IN WHICH THE PLOT THICKENS
His visit to M. de Treville being paid, the pensive1 D'Artagnan took the longest way homeward.
On what was D'Artagnan thinking, that he strayed thus from his path, gazing at the stars of heaven, and sometimes sighing, sometimes smiling?
He was thinking of Mme. Bonacieux. For an apprentice2 Musketeer the young woman was almost an ideal of love. Pretty, mysterious, initiated3 in almost all the secrets of the court, which reflected such a charming gravity over her pleasing features, it might be surmised4 that she was not wholly unmoved; and this is an irresistible5 charm to novices6 in love. Moreover, D'Artagnan had delivered her from the hands of the demons7 who wished to search and ill treat her; and this important service had established between them one of those sentiments of gratitude9 which so easily assume a more tender character.
D'Artagnan already fancied himself, so rapid is the flight of our dreams upon the wings of imagination, accosted10 by a messenger from the young woman, who brought him some billet appointing a meeting, a gold chain, or a diamond. We have observed that young cavaliers received presents from their king without shame. Let us add that in these times of lax morality they had no more delicacy11 with respect to the mistresses; and that the latter almost always left them valuable and durable12 remembrances, as if they essayed to conquer the fragility of their sentiments by the solidity of their gifts.
Without a blush, men made their way in the world by the means of women blushing. Such as were only beautiful gave their beauty, whence, without doubt, comes the proverb, "The most beautiful girl in the world can only give what she has." Such as were rich gave in addition a part of their money; and a vast number of heroes of that gallant13 period may be cited who would neither have won their spurs in the first place, nor their battles afterward14, without the purse, more or less furnished, which their mistress fastened to the saddle bow.
D'Artagnan owned nothing. Provincial15 diffidence, that slight varnish16, the ephemeral flower, that down of the peach, had evaporated to the winds through the little orthodox counsels which the three Musketeers gave their friend. D'Artagnan, following the strange custom of the times, considered himself at Paris as on a campaign, neither more nor less than if he had been in Flanders--Spain yonder, woman here, In each there was an enemy to contend with, and contributions to be levied17.
But, we must say, at the present moment D'Artagnan was ruled by as feeling much more noble and disinterested18. The mercer had said that he was rich; the young man might easily guess that with so weak a man as M. Bonacieux; and interest was almost foreign to this commencement of love, which had been the consequence of it. We say ALMOST, for the idea that a young, handsome, kind, and witty19 woman is at the same time rich takes nothing from the beginning of love, but on the contrary strengthens it.
There are in affluence20 a crowd of aristocratic cares and caprices which are highly becoming to beauty. A fine and white stocking, a silken robe, a lace kerchief, a pretty slipper21 on the foot, a tasty ribbon on the head do not make an ugly woman pretty, but they make a pretty woman beautiful, without reckoning the hands, which gain by all this; the hands, among women particularly, to be beautiful must be idle.
Then D'Artagnan, as the reader, from whom we have not concealed22 the state of his fortune, very well knows--D'Artagnan was not a millionaire; he hoped to become one someday, but the time which in his own mind he fixed23 upon for this happy change was still far distant. In the meanwhile, how disheartening to see the woman one loves long for those thousands of nothings which constitute a woman's happiness, and be unable to give her those thousands of nothings. At least, when the woman is rich and the lover is not that which he cannot offer she offers to herself; and although it is generally with her husband's money that she procures24 herself this indulgence, the gratitude for it seldom reverts25 to him.
Then D'Artagnan, disposed to become the most tender of lovers, was at the same time a very devoted26 friend, In the midst of his amorous27 projects for the mercer's wife, he did not forget his friends. The pretty Mme. Bonacieux was just the woman to walk with in the Plain St. Denis or in the fair of St. Germain, in company with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, to whom D'Artagnan had often remarked this. Then one could enjoy charming little dinners, where one touches on one side the hand of a friend, and on the other the foot of a mistress. Besides, on pressing occasions, in extreme difficulties, D'Artagnan would become the preserver of his friends.
And M. Bonacieux? whom D'Artagnan had pushed into the hands of the officers, denying him aloud although he had promised in a whisper to save him. We are compelled to admit to our readers that D'Artagnan thought nothing about him in any way; or that if he did think of him, it was only to say to himself that he was very well where he was, wherever it might be. Love is the most selfish of all the passions.
Let our readers reassure28 themselves. IF D'Artagnan forgets his host, or appears to forget him, under the pretense29 of not knowing where he has been carried, we will not forget him, and we know where he is. But for the moment, let us do as did the amorous Gascon; we will see after the worthy30 mercer later.
D'Artagnan, reflecting on his future amours, addressing himself to the beautiful night, and smiling at the stars, rescinded31 the Rue32 Cherish-Midi, or Chase-Midi, as it was then called. As he found himself in the quarter in which Aramis lived, he took it into his head to pay his friend a visit in order to explain the motives33 which had led him to send Planchet with a request that he would come instantly to the mousetrap. Now, if Aramis had been at home when Planchet came to his abode34, he had doubtless hastened to the Rue des Fossoyeurs, and finding nobody there but his other two companions perhaps, they would not be able to conceive what all this meant. This mystery required an explanation; at least, so D'Artagnan declared to himself.
He likewise thought this was an opportunity for talking about pretty little Mme. Bonacieux, of whom his head, if not his heart, was already full. We must never look for discretion35 in first love. First love is accompanied by such excessive joy that unless the joy be allowed to overflow36, it will stifle37 you.
Paris for two hours past had been dark, and seemed a desert. Eleven o'clock sounded from all the clocks of the Faubourg St. Germain. It was delightful38 weather. D'Artagnan was passing along a lane on the spot where the Rue d'Assas is now situated39, breathing the balmy emanations which were borne upon the wind from the Rue de Vaugirard, and which arose from the gardens refreshed by the dews of evening and the breeze of night. From a distance resounded41, deadened, however, by good shutters43, the songs of the tipplers, enjoying themselves in the cabarets scattered44 along the plain. Arrived at the end of the lane, D'Artagnan turned to the left. The house in which Aramis dwelt was situated between the Rue Cassette and the Rue Servandoni.
D'Artagnan had just passed the Rue Cassette, and already perceived the door of his friend's house, shaded by a mass of sycamores and clematis which formed a vast arch opposite the front of it, when he perceived something like a shadow issuing from the Rue Servandoni. This something was enveloped45 in a cloak, and D'Artagnan at first believed it was a man; but by the smallness of the form, the hesitation46 of the walk, and the indecision of the step, he soon discovered that it was a woman. Further, this woman, as if not certain of the house she was seeking, lifted up her eyes to look around her, stopped, went backward, and then returned again. D'Artagnan was perplexed47.
"Shall I go and offer her my services?" thought he. "By her step she must be young; perhaps she is pretty. Oh, yes! But a woman who wanders in the streets at this hour only ventures out to meet her lover. If I should disturb a rendezvous48, that would not be the best means of commencing an acquaintance."
Meantime the young woman continued to advance, counting the houses and windows. This was neither long nor difficult. There were but three hotels in this part of the street; and only two windows looking toward the road, one of which was in a pavilion parallel to that which Aramis occupied, the other belonging to Aramis himself.
"PARIDIEU!" said D'Artagnan to himself, to whose mind the niece of the theologian reverted49, "PARDIEU, it would be droll50 if this belated dove should be in search of our friend's house. But on my soul, it looks so. Ah, my dear Aramis, this time I shall find you out." And D'Artagnan, making himself as small as he could, concealed himself in the darkest side of the street near a stone bench placed at the back of a niche51.
The young woman continued to advance; and in addition to the lightness of her step, which had betrayed her, she emitted a little cough which denoted a sweet voice. D'Artagnan believed this cough to be a signal.
Nevertheless, whether the cough had been answered by a similar signal which had fixed the irresolution52 of the nocturnal seeker, or whether without this aid she saw that she had arrived at the end of her journey, she resolutely53 drew near to Aramis's shutter42, and tapped, at three equal intervals54, with her bent55 finger.
"This is all very fine, dear Aramis," murmured D'Artagnan.
"Ah, Monsieur Hypocrite, I understand how you study theology."
The three blows were scarcely struck, when the inside blind was opened and a light appeared through the panes56 of the outside shutter.
"Ah, ah!" said the listener, "not through doors, but through windows! Ah, this visit was expected. We shall see the windows open, and the lady enter by escalade. Very pretty!"
But to the great astonishment57 of D'Artagnan, the shutter remained closed. Still more, the light which had shone for an instant disappeared, and all was again in obscurity.
D'Artagnan thought this could not last long, and continued to look with all his eyes and listen with all his ears.
He was right; at the end of some seconds two sharp taps were heard inside. The young woman in the street replied by a single tap, and the shutter was opened a little way.
It may be judged whether D'Artagnan looked or listened with avidity. Unfortunately the light had been removed into another chamber58; but the eyes of the young man were accustomed to the night. Besides, the eyes of the Gascons have, as it is asserted, like those of cats, the faculty59 of seeing in the dark.
D'Artagnan then saw that the young woman took from her pocket a white object, which she unfolded quickly, and which took the form of a handkerchief. She made her interlocutor observe the corner of this unfolded object.
This immediately recalled to D'Artagnan's mind the handkerchief which he had found at the feet of Mme. Bonacieux, which had reminded him of that which he had dragged from under the feet of Aramis.
"What the devil could that handkerchief signify?"
Placed where he was, D'Artagnan could not perceive the face of Aramis. We say Aramis, because the young man entertained no doubt that it was his friend who held this dialogue from the interior with the lady of the exterior60. Curiosity prevailed over prudence61; and profiting by the preoccupation into which the sight of the handkerchief appeared to have plunged62 the two personages now on the scene, he stole from his hiding place, and quick as lightning, but stepping with utmost caution, he ran and placed himself close to the angle of the wall, from which his eye could pierce the interior of Aramis's room.
Upon gaining this advantage D'Artagnan was near uttering a cry of surprise; it was not Aramis who was conversing63 with the nocturnal visitor, it was a woman! D'Artagnan, however, could only see enough to recognize the form of her vestments, not enough to distinguish her features.
At the same instant the woman inside drew a second handkerchief from her pocket, and exchanged it for that which had just been shown to her. Then some words were spoken by the two women. At length the shutter closed. The woman who was outside the window turned round, and passed within four steps of D'Artagnan, pulling down the hood65 of her mantle66; but the precaution was too late, D'Artagnan had already recognized Mme. Bonacieux.
Mme. Bonacieux! The suspicion that it was she had crossed the mind of D'Artagnan when she drew the handkerchief from her pocket; but what probability was there that Mme. Bonacieux, who had sent for M. Laporte in order to be reconducted to the Louvre, should be running about the streets of Paris at half past eleven at night, at the risk of being abducted67 a second time?
This must be, then, an affair of importance; and what is the most important affair to a woman of twenty-five! Love.
But was it on her own account, or on account of another, that she exposed herself to such hazards? This was a question the young man asked himself, whom the demon8 of jealousy68 already gnawed69, being in heart neither more nor less than an accepted lover.
There was a very simple means of satisfying himself whither Mme. Bonacieux was going; that was to follow her. This method was so simple that D'Artagnan employed it quite naturally and instinctively70.
But at the sight of the young man, who detached himself from the wall like a statue walking from its niche, and at the noise of the steps which she heard resound40 behind her, Mme. Bonacieux uttered a little cry and fled.
D'Artagnan ran after her. It was not difficult for him to overtake a woman embarrassed with her cloak. He came up with her before she had traversed a third of the street. The unfortunate woman was exhausted71, not by fatigue72, but by terror, and when D'Artagnan placed his hand upon her shoulder, she sank upon one knee, crying in a choking voice, "Kill me, if you please, you shall know nothing!"
D'Artagnan raised her by passing his arm round her waist; but as he felt by her weight she was on the point of fainting, he made haste to reassure her by protestations of devotedness73. These protestations were nothing for Mme. Bonacieux, for such protestations may be made with the worst intentions in the world; but the voice was all Mme. Bonacieux thought she recognized the sound of that voice; she reopened her eyes, cast a quick glance upon the man who had terrified her so, and at once perceiving it was D'Artagnan, she uttered a cry of joy, "Oh, it is you, it is you! Thank God, thank God!"
"Yes, it is I," said D'Artagnan, "it is I, whom God has sent to watch over you."
"Was it with that intention you followed me?" asked the young woman, with a coquettish smile, whose somewhat bantering74 character resumed its influence, and with whom all fear had disappeared from the moment in which she recognized a friend in one she had taken for an enemy.
"No," said D'Artagnan; "no, I confess it. It was chance that threw me in your way; I saw a woman knocking at the window of one of my friends."
"One of your friends?" interrupted Mme. Bonacieux.
"Without doubt; Aramis is one of my best friends."
"Aramis! Who is he?"
"Come, come, you won't tell me you don't know Aramis?"
"This is the first time I ever heard his name pronounced."
"It is the first time I ever heard his name pronounced."
"It is the first time, then, that you ever went to that house?"
"And you did not know that it was inhabited by a young man?"
"No."
"By a Musketeer?"
"No, indeed!"
"It was not he, then, you came to seek?"
"Not the least in the world. Besides, you must have seen that the person to whom I spoke64 was a woman."
"That is true; but this woman is a friend of Aramis--"
"I know nothing of that."
"--since she lodges76 with him."
"That does not concern me."
"But who is she?"
"Oh, that is not my secret."
"My dear Madame Bonacieux, you are charming; but at the same time you are one of the most mysterious women."
"Do I lose by that?"
"No; you are, on the contrary, adorable."
"Give me your arm, then."
"Most willingly. And now?"
"Now escort me."
"Where?"
"Where I am going."
"But where are you going?"
"You will see, because you will leave me at the door."
"Shall I wait for you?"
"That will be useless."
"You will return alone, then?"
"Perhaps yes, perhaps no."
"But will the person who shall accompany you afterward be a man or a woman?"
"I don't know yet."
"But I will know it!"
"How so?"
"I will wait until you come out."
"In that case, adieu."
"Why so?"
"I do not want you."
"But you have claimed--"
"The aid of a gentleman, not the watchfulness77 of a spy."
"The word is rather hard."
"How are they called who follow others in spite of them?"
"They are indiscreet."
"The word is too mild."
"well, madame, I perceive I must do as you wish."
"Why did you deprive yourself of the merit of doing so at once?"
"Is there no merit in repentance79?"
"I know nothing about it myself. But what I know is that I promise to do all you wish if you allow me to accompany you where you are going."
"And you will leave me then?"
"Yes."
"Without waiting for my coming out again?"
"Yes."
"Word of honor?"
"By the faith of a gentleman. Take my arm, and let us go."
D'Artagnan offered his arm to Mme. Bonacieux, who willingly took it, half laughing, half trembling, and both gained the top of Rue de la Harpe. Arriving there, the young woman seemed to hesitate, as she had before done in the Rue Vaugirard. She seemed, however, by certain signs, to recognize a door, and approaching that door, "And now, monsieur," said she, "it is here I have business; a thousand thanks for your honorable company, which has saved me from all the dangers to which, alone I was exposed. But the moment is come to keep your word; I have reached my destination."
"And you will have nothing to fear on your return?"
"I shall have nothing to fear but robbers."
"And that is nothing?"
"What could they take from me? I have not a penny about me."
"You forget that beautiful handkerchief with the coat of arms."
"Which?"
"That which I found at your feet, and replaced in your pocket."
"Hold your tongue, imprudent man! Do you wish to destroy me?"
"You see very plainly that there is still danger for you, since a single word makes you tremble; and you confess that if that word were heard you would be ruined. Come, come, madame!" cried D'Artagnan, seizing her hands, and surveying her with an ardent81 glance, "come, be more generous. Confide82 in me. Have you not read in my eyes that there is nothing but devotion and sympathy in my heart?"
"Yes," replied Mme. Bonacieux; "therefore, ask my own secrets, and I will reveal them to you; but those of others--that is quite another thing."
"Very well," said D'Artagnan, "I shall discover them; as these secrets may have an influence over your life, these secrets must become mine."
"Beware of what you do!" cried the young woman, in a manner so serious as to make D'Artagnan start in spite of himself. "Oh, meddle83 in nothing which concerns me. Do not seek to assist me in that which I am accomplishing. This I ask of you in the name of the interest with which I inspire you, in the name of the service you have rendered me and which I never shall forget while I have life. Rather, place faith in what I tell you. Have no more concern about me; I exist no longer for you, any more than if you had never seen me."
"Must Aramis do as much as I, madame?" said D'Artagnan, deeply piqued84.
"This is the second or third time, monsieur, that you have repeated that name, and yet I have told you that I do not know him."
"You do not know the man at whose shutter you have just knocked? Indeed, madame, you believe me too credulous85!"
"Confess that it is for the sake of making me talk that you invent this story and create this personage."
"I invent nothing, madame; I create nothing. I only speak that exact truth."
"And you say that one of your friends lives in that house?"
"I say so, and I repeat it for the third time; that house is one inhabited by my friend, and that friend is Aramis."
"All this will be cleared up at a later period," murmured the young woman; "no, monsieur, be silent."
"If you could see my heart," said D'Artagnan, "you would there read so much curiosity that you would pity me and so much love that you would instantly satisfy my curiosity. We have nothing to fear from those who love us."
"You speak very suddenly of love, monsieur," said the young woman, shaking her head.
"That is because love has come suddenly upon me, and for the first time; and because I am only twenty."
The young woman looked at him furtively86.
"Listen; I am already upon the scent," resumed D'Artagnan. "About three months ago I was near having a duel87 with Aramis concerning a handkerchief resembling the one you showed to the woman in his house--for a handkerchief marked in the same manner, I am sure."
"Monsieur," said the young woman, "you weary me very much, I assure you, with your questions."
"But you, madame, prudent80 as you are, think, if you were to be arrested with that handkerchief, and that handkerchief were to be seized, would you not be compromised?"
"In what way? The initials are only mine--C. B., Constance Bonacieux."
"Or Camille de Bois-Tracy."
"Silence, monsieur! Once again, silence! Ah, since the dangers I incur88 on my own account cannot stop you, think of those you may yourself run!"
"Me?"
"Yes; there is peril89 of imprisonment90, risk of life in knowing me."
"Then I will not leave you."
"Monsieur!" said the young woman, supplicating91 him and clasping her hands together, "monsieur, in the name of heaven, by the honor of a soldier, by the courtesy of a gentleman, depart! There, there midnight sounds! That is the hour when I am expected."
"Madame," said the young man, bowing; "I can refuse nothing asked of me thus. Be content; I will depart."
"But you will not follow me; you will not watch me?"
"I will return home instantly."
"Ah, I was quite sure you were a good and brave young man," said Mme. Bonacieux, holding out her hand to him, and placing the other upon the knocker of a little door almost hidden in the wall.
D'Artagnan seized the hand held out to him, and kissed it ardently92.
"Ah! I wish I had never seen you!" cried D'Artagnan, with that ingenuous93 roughness which women often prefer to the affectations of politeness, because it betrays the depths of the thought and proves that feeling prevails over reason.
"Well!" resumed Mme. Bonacieux, in a voice almost caressing94, and pressing the hand of D'Artagnan, who had not relinquished95 hers, "well: I will not say as much as you do; what is lost for today may not be lost forever. Who knows, when I shall be at liberty, that I may not satisfy your curiosity?"
"And will you make the same promise to my love?" cried D'Artagnan, beside himself with joy.
"Oh, as to that, I do not engage myself. That depends upon the sentiments with which you may inspire me."
"Then today, madame--"
"Oh, today, I am no further than gratitude."
"Ah! You are too charming," said D'Artagnan, sorrowfully; "and you abuse my love."
"No, I use your generosity96, that's all. But be of good cheer; with certain people, everything comes round."
"Oh, you render me the happiest of men! Do not forget this evening--do not forget that promise."
"Be satisfied. In the proper time and place I will remember everything. Now then, go, go, in the name of heaven! I was expected at sharp midnight, and I am late."
"By five minutes."
"Yes; but in certain circumstances five minutes are five ages."
"When one loves."
"Well! And who told you I had no affair with a lover?"
"It is a man, then, who expects you?" cried D'Artagnan. "A man!"
"The discussion is going to begin again!" said Mme. Bonacieux, with a half-smile which was not exempt97 from a tinge98 of impatience99.
"No, no; I go, I depart! I believe in you, and I would have all the merit of my devotion, even if that devotion were stupidity. Adieu, madame, adieu!"
And as if he only felt strength to detach himself by a violent effort from the hand he held, he sprang away, running, while Mme. Bonacieux knocked, as at the shutter, three light and regular taps. When he had gained the angle of the street, he turned. The door had been opened, and shut again; the mercer's pretty wife had disappeared.
D'Artagnan pursued his way. He had given his word not to watch Mme. Bonacieux, and if his life had depended upon the spot to which she was going or upon the person who should accompany her, D'Artagnan would have returned home, since he had so promised. Five minutes later he was in the Rue des Fossoyeurs.
"Poor Athos!" said he; "he will never guess what all this means. He will have fallen asleep waiting for me, or else he will have returned home, where he will have learned that a woman had been there. A woman with Athos! After all," continued D'Artagnan, "there was certainly one with Aramis. All this is very strange; and I am curious to know how it will end."
"Badly, monsieur, badly!" replied a voice which the young man recognized as that of Planchet; for, soliloquizing aloud, as very preoccupied100 people do, he had entered the alley101, at the end of which were the stairs which led to his chamber.
"How badly? What do you mean by that, you idiot?" asked D'Artagnan. "What has happened?"
"All sorts of misfortunes."
"What?"
"In the first place, Monsieur Athos is arrested."
"Arrested! Athos arrested! What for?"
"He was found in your lodging102; they took him for you."
"And by whom was he arrested?"
"By Guards brought by the men in black whom you put to flight."
"Why did he not tell them his name? Why did he not tell them he knew nothing about this affair?"
"He took care not to do so, monsieur; on the contrary, he came up to me and said, 'It is your master that needs his liberty at this moment and not I, since he knows everything and I know nothing. They will believe he is arrested, and that will give him time; in three days I will tell them who I am, and they cannot fail to let me go.'"
"Bravo, Athos! Noble heart!" murmured D'Artagnan. "I know him well there! And what did the officers do?"
"Four conveyed him away, I don't know where--to the Bastille or Fort l'Eveque. Two remained with the men in black, who rummaged103 every place and took all the papers. The last two mounted guard at the door during this examination; then, when all was over, they went away, leaving the house empty and exposed."
"And Porthos and Aramis?"
"I could not find them; they did not come."
"But they may come any moment, for you left word that I awaited them?"
"Yes, monsieur."
"Well, don't budge104, then; if they come, tell them what has happened. Let them wait for me at the Pomme-de-Pin. Here it would be dangerous; the house may be watched. I will run to Monsieur de Treville to tell them all this, and will meet them there."
"Very well, monsieur," said Planchet.
"But you will remain; you are not afraid?" said D'Artagnan, coming back to recommend courage to his lackey105.
"Be easy, monsieur," said Planchet; "you do not know me yet. I am brave when I set about it. It is all in beginning. Besides, I am a Picard."
"Then it is understood," said D'Artagnan; "you would rather be killed than desert your post?"
"Yes, monsieur; and there is nothing I would not do to prove to Monsieur that I am attached to him."
"Good!" said D'Artagnan to himself. "It appears that the method I have adopted with this boy is decidedly the best. I shall use it again upon occasion."
And with all the swiftness of his legs, already a little fatigued106 however, with the perambulations of the day, D'Artagnan directed his course toward M. de Treville's.
M. de Treville was not at his hotel. His company was on guard at the Louvre; he was at the Louvre with his company.
It was necessary to reach M. de Treville; it was important that he should be informed of what was passing. D'Artagnan resolved to try and enter the Louvre. His costume of Guardsman in the company of M. Dessessart ought to be his passport.
He therefore went down the Rue des Petits Augustins, and came up to the quay107, in order to take the New Bridge. He had at first an idea of crossing by the ferry; but on gaining the riverside, he had mechanically put his hand into his pocket, and perceived that he had not wherewithal to pay his passage.
As he gained the top of the Rue Guenegaud, he saw two persons coming out of the Rue Dauphine whose appearance very much struck him. Of the two persons who composed this group, one was a man and the other a woman. The woman had the outline of Mme. Bonacieux; the man resembled Aramis so much as to be mistaken for him.
Besides, the woman wore that black mantle which D'Artagnan could still see outlined on the shutter of the Rue de Vaugirard and on the door of the Rue de la Harpe; still further, the man wore the uniform of a Musketeer.
The woman's hood was pulled down, and the man geld a handkerchief to his face. Both, as this double precaution indicated, had an interest in not being recognized.
They took the bridge. That was D'Artagnan's road, as he was going to the Louvre. D'Artagnan followed them.
He had not gone twenty steps before he became convinced that the woman was really Mme. Bonacieux and that the man was Aramis.
He felt at that instant all the suspicions of jealousy agitating108 his heart. He felt himself doubly betrayed, by his friend and by her whom he already loved like a mistress. Mme. Bonacieux had declared to him, by all the gods, that she did not know Aramis; and a quarter of an hour after having made this assertion, he found her hanging on the arm of Aramis.
D'Artagnan did not reflect that he had only known the mercer's pretty wife for three hours; that she owed him nothing but a little gratitude for having delivered her from the men in black, who wished to carry her off, and that she had promised him nothing. He considered himself an outraged109, betrayed, and ridiculed110 lover. Blood and anger mounted to his face; he was resolved to unravel111 the mystery.
The young man and young woman perceived they were watched, and redoubled their speed. D'Artagnan determined112 upon his course. He passed them, then returned so as to meet them exactly before the Samaritaine. Which was illuminated113 by a lamp which threw its light over all that part of the bridge.
D'Artagnan stopped before them, and they stopped before him.
"What do you want, monsieur?" demanded the Musketeer, recoiling114 a step, and with a foreign accent, which proved to D'Artagnan that he was deceived in one of his conjectures115.
"It is not Aramis!" cried he.
"No, monsieur, it is not Aramis; and by your exclamation116 I perceive you have mistaken me for another, and pardon you."
"You pardon me?" cried D'Artagnan.
"Yes," replied the stranger. "Allow me, then, to pass on, since it is not with me you have anything to do."
"You are right, monsieur, it is not with you that I have anything to do; it is with Madame."
"With Madame! You do not know her," replied the stranger.
"You are deceived, monsieur; I know her very well."
"Ah," said Mme. Bonacieux; in a tone of reproach, "ah, monsieur, I had your promise as a soldier and your word as a gentleman. I hoped to be able to rely upon that."
"And I, madame!" said D'Artagnan, embarrassed; "you promised me-- "
"Take my arm, madame," said the stranger, "and let us continue our way."
D'Artagnan, however, stupefied, cast down, annihilated117 by all that happened, stood, with crossed arms, before the Musketeer and Mme. Bonacieux.
The Musketeer advanced two steps, and pushed D'Artagnan aside with his hand. D'Artagnan made a spring backward and drew his sword. At the same time, and with the rapidity of lightning, the stranger drew his.
"In the name of heaven, my Lord!" cried Mme. Bonacieux, throwing herself between the combatants and seizing the swords with her hands.
"My Lord!" cried D'Artagnan, enlightened by a sudden idea, "my Lord! Pardon me, monsieur, but you are not--"
"My Lord the Duke of Buckingham," said Mme. Bonacieux, in an undertone; "and now you may ruin us all."
"My Lord, Madame, I ask a hundred pardons! But I love her, my Lord, and was jealous. You know what it is to love, my Lord. Pardon me, and then tell me how I can risk my life to serve your Grace?"
"You are a brave young man," said Buckingham, holding out his hand to D'Artagnan, who pressed it respectfully. "You offer me your services; with the same frankness I accept them. Follow us at a distance of twenty paces, as far as the Louvre, and if anyone watches us, slay118 him!"
D'Artagnan placed his naked sword under his arm, allowed the duke and Mme. Bonacieux to take twenty steps ahead, and then followed them, ready to execute the instructions of the noble and elegant minister of Charles I.
Fortunately, he had no opportunity to give the duke this proof of his devotion, and the young woman and the handsome Musketeer entered the Louvre by the wicket of the Echelle without any interference.
As for D'Artagnan, he immediately repaired to the cabaret of the Pomme-de-Pin, where he found Porthos and Aramis awaiting him. Without giving them any explanation of the alarm and inconvenience he had caused them, he told them that he had terminated the affair alone in which he had for a moment believed he should need their assistance.
Meanwhile, carried away as we are by our narrative119, we must leave our three friends to themselves, and follow the Duke of Buckingham and his guide through the labyrinths120 of the Louvre.
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pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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novices
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| n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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varnish
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| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
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levied
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| 征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税 | |
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disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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19
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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affluence
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| n.充裕，富足 | |
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21
slipper
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| n.拖鞋 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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23
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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24
procures
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的第三人称单数 )；拉皮条 | |
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reverts
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| 恢复( revert的第三人称单数 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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26
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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27
amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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28
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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29
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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30
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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31
rescinded
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| v.废除，取消( rescind的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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33
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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34
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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35
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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36
overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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37
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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38
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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39
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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40
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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41
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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42
shutter
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| n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置 | |
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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44
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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45
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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47
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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48
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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49
reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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50
droll
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| adj.古怪的，好笑的 | |
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51
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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52
irresolution
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| n.不决断，优柔寡断，犹豫不定 | |
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53
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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54
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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55
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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56
panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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57
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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58
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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59
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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60
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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61
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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62
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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63
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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64
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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65
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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66
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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67
abducted
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| 劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展 | |
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68
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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69
gnawed
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| 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 | |
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70
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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71
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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73
devotedness
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74
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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75
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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76
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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77
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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78
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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80
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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81
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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82
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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83
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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84
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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85
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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87
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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88
incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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89
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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90
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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91
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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92
ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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93
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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94
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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95
relinquished
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃 | |
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96
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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97
exempt
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| adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者 | |
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98
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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99
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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100
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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101
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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102
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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103
rummaged
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查 | |
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104
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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105
lackey
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| n.侍从；跟班 | |
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106
fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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107
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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108
agitating
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| 搅动( agitate的现在分词 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论 | |
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109
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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110
ridiculed
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| v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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112
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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113
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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114
recoiling
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| v.畏缩( recoil的现在分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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115
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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116
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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117
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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118
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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119
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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120
labyrinths
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| 迷宫( labyrinth的名词复数 )； （文字，建筑）错综复杂的 | |
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