In the last few chapters we have had glimpses of Charlotte Tucker’s life rather from within than from without; chiefly in reference to her successive losses, and her own feelings connected with those losses or with passing events. Now we will try to obtain a few glimpses of her, rather from without than from within; to see her as others saw her, not so much as she saw herself. I do not for a moment mean to imply that the two views must be antagonistic3. The view of a castle from within and the view of that same castle from without are totally different; yet they are not in the least antagonistic. The one is as true as the other.
In doing this it has to be remembered that A. L. O. E. was a many-sided and to some extent a complex nature. Hers was not a character to be lightly sketched5 in a dozen lines. Probably no character of any human being can be satisfactorily so disposed of; and there are complexities6 in the very simplest nature. But the main outlines of some people are more easily perceived, more ‘consistent’ according to popular notions of character-consistency, than the main outlines of some other people; merely because they happen to embrace fewer opposites. There were a good many opposites in the character of Charlotte Tucker.
All people did not see her exactly alike,—partly[160] because of necessity they looked upon her with different eyes, and partly because of necessity she was not the same in her manifestations7 to all of them. Being a many-sided individual, one side of her became prominent to one person, another side became prominent to another person. While one friend remembers vividly8 her spirit of ardent9 devotion, and another recalls especially her work among the poor, a third pictures her sparkling conversation, a fourth her spirited games of play with children. While one has the strongest impression of her resolute10 sternness, her horror of evil and self-indulgence, another cannot speak warmly enough of her intense unselfishness and her unlimited11 kindness, and yet another smiles over the remembrance of her irrepressible fun. All these things were included in her; but naturally not all these things were equally apparent at all times, or to everybody who knew her.
Nor need it be supposed that Charlotte Tucker was a being all light, with no shadows. She was thoroughly12 human. There were shadows of course,—what else could one expect?—and she had many and many a hard fight, not in girlhood only, but all through life, to overcome her faults.
Again, it is not claimed for Charlotte that everybody who crossed her path loved her. We do read in certain little books, of a particular calibre, about angelic heroines who were invariably worshipped by everybody in their small world, without a single exception. This, however, is, to say the least, uncommon13; and with one of Charlotte Tucker’s strong personality it would be all but impossible. A very wide circle did most heartily14 esteem15 and admire her, did most dearly love her. But of course there were exceptions. In the course of her life some few with whom she was thrown failed ever to come within the grasp of her affectionate influence. But this was only natural. Everybody is not made to exactly suit everybody else.
[161]
Among some of her most marked features were an intense vigour16 and energy, an extraordinary force and vitality17, together with great eagerness in whatever she undertook, and a burning desire to be useful in her age and generation. She was very resolute; very persevering18; very affectionate; reserved, yet demonstrative; untidy, yet methodical; exceedingly anxious for the happiness of all around; apt often to think people better than they really were; generous to a fault; unselfishly ready at all times to put her own wishes aside; vehement19 and impulsive20, yet never in a hurry or flurry; unyielding, yet tender; severe, yet frisky21.
Of course there were other natural characteristics of a different kind; weaknesses not wholly mastered; faults not entirely22 conquered. She was not perfect,—who is? The strength of determination would occasionally run into obstinacy23; the resolute manner could be a trifle dictatorial24; the very wish to help and please others might be carried out in a way which did not gratify. With all her exceeding kindness, hers could hardly be described as the true sympathetic temperament25. Opinions here vary a good deal among the friends that knew her best; but those who at different periods of her life lived for any length of time under the same roof, will be able to recall certain instances of an absence of tact26, a lack of quick understanding of the feelings of others, which certainly never arose from want of a desire to understand. She had any amount of heart, of pity, of thought, to bestow28; but while feeling fully29 for others, she could not readily so place herself in the position of others as to feel entirely with them, to see matters from their standpoint and not from her own. The highest form of sympathy is a rare and subtle gift; and it can scarcely be said that Charlotte possessed30 this gift. Still, if any one did bring a burden or a trouble to her, she would spare no pains to help and to comfort to the utmost of her power.
[162]
One direction in which she showed through life a marked deficiency was in the housekeeping line. Both early and late she had always an intense dislike and dread31 of housekeeping. Whatever else she undertook, that was if possible a thing to be avoided; and it seems to have been an understood matter between her friends and herself that anybody rather than Charlotte Tucker might be housekeeper32. Probably she had an innate33 sense of want of power, an innate consciousness that she could not do the task efficiently34. If compelled to attempt it as a duty, she would not refuse; but she never took to the occupation, or overcame her dislike.
Moreover, the gift of nursing was not hers. Although in a threatening case of scarlet35 fever she could be the first to offer herself as nurse, with entire unconcern about the infection; although she shared with others the watch beside Fanny’s dying bed, and later on the watch beside Mr. Hamilton’s; yet she repeatedly speaks of herself as no nurse, and alludes36 to her own want of experience. Experience no doubt she might have had, before the age of fifty, had her natural bent37 lain at all in the direction of nursing; but the necessary gifts were not hers. She had not the reposeful38 air, the placid39 voice and manner, above all, the ready tact, which for good nursing are essential. Self-indulgence, laziness, cowardliness were unknown factors in her existence, and could never have held her back; but here too there was probably an innate sense of lack of power; and here too she never through life took to the occupation, ‘as to the manner born.’ It is noticeable also that, frequently as she would offer her services in times of illness, these offers were seldom accepted. Others doubtless knew as well as she knew it herself that nursing was not in her line.
Somewhat late in life, when a friend, after hours of hard study, was endeavouring to rest, with a severe headache,[163] Charlotte would bring her guitar, sit near, and sing and play to the sufferer. A gentle protestation was of no avail; for so sure was she of her remedy, that she only supposed her friend to shrink from giving her trouble, and the music went on unchecked. This—which happened repeatedly—was done with the kindest and most loving intentions. Charlotte was devotedly40 fond of music, and she did not herself suffer from headaches. But it is an instance of the want of tact occasionally shown in small matters. The will to do good and to help others was abundantly present; only she did not always find the right mode.
It must not be forgotten, however, that, whatever her natural disqualifications for the part of a nurse might have been, she did in her old age so far overcome them as often to take a share in tending the ‘brown boys’ of the Batala High School when ill, in a manner which won their loving gratitude42, although she did not prove successful as a nurse to English invalids43.
One who knew her intimately has written the following short sketch4, which is well worth quoting verbatim:—
‘I think one marked point, physical and mental, in her, was her tireless energy. Her very walk was indicative of this; the elastic44 springiness of every step. Also of another point in her character, stern determination,—the resolute folding in of her arms and hands, as she paced along a road or up and down a garden,—drawing herself up to her full height the while, with sparkling eye and compressed lips. She was teeming45 with life and energy;—whether it were over her favourite chess, when she would wait patiently but eagerly, thinking out each move; or enjoying the small-talk of society, watching faces and reading characters, to treasure them up for painting in one of her forthcoming volumes; or teaching a niece the beauties of sound and thought in the Italian of Dante; or playing at some game of thought with young people; or reading aloud one of her two favourite dearly-loved and untiringly-studied authors, Shakespeare and Boswell’s Life of Johnson. She was very sociable46, lively, and threw her whole heart into the kindly47 entertaining of[164] guests of all ages. Her eldest48 brother used to be very much struck with the unselfish way in which she bore any interruptions and calls upon her time. Even in the midst of her literary work, she would at once rise, leave it, and give her whole attention to any subject an incomer might wish to speak to her about.
‘Clever and stern, she was not one to be trifled with. Purpose seemed woven into all her liveliness; and she tried to keep others up to her level.’
Another writes, in reference to the time when A. L. O. E. was living at Birch Hall, Windlesham, with her brother and his family, in 1870:—
‘I had just arrived on a visit, and she came into the drawing-room, kissed me, and said, “I am Aunt Charlotte.” She was not good-looking, but was always full of life. Her ready wit and charming conversational49 powers made her a welcome guest everywhere, and made many a dinner-party at her brother’s house go off well.... She was always thinking of others, and seemed to count time spent on herself wasted.
‘I well remember a time when I longed to see Windsor and the Queen; and Aunt Charlotte immediately said she was longing50 for the same thing, and gladly undertook to pioneer an expedition. I was far from strong, but could not wait for lunch in my anxiety to have a good place at the railway station, to see Her Majesty51 arrive. Having seen me and my young cousin safely placed, Aunt C. disappeared, and after a while made her way through the crowd, laden52 with cakes for us all, finally producing a glass of claret for me from under her cloak, which I was obliged to take then and there. Her enthusiastic loyalty54 made her enjoy the sight, no novel one to her, of our dear Queen, as much as any of us.
‘Our evenings owed much of their brightness to her presence. She could sing,—sometimes lively little songs, accompanying herself with the guitar. Her ear for music was so correct, that on one occasion she came downstairs from her room, to tell me I had played a wrong note in a chord of Beethoven, and the exact note I should have played.
‘Sometimes she thought of games for us. One was called “Statues.” We each had to pose as a statue, suggestive of some subject, such as Melancholy55, Joy, Fear, etc. Whilst she, personating a visitor to the sculpture studio, would try to upset our gravity by her amusing remarks on the statues.... She also invented a geography[165] game for us, providing us with skeleton maps, and small round counters, on which the names of towns were printed. As these were drawn56 and the name called out, we had to claim them and give them their places on the map. Whoever had a map filled in first was the winner.... Sometimes we read Shakespeare together, each of us taking a part....
‘I think things were only a trouble to her when she had to do them for herself. Nothing was a trouble if it helped another.... Work for the Master whom she loved was her animating57 motive58.... She was, I think, the most unselfish character I ever knew. She lived for others; whether in the great work of her life, the use of her pen, the proceeds of which went to fill her charity purse, or in the simple act of leaving her quiet room, on a dull, rainy afternoon, to play a bright country dance or Scotch59 reel, and set the little ones dancing to vent2 their superfluous60 spirits.’
These slight recollections are from the pen of one among her numerous adopted nieces.
Another niece, not adopted but real, says:—
‘I think the first thought that would have occurred to any stranger, as regards her appearance, was the peculiar61 fashion of her dress. I remember her in the days of crinolines, standing27 straight and dignified62 in her plain dress, without the least attempt at fulness in the skirt. I should think it must have been always so; her individuality and disregard of the world’s opinion were so strongly marked.’
This question of dress does not appear to have become a matter of principle with her. She was simply independent, and utterly63 careless of what might be said. She had not by nature the art of dressing64 well, and she ‘thought it a bother.’ As observed by one of her brothers, ‘Charlotte never cared what she put on. She never had the art of amalgamating65 the different parts of her dress!’ In plain terms, her taste in dress was not good, and she did not take trouble to improve it. Nor had she the knack66 of putting on to advantage what she wore. Things that would have looked well upon another did not look well upon her.
Caps were a trouble, and she was most grateful to[166] any one who made her a present of a cap. She could not make nice ones for herself, and she disliked the style of bought caps.
One little story of middle life days at No. 3 illustrates67 her indifference68 to what she wore. A friend was staying in the house, to go to a wedding; and when the time came her bonnet69 had not arrived. Old Mrs. Tucker, knowing that Charlotte possessed a new bonnet, and knowing also that there was no fear of vexing70 Charlotte by the act, lent this new bonnet to the friend, to be worn at the wedding. Charlotte was then absent. But meeting the friend, either at the wedding or afterwards, she noticed the bonnet, failed to recognise her own property, and most innocently begged to apologise for remarking what a particularly pretty bonnet it was!
She had unconsciously a good deal of manner, and used certain gestures, which either were natural, or through long habit had become a part of herself. One trick of manner was that of clasping her hands, as an expression of certain feelings; also her head was apt very often to be slightly on one side. Seeing a young girl, upon Sunday, busily engaged in copying music, Charlotte Tucker sat down and looked earnestly, with her head a little on one side. ‘People have different ideas about occupations for Sunday,’ she remarked at length. ‘I, for instance, would not copy music on a Sunday.’ The hint, pleasantly given, was at once gracefully71 taken, and the music was put aside.
Another time this same young girl had been confessing herself very much of a coward, and regretting the fact. ‘Oh, never mind,’ was Charlotte Tucker’s consoling reply. ‘Some day, when there is real danger, you’ll flash out!’ Perhaps she was thinking of the scene in one of her own little books, when a timid young governess confronts an escaped panther.
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Once a young girl, at table, being vexed72 by words said in depreciation73 of a near relative, showed her feelings very decisively. A. L. O. E. afterwards put her arms round the girl, and said, ‘Quite right, my dear!’
Again, she had a mode of crossing her hands upon her chest, with a meditative74 air. Many recall this attitude as peculiarly characteristic of her. If she were thinking deeply, her hands would instinctively75 take that position.
She was very warm-hearted, and, as one has said, liked ‘to make you happy and pleased with yourself.’ Ever eager to see the best in everybody, she wore rose-coloured spectacles which now and then would lead her into thinking of people much better than they deserved, and ‘disillusionment’ had to be gone through. Always endeavouring to see the best, she often saw more than the best; and small harm if she did. At least she ensured thus the making of mistakes on the right side, instead of on the wrong. The common tendency is so very much the other way. The romantic side of Charlotte’s nature would interfere76 with her judgment77, and the impulsive first view would be erroneous. When she had had time for calm thought she generally worked her way to a sensible view of a question. But the tendency to over-estimation of others continued through life, and was perhaps especially to be marked in her Indian Missionary78 work.
In her religious opinions she was a warm Churchwoman, belonging to the ‘Evangelical’ school of thought. As she grew older, however, she became more and more large-hearted towards those from whom she differed on minor79 points, more and more ready to hold out a kind hand of friendship on all sides. This side of her appeared more distinctly, and developed more markedly, in India, than in her secluded80 English home.
Both at No. 3, and in her brother’s house, she was wont81 to read aloud her own stories to her young nephews and[168] nieces, for the sake of their ‘criticisms,’ and perhaps quite as much for the sake of amusing them. Some of the then children, now grown up, recall those readings with pleasure.
Life at Binfield was quiet and regular. Charlotte kept up her habit of early rising; and from eight o’clock till half-past eight each morning she would take her ‘devotional’ walk in the garden,—hands folded on chest, head up, step firm and dignified. The impression left by her ‘dignity’ is strong, singularly so, when considered side by side with a step so springy that some describe it as even ‘jerky.’
Mornings were mainly given up to writing in her own room; and little was seen of her, as a general rule, between breakfast and luncheon82. In the afternoon she was always ready for callers; and if not needed for them or aught else, she would go and visit the poor. On these rounds she commonly carried with her the conventional ‘bag,’ full of painted texts and tracts83.
Evenings were devoted41 to sociable enjoyments84; frequently to music and dancing. Charlotte was an adept85 at playing dance-music for her nephews and nieces; and at Binfield she also danced a great deal with her brother and the children. It does not seem that she had lost any of her old light-footedness, whether or not she had had practice during some years past. Sir Roger de Coverley, the Lancers, and the Minuet were great favourites. When the Gavotte began, the children stopped, for they could not spring high enough; but Charlotte was able to make the most wonderful springs. This does not look as though her spirit were yet broken by all that she had gone through.
Besides playing for the children, she would plan games for them, and would superintend charades86; and when they grew older she would read Shakespeare with them,[169] often knitting busily all the while as she read. Singing too had a share in these sociable evenings. She still steadily87 refrained from going out to parties at other people’s houses; but she never failed to be present at any party in their own house, not only making her appearance, but contributing her utmost to the entertainment of guests.
Her village work included visiting of the poor, and also, for a while, a class of big boys in the night-school. With the boys she was not successful. They were very troublesome and naughty, and she could not get hold of them at all. This failure is curious, in contrast with her after-success among the Native boys in India, those ‘dear brown boys,’ as she often called them. Western and Eastern boys differ considerably88, however; and no doubt the explanation resides in this fact. Also, an English ploughboy requires different treatment from a high-caste Indian; but she was ‘friends’ with boys of all castes there.
In a letter to Mrs. Hamilton, written from Binfield, she says: ‘The Curate is already a comfort to me personally, for he has taken my night-class off my hands. I have no scruple89 in letting him do so, for I believe it is far better for the boys. They were too much for poor old Char1. I had seventeen last night, and felt my inefficiency90.’ And in another letter, soon after: ‘We had a talk about the proposed Sunday School. I asked not to have boys. My feeling is that I am too old for them.’
She was not too old, many years later, for Batala boys; but plainly she had not the requisite91 gifts for managing or winning rough English village lads.
A few recollections, jotted92 down by three of her nieces, may close this chapter:—
I.
‘In 1869 she came to her house near Sutton; but that sorrowful year to her did not leave much impression upon me, probably[170] because she was so little with us, and so much with her sister who died in our house. I remember her next in the summer of 1870, when my sister was born, coming into the nursery to announce the fact, and afterwards showing us the baby, assuring us that she was “as fragile as egg-shells.” She played the organ in our little country church, and visited the poor,—on one occasion going out at night to administer a mustard plaster to one poor woman, who thought herself dying, and sent for Miss Tucker....
‘As we grew older she would help us with our charades and games, planning wonderful card games herself, and ornamenting93 them with brush and stencil94. It was she who introduced us to Shakespeare, making me love him as no one else ever could, and making us read him in parts.... On Sunday afternoons she would take us up to her room, in order that my Mother might rest in peace from the children; and there we always spent a delightful95 time, looking over her dressing-case with its treasures, and listening to the histories of each trinket and curiosity, or messing with her paints. I do not remember that we ever felt ourselves to be in the way in that happy room. It was during this time that she wrote The Haunted House, which thrilled me with so much horror, that it was not until years after that I learnt there was a spiritual meaning underlying96 the tale.
‘She was never ill, but always felt the cold extremely in winter, though she did not complain much. One day I came down to breakfast, exclaiming, “How beautiful the snow is!”—when she told me how pleased she was that I could say so, instead of saying, “How cold it is!” When I was ill in the year 1872, she often came to see me, quite disregarding the infection of my throat; she would play her guitar to me, or, as I grew better, would patiently guide my little fingers to the right places on the strings97. She made up a pretty letter in rhyme, and sent it in a stamped envelope to amuse me. I do not remember her ever talking to me on religious subjects; but her untiring energy and gentle patience made much impression on me....
‘My aunt would never give way to us little ones when she was convinced that we were wrong; and I well remember a prolonged struggle between her and my baby-sister, who was left in her charge one day.... My aunt regarded the sin of drunkenness with the greatest horror; she rarely mentions it in her books, and generally, where it is touched upon, she writes with the deepest pathos98, as in The Great Impostor. She would only talk of brandy by its French name, and considered it dangerous to take Tincture of Rhubarb, on account of the spirit it contains....
[171]
‘My aunt would never have expressed disapproval99 of others, as many of the younger generation do, who are of her own way of thinking. Where she did not approve, she was usually silent....
‘But stern as she was by nature, her intense love—the love of a strong nature—made her gentle to the weaknesses of others. She could not sympathise often with the weak, but she could pity and love. Long years of home-discipline gave humility100, self-control, and gentleness.’
II.
‘There are some lives that carry about with them an atmosphere, as it were, of influence and example.... It was thus with “Auntie Char.” We used to think and say, “How she would have admired such a deed!”—“How she would have grieved at such a want of courage!” if anything mean or underhand were done. One knew beforehand what her opinion of the transaction would be; at the same time her marvellous sympathy, so readily given, was the first sought in cases of bravery or of moral courage....
‘She rarely “preached” to one. I should say she rather suggested little things that somehow were never forgotten. The letter I, for example—when written with a capital letter—called for playful comment. Up to the last I would often count in a fearful manner the all too plentiful101 I’s in my letters to her....
‘My father remembers “Sister Char” as the life and soul of their nursery circle in Portland Place,—how in the gardens close by she used to lead their glees and songs.... We knew what a great hand Auntie Char was at games of all kinds. No one could play like her. She seemed far younger than any child present, and was quite an enthusiast53 in them, as in everything she undertook. No one could play half-heartedly with her....
‘Auntie Char had a wonderful way of strengthening and encouraging one to open out one’s heart to her, and a great and rare capacity for putting herself in “her neighbour’s shoes.”[20] It was during a visit to us, in the May of 1875, that she acquired the pet name of “Fairy Frisket,”—the name of one of her own works,—owing to her marvellous activity. She would come home after a long day’s walking, and run lightly upstairs, faster than we young ones cared to do. In many of her letters to me from India she playfully alludes to this pet name.’
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III.
‘She never seemed to care a bit to receive any praise for her books, and she never let writing interfere with any family duties. She was wonderfully sweet-tempered, but there was no weakness in her sweetness. If others were inconsiderate to her, I never saw her resent it.... Her unconscious influence was, I believe, much larger than she has ever dreamed. She was more utterly regardless of personal ease and comfort than any one I ever knew, but was ever ready to praise others....
‘My aunt had a guitar on which she enjoyed playing as far back as I can remember, and on which she used to play to us with much animation102 and impressiveness, singing to her own accompaniment; but I never remember her playing to herself for her own personal amusement. One of her songs I do not remember hearing from any one else. The refrain in each verse was—“Till green leaves come again.” ... Another song that she sang took my fancy,—I believe it was an old-fashioned one in MS.,—and she at once copied it for me, making time to do so amid the many things occupying her at the time. Most people would have let me copy it for myself, as I was quite a girl and had plenty of leisure; but she never seemed to do things like other people....
‘Nothing that I can say would explain how beautifully unselfish she was, how utterly regardless of herself, and thoughtful for others. She was one of the few whom one could most truly call noble, and yet so sweetly humble103. I mourn her irreparable loss all the more for the long parting since she left us for the Mission-field abroad.’
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char
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| v.烧焦；使...燃烧成焦炭 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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antagonistic
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sketch
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sketched
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complexities
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manifestations
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vividly
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ardent
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resolute
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unlimited
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thoroughly
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uncommon
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heartily
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esteem
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vigour
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vitality
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persevering
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vehement
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impulsive
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frisky
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entirely
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obstinacy
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dictatorial
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temperament
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tact
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bestow
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fully
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possessed
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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32
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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33
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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efficiently
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| adv.高效率地，有能力地 | |
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35
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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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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38
reposeful
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| adj.平稳的，沉着的 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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devotedly
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| 专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地 | |
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41
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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43
invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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45
teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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46
sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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50
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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51
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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enthusiast
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| n.热心人，热衷者 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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animating
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| v.使有生气( animate的现在分词 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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amalgamating
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| v.（使）（金属）汞齐化( amalgamate的现在分词 )；（使）合并；联合；结合 | |
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knack
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| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
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illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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vexing
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| adj.使人烦恼的，使人恼火的v.使烦恼( vex的现在分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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depreciation
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| n.价值低落，贬值，蔑视，贬低 | |
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meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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76
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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81
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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82
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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83
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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84
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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85
adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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86
charades
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| n.伪装( charade的名词复数 )；猜字游戏 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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88
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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89
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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90
inefficiency
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| n.无效率，无能；无效率事例 | |
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91
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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92
jotted
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| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
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ornamenting
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| v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的现在分词 ) | |
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94
stencil
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| v.用模版印刷；n.模版；复写纸，蜡纸 | |
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95
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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96
underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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97
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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98
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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99
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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100
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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101
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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102
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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103
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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