnasse.
"I tell you he's nabbed!" retorted Brujon. "At the present moment, the inn-keeper ain't worth a ha'penny. We can't do nothing for him. Let's be off. Every minute I think a bobby has got me in his fist."
Montparnasse no longer offered more than a feeble resistance; the fact is, that these four men, with the fidelity111 of ruffians who never abandon each other, had prowled all night long about La Force, great as was their peril112, in the hope of seeing Thenardier make his appearance on the top of some wall. But the night, which was really growing too fine,--for the downpour was such as to render all the streets deserted113,--the cold which was overpowering them, their soaked garments, their hole-ridden shoes, the alarming noise which had just burst forth in the prison, the hours which had elapsed, the patrol which they had encountered, the hope which was vanishing, all urged them to beat a retreat. Montparnasse himself, who was, perhaps, almost Thenardier's son-in-law, yielded. A moment more, and they would be gone. Thenardier was panting on his wall like the shipwrecked sufferers of the Meduse on their raft when they beheld114 the vessel115 which had appeared in sight vanish on the horizon.
He dared not call to them; a cry might be heard and ruin everything. An idea occurred to him, a last idea, a flash of inspiration; he drew from his pocket the end of Brujon's rope, which he had detached from the chimney of the New Building, and flung it into the space enclosed by the fence.
This rope fell at their feet.
"A widow,"[37] said Babet.
[37] Argot of the Temple.
"My tortouse!"[38] said Brujon.
[38] Argot of the barriers.
"The tavern-keeper is there," said Montparnasse.
They raised their eyes. Thenardier thrust out his head a very little.
"Quick!" said Montparnasse, "have you the other end of the rope, Brujon?"
"Yes."
"Knot the two pieces together, we'll fling him the rope, he can fasten it to the wall, and he'll have enough of it to get down with."
Thenardier ran the risk, and spoke:--
"I am paralyzed with cold."
"We'll warm you up."
"Let yourself slide, we'll catch you."
"My hands are benumbed."
"Only fasten the rope to the wall."
"I can't."
"Then one of us must climb up," said Montparnasse.
"Three stories!" ejaculated Brujon.
An ancient plaster flue, which had served for a stove that had been used in the shanty in former times, ran along the wall and mounted almost to the very spot where they could see Thenardier. This flue, then much damaged and full of cracks, has since fallen, but the marks of it are still visible.
It was very narrow.
"One might get up by the help of that," said Montparnasse.
"By that flue?" exclaimed Babet, "a grown-up cove, never! it would take a brat117."
"A brat must be got," resumed Brujon.
"Where are we to find a young 'un?" said Guelemer.
"Wait," said Montparnasse. "I've got the very article."
He opened the gate of the fence very softly, made sure that no one was passing along the street, stepped out cautiously, shut the gate behind him, and set off at a run in the direction of the Bastille.
Seven or eight minutes elapsed, eight thousand centuries to Thenardier; Babet, Brujon, and Guelemer did not open their lips; at last the gate opened once more, and Montparnasse appeared, breathless, and followed by Gavroche. The rain still rendered the street completely deserted.
Little Gavroche entered the enclosure and gazed at the forms of these ruffians with a tranquil118 air. The water was dripping from his hair. Guelemer addressed him:--
"Are you a man, young 'un?"
Gavroche shrugged119 his shoulders, and replied:--
"A young 'un like me's a man, and men like you are babes."
"The brat's tongue's well hung!" exclaimed Babet.
"The Paris brat ain't made of straw," added Brujon.
"What do you want?" asked Gavroche.
Montparnasse answered:--
"Climb up that flue."
"With this rope," said Babet.
"And fasten it," continued Brujon.
"To the top of the wall," went on Babet.
"To the cross-bar of the window," added Brujon.
"And then?" said Gavroche.
"There!" said Guelemer.
The gamin examined the rope, the flue, the wall, the windows, and made that indescribable and disdainful noise with his lips which signifies:--
"Is that all!"
"There's a man up there whom you are to save," resumed Montparnasse.
"Will you?" began Brujon again.
"Greenhorn!" replied the lad, as though the question appeared a most unprecedented120 one to him.
And he took off his shoes.
Guelemer seized Gavroche by one arm, set him on the roof of the shanty, whose worm-eaten planks bent121 beneath the urchin's weight,and handed him the rope which Brujon had knotted together during Montparnasse's absence. The gamin directed his steps towards the flue, which it was easy to enter, thanks to a large crack which touched the roof. At the moment when he was on the point of ascending122, Thenardier, who saw life and safety approaching, bent over the edge of the wall; the first light of dawn struck white upon his brow dripping with sweat, upon his livid cheek-bones, his sharp and savage123 nose, his bristling124 gray beard, and Gavroche recognized him.
"Hullo! it's my father! Oh, that won't hinder."
And taking the rope in his teeth, he resolutely125 began the ascent126.
He reached the summit of the hut, bestrode the old wall as though it had been a horse. and knotted the rope firmly to the upper cross-bar of the window.
A moment later, Thenardier was in the street.
As soon as he touched the pavement, as soon as he found himself out of danger, he was no longer either weary, or chilled or trembling; the terrible things from which he had escaped vanished like smoke, all that strange and ferocious127 mind awoke once more, and stood erect128 and free, ready to march onward129.
These were this man's first words:--
"Now, whom are we to eat?"
It is useless to explain the sense of this frightfully transparent130 remark, which signifies both to kill, to assassinate131, and to plunder. To eat, true sense: to devour132.
"Let's get well into a corner," said Brujon. "Let's settle it in three words, and part at once. There was an affair that promised well in the Rue Plumet, a deserted street, an isolated house, an old rotten gate on a garden, and lone133 women."
"Well! why not?" demanded Thenardier.
"Your girl, Eponine, went to see about the matter," replied Babet.
"And she brought a biscuit to Magnon," added Guelemer. "Nothing to be made there."
"The girl's no fool," said Thenardier. "Still, it must be seen to."
"Yes, yes," said Brujon, "it must be looked up."
In the meanwhile, none of the men seemed to see Gavroche, who, during this colloquy134, had seated himself on one of the fence-posts; he waited a few moments, thinking that perhaps his father would turn towards him, then he put on his shoes again, and said:--
"Is that all? You don't want any more, my men? Now you're out of your scrape. I'm off. I must go and get my brats135 out of bed."
And off he went.The five men emerged, one after another, from the enclosure.
When Gavroche had disappeared at the corner of the Rue des Ballets, Babet took Thenardier aside.
"Did you take a good look at that young 'un?" he asked.
"What young 'un?"
"The one who climbed the wall and carried you the rope."
"Not particularly."
"Well, I don't know, but it strikes me that it was your son."
"Bah!" said Thenardier, "do you think so?"
下面是这同一个晚上发生在拉弗尔斯监狱里的事：
巴伯、普吕戎、海嘴和德纳第之间早已商量好了要越狱，尽管德纳第是关在单人牢房里。巴伯当天便办妥了他自己的事，这是我们已在巴纳斯山向伽弗洛什所作的叙述中见到了的。
巴纳斯山应当从外面援助他们。
普吕戎在刑房里住了一个月，趁这期间他做了两件事：一，编好了一根绳子；二，一套计划思考成熟了。从前，狱里的制度是让囚犯自己去处理自己的，囚禁他们的那种严酷的地方，四堵墙是条石砌的，顶上也是条石架的，地上铺了石板，放一张布榻，有一个用铁条拦住的透风洞，一道钉上铁皮的门，这种地方叫做囚牢，但是有人认为囚牢太可怕了。现在，这种地方的结构是：一道铁门、一个用铁条拦住的透风洞、一张布榻、石板地面、条石架起的顶、条石砌起的四堵墙，而且改称为刑房。那里在中午稍微有点光。这种房间，我们心里明白，已不是囚牢，但仍有它的不便之处，那就是，它让一些应当从事劳动的人待下来动脑筋。
普吕戎，正因为他爱动脑筋，才带着一根绳子走出了刑房。他在查理大帝院里，被公认为一个相当危险的人物，别人便把他安插在新大楼里。他在新大楼里发现的第一件东西，是海嘴，第二件，是一根钉子。海嘴，意味着犯罪，一根钉子，意味着自由。
关于普吕戎，我们现在应当有个完整的概念。这人，外表具有文弱的体质和经过预先细想过的忧伤神情，是一条打磨光了的好汉，聪明，诡诈，眼神柔媚，笑容凶残。眼神是他意志的表露，笑容是他本性的表露。他最先学习的技艺是针对屋顶的，他大大发展了拔除铅皮的技能，运用所谓“切牛胃”的方法来破坏屋顶结构和溜槽。
使当时更有利于实现越狱企图的，是当日有些泥瓦工在掀开重整那监狱房顶上的石板瓦。圣贝尔纳院和查理大帝院以及圣路易院之间已不是绝对隔离的了。那上面架起了不少脚手架和梯子，也就是说，已有了一些可以和外界沟通的天桥和飞梯了。
新大楼原是那监狱的弱点，已处处开裂，破旧到了举世无双的程度。那些墙被盐硝腐蚀到如此地步，以至每间寝室的拱形圆顶都非加上一层木板来保护不可，因为常有石块从顶上落到睡在床上的囚犯身上。房屋虽已破旧不堪，人们却仍错误地把那些最恼火的犯人，按照狱里的话来说，把那些“重案子”
关在新大楼里。
新大楼有四间上下相叠的寝室和一间叫做气爽楼的顶楼。一道很宽的壁炉烟囱棗也许是前拉弗尔斯公爵的厨房里的烟囱，从底层起，穿过四层楼房，把那些寝室一隔为二，象一根扁平的柱子，直通过屋顶。
海嘴和普吕戎同住一间寝室。为了谨慎起见，人们把这两个人安置在下面的一层楼上。他们两人的床头又都偶然抵在壁炉烟囱上。
德纳第住在所谓气爽楼的那间顶楼里，正好在他们的头上。
街上的行人，在走过消防队营房，停在圣卡特琳园地街的班家宅子的大车门前，便能望见一个摆满栽有花木的木盆的院子，院子底里有一座白色的圆亭，亭有两翼，都装了绿色的百叶窗，颇有让－雅克所梦想的那种牧场情趣。前此不出十年，在这圆亭上面，还耸立着一道高大的黑墙，形象奇丑，圆亭便紧靠着这道赤裸裸的墙。墙头便是拉弗尔斯监狱的巡逻道所在之处。
圆亭背后的这道墙，令人想象出现在贝尔坎背后的密尔顿。
那道墙尽管很高，但仍从墙头露出一道更黑的屋顶，那便是新大楼的屋顶。屋顶上有四扇全装了铁条的天窗，那便是气爽楼的窗子。一道烟囱从屋顶下伸出来，那便是穿过几层寝室的一道烟囱。
气爽楼在新大楼的顶层，是一大间顶楼，有几道装了三层铁栏的门和两面都装了铁皮并布满特大铁钉的板门。我们打北头进去，左面有那四扇天窗，右面，正对着天窗有四个相当大的方形铁笼，四个笼子是分开的，它们之间有一条窄过道，笼子的下面一截是齐胸高的墙，上面一截是直达屋顶的铁栅栏。
德纳第自二月三日晚上起，便被单独关在这样的一个铁笼里。人们始终没能查明，他是如何，以及和谁勾结，得到了一瓶那种据说是德吕发明的含有麻醉剂的药酒，这帮匪徒因而以“哄睡者”闻名于世。
在好些监狱里都有那种奸役猾吏，半官半匪，他们协助越狱，向警察当局虚报情况，从中捞取油水。
就在小伽弗洛什收留两个流浪儿的那天晚上，普吕戎和海嘴知道了巴伯已在当天早上逃走并将和巴纳斯山一起在街上接应他们。他们悄悄从床上爬起来，开始用普吕戎找来的那棍钉子挖通他们床头边的壁炉烟囱。灰碴全落在普吕戎的床上，以免旁人听见。风雨夹着雷声，正推使各处的门在门臼中撞击，以至监狱里响起了一片骇人而有用的响声。被吵醒的囚犯们都假装睡着了，让海嘴和普吕戎行动。普吕戎手脚灵巧，海嘴体力充沛。狱监睡在一间对着寝室开一道铁栏门的单人房间里，在他听出动静以前，那两个凶顽的匪徒早已挖通墙壁，爬上烟囱，破开烟囱顶上的铁丝网，到了屋顶上面。雨和风来得更猛，屋顶是滑溜溜的。
“一个多么好的开小差的夜晚！”普吕戎说。
一道六尺宽、八丈深的鸿沟横在他们和那巡逻道之间。在那鸿沟的底里，他们还望见一个站岗兵士的步枪在黑暗中闪光。他们拿出普吕戎在牢里编的绳子，一头拴在烟囱顶上刚被他们扭曲的铁条上，一头向着巡逻道的上面甩出去，一个箭步便跨过了鸿沟，双手攀住墙边，翻身跨上去，一前一后，顺着那根绳子滑下去，落在班家宅子旁边的一个小屋顶上，接着又拉回他们的绳子，跳到班家院子里，穿过院子，推开门房门头上的小窗，抽动那根悬在小窗旁边的索子，开了大车门，便到了街上。
从他们在黑暗中，手里捏着一根钉子，脑子里有着一个计划，爬起来立在床上算起，还不到三刻钟。
不久他们便遇上了在附近徘徊的巴伯和巴纳斯山。
他们的那根绳子，在抽回时断了，有一段还拴在屋顶上的烟囱口上。除了手掌皮几乎全被擦掉以外，他们并没有其他的伤。
那晚，德纳第便已得到消息，不知他是怎么得到的，他老睡不着。
将近凌晨一点钟时，夜黑极了，雨大风狂，他望见两个人影，在屋顶上，从他那铁笼对面的天窗外面闪过。其中的一个在天窗口上停了一下，不过一眨眼的时间。这是普吕戎。德纳第认清楚了，他心里明白。这已经够了。
德纳第是被指控为黑夜手持凶器谋害人命的凶犯而受到囚禁和监视的。老有一个值班的兵士掮着枪在他的铁笼前面走来走去，每两个钟点换一班。气爽楼是由一个挂在墙上的烛台照明的。这犯人的脚上有一对五十斤重的铁球。每天下午四点，由一个狱卒带两只大头狗棗当时还采用这种办法棗来到他的铁笼里，把一块两斤重的黑面包、一罐冷水、一满瓢带几粒豆子的素汤放在他的床前，检查他的脚镣，敲敲那些铁件。这人每晚要带着他的大头狗来巡查两次。
德纳第曾得到许可，把一根铁扦似的东西留下来，好插住他的面包钉在墙缝里，“免得给耗子吃了。”他说。由于德纳第是经常受到监视的，便没有人感到这铁扦有什么不妥。直到日后大伙儿才想起有个狱卒曾经说过：“只给他根木扦会更妥当些。”
早上两点钟换班时把一个老兵撤走了，换来一个新兵。过了一会儿，那个带狗的人来巡查，除了感到那“丘八”过于年轻和“那种乡巴佬的样子”外，并没有发现什么，也就走了。过了两个钟头，到四点，又该换班，这才发现那新兵象块石头似的倒在德纳第的铁笼旁边，睡着了。至于德纳第，已不知去向。他的脚镣断了，留在方砖地上。在他那铁笼的顶上，有一个洞，更上面，屋顶上，也有一个洞。他床上的一块木板被撬掉了，也许还被带走了，因为日后始终没有找回来。在那囚牢里，还找到半瓶迷魂酒，是那兵士喝剩下来的，他已被蒙汗药蒙倒，他的刺刀也不见了。
到这一切都被发觉时，大伙儿都认为德纳第已经远走高飞了。其实，他只逃出了新大楼，没有脱离危险。他的越狱企图还远没有完成。
德纳第到了新大楼的屋顶上，发现普吕戎留下的那段绳子，还挂在烟囱顶罩上的铁条上，但是这段绳子太短，他不能象普吕戎和海嘴那样，从巡逻道上面逃出去。
当我们从芭蕾舞街转进西西里王街时，便几乎立即遇到右手边的一小块肮脏不堪的空地。这地方，在前一世纪，原有一栋房子，现在只剩下一堵后墙了，那真正是一栋破烂房子的危墙，高达四层楼，竖在毗邻的房屋之间。这一残迹不难辨认，现在人们还能望见那上面的两扇大方窗，中间，最靠近右墙尖的那扇窗子顶上还横着一根方椽，这是作为承受压力的搁条装在那上面的，已有虫伤。过去人们从这些窗口可以望见一道阴森森的高墙，那便是拉弗尔斯监狱的围墙，墙头上便是巡逻道。
那房屋被毁以后，留下一块临街的空地，空地的一半由一道有五根条石支撑着的栅栏围着，栅栏上的木板已经腐朽。栅栏里隐藏着一间小木棚，紧靠在那堵要倒不倒的危墙下面。栅栏上有一扇门，几年前，门上还有一根销子。
德纳第在早上三点过后不久到达的地方便是在这危墙顶上。
他是怎样来到这地方的呢？谁也说不清，也无从理解。闪电大致一直在妨碍他，也一直在帮助他。他是不是利用了那些盖瓦工人的梯子和脚手架，从一个房顶达到一个房顶，一个圈栏达到一个圈栏，一个间隔达到一个间隔，先是查理大帝院的大楼，再是圣路易院的大楼，巡逻道的墙头，从这里再爬到这破房子上的呢？但是在这样一条路线上，有许多无法解决的衔接问题，看来是不大可能的。他是不是把他床上的那块木板当作桥梁，从气爽楼架到巡逻道的墙头，再顺着围墙边，趴在地上，绕着监狱爬了一圈，才到达这幢破房子的呢？但是拉弗尔斯监狱的这条巡逻道的墙是起伏不平的，它时而高，时而低，在消防队营房那一带，它低下去，到了班家宅子，又高起来，一路上还被一些建筑所隔断，靠近拉莫瓦尼翁府邸那一段的高度便不同于对着铺石街那一段的高度，处处都是陡壁和直角，并且，哨兵们也不会看不见一个逃犯的黑影，因此德纳第所走的路线，要这样去解释，也仍旧说不通。以这两种方式，看来逃走都是不可能的。德纳第迫切渴望自由，因而情急智生，把深渊化为浅坑，铁栏门化为柳条篱，双腿残缺者化为运动员，瘫子化为飞鸟，愚痴化为直感，直感化为智慧，智慧化为天才，他是否临时创造发明了第三种办法呢？始终没有人知道。
越狱的奇迹不总是能阐述清楚的。脱离险境的人，让我们反复说明，常靠灵机一动，在促成逃脱的那种精秘的微明中，常有星光和闪电，探寻生路的毅力是和奇文妙语同样惊人的。我们在谈到一个逃犯时，常会问道：“他怎么会翻过这房顶的呢？”同样，我们在谈到高乃依时，也常会问道：“他是从什么地方想出那句妙语‘死亡’的呢？”
总之，淌着一身汗，淋着一身雨，衣服缕裂，双手被剥了皮，双肘流血，双膝被撕破了的德纳第来到了那堵危墙的“刃儿”上棗照孩子们想象的说法棗，他伸直了身体，伏在那上面，精疲力竭了。在他和街面之间还隔着一道四层楼高的陡峭削壁。
他揣着的那根绳子太短了。
他只能等待，脸如死灰，气力不济，刚才的指望全成了泡影，虽然仍在黑夜的掩蔽中，心里却老念着不久就要天亮，想到附近圣保罗教堂的钟马上就要报四点了，更是心惊胆战，到那时，哨兵要换班，人们将发现那哨兵躺在捅开了的屋顶下面，他丧魂失魄地望着身下的骇人的深度，望着路灯的微光，望着那湿漉漉、黑洞洞、一心想踏上却又危险万状、既能带来死亡又是自由所在的街心。
他心里在琢磨，那三个和他同谋越狱的人是否已经脱逃，他们是否在等他，会不会来搭救他。他侧耳细听。自从他到达那上面以后，除了一个巡逻队以外，还没有谁在街上走过。凡是从蒙特勒伊、夏罗纳、万塞纳、贝尔西去市场的蔬菜贩子几乎全是由圣安东尼街走的。
四点钟报了。德纳第听了毛发直竖。不大一会儿，监狱里便响起一片在发现越狱事件后必有的那种乱哄哄的惊扰声。开门，关门，铁门斗的尖叫，卫队的喧嚷，狱卒们的哑嗓子，枪托在院子里石板地上撞击的声音，都一齐传到了他的耳边。无数灯光在那些寝室的铁窗口忽上忽下，火炬在新大楼的顶上奔跑，旁边营房里的消防队员也调来了。火炬照着他们的钢盔，在各处的房顶上迎着风雨来来往往。同时，德纳第望见，靠巴士底广场那个方向，有一片灰暗的色彩，在苍茫凄惨的天边渐渐转白。
他呢，陷在那十寸宽的墙头上，躺在瓢泼大雨的下面，左右两边都是绝地，动弹不得，既怕头晕掉下去，又怕重遭逮捕，他的思想，象个钟锤，在这样两个念头间来回摇摆：掉下去便只有死，不动又只有被捕。
他正在悲痛绝望中，忽然看见棗当时街道还完全是黑的棗一个人顺着围墙，从铺石街那面走来，停在他德纳第仿佛临空挂着的那地方下面的空地上。这人到了以后，随即又来了第二个人，也是那样偷偷摸摸走来的，随后又是第三个，随后又是第四个。这些人会齐以后，其中的一个提起了栅栏门上的销子，四个人全走进了那有木棚的圈栏里。他们恰巧都站在德纳第的下面。这几个人显然是为了不让街上的过路人和守在几步以外拉弗尔斯监狱了望口的那个哨兵看见，才选择了这块空地作为他们交谈的地点。也应当指出，当时的大雨已把那哨兵封锁在他的岗亭里。德纳第看不清他们的面孔，只得集中一个自叹生机已绝的穷途末路人所具有的那一点无所希冀的注意力，张着耳朵去听他们的谈话。
德纳第仿佛看见他眼前有了一线希望，这些人说的是黑话。
第一个轻轻地，但是清晰地说道：
“我们走吧。我们还待在此地干啥？”
第二个回答说：
“这雨下得连鬼火也熄灭了。并且警察就要来了。那边有个兵在站岗。我们会在此地被人逮住。”
Icigo和icicaille这两个字全当“此地”讲，头一个字属于便门一带的黑话，后一个属于大庙一带的黑话，这对德纳第来说，等于是一道光明。从icigo，他认出了普吕戎，普吕戎原是便门一带的歹徒，从icicaille，他认出了巴伯，巴伯干过许多行当，也曾在大庙贩卖过旧货。
大世纪的古老黑话，也只有大庙一带的人还能说说，巴伯甚至是唯一能把这种黑话说得地道的人。他当时如果没有说ici－caille，德纳第绝不会认出他来，因为他把口音完全改变了。
这时，第三个人插进来说：
“不用急，再等一下。现在还不能肯定他不需要我们。”
这句话是用法语说的，德纳第听到，便认出了巴纳斯山，此人的高贵处便在于能听懂任何一种黑话，而自己绝不说。
第四个人没有开口，但是他那双宽肩膀瞒不了人。德纳第一眼便看出了。那是海嘴。
普吕戎表示反对，他几乎是急不可耐，但始终压低着嗓子说道：
“你在和我们说什么？客店老板大致没有逃成功。他不懂得这里的窍门，确是！撕衬衫，裂垫单，用来做根绳子，门上挖洞，造假证件，做假钥匙，掐断脚镣，拴好绳子甩到外面去，躲起来，化装，这些都得有点小聪明！这老倌大致没有能办到，他不知道工作！”
巴伯说的始终是普拉耶和卡图什常说的那种正规古典的黑话，而普吕戎所用的是一种大胆创新、色彩丰富、敢于突破陈规的黑话，它们之间的不同，有如拉辛的语言不同于安德烈·舍尼埃的语言。巴伯接着说道：
“你那客店老板也许当场就让人家逮住了。非有点小聪明不成。他还只是个学徒。他也许上了一个暗探的当，甚至被一个假装同行的奸细卖了。听，巴纳斯山，你听见狱里那种喊声没有？你看见那一片烛光。他已被抓住了，你放心！不成问题他又得去坐他的二十年牢了。我并不害怕，我不是胆小鬼，你们全知道，但是现在只能溜走，要不，我们也跟着倒霉。你不要生气，还是跟我们一道去喝一瓶老酒吧。”
“朋友有困难，我们总不能不管。”巴纳斯山嘟囔着。
“我告诉你，他已经完了！”普吕戎说。“到如今，那客店老板已经一文不值。我们没有办法。我们还是走吧。我随时都感到一个警察已把我牵在他的手里。”
巴纳斯山只能微微表示反对了，事情是这样：这四个人，带着匪徒们常有的那种彼此永不离弃的忠忱，曾不顾任何危险，在拉弗尔斯监狱四周徘徊了一整夜，希望看见德纳第忽然出现在某一处的墙头上。但是那天夜里的确太好了，倾盆大雨清除了各处街道上的行人，寒气越来越重，他们的衣服全湿透了，鞋底通了，监狱里响起了一片使人心慌的声音，时间过去了，巡逻队一再走过，希望渐渐渺茫，恐惧心逐渐回复，这一切都在迫使他们退却。巴纳斯山本人，也许多少算是德纳第的女婿，也让步了。再过片刻，他们便全散了。德纳第待在墙头上，气促心跳，正象墨杜萨海船上的罹难者，待在木排上面，远远望见一条船，却又在天边消失了。
他不敢喊，万一被人听见，便全完了，他心生一计，最后的一计，一线微光；他把普吕戎拴在新大楼烟囱上被他解下来的那段绳子从衣袋里掏出来，往木栅栏圈子里丢去。
绳子正好落在他们的脚边。
“一个veuve①。”巴伯说。
“我的tortouse②！”普吕戎说。
①寡妇：指绳子。（大庙的黑话）
②乌龟，指绳子。（便门的黑话）
他们抬头望去。德纳第把脑袋稍微伸出了一点。
“快！”巴纳斯山说，“你另外的那一段绳子还在吗，普吕戎？”
“在。”
“把两段结起来，我们把绳子抛给他，他拿来拴在墙上，便够他下来了。”
德纳第冒着危险提起嗓子说：
“我冻僵了。”
“回头再叫你暖起来。”
“我动不了。”
“你滑下来，我们接住你。”
“我的手麻木了。”
“拴根绳子在墙上，你总成吧。”
“不成。”
“我们非得有个人上去不行。”巴纳斯山说。
“四层楼！”普吕戎说。
一道泥灰砌的管道棗供从前住在木棚里的人生火炉用的管道棗贴着那堵墙向上伸展，几乎到达德纳第所在处的高度。烟囱已经有许多裂痕，并且全破裂了，现在早已坍塌，只留下一点痕迹。那管道相当窄。
“我们可以打这儿上去。”巴纳斯山说。
“一个orgue！”①巴伯说，“钻这烟囱？决过不去！非得有个mion②不成。”
“非得有个moCme③。”普吕戎说。
“到哪儿去找小孩？”海嘴说。
“等等，”巴纳斯山说，“我有办法。”
①大风琴，指大人。（黑话）
②小孩。（大庙的黑话）
③小孩。（便门的黑话）
他轻轻把栅栏门推开了一点，看明了街上没人，悄悄走了出去，顺手把门带上，朝着巴士底广场那个方向跑去了。
七八分钟过去了，对德纳第来说却是八千个世纪，巴伯、普吕戎、海嘴都一直咬紧了牙，那扇门终于又开了，巴纳斯山，上气不接下气，领着伽弗洛什出现了。雨仍在下，因而街上绝无行人。
伽弗洛什走进栅栏，若无其事地望着那几个匪徒的脸。头发里雨水直流。海嘴先开口对他说道：
“伢子，你是个大人吧？”
伽弗洛什耸了耸肩，回答说：
“象我这样一个mome是一个orgue，象你们这样的orgues却是些momes。”
“这小子说话好不厉害！”巴伯说。
“巴黎的孩子不是湿草做的。”普吕戎说。
“你们要怎么？”伽弗洛什说。
巴纳斯山回答说：
“从这烟囱里爬上去。”
“带着这个寡妇。”巴伯说。
“还得拴上这只乌龟。”普吕戎跟着说。
“在这墙上。”巴伯又说。
“在那窗子的横杠上。”普吕戎补充。
“还有呢？”伽弗洛什问。
“就这些！”海嘴回答说。
那野孩细看了那些绳子、烟囱、墙、窗以后，便用上下嘴唇发出那种无法说清、表示轻蔑的声音，含义是：
“屁大的事！”
“那上面有个人要你去救。”巴纳斯山又说。
“你肯吗？”普吕戎问。
“笨蛋！”那孩子回答说，仿佛感到那句话问得太奇怪，他随即脱下鞋子。
海嘴一把提起伽弗洛什，将他放在板棚顶上，那些蛀伤了的顶板在孩子的体重下面直闪，他又把普吕戎在巴纳斯山离开时重新结好了的绳子递给他。孩子向那烟囱走去，烟囱在接近棚顶的地方有一个大缺口，他一下便钻进去了。他正在往上爬的时候，德纳第望见救星来了，有了生路，便把脑袋伸向墙边，微弱的曙光照着他那浸满了汗水的额头，土灰色的颧骨细长、开豁的鼻子，散乱直竖的灰白头发，伽弗洛什已经认出了他。
“哟！”他说，“原来是我的老子！……呵！没有关系。”
他随即一口咬住那根绳子，使力往上爬。
他到达破屋顶上，象骑马似的跨在危墙的头上，把绳子牢固地拴在窗子头上的横条上。
不大一会儿，德纳第便到了街上。
一踏上街心，感到自己脱离了危险，他便不再觉得疲乏麻木，也不再发抖了，他刚挣脱的那种险恶处境，象一溜烟似的全消逝了，他完全恢复了他固有的那种凶残少见的性格，感到自己能站稳，能自主，踏步前进了。这人开口说出的第一句话是：
“现在，我们打算去吃谁呢？”
这个透明到可怕的字，不用再解释了，它的含义既是杀，又是谋害，又是抢劫。“吃”的真正意义是“吞下去”。
“大家站拢点，”普吕戎说，“我们用三两句话来谈一下，然后大家立刻分手。卜吕梅街有件买卖，看来还有点搞头，一条冷清的街，一幢孤零零的房子，一道古老的朽铁门对着花园，孤孤单单的两个女人。”
“好嘛！何不来一下呢？”德纳第问。
“你的女儿，爱潘妮，已经去看过了。”巴伯回答说。
“她给了马侬一块饼干，”海嘴接着说，“没有搞头。”
“这姑娘并不傻，”德纳第说，“可是应当去瞧瞧。”
“对，对，”普吕戎说，“应当去瞧瞧。”
这时，那几个人好象全没注意伽弗洛什，伽弗洛什坐在一块支撑栅栏的条石上，望着他们谈话，他等了一会，也许是在等他父亲向他转过来吧，随后，他又穿上鞋子，说道：
“事情是不是完了？不再需要我了吧，你们这些人？我要走了。我还得去把我那两个孩子叫起来。”
说完，他便走了。
那五个人，一个跟着一个，也走出了木栅栏。
当伽弗洛什转进芭蕾舞街不见时，巴伯把德纳第拉到一边，问他说：
“你留意那个孩子没有？”
“哪个孩子？”
“爬上墙头，把绳子捎给你的那个孩子。”
“我没有怎么留意。”
“喂，我也不知道，我好象觉得那是你的儿子。”
“管他的！”德纳第说，“不见得吧。”
他便也走开了。
收听单词发音 |
1
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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penetrates
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| v.穿过( penetrate的第三人称单数 )；刺入；了解；渗透 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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despoil
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| v.夺取，抢夺 | |
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gutters
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| （路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地 | |
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14
slates
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| （旧时学生用以写字的）石板( slate的名词复数 )； 板岩； 石板瓦； 石板色 | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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18
sheathing
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| n.覆盖物，罩子v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的现在分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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23
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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24
beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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25
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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26
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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rotunda
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| n.圆形建筑物；圆厅 | |
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28
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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29
bucolic
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| adj.乡村的；牧羊的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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descry
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| v.远远看到；发现；责备 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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connivance
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| n.纵容；默许 | |
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procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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secreting
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的现在分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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40
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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41
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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42
opportune
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| adj.合适的，适当的 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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44
adroit
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的 | |
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45
redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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46
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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48
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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49
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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50
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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51
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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52
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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53
fetters
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| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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54
Vogue
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| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
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55
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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56
spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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57
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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58
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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59
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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60
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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61
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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62
prop
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| vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山 | |
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63
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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64
lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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65
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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66
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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67
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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68
shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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69
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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70
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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71
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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73
itinerary
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| n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划 | |
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74
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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76
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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79
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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80
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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82
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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84
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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85
flayed
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| v.痛打( flay的过去式和过去分词 )；把…打得皮开肉绽；剥（通常指动物）的皮；严厉批评 | |
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86
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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87
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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pendulum
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| n.摆，钟摆 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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100
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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101
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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102
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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103
broker
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| n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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104
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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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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jabbering
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴 | |
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108
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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argot
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| n.隐语，黑话 | |
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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111
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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113
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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115
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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116
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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117
brat
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| n.孩子；顽童 | |
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118
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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119
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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120
unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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121
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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122
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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123
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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124
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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125
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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126
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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127
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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128
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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129
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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130
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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131
assassinate
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| vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤 | |
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132
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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133
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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134
colloquy
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| n.谈话，自由讨论 | |
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135
brats
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| n.调皮捣蛋的孩子( brat的名词复数 ) | |
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