小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 英文励志小说 » The Maker of Moons » Out of the Depths
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
Out of the Depths
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
Dust and wind had subsided1, there seemed to be a hint of rain in the starless west.

Because the August evening had become oppressive, the club windows stood wide open as though gaping2 for the outer air. Rugs and curtains had been removed; an incandescent3 light or two accentuated4 the emptiness of the rooms; here and there shadowy servants prowled, gilt5 buttons sparkling through the obscurity, their footsteps on the bare floor intensifying6 the heavy quiet.

Into this week’s-end void wandered young Shannon, drifting aimlessly from library to corridor, finally entering the long room where the portraits of dead governors smirked7 through the windows at the deserted8 avenue.

As his steps echoed on the rugless floor, a shadowy something detached itself from the depths of a padded armchair by the corner window, and a voice he recognized greeted him by name.

“You here, Harrod!” he exclaimed. “Thought you were at Bar Harbor.”

“I was. I had business in town.”

“Do you stay here long?”

“Not long,” said Harrod slowly.

Shannon dropped into a chair with a yawn which ended in a groan9.

“Of all God-forsaken places,” he began, “a New York club in August.”

Harrod touched an electric button, but no servant answered the call; and presently Shannon, sprawling10 in his chair, jabbed the button with the ferrule of his walking stick, and a servant took the order, repeating as though he had not understood: “Did you say two, sir?”

“With olives, dry,” nodded Shannon irritably11. They sat there in silence until the tinkle12 of ice aroused them, and ——“Double luck to you,” muttered Shannon; then, with a scarcely audible sigh: “Bring two more and bring a dinner card.” And, turning to the older man: “You’re dining, Harrod?”

“If you like.”

A servant came and turned on an electric jet; Shannon scanned the card under the pale radiance, scribbled13 on the pad, and handed it to the servant.

“Did you put down my name?” asked Harrod curiously14.

“No; you’ll dine with me — if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind — for this last time.”

“Going away again?”

“Yes.”

Shannon signed the blank and glanced up at his friend. “Are you well?” he asked abruptly15.

Harrod, lying deep in his leather chair, nodded.

“Oh, you’re rather white around the gills! We’ll have another.”

“I thought you had cut that out, Shannon.”

“Cut what out?”

“Drinking.”

“Well, I haven’t,” said Shannon sulkily, lifting his glass and throwing one knee over the other.

“The last time I saw you, you said you would cut it,” observed Harrod.

“Well, what of it?”

“But you haven’t?”

“No, my friend.”

“Can’t you stop?”

“I could — now. To-morrow — I don’t know; but I know well enough I couldn’t day after to-morrow. And day after to-morrow I shall not care.”

A short silence and Harrod said: “That’s why I came back here.”

“What?”

“To stop you.”

Shannon regarded him in sullen16 amazement17.

A servant announcing dinner brought them to their feet; together they walked out into the empty dining room and seated themselves by an open window.

Presently Shannon looked up with an impatient laugh.

“For Heaven’s sake let’s be cheerful, Harrod. If you knew how the damned town had got on my nerves.”

“That’s what I came back for, too,” said Harrod with his strange white smile. “I knew the world was fighting you to the ropes.”

“It is; here I stay on, day after day, on the faint chance of something doing.” He shrugged18 his shoulders. “Business is worse than dead; I can’t hold on much longer. You’re right; the world has hammered me to the ropes, and it will be down and out for me unless —”

“Unless you can borrow on your own terms?”

“Yes, but I can’t.”

“You are mistaken.”

“Mistaken? Who will —”

“I will.”

“You! Why, man, do you know how much I need? Do you know for how long I shall need it? Do you know what the chances are of my making good? You! Why, Harrod, I’d swamp you! You can’t afford —”

“I can afford anything — now.”

Shannon stared. “You have struck something?”

“Something that puts me beyond want.” He fumbled19 in his breast pocket, drew out a portfolio20, and from the flat leather case he produced a numbered check bearing his signature, but not filled out.

“Tell them to bring pen and ink,” he said.

Shannon, perplexed21, signed to a waiter. When the ink was brought, Harrod motioned Shannon to take the pen. “Before I went to Bar Harbor,” he said, “I had a certain sum —” He hesitated, mentioned this sum in a low voice, and asked Shannon to fill in the check for that amount. “Now blot22 it, pocket it, and use it,” he added listlessly, looking out into the lamp-lighted street.

Shannon, whiter than his friend, stared at the bit of perforated yellow paper.

“I can’t take it,” he stammered23; “my security is rotten, I tell you.

“I want no security; I— I am beyond want,” said Harrod. “Take it; I came back here for this —— partly for this.”

“Came back here to — to — help me!”

“To help you. Shannon, I had been a lonely man in life; I think you never realized how much your friendship has been to me. I had nobody —— no intimacies24. You never understood — you with all your friends — that I cared more for our casual companionship than for anything in the world.”

Shannon bent25 his head. “I did not know it,” he said.

Harrod raised his eyes and looked up at the starless sky; Shannon ate in silence; into his young face, already marred26 by dissipation, a strange light had come. And little by little order began to emerge from his whirling senses; he saw across an abyss a bridge glittering, and beyond that, beckoning27 to him through a white glory, all that his heart desired.

“I was at the ropes,” he muttered; “how could you know it, Harrod? I—— I never whined28 —”

“I know more than I did — yesterday,” said Harrod, resting his pale face on one thin hand.

Shannon, nerves on edge, all aquiver, the blood racing29 through every vein30, began to speak excitedly: “It’s like a dream — one of the blessed sort — Harrod! Harrod! — the dreams I’ve had this last year! And I try — I try to understand what has happened — what you have done for me. I can’t — I’m shaking all over, and I suppose I’m sitting here eating and drinking, but —”

He touched his glass blindly; it tipped and crashed to the floor, the breaking froth of the wine hissing31 on the cloth.

“Harrod! Harrod! What sort of a man am I to deserve this of you? What can I do —”

“Keep your nerve — for one thing.”

“I will! — you mean that!” touching32 the stem of the new glass, which the waiter had brought and was filling. He struck the glass till it rang out a clear, thrilling, crystalline note, then struck it more sharply. It splintered with a soft splashing crash. “Is that all?” he laughed.

“No, not all.”

“What more will you let me do?”

“One thing more. Tell them to serve coffee below.”

So they passed out of the dining room, through the deserted corridors, and descended33 the stairway to the lounging room. It was unlighted and empty; Shannon stepped back and the elder man passed him and took the corner chair by the window — the same seat where Shannon had first seen him sitting ten years before, and where he always looked to find him after the ending of a business day. And continuing his thoughts, the younger man spoke34 aloud impulsively35: “I remember perfectly36 well how we met. Do you? You had just come back to town from Bar Harbor, and I saw you stroll in and seat yourself in that corner, and, because I was sitting next you, you asked if you might include me in your order — do you remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“And I told you I was a new member here, and you pointed37 our the portraits of all those dead governors of the club, and told me what good fellows they had been. I found our later that you yourself were a governor of the club.”

“Yes — I was.”

Harrod’s shadowy face swerved38 toward the window, his eyes resting on the familiar avenue, empty now save for the policeman opposite, and the ragged39 children of the poor. In August the high tide from the slums washes Fifth Avenue, stranding40 a gasping41 flotsam at the thresholds of the absent.

“And I remember, too, what you told me,” continued Shannon.

“What?” said Harrod, turning noiselessly to confront his friend.

“About that child. Do you remember? That beautiful child you saw? Don’t you remember that you told me how she used to leave her governess and talk to you on the rocks —”

“Yes,” said Harrod. “That, too, is why I came back here to tell you the rest. For the evil days have come to her, Shannon, and the years draw nigh. Listen to me.”

There was a silence; Shannon, mute and perplexed, set his coffee on the window sill and leaned back, flicking42 the ashes from his cigar; Harrod passed his hands slowly over his hollow temples: “Her parents are dead; she is not yet twenty; she is not equipped to support herself in life; and — she is beautiful. What chance has she, Shannon?”

The other was silent.

“What chance?” repeated Harrod. “And, when I tell you that she is unsuspicious, and that she reasons only with her heart, answer me — what chance has she with a man? For you know men, and so do I, Shannon, so do I.”

“Who is she, Harrod?”

“The victim of divorced parents — awarded to her mother. Let her parents answer; they are answering now, Shannon. But their plea is no concern of yours. What concerns you is the living. The child, grown to womanhood, is here, advertising43 for employment — here in New York, asking for a chance. What chance has she?”

“When did you learn this?” asked Shannon soberly.

“I learned it to-night — everything concerning her — to-night — an hour before I— I met you. That is why I returned. Shannon, listen to me attentively44; listen to every word I say. Do you remember a passing fancy you had this spring for a blue-eyed girl you met every morning on your way downtown? Do you remember that, as the days went on, little by little she came to return your glance? — then your smile? — then, at last, your greeting? And do you remember, once, that you told me about it in a moment of depression — told me that you were close to infatuation, that you believed her to be everything sweet and innocent, that you dared nor drift any farther, knowing the chances and knowing the end — bitter unhappiness either way, whether in guilt45 or innocence46 —”

“I remember,” said Shannon hoarsely47. “But that is not — cannot be —”

“That is the girl.”

“Not the child you told me of —”

“Yes.”

“How — when did you know —”

“To-night. I know more than that, Shannon. You will learn it later. Now ask me again, what it is that you may do.”

“I ask it,” said Shannon under his breath. “What am I to do?”

For a long while Harrod sat silent, staring out of the dark window; then, “It is time for us to go.”

“You wish to go out?”

“Yes; we will walk together for a little while — as we did in the old days, Shannon — only a little while, for I must be going back.”

“Where are you going, Harrod?”

But the elder man had already risen and moved toward the door; and Shannon picked up his hat and followed him our across the dusky lamp-lighted street.

Into the avenue they passed under the white, unsteady radiance of arc lights which drooped48 like huge lilies from stalks of bronze; here and there the front of some hotel lifted like a cliff, its window-pierced fa?ade pulsating49 with yellow light, or a white marble mass, cold and burned out, spread a sea of shadow over the glimmering50 asphalt. At times the lighted lamps of cabs flashed in their faces; at times figures passed like spectres; but into the street where they were now turning were neither lamps nor people nor sound, nor any light, save, far in the obscure vista51, a dull hint of lightning edging the west.

Twice Shannon had stopped, peering at Harrod, who neither halted nor slackened his steady, noiseless pace; and the younger man, hesitating, moved on again, quickening his steps to his friend’s side.

“Where are — are you going?”

“Do you not know?”

The color died our of Shannon’s face; he spoke again, forming his words slowly with dry lips:

“Harrod, why — why do you come into this street — to-night? What do you know? How do you know? I tell you I— I cannot endure this — this tension —”

“She is enduring it.”

“Good God!”

“Yes, God is good,” said Harrod, turning his haggard face as they halted. “Answer me, Shannon, where are we going?”

“To — her. You know it! Harrod! Harrod! How did you know? I— I did not know myself until an hour before I met you; I had not see her in weeks — I had not dared to — for all trust in self was dead. To-day, downtown, I faced the crash and saw across to-morrow the end of all. Then, in my journey hellward to-night, just at dusk, we passed each other, and before I understood what I had done we were side by side. And almost instantly —— I don’t know how — she seemed to sense the ruin before us both — for mine was heavy on my soul, Harrod, as I stood, measuring damnation with smiling eyes — at the brink52 of it, there. And she knew I was adrift at last.”

He looked up at the house before him. “I said I would come. She neither assented53 nor denied me, nor asked a question. But in her eyes, Harrod, I saw what one sees in the eyes of children, and it stunned54 me . . . What shall I do?”

“Go to her and look again,” said Harrod. “That is what I have come to ask of you. Good-by.”

He turned, his shadowy face drooping55, and Shannon followed to the avenue. There, in the white outbreak of electric lamps, he saw Harrod again as he had always known him, a hint of a smile in his worn eyes, the well-shaped mouth edged with laughter, and he was saying: “It’s all in a lifetime, Shannon — and more than you suspect — much more. You have not told me her name yet?”

“I do not know it.”

“Ah, she will tell you if you ask! Say to her that I remember her there on the sea rocks. Say to her that I have searched for her always, but that it was only to-night I knew what to-morrow she shall know and you, Shannon, you, too, shall know. Good-by.”

“Harrod! wait. Don’t — don’t go —”

He turned and looked back at the younger man with that familiar gesture he knew so well.

It was final, and Shannon swung blindly on his heel and entered the street again, eyes raised to the high lighted window under which he had laired a moment before. Then he mounted the steps, groped in the vestibule for the illuminated56 number, and touched the electric knob. The door swung open noiselessly as he entered, closing behind him with a soft click.

Up he sped, mounting stair on stair, threading the narrow hallways, then upward again, until of a sudden she stood confronting him, bent forward, white hands tightening57 on the banisters.

Neither spoke. She straightened slowly, fingers relaxing from the polished rail. Over her shoulders he saw a lamplighted room, and she turned and looked backward at the threshold and covered her face with both hands.

“What is it?” he whispered, bending close to her. “Why do you tremble? You need noT. There is nothing in all the world you need fear. Look into my eyes. Even a child may read them now. “ Her hands fell from her face and their eyes met, and what she read in his, and he in hers, God knows, for she swayed where she stood, lids closing; yielding hands and lips and throat and hair.

She cried, too, later, her hands on his shoulders where he knelt beside her, holding him at arm’s length from her fresh young face to search his for the menace she once had read there. But it was gone — that menace she had read and vaguely58 understood, and she cried a little more, one arm around his head pressed close to her side.

“From the very first — the first moment I saw you,” he said under his breath, answering the question aquiver on her lips — lips divinely merciful, repeating the lovers’ creed59 and the confession60 of faith for which, perhaps, all souls in love are shriven in the end.

“Naida! Naida!”— for he had learned her name and could nor have enough of it —“all that the world holds for me of good is here, circled by my arms. Nor mine the manhood to win out, alone — but there is a man who came to me to-night and stood sponsor for the falling soul within me.”

“How he knew my peril61 and yours, God knows. But he came like Fate and held his buckler before me, and he led me here and set a flaming sword before your door — the door of the child he loved — there on the sea rocks ten years ago. Do you remember? He said you would. And he is no archangel — this man among men, this friend with whom, unknowing, I have this night wrestled62 face to face. His name is Harrod.”

“My name!” She stood up straight and pale, within the circle of his arms; he rose, too, speechless, uncertain — then faced her, white and appalled63.

She said: “He — he followed us to Bar Harbor. I was a child, I remember. I hid from my governess and talked with him on the rocks. Then we went away. I— I lost my father.” Staring at her, his stiffening64 lips formed a word, but no sound came.

“Bring him to me!” she whispered. “How can he know I am here and stay away! Does he think I have forgotten? Does he think shame of me? Bring him to me!”

She caught his hands in hers and kissed them passionately65; she framed his face in her small hands of a child and looked deep, deep into his eyes: “Oh, the happiness you have brought! I love you! You with whom I am to enter Paradise! Now bring him to me!”

Shaking, amazed, stunned in a whirl of happiness and doubt, he crept down the black stairway, feeling his way. The doors swung noiselessly; he was almost running when he turned into the avenue. The trail of white lights starred his path; the solitary66 street echoed his haste; and now he sprang into the wide doorway67 of the club, and as he passed, the desk clerk leaned forward, handing him a telegram. He took it, halted, breathing heavily, and asked for his friend.

“Mr. Harrod?” repeated the clerk. “Mr. Harrod has not been here in a month, sir.”

“What? I dined with Mr. Harrod here at eight o’clock!” he laughed.

“Sir? I— I beg your pardon, sir, but you dined here alone to-night —”

“Send for the steward68!” broke in Shannon impatiently, slapping his open palm with the yellow envelope. The steward came, followed by the butler, and to a quick question from the desk clerk, replied: “Mr. Harrod has not been in the club for six weeks.”

“But I dined with Mr. Harrod at eight! Wilkins, did you not serve us?”

“I served you, sir; you dined alone —” The butler hesitated, coughed discreetly69; and the steward added: “You ordered for two, sir —”

Something in the steward’s troubled face silenced Shannon; the butler ventured: “Beg pardon, sir, but we — the waiters thought you might be — ill, seeing how you talked to yourself and called for ink to write upon the cloth and broke two glasses, laughing like —”

Shannon staggered, turning a ghastly visage from one to another. Then his dazed gaze centered upon the telegram crushed in his hand, and shaking from head to foot, he smoothed it out and opened the envelope.

But it was purely70 a matter of business; he was requested to come to Bar Harbor and identify a useless check, drawn71 to his order, and perhaps aid to identify the body of a drowned man in the morgue.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 subsided 1bda21cef31764468020a8c83598cc0d     
v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的过去式和过去分词 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上
参考例句:
  • After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后,部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚, 暴风雨已经过去,四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
2 gaping gaping     
adj.口的;张口的;敞口的;多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 );张开,张大
参考例句:
  • Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
  • The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 incandescent T9jxI     
adj.遇热发光的, 白炽的,感情强烈的
参考例句:
  • The incandescent lamp we use in daily life was invented by Edison.我们日常生活中用的白炽灯,是爱迪生发明的。
  • The incandescent quality of his words illuminated the courage of his countrymen.他炽热的语言点燃了他本国同胞的勇气。
4 accentuated 8d9d7b3caa6bc930125ff5f3e132e5fd     
v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 );使突出;使恶化;加重音符号于
参考例句:
  • The problem is accentuated by a shortage of water and electricity. 缺乏水电使问题愈加严重。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Her black hair accentuated the delicateness of her skin. 她那乌黑的头发更衬托出她洁嫩的皮肤。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
5 gilt p6UyB     
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券
参考例句:
  • The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
  • The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。
6 intensifying 6af105724a108def30288b810d78b276     
v.(使)增强, (使)加剧( intensify的现在分词 );增辉
参考例句:
  • The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
  • The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
7 smirked e3dfaba83cd6d2a557bf188c3fc000e9     
v.傻笑( smirk的过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He smirked at Tu Wei-yueh. 他对屠维岳狞笑。 来自子夜部分
  • He smirked in acknowledgement of their uncouth greetings, and sat down. 他皮笑肉不笑地接受了他的粗鲁的招呼,坐了下来。 来自辞典例句
8 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
参考例句:
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
9 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句:
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
10 sprawling 3ff3e560ffc2f12f222ef624d5807902     
adj.蔓生的,不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 );蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着)
参考例句:
  • He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
  • a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇
11 irritably e3uxw     
ad.易生气地
参考例句:
  • He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了,暴躁地斥责孩子们。
  • On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事,他妻子大声斥责,令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
12 tinkle 1JMzu     
vi.叮当作响;n.叮当声
参考例句:
  • The wine glass dropped to the floor with a tinkle.酒杯丁零一声掉在地上。
  • Give me a tinkle and let me know what time the show starts.给我打个电话,告诉我演出什么时候开始。
13 scribbled de374a2e21876e209006cd3e9a90c01b     
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
  • He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前,他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
14 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
15 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
16 sullen kHGzl     
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的
参考例句:
  • He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。
  • Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐,因为昨晚没睡好。
17 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
18 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 fumbled 78441379bedbe3ea49c53fb90c34475f     
(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
参考例句:
  • She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
  • He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他(瞎)摸着衣兜找票。
20 portfolio 9OzxZ     
n.公事包;文件夹;大臣及部长职位
参考例句:
  • He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
  • He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。
21 perplexed A3Rz0     
adj.不知所措的
参考例句:
  • The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛,走了又回来,犹豫不决,总怕上当受骗。
  • The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。
22 blot wtbzA     
vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍
参考例句:
  • That new factory is a blot on the landscape.那新建的工厂破坏了此地的景色。
  • The crime he committed is a blot on his record.他犯的罪是他的履历中的一个污点。
23 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
24 intimacies 9fa125f68d20eba1de1ddb9d215b31cd     
亲密( intimacy的名词复数 ); 密切; 亲昵的言行; 性行为
参考例句:
  • He is exchanging intimacies with his friends. 他正在和密友们亲切地交谈。
  • The stiffness of the meeting soon gave way before their popular manners and more diffused intimacies. 他们的洒脱不羁和亲密气氛的增加很快驱散了会场上的拘谨。
25 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
26 marred 5fc2896f7cb5af68d251672a8d30b5b5     
adj. 被损毁, 污损的
参考例句:
  • The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨,把比赛给搅了。
  • Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。
27 beckoning fcbc3f0e8d09c5f29e4c5759847d03d6     
adj.引诱人的,令人心动的v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
  • He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句
28 whined cb507de8567f4d63145f632630148984     
v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 );哀诉,诉怨
参考例句:
  • The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句
29 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
30 vein fi9w0     
n.血管,静脉;叶脉,纹理;情绪;vt.使成脉络
参考例句:
  • The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
  • The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。
31 hissing hissing     
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
  • His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕
32 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
33 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
34 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
35 impulsively 0596bdde6dedf8c46a693e7e1da5984c     
adv.冲动地
参考例句:
  • She leant forward and kissed him impulsively. 她倾身向前,感情冲动地吻了他。
  • Every good, true, vigorous feeling I had gathered came impulsively round him. 我的一切良好、真诚而又强烈的感情都紧紧围绕着他涌现出来。
36 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
37 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
38 swerved 9abd504bfde466e8c735698b5b8e73b4     
v.(使)改变方向,改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist. 她猛地急转弯,以躲开一个骑自行车的人。
  • The driver has swerved on a sudden to avoid a file of geese. 为了躲避一队鹅,司机突然来个急转弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
39 ragged KC0y8     
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
参考例句:
  • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
  • Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
40 stranding e218008cc786ec283498aa494bef8273     
n.(船只)搁浅v.使滞留,使搁浅( strand的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The airport had to be closed, stranding tourists. 机场被迫关闭,造成游客滞留。 来自辞典例句
  • The stream of history had changed course away from him, stranding him in failure. 历史潮流已经改变方向,与他背道而驰,使他陷于失败之中。 来自辞典例句
41 gasping gasping     
adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词
参考例句:
  • He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
  • "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗?”“我巴不得能喝点!”
42 flicking 856751237583a36a24c558b09c2a932a     
(尤指用手指或手快速地)轻击( flick的现在分词 ); (用…)轻挥; (快速地)按开关; 向…笑了一下(或瞥了一眼等)
参考例句:
  • He helped her up before flicking the reins. 他帮她上马,之后挥动了缰绳。
  • There's something flicking around my toes. 有什么东西老在叮我的脚指头。
43 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
44 attentively AyQzjz     
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神
参考例句:
  • She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时,她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着,把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
45 guilt 9e6xr     
n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责
参考例句:
  • She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
  • Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
46 innocence ZbizC     
n.无罪;天真;无害
参考例句:
  • There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
  • The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。
47 hoarsely hoarsely     
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句:
  • "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
  • Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
48 drooped ebf637c3f860adcaaf9c11089a322fa5     
弯曲或下垂,发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
  • The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。
49 pulsating d9276d5eaa70da7d97b300b971f0d74b     
adj.搏动的,脉冲的v.有节奏地舒张及收缩( pulsate的现在分词 );跳动;脉动;受(激情)震动
参考例句:
  • Lights were pulsating in the sky. 天空有闪烁的光。
  • Spindles and fingers moved so quickly that the workshop seemed to be one great nervously-pulsating machine. 工作很紧张,全车间是一个飞快的转轮。 来自子夜部分
50 glimmering 7f887db7600ddd9ce546ca918a89536a     
n.微光,隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. 他这么说是什么意思,我有点明白了。 来自辞典例句
  • Now that darkness was falling, only their silhouettes were outlined against the faintly glimmering sky. 这时节两山只剩余一抹深黑,赖天空微明为画出一个轮廓。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
51 vista jLVzN     
n.远景,深景,展望,回想
参考例句:
  • From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去,远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
  • These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路,未来看不到一点儿希望。
52 brink OWazM     
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿
参考例句:
  • The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
  • The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。
53 assented 4cee1313bb256a1f69bcc83867e78727     
同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
  • "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对,”汤姆表示赞同地说,“他们不杀女人——真伟大!
54 stunned 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2     
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
  • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
55 drooping drooping     
adj. 下垂的,无力的 动词droop的现在分词
参考例句:
  • The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
  • The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。
56 illuminated 98b351e9bc282af85e83e767e5ec76b8     
adj.被照明的;受启迪的
参考例句:
  • Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
  • the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市
57 tightening 19aa014b47fbdfbc013e5abf18b64642     
上紧,固定,紧密
参考例句:
  • Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前,检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
  • It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。
58 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地,暖昧地
参考例句:
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
59 creed uoxzL     
n.信条;信念,纲领
参考例句:
  • They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
  • Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。
60 confession 8Ygye     
n.自白,供认,承认
参考例句:
  • Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
  • The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。
61 peril l3Dz6     
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物
参考例句:
  • The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
  • The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。
62 wrestled c9ba15a0ecfd0f23f9150f9c8be3b994     
v.(与某人)搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 );扭成一团;扭打;(与…)摔跤
参考例句:
  • As a boy he had boxed and wrestled. 他小的时候又是打拳又是摔跤。
  • Armed guards wrestled with the intruder. 武装警卫和闯入者扭打起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
63 appalled ec524998aec3c30241ea748ac1e5dbba     
v.使惊骇,使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的;丧胆的
参考例句:
  • The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
  • They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
64 stiffening d80da5d6e73e55bbb6a322bd893ffbc4     
n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • Her mouth stiffening, she could not elaborate. 她嘴巴僵直,无法细说下去。
  • No genius, not a bad guy, but the attacks are hurting and stiffening him. 不是天才,人也不坏,但是四面八方的攻击伤了他的感情,使他横下了心。
65 passionately YmDzQ4     
ad.热烈地,激烈地
参考例句:
  • She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿,也能爱得一往情深。
  • He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。
66 solitary 7FUyx     
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士
参考例句:
  • I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
  • The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际,显得十分壮美。
67 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径
参考例句:
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
68 steward uUtzw     
n.乘务员,服务员;看管人;膳食管理员
参考例句:
  • He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
  • He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员,到过世界各地。
69 discreetly nuwz8C     
ad.(言行)审慎地,慎重地
参考例句:
  • He had only known the perennial widow, the discreetly expensive Frenchwoman. 他只知道她是个永远那么年轻的寡妇,一个很会讲排场的法国女人。
  • Sensing that Lilian wanted to be alone with Celia, Andrew discreetly disappeared. 安德鲁觉得莉莲想同西莉亚单独谈些什么,有意避开了。
70 purely 8Sqxf     
adv.纯粹地,完全地
参考例句:
  • I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
  • This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。
71 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533