Dorothy's Circus passed through the village, preceded by its band, that is to say that Castor and Pollux did their best to wreck6 their lungs in the effort to extract the largest possible number of false notes from two trumpets7. Saint-Quentin had arrayed himself in a black satin doublet and carried over his shoulder the trident which so awes8 wild beasts, and a placard which announced that the performance would take place at three o'clock.
Dorothy, standing9 upright on the roof of the caravan10, directed One-eyed Magpie11 with four reins12, wearing the majestic13 air of one driving a royal coach.
Already a dozen vehicles stood on the esplanade; and round them the showmen were busily setting up their canvas tents and swings and wooden horses, etc. Dorothy's Circus made no such preparations. Its directress went to the mayor's office to have her license14 viséd, while Saint-Quentin unharnessed One-eyed Magpie, and the two musicians changed their profession and set about cooking the dinner.
The Captain slept on.
Towards noon the crowd began to flock in from all the neighboring villages. After the meal Saint-Quentin, Castor, and Pollux took a siesta15 beside the caravan. Dorothy again went off. She went down into the ravine, examined the slab16 over the excavation17, went up out of it again, moved among the groups of peasants and strolled about the gardens, round the château, and everywhere else that one was allowed to go.
"Well, how's your search getting on?" said Saint-Quentin when she returned to the caravan.
She appeared thoughtful, and slowly she explained:
"The château, which has been empty for a long while, belongs to the family of Chagny-Roborey, of which the last representative, Count Octave, a man about forty, married, twelve years ago, a very rich woman. After the war the Count and Countess restored and modernized18 the château. Yesterday evening they had a house-warming to which they invited a large party of guests who went away at the end of the evening. To-day they're having a kind of popular house-warming for the villagers."
"And as regards this name of Roborey, have you learned anything?"
"Nothing. I'm still quite ignorant why my father uttered it."
"So that we can get away directly after the performance," said Saint-Quentin who was very eager to depart.
"I don't know.... We'll see.... I've found out some rather queer things."
"Have they anything to do with your father?"
"No," she said with some hesitation19. "Nothing to do with him. Nevertheless I should like to look more closely into the matter. When there is darkness anywhere, there's no knowing what it may hide.... I should like...."
She remained silent for a long time. At last she went on in a serious tone, looking straight into Saint-Quentin's face:
"Listen: you have confidence in me, haven't you? You know that I'm quite sensible at bottom ... and very prudent20. You know that I have a certain amount of intuition ... and good eyes that see a little more than most people see.... Well, I've got a strong feeling that I ought to remain here."
"Because of the name of Roborey?"
"Because of that, and for other reasons, which will compel me perhaps, according to circumstances, to undertake unexpected enterprises ... dangerous ones. At that moment, Saint-Quentin, you must follow me—boldly."
"Go on, Dorothy. Tell me what it is exactly."
"Nothing.... Nothing definite at present.... One word, however. The man who was aiming at you this morning, the man in the blouse, is here."
"Never! He's here, do you say? You've seen him? With the policemen?"
She smiled.
"At the bottom of the basket, in a little card-board box with a rubber ring round it."
"Good. As soon as the performance is over, stick them in that clump22 of rhododendrons between the gates and the coach-house."
"Have they found out that they've disappeared?"
"Not yet," said Dorothy. "From the things you told me I believe that the little safe is in the boudoir of the Countess. I heard some of the maids talking; and nothing was said about any robbery. They'd have been full of it." She added: "Look! there are some of the people from the château in front of the shooting-gallery. Is it that pretty fair lady with the grand air?"
"Yes. I recognize her."
"An extremely kind-hearted woman, according to what the maids said, and generous, always ready to listen to the unfortunate. The people about her are very fond of her ... much fonder of her than they are of her husband, who, it appears, is not at all easy to get on with."
"Which of them is he? There are three men there."
"The biggest ... the man in the gray suit ... with his stomach sticking out with importance. Look; he has taken a rifle. The two on either side of the Countess are distant relations. The tall one with the grizzled beard which runs up to his tortoise-shell spectacles, has been at the château a month. The other more sallow one, in a velveteen shooting-coat and gaiters, arrived yesterday."
"But they look as if they knew you, both of them."
Saint-Quentin made an indignant movement. She checked him at once.
"Keep calm, Saint-Quentin. And let's go closer to them. The battle begins."
The crowd was thronging25 round the back of the tent to watch the exploits of the owner of the château, whose skill was well known. The dozen bullets which he fired made a ring round the center of the target; and there was a burst of applause.
"No, no!" he protested modestly. "It's bad. Not a single bull's-eye."
"Want of practice," said a voice near him.
Dorothy had slipped into the front ranks of the throng26; and she had said it in the quiet tone of a connoisseur27. The spectators laughed. The bearded gentleman presented her to the Count and Countess.
"Mademoiselle Dorothy, the directress of the circus."
"Is it as circus directress that mademoiselle judges a target or as an expert?" said the Count jocosely28.
"As an expert."
"Ah, mademoiselle also shoots?"
"Now and then."
"No. Pipe-bowls."
"And mademoiselle does not miss her aim?"
"Never."
"Provided, of course, that she has a first-class weapon?"
"Oh, no. A good shot can use any kind of weapon that comes to hand ... even an old-fashioned contraption like this."
She gripped the butt30 of an old pistol, provided herself with six cartridges31, and aimed at the card-board target cut out by the Count.
The first shot was a bull's-eye. The second cut the black circle. The third was a bull's-eye.
The Count was amazed.
"It's marvelous.... She doesn't even take the trouble to aim. What do you say to that, d'Estreicher?"
The bearded nobleman, as Dorothy called him, cried enthusiastically:
"Unheard of! Marvelous! You could make a fortune, Mademoiselle!"
Without answering, with the three remaining bullets she broke two pipe-bowls and shattered an empty egg-shell that was dancing on the top of a jet of water.
And thereupon, pushing aside her admirers, and addressing the astonished crowd, she made the announcement:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to inform you that the performance of Dorothy's Circus is about to take place. After exhibitions of marksmanship, choregraphic displays, then feats32 of strength and skill and tumbling, on foot, on horseback, on the earth and in the air. Fireworks, regattas, motor races, bull-fights, train hold-ups, all will be on view there. It is about to begin, ladies and gentlemen."
From that moment Dorothy was all movement, liveliness, and gayety. Saint-Quentin had marked off a sufficiently33 large circle, in front of the door of the caravan, with a rope supported by stakes. Round this arena34, in which chairs were reserved for the people of the château, the spectators were closely packed together on benches and flights of steps and on anything they could lay their hands on.
And Dorothy danced. First of all on a rope, stretched between two posts. She bounced like a shuttlecock which the battledore catches and drives yet higher; or again she lay down and balanced herself on the rope as on a hammock, walked backwards35 and forwards, turned and saluted36 right and left; then leapt to the earth and began to dance.
An extraordinary mixture of all the dances, in which nothing seemed studied or purposed, in which all the movements and attitudes appeared unconscious and to spring from a series of inspirations of the moment. By turns she was the London dancing-girl, the Spanish dancer with her castanets, the Russian who bounds and twirls, or, in the arms of Saint-Quentin, a barbaric creature dancing a languorous37 tango.
And every time all that she needed was just a movement, the slightest movement, which changed the hang of her shawl, or the way her hair was arranged, to become from head to foot a Spanish, or Russian, or English, or Argentine girl. And all the while she was an incomparable vision of grace and charm, of harmonious38 and healthy youth, of pleasure and modesty39, of extreme but measured joy.
Castor and Pollux, bent40 over an old drum, beat with their fingers a muffled41, rhythmical42 accompaniment. Speechless and motionless the spectators gazed and admired, spellbound by such a wealth of fantasy and the multitude of images which passed before their eyes. At the very moment when they were regarding her as a guttersnipe turning cartwheels, she suddenly appeared to them in the guise43 of a lady with a long train, flirting44 her fan and dancing the minuet. Was she a child or a woman? Was she under fifteen or over twenty?
She cut short the clamor of applause which burst forth45 when she came to a sudden stop, by springing on to the roof of the caravan, and crying, with an imperious gesture:
"Silence! The Captain is waking up!"
There was, behind the box, a long narrow basket, in the shape of a closed sentry-box. Raising it by one end, she half opened the cover and cried:
"Now, Captain Montfaucon, you've had a good sleep, haven't you? Come now, Captain, we're a bit behind-hand with our exercises. Make up for it, Captain!"
She opened the top of the basket wide and disclosed in a kind of cradle, very comfortable, a little boy of seven or eight, with golden curls and red cheeks, who yawned prodigiously46. Only half awake, he stretched out his hands to Dorothy who clasped him to her bosom47 and kissed him very tenderly.
"Baron48 Saint-Quentin," she called out. "Catch hold of the Captain. Is his bread and jam ready? Captain Montfaucon will continue the performance by going through his drill."
Captain Montfaucon was the comedian49 of the troupe50. Dressed in an old American uniform, his tunic51 dragged along the ground, and his corkscrew trousers had their bottoms rolled up as high as his knees. This made a costume so hampering52 that he could not walk ten steps without falling full length. Captain Montfaucon provided the comedy by this unbroken series of falls and the impressive air with which he picked himself up again. When, furnished with a whip, his other hand useless by reason of the slice of bread and jam it held, his cheeks smeared53 with jam, he put the unbridled One-eyed Magpie through his performance, there was one continuous roar of laughter.
"Mark time!" he ordered. "Right-about-turn!... Attention, One-eye' Magpie!"—he could never be induced to say "One-eyed"—"And now the goose-step. Good, One-eye' Magpie.... Perfect!"
One-eyed Magpie, promoted to the rank of circus horse, trotted54 round in a circle without taking the slightest notice of the captain's orders, who, for his part, stumbling, falling, picking himself up, recovering his slice of bread and jam, did not bother for a moment about whether he was obeyed or not. It was so funny, the phlegm of the little man, and the undeviating course of the beast, that Dorothy herself was forced to laugh with a laughter that re-doubled the gayety of the spectators. They saw that the young girl, in spite of the fact that the performance was undoubtedly55 repeated every day, always took the same delight in it.
"Excellent, Captain," she cried to encourage him. "Splendid! And now, captain, we'll act 'The Gipsy's Kidnaping,' a drama in a brace56 of shakes. Baron Saint-Quentin, you'll be the scoundrelly kidnaper."
Uttering frightful57 howls, the scoundrelly kidnaper seized her and set her on One-eyed Magpie, bound her on her, and jumped up behind her. Under the double burden the mare58 staggered slowly off, while Baron Saint-Quentin yelled:
The Captain quietly put a cap on a toy gun and aimed at the scoundrelly kidnaper.
The cap cracked; Saint-Quentin fell off; and in a transport of gratitude60 the rescued gypsy covered her deliverer with kisses.
There were other scenes in which Castor and Pollux took part. All were carried through with the same brisk liveliness. All were caricatures, really humorous, of what diverts or charms us, and revealed a lively imagination, powers of observation of the first order, a keen sense of the picturesque and the ridiculous.
"Captain Montfaucon, take a bag and make a collection. Castor and Pollux, a roll of the drum to imitate the sound of falling water. Baron Saint-Quentin, beware of pickpockets61!"
The Captain dragged through the crowd an enormous bag in which were engulfed62 pennies and dirty notes; and from the top of the caravan Dorothy delivered her farewell address:
"Very many thanks, agriculturists and towns-people! It is with regret that we leave this generous locality. But before we depart we take this opportunity of informing you that Mademoiselle Dorothy (she saluted) is not only the directress of a circus and a first-class performer. Mademoiselle Dorothy (she saluted) will also demonstrate her extraordinary excellence63 in the sphere of clairvoyance64 and psychic65 powers. The lines of the hand, the cards, coffee grounds, handwriting, and astrology have no secrets for her. She dissipates the darkness. She solves enigmas66. With her magic ring she makes invisible springs burst forth, and above all, she discovers in the most unfathomable places, under the stones of old castles, and in the depths of forgotten dungeons67, fantastic treasures whose existence no one suspected. A word to the wise is enough. I have the honor to thank you."
Saint-Quentin came to her.
"We hook it, don't we, straight away? Those policemen have kept an eye on me the whole time."
She replied:
"Then you didn't hear the end of my speech?"
"What about it?"
"What about it? Why, the consultations69 are going to begin—the superlucid clairvoyant70 Dorothy. Look, I here come some clients ... the bearded nobleman and the gentleman in velveteen ... I like the gentleman in velveteen. He is very polite; and there's no side about his fawn-colored gaiters—the complete gentleman-farmer."
The bearded nobleman was beside himself. He loaded the young girl with extravagant71 compliments, looking at her the while in an uncommonly72 equivocal fashion. He introduced himself as "Maxime d'Estreicher," introduced his companion as "Raoul Davernoie," and finally, on behalf of the Countess Octave, invited her to come to tea in the château.
"Alone?" she asked.
"Certainly not," protested Raoul Davernoie with a courteous73 bow. "Our cousin is anxious to congratulate all your comrades. Will you come, mademoiselle?"
Dorothy accepted. Just a moment to change her frock, and she would come to the château.
"No, no; no toilet!" cried d'Estreicher. "Come as you are.... You look perfectly74 charming in that slightly scanty75 costume. How pretty you are like that!"
Dorothy flushed and said dryly:
"No compliments, please."
"It isn't a compliment, mademoiselle," he said a trifle ironically. "It's the natural homage76 one pays to beauty."
He went off, taking Raoul Davernoie with him.
"Saint-Quentin," murmured Dorothy, looking after them. "Keep an eye on that gentleman."
"Why?"
"He's the man in the blouse who nearly brought you down this morning."
Saint-Quentin staggered as if he had received the charge of shot.
"Are you sure?"
"Very nearly. He has the same way of walking, dragging his right leg a little."
He muttered:
"He has recognized me!"
"I think so. When he saw you jumping about during the performance it recalled to his mind the black devil performing acrobatic feats against the face of the cliff. And it was only a step from you to me who shoved the slab over on to his head. I read it all in his eyes and his attitude towards me this afternoon—just in his manner of speaking to me. There was a touch of mockery in it."
Saint-Quentin lost his temper:
"And we aren't hurrying off at once! You dare stay?"
"I dare."
"But that man?"
"He doesn't know that I penetrated77 his disguise.... And as long as he doesn't know——"
"You mean that your intention is?"
"Perfectly simple—to tell them their fortunes, amuse them, and puzzle them."
"But what's your object?"
"I want to make them talk in their turn."
"What about?"
"What I want to know."
"What do you want to know?"
"That's what I don't know. It's for them to teach me."
"And suppose they discover the robbery? Suppose they cross-examine us?"
"Saint-Quentin, take the Captain's wooden gun, mount guard in front of the caravan, and when the policemen approach, shoot them down."
When she had made herself tidy, she took Saint-Quentin with her to the château and on the way made him repeat all the details of his nocturnal expedition. Behind them came Castor and Pollux, then the Captain, who dragged after him by a string a little toy cart loaded with tiny packages.
They entertained them in the large drawing-room of the château. The Countess, who indeed was, as Dorothy had said, an agreeable and amiable78 woman, and of a seductive prettiness, stuffed the children with dainties, and was wholly charming to the young girl. For her part, Dorothy seemed quite as much at her ease with her hosts as she had been on the top of the caravan. She had merely hidden her short skirt and bodice under a large black shawl, drawn79 in at the waist by a belt. The ease of her manner, her cultivated intonation80, her correct speech, to which now and then a slang word gave a certain spiciness81, her quickness, and the intelligent expression of her brilliant eyes amazed the Countess and charmed the three men.
"Mademoiselle," d'Estreicher exclaimed, "if you can foretell82 the future, I can assure you that I too can clearly foresee it, and that certain fortune awaits you. Ah, if you would put yourself in my hands and let me direct your career in Paris! I am in touch with all the worlds and I can guarantee your success."
She tossed her head:
"I don't need any one."
"Mademoiselle," said he, "confess that you do not find me congenial."
"Neither congenial nor uncongenial. I don't really know you."
"If you really knew me, you'd have confidence in me."
"I don't think so," she said.
"Why?"
She took his hand, turned it over, bent over the open palm, and as she examined it said slowly:
"Dissipation.... Greedy for money.... Conscienceless...."
"Your hand says the opposite, monsieur."
"Does it also say that I have no luck?"
"None at all."
"What? Shan't I ever be rich?"
"I fear not."
"Confound it.... And what about my death? Is it a long way off?"
"Not very."
"A painful death?"
"A matter of seconds."
"An accident, then?"
"Yes."
"What kind of accident?"
"Look here—at the base of the fore-finger."
"What is there?"
"Bravo, mademoiselle, the gallows for this old libertine87; it must be that you have the gift of second sight. So I shall not hesitate...."
"So I shall not hesitate to tell you...."
"To tell me," finished Dorothy mischievously89, "the reasons for which you invited me to tea."
The Count protested:
"Not at all, mademoiselle. We invited you to tea solely90 for the pleasure of becoming acquainted with you."
"And perhaps a little from the desire to appeal to my skill as a sorceress."
The Countess Octave interposed:
"Ah, well, yes, mademoiselle. Your final announcement excited our curiosity. Moreover, I will confess that we haven't much belief in things of this kind and that it is rather out of curiosity that we should like to ask you certain questions."
"If you have no faith in my poor skill, madame, we'll let that pass, and all the same I'll manage to gratify your curiosity."
"By what means?"
"Merely by reflecting on your words."
"What?" said the Countess. "No magnetic passes? No hypnotic sleep?"
"No, madame—at least not for the present. Later on we'll see."
Only keeping Saint-Quentin with her, she told the children to go and play in the garden. Then she sat down and said:
"I'm listening, madame."
"Just like that? Perfectly simply?"
"Perfectly simply."
"Well, then, mademoiselle——"
"Well, then, mademoiselle, you spoke of forgotten dungeons and ancient stones and hidden treasures. Now, the Château de Roborey is several centuries old. It has undoubtedly been the scene of adventures and dramas; and it would amuse us to know whether any of its inhabitants have by any chance left in some out-of-way corner one of these fabulous91 treasures of which you spoke."
Dorothy kept silent for some little time. Then she said:
"I always answer with all the greater precision if full confidence is placed in me. If there are any reservations, if the question is not put as it ought to be...."
"What reservations? I assure you, mademoiselle——"
The young girl broke in firmly:
"You asked me the question, madame, as if you were giving way to a sudden curiosity, which did not rest, so to speak, on any real base. Now you know as well as I do that excavations92 have been made in the château."
"That's very possible," said Count Octave. "But if they were, it must have been dozens of years ago, in the time of my father or grandfather."
"There are recent excavations," Dorothy asserted.
"But we have only been living in the château a month!"
"It isn't a matter of a month, but of some days ... of some hours...."
"I assure you, mademoiselle, that we have not made researches of any kind."
"Then the researches must have been made by some one else."
"By whom? And under what conditions? And in what spot?"
There was another silence. Then Dorothy went on:
"You will excuse me, madame, if I have been going into matters which do not seem to be any business of mine. It's one of my faults. Saint-Quentin often says to me: 'Your craze for trespassing94 and ferreting about everywhere will lead people to say unpleasant things about you.' But it happened that, on arriving here, since we had to wait for the hour of the performance, I took a walk. I wandered right and left, looking at things, and in the end I made a certain number of observations which, as it seemed to me, are of some importance. Thus...."
The Count and Countess drew nearer in their eagerness to hear her. She went on:
"Thus, while I was admiring the beautiful old fountain in the court of honor, I was able to make sure that, all round it, holes have been dug under the marble basin which catches the water. Was the exploration profitable? I do not know. In any case, the earth has been put back into its place carefully, but not so well that one cannot see that the surface of the soil is raised."
The Count and his guests looked at one another in astonishment95.
One of them objected:
"Perhaps they've been repairing the basin ... or been putting in a waste pipe?"
"No," said the Countess in a tone of decision. "No one has touched that fountain. And, doubtless, mademoiselle, you discovered other traces of the same kind of work."
"Yes," said Dorothy. "Some one has been doing the same thing a little distance away—under the rockery, the pedestal on which the sun-dial stands. They have been boring across that rockery. An iron rod has been broken. It's there still."
"But why?" cried the excited Countess. "Why these two spots rather than others? What are they searching for? What do they want? Have you any indication?"
They had not long to wait for her answer; and Dorothy delivered it slowly, as if to make it quite clear that here was the essential point of her inquiry:
"The motive96 of these investigations97 is engraved98 on the marble of the fountain. You can see it from here? Sirens surround a column surmounted99 by a capital. Isn't it so? Well, on one of the faces of the capital are some letters—almost effaced100 letters."
"But we've never noticed them!" cried the Countess.
"They are there," declared the young girl. "They are worn and hard to distinguish from the cracks in the marble. However, there is one word—a whole word—that one can reconstruct and read easily when once it has appeared to you."
"What word?"
"The word FORTUNA."
The three syllables101 came long-drawn-out in a silence of stupefaction. The Count repeated them in a hushed voice, staring at Dorothy, who went on:
"Yes; the word FORTUNA. And this word you find again also on the column of the sun-dial. Even yet more obliterated102, to such a degree that one rather divines that it is there rather than actually reads it. But it certainly is there. Each letter is in its place. You cannot doubt it."
The Count had not waited for her to finish speaking. Already he was out of the house; and through the open windows they saw him hurry to the fountain. He cast but one glance at it, passed in front of the sun-dial, and came quickly back.
"Everything that mademoiselle says is the exact truth. They have dug at both spots ... and the word FORTUNA, which I saw at once, and which I had never seen before, gives the reason for their digging.... They have searched ... and perhaps they have found."
"No," the young girl asserted calmly.
"Why do you say no? What do you know about it?"
She hesitated. Her eyes met the eyes of d'Estreicher. He knew now, doubtless, that he was unmasked, and he began to understand what the young girl was driving at. But would she dare to go to extremities103 and join battle? And then what were the reasons for this unforeseen struggle?
With an air of challenge he repeated the Countess's question:
"Yes; why do you say that they have found nothing?"
Boldly Dorothy accepted the challenge.
"Because the digging has gone on. There is in the ravine, under the walls of the château, among the stones which have fallen from the cliff, an ancient slab, which certainly comes from some demolished104 structure. The word FORTUNA is to be deciphered on the base of it also. Let some one move that slab and they will discover a perfectly fresh excavation, and the tracks of feet muddled105 up by the hand."
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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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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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awes
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| n.敬畏，惊惧( awe的名词复数 )v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的第三人称单数 ) | |
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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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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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magpie
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| n.喜欢收藏物品的人，喜鹊，饶舌者 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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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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license
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siesta
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| n.午睡 | |
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slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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modernized
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| 使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的过去式和过去分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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22
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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23
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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24
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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25
thronging
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 ) | |
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26
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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27
connoisseur
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| n.鉴赏家，行家，内行 | |
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28
jocosely
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| adv.说玩笑地，诙谐地 | |
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29
jaguars
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| n.（中、南美洲的）美洲虎( jaguar的名词复数 ) | |
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30
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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31
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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32
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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33
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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34
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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languorous
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| adj.怠惰的，没精打采的 | |
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38
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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39
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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40
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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41
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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42
rhythmical
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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43
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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44
flirting
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 ) | |
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45
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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prodigiously
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| adv.异常地，惊人地，巨大地 | |
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47
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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49
comedian
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| n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员 | |
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50
troupe
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| n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团 | |
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51
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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52
hampering
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 ) | |
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53
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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54
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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56
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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58
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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59
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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60
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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61
pickpockets
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| n.扒手( pickpocket的名词复数 ) | |
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62
engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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clairvoyance
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| n.超人的洞察力 | |
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psychic
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| n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的 | |
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enigmas
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| n.难于理解的问题、人、物、情况等，奥秘( enigma的名词复数 ) | |
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67
dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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69
consultations
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| n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找 | |
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clairvoyant
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| adj.有预见的；n.有预见的人 | |
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71
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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72
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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73
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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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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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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77
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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78
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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79
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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80
intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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81
spiciness
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| n.香馥，富于香料；香味 | |
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82
foretell
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| v.预言，预告，预示 | |
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83
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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84
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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85
gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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86
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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87
libertine
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| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
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88
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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89
mischievously
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| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
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90
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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91
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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excavations
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| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
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93
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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94
trespassing
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| [法]非法入侵 | |
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95
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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96
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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97
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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99
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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100
effaced
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| v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色 | |
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101
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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102
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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103
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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104
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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105
muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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