Chapter 3

1929-1932 Paddy

  PaddyThe new year came in with Angus MacQueen's annual Hogmanay party on Rudna Hunish, and still the move tothe big house had not been accomplished¹. It wasn't something done overnight, between packing over seven years'

accumulation of everyday artifacts, and Fee's declaration that the big house drawing room at least be finishedfirst. No one was in the slightest hurry, though everyone was looking forward to it. In some respects the bighouse would prove no different: it lacked electricity and the flies populated it just as thickly. But in summer itwas about twenty degrees cooler than outside, from the thickness of its stone walls and the ghost gums shadingits roof. Also, the bathhouse was a true luxury, having hot water all winter from pipes which ran up the back ofthe vast fuel stove in the cookhouse next door, and every drop in its pipes was rain water. Though baths andshowers had to be taken in this large structure with its ten separate cubicles², the big house and all the smallerhouses were liberally endowed with indoor water-closet toilets, an unheard-of degree of opulence³ envious⁴ Gillyresidents had been caught calling sybaritism. Aside from the Hotel Imperial, two pubs, the Catholic presbyteryand the convent, the Gillanbone district survived on out-houses. Except Drogheda homestead, thanks to itsenormous number of tanks and roofs to catch rain water. The rules were strict: no undue⁷ flushing, and plenty ofsheep-dip disinfectant. But after holes in the ground, it was heaven.

Father Ralph had sent Paddy a check for five thousand pounds at the beginning of the preceding December, tobe going on with, his letter said; Paddy handed it to Fee with a dazed exclamation⁸. "I doubt I've managed to earnthis much in all my working days," he said. "What shall I do with it?" Fee asked, staring at it and then looking upat him, eyes blazing. "Money, Paddy! Money at last, do you realize it? Oh, I don't care about Auntie Mary'sthirteen million pounds there’s nothing real about so much. But this is real! What shall I do with it?" "Spend it,"said Paddy simply. "A few new clothes for the children and yourself? And maybe there are things you'd like tobuy for the big house? I can't think of anything else we need.""Nor can I, isn't it silly?" Up got Fee from the breakfast table, beckoning¹¹ Meggie imperiously. "Come on, girl,we're walking up to the big house to look at it."Though at that time three weeks had elapsed since the frantic¹³ week following Mary Carson's death, none of theClearys had been near the big house. But now Fee's visit more than made up for their previous reluctance¹⁴. Fromone room to another she marched with Meggie, Mrs. Smith, Minnie and Cat in attendance, more animated¹⁵ than abewildered Meggie had ever known her. She muttered to herself continually; this was dreadful, that was anabsolute horror, was Mary color-blind, did she have no taste at all? In the drawing room Fee paused longest,eyeing it expertly. Only the reception room exceeded it in size, for it was forty feet long and thirty wide, and hada fifteen-foot ceiling. It was a curious mixture of the best and the worst in its decoration, painted a uniformcream which had yellowed and did nothing to emphasize the magnificent moldings on the ceiling or the carvedpaneling on the walls. The enormous floor-to-ceiling windows that marched uninterruptedly for forty feet alongthe veranda¹⁷ side were heavily curtained in brown velvet¹⁸, casting a deep gloom over the dingy¹⁹ brown chairs, twostunning malachite benches and two equally beautiful benches in Florentine marble, and a massive fireplace ofcream marble veined in deep pink. On the polished teak floor three Aubusson carpets had been squared withgeometrical precision, and a Waterford chandelier six feet long touched the ceiling, its chain bunched round it.

"You are to be commended, Mrs. Smith," Fee pronounced. "It's positively²² awful, but spotlessly clean. I shallgive you something worth caring for. Those priceless benches without anything to set them of-it's a shame! Sincethe day I saw this room, I've longed to make it into something every person who walks into it will admire, andyet comfortable enough to make every person who walks into it want to remain."Mary Carson's desk was a Victorian hideousness²³; Fee walked to it and the phone which stood upon it, flickingits gloomy wood contemptuously. "My escritoire will do beautifully here," she said. "I'm going to start with thisroom, and when it's finished I'll move up from the creek²⁵, not before. Then at least we'll have one place where wecan congregate²⁶ without being depressed²⁷." She sat down and plucked the receiver off its hook. While her daughterand her servants stood in a small bewildered huddle²⁸, she proceeded to set Harry²⁹ Gough in motion. Mark Foyswould send fabric³⁰ samples on the night mail; Nock and Kirbys would send paint samples; Grace Brothers wouldsend wallpaper samples; these and other Sydney stores would send catalogues specially³¹ compiled for her,describing their lines of furnishings. Laughter in his voice, Harry guaranteed to produce a competent upholstererand a team of painters capable of doing the meticulous³³ work Fee demanded. Good for Mrs. Cleary! She wasgoing to sweep Mary Carson right out of the house.

The phoning finished, everyone was directed to rip down the brown velvet curtains at once. Out they went ontothe rubbish heap in an orgy of wastefulness³⁴ Fee supervised personally, even putting the torch to them herself.

"We don't need them," she said, "and I'm not going to inflict³⁵ them on the Gillanbone poor.""Yes, Mum," said Meggie, paralyzed.

"We're not going to have any curtains," said Fee, not at all disturbed over a flagrant breach³⁶ of the decoratingcustoms of the time. "The veranda's far too deep to let the sun come in directly, so why do we need curtains? Iwant this room to be seen."The materials arrived, so did the painters and the upholsterer; Meggie and Cat were sent up ladders to wash andpolish the top windows while Mrs. Smith and Minnie coped with the bottom ones and Fee strode aroundwatching everything with an eagle eye.

By the second week in January it was all done, and somehow of course the news leaked out on the party lines.

Mrs. Cleary had made the Drogheda drawing room into a palace, and wouldn't it be only the civil thing for Mrs.

Hopeton to accompany Mrs. King and Mrs. O'Rourke on a welcome-to-the-big-house visit? No one argued thatthe result of Fee's efforts was absolute beauty. The cream Aubusson carpets with their faded bunches of pink andred roses and green leaves had been strewn rather haphazardly³⁷ around the mirror-finished floor. Fresh creampaint covered the walls and the ceiling, every molding and carving³⁸ painstakingly³⁹ picked out in gilt⁴⁰, but the hugeoval-shaped flat spaces in the paneling had been papered with faded black silk bearing the same bunches of rosesas the three carpets, like stilted⁴¹ Japanese paintings in cream and gilt surrounds. The Waterford chandelier hadbeen lowered until its bottom pendant chimed a bare six and a half feet from the floor, every prism of itsthousands polished to a flashing rainbow, and its great brass⁴⁵ chain tethered to the wall instead of being bunchedup. On spindly cream-and-gilt tables Waterford lamps stood next to Waterford ashtrays⁴⁷ and Waterford vasesstuffed with cream and pink roses; all the big comfortable chairs had been re-covered in cream watered silk andplaced in small cozy⁴⁸ groupings with large ottomans drawn⁴⁹ up to each one invitingly⁵¹; in one sunny corner stoodthe exquisite⁵² old spinet⁵³ with an enormous vase of cream and pink roses on it. Above the fireplace hung theportrait of Fee's grandmother in her pale pink crinoline, and facing her at the other end of the room was an evenlarger portrait of a youngish, red-haired Mary Carson, face like the youngish Queen Victoria, in a stiff blackgown fashionably bustled⁵⁴. "All right," said Fee, "now we can move up from the creek. I'll do the other rooms atmy leisure. Oh, isn't it lovely to have money and a decent home to spend it on?"About three days before they moved, so early in the morning the sun had not yet risen, the roosters in the fowlyard were cock-a-doodling joyously⁵⁵. "Miserable⁵⁶ wretches," said Fee, wrapping old newspapers around her china.

"I don't know what they think they've done to crow about. Not an egg in the place for breakfast, and all the menat home until we finish moving. Meggie, you'll have to go down to the chook yard for me; I'm busy." Shescanned a yellowed sheet of the Sydney Morning Herald⁵⁷, snorting over an advertisement for wasp-waisted stays.

"I don't know why Paddy insists we get all the newspapers; no one ever has time to read them. They just pile uptoo fast to burn in the stove. Look at this! It's older than our tenancy of the house. Well, at least they're handy forpacking."It was nice to see her mother so cheerful, Meggie thought as she sped down the back steps and across the dustyyard. Though everyone was naturally looking forward to living in the big house, Mum seemed to hunger for it asif she could remember what living in a big house was like. How clever she was, what perfect taste she had!

Things no one had ever realized before, because there had been neither time nor money to bring them out.

Meggie hugged herself with excitement; Daddy had sent in to the Gilly jeweler and used some of the fivethousand pounds to buy Mum a real pearl disbbhoker and real pearl earrings⁵⁸, only these had little diamonds inthem as well. He was going to give them to her at their first dinner in the big house. Now that she had seen hermother's face freed of its habitual⁵⁹ dourness⁶¹, she could hardly wait for the expression it would wear when shereceived her pearls. From Bob to the twins, the children were agog⁶² for that moment, because Daddy had shownthem the big flat leather case, opened it to reveal the milky⁶³ opalescent⁶⁴ beads⁶⁵ on their black velvet bed. Theirmother's blossoming happiness had affected⁶⁶ them deeply; it was like seeing the start of a good drenching⁶⁷ rain.

Until now they had never quite understood how unhappy she must have been all the years they had known her.

The chook yard was huge, and held four roosters and upward of forty hens. At night they inhabited a tumbledown shed, its rigorously swept floor lined around the edges with straw-filled orange crates⁶⁸ for laying, and itsrear crossed by perches⁶⁹ of various heights. But during the day the chooks strutted⁷⁰ clucking around a large, wire-netted run. When Meggie opened the run gate and squeezed inside, the birds clustered about her greedily,thinking they would be fed, but since Meggie fed them in the evenings she laughed at their silly antics andstepped through them into the shed.

"Honestly, what a hopeless lot of chookies you are!" she lectured them severely⁷¹ as she poked⁷² in the nests.

"Forty of you, and only fifteen eggs! Not enough for breakfast, let alone a cake. Well, I'm warning you here andnow-if you don't do something about it soon, the chopping block for the lot of you, and that applies to the lordsof the coop as well as wives, so don't spread your tails and ruffle⁷³ up your necks as if I'm not including you,gentlemen!"With the eggs held carefully in her apron⁷⁴, Meggie ran back to the kitchen, singing.

Fee was sitting in Paddy's chair staring at a sheet of Smith's Weekly, her face white, her lips moving. InsideMeggie could hear the men moving about, and the sounds of six-year-old Jims and Patsy laughing in their cot;they were never allowed up until after the men had gone. "What's the matter, Mum?" Meggie asked.

Fee didn't answer, only sat staring in front of her with beads of sweat along her upper lip, eyes stilled to adesperately rational pain, as if within herself she was marshaling every resource she possessed⁷⁶ not to scream.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Meggie called sharply, frightened. The tone of her voice brought him out still fastening hisflannel undershirt, with Bob, Jack⁷⁷, Hughie and Stu behind him. Meggie pointed⁷⁸ wordlessly at her mother.

Paddy's heart seemed to block his throat. He bent⁷⁹ over Fee, his hand picking up one limp wrist. "What is it,dear?" he asked in tones more tender than any of his children had ever heard him use; yet somehow they knewthey were the tones he used with her when they were not around to hear. She seemed to recognize that specialvoice enough to emerge from her shocked trance, and the big grey eyes looked up into his face, so kind andworn, no longer young.

"Here," she said, pointing at a small item of news toward the bottom of the page.

Stuart had gone to stand behind his mother, his hand lightly on her shoulder; before he started to read the articlePaddy glanced up at his son, into the eyes so like Fee's, and he nodded. What had roused him to jealousy⁸⁰ inFrank could never do so in Stuart; as if their love for Fee bound them tightly together instead of separating them.

Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder. The little headline said: BOXER⁸¹ RECEIVESLIFE SENTENCE.

Francis Armstrong Cleary, aged⁹ 26, professional boxer, was convicted today in Goulburn District Court of themurder of Ronald Albert Cumming, aged 32, laborer⁸³, last July. The jury reached its verdict after only tenminutes' deliberation, recommending the most severe punishment the court could mete⁸⁴ out. It was, said Mr.

Justice FitzHugh-Cunneally, a simple open-and-closed case. Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently in thepublic bar of the Harbor Hotel on July 23rd. Later the same night Sergeant⁸⁵ Tom Beardsmore of the Goulburnpolice, accompanied by two constables⁸⁶, was called to the Harbor Hotel by its proprietor⁸⁷, Mr. James Ogilvie. Inthe lane behind the hotel the police discovered Cleary kicking at the head of the insensible Cumming. His fistswere bloodstained and bore tufts of Cumming's hair. When arrested Cleary was drunk but lucid⁸⁸. He was chargedwith assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, but the charge was amended⁸⁹ to murder after Cummingdied of brain injuries in the Goulburn District Hospital next day. Mr. Arthur Whyte, K.C., entered a plea of notguilty by reason of insanity⁹¹, but four medical witnesses for the Crown stated unequivocally that under theprovisions of the M'naghten rules Cleary could not be called insane. In addressing the jury,Mr. Justice FitzHugh-Cunneally told them there was no question of guilt⁹⁰ or innocence⁹², the verdict was clearlyguilty, but he requested them to take time considering their recommendation for either clemency⁹³ or severity, ashe would be guided by their opinion. When sentencing Cleary, Mr. Justice FitzHugh-Cunneally called his act"subhuman savagery," and regretted that the drunken unpremeditated nature of the crime precluded⁹⁶ hanging, ashe regarded Cleary's hands as a weapon quite as deadly as a gun or knife. Cleary was sentenced to lifeimprisonment at hard labor⁸², the sentence to be served in Goulburn Gaol⁹⁷, this institution being one designed forviolently disposed prisoners. Asked if he had anything so say, Cleary answered, "Just don't tell my mother."Paddy looked at the top of the page to see the date: December 6, 1925. "It happened over three years ago," hesaid helplessly. No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do; from the front of the house camethe gleeful laughter of the twins, their high voices raised in chatter⁹⁸. was "Just-don't-tell my mother,"" said Feenumbly. "And no one did! Oh, God! My poor, poor Frank!"Paddy wiped the tears from his face with the back of his free hand, then squatted⁹⁹ down in front of her, pattingher lap gently. "Fee dear, pack your things. We'll go to him."She half-rose before sinking back, her eyes in her small white face starred and glistening¹⁰⁰ as if dead, pupils hugeand gold-filmed. "I can't go," she said without a hint of agony, yet making everyone feel that the agony wasthere. "It would kill him to see me. Oh, Paddy, it would kill him! I know him so well-his pride, his ambition, hisdetermination to be someone important. Let him bear the shame alone, it's what he wants. You read it. "Just don'ttell my mother." We've got to help him keep his secret. What good will it do him or us to see him?"Paddy was still weeping, but not for Frank; for the life which had gone from Fee's face, for the dying in hereyes. A Jonah, that's what the lad had always been; the bitter bringer of blight¹⁰¹, forever standing¹⁰² between Fee andhimself, the cause of her withdrawal¹⁰³ from his heart and the hearts of his children. Every time it looked as if theremight be happiness in store for Fee, Frank took it away. But Paddy's love for her was as deep and impossible toeradicate as hers was for Frank; he could never use the lad as his whipping boy again, not after that night in thepresbytery. So he said, "Well, Fee, if you think it's better not to attempt to get in touch with him, we won't. YetI'd like to know he was all right, that whatever can be done for him is being done. How about if I write to Fatherde Bricassart and ask him to look out for Frank?"The eyes didn't liven, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks. "Yes, Paddy, do that. Only make sure he knows notto tell Frank we found out. Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don't know."Within a few days Fee regained¹⁰⁴ most of her energy, and her interest in redecorating the big house kept heroccupied. But her quietness became dour⁶⁰ again, only less grim, encapsulated by an expressionless calm. Itseemed she cared more for how the big house would eventually look than she did for her family's welfare.

Perhaps she assumed they could look after themselves spiritually, and that Mrs. Smith and the maids were thereto look after them physically¹⁰⁵.

Yet the discovery of Frank's plight¹⁰⁶ had profoundly affected everyone. The older boys grieved deeply for theirmother, spent sleepless¹⁰⁷ nights remembering her face at that awful moment. They loved her, and her cheerfulnessduring the previous few weeks had given them a glimpse of her which was never to leave them, and was toinspire them with a passionate¹⁰⁸ desire to bring it back again. If their father had been the pivot¹⁰⁹ upon which theirlives turned until then, from that moment their mother was put alongside him. They began to treat her with atender, absorbed care no amount of indifference¹¹⁰ on her part could banish¹¹¹. From Paddy to Stu the Cleary malesconspired to make Fee's life whatever she wanted, and they demanded adherence¹¹² to this end from everyone. Noone must ever harm her or hurt her again. And when Paddy presented her with the pearls she took them with abrief, expressionless word of thanks, no pleasure or interest in her perusal¹¹³; but everyone was thinking howdifferent her reaction would have been were it not for Frank. Had the move to the big house not occurred, poorMeggie would have suffered a great deal more than she did, for without admitting her into full, exclusively malemembership of the protect-Mum society (perhaps sensing that her participation¹¹⁴ was more grudging¹¹⁵ than theirs),her father and older brothers expected that Meggie should shoulder all the tasks Fee obviously found repugnant.

As it turned out, Mrs. Smith and the maids shared the burden with Meggie. Chiefly repugnant to Fee was the careof her two youngest sons, but Mrs. Smith assumed full charge of Jims and Patsy with such ardor¹¹⁶ Meggie couldn'tfeel sorry for her, instead in a way she felt glad that these two could at last belong entirely¹¹⁷ to the housekeeper¹¹⁸.

Meggie grieved for her mother, too, but by no means as wholeheartedly as the men, for her loyalties¹¹⁹ were sorelytried; the big vein²¹ of motherliness in her was deeply offended by Fee's mounting indifference to Jims and Patsy.

When I have my children, she would think to herself, I'm never going to love one of them more than the rest.

Living in the big house was certainly very different. At first it was strange to have a bedroom to oneself, and forthe women, not to have to worry about any sort of household duty, inside or outside. Minnie, Cat and Mrs. Smithamong them coped with everything from washing and ironing to cooking and cleaning, and were horrified¹²¹ byoffers of help. In return for plenty of food and a small wage, an endless procession of swaggies were temporarilyentered on the station books as rouseabouts, to chop the wood for the homestead fires, feed the fowls¹²³ and pigs,do the milking, help old Tom take care of the lovely gardens, do all the heavy cleaning. Paddy had beencommunicating with Father Ralph. "The income from Mary's estate comes to roughly four million pounds a year,thanks to the fact that Michar Limited is a privately¹²⁴ owned company with most of its assets sunk in steel, shipsand mining," wrote Father Ralph. "So what I've assigned to you is a mere¹²⁵ drop in the Carson bucket, and doesn'teven amount to one-tenth of Drogheda station profits in a year. Don't worry about bad years, either. TheDrogheda station account is so heavily in the black I can pay you out of its interest forever, if necessary. So whatmoney comes to you is no more than you deserve, and doesn't dent⁵ Michar Limited. It's station money you'regetting, not company money. I require no more of you than to keep the station books up to date and honestlyentered for the auditors¹²⁶."It was after he had this particular letter that Paddy held a conference in the beautiful drawing room on a nightwhen everyone was at home. He sat with his steel rimmed¹²⁷ reading half-glasses perched on his Roman nose, in abig cream chair, his feet comfortably disposed on a matching ottoman, his pipe in a Waterford ashtray⁴⁶.

"How nice this is." He smiled, looking around with pleasure. "I think we ought to give Mum a vote of thanksfor it, don't you, boys?" There were murmurs¹²⁸ of assent¹²⁹ from the "boys"; Fee inclined her head from where she satin what had been Mary Carson's wing chair, re-covered now in cream watered silk. Meggie curled her feetaround the ottoman she had chosen instead of a chair, and kept her eyes doggedly¹³⁰ on the sock she was mending.

"Well, Father de Bricassart has sorted everything out and has been very generous," Paddy continued. "He's putseven thousand pounds in the bank in my name, and opened a savings¹³¹ account for everyone with two thousandpounds in each. I am to be paid four thousand pounds a year as the station manager, and Bob will be paid threethousand a year as the assistant manager. All the working boys-Jack, Hughie and Stu-would be paid twothousand a year, and the little boys are to get one thousand a year each until they're old enough to decide whatthey want to do.

"When the little boys are grown up, the estate will guarantee each of them a yearly income equal to a fullworking member of Drogheda, even if they don't want to work on Drogheda. When Jims and Patsy turn twelve,they'll be sent to Riverview College in Sydney to board and be educated at the expense of the estate.

"Mum is to have two thousand pounds a year for herself, and so is Meggie. The household account will be keptat five thousand pounds, though why Father thinks we need so much to run a house, I don't know. He says incase we want to make major alterations¹³². I have his instructions as to how much Mrs. Smith, Minnie, Cat andTom are to be paid, and I must say he's generous. Other wages I decide on myself. But my first decision asmanager is to put on at least six more stockmen, so Drogheda can be run as it should be. It's too much for ahandful." That was the most he ever said about his sister's management. No one had ever heard of having somuch money; they sat silent, trying to assimilate their good fortune.

"We'll never spend the half of it, Paddy," said Fee. "He hasn't left us anything to spend it on."Paddy looked at her gently. "I know, Mum. But isn't it nice to think we'll never have to worry about moneyagain?" He cleared his throat. "Now it seems to me that Mum and Meggie in particular are going to be at a bit ofa loose end," he went on. "I was never much good at figures, but Mum can add and subtract and divide andmultiply like an arithmetic teacher. So Mum is going to be the Drogheda bookkeeper, instead of Harry Gough'soffice. I never realized it, but Harry has employed one chap just to deal with Drogheda's accounts, and at themoment he's a man short, so he doesn't mind passing it back to us at all. In fact, he was the one who suggestedMum might make a good bookkeeper. He's going to send someone out from Gilly to teach you properly, Mum.

It's quite complicated, apparently¹³³. You've got to balance the ledgers¹³⁴, the cash books, the journals, recordeverything in the log book, and so on. Enough to keep you pretty busy, only it won't take the starch¹³⁵ out of youthe way cooking and washing did, will it?"It was on the tip of Meggie's tongue to shout: What about me? I did just as much washing and cooking as Mum!

Fee was actually smiling, for the first time since the news about Frank. "I'll enjoy the job, Paddy, really I will. Itwill make me feel like a part of Drogheda.""Bob is going to teach you how to drive the new Rolls, because you're going to have to be the one to go intoGilly to the bank and see Harry. Besides, it will do you good to know you can drive anywhere you want withoutdepending on one of us being around. We're too isolated¹³⁶ out here. I've always meant to teach you girls how todrive, but there's never been the time before. All right, Fee?""All right, Paddy," she said happily.

"Now, Meggie, we've got to deal with you."Meggie laid her sock and needle down, looked up at her father in a mixture of inquiry¹³⁷ and resentment¹³⁸, sure sheknew what he was going to say: her mother would be busy with the books, so it would be her job to supervise thehouse and its environs.

"I'd hate to see you turn into an idle, snobby¹³⁹ miss like some of the graziers' daughters we know," Paddy saidwith a smile which robbed his words of any contempt. "So I'm going to put you to work at a full-time¹⁴⁰ job, too,wee Meggie. You're going to look after the inside paddocks for us-Borehead, Creek, Carson, Winnemurra andNorth Tank. You're also going to look after the Home Paddock. You'll be responsible for the stock horses, whichones are working and which ones are being spelled. During musters¹⁴¹ and lambing we'll all pitch in together, ofcourse, but otherwise you'll manage on your own, I reckon. Jack can teach you to work the dogs and use a stockwhip. You're a terrible tomboy still, so I thought you might like to work in the paddocks more than lie around thehouse," he finished, smiling more broadly than ever. Resentment and discontent had flown out the window whilehe talked; he was once more Daddy, who loved her and thought of her. What had been the matter with her, todoubt him so? She was so ashamed of herself she felt like jabbing the big darning needle into her leg, but shewas too happy to contemplate¹⁴² self-infliction of pain for very long, and anyway, it was just an extravagant¹⁴³ way ofexpressing her remorse¹⁴⁴.

Her face shone. "Oh, Daddy, I'll love it!""What about me, Daddy?" asked Stuart.

"The girls don't need you around the house anymore, so you'll be out in the paddocks again, Stu.""All right, Daddy." He looked at Fee longingly¹⁴⁶, but said nothing.

Fee and Meggie learned to drive the new Rolls Royce Mary Carson had taken delivery of a week before shedied, and Meggie learned to work the dogs while Fee learned to keep the books.

If it hadn't been for Father Ralph's continued absence, Meggie for one would have been absolutely happy. Thiswas what she had always longed to do: be out there in the paddocks astride a horse, doing stockman's work. Yetthe ache for Father Ralph was always there, too, the memory of his kiss something to be dreamed about,treasured, felt again a thousand times. However, memory wasn't a patch on reality; try as she would, the actualsensation couldn't be conjured¹⁴⁷ up, only a shadow of it, like a thin sad cloud. When he wrote to tell them aboutFrank, her hopes that he would use this as a pretext¹⁴⁸ to visit them were abruptly¹⁴⁹ shattered. His description of thetrip to see Frank in Goulburn Gaol was carefully worded, stripped of the pain it had engendered¹⁵⁰, giving no hintof Frank's steadily¹⁵¹ worsening psychosis. He had tried vainly to have Frank committed to Morisset asylum¹⁵² for thecriminally insane, but no one had listened. So he simply passed on an idealistic image of a Frank resigned topaying for his sins to society, and in a passage heavily underlined told Paddy Frank had no idea they knew whathad happened. It had come to his ears, he assured Frank, through Sydney newspapers, and he would make surethe family never knew. After being told this, Frank settled better, he said, and left it at that. Paddy talked ofselling Father Ralph's chestnut¹⁵³ mare¹⁵⁴. Meggie used the rangy black gelding she had ridden for pleasure as a stockhorse, for it was lighter-mouthed and nicer in nature than the moody¹⁵⁵ mares or mean geldings in the yards. Stockhorses were intelligent, and rarely placid¹⁵⁶. Even a total absence of stallions didn't make them very amiableanimals. "Oh, please, Daddy, I can ride the chestnut, too!" Meggie pleaded. "Think how awful it would be if afterall his kindnesses to us, Father should come back to visit and discover we had sold his horse!" Paddy stared ather thoughtfully. "Meggie, I don't think Father will come back.""But he might! You never know!"The eyes so like Fee's were too much for him; he couldn't bring himself to hurt her more than she was alreadyhurt, poor little thing. "All right then, Meggie, we'll keep the mare, but make sure you use both the mare and thegelding regularly, for I won't have a fat horse on Drogheda, do you hear?" Until then she hadn't liked to useFather Ralph's own mount, but after that she alternated to give both the animals in the stables a chance to workoff their oats.

It was just as well Mrs. Smith, Minnie and Cat doted on the twins, for with Meggie out in the paddocks and Feesitting for hours at her escritoire in the drawing room, the two little fellows had a wonderful time. They were intoeverything, but with such glee and constant good humor that no one could be angry with them for very long. Atnight in her little house Mrs. Smith, long converted to Catholicism, knelt to her prayers with such deepthankfulness in her heart she could scarcely contain it. Children of her own had never come to gladden her whenRob had been alive, and for years the big house had been childless, its occupants forbidden to mix with theinhabitants of the stockmen's houses down by the eek. Rut when the Clarrys came they were Mary Carson's kin,and there were children at last. Especially now, with Jims and Patsy permanent residents of the big house.

It had been a dry winter, and the summer rains didn't come. Knee-high and lush, the tawny¹⁵⁷ grass dried out in thestark sun until even the inner core of each blade was crisp. To look across the paddocks required slitted eyes anda hat brim drawn far down on the forehead; the grass was mirror-silver, and little spiral whirlwinds sped busilyamong shimmering¹⁵⁸ blue mirages¹⁵⁹, trans-ferring dead leaves and fractured grass blades from one restless heap toanother.

Oh, but it was dry! Even the trees were dry, the bark falling from them in stiff, crunchy ribbons. No danger yetof the sheep starving-the grass would last another year at least, maybe more-but no one liked to see everything sodry. There was always a good chance the rain would not come next year, or the year after. In a good year theygot ten to fifteen inches, in a bad year less than five, perhaps close to none at all.

In spite of the heat and the flies, Meggie loved life out in the paddocks, walking the chestnut mare behind ableating mob of sheep while the dogs lay flat on the ground, tongues lolling, deceptively inattentive. Let onesheep bolt out of the tightly packed cluster and the nearest dog would be away, a streak¹⁶¹ of vengeance¹⁶², sharp teethhungering to nip into a hapless heel. Meggie rode ahead of her mob, a welcome relief after breathing their dustfor several miles, and opened the paddock gate. She waited patiently while the dogs, reveling in this chance toshow her what they could do, bit and goaded¹⁶³ the sheep through. It was harder mustering¹⁶⁴ and droving cattle, forthey kicked or charged, often killing¹⁶⁵ an unwary dog; that was when the human herdsman had to be ready to dohis bit, use his whip, but the dogs loved the spice of danger working cattle. However, to drove cattle was notrequired of her; Paddy attended to that himself.

But the dogs never ceased to fascinate her; their intelligence was phenomenal. Most of the Drogheda dogs werekelpies, coated in rich brownish tan with creamy paws, chests and eyebrows¹⁶⁷, but there were Queensland bluestoo, larger, with blue-grey coats dappled in black, and all varieties of crossbreds between kelpie and blue. Thebitches came in heat, were scientifically mated, increased and whelped; after weaning and growing, their pupswere tried out in the paddocks, and if good were kept or sold, if no good shot.

Whistling her dogs to heel, Meggie shut the gate on the mob and turned the chestnut mare toward home. Nearbywas a big stand of trees, stringybark and ironbark and black box, an occasional wilga on its outskirts¹⁶⁸. She rodeinto its shade thankfully, and having now the leisure to look around, let her eyes roam in delight. The gums werefull of budgies, skawking and whistling their parodies¹⁶⁹ of songbirds; finches wheeled from branch to branch; twosulphur-crested cockatoos sat with their heads to one side watching her progress with twinkling eyes; willywagtailsfossicked in the dirt for ants, their absurd rumps bobbing; crows carked eternally and mournfully. Theirswas the most obnoxious¹⁷⁰ noise in the whole bush song repertoire¹⁷¹, so devoid¹⁷² of joy, desolate¹⁷³ and somehow soul-chilling, speaking of rotting flesh, of carrion¹⁷⁴ and blowflies. To think of a crow singing like a bellbird wasimpossible; cry and function fitted perfectly¹⁷⁵. Of course there were flies everywhere; Meggie wore a veil over herhat, but her bare arms were constantly plagued, and the chestnut mare's tail never stopped swishing, its fleshnever stopped shivering and creeping for a second. It amazed Meggie that even through the thickness of hide andhair, a horse could feel something as delicate and airy as a fly. They drank sweat, which was why they tormentedhorses and humans so, but humans never let them do what sheep did, so they used the sheep for a more intimatepurpose, laying their eggs around the rump wool, or wherever the wool was damp and dirty. The air was full ofthe noise of bees, and alive with brilliant quick dragonflies seeking out the bore drains, alive with exquisitelycolored butterflies and day moths¹⁷⁷. Her horse turned over a piece of rotting log with a hoof¹⁷⁸; Meggie stared at itsunderside, her skin crawling. There were witchetty grubs, fat and white and loathsome¹⁷⁹, wood lice and slugs,huge centipedes and spiders. From burrows¹⁸⁰ rabbits hopped¹⁸¹ and skittled, flashed back inside with white powderpuffs up in the air, then turned to peer out, noses twitching¹⁸³. Farther on an echidna broke off its quest after ants,panicked at her approach. Burrowing¹⁸⁴ so fast that its strong clawed feet were hidden in seconds, it began todisappear under a huge log. Its antics as it dug were amusing, the cruel spines¹⁸⁶ lying flat all over its body tostreamline its entry into the ground, earth flying in heaps. She came out of the timber on the main track to thehomestead. A sheet of dappled grey occupied its dust, galahs picking for insects or grubs, but as they heard hercoming they took to the air en masse. It was like being inundated¹⁸⁷ by a magenta-pink wave; breasts andunderwings soared above her head, the grey turned magically to rich pink. If I had to leave Drogheda tomorrow,she thought, never again to come back, in my dreams I'd live Drogheda in a wash of pink galahundersides .... It must be getting very dry farther out; the kangas are coming in, more and more of them .... Agreat mob of kangaroos, maybe two thousand strong, was startled out of its placid grazing by the galahs and tookoff into the distance in long, graceful¹⁸⁸ leaps which swallowed the leagues faster than any other animal save theemu. Horses couldn't keep up with them.

In between these delightful¹⁸⁹ bouts¹²² of nature-studying she thought of Ralph, as always. Privately Meggie hadnever catalogued what she felt for him as a schoolgirl crush, simply called it love, as they did in books. Hersymptoms and feelings were no different from those of an Ethel M. Dell heroine. Nor did it seem fair that abarrier as artificial as his priesthood could stand between her and what she wanted of him, which was to havehim as her husband. To live with him as Daddy did with Mum, in such harmony he would adore her the wayDaddy did Mum. It had never seemed to Meggie that her mother did very much to earn her father's adoration¹⁹⁰, yetworship her he did. So Ralph would soon see that to live with her was far better than living on his own; for it hadnot dawned upon her that Ralph's priesthood was something he could not abandon under any circumstances. Yes,she knew it was forbidden to have a priest as husband or lover, but she had got into the habit of getting around itby stripping Ralph of his religious office. Her formal education in Catholicism had never advanced todiscussions of the nature of priestly vows¹⁹¹, and she was not herself in need of religion, so didn't pursue itvoluntarily. Obtaining no satisfaction from praying, Meggie obeyed the laws of the Church simply because not todo so meant burning in Hell throughout eternity¹⁹³. In her present daydream¹⁹⁴ she rambled¹⁹⁵ through the bliss¹⁹⁶ of livingwith him and sleeping with him, as Daddy did with Mum. Then the thought of his nearness excited her, made hershift in the saddle restlessly; she translated it into a deluge¹⁹⁷ of kisses, having no other criterion. Riding thepaddocks hadn't advanced her sexual education at all, for the mere sniff¹⁹⁸ of a dog in the far distance drove alldesire to mate out of any animal's mind, and as on all stations, indiscriminate mating was not allowed. When therams were sent among the ewes of a particular paddock, Meggie was dispatched elsewhere, and the sight of onedog humping another was simply the signal to flick²⁴ the pair with her whip, stop their "playing."Perhaps no human being is equipped to judge which is worse: inchoate¹⁹⁹ longing¹⁴⁵ with its attendant restlessnessand irritability²⁰⁰, or specific desire with its willful drive to achieve the desire. Poor Meggie longed, quite what forshe didn't know, but the basic pull was there, and it dragged her inexorably in the direction of Ralph deBricassart. So she dreamed of him, yearned²⁰¹ for him, wanted him; and mourned, that in spite of his declared lovefor her she meant so little to him that he never came to see her. Into the middle of her thoughts rode Paddy,heading for the homestead on the same course as she was; smiling, she reined²⁰² in the chestnut mare and waited forhim to catch up.

"What a nice surprise," said Paddy, walking his old roan beside his daughter's middle-aged²⁰³ mare.

"Yes, it is," she said. "Is it dry farther out?""A bit worse than this, I think. Lord, I've never seen so many kangas! It must be bone dry out Milparinka way.

Martin King was talking of a big shoot, but I don't see how an army of machine guns could reduce the number ofkangas by enough to see the difference."He was so nice, so thoughtful and forgiving and loving; and it was rarely that she ever had the chance to be withhim without at least one of the boys in attendance. Before she could change her mind, Meggie asked the doubtingquestion, the one which gnawed²⁰⁴ and preyed²⁰⁵ in spite of all her internal reassurances²⁰⁷.

"Daddy, why doesn't Father de Bricassart ever come to see us?" "He's busy, Meggie," Paddy answered, but hisvoice had become wary¹⁶⁶. "But even priests have holidays, don't they? He used to love Drogheda so, I'm sure he'dwant to spend his holidays here.?-" "In one way priests have holidays, Meggie, but in another way they're neveroff duty. For instance, every day of their lives they have to say Mass, even if quite alone. I think Father deBricassart is a very wise man, and knows that it's never possible to go back to a way of life that's gone. For him,wee Meggie, Drogheda's a bit of the past. If he came back, it wouldn't give him the same sort of pleasure it usedto.""You mean he's forgotten us," she said dully. "No, not really. If he had, he wouldn't write so often, or demandnews about each of us." He turned in his saddle, his blue eyes pitying. "I think it's best that he doesn't ever comeback, so I don't encourage him to think of it by inviting⁵⁰ him.""Daddy!"Paddy plunged²⁰⁸ into muddy waters doggedly. "Look, Meggie, it's wrong for you to dream about a priest, and it'stime you understood that. You've kept your secret pretty well, I don't think anyone else knows how you feelabout him, but it's to me your questions come, isn't it? Not many, but enough. Now take it from me, you've got tostop, hear it? Father de Bricassart took holy vows I know he has absolutely no intention of breaking, and you'vemistaken his fondness for you. He was a grown man when he met you, and you were a little girl. Well, that's howhe thinks of you, Meggie, to this very day."She didn't answer, nor did her face change. Yes, he thought, she's Fee's daughter, all right.

After a while she said tautly²⁰⁹, "But he could stop being a priest. It's just that I haven't had a chance to talk to himabout it."The shock on Paddy's face was too genuine not to believe it, so Meggie found it more convincing than hiswords, vehement²¹⁰ though they were. "Meggie! Oh, good God, that's the worst of this bush existence! You oughtto be in school, my girl, and if Auntie Mary had died sooner I would have packed you off to Sydney in time toget at least a couple of years under your belt. But you're too old, aren't you? I wouldn't have them laugh at you atyour age, poor wee Meggie." He continued more gently, spacing his words to give them a sharp, lucid cruelty,though it was not his intention to be cruel, only to dispel²¹¹ illusions once and for all. "Father de Bricassart is apriest, Meggie. He can never, never stop being a priest, understand that. The vows he took are sacred, too solemnto break. Once a man is a priest there can be no turning away, and his supervisors²¹² in the seminary makeabsolutely sure that he knows what he's swearing before he does. A man who takes those vows knows beyondany doubt that once taken they can't be broken, ever. Father de Bricassart took them, and he'll never break them."He sighed. "Now you know, Meggie, don't you? From this moment you have no excuse to daydream aboutFather de Bricassart."They had come in from the front of the homestead, so the stables were closer than the stockyards; without aword, Meggie turned the chestnut mare toward the stables, and left her father to continue alone. For a while hekept turning around to look after her, but when she had disappeared inside the fence around the stables he dug hisroan in the ribs²¹³ and finished his ride at a canter, hating himself and the necessity of saying what he had. Damnthe man-woman thing! It seemed to have a set of rules at variance²¹⁴ with all others.

Father Ralph de Bricassart's voice was very cold, yet it was warmer than his eyes, which never veered²¹⁵ from theyoung priest's pallid²¹⁶ face as he spoke²¹⁸ his stiff, measured words.

"You have not conducted yourself as Our Lord Jesus Christ demands His priests conduct themselves. I thinkyou know it better than we who censure²¹⁹ you could ever know it, but I must still censure you on behalf of yourArchbishop, who stands to you not only as a fellow priest but as your superior. You owe him perfect obedience,and it is not your place to argue with his sentiments or his decisions.

"Do you really understand the disgrace you've brought on yourself, on your parish, and especially on theChurch you purport²²¹ to love more than any human being? Your vow¹⁹² of cha/y was as solemn and binding²²² as yourother vows, and to break it is to sin grievously. You will never see the woman again, of course, but it behoovesus to assist you in your struggles to overcome temptation. Therefore we have arranged that you leaveimmediately for duty in the parish of Darwin, in the Northern Territory. You will proceed to Brisbane tonight onthe express train, and from there you will proceed, again by train, to Longreach. In Longreach you will board aQANTAS plane for Darwin. Your belongings²²³ are being packed at this moment and will be on the express beforeit departs, so there is no need for you to return to your present parish.

"Now go to the chapel²²⁴ with Father John and pray. You will remain in the chapel until it is time to join the train.

For your comfort and consolation²²⁵, Father John will travel with you to Darwin. You are dismissed." They werewise and aware, the priests in administration; they would permit the sinner no opportunity to have further contactwith the young girl he had taken as his mistress. It had become the scandal of his present parish, and veryembarrassing. As for the girl--let her wait, and watch, and wonder. From now until he arrived in Darwin hewould be watched by the excellent Father John, who had his orders, then after that every letter he sent fromDarwin would be opened, and he would not be allowed to make any long-distance phone calls. She would neverknow where he had gone, and he would never be able to tell her. Nor would he be given any chance to take upwith another girl. Dar-win was a frontier town; women were almost nonexistent. His vows were absolute, hecould never be released from them; if he was too weak to police himself, the Church must do it for him.

After he had watched the young priest and his appointed watchdog go from the room, Father Ralph got up fromhis desk and walked through to an inner chamber²²⁶. Archbishop Cluny Dark was sitting in his customary chair, andat right angles to him another man in purple sash and skullcap sat quietly. The Archbishop was a big man, with ashock of beautiful white hair and intensely blue eyes; he was a vital sort of fellow, with a keen sense of humorand a great love of the table. His visitor was quite the antithesis²²⁷; small and thin, a few sparse²²⁸ strands²²⁹ of black hairaround his skullcap and beneath them an angular, ascetic²³⁰ face, a sallow skin with a heavy beard shadow, andlarge dark eyes. In age he might have been anywhere between thirty and fifty, but in actual fact he was thirty-nine, three years older than Father Ralph de Bricassart.

"Sit down, Father, have a cup of tea," said the Arch-bishop²²⁰ heartily²³¹. "I was beginning to think we'd have tosend for a fresh pot. Did you dismiss the young man with a suitable admonition to mend his conduct?""Yes, Your Grace," said Father Ralph briefly²³², and seated himself in the third chair around the tea table, loadedwith wafer-thin cucumber sandwiches, pink and white iced fairy cakes, hot buttered scones²³³ with crystal dishes ofjam and whipped cream, a silver tea service and Aynsley china cups washed with a delicate coating of gold leaf.

"Such incidents are regrettable, my dear Archbishop, but even we who are ordained²³⁵ the priests of Our DearLord are weak, all-too-human creatures. I find it in my heart to pity him deeply, and I shall pray tonight that hefinds more strength in the future," the visitor said. His accent was distinctly foreign, his voice soft, with a hint ofsibilance in its so's. By nationality he was Italian, by title he was His Grace the Archbishop Papal Legate to theAustralian Catholic Church, and by name he was Vittorio Scarbanza di Contini-Verchese. His was the delicaterole of providing a link between the Australian hierarchy²³⁶ and the Vatican nerve center; which meant he was themost important priest in this section of the world.

Before. being given this appointment he had of course hoped for the United States of America, but on thinkingabout it he decided²³⁷ Australia would do very nicely. If in population though not in area it was a much smallercountry, it was also far more Catholic. Unlike the rest of the English-speaking world, it was no social comedownin Australia to be Catholic, no handicap to an aspiring²³⁸ politician or businessman or judge. And it was a richcountry, it supported the Church well. No need to fear he would be forgotten by Rome while he was in Australia.

The Archbishop Papal Legate was also a very subtle man, and his eyes over the gold rim⁹⁵ of his teacup were fixednot on Archbishop Cluny Dark but on FatherRalph de Bricassart, soon to become his own secretary. That Archbishop Dark liked the priest enormously wasa well-known fact, but the Archbishop Papal Legate was wondering how well he was going to like such a man.

They were all so big, these Irish-Australian priests, they towered far above him; he was so weary of foreverhaving to tilt⁴² his head up to see their faces. Father de Bricassart's manner to his present master was perfect: light,easy, respectful but man-to-man, full of humor. How would he adjust to working for a far different master? Itwas customary to appoint the Legatal secretary from the ranks of the Italian Church, but Father Ralph deBricassart held great interest for the Vatican. Not only did he have the curious distinction of being personallyrich (contrary to popular opinion, his superiors were not empowered to take his money from him, and he had notvolunteered to hand it over), but he had single-handedly brought a great fortune into the Church. So the Vaticanhad decided that the Archbishop Papal Legate was to take Father de Bricassart as his secretary, to study theyoung man and find out exactly what he was like.

One day the Holy Father would have to reward the Australian Church with a cardinal²³⁹'s biretta, but it would notbe yet. Therefore it was up to him to study priests in Father de Bricassart's age group, and of these Father deBricassart was clearly the leading candidate. So be it. Let Father de Bricassart try his mettle²⁴⁰ against an Italian fora while. It might be interesting. But why couldn't the man have been just a little smaller? As he sipped²⁴¹ his teagratefully Father Ralph was unusually quiet. The Archbishop Papal Legate noticed that he ate a small sandwichtriangle and eschewed²⁴² the other delicacies²⁴³, but drank four cups of tea thirstily, adding neither sugar nor milk.

Well, that was what his report said; in his personal living habits the priest was remarkably²⁴⁴ abstemious²⁴⁵, his onlyweakness being a good (and very fast) car.

"Your name is French, Father," said the Archbishop Papal Legate softly, "but I understand you are an Irishman.

How comes this phenomenon? Was your family French, then?"Father Ralph shook his head, smiling. "It's a Norman name, Your Grace, very old and honorable. I am a directdescendant of one Ranulf de Bricassart, who was a baron²⁴⁶ in the court of William the Conqueror²⁴⁷. In 1066 hecame to invade England with William, and one of his sons took English land. The family prospered²⁴⁸ under theNorman kings of England, and later on some of them crossed the Irish Sea during the time of Henry the Fourth,and settled within the Pale. When Henry the Eighth removed the English Church from Rome's authority we keptthe faith of William, which meant we felt we owed our first allegiance to Rome, not to London. But whenCromwell set up the Commonwealth²⁴⁹ we lost our lands and titles, and they were never restored to us. Charles hadEnglish favorites to reward with Irish land. It is not causeless, you know, the Irish hatred²⁵⁰ of the English.

"However, we descended²⁵¹ to relative obscurity, still loyal to the Church, and to Rome. My older brother has asuccessful stud farm in County Meath, and hopes to breed a Derby or a Grand National winner. I am the secondson, and it has always been a family tradition that the second son embrace the Church if he feels the wish for it.

I'm very proud of my name and my lineage, you know. For fifteen hundred years there have been de Bricassarts."Ah, that was good! An old, aristocratic name and a perfect record of keeping the faith through emigrations andpersecutions. "And the Ralph?""A constriction²⁵² of Ranulf, Your Grace.""I see.""I'm going to miss you greatly, Father," said Archbishop Cluny Dark, piling jam and whipped cream on half a scone²³⁴ and popping it whole into his mouth.

Father Ralph laughed at him. "You place me in a dilemma²⁵³, Your Grace! Here I am seated between my oldmaster and my new, and if I answer to please one, I must displease²⁵⁴ the other. But may I say I shall miss YourGrace, while looking forward to serving Your Grace?"It was well said, a diplomat²⁵⁵'s answer. Archbishop di Contini-Verchese began to think he might do well withsuch a secretary. But too good-looking by far, with those fine features, the striking coloring, the magnificentbody. Father Ralph lapsed¹² back into silence, staring at the tea table without seeing it. He was seeing the youngpriest he had just disciplined, the look in those already tormented¹⁷⁶ eyes as he realized they were not even going tolet him say goodbye to his girl. Dear God, what if it had been him, and the girl Meggie? One could get away withit for a while if one was discreet²⁵⁶; forever if one limited women to the yearly vacation away from the parish. Butlet a serious devotion to one woman enter the picture and they would inevitably²⁵⁷ find out.

There were times when only kneeling on the marble floor of the palace chapel until he was stiff with physicalpain prevented him from catching²⁵⁸ the next train back to Gilly and Drogheda. He had told himself that he wassimply the victim of loneliness, that he missed the human affection he had known on Drogheda. He told himselfnothing had changed when he yielded to a passing weakness and kissed Meggie back; that his love for her wasstill located in realms of fancy and delight, that it had not passed into a different world which had a distracting,disturbing wholeness to it the earlier dreams had not. For he couldn't admit anything had changed, and he keptMeggie in his mind as a little girl, shutting out any visions which might contradict this.

He had been wrong. The pain didn't fade. It seemed to grow worse, and in a colder, uglier way. Before, hisloneliness had been an impersonal²⁵⁹ thing, he had never been able to say to himself that the presence in his life ofany one being could remedy it. But now loneliness had a name: Meggie. Meggie, Meggie, Meggie . . .

He came out of his reverie to find Archbishop di Contini-Verchese staring at him unwinkingly, and those largedark eyes were far more dangerously omniscient²⁶⁰ than the round vivid orbs²⁶¹ of his present master. Far toointelligent to pretend there was nothing causing his brown study, Father Ralph gave his master-to-be aspenetrating a look as he was receiving, then smiled faintly and shrugged²⁶² his shoulders, as if to say: Every manhas sadness in him, and it is no sin to remember a grief. "Tell me, Father, has the sudden slump²⁶³ in economicaffairs affected your charge?" the Italian prelate asked smoothly²⁶⁴.

"So far we have nothing to worry about, Your Grace. Michar Limited isn't easily affected by auctuations in themarket. I should imagine those whose fortunes are less carefully invested than Mrs. Carson's are the ones whostand to lose the most. Of course the station Drogheda won't do as well; the price of wool is falling. However,Mrs. Carson was too clever to sink her money into rural pursuits; she preferred the solidity of metal. Though tomy mind this is an excellent time to buy land, not only stations in the country but houses and buildings in themajor cities. Prices are ridiculously low, but they can't remain low forever. I don't see how we can lose on realestate in years to come if we buy now. The Depression will be over one day." "Quite," said the Archbishop PapalLegate. So not only was Father de Bricassart something of a diplomat, he was also something of a businessmanas well! Truly Rome had better keep her eye upon him.

But it was 1930, and Drogheda knew all about the Depression. Men were out of work all over Australia. Thosewho could stopped paying rent and tying them-selves down to the futility²⁶⁵ of looking for work when there wasnone. Left to fend¹²⁰ alone, wives and children lived in humpies on municipal land and queued for the dole²⁶⁶; fathersand husbands had gone tramping. A man stowed his few essentials inside his blanket, tied it with thongs²⁶⁸ andslung it across his back before setting out on the track, hoping at least for handouts²⁶⁹ of food from the stations hecrossed, if not employment. Humping a bluey through the Outback beat sleeping in the Sydney Domain²⁷⁰.

The price of food was low, and Paddy stocked the Drogheda pantries and storehouses to overflowing²⁷¹. A mancould always be sure of having his tuckerbag filled when he arrived on Drogheda. The strange thing was that theparade of drifters constantly changed; once full of a good hot meal and loaded with provisions for the track, theymade no attempt to remain, but wandered on in search of only they knew what. Not every place was ashospitable or generous as Drogheda by any means, which only added to the puzzle of why men on the trackseemed not to want to stay. Perhaps the weariness and the purposelessness of having no home, no place to go,made them continue to drift. Most managed to live, some died and if found were buried before the crows andpigs picked their bones clean. The Outback was a huge place, and lonely.

But Stuart was permanently²⁷² in residence again, and the shotgun was never far from the cookhouse door. Goodstockmen were easy to come by, and Paddy had nine single men on his books in the old jackaroo barracks, soStuart could be spared from the paddocks. Fee stopped keeping cash lying about, and had Stuart make acamouflaged cupboard for the safe behind the chapel altar. Few of the swaggies were bad men. Bad menpreferred to stay in the cities and the big country towns, for life on the track was too pure, too lonely and scant²⁷³ ofpickings for bad men. Yet no one blamed Paddy for not wanting to take chances with his women; Drogheda wasa very famous name, and might conceivably attract what few undesirables²⁷⁴ there were on the track. That winterbrought bad storms, some dry, some wet, and the following spring and summer brought rain so heavy thatDrogheda grass grew lusher and longer than ever.

Jims and Patsy were plowing²⁷⁵ through their correspondence lessons at Mrs. Smith's kitchen table, and chatterednow of what it would be like when it was time to go to Riverview, their boarding school. But Mrs. Smith wouldgrow so sharp and sour at such talk that they learned not to speak of leaving Drogheda when she was withinhearing distance.

The dry weather came back; the thigh-high grass dried out completely and baked to a silver crisp in a rainlesssummer. Inured²⁷⁶ by ten years . of the black-soil plains to the hey-ho, up we go, hey-ho, down we go oscillationsof drought and flood, the men shrugged and went about each day as if it were the only one that could ever matter.

This was true; the main business was essentially²⁷⁷ to survive between one good year and the next, whenever itmight be. No one could predict the rain. There was a man in Brisbane called Inigo Jones who wasn't bad at long-range weather predictions, using a novel concept of sun spot activity, but out on the black-soil plains no one putmuch credence²⁷⁸ in what he had to say. Let Sydney and Melbourne brides petition him for forecasts; the black-soilplainsmen would stick with that old sensation in their bones. In the winter of 1932 the dry storms came back,along with bitter cold, but the lush grass kept dust to a minimum and the flies weren't as numerous as usual. Noconsolation to the freshly shorn sheep, which shivered miserably²⁷⁹. Mrs. Dominic O'Rourke, who lived in awooden house of no particular distinction, adored to entertain visitors from Sydney; one of the highlights of hertour program was paying a call at Drogheda homestead, to show her visitors that even out on the black-soilplains some people lived graciously. And the subject would always turn to those skinny, drowned-ratlookingsheep, left to face the winter minus the five-and six-inch-long fleeces they would have grown by the timesummer heat arrived. But, as Paddy said gravely to one such visitor, it made for better wool. The wool was thething, not the sheep. Not long after he made that statement a letter appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald,demanding prompt parliamentary legislation to end what it called "grazier cruelty." Poor Mrs. O'Rourke washorrified, but Paddy laughed until his sides ached.

"Just as well the silly bloke never saw a shearer²⁸⁰ rip up a sheep's belly²⁸¹ and sew it with a baling needle," hecomforted the embarrassed Mrs. O'Rourke. "It's not worth getting upset about, Mrs. Dominic. Down in the citythey don't know how the other half lives, and they can afford the luxury of doting²⁸² on their animals as if they werechildren. Out here it's different. You'll never see man, woman or child in need of help go ignored out here, yet inthe city those same people who dote on their pets will completely ignore a cry of help from a human being."Fee looked up. "He's right, Mrs. Dominic," she said. "We all have contempt for whatever there's too many of.

Out here it's sheep, but in the city it's people."Only Paddy was far afield that day in August when the big storm broke. He got down from his horse, tied theanimal securely to a tree and sat beneath a wilga to wait it out. Shivering in fear, his five dogs huddled²⁸³ togethernear him, while the sheep he had been intending to transfer to another paddock scattered²⁸⁴ into jumpy little groupstrotting aimlessly in all directions. And it was a terrible storm, reserving the worst of its fury until the center ofthe maelstrom²⁸⁵ was directly overhead. Paddy stuffed his fingers in his ears, shut his eyes and prayed.

Not far from where he sat with the down-dropping wilga leaves clashing restlessly in the rising wind was asmall collection of dead stumps²⁸⁶ and logs surrounded by tall grass. In the middle of the white, skeletal heap wasone massive dead gum, its bare body soaring forty feet toward the night-black clouds, spindling at its top into asharp, jagged point. A blossoming blue fire so bright it seared his eyes through their closed lids made Paddyjump to his feet, only to be thrown down like a toy in the heave of a huge explosion. He lifted his face from theearth to see the final glory of the lightning bolt playing shimmering halos of glaring blue and purple all up anddown the dead spear of gum tree; then, so quickly he hardly had time to understand what was happening,everything caught fire. The last drop of moisture had long since evaporated from the tissues of that decayedcluster, and the grass everywhere was long and dry as paper. Like some defiant²⁸⁸ answer of the earth to the sky,the giant tree shot a pillar of flame far beyond its tip, the logs and stumps around it went up at the same moment,and in a circle from around the center great sheets of fire swept in the swirling²⁸⁹ wind, round and round and round.

Paddy had not even time to reach his horse.

The parched²⁹⁰ wilga caught and the gum resin²⁹¹ at its tender heart exploded outward. There were solid walls of firein every direction Paddy looked; the trees were burning fiercely and the grass beneath his feet was roaring intoflames. He could hear his horse screaming and his heart went out to it; he could not leave the poor beast to dietied up and helpless. A dog howled, its howl changing to a shriek²⁹² of agony almost human. For a moment it flaredand danced, a living torch, then subsided²⁹⁴ into the blazing grass. More howls as the other dogs, fleeing, wereenveloped by the racing²⁹⁵ fire, faster in the gale²⁹⁶ than anything on foot or wing. A streaming meteor scorched²⁹⁷ hishair as he stood for a millisecond debating which way was the best to get to his horse; he looked down to see agreat cockatoo roasting at his feet. Suddenly Paddy knew this was the end. There was no way out of the infernofor himself or his horse. Even as he thought it, a desiccated stringybark behind him shot flames in everydirection; the gum in it exploding. The skin on Paddy's arm shriveled and blackened, the hair of his head dimmedat last by something brighter. To die so is indescribable; for fire works its way from outside to in. The last thingsthat go, finally cooked to the point of nonfunction, are brain and heart. His clothes on fire, Paddy caperedscreaming and screaming through the holocaust²⁹⁸. And every awful cry was his wife's name.

All the other men made it back to Drogheda homestead ahead of the storm, turned their mounts into thestockyard and headed for either the big house or the jackaroo barracks. In Fee's brightly lit drawing room with alog fire roaring in the cream-and-pink marble fireplace the Cleary boys sat listening to the storm, not temptedthese days to go outside and watch it. The beautiful pungent²⁹⁹ smell of burning eucalyptus³⁰⁰ wood in the grate andthe heaped cakes and sandwiches on the afternoon tea trolley³⁰¹ were too alluring³⁰². No one expected Paddy to makeit in.

About four o'clock the clouds rolled away to the east, and everyone unconsciously breathed easier; somehow itwas impossible to relax during a dry storm, even though every building on Drogheda was equipped with alightning conductor. Jack and Bob got up and went outside to get a little fresh air, they said, but in reality torelease pent breath. "Look!" said Bob, pointing westward³⁰³.

Above the trees that ringed the Home Paddock round, a great bronze pall²¹⁷ of smoke was growing, its marginstorn to tattered³⁰⁴ streamers in the high wind. "God Jesus!" Jack cried, running inside to the telephone. "Fire, fire!"he shouted into the receiver, while those still inside the room turned to gape³⁰⁵ at him, then ran outside to see. "Fireon Drogheda, and a big one!" Then he hung up; it was all he needed to say to the Gilly switch and to those alongthe line who habitually³⁰⁶ picked up when the first tinkle³⁰⁷ came. Though there had not been a big fire in the Gillydistrict since the Clearys had come to Drogheda, everyone knew the routine. The boys scattered to get horses,and the stockmen were piling out of the jackaroo barracks, while Mrs. Smith unlocked one of the storehousesand doled³⁰⁸ out hessian bags by the dozen. The smoke was in the west and the wind was blowing from thatdirection, which meant the fire would be heading for the homestead. Fee took off her long skirt and put on a pairof Paddy's pants, then ran with Meggie for the stables; every pair of hands capable of holding a bag would beneeded.

In the cookhouse Mrs. Smith stoked up the range firebox and the maids began bringing down huge pots fromtheir ceiling hooks. "Just as well we killed a steer³⁰⁹ yesterday," said the housekeeper. "Minnie, here's the key to theliquor storehouse. You and Cat fetch all the beer and rum we've got, then start making damper bread while Icarry on with the stew³¹⁰. And hurry, hurry!"The horses, unsettled by the storm, had smelled smoke and were hard to saddle; Fee and Meggie backed the twotrampling, restive³¹¹ thoroughbreds outside the stable into the yard to tackle them better. As Meggie wrestled³¹² withthe chestnut mare two swaggies came pounding down the track from the Gilly road.

"Fire, Missus, fire! Got a couple of spare horses? Give us a few bags." "Down that way to the stockyards. DearGod, I hope none of you are caught out there!" said Meggie, who didn't know where her father was. The two mengrabbed hessian bags and water bags from Mrs. Smith; Bob and the men had been gone five minutes. The twoswaggies followed, and last to leave, Fee and Meggie rode at a gallop³¹³ down to the creek, across it and awaytoward the smoke.

Behind them Tom, the garden rouseabout, finished filling the big water truck from the bore-drain pump, thenstarted the engine. Not that any amount of water short of a downpour from the sky would help put out a fire thisbig, but he would be needed to keep the bags damp, and the people wielding³¹⁴ them. As he shoved the truck downinto bottom gear to grind up the far creek bank he looked back for a moment at the empty head stockman'shouse, the two vacant houses beyond it; there was the homestead's soft underbelly, the only place whereflammable things came close enough to the trees on the far side of the creek to catch. Old Tom looked westward,shook his head in sudden decision, and managed to get the truck back across the creek and up the near bank inreverse. They'd never stop that fire out in the paddocks; they'd return. On top of the gully and just beside thehead stockman's house, in which he had been camping, he attached the hose to the tank and began saturating³¹⁵ thebuilding, then passed beyond it to the two smaller dwellings³¹⁷, hosed them down. This was where he could helpthe most; keep those three homes so wet they'd never catch.

As Meggie rode beside Fee the ominous³¹⁸ cloud in the west grew, and stronger and stronger on the wind came thesmell of burning. It was growing dark; creatures fleeing from the west came thicker and thicker across thepaddock, kangaroos and wild pigs, frightened sheep and cattle, emus and goannas, rabbits by the thousands. Bobwas leaving the gates open, she noticed as she rode from Borehead into Billa-Billa; every paddock on Droghedahad a name. But sheep were so stupid they would blunder into a fence and stop three feet from an open gate,never see it. The fire had gone ten miles when they reached it, and it was spreading laterally³¹⁹ as well, along afront expanding with every second. As the long dry grass and the high wind took it leaping from timber stand totimber stand they sat their frightened, jobbing horses and looked into the west helplessly. No use trying to stop ithere; an army couldn't stop it here. They would have to go back to the homestead and defend that if they could.

Already the front was five miles wide; if they didn't push their weary mounts they too would be caught, andpassed. Too bad for the sheep, too bad. But it couldn't be helped.

Old Tom was still hosing the houses by the creek when they clattered³²⁰ through the thin blanket of water on theford.

"Good bloke, Tom!" Bob shouted. "Keep it up until it gets too hot to stay, then get out in plenty of time, hearme? No rash heroism³²¹; you're more important than some bits of wood and glass."The homestead grounds were full of cars, and more headlights were bouncing and glaring down the road fromGilly; a large group of men stood waiting for them as Bob turned into the horse yards.

"How big is it, Bob?" Martin King asked.

"Too big to fight, I think," said Bob despairingly. "I reckon it's about five miles wide and in this wind it'straveling almost as fast as a horse can gallop. I don't know if we can save the homestead, but I think Horry oughtto get ready to defend his place. He's going to get it next, because I don't see how we can ever stop it. "Well,we're overdue³²² for a big fire. The last big one was in 1919. I'll organize a party to go to Beel-Beel, but there areplenty of us and more coming. Gilly can put out close to five hundred men to fight a fire. Some of us will stayhere to help. Thank God I'm west of Drogheda is all I can say." Bob grinned. "You're a bloody³²³ comfort, Martin."Martin looked around. "Where's your father, Bob?" "West of the fire, like Bugela. He was out in Wilgamustering some ewes for the lambing, and Wilga's at least five miles west of where the fire started, I reckon.""No other men you're worried about?""Not today, thank heavens."In a way it was like being in a war, Meggie thought as she entered the house: a controlled speed, a concern forfood and drink, the keeping up of one's strength and courage. And the threat of imminent³²⁴ disaster. As more menarrived they went to join those already in the Home Paddock, cutting down the few trees that had sprung up closeto the creek bank, and clearing away any overlong grass on the perimeter³²⁵. Meggie remembered thinking whenshe first arrived on Drogheda how much prettier the Home Paddock might have been, for compared to the wealthof timber all around it, it was bare and bleak³²⁶. Now she understood why. The Home Paddock was nothing lessthan a gigantic circular firebreak.

Everyone talked of the fires Gilly had seen in its seventy-odd years of existence. Curiously³²⁷ enough, fires werenever a major threat during prolonged drought, because there wasn't sufficient grass then to keep a fire going far.

It was times like this, a year or two after heavy rain had made the grass grow so long and tinderlush, that Gillysaw its big fires, the ones which sometimes burned out of control for hundreds of miles. Martin King had takencharge of the three hundred men remaining to defend Drogheda. He was the senior grazier of the district, and hadfought fires for fifty years. "I've got 150,000 acres on Bugela," he said, "and in 1905 I lost every sheep and everytree on the place. It took me fifteen years to recover, and I thought for a while I wouldn't, because wool wasn'tfetching much in those days, nor was beef."The wind was still howling, the smell of burning was everywhere. Night had fallen, but the western sky was litto unholy brilliance³²⁸ and lowering smoke was beginning to make them cough. Not long afterward³²⁹ they saw thefirst flames, vast tongues leaping and writhing³³⁰ a hundred feet into the smoke, and a roaring came to their earslike a huge crowd overexcited at a football game. The trees on the western side of the timber ringing the HomePaddock caught and went up in a solid sheet of fire; as Meggie watched petrified³³¹ from the homestead verandashe could see little pygmy silhouettes³³³ of men outlined against them, jumping and cavorting³³⁴ like anguished³³⁵ soulsin Hell. "Meggie, will you get in here and stack those plates on the sideboard, girl! We're not at a picnic, youknow!" came her mother's voice. She turned away reluctantly.

Two hours later the first relay of exhausted³³⁶ men staggered in to snatch food and drink, gather up their waningstrength to go back and fight on. For this had the station women toiled³³⁷, to make sure there was stew and damperbread, tea and rum and beer aplenty, even for three hundred men. In a fire, everyone did what he or she was bestequipped to do, and that meant the women cooked to keep up the superior physical strength of the men. Caseafter case of liquor emptied and was replaced by new cases; black from soot³³⁸ and reeling with fatigue³³⁹, the menstood to drink copiously³⁴⁰ and stuff huge chunks³⁴¹ of damper into their mouths, gobble down a plateful of stewwhen it had cooled, gulp³⁴² a last tumbler of rum, then out again to the fire.

In between trips to the cookhouse Meggie watched the fire, awed¹⁸⁵ and terrified. In its way it had a beautybeyond the beauty of anything earthly, for it was a thing of the skies, of suns so far away their light came coldly,of God and the Devil. The front had galloped³⁴³ on eastward³⁴⁴, they were completely surrounded now, and Meggiecould pick out details the undefined holocaust of the front did not permit. Now there were black and orange andred and white and yellow; a tall tree in black silhouette³³² rimmed with an orange crust that simmered andglowered; red embers floating and pirouetting like frolicsome³⁴⁵ phantoms³⁴⁶ in the air above; yellow pulsations fromthe exhausted hearts of burned-out trees; a shower of spinning crimson³⁴⁷ sparks as a gum exploded; sudden licksof orange-and-white flames from something that had resisted until now, and finally yielded its being to the fire.

Oh, yes, it was beautiful in the night; she would carry the memory of it all her life. A sudden increase in the windvelocity sent all the women up the wistaria boughs³⁴⁸ onto the silver iron roof muffled³⁴⁹ in bags, for all the men wereout in the Home Paddock. Armed with wet bags, their hands and knees scorched even through the bags theywore, they beat out embers on the frying roof, terrified the iron might give way under the coals, drop flamingpieces down into the wooden struts³⁵⁰ below. But the worst of the fire was ten miles eastward on Beel-Beel.

Drogheda homestead was only three miles from the eastern boundary of the property, it being closest to Gilly.

Beel-Beel adjoined it, and beyond that farther east lay Narrengang. When the wind picked up from forty to sixtymiles an hour the whole district knew nothing but rain could prevent the fire burning on for weeks, and layingwaste to hundreds of square miles of prime land.

Through the worst of the blaze the houses by the creek had endured, with Tom like a man possessed filling histank truck, hosing, filling again, hosing again. But the moment the wind increased the houses went up, and Tomretreated in the truck, weeping.

"You'd better get down on your knees and thank God the wind didn't pick up while the front was to the west ofus," said Martin King. "If it had, not only would the homestead have gone, but us as well. God Jesus, I hopethey're all right on Beel-Beel!"Fee handed him a big glass of neat rum; he was not a young man, but he had fought as long as it was needed,and directed operations with a master's touch.

"It's silly," she said to him, "but when it looked as if it all might go I kept thinking of the most peculiar³⁵¹ things. Ididn't think of dying, or of the children, or of this beautiful house in ruins. All I could think of were my sewingbasket, my half-done knitting, the box of odd buttons I'd been saving for years, my heart-shaped cake pans Frankmade me years ago. How could I survive without them? All the little things, you know, the things which can't bereplaced, or bought in a shop.""That's how most women think, as a matter of fact. Funny, isn't it, how the mind reacts? I remember in 1905 mywife running back into the house while I yelled after her like a madman, just to get a tambour with a bit offancywork on it." He grinned. "But we got out in time, though we lost the house. When I built the new place, thefirst thing she did was finish the fancywork. It was one of those old-fashioned samplers, you know the sort Imean. And it said "Home Sweet Home."" He put down the empty glass, shaking his head over the strangeness ofwomen. "I must go. Gareth Davies is going to need us on Narrengang, and unless I miss my guess so will Anguson Rudna Hunish." Fee whitened. "Oh, Martin! So far away?""The word's out, Fee. Booroo and Bourke are rallying.

For three days more the fire rampaged eastward on a front that kept widening and widening, then came asudden heavy fall of rain that lasted for nearly four days, and quenched³⁵² every last coal. But it had gone over ahundred miles and laid a charred³⁵³, blackened path twenty miles wide from midway out across Drogheda to theboundary of the last property in the Gillanbone district eastward, Rudna Hunish. Until it began to rain no oneexpected to hear from Paddy, for they thought him safely on the far side of, the burned zone, cut off from themby heat in the ground and the still-flaring trees. Had the fire not brought the telephone line down, Bob thoughtthey would have got a call from Martin King, for it was logical that Paddy would strike westward for shelter atBugela homestead. But when the rain had been falling for six hours and there was still no sign of him, they beganto worry. For almost four days they had been assuring themselves continually that there was no reason to beanxious, that of course he was just cut off, and had decided to wait until he could head for his own home ratherthan go to Bugela.

"He ought to be in by now," said Bob, pacing up and down the drawing room while the others watched; theirony of it was that the rain had brought a dank chill into the air, and once more a bright fire burned in the marblehearth.

"What do you think, Bob?" Jack asked.

"I think it's high time we went looking for him. He might be hurt, or he might be on foot and facing a long walkhome. His horse might have panicked and thrown him, he might be lying somewhere unable to walk. He hadfood for overnight, but nothing like enough for four days, though he won't have passed out from starvation yet.

Best not to create a fuss just now, so I won't recall the men from Narrengang. But if we don't find him bynightfall I'll ride to Dominic's and we'll get the whole district out tomorrow. Lord, I wish those PMG blokeswould get a move on with those phone lines!" Fee was trembling, her eyes feverish³⁵⁴, almost savage⁹⁴.

"I'll put on a pair of trousers," she said. "I can't bear to sit here waiting.""Mum, stay home!" Bob pleaded.

"If he's hurt it might be anywhere, Bob, and he might be in any sort of condition. You sent the stockmen toNarrengang, and that leaves us mighty³⁵⁵ short for a search party. If I go paired with Meggie the two of us will bestrong enough together to cope with whatever we find, but if Meggie goes on her own she'll have to search withone of you, and that's wasting her, not to mention me."Bob gave in. "All right, then. You can have Meggie's gelding; you rode it to the fire. Everyone take a rifle, andplenty of shells."They rode off across the creek and into the heart of that blasted landscape. Not a green or a brown thing was leftanywhere, just a vast expanse of soggy black coals, incredibly still steaming after hours of rain. Every leaf ofevery tree was frizzled to a curling limp string, and where the grass had been they could see little black bundleshere and there, sheep caught in the fire, or an occasional bigger mound³⁵⁶ which had been a steer or a pig. Theirtears mingled³⁵⁷ with the rain on their faces. Bob and Meggie headed the little procession, Jack and Hughie in themiddle, Fee and Stuart bringing up the rear. For Fee and Stuart it was a peaceful progress; they drew comfortfrom being close together, not talking, each content in the company of the other. Sometimes the horses drewclose or shied apart at the sight of some new horror, but it seemed not to affect the last pair of riders. The mudmade the going slow and hard, but the charred, matted grass lay like a coir-rope rug on the soil to give the horsesa foothold. And every few yards they expected to see Paddy appear over the far flat horizon, but time went onand he never did.

With sinking hearts they realized the fire had begun farther out than first imagined, in Wilga paddock. Thestorm clouds must have disguised the smoke until the fire had gone 'q a long way. The borderland wasastonishing. One side of a clearly drawn line was just black, glistening tar¹⁰, while the other side was the land asthey had always known it, fawn³⁵⁸ and blue and drear in the rain, but alive. Bob stopped and drew back to talk toeveryone.

"Well, here's where we start. I'm going due west from here; it's the most likely direction and I'm the strongest.

Has everyone got plenty of ammunition³⁵⁹? Good. If you find anything, three shots in the air, and those who hearmust answer with one shot each. Then wait. Whoever fired the three shots will fire three more five minutes later,and keep on firing three shots every five minutes. Those who hear, one shot in answer. "Jack, you go south alongthe fire line. Hughie, you go southwest. I'm going west. Mum and Meggie, you go northwest. Stu, follow the fireline due north. And go slowly, everyone, please. The rain doesn't make it any easier to see far, and there's a lot oftimber out here in places. Call often; he might not see you where he would hear you. But remember, no shotsunless you find something, because he didn't have a gun with him and if he should hear a shot and be out ofvoice range to answer, it would be dreadful for him. "Good luck, and God bless."Like pilgrims at the final crossroads they straggled apart in the steady grey rain, getting farther and farther awayfrom each other, smaller and smaller, until each disappeared along the appointed path. Stuart had gone a barehalf mile when he noticed that a stand of burned timber drew very close to the fire's demarcation line. There wasa little wilga as black and crinkled as a pickaninny's mop, and the remains³⁶⁰ of a great stump²⁸⁷ standing close to thecharred boundary. What he saw was Paddy's horse, sprawled³⁶¹ and fused into the trunk of a big gum, and two ofPaddy's dogs, little black stiff things with all four limbs poking³⁶² up like sticks. He got down from his horse, bootssinking ankle deep in mud, and took his rifle from its saddle scabbard. His lips moved, praying, as he picked hisslippery way across the sticky coals. Had it not been for the horse and the dogs he might have hoped for aswaggie or some down-and equals out wayfarer³⁶³ caught, trapped. But Paddy was horsed and had five dogs withhim; no one on the track rode a horse or had more than one. dog. This was too far inside Drogheda land to thinkof drovers, or stockmen from Bugela to the west. Farther away were three more incinerated dogs; five altogether,five dogs. He knew he would not find a sixth, nor did he.

And not far from the horse, hidden as he approached by a log, was what had been a man. There could be nomistake. Glistening and shiny in the rain, the black thing lay on its back, and its back was arched like a great bowso that it bent upward in the middle and did not touch the ground except at the buttocks and shoulders. The armswere flung apart and curved at the elbows as if beseeching³⁶⁴ heaven, the fingers with the flesh dropping off themto reveal charred bones were clawing and grasping at nothing. The legs were splayed apart also but flexed³⁶⁵ at theknees, and the blob of a head looked up sightless, eyeless at the sky.

For a moment Stuart's clear, all-seeing gaze rested on his father, and saw not the ruined shell but the man, as hehad been in life. He pointed his rifle at the sky, fired a shot, reloaded, fired a second shot, reloaded, let off thethird. Faintly in the distance he heard one answering report, then, farther off and very faintly, a second answer. Itwas then he remembered the closer shot would have-come from his mother and sister. They were northwest, hewas north. Without waiting the stipulated³⁶⁶ five minutes, he put another shell in the rifle breech, pointed the gundue south, and fired. A pause to reload, the second shot, reload, the third shot. He put the weapon back on theground and stood looking south, his head cocked, listening. This time the first answer was from the west, Bob'sshot, the second from Jack or Hughie, and the third from his mother. He sighed in relief; he didn't want thewomen reaching him first.

Thus he didn't see the great wild pig emerge from the trees to the north; he smelled it. As big as a cow, itsmassive bulk rolled and quivered on short, powerful legs as it drove its head down, raking at the burned wetground. The shots had disturbed it, and it was in pain. The sparse black hair on one side of its body was singedoff and the skin was redly raw; what Stuart smelled as he stared into the south was the delectable³⁶⁷ odor of bubbledpork skin, just as it is on a roasted joint³⁶⁸ fresh from the oven and crisp all over the slashed³⁶⁹ outer husk. Surprisedout of the curiously peaceful sorrow he always seemed to have known, his head turned, even as he thought tohimself that he must have been here before, that this sodden³⁷⁰ black place had been etched into some part of hisbrain on the day of his birth. Stooping, he groped for the rifle, remembering it wasn't loaded. The boar stoodperfectly still, its little reddened eyes mad with pain, the great yellow tusks³⁷¹ sharp and curving upward in a halfcircle. Stuart's horse neighed, smelling the beast; the pig's massive head swung to watch it, then lowered for thecharge. While its attention was on the horse Stuart saw his only chance, bent quickly for the rifle and snapped thebreech open, his other hand in his jacket pocket for a shell. All around the rain was dropping down, mufflingother sounds in its own unchanging patter. But the pig heard the bolt slide back, and at the last moment changedthe direction of its charge from the horse to Stuart. It was almost upon him when he got one shot off straight intothe beast's chest, without slowing it down. The tusks slewed³⁷² up and sideways, and caught him in the groin. Hefell, blood appearing like a faucet³⁷³ turned all the way on and saturating his clothes, spurting³⁷⁴ over the ground.

Turning awkwardly as it began to feel the bullet, the pig came back to gore³⁷⁵ him again, faltered³⁷⁶, swayed, andtottered. The whole of that fifteen-hundred-pound bulk came down across him, and crushed his face into the tarrymud. For a moment his hands clawed at the ground on either side in a frantic, futile³⁷⁷ struggle to be free; this thenwas what he had always known, why he had never hoped or dreamed or planned, only sat and drunk of the livingworld so deeply there had not been time to grieve for his waiting fate. He thought: Mum, Mum! I can't stay withyou, Mum!, even as his heart burst within him.

"I wonder why Stu hasn't fired again?" Meggie asked her mother as they trotted³⁷⁸ toward the sound of those twofirst triple volleys, not able to go any faster in the mud, and desperately⁷⁵ anxious. "I suppose he decided we'dheard," Fee said. But in the back of her mind she was remembering Stuart's face as they parted in differentdirections on the search, the way his hand had gone out to clasp hers, the way he had smiled at her. "We can't befar away now," she said, and pushed her mount into a clumsy, sliding canter.

But Jack had got there first, so had Bob, and they headed the women off as they came across the last of theliving land toward the place where the bushfire had begun.

"Don't go in, Mum," said Bob as she dismounted. Jack had gone to Meggie, and held her arms.

The two pairs of grey eyes turned, not so much in bewilderment or dread¹⁶ as in knowledge, as if they did notneed to be told anything. "Paddy?" asked Fee in a voice not like her own. "Yes. And Stu."Neither of her sons could look at her.

"Stu? Stu! What do you mean, Stu? Oh, God, what is it, what's happened? Not both of them-no!""Daddy got caught in the fire; he's dead. Stu must have disturbed a boar, and it charged him. He shot it, but itfell on him as it was dying and smothered³⁷⁹ him. He's dead too, Mum."Meggie screamed and struggled, trying to break free of Jack's hands, but Fee stood between Bob's grimy,bloody ones as if turned to stone, her eyes as glassy as a gazing-ball. "It is too much," she said at last, and lookedup at Bob with the rain running down her face and her hair in straggling wisps around her neck like goldenrunnels. "Let me go to them, Bob. I am the wife of one and the mother of one. You can't keep me away-you haveno right to keep me away. Let me go to them."Meggie had quietened, and stood within Jack's arms with her head on his shoulder. As Fee began to walk acrossthe ruins with Bob's arm around her waist, Meggie looked after them, but she made no move to follow. Hughieappeared out of the dimming rain; Jack nodded toward his mother and Bob. "Go after them, Hughie, stay withthem. Meggie and I are going back to Drogheda, to bring the dray." He let Meggie go, and helped her onto thechestnut mare. "Come on, Meggie; it's nearly dark. We can't leave them out all night in this, and they won't gountil we get back."It was impossible to put the dray or anything else wheeled upon the mud; in the end Jack and old Tom chaineda sheet of corrugated³⁸⁰ iron behind two draft horses, Tom leading the team on a stock horse while Jack rode aheadwith the biggest lamp Drogheda possessed.

Meggie stayed at the homestead and sat in front of the drawing room fire while Mrs. Smith tried to persuade herto eat, tears running down her face to see the girl's still, silent shock, the way she did not weep. At the sound ofthe front door knocker she turned and went to answer it, wondering who on earth had managed to get through themud, and as always astonished at the speed with which news traveled the lonely miles between the far-flunghomesteads.

Father Ralph was standing on the veranda, wet and muddy, in riding clothes and oilskins.

"May I come in, Mrs. Smith?""Oh, Father, Father!" she cried, and threw herself into his astounded³⁸¹ arms. "How did you know?""Mrs. Cleary telegrammed me, a manager-to-owner courtesy I appreciated very much. I got leave to come fromArchbishop di Contini-Verchese. What a mouth-ful! Would you believe I have to say it a hundred times a day? Iflew up. The plane bogged³⁸² as it landed and pitched on its nose, so I knew what the ground was like before I somuch as stepped on it. Dear, beautiful Gilly! I left my suitcase with Father Watty at the presbytery and cadged³⁸³ ahorse from the Imperial publican, who thought I was crazy and bet me a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label I'dnever get through the mud. Oh, Mrs. Smith, don't cry so! My dear, the world hasn't come to an end because of afire, no matter how big and nasty it was!" he said, smiling and patting her heaving shoulders. "Here am I doingmy best to make light of it, and you're just not doing your best to respond. Don't cry so, please.""Then you don't know," she sobbed³⁸⁴.

"What? Know what? What is it-what's happened?" "Mr. Cleary and Stuart are dead."His face drained of color; his hands pushed the housekeeper away. "Where's Meggie?" he barked.

"In the drawing room. Mrs. Cleary's still out in the paddock with the bodies. Jack and Tom have gone to bringthem in. Oh, Father, sometimes in spite of my faith I can't help thinking God is too cruel! Why did He have totake both of them?"But all Father Ralph had stayed to hear was where Meggie was; he had gone into the drawing room sheddinghis oilskins as he went, trailing muddy water behind him.

"Meggie!" he said, coming to her and kneeling at one side of her chair, taking her cold hands in his wet onesfirmly.

She slipped from the chair and crawled into his arms, pillowed her head on his dripping shirt and closed hereyes, so happy in spite of her pain and grief that she never wanted the moment to end. He had come, it was avindication of her power over him, she hadn't failed.

"I'm wet, darling Meggie; you'll get soaked," he whispered, his cheek on her hair.

"It doesn't matter. You've come.""Yes, I've come. I wanted to be sure you were safe, I had a feeling I was needed, I had to see for myself. Oh,Meggie, your father and Stu! How did it happen?""Daddy was caught in the fire, and Stu found him. He was killed by a boar; it fell on him after he shot it. Jackand Tom have gone out to bring them in."He said no more, but held her and rocked her as if she were a baby until the heat of the fire partially³⁸⁵ dried hisshirt and hair and he felt some of the stiffness drain from her. Then he put his hand beneath her chin, tilted⁴³ herhead until she looked up at him, and without thinking kissed her. It was a confused impulse not rooted in desire,just something he instinctively³⁸⁶ offered when he saw what lay in the grey eyes. Something apart, a different kindof sacrament. Her arms slid up under his to meet across his back; he could not stop himself flinching³⁸⁷, suppressthe exclamation of pain. She drew back a little. "What's the matter?""I must have bruised³⁸⁸ my ribs when the plane came in. We bogged to the fuselage in good old Gilly mud, so itwas a pretty rough landing. I wound up balanced on the back of the seat in front of me.""Here, let me see."Fingers steady, she unbuttoned the damp shirt and peeled it off his arms, pulled it free of his breeches. Underthe surface of the smooth brown skin a purpling ugly patch extended from one side clear across to the otherbelow the rib³² cage; her breath caught.

"Oh, Ralph! You rode all the way from Gilly with this? How it must have hurt! Do you feel all right? Nofaintness? You might have ruptured³⁹⁰ something inside!""No, I'm fine, and I didn't feel it, honestly. I was so anxious to get here,. make sure you were all right, thatI suppose I simply eliminated it from my mind. If I was bleeding internally I'd have known about. it long beforenow, I expect. God, Meggie, don't!" Her head had gone down, she was delicately touching³⁹¹ her lips to the bruise³⁸⁹,her palms sliding up his chest to his shoulders with a deliberate sensuousness³⁹² that staggered him. Fascinated,terrified, meaning to free himself at any cost, he pulled her head away; but somehow all he succeeded in doingwas having her back in his arms, a snake coiled tightly about his will, strangling it. Pain was forgotten, Churchwas forgotten, God was forgotten. He found her mouth, forced it open hungrily, wanting more and more of her,not able to hold her close enough to assuage³⁹³ the ghastly drive growing in him. She gave him her neck, bared hershoulders where the skin was cool, smoother and glossier³⁹⁴ than satin; it was like drowning, sinking deeper anddeeper, gasping³⁹⁵ and helpless. Mortality pressed down on him, a great weight crushing his soul, liberating³⁹⁶ thebitter dark wine of his senses in a sudden flood. He wanted to weep; the last of his desire trickled³⁹⁷ away under theburden of his mortality, and he wrenched³⁹⁸ her arms from about his wretched body, sat back on his heels with hishead sunken forward, seeming to become utterly³⁹⁹ absorbed in watching his hands tremble on his knees. Meggie,what have you done to me, what might you do to me if I let you? "Meggie, I love you, I always will. But I'm apriest, I can't .... I just can't!"She got to her feet quickly, straightened her blouse, stood looking down at him and smiling a twisted smilewhich only threw the failed pain in her eyes into greater emphasis.

"It's all right, Ralph. I'll go and see if Mrs. Smith can get you something to eat, then I'll bring you the horseliniment. It's marvelous for bringing out a bruise; stops the soreness much better than kisses ever could, Idaresay.""Is the phone working?" he managed to say.

"Yes. They strung a temporary line on the trees and reconnected us a couple of hours ago."But it was some minutes after she left him before he could compose himself sufficiently⁴⁰⁰ to seat himself at Fee'sescritoire. "Give me trunks, please, switch. This is Father de Bricassart at Drogheda-Oh, hello, Doreen; still onthe switch, I see. Nice to hear your voice, too. One never knows who switch is in Sydney; she's just a boredvoice. I want to put an urgent call through to His Grace the Archbishop Papal Legate in Sydney. His number isXX-2324. And while I'm waiting for Sydney, put me through to Bugela, Doreen."There was barely time to tell Martin King what had happened before Sydney was on the line, but one word toBugela was enough. Gilly would know from him and the eavesdroppers on the party line, and those who wishedto brave a ride through Gilly mud would be at the funerals.

"Your Grace? This is Father de Bricassart . . . . Yes, thank you, I arrived safely, but the plane's bogged to itsfuselage in mud and I'll have to come back by train . . . . Mud, Your Grace, m-u-d mud. No, Your Grace,everything up here becomes impassable when it rains. I had to ride from Gillanbone to Drogheda on horseback;that's the only way one can even try in rain . . . . That's why I'm phoning, Your Grace. It was as well I came. Isuppose I must have had some sort of premonition . . . .yes, things are bad, very bad. Padraic Cleary and his sonStuart are dead, one burned to death in the fire, one smothered by a boar . . . . A b-o-a-r boar, Your Grace, a wildpig .... Yes, you're right, one does speak a slightly bizarre English up here." All down the faint line he could heargasps from the listeners, and grinned in spite of himself. One couldn't yell into the phone that everybody must getoff the line-it was the sole entertainment of a mass nature Gilly had to offer its contact-hungry citizens-but if theywould only get off the line His Grace might stand a better chance of hearing. "With your permission, YourGrace, I'll remain to conduct the funerals and make sure the widow and her surviving children are all right . . . .

Yes, your Grace, thank you. I'll return to Sydney as soon as I can."Switch was listening, too; he clicked the lever and spoke again immediately. "Doreen, put me back to Bugela,please." He talked to Martin King for a few minutes, and decided since it was August and wintercold to delay thefunerals until the day after this coming day. Many people would want to attend in spite of the mud and beprepared to ride to get there, but it was slow and arduous⁴⁰¹ work.

Meggie came back with the horse liniment, but made no offer to rub it on, just handed him the bottle silently.

She informed him abruptly that Mrs. Smith was laying him a hot supper in the small dining room in an hour, sohe would have time to bathe. He was uncomfortably aware that in some way Meggie thought he had failed her,but he didn't know why she should think so, or on what basis she had judged him. She knew what he was; whywas she angry?

In grey dawnlight the little cavalcade⁴⁰² escorting the bodies reached the creek, and stopped. Though the waterwas still contained within its banks, the Gillan had become a river in full spate⁴⁰³, running fast and thirty feet deep.

Father Ralph swam his chestnut mare across to meet them, stole around his neck and the instruments of hiscalling in a saddlebag. While Fee, Bob, Jack, Hughie and Tom stood around, he stripped the canvas off thebodies and prepared to anoint them. After Mary Carson nothing could sicken him; yet he found nothingrepugnant about Paddy and Stu. They were both black after their fashion, Paddy from the fire and Stu fromsuffocation, but the priest kissed them with love and respect.

For fifteen miles the rough sheet of iron had jarred and bounced over the ground behind the team of drafthorses, scarring the mud with deep gouges⁴⁰⁴ which would still be visible years later, even in the grass of otherseasons. But it seemed they could go no farther; the swirling creek would keep them on its far side, withDrogheda only a mile away. They stood staring at the tops of the ghost gums, clearly visible even in the rain.

"I have an idea," said Bob, turning to Father Ralph. "Father, you're the only one on a fresh horse; it will have tobe you. Ours will only swim the creek oncethey've got no more in them after the mud and the cold. Go back andfind some empty forty-four-gallon drums, and seal their lids shut so they can't possibly leak or slip off. Solderthem if necessary. We'll need twelve of them, ten if you can't find more. Tie them together and bring them backacross the creek. We'll lash⁴⁴ them under the iron and float it across like a barge⁴⁰⁵."Father Ralph did as he was told without question; it was a better idea than any he had to offer. DominicO'Rourke of Dibban-Dibban had ridden in with two of his sons; he was a neighbor and not far away as distanceswent. When Father Ralph explained what had to be done they set about it quickly, scouring⁴⁰⁶ the sheds for emptydrums, tipping chaff⁴⁰⁷ and oats out of drums empty of petrol but in use for storage, searching for lids, soldering⁴⁰⁸ thelids to the drums if they were rustfree and looked likely to withstand the battering⁴⁰⁹ they would get in the water.

The rain was still falling, falling. It wouldn't stop for another two days.

"Dominic, I hate to ask it of you, but when these people come in they're going to be half dead. We'll have tohold the funerals tomorrow, and even if the Gilly undertaker could make the coffins⁴¹⁰ in time, we'd never get themout through the mud. Can any of you have a go at making a couple of coffins? I only need one man to swim thecreek with me."The O'Rourke sons nodded; they didn't want to see what the fire had done to Paddy or the boar to Stuart.

"We'll do it, Dad," said Liam.

Dragging the drums behind their horses, Father Ralph and Dominic O'Rourke rode down to the creek and swamit.

"There's one thing, Father!" shouted Dominic. "We don't have to dig graves in this bloody mud! I used to thinkold Mary was putting on the dog a bit too much when she put a marble vault⁴¹¹ in her backyard for Michael, butright at this minute if she was here, I'd kiss her!""Too right!" yelled Father Ralph.

They lashed¹⁸² the drums under the sheet of iron, six on either side, tied the canvas shroud⁴¹² down firmly, and swamthe exhausted draft horses across on the rope which would finally tow the raft. Dominic and Tom sat astride thegreat beasts, and at the top of the Drogheda-side bank paused, looking back, while those still marooned⁴¹³ hookedup the makeshift barge, pushed it to the bank and shoved it in. The draft horses began walking, Tom andDominic cooeeing shrilly⁴¹⁴ as the raft began to float. It bobbed and wallowed badly, but it stayed afloat longenough to be hauled out safely; rather than waste time dismantling⁴¹⁵ the pontoons, the two impromptu⁴¹⁶ postilionsurged their mounts up the track toward the big house, the sheet of iron sliding along on its drums better than ithad without them.

There was a ramp²⁶⁷ up to great doors at the baling end of the shearing⁴¹⁷ shed, so they put the raft and its burden inthe huge empty building amid the reeks⁴¹⁸ of tar, sweat, lanolin and dung. Muffled in oilskins, Minnie and Cat hadcome down from the big house to take first vigil, and knelt one on either side of the iron bier, rosary beadsclicking, voices rising and falling in cadences⁴¹⁹ too well known to need the effort of memory.

The house was filling up. Duncan Gordon had arrived from Each-Uisge, Gareth Davies from Narrengang,Horry Hopeton from Beel-Beel, Eden Carmichael from Barcoola. Old Angus MacQueen had flagged down oneof the ambling⁴²⁰ local goods trains and ridden with the engine driver to Gilly, where he borrowed a horse fromHarry Gough and rode out with him. He had covered over two hundred miles of mud, one way or another. "I'mwiped out, Father," Horry said to the priest later as the seven of them sat in the small dining room eating steakand-kidney pie. "The fire went through me from one end to the other and left hardly a sheep alive or a tree green.

Lucky the last few years have been good is all I can say. I can afford to restock, and if this rain keeps up thegrass will come back real quick. But heaven help us from another disaster during the next ten years, Father,because I won't have anything put aside to meet it. "Well, you're smaller than me, Horry," Gareth Davies said,cutting into Mrs. Smith's meltingly light flaky pastry⁴²¹ with evident enjoyment⁴²². Nothing in the line of disasterscould depress a black-soil plainsman's appetite for long; he needed his food to meet them. "I reckon I lost abouthalf of my acreage, and maybe twothirds of my sheep, worse luck. Father, we need your prayers.""Aye," said old Angus. "I wasna sae hard hit as wee Horry and Garry, Father, but bad enough for a" that. I lostsixty thoosand of ma acres, and half ma wee sheep. "Tis times like this, Father, make me wish I hadna left Skyeas a young laddie."Father Ralph smiled. "It's a passing wish, Angus, you know that. You left Skye for the same reason I leftClunamara. It was too small for you." "Aye, nae Boot. The heather. doesna make sic a bonnie blaze as the gums,eh, Father?"It would be a strange funeral, thought Father Ralph as he looked around; the only women would be Droghedawomen, for all the visiting mourners were men. He had taken a huge dose of laudanum to Fee after Mrs. Smithhad stripped her, dried her and put her into the big bed she had shared with Paddy, and when she refused to drinkit, weeping hysterically⁴²³, he had held her nose and tipped it ruthlessly down her throat. Funny, he hadn't thoughtof Fee breaking down. It had worked quickly, for she hadn't eaten in twenty-four hours. Knowing she was soundasleep, he rested easier. Meggie he kept tabs on; she was out in the cookhouse at the moment helping⁴²⁴ Mrs. Smithprepare food. The boys were all in bed, so exhausted they could hardly manage to peel off their wet things beforecollapsing. When Minnie and Cat concluded their stint⁴²⁵ of the vigil custom demanded because the bodies lay in adeserted, unblessed place, Gareth Davies and his son Enoch were taking over; the others allotted⁴²⁶ hour-long spansamong themselves as they talked and ate.

None of the young men had joined their elders in the dining room. They were all in the cookhouse ostensiblyhelping Mrs. Smith, but in reality so they could look at Meggie. When he realized this fact Father Ralph wasboth annoyed and relieved. Well, it was out of their ranks she must choose her husband, as she inevitably would.

Enoch Davies was twenty-nine, a "black Welshman," which meant he was black-haired and very dark-eyed, ahandsome man; Liam O'Rourke was twenty-six, sandy-haired and blue-eyed, like his twenty-five-year-oldbrother Rory; Connor Carmichael was the spit of his sister, older at thirty-two, and very good-looking indeed, ifa little arrogant⁴²⁷; the pick of the bunch in Father Ralph's estimation was old Angus's grandson Alastair, the closestto Meggie in age at twenty-four and a sweet young man, with his grandfather's beautiful blue. Scots eyes and hairalready gray, a family trait. Let her fall in love with one of them, marry him, have the children she wanted sobadly. Oh, God, my God, if You will do that for me, I'll gladly bear the pain of loving her, gladly . . . .

No flowers smothered these coffins, and the vases all around the chapel were empty. What blossoms hadsurvived the terrible heat of the fiery⁴²⁸ air two nights ago had succumbed⁴²⁹ to the rain, and laid themselves downagainst the mud like ruined butterflies. Not even a stalk of bottle brush, or an early rose. And everyone was tired,so tired. Those who had ridden the long miles in the mud to show their liking⁴³⁰ for Paddy were tired, those whohad brought the bodies in were tired, those who had slaved to cook and clean were tired, Father Ralph was sotired he felt as if he moved in a dream, eyes sliding away from Fee's pinched, hopeless face, Meggie's expressionof mingled sorrow and anger, the collective grief of that collective cluster Bob, Jack and Hughie . . . . He gave noeulogy; Martin King spoke briefly and movingly on behalf of those assembled, and the priest went on into theRequiem immediately. He had as a matter of course brought his chalice⁴³², his sacraments and a stole, for no prieststirred without them when he went offering comfort or aid, but he had no vestments with him, and the housepossessed none. But old Angus had called in at the presbytery in Gilly on his way, and carried the blackmourning garb⁴³³ of a Requiem⁴³¹ Mass wrapped in an oilskin across his saddle. So he stood properly attired⁴³⁴ with therain hissing⁴³⁵ against the windows, drumming on the iron roof two stories up.

Then out into it, the grieving rain, across the lawn all browned and scorched by heat, to the little white-railingedcemetery. This time there were pallbearers willing to shoulder the plain rectangular boxes, slipping and sliding inthe mud, trying to see where they were going through the rain beating in their eyes. And the little bells on theChinese cook's grave tinkled⁴³⁶ drably: Hee Sing, Hee Sing, Hee Sing.

It got itself over and done with. The mourners departed on their horses, backs hunched⁴³⁷ inside their oilskins,some of them staring miserably at the prospect⁴³⁸ of ruin; others thanking God they had escaped death and the fire.

And Father Ralph got his few things together, knowing he must go before he couldn't go.

He went to see Fee, where she sat at the escritoire staring mutely down at her hands.

"Fee, will you be all right?" he asked, sitting where he could see her. She turned toward him, so still andquenched within her soul that he was afraid, and closed his eyes.

"Yes, Father, I'll be all right. I have the books to keep, and five sons left-six if you count Frank, only I don'tsuppose we can count Frank, can we? Thank you for that, more than I can ever say. It's such a comfort to meknowing your people are watching out for him, making his life a little easier. Oh, if I could see him, just once!"She was like a lighthouse, he thought; flashes of grief every time her mind came round to that pitch of emotionwhich was too great to be contained. A huge flare²⁹³, and then a long period of nothing.

"Fee, I want you to think about something.""Yes, what?" She was dark again.

"Are you listening to me?" he asked sharply, worried and suddenly more frightened than before.

For a long moment he thought she had retreated so far into herself even the harshness of his voice hadn'tpenetrated, but up blazed the beacon⁴³⁹ again, and her lips parted. "My poor Paddy! My poor Stuart! My poorFrank!" she mourned, then got herself under that iron control once more, as if she was determined⁴⁴⁰ to elongate⁴⁴¹ herperiods of darkness until the light shone no more in her lifetime.

Her eyes roamed the room without seeming to recognize it. "Yes, Father, I'm listening," she said.

"Fee, what about your daughter? Do you ever remember that you have a daughter?"The grey eyes lifted to his face, dwelled on it almost pityingly. "Does any woman? What's a daughter? Just areminder of the pain, a younger version of oneself who will do all the things one has done, cry the same tears.

No, Father. I try to forget I have a daughter-if I do think of her, it is as one of my sons. It's her sons a motherremembers.""Do you cry tears, Fee? I've only seen them once.""You'll never see them again, for I've finished with tears forever." Her whole body quivered. "Do you knowsomething, Father? Two days ago I discovered how much I love Paddy, but it was like all of my life too late. Toolate for him, too late for me. If you knew how I wanted the chance to take him in my arms, tell him I loved him!

Oh, God, I hope no other human being ever has to feel my pain!"He turned away from that suddenly ravaged⁴⁴³ face, to give it time to don its calm, and himself time to cope withunderstanding the enigma⁴⁴⁴ who was Fee. He said, "No one else can ever feel your pain."One corner of her mouth lifted in a stern smile. "Yes. That's a comfort, isn't it? It may not be enviable, but mypain is mine.""Will you promise me something, Fee?""If you like.""Look after Meggie, don't forget her. Make her go to the local dances, let her meet a few young men, encourageher to think of marriage and a home of her own. I saw all the young men eyeing her today. Give her theopportunity to meet them again under happier circumstances than these.""Whatever you say, Father."Sighing, he left her to the contemplation of her thin white hands. Meggie walked with him to the stables, wherethe Imperial publican's bay gelding had been stuffing itself on hay and bran and dwelling³¹⁶ in some sort of equineheaven for two days. He flung the publican's battered⁴⁴⁵ saddle on its back and bent to strap⁴⁴⁶ the surcingle and girthwhile Meggie leaned against a bale of straw and watched him.

"Father, look what I found," she said as he finished and straightened. She held out her hand, in it one pale,pinkish-gray rose. "It's the only one. I found it on a bush under the tank stands, at the back. I suppose it didn't getthe same heat in the fire, and it was sheltered from the rain. So I picked it for you. It's something to remember meby."He took the half-open bloom from her, his hand not quite steady, and stood looking down at it. "Meggie, I needno reminder⁴⁴² of you, not now, not ever. I carry you within me, you know that. There's no way I could hide it fromyou, is there?""But sometimes there's a reality about a keepsake," she insisted. "You can take it out and look at it, andremember when you see it all the things you might forget otherwise. Please take it, Father.""My name is Ralph," he said. He opened his little sacrament case and took out the big missal which was hisown property, bound in costly⁴⁴⁷ mother-of-pearl. His dead father had given it to him at his ordination⁴⁴⁸, thirteen longyears ago. The pages fell open at a great thick white ribbon; he turned over several more, laid the rose down, andshut the book upon it. "Do you want a keepsake from me, Meggie, is that it?" "Yes.""I won't give you one. I want you to forget me, I want you to look around your world and find some good kindman, marry him, have the babies you want so much. You're a born mother. You mustn't cling to me, it isn't right.

I can never leave the Church, and I'm going to be completely honest with you, for your own sake. I don't want toleave the Church, because I don't love you the way a husband will, do you understand? Forget me, Meggie!""Won't you kiss me goodbye?"For answer he pulled himself up on the publican's bay and walked it to the door before putting on the publican'sold felt hat. His blue eyes flashed a moment, then the horse moved out into the rain and slithered reluctantly upthe track toward Gilly. She did not attempt to follow him, but stayed in the gloom of the damp stable, breathingin the smells of horse dung and hay; it reminded her of the barn in New Zealand, and of Frank.

Thirty hours later Father Ralph walked into the Archbishop Papal Legate's chamber, crossed the room to kisshis master's ring, and flung himself wearily into a chair. It was only as he felt those lovely, omniscient eyes onhim that he realized how peculiar he must look, why so many people had stared at him since he got off the trainat Central. Without remembering the suit-case Father Watty Thomas was keeping for him at the presbytery, hehad boarded the night mail with two minutes to spare and come six hundred miles in a cold train clad in shirt,breeches and boots, soaking wet, never noticing the chill. So he looked down at himself with a rueful smile, thenacross at the Archbishop.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace. So much has happened I didn't think how odd I must look.""Don't apologize, Ralph." Unlike his predecessor⁴⁴⁹, he preferred to call his secretary by his Christian⁴⁵⁰ name. "Ithink you look very romantic and dashing. Only a trifle too secular⁴⁵¹, don't you agree?""Very definitely on the secular bit, anyway. As to the romantic and dashing, Your Grace, it's just that you're notused to seeing what is customary garb in Gillanbone.""My dear Ralph, if you took it into your head to don sackcloth and ashes, you'd manage to make yourself seemromantic and dashing! The riding habit suits you, though, it really does. Almost as well as a soutane, and don'twaste your breath telling me you aren't very well aware it becomes you more than a priest's black suit. You havea peculiar and a most attractive way of moving, and you have kept your fine, figure; I think perhaps you alwayswill. I also think that when I am recalled to Rome I shall take you with me. It will afford me great amusement towatch your effect on our short, fat Italian prelates. The beautiful sleek⁴⁵² cat among the plump startled pigeons."Rome! Father Ralph sat up in his chair.

"Was it very bad, my Ralph?" the Archbishop went on, smoothing his beringed milky hand rhythmically⁴⁵³ acrossthe silky back of his purring Abyssinian cat. "Terrible, Your Grace.""These people, you have a great fondness for them.""Yes.""And do you love all of them equally, or do you love some of them more than others?"But Father Ralph was at least as wily as his master, and he had been with him now long enough to know howhis mind worked. So he parried the smooth question with deceptive¹⁶⁰ honesty, a trick he had discovered lulled⁴⁵⁴ HisGrace's suspicions at once. It never occurred to that subtle, devious⁴⁵⁵ mind that an outward display of franknessmight be more mendacious⁴⁵⁶ than any evasion⁴⁵⁷. "I do love all of them, but as you say, some more than others. It'sthe girl Meggie I love the most. I've always felt her my special responsibility, because the family is so son-oriented they forget she exists." "How old is this Meggie?""I'm not sure exactly. Oh, somewhere around twenty, I imagine. But I made her mother promise to lift her headout of her ledgers long enough to make sure the girl got to a few dances, met a few young men. She's going towaste her life away stuck on Drogheda, which is a shame."He spoke nothing but the truth; the Archbishop's ineffably⁴⁵⁸ sensitive nose sniffed⁴⁵⁹ it out at once. Though he wasonly three years his secretary's senior, his career within the Church hadn't suffered the checks Ralph's had, and inmany ways he felt immeasurably older thanRalph would ever be; the Vatican sapped one of some vital essence if one was exposed to it very early, andRalph possessed that vital essence in abundance.

Relaxing his vigilance somewhat, he continued to watch his secretary and resumed his interesting game ofworking out precisely⁴⁶⁰ what made Father Ralph de Bricassart tick. At first he had been sure there would be afleshly weakness, if not in one direction, in another. Those stunning²⁰ good looks and the accompanying bodymust have made him the target of many desires, too much so to preserve innocence or unawareness⁴⁶¹. And as timewent on he had found himself half right; the awareness⁴⁶² was undoubtedly⁴⁶³ there, but with it he began to beconvinced was a genuine innocence. So whatever Father Ralph burned for, it was not the flesh. He had thrownthe priest together with skilled and quite irresistible⁴⁶⁴ homosexuals if one was a homosexual; no result. He hadwatched him with the most beautiful women in the land; no result. Not a flicker⁴⁶⁵ of interest or desire, even whenhe was not in the slightest aware he was under observation. For the Archbishop did not always do his ownwatching, and when he employed minions⁴⁶⁶ it was not through secretarial channels. He had begun to think FatherRalph's weaknesses were pride in being a priest, and ambition; both were facets⁴⁶⁷ of personality he understood, forhe possessed them himself. The Church had places for ambitious men, as did all great and self-perpetuatinginstitutions. Rumor⁴⁶⁸ had it that Father Ralph had cheated these Clearys he purported⁴⁶⁹ to love so much out of theirrightful inheritance. If indeed he had, he was well worth hanging on to. And how those wonderful blue eyes hadblazed when he mentioned Rome! Perhaps it was time he tried another gambit. He poked forward aconversational pawn⁴⁷⁰ lazily, but his eyes under hooded⁴⁷¹ lids were very keen.

"I had news from the Vatican while you were away,Ralph," he said, shifting the cat slightly. "My Sheba, you are selfish; you make my legs numb⁶.""Oh?" Father Ralph was sinking down in his chair, and his eyes were having a hard time staying open.

"Yes, you may go to bed, but not before you have heard my news. A little while ago I sent a personal andprivate communication to the Holy Father, and an answer came back today from my friend Cardinal Monteverdi-I wonder if he is a descendant of the Renaissance⁴⁷² musician? Why do I never remember to ask him when I seehim? Oh, Sheba, must you insist upon digging in your claws when you are happy?""I'm listening, Your Grace, I haven't fallen asleep yet," said Father Ralph, smiling. "No wonder you like cats somuch. You're one yourself, playing with your prey²⁰⁶ for your own amusement." He snapped his fingers. "Here,Sheba, leave him and come to me! He is unkind."The cat jumped down off the purple lap immediately, crossed the carpet and leaped delicately onto the priest'sknees, stood waving its tail and sniffing⁴⁷³ the strange smells of horses and mud, entranced. Father Ralph's blueeyes smiled into the Archbishop's brown ones, both half closed, both absolutely alert.

"How do you do that?" demanded the Archbishop. "A cat will never go to anyone, but Sheba goes to you as ifyou gave her caviar and valerian. Ingrate⁴⁷⁴ animal.""I'm waiting, Your Grace.""And you punish me for it, taking my cat from me. All right, you have won, I yield. Do you ever lose? Aninteresting question. You are to be congratulated, my dear Ralph. In future you will wear the miter and the cope,and be addressed as My Lord, Bishop de Bricassart."That brought the eyes wide open! he noted⁴⁷⁵ with glee. For once Father Ralph didn't attempt to dissimulate⁴⁷⁶, orconceal his true feelings. He just beamed.

1 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

2 cubicles   

n.小卧室，斗室( cubicle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Security guards, operating inside bullet-proof glass cubicles, and speaking through microphones, scrutinized every arrival and departure. 警卫们在装有防弹玻璃的小室里值勤，通过麦克风细致盘问每一个进出的人。 来自辞典例句
• I guess they thought me content to stay in cubicles. 我猜他们认为我愿意呆在小房间里。 来自互联网

3 opulence   

n.财富，富裕

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence.他从未见过这样的财富。
• He owes his opulence to work hard.他的财富乃辛勤工作得来。

4 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

5 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

6 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

7 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

8 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

9 aged   

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。

10 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

11 beckoning   

adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
• He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句

12 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

14 reluctance   

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。

15 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

16 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

17 veranda   

n.走廊；阳台

参考例句：

• She sat in the shade on the veranda.她坐在阳台上的遮荫处。
• They were strolling up and down the veranda.他们在走廊上来回徜徉。

18 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

19 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

20 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

21 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

22 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

23 hideousness   

参考例句：

• Hideousness of aspect, deformity of instinct, troubled him not, and did not arouse his indignation. 外形的丑陋和本性的怪异都不能惊动他，触犯他。 来自互联网

24 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

25 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

26 congregate   

v.(使)集合，聚集

参考例句：

• Now they can offer a digital place for their readers to congregate and talk.现在他们可以为读者提供一个数字化空间，让读者可以聚集和交谈。
• This is a place where swans congregate.这是个天鹅聚集地。

27 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

28 huddle   

vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人

参考例句：

• They like living in a huddle.他们喜欢杂居在一起。
• The cold wind made the boy huddle inside his coat.寒风使这个男孩卷缩在他的外衣里。

29 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

30 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

31 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

32 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

33 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。

34 wastefulness   

浪费，挥霍，耗费

参考例句：

• Everybody' s pained to see such wastefulness. 任何人看到这种浪费现象都会很痛心的。
• EveryBody's pained to see such wastefulness. 我们看到这种浪费现象很痛心。

35 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

36 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

37 haphazardly   

adv.偶然地，随意地，杂乱地

参考例句：

• The books were placed haphazardly on the shelf. 书籍乱七八糟地堆放在书架上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is foolish to haphazardly adventure. 随便冒险是愚蠢的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

38 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

39 painstakingly   

adv. 费力地 苦心地

参考例句：

• Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed. 原作的每一细节都经过了仔细研究，费尽苦心才得以重现。
• The cause they contrived so painstakingly also ended in failure. 他们惨淡经营的事业也以失败而告终。

40 gilt   

adj.镀金的；n.金边证券

参考例句：

• The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
• The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。

41 stilted   

adj.虚饰的；夸张的

参考例句：

• All too soon the stilted conversation ran out.很快这种做作的交谈就结束了。
• His delivery was stilted and occasionally stumbling.他的发言很生硬，有时还打结巴。

42 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

43 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

44 lash   

v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛

参考例句：

• He received a lash of her hand on his cheek.他突然被她打了一记耳光。
• With a lash of its tail the tiger leaped at her.老虎把尾巴一甩朝她扑过来。

45 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

46 ashtray   

n.烟灰缸

参考例句：

• He knocked out his pipe in the big glass ashtray.他在大玻璃烟灰缸里磕净烟斗。
• She threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray.她把烟头扔进烟灰缸。

47 ashtrays   

烟灰缸( ashtray的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A simple question: why are there ashtrays in a no-smoking restaurant? 问题是：一个禁止吸烟的餐厅为什么会有烟灰缸呢？
• Avoid temptation by throwing away all cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays. 把所有的香烟，打火机，和烟灰缸扔掉以避免引诱。

48 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

49 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

50 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

51 invitingly   

adv. 动人地

参考例句：

• Her lips pouted invitingly. 她挑逗地撮起双唇。
• The smooth road sloped invitingly before her. 平展的山路诱人地倾斜在她面前。

52 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

53 spinet   

n.小型立式钢琴

参考例句：

• One afternoon,when I was better,I played the spinet.有天下午，我好了一点时，便弹奏钢琴。
• The spinet was too big for me to play.钢琴太大了不适合我弹。

54 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

55 joyously   

ad.快乐地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门，直扑我的怀抱，欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
• They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊，那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分

56 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

57 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

58 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

59 habitual   

adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的

参考例句：

• He is a habitual criminal.他是一个惯犯。
• They are habitual visitors to our house.他们是我家的常客。

60 dour   

adj.冷酷的，严厉的；（岩石）嶙峋的；顽强不屈

参考例句：

• They were exposed to dour resistance.他们遭受到顽强的抵抗。
• She always pretends to be dour,in fact,she's not.她总表现的不爱讲话，事实却相反。

61 dourness   

n.性情乖僻，酸味，坏心眼

参考例句：

• He gave his twisted smile, though this time with a touch of sourness. 他又露出那种歪嘴的笑容，不过这次带上了一丝酸楚。 来自辞典例句
• This bottle of vinegar is very sour. I cannot bear its sourness. 这瓶醋很酸。我不能忍受它的酸性。 来自互联网

62 agog   

adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地

参考例句：

• The children were all agog to hear the story.孩子们都渴望着要听这个故事。
• The city was agog with rumors last night that the two had been executed.那两人已被处决的传言昨晚搞得全城沸沸扬扬。

63 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

64 opalescent   

adj.乳色的，乳白的

参考例句：

• Her skin was flawless and seemed opalescent.她的皮肤洁白无瑕,好象乳色的。
• The east glowed opalescent.东方泛起乳白色。

65 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

66 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

67 drenching   

n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午，一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
• A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了，越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句

68 crates   

n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱

参考例句：

• We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
• Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。

69 perches   

栖息处( perch的名词复数 )； 栖枝； 高处； 鲈鱼

参考例句：

• Other protection can be obtained by providing wooden perches througout the orchards. 其它保护措施是可在种子园中到处设置木制的栖木。
• The birds were hopping about on their perches and twittering. 鸟儿在栖木上跳来跳去，吱吱地叫着。

70 strutted   

趾高气扬地走，高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The players strutted and posed for the cameras. 运动员昂首阔步，摆好姿势让记者拍照。
• Peacocks strutted on the lawn. 孔雀在草坪上神气活现地走来走去。

71 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

72 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

73 ruffle   

v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边

参考例句：

• Don't ruffle my hair.I've just combed it.别把我的头发弄乱了。我刚刚梳好了的。
• You shouldn't ruffle so easily.你不该那么容易发脾气。

74 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

75 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

76 possessed   

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。

77 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

78 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

79 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

80 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

81 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

82 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

83 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

84 mete   

v.分配；给予

参考例句：

• Schools should not mete out physical punishment to children.学校不应该体罚学生。
• Duly mete out rewards and punishments.有赏有罚。

85 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

86 constables   

n.警察( constable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The constables made a desultory attempt to keep them away from the barn. 警察漫不经心地拦着不让他们靠近谷仓。 来自辞典例句
• There were also constables appointed to keep the peace. 城里也有被派来维持治安的基层警员。 来自互联网

87 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

88 lucid   

adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的

参考例句：

• His explanation was lucid and to the point.他的解释扼要易懂。
• He wasn't very lucid,he didn't quite know where he was.他神志不是很清醒，不太知道自己在哪里。

89 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

90 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

91 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

92 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

93 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

94 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

95 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

96 precluded   

v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通

参考例句：

• Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor. 因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bad weather precluded me from attending the meeting. 恶劣的天气使我不能出席会议。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

97 gaol   

n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢

参考例句：

• He was released from the gaol.他被释放出狱。
• The man spent several years in gaol for robbery.这男人因犯抢劫罪而坐了几年牢。

98 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

99 squatted   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

100 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

101 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

102 standing   

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。

103 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

104 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

105 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

106 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

107 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

108 passionate   

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。

109 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

110 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

111 banish   

vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除

参考例句：

• The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.医生劝她消除恐惧和忧虑。
• He tried to banish gloom from his thought.他试图驱除心中的忧愁。

112 adherence   

n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着

参考例句：

• He was well known for his adherence to the rules.他因遵循这些规定而出名。
• The teacher demanded adherence to the rules.老师要求学生们遵守纪律。

113 perusal   

n.细读，熟读；目测

参考例句：

• Peter Cooke undertook to send each of us a sample contract for perusal.彼得·库克答应给我们每人寄送一份合同样本供阅读。
• A perusal of the letters which we have published has satisfied him of the reality of our claim.读了我们的公开信后，他终于相信我们的要求的确是真的。

114 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

115 grudging   

adj.勉强的，吝啬的

参考例句：

• He felt a grudging respect for her talents as an organizer.他勉强地对她的组织才能表示尊重。
• After a pause he added"sir."in a dilatory,grudging way.停了一会他才慢吞吞地、勉勉强强地加了一声“先生”。

116 ardor   

n.热情，狂热

参考例句：

• His political ardor led him into many arguments.他的政治狂热使他多次卷入争论中。
• He took up his pursuit with ardor.他满腔热忱地从事工作。

117 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

118 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

119 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》

120 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

121 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

122 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

123 fowls   

鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马

参考例句：

• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island. 许多水鸟在岛上栖息。
• We keep a few fowls and some goats. 我们养了几只鸡和一些山羊。

124 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

125 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

126 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

127 rimmed   

adj.有边缘的，有框的v.沿…边缘滚动；给…镶边

参考例句：

• Gold rimmed spectacles bit deep into the bridge of his nose. 金边眼镜深深嵌入他的鼻梁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Trees rimmed the pool. 水池的四周树木环绕。 来自《简明英汉词典》

128 murmurs   

n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕

参考例句：

• They spoke in low murmurs. 他们低声说着话。 来自辞典例句
• They are more superficial, more distinctly heard than murmurs. 它们听起来比心脏杂音更为浅表而清楚。 来自辞典例句

129 assent   

v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
• The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。

130 doggedly   

adv.顽强地，固执地

参考例句：

• He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
• He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着，一直走回了公寓。

131 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

132 alterations   

n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变

参考例句：

• Any alterations should be written in neatly to the left side. 改动部分应书写清晰，插在正文的左侧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code. 基因突变是指DNA 密码的改变。 来自《简明英汉词典》

133 apparently   

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。

134 ledgers   

n.分类账( ledger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The ledgers and account books had all been destroyed. 分类账本和账簿都被销毁了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ledgers had all been destroyed. 账簿都被销毁了。 来自辞典例句

135 starch   

n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
• I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

136 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

137 inquiry   

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。

138 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

139 snobby   

a.虚荣的

参考例句：

• Can I really tell my snobby friends that I now shop at-egads-Walmart? 天呐，我真得好意思告诉那帮势利的朋友们我在沃尔玛买东西？

140 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

141 musters   

v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的第三人称单数 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发

参考例句：

• The garrison musters eighty men. 驻军共有八十名。 来自辞典例句
• Musters were being taken through England in view of wars with Scotland and France. 一群群队伍在带领下正穿过英格兰，期待与苏格兰和法兰西开战。 来自互联网

142 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

143 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

144 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

145 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

146 longingly   

adv. 渴望地 热望地

参考例句：

• He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
• Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

147 conjured   

用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• He conjured them with his dying breath to look after his children. 他临终时恳求他们照顾他的孩子。
• His very funny joke soon conjured my anger away. 他讲了个十分有趣的笑话，使得我的怒气顿消。

148 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

149 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

150 engendered   

v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The issue engendered controversy. 这个问题引起了争论。
• The meeting engendered several quarrels. 这次会议发生了几次争吵。 来自《简明英汉词典》

151 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

152 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

153 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

154 mare   

n.母马，母驴

参考例句：

• The mare has just thrown a foal in the stable.那匹母马刚刚在马厩里产下了一只小马驹。
• The mare foundered under the heavy load and collapsed in the road.那母马因负载过重而倒在路上。

155 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

156 placid   

adj.安静的，平和的

参考例句：

• He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
• You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。

157 tawny   

adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色

参考例句：

• Her black hair springs in fine strands across her tawny,ruddy cheek.她的一头乌发分披在健康红润的脸颊旁。
• None of them noticed a large,tawny owl flutter past the window.他们谁也没注意到一只大的、褐色的猫头鹰飞过了窗户。

158 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

159 mirages   

n.海市蜃楼，幻景( mirage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Through my half-closed eyelids I began to see mirages. 透过我半睁半闭的双眼，我看到了海市蜃楼。 来自辞典例句
• There was for him only one trustworthy road through deceptions and mirages. 对他来说只有一条可靠的路能避开幻想和错觉。 来自辞典例句

160 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

161 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

162 vengeance   

n.报复，报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
• For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

163 goaded   

v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人

参考例句：

• Goaded beyond endurance, she turned on him and hit out. 她被气得忍无可忍，于是转身向他猛击。
• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

164 mustering   

v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发

参考例句：

• He paused again, mustering his strength and thoughts. 他又停下来，集中力量，聚精会神。 来自辞典例句
• The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war. 这是万军之耶和华点齐军队，预备打仗。 来自互联网

165 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

166 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

167 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

168 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

169 parodies   

n.拙劣的模仿( parody的名词复数 )；恶搞；滑稽的模仿诗文；表面上模仿得笨拙但充满了机智用来嘲弄别人作品的作品v.滑稽地模仿，拙劣地模仿( parody的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Later, however, they delight in parodies of nursery rhymes. 可要不了多久，他们便乐于对它进行窜改。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• Most parodies are little more than literary teases. 大多数讽刺的模仿诗文只能算上是文学上的揶揄。 来自辞典例句

170 obnoxious   

adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的

参考例句：

• These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
• He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。

171 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

172 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

173 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

174 carrion   

n.腐肉

参考例句：

• A crow of bloodthirsty ants is attracted by the carrion.一群嗜血的蚂蚁被腐肉所吸引。
• Vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill.兀鹫通常以腐肉和公路上的死伤动物为食。

175 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

176 tormented   

饱受折磨的

参考例句：

• The knowledge of his guilt tormented him. 知道了自己的罪责使他非常痛苦。
• He had lain awake all night, tormented by jealousy. 他彻夜未眠，深受嫉妒的折磨。

177 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

178 hoof   

n.(马，牛等的)蹄

参考例句：

• Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间，他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
• I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。

179 loathsome   

adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的

参考例句：

• The witch hid her loathsome face with her hands.巫婆用手掩住她那张令人恶心的脸。
• Some people think that snakes are loathsome creatures.有些人觉得蛇是令人憎恶的动物。

180 burrows   

n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• The intertidal beach unit contains some organism burrows. 潮间海滩单元含有一些生物潜穴。 来自辞典例句
• A mole burrows its way through the ground. 鼹鼠会在地下钻洞前进。 来自辞典例句

181 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

182 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

183 twitching   

n.颤搐

参考例句：

• The child in a spasm kept twitching his arms and legs. 那个害痉挛的孩子四肢不断地抽搐。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My eyelids keep twitching all the time. 我眼皮老是跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

184 burrowing   

v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• What are you burrowing around in my drawer for? 你在我抽屉里乱翻什么？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The forepaws are also used for burrowing and for dragging heavier logs. 它们的前爪还可以用来打洞和拖拽较重的树干。 来自辞典例句

185 awed   

adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The audience was awed into silence by her stunning performance. 观众席上鸦雀无声，人们对他出色的表演感到惊叹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was awed by the huge gorilla. 那只大猩猩使我惊惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

186 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

187 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

188 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

189 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

190 adoration   

n.爱慕，崇拜

参考例句：

• He gazed at her with pure adoration.他一往情深地注视着她。
• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。

191 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

192 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

193 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

194 daydream   

v.做白日梦，幻想

参考例句：

• Boys and girls daydream about what they want to be.孩子们遐想着他们将来要干什么。
• He drifted off into another daydream.他飘飘然又做了一个白日梦。

195 rambled   

（无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论

参考例句：

• We rambled through the woods. 我们漫步走过树林。
• She rambled on at great length but she didn't get to the heart of the matter. 她夹七夹八地说了许多话也没说到点子上。

196 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

197 deluge   

n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥

参考例句：

• This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。
• I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。

198 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

199 inchoate   

adj.才开始的，初期的

参考例句：

• His dreams were senseless and inchoate.他的梦想根本行不通，很不成熟。
• Her early works are inchoate idea,nothing but full of lush rhetoric.她的早期作品都不太成熟，除了华丽的词藻外就没什麽内容了。

200 irritability   

n.易怒

参考例句：

• It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
• All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。

201 yearned   

渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The people yearned for peace. 人民渴望和平。
• She yearned to go back to the south. 她渴望回到南方去。

202 reined   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时，他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。
• The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。

203 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

204 gnawed   

咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物

参考例句：

• His attitude towards her gnawed away at her confidence. 他对她的态度一直在削弱她的自尊心。
• The root of this dead tree has been gnawed away by ants. 这棵死树根被蚂蚁唼了。

205 preyed   

v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• Remorse preyed upon his mind. 悔恨使他内心痛苦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He had been unwise and it preyed on his conscience. 他做得不太明智，这一直让他良心不安。 来自辞典例句

206 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

207 reassurances   

n.消除恐惧或疑虑( reassurance的名词复数 )；恢复信心；使人消除恐惧或疑虑的事物；使人恢复信心的事物

参考例句：

• We have had some reassurances from the council that the building will be saved. 理事会保证会保留那座建筑，这使我们得到了些许安慰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everybody's reassurances have encouraged me. 大家的勉励鼓舞了我。 来自辞典例句

208 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

209 tautly   

adv.绷紧地；紧张地； 结构严谨地；紧凑地

参考例句：

• The rope was tautly stretched. 绳子拉得很紧。 来自互联网

210 vehement   

adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的

参考例句：

• She made a vehement attack on the government's policies.她强烈谴责政府的政策。
• His proposal met with vehement opposition.他的倡导遭到了激烈的反对。

211 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

212 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

213 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

214 variance   

n.矛盾，不同

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance. 妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• It is unnatural for brothers to be at variance. 兄弟之间不睦是不近人情的。

215 veered   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
• The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》

216 pallid   

adj.苍白的，呆板的

参考例句：

• The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来，照着尸体那张苍白的脸。
• His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。

217 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

218 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

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。

219 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

220 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

221 purport   

n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是...

参考例句：

• Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause.许多理论都标榜以单一的原因解释生长。
• Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。

222 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

223 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

224 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

225 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

226 chamber   

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。

227 antithesis   

n.对立；相对

参考例句：

• The style of his speech was in complete antithesis to mine.他和我的讲话方式完全相反。
• His creation was an antithesis to academic dogmatism of the time.他的创作与当时学院派的教条相对立。

228 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

229 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

230 ascetic   

adj.禁欲的；严肃的

参考例句：

• The hermit followed an ascetic life-style.这个隐士过的是苦行生活。
• This is achieved by strict celibacy and ascetic practices.这要通过严厉的独身生活和禁欲修行而达到。

231 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

232 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

233 scones   

n.烤饼，烤小圆面包( scone的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• scones and jam with clotted cream 夹有凝脂奶油和果酱的烤饼
• She makes scones and cakes for the delectation of visitors. 她烘制了烤饼和蛋糕供客人享用。 来自辞典例句

234 scone   

n.圆饼，甜饼，司康饼

参考例句：

• She eats scone every morning.她每天早上都吃甜饼。
• Scone is said to be origined from Scotland.司康饼据说来源于苏格兰。

235 ordained   

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

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

236 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

237 decided   

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。

238 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

239 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

240 mettle   

n.勇气，精神

参考例句：

• When the seas are in turmoil,heroes are on their mettle.沧海横流，方显出英雄本色。
• Each and every one of these soldiers has proved his mettle.这些战士个个都是好样的。

241 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

242 eschewed   

v.（尤指为道德或实际理由而）习惯性避开，回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I eschewed upbraiding, I curtailed remonstrance. 我避免责备，少作规劝。 来自辞典例句
• Moreover, she has a business plan, an accessory eschewed by cavalier counterparts. 此外，她还有商业计划，这是彬彬有礼的男设计师们回避的一点。 来自互联网

243 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

244 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

245 abstemious   

adj.有节制的，节俭的

参考例句：

• He is abstemious in eating and drinking.他在饮食方面是很有节制的。
• Mr.Hall was naturally an abstemious man indifferent to luxury.霍尔先生天生是个饮食有度，不爱奢侈的人。

246 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

247 conqueror   

n.征服者，胜利者

参考例句：

• We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。
• They abandoned the city to the conqueror.他们把那个城市丢弃给征服者。

248 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

249 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

250 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

251 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

252 constriction   

压缩； 紧压的感觉； 束紧； 压缩物

参考例句：

• She feels a constriction in the chest. 她胸部有压迫感。
• If you strain to run fast, you start coughing and feel a constriction in the chest. 还是别跑紧了，一咬牙就咳嗽，心口窝辣蒿蒿的！ 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

253 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

254 displease   

vt.使不高兴，惹怒；n.不悦，不满，生气

参考例句：

• Not wishing to displease her,he avoided answering the question.为了不惹她生气，他对这个问题避而不答。
• She couldn't afford to displease her boss.她得罪不起她的上司。

255 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

256 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

257 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

258 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

259 impersonal   

adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的

参考例句：

• Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.他的孩子们也认为他跟其他人很疏远，没有人情味。
• His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.他的态度似乎很生硬冷淡。

260 omniscient   

adj.无所不知的；博识的

参考例句：

• He's nervous when trying to potray himself as omniscient.当他试图把自己描绘得无所不知时，内心其实很紧张。
• Christians believe that God is omniscient.基督教徒相信上帝是无所不知的。

261 orbs   

abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• So strange did It'seem that those dark wild orbs were ignorant of the day. 那双狂热的深色眼珠竟然没有见过天日，这似乎太奇怪了。 来自辞典例句
• HELPERKALECGOSORB01.wav-> I will channel my power into the orbs! Be ready! 我会把我的力量引导进宝珠里！准备！ 来自互联网

262 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

263 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

264 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

265 futility   

n.无用

参考例句：

• She could see the utter futility of trying to protest. 她明白抗议是完全无用的。
• The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. 它毫无用处，这让她很生气。

266 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。

267 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

268 thongs   

的东西

参考例句：

• Things ain't what they used to be. 现在情况不比从前了。
• Things have been going badly . 事情进展得不顺利。

269 handouts   

救济品( handout的名词复数 )； 施舍物； 印刷品； 讲义

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts. 士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Even after losing his job, he was too proud to accept handouts. 甚至在失去工作后，他仍然很骄傲，不愿接受施舍。

270 domain   

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。

271 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

272 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

273 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

274 undesirables   

不受欢迎的人，不良分子( undesirable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are guards at the door to keep out the undesirables. 门口有卫兵防止不良分子入内。
• The club hires a bouncer to keep out undesirables. 这个俱乐部雇用了一个保镳来驱逐捣乱分子。

275 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

276 inured   

adj.坚强的，习惯的

参考例句：

• The prisoners quickly became inured to the harsh conditions.囚犯们很快就适应了苛刻的条件。
• He has inured himself to accept misfortune.他锻练了自己，使自己能承受不幸。

277 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

278 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。

279 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

280 shearer   

n.剪羊毛的人；剪切机

参考例句：

• A bad shearer never had a good sickle. 拙匠无利器。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Eventually, Shearer lost faith, dropping him to the bench. 最终，希勒不再信任他，把他换下场。 来自互联网

281 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

282 doting   

adj.溺爱的，宠爱的

参考例句：

• His doting parents bought him his first racing bike at 13.宠爱他的父母在他13岁时就给他买了第一辆竞速自行车。
• The doting husband catered to his wife's every wish.这位宠爱妻子的丈夫总是高度满足太太的各项要求。

283 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

284 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

285 maelstrom   

n.大乱动；大漩涡

参考例句：

• Inside,she was a maelstrom of churning emotions.她心中的情感似波涛汹涌，起伏不定。
• The anxious person has the spirit like a maelstrom.焦虑的人的精神世界就像一个大漩涡。

286 stumps   

（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

参考例句：

• Rocks and stumps supplied the place of chairs at the picnic. 野餐时石头和树桩都充当了椅子。
• If you don't stir your stumps, Tom, you'll be late for school again. 汤姆，如果你不快走，上学又要迟到了。

287 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

288 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

289 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

290 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

291 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

292 shriek   

v./n.尖叫，叫喊

参考例句：

• Suddenly he began to shriek loudly.突然他开始大声尖叫起来。
• People sometimes shriek because of terror,anger,or pain.人们有时会因为恐惧，气愤或疼痛而尖叫。

293 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

294 subsided   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

295 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

296 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

297 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

298 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

299 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

300 eucalyptus   

n.桉树，桉属植物

参考例句：

• Eucalyptus oil is good for easing muscular aches and pains.桉树油可以很好地缓解肌肉的疼痛。
• The birds rustled in the eucalyptus trees.鸟在桉树弄出沙沙的响声。

301 trolley   

n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车

参考例句：

• The waiter had brought the sweet trolley.侍者已经推来了甜食推车。
• In a library,books are moved on a trolley.在图书馆，书籍是放在台车上搬动的。

302 alluring   

adj.吸引人的，迷人的

参考例句：

• The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
• Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。

303 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

304 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

305 gape   

v.张口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝视

参考例句：

• His secretary stopped taking notes to gape at me.他的秘书停止了记录，目瞪口呆地望着我。
• He was not the type to wander round gaping at everything like a tourist.他不是那种像个游客似的四处闲逛、对什么都好奇张望的人。

306 habitually   

ad.习惯地，通常地

参考例句：

• The pain of the disease caused him habitually to furrow his brow. 病痛使他习惯性地紧皱眉头。
• Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair. 我已经习惯于服从约翰，我来到他的椅子跟前。

307 tinkle   

vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声

参考例句：

• The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.酒杯丁零一声掉在地上。
• Give me a tinkle and let me know what time the show starts.给我打个电话，告诉我演出什么时候开始。

308 doled   

救济物( dole的过去式和过去分词 )； 失业救济金

参考例句：

• The food was doled out to the poor. 食品分发给了穷人。
• Sisco briskly doled out the United States positions on the key issues. 西斯科轻快地把美国在重大问题上的立场放了出去。

309 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

310 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

311 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

312 wrestled   

v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤

参考例句：

• As a boy he had boxed and wrestled. 他小的时候又是打拳又是摔跤。
• Armed guards wrestled with the intruder. 武装警卫和闯入者扭打起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

313 gallop   

v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展

参考例句：

• They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。
• The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

314 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

315 saturating   

浸湿，浸透( saturate的现在分词 )； 使…大量吸收或充满某物

参考例句：

• In the last days before the vote, both sides are saturating the airwaves. 选举前最后几天，竞选双方占用了所有的广播电台和电视台。
• A saturating rain was expected to end the drought. 只盼下场透雨，解除旱情。

316 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

317 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

318 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

319 laterally   

ad.横向地；侧面地；旁边地

参考例句：

• Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下，并且挖有横向矿道。
• When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时，就发生横向屈曲。

320 clattered   

发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He dropped the knife and it clattered on the stone floor. 他一失手，刀子当啷一声掉到石头地面上。
• His hand went limp and the knife clattered to the ground. 他的手一软，刀子当啷一声掉到地上。

321 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

322 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

323 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

324 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

325 perimeter   

n.周边，周长，周界

参考例句：

• The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.这条河标示我们的土地东面的边界。
• Drinks in hands,they wandered around the perimeter of the ball field.他们手里拿着饮料在球场周围漫不经心地遛跶。

326 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

327 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

328 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

329 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

330 writhing   

（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
• He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。

331 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

332 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

333 silhouettes   

轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影

参考例句：

• Now that darkness was falling, only their silhouettes were outlined against the faintly glimmering sky. 这时节两山只剩余一抹深黑，赖天空微明为画出一个轮廓。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• They could see silhouettes. 他们能看得见影子的。

334 cavorting   

v.跳跃( cavort的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The photos showed her cavorting on the beach with her new lover. 这些照片展现了她和新情人在海滩上放荡嬉戏的情景。
• If her heart would only stop bumping and drumming and cavorting. 要是她那颗心停止冲撞、轰鸣、急跳，那该多舒服啊！ 来自飘（部分）

335 anguished   

adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式)

参考例句：

• Desmond eyed her anguished face with sympathy. 看着她痛苦的脸，德斯蒙德觉得理解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The loss of her husband anguished her deeply. 她丈夫的死亡使她悲痛万分。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

336 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

337 toiled   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。
• He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。

338 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

339 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

340 copiously   

adv.丰富地，充裕地

参考例句：

• She leant forward and vomited copiously on the floor. 她向前一俯，哇的一声吐了一地。 来自英汉文学
• This well-organized, unified course copiously illustrated, amply cross-referenced, and fully indexed. 这条组织完善，统一的课程丰富地被说明，丰富地被相互参照和充分地被标注。 来自互联网

341 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

342 gulp   

vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽

参考例句：

• She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
• Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽，要嚼碎了再咽下去。

343 galloped   

（使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事

参考例句：

• Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
• The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。

344 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

345 frolicsome   

adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的

参考例句：

• Frolicsome students celebrated their graduation with parties and practical jokes.爱玩闹的学生们举行聚会，制造各种恶作剧来庆祝毕业。
• As the happy time drew near,the lions and tigers climbing up the bedroom walls became quite tame and frolicsome.当快乐的时光愈来愈临近的时候，卧室墙上爬着的狮子和老虎变得十分驯服

346 phantoms   

n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They vanished down the stairs like two phantoms. 他们像两个幽灵似的消失在了楼下。 来自辞典例句
• The horrible night that he had passed had left phantoms behind it. 他刚才度过的恐布之夜留下了种种错觉。 来自辞典例句

347 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

348 boughs   

大树枝( bough的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of dew. 绿枝上闪烁着露珠的光彩。
• A breeze sighed in the higher boughs. 微风在高高的树枝上叹息着。

349 muffled   

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》

350 struts   

（框架的）支杆( strut的名词复数 )； 支柱； 趾高气扬的步态； （尤指跳舞或表演时）卖弄

参考例句：

• The struts are firmly braced. 那些支柱上得很牢靠。
• The Struts + EJB framework is described in part four. 三、介绍Struts+EJB框架的技术组成：Struts框架和EJB组件技术。

351 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

352 quenched   

解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却

参考例句：

• He quenched his thirst with a long drink of cold water. 他喝了好多冷水解渴。
• I quenched my thirst with a glass of cold beer. 我喝了一杯冰啤酒解渴。

353 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

354 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

355 mighty   

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。

356 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

357 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

358 fawn   

n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承

参考例句：

• A fawn behind the tree looked at us curiously.树后面一只小鹿好奇地看着我们。
• He said you fawn on the manager in order to get a promotion.他说你为了获得提拔，拍经理的马屁。

359 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

360 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

361 sprawled   

v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
• He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。

362 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

363 wayfarer   

n.旅人

参考例句：

• You are the solitary wayfarer in this deserted street.在这冷寂的街上，你是孤独的行人。
• The thirsty wayfarer was glad to find a fresh spring near the road.口渴的徒步旅行者很高兴在路边找到新鲜的泉水。

364 beseeching   

adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲，恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
• He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句

365 flexed   

adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌

参考例句：

• He stretched and flexed his knees to relax himself. 他伸屈膝关节使自己放松一下。 来自辞典例句
• He flexed his long stringy muscles manfully. 他孔武有力地弯起膀子，显露出细长条的肌肉。 来自辞典例句

366 stipulated   

vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的

参考例句：

• A delivery date is stipulated in the contract. 合同中规定了交货日期。
• Yes, I think that's what we stipulated. 对呀，我想那是我们所订定的。 来自辞典例句

367 delectable   

adj.使人愉快的；美味的

参考例句：

• What delectable food you cook!你做的食品真好吃！
• But today the delectable seafood is no longer available in abundance.但是今天这种可口的海味已不再大量存在。

368 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

369 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

370 sodden   

adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑

参考例句：

• We stripped off our sodden clothes.我们扒下了湿透的衣服。
• The cardboard was sodden and fell apart in his hands.纸板潮得都发酥了，手一捏就碎。

371 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

372 slewed   

adj.喝醉的v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去式 )( slew的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The car skidded and slewed sideways. 汽车打滑，向一侧偏去。
• The bus slewed sideways. 公共汽车滑到了一边。 来自辞典例句

373 faucet   

n.水龙头

参考例句：

• The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
• She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头，把手擦干。

374 spurting   

（液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的现在分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺； 溅射

参考例句：

• Blood was spurting from her nose. 血从她鼻子里汩汩流出来。
• The volcano was spurting out rivers of molten lava. 火山喷涌着熔岩。

375 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

376 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

377 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

378 trotted   

小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。
• Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

379 smothered   

（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。

380 corrugated   

adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• a corrugated iron roof 波纹铁屋顶
• His brow corrugated with the effort of thinking. 他皱着眉头用心地思考。 来自《简明英汉词典》

381 astounded   

v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶

参考例句：

• His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
• How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话？我感到大为震惊。

382 bogged   

adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• The professor bogged down in the middle of his speech. 教授的演讲只说了一半便讲不下去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The tractor is bogged down in the mud. 拖拉机陷入了泥沼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

383 cadged   

v.乞讨，乞得，索取( cadge的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He cadged a cigarette from me. 他向我要了一支香烟。 来自辞典例句
• The boy cadged a meal form the old lady. 男孩向老妇人讨了一顿饭吃。 来自互联网

384 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

385 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

386 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

387 flinching   

v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He listened to the jeers of the crowd without flinching. 他毫不畏惧地听着群众的嘲笑。 来自辞典例句
• Without flinching he dashed into the burning house to save the children. 他毫不畏缩地冲进在燃烧的房屋中去救小孩。 来自辞典例句

388 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

389 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

390 ruptured   

v.（使）破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• They reported that the pipeline had ruptured. 他们报告说管道已经破裂了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall through Berlin was finally ruptured, prefiguring the reunification of Germany. 柏林墙终于倒塌了，预示着德国的重新统一。 来自辞典例句

391 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

392 sensuousness   

n.知觉

参考例句：

• Realism, economy, sensuousness, beauty, magic. 现实主义，简洁精练，刺激感官，充满美感和魔力。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

393 assuage   

v.缓和，减轻，镇定

参考例句：

• The medicine is used to assuage pain.这种药用来止痛。
• Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.你带来的这些振奋人心的消息一定能减轻她的痛苦。

394 glossier   

光滑的( glossy的比较级 )； 虚有其表的； 浮华的

参考例句：

• This does not lead to stronger, glossier, faster growing hair. 这不会令头发更加坚韧、更有光泽、长得更快。

395 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”

396 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

397 trickled   

v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

398 wrenched   

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

参考例句：

• The bag was wrenched from her grasp. 那只包从她紧握的手里被夺了出来。
• He wrenched the book from her hands. 他从她的手中把书拧抢了过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

399 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

400 sufficiently   

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。

401 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

402 cavalcade   

n.车队等的行列

参考例句：

• A cavalcade processed through town.马车队列队从城里经过。
• The cavalcade drew together in silence.马队在静默中靠拢在一起。

403 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

404 gouges   

n.凿( gouge的名词复数 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出…v.凿( gouge的第三人称单数 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出…

参考例句：

• Clegg and Rollins indicate that nonwrinkleresistant cotton fibers often exhibIt'surface gouges and fibrillation. 克莱格和罗林斯指出，未经防皱处理的棉纤维表面，通常有凿槽和微纤化现象发生。 来自辞典例句
• She didn't mind that we banged into the walls and put gouges in the door jambs. 她一点也不介意我们撞坏墙或是把门框碰出小坑来。 来自互联网

405 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

406 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

407 chaff   

v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳

参考例句：

• I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
• Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。

408 soldering   

n.软焊；锡焊；低温焊接；热焊接v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Care must be exercised in attaching the lead wires to the soldering tabs. 在往接线片上焊导线时必须非常小心。 来自辞典例句
• I suggest posing me with a soldering wand over my head like a sword. 我想让自己这样像把剑一样把电焊杆举过头顶。 来自电影对白

409 battering   

n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。
• He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

410 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

411 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

412 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

413 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

414 shrilly   

尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的

参考例句：

• The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰，尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
• He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子，低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨，一面挥挥手。

415 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

416 impromptu   

adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地)

参考例句：

• The announcement was made in an impromptu press conference at the airport.这一宣布是在机场举行的临时新闻发布会上作出的。
• The children put on an impromptu concert for the visitors.孩子们为来访者即兴献上了一场音乐会。

417 shearing   

n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切

参考例句：

• The farmer is shearing his sheep. 那农夫正在给他的羊剪毛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The result of this shearing force is to push the endoplasm forward. 这种剪切力作用的结果是推动内质向前。 来自辞典例句

418 reeks   

n.恶臭( reek的名词复数 )v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的第三人称单数 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象）

参考例句：

• His statement reeks of hypocrisy. 他的话显然很虛伪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His manner reeks prosperity. 他的态度表现得好象有钱的样子。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

419 cadences   

n.（声音的）抑扬顿挫( cadence的名词复数 )；节奏；韵律；调子

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow, measured cadences. 他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He recognized the Polish cadences in her voice. 他从她的口音中听出了波兰腔。 来自辞典例句

420 ambling   

v.（马）缓行( amble的现在分词 )；从容地走，漫步

参考例句：

• At that moment the tiger commenced ambling towards his victim. 就在这时，老虎开始缓步向它的猎物走去。 来自辞典例句
• Implied meaning: drinking, ambling, the people who make golf all relatively succeed. 寓意：喝酒，赌博，打高尔夫的人都比较成功。 来自互联网

421 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

422 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

423 hysterically   

ad. 歇斯底里地

参考例句：

• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。
• She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着，她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。

424 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

425 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

426 allotted   

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。

427 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

428 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

429 succumbed   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• The town succumbed after a short siege. 该城被围困不久即告失守。
• After an artillery bombardment lasting several days the town finally succumbed. 在持续炮轰数日后，该城终于屈服了。

430 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

431 requiem   

n.安魂曲，安灵曲

参考例句：

• I will sing a requiem for the land walkers.我会给陆地上走的人唱首安魂曲。
• The Requiem is on the list for today's concert.《安魂曲》是这次音乐会的演出曲目之一。

432 chalice   

n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒

参考例句：

• He inherited a poisoned chalice when he took over the job as union leader.他接手工会领导职务，看似风光，实则会给他带来很多麻烦。
• She was essentially feminine,in other words,a parasite and a chalice.她在本质上是个女人，换句话说，是一个食客和一只酒杯。

433 garb   

n.服装，装束

参考例句：

• He wore the garb of a general.他身着将军的制服。
• Certain political,social,and legal forms reappear in seemingly different garb.一些政治、社会和法律的形式在表面不同的外衣下重复出现。

434 attired   

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》

435 hissing   

n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
• His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

436 tinkled   

（使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出

参考例句：

• The sheep's bell tinkled through the hills. 羊的铃铛叮当叮当地响彻整个山区。
• A piano tinkled gently in the background. 背景音是悠扬的钢琴声。

437 hunched   

（常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的

参考例句：

• He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
• Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。

438 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

439 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

440 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

441 elongate   

v.拉长，伸长，延长

参考例句：

• We plan to elongate the cooperation with that company in Australia.我们打算延长与澳洲那家公司的合作关系。
• Corn is treated when the stalk starts to elongate.在玉米秆开始拔节时，给玉米打药。

442 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

443 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

444 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

445 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

446 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

447 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

448 ordination   

n.授任圣职

参考例句：

• His ordination gives him the right to conduct a marriage or a funeral.他的晋升圣职使他有权主持婚礼或葬礼。
• The vatican said the ordination places the city's catholics in a "very delicate and difficult decision."教廷说，这个任命使得这个城市的天主教徒不得不做出“非常棘手和困难的决定”。

449 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

450 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

451 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

452 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

453 rhythmically   

adv.有节奏地

参考例句：

• A pigeon strutted along the roof, cooing rhythmically. 一只鸽子沿着屋顶大摇大摆地走，有节奏地咕咕叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Exposures of rhythmically banded protore are common in the workings. 在工作面中常见有韵律条带“原矿石”。 来自辞典例句

454 lulled   

vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• They lulled her into a false sense of security. 他们哄骗她，使她产生一种虚假的安全感。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. 火车轻微的震动催我进入梦乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

455 devious   

adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的

参考例句：

• Susan is a devious person and we can't depend on her.苏姗是个狡猾的人，我们不能依赖她。
• He is a man who achieves success by devious means.他这个人通过不正当手段获取成功。

456 mendacious   

adj.不真的，撒谎的

参考例句：

• The mendacious beggar told a different tale of woe at every house.这个撒谎的乞丐对于每一家都编了一个不同悲哀的故事。
• She gave us a mendacious report.她给了我们一个虚假的报告。

457 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

458 ineffably   

adv.难以言喻地，因神圣而不容称呼地

参考例句：

• Why to always syare blankly ineffably, feel sadness namely next. 为什么总是莫名的发呆，然后就是感到悲伤。 来自互联网

459 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

460 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

461 unawareness   

不知觉；不察觉；不意；不留神

参考例句：

• Perhaps that faculty of unawareness was what gave her eyes their transparency. 或许正是这种麻木不仁的本领，使她的眼睛透明见底。

462 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

463 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

464 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

465 flicker   

vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现

参考例句：

• There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
• At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时，光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现，几乎并不灿烂。

466 minions   

n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者

参考例句：

• She delegated the job to one of her minions. 她把这份工作委派给她的一个手下。 来自辞典例句
• I have been a slave to the vicious-those whom I served were his minions. 我当过那帮坏人的奴隶，我伺候的都是他的爪牙。 来自辞典例句

467 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

468 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

469 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

470 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

471 hooded   

adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的

参考例句：

• A hooded figure waited in the doorway. 一个戴兜帽的人在门口等候。
• Black-eyed gipsy girls, hooded in showy handkerchiefs, sallied forth to tell fortunes. 黑眼睛的吉卜赛姑娘，用华丽的手巾包着头，突然地闯了进来替人算命。 来自辞典例句

472 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

473 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

474 ingrate   

n.忘恩负义的人

参考例句：

• It would take an ingrate great courage to work on ways to dispel such measures.一个不知感激为何物的人理直气壮的否定这些措施。
• He's such an ingrate.他是个忘恩负义的人。

475 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

476 dissimulate   

v.掩饰，隐藏

参考例句：

• This man was too injured to dissimulate well.这个人受伤严重，无法完全遮掩住。
• He who knows not how to dissimulate,can not reign.不知道如何装扮成一个君子的人无法赢得尊重。