SOME weeks passed without bringing any change. We waited for Wemmick, and he made no sign. If I had never known him out of Little Britain, and had never enjoyed the privilege of being on a familiar footing at the Castle, I might have doubted him; not so for a moment, knowing him as I did.
My worldly affairs began to wear a gloomy appearance, and I was pressed for money by more than one creditor1. Even I myself began to know the want of money (I mean of ready money in my own pocket), and to relieve it by converting some easily spared articles of jewellery into cash. But I had quite determined2 that it would be a heartless fraud to take more money from my patron in the existing state of my uncertain thoughts and plans. Therefore, I had sent him the unopened pocket-book by Herbert, to hold in his own keeping, and I felt a kind of satisfaction - whether it was a false kind or a true, I hardly know - in not having profited by his generosity3 since his revelation of himself.
As the time wore on, an impression settled heavily upon me that Estella was married. Fearful of having it confirmed, though it was all but a conviction, I avoided the newspapers, and begged Herbert (to whom I had confided4 the circumstances of our last interview) never to speak of her to me. Why I hoarded5 up this last wretched little rag of the robe of hope that was rent and given to the winds, how do I know! Why did you who read this, commit that not dissimilar inconsistency of your own, last year, last month, last week?
It was an unhappy life that I lived, and its one dominant6 anxiety, towering over all its other anxieties like a high mountain above a range of mountains, never disappeared from my view. Still, no new cause for fear arose. Let me start from my bed as I would, with the terror fresh upon me that he was discovered; let me sit listening as I would, with dread7, for Herbert's returning step at night, lest it should be fleeter than ordinary, and winged with evil news; for all that, and much more to like purpose, the round of things went on. Condemned8 to inaction and a state of constant restlessness and suspense9, I rowed about in my boat, and waited, waited, waited, as I best could.
There were states of the tide when, having been down the river, I could not get back through the eddy-chafed arches and starlings of old London Bridge; then, I left my boat at a wharf10 near the Custom House, to be brought up afterwards to the Temple stairs. I was not averse11 to doing this, as it served to make me and my boat a commoner incident among the water-side people there. From this slight occasion, sprang two meetings that I have now to tell of.
One afternoon, late in the month of February, I came ashore12 at the wharf at dusk. I had pulled down as far as Greenwich with the ebb13 tide, and had turned with the tide. It had been a fine bright day, but had become foggy as the sun dropped, and I had had to feel my way back among the shipping15, pretty carefully. Both in going and returning, I had seen the signal in his window, All well.
As it was a raw evening and I was cold, I thought I would comfort myself with dinner at once; and as I had hours of dejection and solitude16 before me if I went home to the Temple, I thought I would afterwards go to the play. The theatre where Mr Wopsle had achieved his questionable17 triumph, was in that waterside neighbourhood (it is nowhere now), and to that theatre I resolved to go. I was aware that Mr Wopsle had not succeeded in reviving the Drama, but, on the contrary, had rather partaken of its decline. He had been ominously18 heard of, through the playbills, as a faithful Black, in connexion with a little girl of noble birth, and a monkey. And Herbert had seen him as a predatory Tartar of comic propensities19, with a face like a red brick, and an outrageous20 hat all over bells.
I dined at what Herbert and I used to call a Geographical21 chop-house - where there were maps of the world in porter-pot rims22 on every half-yard of the table-cloths, and charts of gravy23 on every one of the knives - to this day there is scarcely a single chop-house within the Lord Mayor's dominions24 which is not Geographical - and wore out the time in dozing25 over crumbs26, staring at gas, and baking in a hot blast of dinners. By-and-by, I roused myself and went to the play.
There, I found a virtuous27 boatswain in his Majesty's service - a most excellent man, though I could have wished his trousers not quite so tight in some places and not quite so loose in others - who knocked all the little men's hats over their eyes, though he was very generous and brave, and who wouldn't hear of anybody's paying taxes, though he was very patriotic28. He had a bag of money in his pocket, like a pudding in the cloth, and on that property married a young person in bed-furniture, with great rejoicings; the whole population of Portsmouth (nine in number at the last Census) turning out on the beach, to rub their own hands and shake everybody else's, and sing `Fill, fill!' A certain dark-complexioned Swab, however, who wouldn't fill, or do anything else that was proposed to him, and whose heart was openly stated (by the boatswain) to be as black as his figure-head, proposed to two other Swabs to get all mankind into difficulties; which was so effectually done (the Swab family having considerable political influence) that it took half the evening to set things right, and then it was only brought about through an honest little grocer with a white hat, black gaiters, and red nose, getting into a clock, with a gridiron, and listening, and coming out, and knocking everybody down from behind with the gridiron whom he couldn't confute with what he had overheard. This led to Mr Wopsle's (who had never been heard of before) coming in with a star and garter on, as a plenipotentiary of great power direct from the Admiralty, to say that the Swabs were all to go to prison on the spot, and that he had brought the boatswain down the Union Jack29, as a slight acknowledgment of his public services. The boatswain, unmanned for the first time, respectfully dried his eyes on the Jack, and then cheering up and addressing Mr Wopsle as Your Honour, solicited30 permission to take him by the fin14. Mr Wopsle conceding his fin with a gracious dignity, was immediately shoved into a dusty corner while everybody danced a hornpipe; and from that corner, surveying the public with a discontented eye, became aware of me.
The second piece was the last new grand comic Christmas pantomime, in the first scene of which, it pained me to suspect that I detected Mr Wopsle with red worsted legs under a highly magnified phosphoric countenance31 and a shock of red curtain-fringe for his hair, engaged in the manufacture of thunderbolts in a mine, and displaying great cowardice32 when his gigantic master came home (very hoarse) to dinner. But he presently presented himself under worthier33 circumstances; for, the Genius of Youthful Love being in want of assistance - on account of the parental34 brutality35 of an ignorant farmer who opposed the choice of his daughter's heart, by purposely falling upon the object, in a flour sack, out of the firstfloor window - summoned a sententious Enchanter; and he, coming up from the antipodes rather unsteadily, after an apparently36 violent journey, proved to be Mr Wopsle in a high-crowned hat, with a necromantic37 work in one volume under his arm. The business of this enchanter on earth, being principally to be talked at, sung at, butted38 at, danced at, and flashed at with fires of various colours, he had a good deal of time on his hands. And I observed with great surprise, that he devoted39 it to staring in my direction as if he were lost in amazement40.
There was something so remarkable41 in the increasing glare of Mr Wopsle's eye, and he seemed to be turning so many things over in his mind and to grow so confused, that I could not make it out. I sat thinking of it, long after he had ascended42 to the clouds in a large watch-case, and still I could not make it out. I was still thinking of it when I came out of the theatre an hour afterwards, and found him waiting for me near the door.
`How do you do?' said I, shaking hands with him as we turned down the street together. `I saw that you saw me.'
`Saw you, Mr. Pip!' he returned. `Yes, of course I saw you. But who else was there?'
`Who else?'
`It is the strangest thing,' said Mr Wopsle, drifting into his lost look again; `and yet I could swear to him.'
Becoming alarmed, I entreated43 Mr Wopsle to explain his meaning.
`Whether I should have noticed him at first but for your being there,' said Mr Wopsle, going on in the same lost way, `I can't be positive; yet I think I should.'
Involuntarily I looked round me, as I was accustomed to look round me when I went home; for, these mysterious words gave me a chill.
`Oh! He can't be in sight,' said Mr Wopsle. `He went out, before I went off, I saw him go.'
Having the reason that I had, for being suspicious, I even suspected this poor actor. I mistrusted a design to entrap44 me into some admission. Therefore, I glanced at him as we walked on together, but said nothing.
`I had a ridiculous fancy that he must be with you, Mr Pip, till I saw that you were quite unconscious of him, sitting behind you there, like a ghost.'
My former chill crept over me again, but I was resolved not to speak yet, for it was quite consistent with his words that he might be set on to induce me to connect these references with Provis. Of course, I was perfectly45 sure and safe that Provis had not been there.
`I dare say you wonder at me, Mr Pip; indeed I see you do. But it is so very strange! You'll hardly believe what I am going to tell you. I could hardly believe it myself, if you told me.'
`Indeed?' said I.
`No, indeed. Mr Pip, you remember in old times a certain Christmas Day, when you were quite a child, and I dined at Gargery's, and some soldiers came to the door to get a pair of handcuffs mended?'
`I remember it very well.'
`And you remember that there was a chase after two convicts, and that we joined in it, and that Gargery took you on his back, and that I took the lead and you kept up with me as well as you could?'
`I remember it all very well.' Better than he thought - except the last clause.
`And you remember that we came up with the two in a ditch, and that there was a scuffle between them, and that one of them had been severely46 handled and much mauled about the face, by the other?'
`I see it all before me.'
`And that the soldiers lighted torches, and put the two in the centre, and that we went on to see the last of them, over the black marshes47, with the torchlight shining on their faces - I am particular about that; with the torchlight shining on their faces, when there was an outer ring of dark night all about us?'
`Yes,' said I. `I remember all that.'
`Then, Mr Pip, one of those two prisoners sat behind you tonight. I saw him over your shoulder.'
`Steady!' I thought. I asked him then, `Which of the two do you suppose you saw?'
`The one who had been mauled,' he answered readily, `and I'll swear I saw him! The more I think of him, the more certain I am of him.'
`This is very curious!' said I, with the best assumption I could put on, of its being nothing more to me. `Very curious indeed!'
I cannot exaggerate the enhanced disquiet48 into which this conversation threw me, or the special and peculiar49 terror I felt at Compeyson's having been behind me `like a ghost.' For, if he had ever been out of my thoughts for a few moments together since the hiding had begun, it was in those very moments when he was closest to me; and to think that I should be so unconscious and off my guard after all my care, was as if I had shut an avenue of a hundred doors to keep him out, and then had found him at my elbow. I could not doubt either that he was there, because I was there, and that however slight an appearance of danger there might be about us, danger was always near and active.
I put such questions to Mr Wopsle as, When did the man come in? He could not tell me that; he saw me, and over my shoulder he saw the man. It was not until he had seen him for some time that he began to identify him; but he had from the first vaguely50 associated him with me, and known him as somehow belonging to me in the old village time. How was he dressed? Prosperously, but not noticeably otherwise; he thought, in black. Was his face at all disfigured? No, he believed not. I believed not, too, for, although in my brooding state I had taken no especial notice of the people behind me, I thought it likely that a face at all disfigured would have attracted my attention.
When Mr Wopsle had imparted to me all that he could recall or I extract, and when I had treated him to a little appropriate refreshment51 after the fatigues52 of the evening, we parted. It was between twelve and one o'clock when I reached the Temple, and the gates were shut. No one was near me when I went in and went home.
Herbert had come in, and we held a very serious council by the fire. But there was nothing to be done, saving to communicate to Wemmick what I had that night found out, and to remind him that we waited for his hint. As I thought that I might compromise him if I went too often to the Castle, I made this communication by letter. I wrote it before I went to bed, and went out and posted it; and again no one was near me. Herbert and I agreed that we could do nothing else but be very cautious. And we were very cautious indeed - more cautious than before, if that were possible - and I for my part never went near Chinks's Basin, except when I rowed by, and then I only looked at Mill Pond Bank as I looked at anything else.
几个星期又悄然而过,并没有发生什么变化。我们都在等待着温米克的来到,然而他音信全无。如果我和他之间的交往只限于小不列颠街的律师事务所,而没有足登过他的城堡,形成熟悉的私人来往,也许我早就对他生疑了。可我深深了解他的为人,所以对他半点儿也没有怀疑过。
我的凡俗事务也开始抹上了一层阴影,债主一个接一个追逼着我还债。我这才开始了解缺钱的难处(我所说的缺钱是指我的皮夹子里缺少现钱),不得不拿出一些易于出手并舍得割爱的珠宝,把它们变换成现金,以救燃眉之急。不过,我业已下定决心,处在目前行踪未定、计划未成的情况下,我绝对不再用我恩主的钱,否则就是没有良心的欺诈行为了。所以,我请赫伯特把那个尚未打开的钱包送还给普鲁威斯,让他自己保管,这才感到有一点儿满意。当然,我很难说这究竟是真的满意还是假的满意。不管怎样,自从他本人露面以来,我没有利用他的慷慨而获得任何利益。
随着时间的推移,埃斯苔娜已经结婚的念头紧紧压在我的心头。虽然这件事是确定无疑的,但我还是担心得到证实。我不看报,以免从中得到消息;我还请求赫伯特不要在我面前提到她,因为我和埃斯苔娜的最后一次会晤,已经向他全盘吐露。我的希望就好像一件长袍,已经被撕得一片一片,而且除了最后一片以外均已随风飘去,我为什么要把这一片藏于心间呢?我自问也不得其解。噢,各位读者啊,你们又为什么在上一年、上个月、上个星期,做出了诸如此类的前后矛盾之事呢?
我过的是多么不幸的生活,内心的焦虑烦忧好比是连绵的山峦,其中主宰我的忧虑好比是一座最高的山峰,无时无刻都矗立在我的眼前。不过,当前还没有出现新的担忧。有时我会突然从心头涌起一阵恐惧,唯恐普鲁威斯被人发现,吓得会从床上惊起;有时我深夜静静地坐着,等候赫伯特的归来,却总是心惊胆寒,唯恐他的脚步声比平时急促,带来坏消息,虽有所有这一切的忧虑烦乱,以及诸如此类的苦恼,日子倒正常地过去了。可是这种日子却使我毫无活动的余地,无尽的不安。不断的疑心,我只有水上荡舟,荡来荡去,等啊等啊,反复荡舟,反复等待。
有时,由于潮水情况变化,我已经划着小舟驶到了河的下游,而老伦敦桥桥墩四周木桩处的潮水突然形成连天漩涡,使我无法通过返回,只有把船系在海关附近的小码头上,以后再把它划回寺区的石埠码头。对于这种做法我并不讨厌,因为这对我很有好处,住在河滨的人们无论对我或我的船都会习以为常的。就这件微不足道的小事,却使我两次和熟人相遇,这里不得不述说一下。
一次是二月下旬的一个下午,正是黄昏时分,我于那个码头登岸。我在落潮时顺流把船划到格林威治,再在涨潮的时候把船划回来。那天起初天气晴朗,而在太阳落山时却迷雾四起,我不得不小心摸着水路,在水上船舶之间行驶。来去途中我都看到普鲁威斯窗口的信号,知道一切平安无事。
这是一个阴冷的傍晚,我感到冷得发抖,想立刻吃晚饭,让自己舒服一下;我又想要是回到寺区的家中,在那里闷闷不乐、孤孤单单地待上几小时,倒不如吃过饭后到戏院去看场戏。听说沃甫赛先生演得很成功,这颇令人怀疑。他演出的那家戏院就在河滨一带(当然现在已不存在了),于是我决定到那个戏院去。我知道在复兴戏剧方面,沃甫赛先生并没有做出成绩,相反,戏剧走下坡路他却要负一定的责任。从剧院的招贴画上可以看到他扮演一位忠实的黑人,他旁边是一位高贵出身的小女孩,还有一只猴子,真是不吉利的兆头。赫伯特还在招贴画上看到过他扮演一个善于掠夺的鞑靼人,简直滑稽可笑,面孔像一块红砖,头戴一顶形状荒谬的帽子,四边都挂了小铃。
我吃晚饭的那家小酒店就是我和赫伯特称之为地图室的酒店,因为桌布上每隔半码就有一个酒壶边留下的印子,就像世界地图一样,再说,每一把餐刀上也都留着航海图式的肉汁印。直到今天,在伦敦市长大人的统辖之下,几乎所有的酒馆都是地图室了。我对着面包屑一面打着瞌睡一面望着煤气灯,在热气腾腾的酒菜中烘着自己,以此打发时间。最后我才站起来,向戏院走去。
在戏里我发现一位有道德的皇家水手长。这是一位非常杰出的人物,尽管我认为他身上穿的那条裤子,有些地方绷得太紧,而另外一些地方又显得过分肥大;虽然他慷慨大方,又侠义勇为,可是却把所有的小人物打得连帽子都压在了眼睛上;虽然他颇为爱国,但却不能容忍别人谈起交税纳捐之事。他口袋里装了一包钱,就好像用布包着的一块糕点。他就用这笔财产,和一位用床上用品打扮起来的年轻女孩结了婚,并因此而欢天喜地。朴茨茅斯的全体民众(据最后一次统计,共有九人一起来到海边,他们一面各自搓手,一面相互握手,一起唱着:“把大家的酒斟满!把大家的酒斟满!”里面有一个脸皮子黑黝黝的笨蛋,就是不把酒斟满,别人指定他干的事他也不做;水手长说这个家伙的心和他的脸皮子一样黑;这一来这个笨蛋又发动了另外两个笨蛋,一道把整个集体弄得不得安宁。原来这帮子水手也颇有些政治影响,他们干得很有成效,几乎花了半个晚上的时间才得以把这不安的局面拨乱反正。这其中还亏了一位老实巴交的小商人,此人头上戴了一顶白帽子,下面裹着黑绑腿,脸上还生了一只红鼻子。他钻在一座大钟里,随身带了一只烤架,偷听外面的谈话,然后从大钟里走出来,向大伙儿吐露所听真情,要是他无法用偷听来的真情驳倒谁,他就干脆用烤架从背后把这人打翻。这时沃甫赛先生出场了,在这之前从没有提到过他。他出场时身上佩戴着一颗星和嘉德勋章,作为海军大臣委派来的全权代表,他手握生杀大权,当场宣布,这些笨蛋水手统统该被关进监牢,至于水手长,则被授予一面英国国旗作为嘉奖,因为他对国家尽职尽忠。这位水手长生平第一次失去男子气概,恭恭敬敬地抓起国旗擦拭眼中流下的泪水,转眼又兴高采烈,称呼沃甫赛先生“阁下”,还恳求他赏脸让自己拉着他的手。沃甫赛先生谦恭地伸出他的手,态度显得特别庄重严肃,却即刻被水手长推到了一个布满灰尘的角落,其余的人便跳起活泼的水手舞来。沃甫赛就站在这个角落里,带着不满的神情扫了一下在场的观众,就这时候,他发现了我。
第二个节目是最新的大型滑稽圣诞童话剧,在这节目的第一个场景中,我就难过地见到了沃甫赛先生,腿上穿着红绒长筒袜,一副夸张的面容,闪着磷光,头发是一把红窗帘上的稳子;他这时正在矿井中声响如雷地干活,一看到身高马大的主人回来吃饭,发出嘶哑的声音,他便表现出胆小心虚。好的是没有多久他的角色变成了地位比较高贵的人。剧中有一位年轻的爱情天才,赢得了一位农场主千金的芳心,可是这位无知无识的农场主蛮横无礼,反对他女儿的这门亲事,套上面粉袋,从二楼窗口跳下,故意压在他女儿的情人身上,此情人不得不去找个巫师来帮忙,而这位巫师是个有才有学、知道很多格言的人。这位巫师来自地球的另一面,经历了一段艰巨的旅行,跌跌撞撞地走上台来。这位巫师不是别人,正是沃甫赛先生,头上戴了一顶高帽子,臂膀下夹了一本巫术大全。这位巫师来到人世的任务主要是让别人对他诉说,对他歌唱,对他冲撞,对他跳舞,对着他挥舞五颜六色的火焰,而他有的是时间对付。他一心一意地用眼睛朝我坐的地方瞧,好像惊呆了一样,而我也非常惊奇地注意着他。
沃甫赛先生越来越睁大眼睛注视着我,其中蕴藏着深刻的含义,在他的头脑中仿佛转动着许许多多的事情,却糊里糊涂,这把我也弄得百思不得其解。我坐在那里思索着,甚至在他登上一块大表盒子腾云而去时,仍然果坐那里,百思不得其解。即使是一个小时之后,我走出了剧院,心中还在考虑着这个问题。这时,突然我看到他正站在剧院门口等我。
“你好吗?”我说道,连忙和他握握手,然后一同转弯走上大街,“我看到你站在台上看我。”
“皮普先生,我看到你了!”他答道,“是啊,我当然看到你了。不过,还有一位不知是谁?”
“还有哪一位?”
“这可是件奇怪的事情了,”沃甫赛先生带着非常失望的神情,又说道,“我敢发誓,我明明看到了他。”
这一惊非同小可,我恳求沃甫赛先生说明这话的用意。
“如果你不在场我会不会一眼就注意到他,”沃甫赛先生还是那一副丧魂落魄的样子,说道,“那我就很难说了,不过,我想我还是会注意到那个人的。”
我不自主地看了一下四周,因为我每次回家时看看四周动静已成了习惯,何况他这几句神秘的话不禁使我打了个寒噤。
“噢!他不在这里了,”沃甫赛先生说道,“在我下台前他就走出去了,我看到他走的。”
他的这番话使我有理由怀疑起来,甚至对这个可怜的演员我也怀疑了,这莫不是设计的圈套,让我一头钻进去不打自招。于是,我望了他一眼,继续和他一起走着,并没有再讲什么。
“我的想法太可笑了,皮普先生,我还以为他是和你一道的,后来我才发现你并没有意识到他在旁边,他就坐在你的后面,样子就像一个鬼魂似的。”
刚才的寒噤又开始在我心中复活,不过我决定什么也不讲。从他的这些话看,他完全有可能是受人指使来诱我人瓮的,想把我和普鲁威斯联系起来。当然,我完全可以肯定,普鲁威斯决没有到这戏院里来过。
“皮普先生,我敢打赌你听了我的话一定很吃惊,我看得出来,不过,事情也太奇怪了!我要告诉你,你一定不会相信。当然,如果是你告诉我,我自己也不会相信的。”
“真的吗?”我说道。
“没错,完全是真的。皮普先生,你不会忘记过去有一次过圣诞节的日子吧。那时你还是一个孩子,我们在葛奇里家中吃饭,有一队官兵找来说有一副手铐要修理,你还记得吗?”
“我记得太清楚了。”
“还有,你记不记得追捕两个逃犯的事?我们也加入了当时官兵的行列,葛奇里背着你,而我在前面领路,你们在后面拼命地跟着以免掉队?”
“我全都记得一清二楚。”我记得比他更清楚,因为他最后一句话是胡诌的。
“我们正赶上看到那两个逃犯在水沟里,当时他们两个人正打成一团,其中一个人被另一人打得够呛,脸上到处是伤,记得吗?”
“这事就好比发生在眼前一样。”
“你可记得那些官兵点着火把,把这两个逃犯国在当中,我们跟过去要看个究竟,只见在那黑压压的沼泽地上,火把正照在他们的面孔上?我特别要提到的是这一点,当时在我们的四周是一片漆黑的夜,你可记得他们的火把正照在两个逃犯的脸上?”
“记得,’戏说道,“我记得很清楚。”
“那么,皮普先生,这两个逃犯中有一个今天晚上就坐在你后面2我看到他就在你的后面坐着。”
我嘱咐自己要“冷静对付”,于是便问他:“你看到的是他们当中的哪一个?”
“就是被打得满脸是伤的那个,”他立刻答道,“我敢发誓,我看到的就是他!我越想,就越肯定是他。”
“这可太奇怪了!”我说道,极力装出和我毫无关系的神态,又说了一句,“确实太奇怪了!”
通过这一次谈话,我心中不安所增加的程度怎么说也不为夸大。一想到这个康佩生竟然“像一个鬼魂”似的就在我的身后,我的这种特殊的恐惧就更加难言了。因为自从我的恩主躲藏起来后,我无时无刻不在考虑着康佩生;如果说有那么一刻不曾考虑到他,那恰巧就是他距离我最近的时候。我是非常小心谨慎的,竟然这一次却毫不留意,失去警惕,就好像为了避开他我关上了一百道门,隔断他的一切来路,结果猛一回头,他却就在近处。无可怀疑,因为我去到戏院,所以他也跟到了戏院。从表面上看来,我们四周危险的阴影还很小,可事实上危险永远在我的身边,而且随时会被触发。
我向沃甫赛先生提了几个问题,问他这个人是什么时候走进来的。他没有办法回答,说是先看到了我,然后就看到了这个人坐在我的后面。他先没有看到他,看到他后又过了一会儿才认出他;起先他有些糊涂,以为那人是和我一起来的,说不定还是我们村子里的同乡呢。我又问他,那人的穿着如何,他说衣服是挺讲究的,不过并不引人注意;他认为那人穿的是黑色衣服。我问他那个人脸上有没有破相?他说没有。我也认为那人没有破相,因为我觉得虽然我在沉思的时候没有注意到那些坐在我背后的人,但如果他们当中有一张脸是破了相的话,我是会注意到的。
沃甫赛先生告诉了我所有他能回忆起来的情况,以及所有能被榨出来的情况,所以我招待他吃了些夜宵,以消除他一晚以来演出的疲倦,然后便告别了。我回到寺区时大约在十二点至一点之间,寺区所有的门都关了。我走进栅门,回到家,一直没发现四周有人。
赫伯特早已回来,我们坐在炉边,进行了一次非常严肃认真的讨论。但是讨论并无多大成果,办法只有把我今晚所发现的情况一五一十告诉温米克,并提醒他我们正在等待他的指点。我想,我到城堡去的次数也不能太多,否则说不定会连累到他,所以我便写信告诉了他。我在睡觉之前写好信,并连夜赶出去投进邮筒,一来一回都没有发现周围有人。赫伯特和我都同意我们唯一要做的就是小心谨慎。我们已经够小心谨慎了,不过,只要可能,我们还要比以前更加警惕。从我来说,干脆不再到四湾一带去,即使划船经过时,也只是像看其他任何地方一样对着磨坊河滨看一眼。
1 creditor | |
n.债仅人,债主,贷方 | |
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2 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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3 generosity | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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4 confided | |
v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的过去式和过去分词 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等) | |
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5 hoarded | |
v.积蓄并储藏(某物)( hoard的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6 dominant | |
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因 | |
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7 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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8 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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9 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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10 wharf | |
n.码头,停泊处 | |
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11 averse | |
adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的 | |
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12 ashore | |
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
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13 ebb | |
vi.衰退,减退;n.处于低潮,处于衰退状态 | |
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14 fin | |
n.鳍;(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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15 shipping | |
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船) | |
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16 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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17 questionable | |
adj.可疑的,有问题的 | |
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18 ominously | |
adv.恶兆地,不吉利地;预示地 | |
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19 propensities | |
n.倾向,习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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20 outrageous | |
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的 | |
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21 geographical | |
adj.地理的;地区(性)的 | |
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22 rims | |
n.(圆形物体的)边( rim的名词复数 );缘;轮辋;轮圈 | |
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23 gravy | |
n.肉汁;轻易得来的钱,外快 | |
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24 dominions | |
统治权( dominion的名词复数 ); 领土; 疆土; 版图 | |
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25 dozing | |
v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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26 crumbs | |
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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27 virtuous | |
adj.有品德的,善良的,贞洁的,有效力的 | |
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28 patriotic | |
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的 | |
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29 jack | |
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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30 solicited | |
v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 );(指娼妇)拉客;索求;征求 | |
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31 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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32 cowardice | |
n.胆小,怯懦 | |
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33 worthier | |
应得某事物( worthy的比较级 ); 值得做某事; 可尊敬的; 有(某人或事物)的典型特征 | |
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34 parental | |
adj.父母的;父的;母的 | |
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35 brutality | |
n.野蛮的行为,残忍,野蛮 | |
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36 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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37 necromantic | |
降神术的,妖术的 | |
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38 butted | |
对接的 | |
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39 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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40 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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41 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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42 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43 entreated | |
恳求,乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44 entrap | |
v.以网或陷阱捕捉,使陷入圈套 | |
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45 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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46 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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47 marshes | |
n.沼泽,湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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48 disquiet | |
n.担心,焦虑 | |
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49 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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50 vaguely | |
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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51 refreshment | |
n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点 | |
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52 fatigues | |
n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 );杂役;厌倦;(士兵穿的)工作服 | |
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