For close upon a month Soames performed the duties imposed upon him in the household of Henry Leroux. He was unable to discover, despite a careful course of inquiry1 from the cook and the housemaid, that Mrs. Leroux frequently absented herself. But the servants were newly engaged, for the flat in Palace Mansions2 had only recently been leased by the Leroux. He gathered that they had formerly3 lived much abroad, and that their marriage had taken place in Paris. Mrs. Leroux had been to visit a friend in the French capital once, he understood, since the housemaid had been in her employ.
The mistress (said the housemaid) did not care twopence-ha'penny for her husband; she had married him for his money, and for nothing else. She had had an earlier love (declared the cook) and was pining away to a mere4 shadow because of her painful memories. During the last six months (the period of the cook's service) Mrs. Leroux had altered out of all recognition. The cook was of opinion that she drank secretly.
Of Mr. Leroux, Soames formed the poorest opinion. He counted him a spiritless being, whose world was bounded by his book-shelves, and whose wife would be a fool if she did not avail herself of the liberty which his neglect invited her to enjoy. Soames felt himself, not a snake in the grass, but a benefactor—a friend in need—a champion come to the defense5 of an unhappy and persecuted6 woman.
He wondered when an opportunity should arise which would enable him to commence his chivalrous7 operations; almost daily he anticipated instructions to the effect that Mrs. Leroux would be leaving for Paris immediately. But the days glided8 by and the weeks glided by, without anything occurring to break the monotony of the Leroux household.
Mr. Soames sought an opportunity to express his respectful readiness to Mrs. Leroux; but the lady was rarely visible outside her own apartments until late in the day, when she would be engaged in preparing for the serious business of the evening: one night a dance, another, a bridge-party; so it went. Mr. Leroux rarely joined her upon these festive9 expeditions, but clung to his study like Diogenes to his tub.
Great was Mr. Soames' contempt; bitter were the reproaches of the cook; dark were the predictions of the housemaid.
At last, however, Soames, feeling himself neglected, seized an opportunity which offered to cement the secret bond (the TOO secret bond) existing between himself and the mistress of the house.
Meeting her one afternoon in the lobby, which she was crossing on the way from her bedroom to the drawing-room, he stood aside to let her pass, whispering:
“At your service, whenever you are ready, madam!”
It was a non-committal remark, which, if she chose to keep up the comedy, he could explain away by claiming it to refer to the summoning of the car from the garage—for Mrs. Leroux was driving out that afternoon.
She did not endeavor to evade10 the occult meaning of the words, however. In the wearily dreamy manner which, when first he had seen her, had aroused Soames' respectful interest, she raised her thin hand to her hair, slowly pressing it back from her brow, and directed her big eyes vacantly upon him.
“Yes, Soames,” she said (her voice had a faraway quality in keeping with the rest of her personality), “Mr. King speaks well of you. But please do not refer again to”—she glanced in a manner at once furtive11 and sorrowful, in the direction of the study-door—“to the ... little arrangement of”...
She passed on, with the slow, gliding12 gait, which, together with her fragility, sometimes lent her an almost phantomesque appearance.
This was comforting, in its degree; since it proved that the smiling Gianapolis had in no way misled him (Soames). But as a man of business, Mr. Soames was not fully13 satisfied. He selected an evening when Mrs. Leroux was absent—and indeed she was absent almost every evening, for Leroux entertained but little. The cook and the housemaid were absent, also; therefore, to all intents and purposes, Soames had the flat to himself; since Henry Leroux counted in that establishment, not as an entity14, but rather as a necessary, if unornamental, portion of the fittings.
Standing15 in the lobby, Soames raised the telephone receiver, and having paused with closed eyes preparing the exact form of words in which he should address his invisible employer, he gave the number: East 18642.
Following a brief delay:—
“Yes,” came a nasal voice, “who is it?”
“Soames! I want to speak to Mr. King!”
The words apparently16 surprised the man at the other end of the wire, for he hesitated ere inquiring:—
“What did you say your name was?”
“Soames—Luke Soames.”
“Hold on!”
Soames, with closed eyes, and holding the receiver to his ear, silently rehearsed again the exact wording of his speech. Then:—
“Hullo!” came another voice—“is that Mr. Soames?”
“Yes! Is that Mr. Gianapolis speaking?”
“It is, my dear Soames!” replied the sing-song voice; and Soames, closing his eyes again, had before him a mental picture of the radiantly smiling Greek.
“Yes, my dear Soames,” continued Gianapolis; “here I am. I hope you are quite well—perfectly17 well?”
“I am perfectly well, thank you; but as a man of business, it has occurred to me that failing a proper agreement—which in this case I know would be impossible—a trifling18 advance on the first quarter's”...
“On your salary, my dear Soames! On your salary? Payment for the first quarter shall be made to you to-morrow, my dear Soames! Why ever did you not express the wish before? Certainly, certainly!”...
“Will it be sent to me?”
“My dear fellow! How absurd you are! Can you get out to-morrow evening about nine o'clock?”
“Yes, easily.”
“Then I will meet you at the corner of Victoria Street, by the hotel, and hand you your first quarter's salary. Will that be satisfactory?”
“Perfectly,” said Soames, his small eyes sparkling with avarice19. “Most decidedly, Mr. Gianapolis. Many thanks.”...
“And by the way,” continued the other, “it is rather fortunate that you rang me up this evening, because it has saved me the trouble of ringing you up.”
“What?”—Soames' eyes half closed, from the bottom lids upwards:—“there is something”...
“There is a trifling service which I require of you—yes, my dear Soames.”
“Is it?”...
“We will discuss the matter to-morrow evening. Oh! it is a mere trifle. So good-by for the present.”
Soames, with the fingers of his two hands interlocked before him, and his thumbs twirling rapidly around one another, stood in the lobby, gazing reflectively at the rug-strewn floor. He was working out in his mind how handsomely this first payment would show up on the welcome side of his passbook20. Truly, he was fortunate in having met the generous Gianapolis....
He thought of a trifling indiscretion committed at the expense of one Mr. Mapleson, and of the wine-bill of Colonel Hewett; and he thought of the apparently clairvoyant21 knowledge of the Greek. A cloud momentarily came between his perceptive22 and the rosy23 horizon.
But nearer to the foreground of the mental picture, uprose a left-hand page of his pass book; and its tidings of great joy, written in clerkly hand, served to dispel24 the cloud.
Certainly his duties were neither difficult nor unpleasant. The mistress of the house lived apparently in a hazy26 dream-world of her own, and Mr. Leroux was the ultimate expression of the non-commercial. Mr. Soames could have robbed him every day had he desired to do so; but he had refrained from availing himself even of those perquisites27 which he considered justly his; for it was evident, to his limited intelligence, that greater profit was to be gained by establishing himself in this household than by weeding-out five shillings here, and half-a-sovereign there, at the risk of untimely dismissal.
Yet—it was a struggle! All Mr. Soames' commercial instincts were up in arms against this voice of a greater avarice which counseled abstention. For instance: he could have added half-a-sovereign a week to his earnings28 by means of a simple arrangement with the local wine merchant. Leroux's cigars he could have sold by the hundreds; for Leroux, when a friend called, would absently open a new box, entirely29 forgetful of the fact that a box from which but two—or at most three—cigars had been taken, lay already on the bureau.
Mr. Soames, in order to put his theories to the test, had temporarily abstracted half-a-dozen such boxes from the study and the dining-room and had hidden them. Leroux, finding, as he supposed, that he was out of cigars, had simply ordered Soames to get him some more.
“Er—about a dozen boxes—er—Soames,” he had said; “of the same sort!”
Was ever a man of business submitted to such an ordeal30? After receiving those instructions, Soames had sat for close upon an hour in his own room, contemplating31 the six broken boxes, containing in all some five hundred and ninety cigars; but the voice within prevailed; he must court no chance of losing his situation; therefore, he “discovered” these six boxes in a cupboard—much to Henry Leroux's surprise!
Then, Leroux regularly sent him to the Charing32 Cross branch of the London County and Suburban33 Bank with open checks! Sometimes, he would be sent to pay in, at other times to withdraw; the amounts involved varying from one guinea to 150 pounds! But, as he told himself, on almost every occasion that he went to Leroux's bank, he was deliberately34 throwing money away, deliberately closing his eyes to the good fortune which this careless and gullible35 man cast in his path. He observed a scrupulous36 honesty in all these dealings, with the result that the bank manager came to regard him as a valuable and trustworthy servant, and said as much to the assistant manager, expressing his wonder that Leroux—whose account occasioned the bank more anxiety, and gave it more work, than that of any other two depositors—had at last engaged a man who would keep his business affairs in order!
And these were but a few of the golden apples which Mr. Soames permitted to slip through his fingers, so steadfast37 was he in his belief that Gianapolis would be as good as his word, and make his fortune.
Leroux employed no secretary; and his MSS. were typed at his agent's office. A most slovenly38 man in all things, and in business matters especially, he was the despair, not only of his banker, but of his broker39; he was a man who, in professional parlance40, “deserved to be robbed.” It is improbable that he had any but the haziest41 ideas, at any particular time, respecting the state of his bank balance and investments. He detested42 the writing of business letters, and was always at great pains to avoid anything in the nature of a commercial rendezvous43. He would sign any document which his lawyer or his broker cared to send him, with simple, unquestioned faith.
His bank he never visited, and his appearance was entirely unfamiliar44 to the staff. True, the manager knew him slightly, having had two interviews with him: one when the account was opened, and the second when Leroux introduced his solicitor46 and broker—in order that in the future he might not be troubled in any way with business affairs.
Mr. Soames perceived more and more clearly that the mild deception47 projected was unlikely to be discovered by its victim; and, at the appointed time, he hastened to the corner of Victoria Street, to his appointment with Gianapolis. The latter was prompt, for Soames perceived his radiant smile afar off.
The saloon bar of the Red Lion was affably proposed by Mr. Gianapolis as a suitable spot to discuss the business. Soames agreed, not without certain inward qualms48; for the proximity49 of the hostelry to New Scotland Yard was a disquieting50 circumstance.
However, since Gianapolis affected51 to treat their negotiations52 in the light of perfectly legitimate53 business, he put up no protest, and presently found himself seated in a very cozy54 corner of the saloon bar, with a glass of whisky-and-soda55 on a little table before him, bubbling in a manner which rendered it an agreeable and refreshing56 sight in the eyes of Mr. Soames.
“You know,” said Gianapolis, the gaze of his left eye bisecting that of his right in a most bewildering manner, “they call this 'the 'tec's tabernacle!'”
“Indeed,” said Soames, without enthusiasm; “I suppose some of the Scotland Yard men do drop in now and then?”
“Beyond doubt, my dear Soames.”
Soames responded to his companion's radiant smile with a smile of his own by no means so pleasant to look upon. Soames had the type of face which, in repose57, might be the face of an honest man; but his smile would have led to his instant arrest on any racecourse in Europe: it was the smile of a pick-pocket.
“Now,” continued Gianapolis, “here is a quarter's salary in advance.”
From a pocket-book, he took a little brown paper envelope and from the brown paper envelope counted out four five-pound notes, five golden sovereigns, one half-sovereign, and ten shillings' worth of silver. Soames' eyes glittered, delightedly.
“A little informal receipt?” smiled Gianapolis, raising his eyebrows58, satanically. “Here on this page of my notebook I have written: 'Received from Mr. King for service rendered, 26 pounds, being payment, in advance, of amount due on 31st October 19—' I have attached a stamp to the page, as you will see,” continued Gianapolis, “and here is a fountain-pen. Just sign across the stamp, adding to-day's date.”
Soames complied with willing alacrity59; and Gianapolis having carefully blotted60 the signature, replaced the notebook in his pocket, and politely acknowledged the return of the fountain-pen. Soames, glancing furtively61 about him, replaced the money in the envelope, and thrust the latter carefully into a trouser pocket.
“Now,” resumed Gianapolis, “we must not permit our affairs of business to interfere62 with our amusements.”
He stepped up to the bar and ordered two more whiskies with soda. These being sampled, business was resumed.
“To-morrow,” said Gianapolis, leaning forward across the table so that his face almost touched that of his companion, “you will be entrusted63 by Mr. Leroux with a commission.”...
Soames nodded eagerly, his eyes upon the speaker's face.
“You will accompany Mrs. Leroux to the bank,” continued Gianapolis, “in order that she may write a specimen64 signature, in the presence of the manager, for transmission to the Credit Lyonnais in Paris.”...
Soames nearly closed his little eyes in his effort to comprehend.
“A draft in her favor,” continued the Greek, “has been purchased by Mr. Leroux's bank from the Paris bank, and, on presentation of this, a checkbook will be issued to Mrs. Leroux by the Credit Lyonnais in Paris to enable her to draw at her convenience upon that establishment against the said order. Do you follow me?”
Soames nodded rapidly, eager to exhibit an intelligent grasp of the situation.
“Now”—Gianapolis lowered his voice impressively—“no one at the Charing Cross branch of the London County and Suburban Bank has ever seen Mrs. Leroux!—Oh! we have been careful of that, and we shall be careful in the future. You are known already as an accredited65 agent of Leroux; therefore”—he bent66 yet closer to Soames' ear—“you will direct the chauffeur67 to drop you, not at the Strand68 entrance, but at the side entrance. You follow?”
Soames, almost holding his breath, nodded again.
“At the end of the court, in which the latter entrance is situated69, a lady dressed in the same manner as Mrs. Leroux (this is arranged) will be waiting. Mrs. Leroux will walk straight up the court, into the corridor of Bank Chambers70 by the back entrance, and from thence out into the Strand. YOU will escort the second lady into the manager's office, and she will sign 'Mira Leroux' instead of the real Mira Leroux.”...
Soames became aware that he was changing color. This was a superior felony, and as such it awed71 his little mind. It was tantamount to burning his boats. Missing silver spoons and cooked petty cash were trivialities usually expiable72 at the price of a boot-assisted dismissal; but this—!
“You understand?” Gianapolis was not smiling, now. “There is not the slightest danger. The signature of the lady whom you will meet will be an exact duplicate of the real one; that is, exact enough to deceive a man who is not looking for a forgery73. But it would not be exact enough to deceive the French banker—he WILL be looking for a forgery. You follow me? The signature on the checks drawn74 against the Credit Lyonnais will be the SAME as the specimen forwarded by the London County and Suburban, since they will be written by the same lady—the duplicate Mrs. Leroux. Therefore, the French bank will have no means of detecting the harmless little deception practised upon them, and the English bank, if it should ever see those checks, will raise no question, since the checks will have been honored by the Credit Lyonnais.”
“Finally,” concluded Gianapolis, “you will escort the lady out by the front entrance to the Strand. She will leave you and walk in an easterly direction—making some suitable excuse if the manager should insist upon seeing her to the door; and the real Mrs. Leroux will come out by the Strand end of Bank Chambers' corridor, and walk back with you around the corner to where the car will be waiting. Perfect?”
“Quite,” said Soames, huskily....
But when, some twenty minutes later, he returned to Palace Mansions, he was a man lost in thought; and he did not entirely regain76 his wonted composure, and did not entirely shake off the incubus77, Doubt, until in his own room he had re-counted the contents of the brown paper envelope. Then:—
“It's safe enough,” he muttered; “and it's worth it!”
Thus it came about that, on the following morning, Leroux called him into the study and gave him just such instructions as Gianapolis had outlined the evening before.
“I am—er—too busy to go myself, Soames,” said Leroux, “and—er—Mrs. Leroux will shortly be paying a visit to friends in—er—in Paris. So that I am opening a credit there for her. Save so much trouble—and—such a lot of—correspondence—international money orders—and such worrying things. Mr. Smith, the manager, knows you and you will take this letter of authority. The draft I understand has already been purchased.”
Mr. Soames was bursting with anxiety to learn the amount of this draft, but could find no suitable opportunity to inquire. The astonishing deception, then, was carried out without anything resembling a hitch78. Mrs. Leroux went through with her part in the comedy, in the dreamy manner of a somnambulist; and the duplicate Mrs. Leroux, who waited at the appointed spot, had achieved so startling a resemblance to her prototype, that Mr. Soames became conscious of a craving79 for a peg80 of brandy at the moment of setting eyes upon her. However, he braced81 himself up and saw the business through.
As was to be expected, no questions were raised and no doubts entertained. The bank manager was very courteous82 and very reserved, and the fictitious83 Mrs. Leroux equally reserved, indeed, cold. She avoided raising her motor veil, and, immediately the business was concluded, took her departure, Mr. Smith escorting her as far as the door.
She walked away toward Fleet Street, and the respectful attendant, Soames, toward Charing Cross; he rejoined Mrs. Leroux at the door of Bank Chambers, and the two turned the corner and entered the waiting car. Soames was rather nervous; Mrs. Leroux quite apathetic84.
Shortly after this event, Soames learnt that the date of Mrs. Leroux's departure to Paris was definitely fixed85. He received from her hands a large envelope.
“For Mr. King,” she said, in her dreamy fashion; and he noticed that she seemed to be in poorer health than usual. Her mouth twitched86 strangely; she was a nervous wreck87.
Then came her departure, attended by a certain bustle88, an appointment with Mr. Gianapolis; and the delivery of the parcel into that gentleman's keeping.
Mrs. Leroux was away for six days on this occasion. Leroux sent her three postcards during that time, and re-addressed some ten or twelve letters which arrived for her. The address in all cases was:
c/o Miss Denise Ryland,
Montmartre,
Paris.
East 18642 was much in demand that week; and there were numerous meetings between Soames and Gianapolis at the corner of Victoria Street, and numerous whiskies-and-sodas in the Red Lion; for Gianapolis persisted in his patronage89 of that establishment, apparently for no other reason than because it was dangerously near to Scotland Yard, and an occasional house of call for members of the Criminal Investigation90 Department.
Thus did Mr. Soames commence his career of duplicity at the flat of Henry Leroux; and for some twelve months before the events which so dramatically interfered91 with the delightful92 scheme, he drew his double salary and performed his perfidious93 work with great efficiency and contentment. Mrs. Leroux paid four other visits to Paris during that time, and always returned in much better spirits, although pale and somewhat haggard looking. It fell to the lot of Soames always to meet her at Charing Cross; but never once, by look or by word, did she proffer94, or invite, the slightest exchange of confidence. She apathetically95 accepted his aid in conducting this intrigue96 as she would have accepted his aid in putting on her opera-cloak.
The curious Soames had read right through the telephone directory from A to Z in quest of East 18642—only to learn that no such number was published. His ingenuity97 not being great, he could think of no means to learn the address of the mysterious Mr. King. So keenly had he been impressed with the omniscience98 of that shadowy being who knew all his past, that he feared to inquire of the Eastern Exchange. His banking99 account was growing handsomely, and, above all things, he dreaded100 to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Then came the night which shattered all. Having rung up East 18642 and made an appointment with Gianapolis in regard to some letters for Mrs. Leroux, he had been surprised, on reaching the corner of Victoria Street, to find that Gianapolis was not there! He glanced up at the face of Big Ben. Yes—for the first time during their business acquaintance, Mr. Gianapolis was late!
For close upon twenty minutes, Soames waited, walking slowly up and down. When, at last, coming from the direction of Westminster, he saw the familiar spruce figure.
Eagerly he hurried forward to meet the Greek; but Gianapolis—to the horror and amazement101 of Soames—affected not to know him! He stepped aside to avoid the stupefied butler, and passed. But, in passing, he hissed102 these words at Soames:—
“Follow to Victoria Street Post Office! Pretend to post letters at next box to me and put them in my hand!”
He was gone!
Soames, dazed at this new state of affairs, followed him at a discreet103 distance. Gianapolis ran up the Post Office steps briskly, and Soames, immediately afterwards, ascended104 also—furtively. Gianapolis was taking out a number of letters from his pocket.
Soames walked across to the “Country” box on his right, and affected to scrutinize105 the addresses on the envelopes of Mrs. Leroux's correspondence.
Gianapolis, on the pretense106 of posting a country letter, reached out and snatched the correspondence from Soames' hand. The gaze of his left eye crookedly107 sought the face of the butler.
“Go home!” whispered Gianapolis; “be cautious!”
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收听单词发音
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1
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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5
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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entity
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| n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物 | |
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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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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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passbook
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| n.存折；顾客赊欠账簿 | |
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clairvoyant
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| adj.有预见的；n.有预见的人 | |
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perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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rapture
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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perquisites
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| n.（工资以外的）财务补贴( perquisite的名词复数 )；额外收入；（随职位而得到的）好处；利益 | |
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earnings
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| n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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charing
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| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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gullible
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| adj.易受骗的；轻信的 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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broker
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| n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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40
parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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41
haziest
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| 有薄雾的( hazy的最高级 )； 模糊的； 不清楚的； 糊涂的 | |
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42
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
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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44
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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45
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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46
solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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47
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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48
qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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49
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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50
disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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51
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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52
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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53
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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54
cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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55
soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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56
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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57
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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58
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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59
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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60
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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accredited
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| adj.可接受的；可信任的；公认的；质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 )；委托；委任；把…归结于 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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71
awed
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| 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 ) | |
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expiable
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| adj.可赎的，可偿的 | |
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forgery
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| n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为） | |
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74
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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incubus
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| n.负担；恶梦 | |
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hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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80
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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83
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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apathetic
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| adj.冷漠的，无动于衷的 | |
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85
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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86
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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87
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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88
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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91
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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92
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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93
perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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94
proffer
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| v.献出，赠送；n.提议，建议 | |
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95
apathetically
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| adv.不露感情地；无动于衷地；不感兴趣地；冷淡地 | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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97
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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98
omniscience
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| n.全知，全知者，上帝 | |
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99
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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100
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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101
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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102
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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103
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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104
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
scrutinize
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| n.详细检查，细读 | |
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106
pretense
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| n.矫饰，做作，借口 | |
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107
crookedly
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| adv. 弯曲地，不诚实地 | |
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