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首页 » 经典英文小说 » Tess of the D‘Urbervilles德伯家的苔丝 » Chapter 25
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Chapter 25
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Clare, restless, went out into the dusk when evening drew on, she who had won him having retired1 to her chamber2.

The night was as sultry as the day. There was no coolness after dark unless on the grass. Roads, garden-paths, the house-fronts, the barton-walls were warm as hearths3, and reflected the noontide temperature into the noctambulist's face.

He sat on the east gate of the dairy-yard, and knew not what to think of himself. Feeling had indeed smothered4 judgment5 that day.

Since the sudden embrace, three hours before, the twain had kept apart. She seemed stilled, almost alarmed, at what had occurred, while the novelty, unpremeditation, mastery of circumstance disquieted6 him - palpitating, contemplative being that he was. He could hardly realize their true relations to each other as yet, and what their mutual7 bearing should be before third parties thenceforward.

Angel had come as pupil to this dairy in the idea that his temporary existence here was to be the merest episode in his life, soon passed through and early forgotten; he had come as to a place from which as from a screened alcove8 he could calmly view the absorbing world without, and, apostrophizing it with Walt Whitman--

Crowds of men and women attired9 in the usual costumes, How curious you are to me!--

resolve upon a plan for plunging10 into that world anew. But, behold11, the absorbing scene had been imported hither. What had been the engrossing12 world had dissolved into an uninteresting outer dumb-show; while here, in this apparently13 dim and un-impassioned place, novelty had volcanically14 started up, as it had never, for him, started up elsewhere.

Every window of the house being open Clare could hear across the yard each trivial sound of the retiring household. That dairy-house, so humble15, so insignificant16, so purely17 to him a place of constrained18 sojourn19 that he had never hitherto deemed it of sufficient importance to be reconnoitred as an object of any quality whatever in the landscape; what was it now? The aged20 and lichened21 brick gables breathed forth22 `Stay!' The windows smiled, the door coaxed23 and beckoned24, the creeper blushed confederacy. A personality within it was so far-reaching in her influence as to spread into and make the bricks, mortar25, and whole overhanging sky throb26 with a burning sensibility. Whose was this mighty27 personality? A milkmaid's.

It was amazing, indeed, to find how great a matter the life of the obscure dairy had become to him. And though new love was to be held partly responsible for this it was not solely28 so. Many besides Angel have learnt that the magnitude of lives is not as to their external displacements29, but as to their subjective30 experiences. The impressionable peasant leads a larger, fuller, more dramatic life than the pachydermatous king. Looking at it thus he found that life was to be seen of the same magnitude here as elsewhere.

Despite his heterodoxy, faults, and weaknesses, Clare was a man with a conscience. Tess was no insignificant creature to toy with and dismiss; but a woman living her precious life - a life which, to herself who endured or enjoyed it, possessed31 as great a dimension as the life of the mightiest32 to himself. Upon her sensations the whole world depended to Tess; through her existence all her fellow-creatures existed, to her. The universe itself only came into being for Tess on the particular day in the particular year in which she was born.

This consciousness upon which he had intruded33 was the single opportunity of existence ever vouchsafed34 to Tess by an unsympathetic First Cause - her all; her every and only chance. How then should he look upon her as of less consequence than himself; as a pretty trifle to caress35 and grow weary of; and not deal in the greatest seriousness with the affection which he knew that he had awakened36 in her - so fervid37 and so impressionable as she was under her reserve; in order that it might not agonize38 and wreck39 her?

To encounter her daily in the accustomed manner would be to develop what had begun. Living in such close relations, to meet meant to fall into endearment40; flesh and blood could not resist it; and, having arrived at no conclusion as to the issue of such a tendency, he decided41 to hold aloof42 for the present from occupations in which they would be mutually engaged. As yet the harm done was small.

But it was not easy to carry out the resolution never to approach her. He was driven towards her by every heave of his pulse.

He thought he would go and see his friends. It might be possible to sound them upon this. In less than five months his term here would have ended, and after a few additional months spent upon other farms he would be fully43 equipped in agricultural knowledge, and in a position to start on his own account. Would not a farmer want a wife, and should a farmer's wife be a drawing-room wax-figure, or a woman who understood farming? Notwithstanding the pleasing answer returned to him by the silence he resolved to go his journey.

One morning when they sat down to breakfast at Talbothays Dairy some maid observed that she had not seen anything of Mr Clare that day.

`O no,' said Dairyman Crick. `Mr Clare has gone hwome to Emminster to spend a few days wi' his kinsfolk.'

For four impassioned ones around that table the sunshine of the morning went out at a stroke, and the birds muffled45 their song. But neither girl by word or gesture revealed her blankness.

`He's getting on towards the end of his time wi' me,' added the dairyman, with a phlegm which unconsciously was brutal46; `and so I suppose he is beginning to see about his plans elsewhere.'

`How much longer is he to bide47 here?' asked Izz Huett, the only one of the gloom-stricken bevy48 who could trust her voice with the question.

The others waited for the dairyman's answer as if their lives hung upon it; Retty, with parted lips, gazing on the table-cloth, Marian with heat added to her redness, Tess throbbing49 and looking out at the meads.

`Well, I can't mind the exact day without looking at my memorandum-book,' replied Crick, with the same intolerable unconcern. `And even that may be altered a bit. He'll bide to get a little practice in the calving out at the straw-yard, for certain. He'll hang on till the end of the year I should say.'

Four months or so of torturing ecstasy51 in his society - of `pleasure girdled about with pain'. After that the blackness of unutterable night.

At this moment of the morning Angel Clare was riding along a narrow lane ten miles distant from the breakfasters, in the direction of his father's vicarage at Emminster, carrying, as well as he could, a little basket which contained some black-puddings and a bottle of mead50, sent by Mrs Crick, with her kind respects, to his parents. The white lane stretched before him, and his eyes were upon it; but they were staring into next year, and not at the lane. He loved her; ought he to marry her? Dared he to marry her? What would his mother and his brothers say? What would he himself say a couple of years after the event? That would depend upon whether the germs of staunch comradeship underlay52 the temporary emotion, or whether it were a sensuous53 joy in her form only, with no substratum of everlastingness54.

His father's hill-surrounded little town, the Tudor church-tower of red stone, the clump55 of trees near the vicarage, came at last into view beneath him, and he rode down towards the well-known gate. Casting a glance in the direction of the church before entering his home, he beheld56 standing44 by the vestry-door a group of girls, of ages between twelve and sixteen, apparently awaiting the arrival of some other one, who in a moment became visible; a figure somewhat older than the school-girls, wearing a broad-brimmed hat and highly-starched cambric morning-gown, with a couple of books in her hand.

Clare knew her well. He could not be sure that she observed him; he hoped she did not, so as to render it unnecessary that he should go and speak to her, blameless creature that she was. An overpowering reluctance57 to greet her made him decide that she had not seen him. The young lady was Miss Mercy Chant, the only daughter of his father's neighbour and friend, whom it was his parents quiet hope that he might wed58 some day. She was great at Antinomianism and Bible-classes, and was plainly going to hold a class now. Clare's mind flew to the impassioned, summer steeped heathens in the Var Vale, their rosy59 faces court-patched with cow-droppings; and to one the most impassioned of them all.

It was on the impulse of the moment that he had resolved to trot60 over to Emminster, and hence had not written to apprise61 his mother and father, aiming, however, to arrive about the breakfast hour, before they should have gone out to their parish duties. He was a little late, and they had already sat down to the morning meal. The group at table jumped up to welcome him as soon as be entered. They were his father and mother, his brother the Reverend Felix - curate at a town in the adjoining county, home for the inside of a fortnight - and his other brother, the Reverend Cuthbert, the classical scholar, and Fellow and Dean of his College, down from Cambridge for the long vacation. His mother appeared in a cap and silver spectacles, and his father looked what in fact he was - an earnest, God-fearing man, somewhat gaunt, in years about sixty-five, his pale face lined with thought and purpose. Over their heads hung the picture of Angel's sister, the eldest62 of the family, sixteen years his senior, who had married a missionary63 and gone out to Africa.

Old Mr Clare was a clergyman of a type which, within the last twenty years, has wellnigh dropped out of contemporary life. A spiritual descendant in the direct line from Wycliff, Huss, Luther, Calvin; an Evangelical of the Evangelicals, a Conversionist, a man of Apostolic simplicity64 in life and thought, he had in his raw youth made up his mind once for all on the deeper questions of existence, and admitted no further reasoning on them thenceforward. He was regarded even by those of his own date and school of thinking as extreme; while, on the other hand, those totally opposed to him were unwillingly65 won to admiration66 for his thoroughness, and for the remarkable67 power he showed in dismissing all question as to principles in his energy for applying them. He loved Paul of Tarsus, liked St John, hated St James as much as he dared, and regarded with mixed feelings Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. The New Testament68 was less a Christiad than a Pauliad to his intelligence - less an argument than an intoxication69. His creed70 of determinism was such that it almost amounted to a vice71, and quite amounted, on its negative side, to a renunciative philosophy which had cousinship with that of Schopenhauer and Leopardi. He despised the Canons and Rubric, swore by the Articles, and deemed himself consistent through the whole category which in a way he might have been. One thing he certainly was - sincere.

To the aesthetic72, sensuous, pagan pleasure in natural life and lush womanhood which his son Angel had lately been experiencing in Var Vale, his temper would have been antipathetic in a high degree, had he either by inquiry73 or imagination been able to apprehend74 it. Once upon a time Angel had been so unlucky as to say to his father, in a moment of irritation75, that it might have resulted far better for mankind if Greece had been the source of the religion of modern civilization, and not Palestine; and his father's grief was of that blank description which could not realize that there might lurk76 a thousandth part of a truth, much less a half truth or a whole truth, in such a proposition. He had simply preached austerely77 at Angel for some time after. But the kindness of his heart was such that he never resented anything for long, and welcomed his son to-day with a smile which was as candidly78 sweet as a child's.

Angel sat down, and the place felt like home; yet he did not so much as formerly79 feel himself one of the family gathered there. Every time that he returned hither he was conscious of this divergence80, and since he had last shared in the Vicarage life it had grown even more distinctly foreign to his own than usual. Its transcendental aspirations81 - still unconsciously based on the geocentric view of things, a zenithal paradise, a nadiral hell - were as foreign to his own as if they had been the dreams of people on another planet. Latterly he had seen only Life, felt only the great passionate82 pulse of existence, unwarped, uncontorted, untrammelled by those creeds83 which futilely84 attempt to check what wisdom would be content to regulate.

On their part they saw a great difference in him, a growing divergence from the Angel Clare of former times. It was chiefly a difference in his manner that they noticed just now, particularly bis brothers. He was getting to behave like a farmer; he flung his legs about; the muscles of his face had grown more expressive85; his eyes looked as much information as his tongue spoke86, and more. The manner of the scholar had nearly disappeared; still more the manner of the drawing-room young man. A prig would have said that he had lost culture, and a prude that he had become coarse. Such was the contagion87 of domiciliary fellowship with the Talbothays nymphs and swains.

After breakfast he walked with his two brothers, non-evangelical, well-educated, hall-marked young men, correct to their remotest fibre; such unimpeachable88 models as are turned out yearly by the lathe89 of a systematic90 tuition. They were both somewhat shortsighted, and when it was the custom to wear a single eyeglass and string they wore a single eyeglass and string; when it was the custom to wear a double glass they wore a double glass; when it was the custom to wear spectacles they wore spectacles straightway, all without reference to the particular variety of defect in their own vision. When Wordsworth was enthroned they carried pocket copies; and when Shelley was belittled91 they allowed him to grow dusty on their shelves. When Correggio's Holy Families were admired, they admired Correggio's Holy Families; when he was decried92 in favour of Velasquez, they sedulously93 followed suit without any personal objection.

If these two noticed Angel's growing social ineptness94, he noticed their growing mental limitations. Felix seemed to him all Church; Cuthbert all College. His Diocesan Synod and Visitations were the main-springs of the world to the one; Cambridge to the other. Each brother candidly recognized that there were a few unimportant scores of millions of outsiders in civilized95 society, persons who were neither University men nor churchmen; but they were to be tolerated rather than reckoned with and respected.

They were both dutiful and attentive96 sons, and were regular in their visits to their parents. Felix, though an offshoot from a far more recent point in the devolution of theology than his father, was less self-sacrificing and disinterested97. More tolerant than his father of a contradictory98 opinion, in its aspect as a danger to its holder99, he was less ready than his father to pardon it as a slight to his own teaching. Cuthbert was, upon the whole, the more liberal-minded, though, with greater subtlety100, he had not so much heart.

As they walked along the hillside Angel's former feeling revived in him - that whatever their advantages by comparison with himself, neither saw or set forth life as it really was lived. Perhaps, as with many men, their opportunities of observation were not so good as their opportunities of expression. Neither had an adequate conception of the complicated forces at work outside the smooth and gentle current in which they and their associates floated. Neither saw the difference between local truth and universal truth; that what the inner world said in their clerical and academic hearing was quite a different thing from what the outer world was thinking.

`I suppose it is farming or nothing for you now, my dear fellow,' Felix was saying, among other things, to his youngest brother, as he looked through his spectacles at the distant fields with sad austerity. `And, therefore, we must make the best of it. But I do entreat101 you to endeavour to keep as much as possible in touch with moral ideals. Farming, of course, means roughing it externally; but high thinking may go with plain living, nevertheless.'

`Of course it may,' said Angel. `Was it not proved nineteen hundred years ago - if I may trespass102 upon your domain103 a little? Why should you think, Felix, that I am likely to drop my high thinking and my moral ideals?'

`Well, I fancied, from the tone of your letters and our conversation - It may be fancy only - that you were somehow losing intellectual grasp. Hasn't it struck you, Cuthbert?'

`Now, Felix,' said Angel drily, `we are very good friends, you know; each of us treading our allotted104 circles; but if it comes to intellectual grasp, I think you, as a contented105 dogmatist, had better leave mine alone, and inquire what has become of yours.'

They returned down the hill to dinner, which was fixed106 at any time at which their father's and mother's morning work in the parish usually concluded. Convenience as regarded afternoon callers was the last thing to enter into the consideration of unselfish Mr and Mrs Clare; though the three sons were sufficiently107 in unison108 on this matter to wish that their parents would conform a little to modern notions.

The walk had made them hungry, Angel in particular, who was now an outdoor man, accustomed to the profuse109 dapes inemptae of the dairyman's somewhat coarsely-laden table. But neither of the old people had arrived, and it was not till the sons were almost tired of waiting that their parents entered. The self-denying pair had been occupied in coaxing110 the appetites of some of their sick parishioners, whom they, somewhat inconsistently, tried to keep imprisoned111 in the flesh, their own appetites being quite forgotten.

The family sat down to table, and a frugal112 meal of cold viands113 was deposited before them. Angel looked round for Mrs Crick's black-puddings, which he had directed to be nicely grilled114, as they did them at the dairy, and of which he wished his father and mother to appreciate the marvellous herbal savours as highly as he did himself.

`Ah! you are looking for the black-puddings, my dear boy,' observed Clare's mother. `But I am sure you will not mind doing without them, as I am sure your father and I shall not, when you know the reason. I suggested to him that we should take Mrs Crick's kind present to the children of the man who can earn nothing just now because of his attacks of delirium115 tremens; and lie agreed that it would be a great pleasure to them; so we did.'

`Of course,' said Angel cheerfully, looking round for the mead.

`I found the mead so extremely alcoholic,' continued his mother, `that it was quite unfit for use as a beverage116, but as valuable as rum or brandy in an emergency; so I have put it in my medicine-closet.'

`We never drink spirits at this table, on principle,' added his father.

`But what shall I tell the dairyman's wife?' said Angel.

`The truth, of course,' said his father.

`I rather wanted to say we enjoyed the mead and the blackpuddings very much. She is a kind, jolly sort of body, and is sure to ask me directly I return.'

`You cannot, if we did not,' Mr Clare answered lucidly117.

`AH - no; though that mead was a drop of pretty tipple118.'

`A what?' said Cuthbert and Felix both.

`Oh--'tis an expression they use down at Talbothays,' replied Angel, blushing. He felt that his parents were right in their practice if wrong in their want of sentiment, and said no more.
 

  傍晚来临的时候,坐立不安的克莱尔走出门外,来到苍茫的暮色里,而被他征服的她也已经回到了自己的房问。
  晚上还是和白天一样地闷热。天黑以后,要是不到草地上去,就没有一丝凉气。道路、院中的小径、房屋正面的墙壁,还有院子的围墙,都热得像壁炉一样,而且还把正午的热气,反射到夜间行人的脸上。
  他坐在奶牛场院子东边的栅栏门上,不知道怎样来看待自己。白天,他的感情的确压倒了他的理智。
  自从三个小时以前突然发生拥抱以来,他们两个人就再也没有在一块儿呆过。她似乎是对白天发生的事保持镇静,但实际上是几乎给吓坏了,他自己也因为这件事的新奇、不容思索和受环境支配的结果而惶惶不安起来,因为他是一个易于激动和爱好思索的人。到目前为止,他还不大清楚他们两个人的真实关系,也不知道他们在其他人的面前应该怎样应付。
  安琪尔来到这个奶牛场里当学徒,心想在这儿的短暂停留只不过是他人生中的一段插曲,不久就过去了,很快就忘掉了;他来到这儿,就像来到一个隐蔽的洞室,可以从里面冷静地观察外面吸引人的世界,并且同华尔特·惠特曼一起高喊——
  你们这一群男女,身着日常的服饰,
  在我眼里是多么地新奇!①
  
  ①华尔特·惠特曼(Walt Whitman,1819-1892),美国诗人,着有诗集《草叶集》,哈代所引的诗出自《过布鲁克林渡口》一诗。
  同时心里计划着,决心再重新进入到那个世界里去。但是你看,那吸引人的景象向这边转移过来了。曾经那样吸引人的世界,在外面又变成了一出索然无味的哑剧了;而在这个表面上沉闷和缺少激情的地方,新奇的东西却像火山一样喷发出来,这是他在其它地方从来没有见到过的。
  房子的每个窗子都开着,克莱尔听得见全屋子人安歇时发出的每一种细小的声音。奶牛场的住宅简陋不堪,无足轻重,他纯粹是迫不得已才来这儿寄居的,所以从来就没有重视它,也没有发现在这片景物里有一件有价值的东西让他留恋。但是这所住宅现在又是什么样子呢?古老的长满了苔藓的砖墙在轻声呼喊“留下来吧”,窗子在微微含笑,房门在好言劝说,在举手召唤,长春藤也因为暗中同谋而露出了羞愧。这是因为屋子里住着一个人物,她的影响是如此深远广大,深入到了砖墙、灰壁和头顶的整个蓝天之中,使它们带着燃烧的感觉搏动。什么人会有这么大的力量呢?是一个挤奶女工的力量。
  这个偏僻奶牛场里的生活变成了对安琪尔·克莱尔非常重要的事情,这的确让人感到惊讶不已。虽然部分原因是因为刚刚产生的爱情,但是也不是完全如此。除了安琪尔而外,许多人知道,人生意义的大小不在于外部的变迁,而在于主观经验。一个天性敏感的农民,他的生活比一个天性迟钝的国王的生活更广阔、更丰富、更激动人心。如此看来,他发现这儿的生活同其它地方的生活一样有着重要的意义。
  尽管克莱尔相信异端学说,身上有种种缺点和弱点,他仍然是一个具有是非感的人。苔丝不是一个无足轻重的人,不是随意玩弄以后就可以把她丢开的;而是一个过着宝贵生活的妇女——这种生活对她来说无论是受苦还是享受,也像最伟大人物的生活一样重要。对于苔丝来说,整个世界的存在全凭她的感觉,所有生物的存在也全凭她的存在。对于苔丝,宇宙本身的诞生,就是在她降生的某一年中的某一天里诞生的。
  他已经进入的这个知觉世界,是无情的造物主赐给苔丝的唯一的生存机会——是她的一切;是所有的也是仅有的机会。那么他怎么能够把她看得不如自己重要呢?怎么能够把她当作一件漂亮的小物件去玩弄,然后又去讨厌它呢?怎么能够不以最严肃认真的态度来对待他在她身上唤起来的感情呢?——她看起来很沉静,其实却非常热烈,非常容易动情;因此他怎么能够去折磨她和让她痛苦呢?
  像过去的习惯那样天天和她见面,已经开了头的事情就会继续向前发展。他们的关系既然是这样亲密,见面就意味着相互温存;这是血肉之躯不能抗拒的;既然不知道这种趋向的发展会导致什么样的结果,他决定目前还是避开他们有可能共同参与的工作。但是要坚持不同她接近的决心,却不是一件容易的事。他的脉搏每跳动一次,都把他向她的身边推动一步。
  他想他可以去看看他的朋友们。他可以就这件事听听他们的意见。在不到五个月的时间里,他在这儿学习的时间就要结束了,然后再到其它的农场上学习几个月,他就完全具备了从事农业的知识了;也就可以独立地创建自己的事业了。一个农场主应不应该娶一个妻子?一个农场主的妻子应该是客厅里的蜡像呢,或者应该是一个懂得干农活的女人呢?不用说答案是他喜欢的那一种,尽管如此,他还是决定动身上路。
  有一天早晨,大家在泰波塞斯奶牛场坐下来吃饭的时候,有个姑娘注意到当天她没有看见克莱尔先生一点儿影子。
  “啊,不错,”奶牛场里的克里克老板说。“克莱尔先生已经回爱敏寺的家中去了,他要和他家里的人一起住几天。”
  那张桌子上坐着四个情意绵缠的姑娘,对她们来说,那天早晨太阳的光芒突然黯淡无光了,鸟儿的啼鸣也变得嘶哑难听了。但是没有一个姑娘用说话或者手势来表达她们的惆怅。
  “他在这儿跟我学习的时间就要结束了,”奶牛场老板接着说,他的话音里带着冷淡,却不知道这种冷淡就是残酷;“所以我想他已经开始考虑到其它地方去的计划了。”
  “他在这儿还要住多久呢?”伊茨·休特问,在一群满怀忧郁的姑娘中间,只有她还敢相信自己说话的声音不会泄露自己的感情。
  其他的姑娘等着奶牛场老板的答话,仿佛这个问题关系到她们的生命一样;莱蒂张大了嘴,两眼盯着桌布,玛丽安脸上发烧,变得更红了,苔丝心里怦怦直跳,两眼望着窗外的草地。
  “啊,我要看看我的备忘录,不然我不记得准确的日子,”克里克回答说,说话里同样带着叫人无法忍受的漠不关心。“即使那样也是会有一点儿变化的。我可以肯定,他还要住在这儿实习一段时间,学习在干草场里饲养小牛。我敢说不到年底他是不会离开这儿的。”
  和他相处还有四个月左右的时间,这都是痛苦的和快乐的日子——是快乐包裹着痛苦的日子。在那以后,就是无法形容的漫长黑夜了。
  就在早晨的这个时候,安琪尔·克莱尔骑着马正在沿着一条狭窄的小路走着,离开吃早饭的人已经有十英里远了,他正朝着爱敏寺他父亲的牧师住宅的方向走,他还尽其所能地带着一个篮子,里面装着克里克太太送给他的一些血肠和一瓶蜜酒,那是用来对他的父母表示友好和尊敬的。白色的小路伸展在他的面前,他的一双眼睛看着路面,但是思考的却是明年的事情,而不是这条小路。他是爱上她了,但是应不应该娶她呢?他敢不敢娶她呢?他的母亲和兄弟会说什么呢?在结婚一两年后,他又怎样看呢?那就要看在这番暂时感情之下牢固的友谊会不会生长发育了,或者说,是不是仅仅因为她的美貌而生出的一种感官上的爱慕,实际上却缺少了永久的性质。
  他走到后来,终于望见了他父亲住的那个四面环山的小镇,望见了用红色石头建造的都蜂王朝时期的教堂塔楼,以及牧师住宅附近的一片树林,于是他骑着马朝下面那个他熟悉不过的大门走去。他在进自己的家门之前,朝教堂的方向瞥了一眼,看见有一群女孩子站在小礼拜室的门口,年纪在十二岁到十六岁之间,显然在那儿等候某个人的到来,不一会儿,那个人果然出现了;看样子她的年纪比那些女孩子的年纪都要大,戴一顶宽边软帽,穿一件浆洗得发硬的细纱长衫,手里拿着两本书。
  这个人克莱尔很熟。他不敢肯定她是不是看见他了;虽然她是一个没有过错的女孩子,但是他希望她没有看见自己,这样就不必上前去同她打招呼了。他决心不去同她打招呼,因此认定她没有看见自己。那个年轻的姑娘名叫梅茜·羌特,是他父亲的邻居和朋友的独生女儿,他的父母心里也暗暗盼望将来有一天他能够娶了她。她精通唯信仰主义的理论和《圣经》教义,现在显然是来上课的。但是克莱尔的心又飞到了瓦尔谷中那一群感情热烈和生活在盛夏气候中的异教徒身边了,想起了她们的玫瑰色双颊上的美人痣,其实那是沾上的牛粪形成的;他特别想起了她们中间最热情奔放和情意深重的那一位。
  他是由于一时的冲动而决定回爱敏寺的,因此他事先并没有写信告诉他的母亲和父亲,不过他希望能够在吃早饭的时候到家,在他的父母还没有出门去教区工作之前见到他们。他比预计的时间到得晚了些,那时父母已经坐下来吃早饭了。一看见他走进门来,坐在桌子边的一群人都跳起来欢迎他。他们是他的父亲、母亲,大哥费利克斯牧师,他现在已经是附近郡里一个镇上的副牧师了,正好请了两个礼拜的假回家。他的另一个哥哥卡斯伯特也是牧师,他还是一个古典学者,剑桥大学一个学院的院长和董事,现在从学校回家度假。他的母亲头上戴一顶软帽,鼻梁上架一副银边眼镜,他的父亲还是从前的样子,貌如其人,热心、诚恳、敬仰上帝,他有点儿憔悴,大约六十五岁的年纪,苍白的脸上刻满了思想和意志的印迹。从他们的头上看过去,墙上挂着安琪尔姐姐的画像,她是家中最大的孩子,比安琪尔大十六岁,嫁给一个传教的牧师到非洲去了。
  在最近二十年里,老克莱尔先生这样的牧师都差不多在现代人的生活里消失了。他是从威克利夫、胡斯、马丁·路德和加尔文一派传下来的真正传人,福音教派中的福音教徒,一个劝人信教的传教士,他是一个在生活和思想方面都像基督使徒一样简朴的人,在他毫无人生经验的年轻时候,对于深奥的存在问题就拿定了主意,再也不许有别的理由改变它们。和他同时代的人,还有和他一派的人,都认为他是一个极端的人;同时在另一方面,那些完全反对他的人,看到他那样彻底,看到他在倾注全部的热情运用原理时对所有的疑问都弃之不顾,表现出非同寻常的毅力,也不得不对他表示尊敬佩服。他爱的是塔苏斯的保罗,喜欢的是圣约翰,恨得最厉害的是圣詹姆斯,对提摩西、提多和腓力门则是既爱又恨的复杂感情。按照他的理解,《新约全书》与其说是记载基督的经典,不如说是宣扬保罗的史书——与其说是为了说服人,不如说是为了麻醉人。他深深地信仰宿命论,以至于这种信仰都差不多成了一种毒害,在消极方面简直就和放弃哲学一样,和叔本华与雷奥巴狄的哲学同出一源。他瞧不起法典和礼拜规程,却又坚信宗教条例,并且自己认为在这类问题上是始终如一的——这从某方面说他是做到了的。有一点肯定如此,那就是他的诚实。
  在瓦尔谷,他儿子克莱尔近来过的是自然的生活,接触的是鲜美的女性,得到的是美学的、感官的和异教的快乐,假如他通过打听或者想象知道了,按他的脾性对儿子是会毫不留情的。曾经有一次,安琪尔因为烦恼不幸对他的父亲说,假如现代文明的宗教是从希腊起源的,不是从巴勒斯坦起源的,结果可能对人类要好得多;他的父亲听了这句实实在在的话,不禁痛苦万分,一点儿也没有想到这句话里面会有干分之一的真理,更不用说会认识到里面有一半的真理或者是百分之百的真理了。后来,他不分青红皂白地把儿子狠狠地教训了好些日子。不过,他的内心是那样慈爱,对任何事情也不会恨得很久,看见儿子回家,就微笑着欢迎他,真诚可爱得像一个孩子。
  安琪尔坐下来,这时候才觉得回到了家里;不过和大家坐在一起,他倒觉得缺少了自己过去有过的自己是家庭一员的感觉。从前他每次回到家里,都意识到这种分歧,但是自从上次回家住了几天以后,他现在感触到这种分歧明显变得比过去更大了,他和他们越来越陌生了。家里那种玄妙的追求,仍然还是以地球为万物中心的观点为基础的,也就是说,天上是天堂,地下是地狱,这种追求和他自己的相比,它们就变得陌生了,陌生得就像它们是生活在其它星球上的人做的梦一样。近来他看见的只是有趣的生活,感觉到的只是强烈激情的搏动,由于这些信仰,它们没有矫饰,没有歪曲,没有约束,这些信仰只能由智慧加以节制,而是不能够压制的。
  在他的父母方面,他们也在他的身上看出了巨大的不同,看到了同在前几次里看到的安琪尔·克莱尔的差别。他们所注意到的这种差别主要是他的外表上的,他的两个哥哥注意到的尤其如此。他的表现越来越像一个农民,抖他的双腿,脸上易于表现喜怒哀乐的情绪,富有表情的眼睛传达的意思甚至超过了舌头。读书人的风度差不多消逝了;客厅里的青年人的风度更加看不见了。道学先生会说他没有教养,假装正经的人会说他举止粗野。这就是他在泰波塞斯同大自然的儿女们住在一起而受到熏陶感染的结果。
  早饭以后,他和他的两个哥哥一起出门散步,他的两个哥哥都是非福音教徒,受过良好的教育,他们都是高品位的青年,品行端正,性格谨慎;他们都是由教育机床一年年生产出来的无可挑剔的模范人物。他们两个人都有点儿近视,那个时候时兴戴系带子的单片眼镜,所以他们就戴系带子的单片眼镜;如果时兴戴夹鼻眼镜,他们就戴夹鼻眼镜,而从不考虑他们有毛病的眼睛的特殊需要。当有人崇拜华兹华斯的时候,他们就带着华兹华斯的袖珍诗集,当有人贬低雪莱的时候,他们就把雪莱的诗集扔在书架上,上面落满了灰尘。当有人称赞柯累佐的画《神圣家庭》的时候,他们也称赞柯累佐的画《神圣家庭》;当有人诋毁柯累佐而赞扬维拉奎的时候,他们也紧跟在后面人云亦云,从来没有自己的不同意见。
  如果说他的两个哥哥注意到了安琪尔越来越不合社会世俗,那么他也注意到了他的两个哥哥在心智上越来越狭隘。在他看来,费利克斯似乎就是整个社会,卡斯伯特似乎就是所有的学院。对费利克斯来说,主教会议和主教视察就是世界的主要动力;对卡斯伯特来说,世界的主要动力则是剑桥。他们每一个人都坦诚地承认,在文明的社会里,还有千千万万的无足轻重的化外之人,他们既不属于大学,也不属于教会;对他们只需容忍,而无需尊敬和一视同仁。
  他们是两个孝顺的儿子,定期回家看望他们的父母。在神学的发展变化中,虽然费利克斯和他的父亲相比是更新的一支的产物,但是却缺少了父亲的牺牲精神,多了自私自利的特点。和他的父亲相比,对于和他相反的意见,他不会因为这种意见对坚持这种意见的人有害就不能容忍,但是这种意见只要对他的说教有一点儿害处,他可不会像他父亲那样容易宽恕别人。总的说来,卡斯伯特是一个气量更加宽宏的人,不过他虽然显得更加敏感,但是却少了许多勇气。
  他们沿着山坡上的路走着,安琪尔先前的感觉又在心中出现了——和他自己相比,无论他们具有什么样的优势,他们都没有见过也没有经历过真正的生活。也许,他们和许多别的人一样,发表意见的机会多于观察的机会。他们和他们的同事们一起在风平浪静的潮流中随波逐流,对在潮流之外起作用的各种复杂力量谁也没有充分的认识。他们谁也看不出局部的真理同普遍的真理之间有什么区别;也不知道他们在教会和学术的发言中,内心世界所说的和外部世界正在想的是完全不同的一回事。
  “我想你现在一心想的就是农业了,别的什么也不想了,是不是,我的朋友?”费利克斯带着悲伤和严肃的神情,透过眼镜看着远方的田野,在说完了其它的事情后对他的弟弟说。“因此,我们只能尽力而为了。不过我还是劝你千万努力,尽可能不要放弃了道德理想。当然,农业生产就是意味着外表的粗俗;但是,高尚的思想无论怎样也可以和简朴的生活结合在一起呀。”
  “当然可以,”安琪尔说。“如果我可以班门弄斧地说一句话,这不是在一千九百年以前就被证明了的吗?费利克斯,为什么你要以为我可能放弃高尚思想和道德理想呢?”
  “啊,从你写的信中,从你和我们谈话的口气中——我猜想——这只是猜想——你正在慢慢地丧失理解力。你有没有这种感觉,卡斯伯特?”
  “听着,费利克斯,”安琪尔冷冷地说。“你知道,我们都相处得非常好;我们各自做各自的事;不过如果说到理解力的话,我倒觉得你作为一个踌躇满志的教条主义者,最好不要管我的事,还是先问问你自己的事怎么样了。”
  他们转身下山,回家吃午饭,午饭没有固定的时间,他们的父亲和母亲什么时候结束了上午在教区的工作,就什么时候吃饭。克莱尔先生和克莱尔太太不是自私自利的人,最后还要考虑的是下午来拜访的人方不方便;但是在这件事上,三个儿子却非常一致,希望他们的父母多少能适合一点儿现代观念。
  他们走路走得肚子饿了,安琪尔饿得尤其厉害,他现在是在户外工作的人,已经习惯了在奶牛场老板的简陋饭桌上吃那些丰富的廉价食物。但是两个老人谁也没有回家,直到几个儿子等得不耐烦了,他们才走进门来。原来两个只顾别人的老人,一心劝说他们教区里几个生病的教民吃饭,自相矛盾地要把他们囚禁在肉体的牢狱里①,而把他们自己吃饭的事全给忘了。
  
  ①囚禁在肉体的牢狱里(keep imprisoned in the flesh),意为活在世上。基督教要求人死后上天堂,以求灵魂的解脱,因此把肉体和现世看作牢狱。

  一家人围着桌子坐下来,几样素朴的冷食摆在他们的面前。安琪尔转身去找克里克太太送给他的血肠,他已经吩咐按照在奶牛场烤血肠的方法把它们好好地烤一烤,他希望他的父亲和母亲能像他自己一样,非常喜欢这种加了香料的美味血肠。
  “啊!你是在找血肠吧,我亲爱的孩子,”克莱尔的母亲问。“不过,我想在你知道了理由以后,你不会在乎吃饭没有血肠吧?我想你的父亲和我都是不在乎的。我向你的父亲提议,把克里克太太好意送来的礼物送给一个人的孩子们了,那人得了震颤性谵妄病,不能挣钱了;你父亲同意了,认为他们会很高兴的;所以我们就把血肠送给他们了。”
  “当然不会,”安琪尔快活地说,回头去找蜜酒。
  “我尝过了,那蜜酒的酒精含量太高,”他的母亲接着说,“这种蜜酒作饮料是不合适的,不过有人生了急病,它倒和红酒、白兰地一样地有效;所以,我把它收进我的药柜里去了。”
  “我们吃饭是从来不喝酒的,这是规矩,”他的父亲补充说。
  “但是我怎样对克里克太太说呢?”安琪尔说。
  “当然实话实说,”他的父亲说。
  “我倒愿意对她说,我们非常喜欢她的蜜酒和血肠。她是那种友好、快活一类的人,我一回去,她肯定就要立即问我的。”
  “既然我们没有吃,你就不能那样说,”克莱尔先生明明白白地说。
  “啊——不那么说好了;不过那种蜜酒倒是值得一点一点品尝呢。”
  “你说什么呀?”卡斯伯特和费利克斯一齐问。
  “哦——这是在泰波塞斯使用的说法,”安琪尔脸上一红,回答说。他觉得他的父母不近人情是不对的,但是他们的做法却是对的,所以就没有再说话。


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
2 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
3 hearths b78773a32d02430068a37bdf3c6dc19a     
壁炉前的地板,炉床,壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The soldiers longed for their own hearths. 战士想家。
  • In the hearths the fires down and the meat stopped cooking. 在壁炉的火平息和肉停止做饭。
4 smothered b9bebf478c8f7045d977e80734a8ed1d     
(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制
参考例句:
  • He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
  • The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。
5 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。
6 disquieted e705be49b0a827fe41d115e658e5d697     
v.使不安,使忧虑,使烦恼( disquiet的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • People are disquieted [on tenterhooks]. 人心惶惶。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The bad news disquieted him. 恶讯使他焦急不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
7 mutual eFOxC     
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的
参考例句:
  • We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
  • Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。
8 alcove EKMyU     
n.凹室
参考例句:
  • The bookcase fits neatly into the alcove.书架正好放得进壁凹。
  • In the alcoves on either side of the fire were bookshelves.火炉两边的凹室里是书架。
9 attired 1ba349e3c80620d3c58c9cc6c01a7305     
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The bride was attired in white. 新娘穿一身洁白的礼服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It is appropriate that everyone be suitably attired. 人人穿戴得体是恰当的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 plunging 5fe12477bea00d74cd494313d62da074     
adj.跳进的,突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降
参考例句:
  • War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发,生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 behold jQKy9     
v.看,注视,看到
参考例句:
  • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
  • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。
12 engrossing YZ8zR     
adj.使人全神贯注的,引人入胜的v.使全神贯注( engross的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He told us an engrossing story. 他给我们讲了一个引人入胜的故事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It might soon have ripened into that engrossing feeling. 很快便会发展成那种压倒一切的感情的。 来自辞典例句
13 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
14 volcanically af61815c4217b01c729a8129cc25e7b5     
adv.火山似地,猛烈地
参考例句:
15 humble ddjzU     
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低
参考例句:
  • In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
  • Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
16 insignificant k6Mx1     
adj.无关紧要的,可忽略的,无意义的
参考例句:
  • In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季,这种作用是不明显的。
  • This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。
17 purely 8Sqxf     
adv.纯粹地,完全地
参考例句:
  • I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
  • This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。
18 constrained YvbzqU     
adj.束缚的,节制的
参考例句:
  • The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服,他觉得不得不接受。
  • I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。
19 sojourn orDyb     
v./n.旅居,寄居;逗留
参考例句:
  • It would be cruel to begrudge your sojourn among flowers and fields.如果嫉妒你逗留在鲜花与田野之间,那将是太不近人情的。
  • I am already feeling better for my sojourn here.我在此逗留期间,觉得体力日渐恢复。
20 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
21 lichened 658e5353692e5f74979c0f55dc66d463     
adj.长满地衣的,长青苔的
参考例句:
22 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
23 coaxed dc0a6eeb597861b0ed72e34e52490cd1     
v.哄,用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 );巧言骗取;哄劝,劝诱
参考例句:
  • She coaxed the horse into coming a little closer. 她哄着那匹马让它再靠近了一点。
  • I coaxed my sister into taking me to the theatre. 我用好话哄姐姐带我去看戏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
24 beckoned b70f83e57673dfe30be1c577dd8520bc     
v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
  • The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 mortar 9EsxR     
n.灰浆,灰泥;迫击炮;v.把…用灰浆涂接合
参考例句:
  • The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
  • The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。
26 throb aIrzV     
v.震颤,颤动;(急速强烈地)跳动,搏动
参考例句:
  • She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
  • The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。
27 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
28 solely FwGwe     
adv.仅仅,唯一地
参考例句:
  • Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
  • The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
29 displacements 9e66611008a27467702e6346e1664419     
n.取代( displacement的名词复数 );替代;移位;免职
参考例句:
  • The laws of physics are symmetrical for translational displacements. 物理定律对平移是对称的。 来自辞典例句
  • We encounter only displacements of the first type. 我们只遇到第一类的驱替。 来自辞典例句
30 subjective mtOwP     
a.主观(上)的,个人的
参考例句:
  • The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
  • A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。
31 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的
参考例句:
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
32 mightiest 58b12cd63cecfc3868b2339d248613cd     
adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 );巨大的;强有力的;浩瀚的
参考例句:
  • \"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里,你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
  • Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实,沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网
33 intruded 8326c2a488b587779b620c459f2d3c7e     
n.侵入的,推进的v.侵入,侵扰,打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 );把…强加于
参考例句:
  • One could believe that human creatures had never intruded there before. 你简直会以为那是从来没有人到过的地方。 来自辞典例句
  • The speaker intruded a thin smile into his seriousness. 演说人严肃的脸上掠过一丝笑影。 来自辞典例句
34 vouchsafed 07385734e61b0ea8035f27cf697b117a     
v.给予,赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 );允诺
参考例句:
  • He vouchsafed to me certain family secrets. 他让我知道了某些家庭秘密。
  • The significance of the event does, indeed, seem vouchsafed. 这个事件看起来确实具有重大意义。 来自辞典例句
35 caress crczs     
vt./n.爱抚,抚摸
参考例句:
  • She gave the child a loving caress.她疼爱地抚摸着孩子。
  • She feasted on the caress of the hot spring.她尽情享受着温泉的抚爱。
36 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
37 fervid clvyf     
adj.热情的;炽热的
参考例句:
  • He is a fervid orator.他是个慷慨激昂的演说者。
  • He was a ready scholar as you are,but more fervid and impatient.他是一个聪明的学者,跟你一样,不过更加热情而缺乏耐心。
38 agonize mxxz6     
v.使受苦,使苦闷
参考例句:
  • Why do you agonize yourself with the thought of your failure?你为何总是对于你的失败念念不忘而自我折磨呢?
  • There's no reason to agonize over telling people you're job hunting.没有理由为告诉他人你正在找工作而感到苦恼。
39 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
40 endearment tpmxH     
n.表示亲爱的行为
参考例句:
  • This endearment indicated the highest degree of delight in the old cooper.这个称呼是老箍桶匠快乐到了极点的表示。
  • To every endearment and attention he continued listless.对于每一种亲爱的表示和每一种的照顾,他一直漫不在意。
41 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。
42 aloof wxpzN     
adj.远离的;冷淡的,漠不关心的
参考例句:
  • Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
  • On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。
43 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
44 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
45 muffled fnmzel     
adj.(声音)被隔的;听不太清的;(衣服)裹严的;蒙住的v.压抑,捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己)
参考例句:
  • muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
  • There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
46 brutal bSFyb     
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的
参考例句:
  • She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
  • They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼,骨子里却是野蛮残忍。
47 bide VWTzo     
v.忍耐;等候;住
参考例句:
  • We'll have to bide our time until the rain stops.我们必须等到雨停。
  • Bide here for a while. 请在这儿等一会儿。
48 bevy UtZzo     
n.一群
参考例句:
  • A bevy of bathing beauties appeared on the beach.沙滩上出现了一群游泳的美女。
  • Look,there comes a bevy of ladies.看,一群女人来了。
49 throbbing 8gMzA0     
a. 跳动的,悸动的
参考例句:
  • My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动,身子在不住颤抖。
  • There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。
50 mead BotzAK     
n.蜂蜜酒
参考例句:
  • He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
  • He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。
51 ecstasy 9kJzY     
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷
参考例句:
  • He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
  • Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具,高兴得说不出话来。
52 underlay 2ef138c144347e8fcf93221b38fbcfdd     
v.位于或存在于(某物)之下( underlie的过去式 );构成…的基础(或起因),引起n.衬垫物
参考例句:
  • That would depend upon whether the germs of staunch comradeship underlay the temporary emotion. 这得看这番暂时的情感里,是否含有生死不渝友谊的萌芽。 来自辞典例句
  • Sticking and stitching tongue overlay and tongue underlay Sticking 3㎜ reinforcement. 贴车舌上片与舌下片:贴3㎜补强带。 来自互联网
53 sensuous pzcwc     
adj.激发美感的;感官的,感觉上的
参考例句:
  • Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。
  • The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。
54 everlastingness c1d57c39d0f5a155e54961ce6746edad     
参考例句:
55 clump xXfzH     
n.树丛,草丛;vi.用沉重的脚步行走
参考例句:
  • A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
  • It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。
56 beheld beheld     
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
参考例句:
  • His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
57 reluctance 8VRx8     
n.厌恶,讨厌,勉强,不情愿
参考例句:
  • The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
  • He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。
58 wed MgFwc     
v.娶,嫁,与…结婚
参考例句:
  • The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
  • The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。
59 rosy kDAy9     
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的
参考例句:
  • She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作,生活看上去很美好。
  • She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
60 trot aKBzt     
n.疾走,慢跑;n.老太婆;现成译本;(复数)trots:腹泻(与the 连用);v.小跑,快步走,赶紧
参考例句:
  • They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
  • The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。
61 apprise yNUyu     
vt.通知,告知
参考例句:
  • He came to apprise us that the work had been successfully completed.他来通知我们工作已胜利完成。
  • We must apprise them of the dangers that may be involved.我们必须告诉他们可能涉及的危险。
62 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
63 missionary ID8xX     
adj.教会的,传教(士)的;n.传教士
参考例句:
  • She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
  • I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。
64 simplicity Vryyv     
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯
参考例句:
  • She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
  • The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。
65 unwillingly wjjwC     
adv.不情愿地
参考例句:
  • He submitted unwillingly to his mother. 他不情愿地屈服于他母亲。
  • Even when I call, he receives unwillingly. 即使我登门拜访,他也是很不情愿地接待我。
66 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
67 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
68 testament yyEzf     
n.遗嘱;证明
参考例句:
  • This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
  • It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明,编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。
69 intoxication qq7zL8     
n.wild excitement;drunkenness;poisoning
参考例句:
  • He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝,喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。
  • Predator: Intoxication-Damage over time effect will now stack with other allies. Predator:Intoxication,持续性伤害的效果将会与队友相加。
70 creed uoxzL     
n.信条;信念,纲领
参考例句:
  • They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
  • Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。
71 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
72 aesthetic px8zm     
adj.美学的,审美的,有美感
参考例句:
  • My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
  • The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。
73 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
参考例句:
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
74 apprehend zvqzq     
vt.理解,领悟,逮捕,拘捕,忧虑
参考例句:
  • I apprehend no worsening of the situation.我不担心局势会恶化。
  • Police have not apprehended her killer.警察还未抓获谋杀她的凶手。
75 irritation la9zf     
n.激怒,恼怒,生气
参考例句:
  • He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
  • Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说,但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。
76 lurk J8qz2     
n.潜伏,潜行;v.潜藏,潜伏,埋伏
参考例句:
  • Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
  • He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。
77 austerely 81fb68ad1e216c3806c4e926b2516000     
adv.严格地,朴质地
参考例句:
  • The austerely lighted garage was quiet. 灯光黯淡的车库静悄悄的。 来自辞典例句
  • Door of Ministry of Agriculture and produce will be challenged austerely. 农业部门及农产品将受到严重的挑战。 来自互联网
78 candidly YxwzQ1     
adv.坦率地,直率而诚恳地
参考例句:
  • He has stopped taking heroin now,but admits candidly that he will always be a drug addict.他眼下已经不再吸食海洛因了,不过他坦言自己永远都是个瘾君子。
  • Candidly,David,I think you're being unreasonable.大卫,说实话我认为你不讲道理。
79 formerly ni3x9     
adv.从前,以前
参考例句:
  • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
  • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
80 divergence kkazz     
n.分歧,岔开
参考例句:
  • There is no sure cure for this transatlantic divergence.没有什么灵丹妙药可以消除大西洋两岸的分歧。
  • In short,it was an age full of conflicts and divergence of values.总之,这一时期是矛盾与价值观分歧的时期。
81 aspirations a60ebedc36cdd304870aeab399069f9e     
强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
  • The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。
82 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
83 creeds 6087713156d7fe5873785720253dc7ab     
(尤指宗教)信条,教条( creed的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • people of all races, colours and creeds 各种种族、肤色和宗教信仰的人
  • Catholics are agnostic to the Protestant creeds. 天主教徒对于新教教义来说,是不可知论者。
84 futilely 01e150160a877e2134559fc0dcaf18c3     
futile(无用的)的变形; 干
参考例句:
  • Hitler, now ashen-gray, futilely strained at his chains. 希特勒这时面如死灰,无可奈何地死拽住身上的锁链不放。 来自名作英译部分
  • Spinning futilely at first, the drivers of the engine at last caught the rails. 那机车的主动轮起先转了一阵也没有用处,可到底咬住了路轨啦。
85 expressive shwz4     
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的
参考例句:
  • Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
  • He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的,富于表情的,生动活泼的脸。
86 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。
87 contagion 9ZNyl     
n.(通过接触的疾病)传染;蔓延
参考例句:
  • A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
  • The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。
88 unimpeachable CkUwO     
adj.无可指责的;adv.无可怀疑地
参考例句:
  • He said all five were men of unimpeachable character.他说这五个都是品格完美无缺的人。
  • It is the revenge that nature takes on persons of unimpeachable character.这是自然对人品无瑕的人的报复。
89 lathe Bk2yG     
n.车床,陶器,镟床
参考例句:
  • Gradually she learned to operate a lathe.她慢慢地学会了开车床。
  • That lathe went out of order at times.那台车床有时发生故障。
90 systematic SqMwo     
adj.有系统的,有计划的,有方法的
参考例句:
  • The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
  • The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。
91 belittled 39476f0950667cb112a492d64de54dc2     
使显得微小,轻视,贬低( belittle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She felt her husband constantly belittled her achievements. 她觉得她的丈夫时常贬低她的成就。
  • A poor but honest man is not to be belittled. 穷而诚实的人是不该让人小看的。
92 decried 8228a271dcb55838e82261f4e24dc430     
v.公开反对,谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责,说是不起作用。
  • The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
93 sedulously c8c26b43645f472a76c56ac7fe5a2cd8     
ad.孜孜不倦地
参考例句:
  • In this view they were sedulously abetted by their mother, aunts and other elderly female relatives. 在这方面,他们得到了他们的母亲,婶婶以及其它年长的女亲戚们孜孜不倦的怂恿。
  • The clerk laid the two sheets of paper alongside and sedulously compared their contents. 那职员把两张纸并排放在前面,仔细比较。
94 ineptness c441c3d866a2fb19c91b47886befc898     
n.荒谬,拙劣
参考例句:
  • His ineptness as a public official made him the laughingstock of the whole town. 作为一个官员,他的无能让他成了全镇人的笑柄。
95 civilized UwRzDg     
a.有教养的,文雅的
参考例句:
  • Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
  • rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为
96 attentive pOKyB     
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的
参考例句:
  • She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
  • The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。
97 disinterested vu4z6s     
adj.不关心的,不感兴趣的
参考例句:
  • He is impartial and disinterested.他公正无私。
  • He's always on the make,I have never known him do a disinterested action.他这个人一贯都是唯利是图,我从来不知道他有什么无私的行动。
98 contradictory VpazV     
adj.反驳的,反对的,抗辩的;n.正反对,矛盾对立
参考例句:
  • The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
  • What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。
99 holder wc4xq     
n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物
参考例句:
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
100 subtlety Rsswm     
n.微妙,敏锐,精巧;微妙之处,细微的区别
参考例句:
  • He has shown enormous strength,great intelligence and great subtlety.他表现出充沛的精力、极大的智慧和高度的灵活性。
  • The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.大多数听众都没有觉察到他讲话的微妙之处。
101 entreat soexj     
v.恳求,恳请
参考例句:
  • Charles Darnay felt it hopeless entreat him further,and his pride was touched besides.查尔斯-达尔内感到再恳求他已是枉然,自尊心也受到了伤害。
  • I entreat you to contribute generously to the building fund.我恳求您慷慨捐助建设基金。
102 trespass xpOyw     
n./v.侵犯,闯入私人领地
参考例句:
  • The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
  • The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。
103 domain ys8xC     
n.(活动等)领域,范围;领地,势力范围
参考例句:
  • This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
  • This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。
104 allotted 5653ecda52c7b978bd6890054bd1f75f     
分配,拨给,摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。
  • Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。
105 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
106 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。
107 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。
108 unison gKCzB     
n.步调一致,行动一致
参考例句:
  • The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
  • My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。
109 profuse R1jzV     
adj.很多的,大量的,极其丰富的
参考例句:
  • The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
  • There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。
110 coaxing 444e70224820a50b0202cb5bb05f1c2e     
v.哄,用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 );巧言骗取;哄劝,劝诱;“锻炼”效应
参考例句:
  • No amount of coaxing will make me change my mind. 任你费尽口舌也不会说服我改变主意。
  • It took a lot of coaxing before he agreed. 劝说了很久他才同意。 来自辞典例句
111 imprisoned bc7d0bcdd0951055b819cfd008ef0d8d     
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
  • They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
112 frugal af0zf     
adj.节俭的,节约的,少量的,微量的
参考例句:
  • He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人,但生活俭朴。
  • The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。
113 viands viands     
n.食品,食物
参考例句:
  • Greek slaves supplied them with exquisite viands at the slightest nod.只要他们轻轻点点头希腊奴隶就会供奉给他们精美的食品。
  • The family sat down to table,and a frugal meal of cold viands was deposited beforethem.一家老少,都围着桌子坐下,几样简单的冷食,摆在他们面前。
114 grilled grilled     
adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后,警察才放他走。
  • He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问,直到他承认为止。
115 delirium 99jyh     
n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋
参考例句:
  • In her delirium, she had fallen to the floor several times. 她在神志不清的状态下几次摔倒在地上。
  • For the next nine months, Job was in constant delirium.接下来的九个月,约伯处于持续精神错乱的状态。
116 beverage 0QgyN     
n.(水,酒等之外的)饮料
参考例句:
  • The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
  • Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。
117 lucidly f977e9cf85feada08feda6604ec39b33     
adv.清透地,透明地
参考例句:
  • This is a lucidly written book. 这是本通俗易懂的书。
  • Men of great learning are frequently unable to state lucidly what they know. 大学问家往往不能清楚地表达他们所掌握的知识。
118 tipple Xq0yO     
n.常喝的酒;v.不断喝,饮烈酒
参考例句:
  • My favourite tipple is a glass of port.我最喜欢喝的酒是波尔图葡萄酒。
  • Scotch drinkers around the world tend to associate their favourite tipple with success and achievement.世界各地喝苏格兰威士忌的人,往往把他们最喜欢的这种烈酒,与成功和成就联系在一起。


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