In the deep alcove2 formed by the tower sat Van Roon at a littered table, upon which stood an oil reading-lamp, green shaded, of the “Victoria” pattern, to furnish the entire illumination of the apartment. That bookshelves lined the rectangular portion of this strange study I divined, although that end of the place was dark as a catacomb. The walls were wood-paneled, and the ceiling was oaken beamed. A small bookshelf and tumble-down cabinet stood upon either side of the table, and the celebrated3 American author and traveler lay propped4 up in a long split-cane chair. He wore smoked glasses, and had a clean-shaven, olive face, with a profusion5 of jet black hair. He was garbed6 in a dirty red dressing7-gown, and a perfect fog of cigar smoke hung in the room. He did not rise to greet us, but merely extended his right hand, between two fingers whereof he held Smith’s card.
“You will excuse the seeming discourtesy of an invalid8, gentlemen?” he said; “but I am suffering from undue9 temerity10 in the interior of China!”
He waved his hand vaguely11, and I saw that two rough deal chairs stood near the table. Smith and I seated ourselves, and my friend, leaning his elbow upon the table, looked fixedly13 at the face of the man whom we had come from London to visit. Although comparatively unfamiliar14 to the British public, the name of Van Roon was well-known in American literary circles; for he enjoyed in the United States a reputation somewhat similar to that which had rendered the name of our mutual15 friend, Sir Lionel Barton, a household word in England. It was Van Roon who, following in the footsteps of Madame Blavatsky, had sought out the haunts of the fabled16 mahatmas in the Himalayas, and Van Roon who had essayed to explore the fever swamps of Yucatan in quest of the secret of lost Atlantis; lastly, it was Van Roon, who, with an overland car specially18 built for him by a celebrated American firm, had undertaken the journey across China.
I studied the olive face with curiosity. Its natural impassivity was so greatly increased by the presence of the colored spectacles that my study was as profitless as if I had scrutinized19 the face of a carven Buddha20. The mulatto had withdrawn21, and in an atmosphere of gloom and tobacco smoke, Smith and I sat staring, perhaps rather rudely, at the object of our visit to the West Country.
“Mr. Van Roon,” began my friend abruptly23, “you will no doubt have seen this paragraph. It appeared in this morning’s Daily Telegraph.”
He stood up, and taking out the cutting from his notebook, placed it on the table.
“I have seen this—yes,” said Van Roon, revealing a row of even, white teeth in a rapid smile. “Is it to this paragraph that I owe the pleasure of seeing you here?”
“The paragraph appeared in this morning’s issue,” replied Smith. “An hour from the time of seeing it, my friend, Dr. Petrie, and I were entrained for Bridgewater.”
“Your visit delights me, gentlemen, and I should be ungrateful to question its cause; but frankly25 I am at a loss to understand why you should have honored me thus. I am a poor host, God knows; for what with my tortured limb, a legacy26 from the Chinese devils whose secrets I surprised, and my semi-blindness, due to the same cause, I am but sorry company.”
Nayland Smith held up his right hand deprecatingly. Van Roon tendered a box of cigars and clapped his hands, whereupon the mulatto entered.
“I see that you have a story to tell me, Mr. Smith,” he said; “therefore I suggest whisky-and-soda—or you might prefer tea, as it is nearly tea time?”
Smith and I chose the former refreshment27, and the soft-footed half-breed having departed upon his errand, my companion, leaning forward earnestly across the littered table, outlined for Van Roon the story of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the great and malign28 being whose mission in England at that moment was none other than the stoppage of just such information as our host was preparing to give to the world.
“There is a giant conspiracy29, Mr. Van Roon,” he said, “which had its birth in this very province of Ho-Nan, from which you were so fortunate to escape alive; whatever its scope or limitations, a great secret society is established among the yellow races. It means that China, which has slumbered30 for so many generations, now stirs in that age-long sleep. I need not tell you how much more it means, this seething31 in the pot...”
“In a word,” interrupted Van Roon, pushing Smith’s glass across the table “you would say?—”
“That your life is not worth that!” replied Smith, snapping his fingers before the other’s face.
A very impressive silence fell. I watched Van Roon curiously32 as he sat propped up among his cushions, his smooth face ghastly in the green light from the lamp-shade. He held the stump33 of a cigar between his teeth, but, apparently34 unnoticed by him, it had long since gone out. Smith, out of the shadows, was watching him, too. Then:
“Your information is very disturbing,” said the American. “I am the more disposed to credit your statement because I am all too painfully aware of the existence of such a group as you mention, in China, but that they had an agent here in England is something I had never conjectured35. In seeking out this solitary36 residence I have unwittingly done much to assist their designs... But—my dear Mr. Smith, I am very remiss37! Of course you will remain tonight, and I trust for some days to come?”
Smith glanced rapidly across at me, then turned again to our host.
“It seems like forcing our company upon you,” he said, “but in your own interests I think it will be best to do as you are good enough to suggest. I hope and believe that our arrival here has not been noticed by the enemy; therefore it will be well if we remain concealed38 as much as possible for the present, until we have settled upon some plan.”
“Hagar shall go to the station for your baggage,” said the American rapidly, and clapped his hands, his usual signal to the mulatto.
Whilst the latter was receiving his orders I noticed Nayland Smith watching him closely; and when he had departed:
“How long has that man been in your service?” snapped my friend.
Van Roon peered blindly through his smoked glasses.
“For some years,” he replied; “he was with me in India—and in China.”
“Where did you engage him?”
“Actually, in St. Kitts.”
“H’m,” muttered Smith, and automatically he took out and began to fill his pipe.
“I can offer you no company but my own, gentlemen,” continued Van Roon, “but unless it interferes39 with your plans, you may find the surrounding district of interest and worthy40 of inspection41, between now and dinner time. By the way, I think I can promise you quite a satisfactory meal, for Hagar is a model chef.”
“A walk would be enjoyable,” said Smith, “but dangerous.”
“At any moment!”
“To one in my crippled condition, an alarming outlook! However, I place myself unreservedly in your hands. But really, you must not leave this interesting district before you have made the acquaintance of some of its historical spots. To me, steeped as I am in what I may term the lore17 of the odd, it is a veritable wonderland, almost as interesting, in its way, as the caves and jungles of Hindustan depicted43 by Madame Blavatsky.”
His high-pitched voice, with a certain labored44 intonation45, not quite so characteristically American as was his accent, rose even higher; he spoke46 with the fire of the enthusiast47.
“When I learned that Cragmire Tower was vacant,” he continued, “I leaped at the chance (excuse the metaphor49, from a lame50 man!). This is a ghost hunter’s paradise. The tower itself is of unknown origin, though probably Phoenician, and the house traditionally sheltered Dr. Macleod, the necromancer51, after his flight from the persecution52 of James of Scotland. Then, to add to its interest, it borders on Sedgemoor, the scene of the bloody54 battle during the Monmouth rising, whereat a thousand were slain55 on the field. It is a local legend that the unhappy Duke and his staff may be seen, on stormy nights, crossing the path which skirts the mire48, after which this building is named, with flaming torches held aloft.”
“Merely marsh-lights, I take it?” interjected Smith, gripping his pipe hard between his teeth.
“Your practical mind naturally seeks a practical explanation,” smiled Van Roon, “but I myself have other theories. Then in addition to the charms of Sedgemoor—haunted Sedgemoor—on a fine day it is quite possible to see the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey from here; and Glastonbury Abbey, as you may know, is closely bound up with the history of alchemy. It was in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey that the adept56 Kelly, companion of Dr. Dee, discovered, in the reign57 of Elizabeth, the famous caskets of St. Dunstan, containing the two tinctures...”
So he ran on, enumerating58 the odd charms of his residence, charms which for my part I did not find appealing. Finally:
“We cannot presume further upon your kindness,” said Nayland Smith, standing59 up. “No doubt we can amuse ourselves in the neighborhood of the house until the return of your servant.”
“Look upon Cragmire Tower as your own, gentlemen!” cried Van Roon. “Most of the rooms are unfurnished, and the garden is a wilderness60, but the structure of the brickwork in the tower may interest you archaeologically61, and the view across the moor53 is at least as fine as any in the neighborhood.”
So, with his brilliant smile and a gesture of one thin yellow hand, the crippled traveler made us free of his odd dwelling62. As I passed out from the room close at Smith’s heels, I glanced back, I cannot say why. Van Roon already was bending over his papers, in his green shadowed sanctuary63, and the light shining down upon his smoked glasses created the odd illusion that he was looking over the tops of the lenses and not down at the table as his attitude suggested. However, it was probably ascribable to the weird64 chiaroscuro65 of the scene, although it gave the seated figure an oddly malignant66 appearance, and I passed out through the utter darkness of the outer room to the front door. Smith opening it, I was conscious of surprise to find dusk come—to meet darkness where I had looked for sunlight.
The silver wisps which had raced along the horizon, as we came to Cragmire Tower, had been harbingers of other and heavier banks. A stormy sunset smeared67 crimson68 streaks69 across the skyline, where a great range of clouds, like the oily smoke of a city burning, was banked, mountain topping mountain, and lighted from below by this angry red. As we came down the steps and out by the gate, I turned and looked across the moor behind us. A sort of reflection from this distant blaze encrimsoned the whole landscape. The inland bay glowed sullenly70, as if internal fires and not reflected light were at work; a scene both wild and majestic71.
Nayland Smith was staring up at the cone-like top of the ancient tower in a curious, speculative72 fashion. Under the influence of our host’s conversation I had forgotten the reasonless dread73 which had touched me at the moment of our arrival, but now, with the red light blazing over Sedgemoor, as if in memory of the blood which had been shed there, and with the tower of unknown origin looming74 above me, I became very uncomfortable again, nor did I envy Van Roon his eerie75 residence. The proximity76 of a tower of any kind, at night, makes in some inexplicable77 way for awe78, and to-night there were other agents, too.
“What’s that?” snapped Smith suddenly, grasping my arm.
He was peering southward, toward the distant hamlet, and, starting violently at his words and the sudden grasp of his hand, I, too, stared in that direction.
“We were followed, Petrie,” he almost whispered. “I never got a sight of our follower79, but I’ll swear we were followed. Look! there’s something moving over yonder!”
Together we stood staring into the dusk; then Smith burst abruptly into one of his rare laughs, and clapped me upon the shoulder.
“It’s Hagar, the mulatto!” he cried—“and our grips. That extraordinary American with his tales of witch-lights and haunted abbeys has been playing the devil with our nerves.”
Together we waited by the gate until the half-caste appeared on the bend of the path with a grip in either hand. He was a great, muscular fellow with a stoic80 face, and, for the purpose of visiting Saul, presumably, he had doffed81 his white raiment and now wore a sort of livery, with a peaked cap.
Smith watched him enter the house. Then:
“I wonder where Van Roon obtains his provisions and so forth,” he muttered. “It’s odd they knew nothing about the new tenant82 of Cragmire Tower at ‘The Wagoners.’”
There came a sort of sudden expectancy83 into his manner for which I found myself at a loss to account. He turned his gaze inland and stood there tugging84 at his left ear and clicking his teeth together. He stared at me, and his eyes looked very bright in the dusk, for a sort of red glow from the sunset touched them; but he spoke no word, merely taking my arm and leading me off on a rambling85 walk around and about the house. Neither of us spoke a word until we stood at the gate of Cragmire Tower again; then:
“I’ll swear, now, that we were followed here today!” muttered Smith.
The lofty place immediately within the doorway87 proved, in the light of a lamp now fixed12 in an iron bracket, to be a square entrance hall meagerly furnished. The closed study door faced the entrance, and on the left of it ascended88 an open staircase up which the mulatto led the way. We found ourselves on the floor above, in a corridor traversing the house from back to front. An apartment on the immediate86 left was indicated by the mulatto as that allotted89 to Smith. It was a room of fair size, furnished quite simply but boasting a wardrobe cupboard, and Smith’s grip stood beside the white enameled90 bed. I glanced around, and then prepared to follow the man, who had awaited me in the doorway.
He still wore his dark livery, and as I followed the lithe91, broad-shouldered figure along the corridor, I found myself considering critically his breadth of shoulder and the extraordinary thickness of his neck.
I have repeatedly spoken of a sort of foreboding, an elusive92 stirring in the depths of my being of which I became conscious at certain times in my dealings with Dr. Fu-Manchu and his murderous servants. This sensation, or something akin24 to it, claimed me now, unaccountably, as I stood looking into the neat bedroom, on the same side of the corridor but at the extreme end, wherein I was to sleep.
A voiceless warning urged me to return; a kind of childish panic came fluttering about my heart, a dread of entering the room, of allowing the mulatto to come behind me.
Doubtless this was no more than a sub-conscious product of my observations respecting his abnormal breadth of shoulder. But whatever the origin of the impulse, I found myself unable to disobey it. Therefore, I merely nodded, turned on my heel and went back to Smith’s room.
I closed the door, then turned to face Smith, who stood regarding me.
Still regarding me fixedly, my friend nodded his head.
“You are curiously sensitive to this sort of thing,” he replied slowly; “I have noticed it before as a useful capacity. I don’t like the look of the man myself. The fact that he has been in Van Roon’s employ for some years goes for nothing. We are neither of us likely to forget Kwee, the Chinese servant of Sir Lionel Barton, and it is quite possible that Fu-Manchu has corrupted95 this man as he corrupted the other. It is quite possible...”
His voice trailed off into silence, and he stood looking across the room with unseeing eyes, meditating96 deeply. It was quite dark now outside, as I could see through the uncurtained window, which opened upon the dreary97 expanse stretching out to haunted Sedgemoor. Two candles were burning upon the dressing table; they were but recently lighted, and so intense was the stillness that I could distinctly hear the spluttering of one of the wicks, which was damp. Without giving the slightest warning of his intention, Smith suddenly made two strides forward, stretched out his long arms, and snuffed the pair of candles in a twinkling.
“Not a word, Petrie!” whispered my companion.
I moved cautiously to join him, but as I did so, perceived that he was moving too. Vaguely, against the window I perceived him silhouetted99. He was looking out across the moor, and:
With my heart thumping101 furiously in my breast, I bent102 over him; and for the second time since our coming to Cragmire Tower, my thoughts flew to “The Fenman.”
Who have sinned and have died, but are living again.
O’er the waters they tread, with their lanterns of dread,
And they peer in the pools—in the pools of the dead...
A light was dancing out upon the moor, a witchlight that came and went unaccountably, up and down, in and out, now clearly visible, now masked in the darkness!
“Lock the door!” snapped my companion—“if there’s a key.”
“There is no key,” I reported.
“Then wedge the chair under the knob and let no one enter until I return!” he said, amazingly.
With that he opened the window to its fullest extent, threw his leg over the sill, and went creeping along a wide concrete ledge105, in which ran a leaded gutter106, in the direction of the tower on the right!
Not pausing to follow his instructions respecting the chair, I craned out of the window, watching his progress, and wondering with what sudden madness he was bitten. Indeed, I could not credit my senses, could not believe that I heard and saw aright. Yet there out in the darkness on the moor moved the will-o’-the-wisp, and ten yards along the gutter crept my friend, like a great gaunt cat. Unknown to me he must have prospected107 the route by daylight, for now I saw his design. The ledge terminated only where it met the ancient wall of the tower, and it was possible for an agile108 climber to step from it to the edge of the unglazed window some four feet below, and to scramble109 from that point to the stone fence and thence on to the path by which we had come from Saul.
This difficult operation Nayland Smith successfully performed, and, to my unbounded amazement, went racing110 into the darkness toward the dancing light, headlong, like a madman! The night swallowed him up, and between my wonder and my fear my hands trembled so violently that I could scarce support myself where I rested, with my full weight upon the sill.
I seemed now to be moving through the fevered phases of a nightmare. Around and below me Cragmire Tower was profoundly silent, but a faint odor of cookery was now perceptible. Outside, from the night, came a faint whispering as of the distant sea, but no moon and no stars relieved the impenetrable blackness. Only out over the moor the mysterious light still danced and moved.
One—two—three—four—five minutes passed. The light vanished and did not appear again. Five more age-long minutes elapsed in absolute silence, whilst I peered into the darkness of the night and listened, every nerve in my body tense, for the return of Nayland Smith. Yet two more minutes, which embraced an agony of suspense111, passed in the same fashion; then a shadowy form grew, phantomesque, out of the gloom; a moment more, and I distinctly heard the heavy breathing of a man nearly spent, and saw my friend scrambling112 up toward the black embrasure in the tower. His voice came huskily, pantingly:
“Creep along and lend me a hand, Petrie! I am nearly winded.”
I crept through the window, steadied my quivering nerves by an effort of the will, and reached the end of the ledge in time to take Smith’s extended hand and to draw him up beside me against the wall of the tower. He was shaking with his exertions113, and must have fallen, I think, without my assistance. Inside the room again:
“Did any one come?”
“No one—nothing.”
Having expended115 several matches in vain, for my fingers twitched116 nervously117, I ultimately succeeded in relighting the candles.
“Get along to your room!” directed Smith. “Your apprehensions118 are unfounded at the moment, but you may as well leave both doors wide open!”
I looked into his face—it was very drawn22 and grim, and his brow was wet with perspiration119, but his eyes had the fighting glint, and I knew that we were upon the eve of strange happenings.
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1
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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garbed
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| v.（尤指某类人穿的特定）服装，衣服，制服( garb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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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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fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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fabled
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| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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malign
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| adj.有害的；恶性的；恶意的；v.诽谤，诬蔑 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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remiss
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| adj.不小心的，马虎 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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interferes
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| vi. 妨碍，冲突，干涉 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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46
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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47
enthusiast
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| n.热心人，热衷者 | |
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48
mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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necromancer
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| n. 巫师 | |
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persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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53
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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54
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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55
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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56
adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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57
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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58
enumerating
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| v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的现在分词 ) | |
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59
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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60
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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61
archaeologically
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| archaeology（考古学）的变形 | |
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62
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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63
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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64
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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65
chiaroscuro
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| n.明暗对照法 | |
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66
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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67
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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68
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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69
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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70
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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73
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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74
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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75
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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78
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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stoic
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| n.坚忍克己之人，禁欲主义者 | |
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81
doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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83
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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84
tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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85
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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86
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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87
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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88
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enameled
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| 涂瓷釉于，给…上瓷漆，给…上彩饰( enamel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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elusive
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| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
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93
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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94
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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corrupted
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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96
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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97
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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98
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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99
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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100
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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101
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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102
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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103
fen
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| n.沼泽，沼池 | |
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104
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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105
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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106
gutter
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| n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟 | |
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107
prospected
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| vi.勘探（prospect的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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108
agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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109
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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110
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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111
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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112
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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113
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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114
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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115
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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116
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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117
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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118
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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119
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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