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Chapter 5
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The great cloud which hung, not only over London, but over the whole of the British Isles1 on the first day of the nineteenth century stayed, or rather, did not stay, for it was buffeted2 about constantly by blustering3 gales4, long enough to have extraordinary consequences upon those who lived beneath its shadow. A change seemed to have come over the climate of England. Rain fell frequently, but only in fitful gusts6, which were no sooner over than they began again. The sun shone, of course, but it was so girt about with clouds and the air was so saturated7 with water, that its beams were discoloured and purples, oranges, and reds of a dull sort took the place of the more positive landscapes of the eighteenth century. Under this bruised9 and sullen10 canopy11 the green of the cabbages was less intense, and the white of the snow was muddied. But what was worse, damp now began to make its way into every house — damp, which is the most insidious12 of all enemies, for while the sun can be shut out by blinds, and the frost roasted by a hot fire, damp steals in while we sleep; damp is silent, imperceptible, ubiquitous. Damp swells13 the wood, furs the kettle, rusts15 the iron, rots the stone. So gradual is the process, that it is not until we pick up some chest of drawers, or coal scuttle16, and the whole thing drops to pieces in our hands, that we suspect even that the disease is at work.

Thus, stealthily and imperceptibly, none marking the exact day or hour of the change, the constitution of England was altered and nobody knew it. Everywhere the effects were felt. The hardy17 country gentleman, who had sat down gladly to a meal of ale and beef in a room designed, perhaps by the brothers Adam, with classic dignity, now felt chilly18. Rugs appeared; beards were grown; trousers were fastened tight under the instep. The chill which he felt in his legs the country gentleman soon transferred to his house; furniture was muffled19; walls and tables were covered; nothing was left bare. Then a change of diet became essential. The muffin was invented and the crumpet. Coffee supplanted20 the after-dinner port, and, as coffee led to a drawing-room in which to drink it, and a drawing-room to glass cases, and glass cases to artificial flowers, and artificial flowers to mantelpieces, and mantelpieces to pianofortes, and pianofortes to drawing-room ballads21, and drawing-room ballads (skipping a stage or two) to innumerable little dogs, mats, and china ornaments22, the home — which had become extremely important — was completely altered.

Outside the house — it was another effect of the damp — ivy23 grew in unparalleled profusion24. Houses that had been of bare stone were smothered25 in greenery. No garden, however formal its original design, lacked a shrubbery, a wilderness26, a maze27. What light penetrated28 to the bedrooms where children were born was naturally of an obfusc green, and what light penetrated to the drawing-rooms where grown men and women lived came through curtains of brown and purple plush. But the change did not stop at outward things. The damp struck within. Men felt the chill in their hearts; the damp in their minds. In a desperate effort to snuggle their feelings into some sort of warmth one subterfuge29 was tried after another. Love, birth, and death were all swaddled in a variety of fine phrases. The sexes drew further and further apart. No open conversation was tolerated. Evasions30 and concealments were sedulously32 practised on both sides. And just as the ivy and the evergreen33 rioted in the damp earth outside, so did the same fertility show itself within. The life of the average woman was a succession of childbirths. She married at nineteen and had fifteen or eighteen children by the time she was thirty; for twins abounded34. Thus the British Empire came into existence; and thus — for there is no stopping damp; it gets into the inkpot as it gets into the woodwork — sentences swelled35, adjectives multiplied, lyrics36 became epics37, and little trifles that had been essays a column long were now encyclopaedias38 in ten or twenty volumes. But Eusebius Chubb shall be our witness to the effect this all had upon the mind of a sensitive man who could do nothing to stop it. There is a passage towards the end of his memoirs39 where he describes how, after writing thirty-five folio pages one morning ‘all about nothing’ he screwed the lid of his inkpot and went for a turn in his garden. Soon he found himself involved in the shrubbery. Innumerable leaves creaked and glistened40 above his head. He seemed to himself ‘to crush the mould of a million more under his feet’. Thick smoke exuded42 from a damp bonfire at the end of the garden. He reflected that no fire on earth could ever hope to consume that vast vegetable encumbrance43. Wherever he looked, vegetation was rampant44. Cucumbers ‘came scrolloping across the grass to his feet’. Giant cauliflowers towered deck above deck till they rivalled, to his disordered imagination, the elm trees themselves. Hens laid incessantly45 eggs of no special tint46. Then, remembering with a sigh his own fecundity47 and his poor wife Jane, now in the throes of her fifteenth confinement48 indoors, how, he asked himself, could he blame the fowls50? He looked upwards51 into the sky. Did not heaven itself, or that great frontispiece of heaven, which is the sky, indicate the assent52, indeed, the instigation of the heavenly hierarchy53? For there, winter or summer, year in year out, the clouds turned and tumbled, like whales, he pondered, or elephants rather; but no, there was no escaping the simile54 which was pressed upon him from a thousand airy acres; the whole sky itself as it spread wide above the British Isles was nothing but a vast feather bed; and the undistinguished fecundity of the garden, the bedroom and the henroost was copied there. He went indoors, wrote the passage quoted above, laid his head in a gas oven, and when they found him later he was past revival55.

While this went on in every part of England, it was all very well for Orlando to mew herself in her house at Blackfriars and pretend that the climate was the same; that one could still say what one liked and wear knee-breeches or skirts as the fancy took one. Even she, at length, was forced to acknowledge that times were changed. One afternoon in the early part of the century she was driving through St James’s Park in her old panelled coach when one of those sunbeams, which occasionally, though not often, managed to come to earth, struggled through, marbling the clouds with strange prismatic colours as it passed. Such a sight was sufficiently57 strange after the clear and uniform skies of the eighteenth century to cause her to pull the window down and look at it. The puce and flamingo58 clouds made her think with a pleasurable anguish59, which proves that she was insensibly afflicted60 with the damp already, of dolphins dying in Ionian seas. But what was her surprise when, as it struck the earth, the sunbeam seemed to call forth61, or to light up, a pyramid, hecatomb, or trophy62 (for it had something of a banquet-table air)— a conglomeration63 at any rate of the most heterogeneous64 and ill-assorted objects, piled higgledy-piggledy in a vast mound65 where the statue of Queen Victoria now stands! Draped about a vast cross of fretted66 and floriated gold were widow’s weeds and bridal veils; hooked on to other excrescences were crystal palaces, bassinettes, military helmets, memorial wreaths, trousers, whiskers, wedding cakes, cannon67, Christmas trees, telescopes, extinct monsters, globes, maps, elephants, and mathematical instruments — the whole supported like a gigantic coat of arms on the right side by a female figure clothed in flowing white; on the left by a portly gentleman wearing a frock-coat and sponge-bag trousers. The incongruity68 of the objects, the association of the fully69 clothed and the partly draped, the garishness70 of the different colours and their plaid-like juxtapositions72 afflicted Orlando with the most profound dismay. She had never, in all her life, seen anything at once so indecent, so hideous73, and so monumental. It might, and indeed it must be, the effect of the sun on the water-logged air; it would vanish with the first breeze that blew; but for all that, it looked, as she drove past, as if it were destined74 to endure for ever. Nothing, she felt, sinking back into the corner of her coach, no wind, rain, sun, or thunder, could ever demolish75 that garish71 erection. Only the noses would mottle and the trumpets77 would rust14; but there they would remain, pointing east, west, south, and north, eternally. She looked back as her coach swept up Constitution Hill. Yes, there it was, still beaming placidly78 in a light which — she pulled her watch out of her fob — was, of course, the light of twelve o’clock mid-day. None other could be so prosaic79, so matter-of-fact, so impervious80 to any hint of dawn or sunset, so seemingly calculated to last for ever. She was determined81 not to look again. Already she felt the tides of her blood run sluggishly82. But what was more peculiar83 a blush, vivid and singular, overspread her cheeks as she passed Buckingham Palace and her eyes seemed forced by a superior power down upon her knees. Suddenly she saw with a start that she was wearing black breeches. She never ceased blushing till she had reached her country house, which, considering the time it takes four horses to trot84 thirty miles, will be taken, we hope, as a signal proof of her chastity.

Once there, she followed what had now become the most imperious need of her nature and wrapped herself as well as she could in a damask quilt which she snatched from her bed. She explained to the Widow Bartholomew (who had succeeded good old Grimsditch as housekeeper86) that she felt chilly.

‘So do we all, m’lady,’ said the Widow, heaving a profound sigh. ‘The walls is sweating,’ she said, with a curious, lugubrious87 complacency, and sure enough, she had only to lay her hand on the oak panels for the finger-prints to be marked there. The ivy had grown so profusely88 that many windows were now sealed up. The kitchen was so dark that they could scarcely tell a kettle from a cullender. A poor black cat had been mistaken for coals and shovelled89 on the fire. Most of the maids were already wearing three or four red-flannel petticoats, though the month was August.

‘But is it true, m’lady,’ the good woman asked, hugging herself, while the golden crucifix heaved on her bosom90, ‘that the Queen, bless her, is wearing a what d’you call it, a —,’ the good woman hesitated and blushed.

‘A crinoline,’ Orlando helped her out with it (for the word had reached Blackfriars). Mrs Bartholomew nodded. The tears were already running down her cheeks, but as she wept she smiled. For it was pleasant to weep. Were they not all of them weak women? wearing crinolines the better to conceal31 the fact; the great fact; the only fact; but, nevertheless, the deplorable fact; which every modest woman did her best to deny until denial was impossible; the fact that she was about to bear a child? to bear fifteen or twenty children indeed, so that most of a modest woman’s life was spent, after all, in denying what, on one day at least of every year, was made obvious.

‘The muffins is keepin’ ‘ot,’ said Mrs Bartholomew, mopping up her tears, ‘in the liberry.’

And wrapped in a damask bed quilt, to a dish of muffins Orlando now sat down.

‘The muffins is keepin’ ‘ot in the liberry’— Orlando minced91 out the horrid92 cockney phrase in Mrs Bartholomew’s refined cockney accents as she drank — but no, she detested93 the mild fluid — her tea. It was in this very room, she remembered, that Queen Elizabeth had stood astride the fireplace with a flagon of beer in her hand, which she suddenly dashed on the table when Lord Burghley tactlessly used the imperative94 instead of the subjunctive. ‘Little man, little man,’— Orlando could hear her say —’is “must” a word to be addressed to princes?’ And down came the flagon on the table: there was the mark of it still.

But when Orlando leapt to her feet, as the mere95 thought of that great Queen commanded, the bed quilt tripped her up, and she fell back in her arm-chair with a curse. Tomorrow she would have to buy twenty yards or more of black bombazine, she supposed, to make a skirt. And then (here she blushed), she would have to buy a crinoline, and then (here she blushed) a bassinette, and then another crinoline, and so on...The blushes came and went with the most exquisite96 iteration of modesty97 and shame imaginable. One might see the spirit of the age blowing, now hot, now cold, upon her cheeks. And if the spirit of the age blew a little unequally, the crinoline being blushed for before the husband, her ambiguous position must excuse her (even her sex was still in dispute) and the irregular life she had lived before.

At length the colour on her cheeks resumed its stability and it seemed as if the spirit of the age — if such indeed it were — lay dormant98 for a time. Then Orlando felt in the bosom of her shirt as if for some locket or relic99 of lost affection, and drew out no such thing, but a roll of paper, sea-stained, blood-stained, travel-stained — the manuscript of her poem, ‘The Oak Tree’. She had carried this about with her for so many years now, and in such hazardous100 circumstances, that many of the pages were stained, some were torn, while the straits she had been in for writing paper when with the gipsies, had forced her to overscore the margins101 and cross the lines till the manuscript looked like a piece of darning most conscientiously102 carried out. She turned back to the first page and read the date, 1586, written in her own boyish hand. She had been working at it for close three hundred years now. It was time to make an end. Meanwhile she began turning and dipping and reading and skipping and thinking as she read, how very little she had changed all these years. She had been a gloomy boy, in love with death, as boys are; and then she had been amorous103 and florid; and then she had been sprightly104 and satirical; and sometimes she had tried prose and sometimes she had tried drama. Yet through all these changes she had remained, she reflected, fundamentally the same. She had the same brooding meditative105 temper, the same love of animals and nature, the same passion for the country and the seasons.

‘After all,’ she thought, getting up and going to the window, ‘nothing has changed. The house, the garden are precisely106 as they were. Not a chair has been moved, not a trinket sold. There are the same walks, the same lawns, the same trees, and the same pool, which, I dare say, has the same carp in it. True, Queen Victoria is on the throne and not Queen Elizabeth, but what difference...’

No sooner had the thought taken shape, than, as if to rebuke107 it, the door was flung wide and in marched Basket, the butler, followed by Bartholomew, the housekeeper, to clear away tea. Orlando, who had just dipped her pen in the ink, and was about to indite108 some reflection upon the eternity109 of all things, was much annoyed to be impeded110 by a blot111, which spread and meandered112 round her pen. It was some infirmity of the quill113, she supposed; it was split or dirty. She dipped it again. The blot increased. She tried to go on with what she was saying; no words came. Next she began to decorate the blot with wings and whiskers, till it became a round-headed monster, something between a bat and a wombat114. But as for writing poetry with Basket and Bartholomew in the room, it was impossible. No sooner had she said ‘Impossible’ than, to her astonishment115 and alarm, the pen began to curve and caracole with the smoothest possible fluency116. Her page was written in the neatest sloping Italian hand with the most insipid117 verse she had ever read in her life:

I am myself but a vile118 link

Amid life’s weary chain,

But I have spoken hallow’d words,

Oh, do not say in vain!

Will the young maiden120, when her tears,

Alone in moonlight shine,

Tears for the absent and the loved,

Murmur121

she wrote without a stop as Bartholomew and Basket grunted122 and groaned123 about the room, mending the fire, picking up the muffins.

Again she dipped her pen and off it went:—

She was so changed, the soft carnation124 cloud

Once mantling125 o’er her cheek like that which eve

Hangs o’er the sky, glowing with roseate hue126,

Had faded into paleness, broken by

Bright burning blushes, torches of the tomb,

but here, by an abrupt127 movement she spilt the ink ever the page and blotted128 it from human sight she hoped for ever. She was all of a quiver, all of a stew129. Nothing more repulsive130 could be imagined than to feel the ink flowing thus in cascades131 of involuntary inspiration. What had happened to her? Was it the damp, was it Bartholomew, was it Basket, what was it? she demanded. But the room was empty. No one answered her, unless the dripping of the rain in the ivy could be taken for an answer.

Meanwhile, she became conscious, as she stood at the window, of an extraordinary tingling132 and vibration133 all over her, as if she were made of a thousand wires upon which some breeze or errant fingers were playing scales. Now her toes tingled134; now her marrow135. She had the queerest sensations about the thigh136 bones. Her hairs seemed to erect76 themselves. Her arms sang and twanged as the telegraph wires would be singing and twanging in twenty years or so. But all this agitation137 seemed at length to concentrate in her hands; and then in one hand, and then in one finger of that hand, and then finally to contract itself so that it made a ring of quivering sensibility about the second finger of the left hand. And when she raised it to see what caused this agitation, she saw nothing — nothing but the vast solitary138 emerald which Queen Elizabeth had given her. And was that not enough? she asked. It was of the finest water. It was worth ten thousand pounds at least. The vibration seemed, in the oddest way (but remember we are dealing139 with some of the darkest manifestations140 of the human soul) to say No, that is not enough; and, further, to assume a note of interrogation, as though it were asking, what did it mean, this hiatus, this strange oversight141? till poor Orlando felt positively142 ashamed of the second finger of her left hand without in the least knowing why. At this moment, Bartholomew came in to ask which dress she should lay out for dinner, and Orlando, whose senses were much quickened, instantly glanced at Bartholomew’s left hand, and instantly perceived what she had never noticed before — a thick ring of rather jaundiced yellow circling the third finger where her own was bare.

‘Let me look at your ring, Bartholomew,’ she said, stretching her hand to take it.

At this, Bartholomew made as if she had been struck in the breast by a rogue143. She started back a pace or two, clenched144 her hand and flung it away from her with a gesture that was noble in the extreme. ‘No,’ she said, with resolute145 dignity, her Ladyship might look if she pleased, but as for taking off her wedding ring, not the Archbishop nor the Pope nor Queen Victoria on her throne could force her to do that. Her Thomas had put it on her finger twenty-five years, six months, three weeks ago; she had slept in it; worked in it; washed in it; prayed in it; and proposed to be buried in it. In fact, Orlando understood her to say, but her voice was much broken with emotion; that it was by the gleam on her wedding ring that she would be assigned her station among the angels and its lustre147 would be tarnished148 for ever if she let it out of her keeping for a second.

‘Heaven help us,’ said Orlando, standing149 at the window and watching the pigeons at their pranks150, ‘what a world we live in! What a world to be sure!’ Its complexities151 amazed her. It now seemed to her that the whole world was ringed with gold. She went in to dinner. Wedding rings abounded. She went to church. Wedding rings were everywhere. She drove out. Gold, or pinchbeck, thin, thick, plain, smooth, they glowed dully on every hand. Rings filled the jewellers’ shops, not the flashing pastes and diamonds of Orlando’s recollection, but simple bands without a stone in them. At the same time, she began to notice a new habit among the town people. In the old days, one would meet a boy trifling152 with a girl under a hawthorn153 hedge frequently enough. Orlando had flicked154 many a couple with the tip of her whip and laughed and passed on. Now, all that was changed. Couples trudged155 and plodded156 in the middle of the road indissolubly linked together. The woman’s right hand was invariably passed through the man’s left and her fingers were firmly gripped by his. Often it was not till the horses’ noses were on them that they budged157, and then, though they moved it was all in one piece, heavily, to the side of the road. Orlando could only suppose that some new discovery had been made about the race; that they were somehow stuck together, couple after couple, but who had made it and when, she could not guess. It did not seem to be Nature. She looked at the doves and the rabbits and the elk-hounds and she could not see that Nature had changed her ways or mended them, since the time of Elizabeth at least. There was no indissoluble alliance among the brutes158 that she could see. Could it be Queen Victoria then, or Lord Melbourne? Was it from them that the great discovery of marriage proceeded? Yet the Queen, she pondered, was said to be fond of dogs, and Lord Melbourne, she had heard, was said to be fond of women. It was strange — it was distasteful; indeed, there was something in this indissolubility of bodies which was repugnant to her sense of decency159 and sanitation160. Her ruminations, however, were accompanied by such a tingling and twanging of the afflicted finger that she could scarcely keep her ideas in order. They were languishing161 and ogling162 like a housemaid’s fancies. They made her blush. There was nothing for it but to buy one of those ugly bands and wear it like the rest. This she did, slipping it, overcome with shame, upon her finger in the shadow of a curtain; but without avail. The tingling persisted more violently, more indignantly than ever. She did not sleep a wink163 that night. Next morning when she took up the pen to write, either she could think of nothing, and the pen made one large lachrymose164 blot after another, or it ambled165 off, more alarmingly still, into mellifluous166 fluencies about early death and corruption167, which were worse than no thinking at all. For it would seem — her case proved it — that we write, not with the fingers, but with the whole person. The nerve which controls the pen winds itself about every fibre of our being, threads the heart, pierces the liver. Though the seat of her trouble seemed to be the left hand, she could feel herself poisoned through and through, and was forced at length to consider the most desperate of remedies, which was to yield completely and submissively to the spirit of the age, and take a husband.

That this was much against her natural temperament168 has been sufficiently made plain. When the sound of the Archduke’s chariot wheels died away, the cry that rose to her lips was ‘Life! A Lover!’ not ‘Life! A Husband!’ and it was in pursuit of this aim that she had gone to town and run about the world as has been shown in the previous chapter. Such is the indomitable nature of the spirit of the age, however, that it batters169 down anyone who tries to make stand against it far more effectually than those who bend its own way. Orlando had inclined herself naturally to the Elizabethan spirit, to the Restoration spirit, to the spirit of the eighteenth century, and had in consequence scarcely been aware of the change from one age to the other. But the spirit of the nineteenth century was antipathetic to her in the extreme, and thus it took her and broke her, and she was aware of her defeat at its hands as she had never been before. For it is probable that the human spirit has its place in time assigned to it; some are born of this age, some of that; and now that Orlando was grown a woman, a year or two past thirty indeed, the lines of her character were fixed170, and to bend them the wrong way was intolerable.

So she stood mournfully at the drawing-room window (Bartholomew had so christened the library) dragged down by the weight of the crinoline which she had submissively adopted. It was heavier and more drab than any dress she had yet worn. None had ever so impeded her movements. No longer could she stride through the garden with her dogs, or run lightly to the high mound and fling herself beneath the oak tree. Her skirts collected damp leaves and straw. The plumed172 hat tossed on the breeze. The thin shoes were quickly soaked and mud-caked. Her muscles had lost their pliancy173. She became nervous lest there should be robbers behind the wainscot and afraid, for the first time in her life, of ghosts in the corridors. All these things inclined her, step by step, to submit to the new discovery, whether Queen Victoria’s or another’s, that each man and each woman has another allotted174 to it for life, whom it supports, by whom it is supported, till death them do part. It would be a comfort, she felt, to lean; to sit down; yes, to lie down; never, never, never to get up again. Thus did the spirit work upon her, for all her past pride, and as she came sloping down the scale of emotion to this lowly and unaccustomed lodging-place, those twangings and tinglings which had been so captious175 and so interrogative modulated176 into the sweetest melodies, till it seemed as if angels were plucking harp-strings with white fingers and her whole being was pervaded177 by a seraphic harmony.

But whom could she lean upon? She asked that question of the wild autumn winds. For it was now October, and wet as usual. Not the Archduke; he had married a very great lady and had hunted hares in Roumania these many years now; nor Mr M.; he was become a Catholic; nor the Marquis of C.; he made sacks in Botany Bay; nor the Lord O.; he had long been food for fishes. One way or another, all her old cronies were gone now, and the Nells and the Kits178 of Drury Lane, much though she favoured them, scarcely did to lean upon.

‘Whom’, she asked, casting her eyes upon the revolving179 clouds, clasping her hands as she knelt on the window-sill, and looking the very image of appealing womanhood as she did so, ‘can I lean upon?’ Her words formed themselves, her hands clasped themselves, involuntarily, just as her pen had written of its own accord. It was not Orlando who spoke119, but the spirit of the age. But whichever it was, nobody answered it. The rooks were tumbling pell-mell among the violet clouds of autumn. The rain had stopped at last and there was an iridescence180 in the sky which tempted181 her to put on her plumed hat and her little stringed shoes and stroll out before dinner.

‘Everyone is mated except myself,’ she mused182, as she trailed disconsolately183 across the courtyard. There were the rooks; Canute and Pippin even — transitory as their alliances were, still each this evening seemed to have a partner. ‘Whereas, I, who am mistress of it all,’ Orlando thought, glancing as she passed at the innumerable emblazoned windows of the hall, ‘am single, am mateless, am alone.’

Such thoughts had never entered her head before. Now they bore her down unescapably. Instead of thrusting the gate open, she tapped with a gloved hand for the porter to unfasten it for her. One must lean on someone, she thought, if it is only on a porter; and half wished to stay behind and help him to grill184 his chop on a bucket of fiery185 coals, but was too timid to ask it. So she strayed out into the park alone, faltering186 at first and apprehensive187 lest there might be poachers or gamekeepers or even errand-boys to marvel188 that a great lady should walk alone.

At every step she glanced nervously189 lest some male form should be hiding behind a furze bush or some savage190 cow be lowering its horns to toss her. But there were only the rooks flaunting191 in the sky. A steel-blue plume171 from one of them fell among the heather. She loved wild birds’ feathers. She had used to collect them as a boy. She picked it up and stuck it in her hat. The air blew upon her spirit somewhat and revived it. As the rooks went whirling and wheeling above her head and feather after feather fell gleaming through the purplish air, she followed them, her long cloak floating behind her, over the moor192, up the hill. She had not walked so far for years. Six feathers had she picked from the grass and drawn193 between her fingers and pressed to her lips to feel their smooth, glinting plumage, when she saw, gleaming on the hill-side, a silver pool, mysterious as the lake into which Sir Bedivere flung the sword of Arthur. A single feather quivered in the air and fell into the middle of it. Then, some strange ecstasy194 came over her. Some wild notion she had of following the birds to the rim85 of the world and flinging herself on the spongy turf and there drinking forgetfulness, while the rooks’ hoarse195 laughter sounded over her. She quickened her pace; she ran; she tripped; the tough heather roots flung her to the ground. Her ankle was broken. She could not rise. But there she lay content. The scent196 of the bog197 myrtle and the meadow-sweet was in her nostrils198. The rooks’ hoarse laughter was in her ears. ‘I have found my mate,’ she murmured. ‘It is the moor. I am nature’s bride,’ she whispered, giving herself in rapture199 to the cold embraces of the grass as she lay folded in her cloak in the hollow by the pool. ‘Here will I lie. (A feather fell upon her brow.) I have found a greener laurel than the bay. My forehead will be cool always. These are wild birds’ feathers — the owl’s, the nightjar’s. I shall dream wild dreams. My hands shall wear no wedding ring,’ she continued, slipping it from her finger. ‘The roots shall twine200 about them. Ah!’ she sighed, pressing her head luxuriously201 on its spongy pillow, ‘I have sought happiness through many ages and not found it; fame and missed it; love and not known it; life — and behold202, death is better. I have known many men and many women,’ she continued; ‘none have I understood. It is better that I should lie at peace here with only the sky above me — as the gipsy told me years ago. That was in Turkey.’ And she looked straight up into the marvellous golden foam203 into which the clouds had churned themselves, and saw next moment a track in it, and camels passing in single file through the rocky desert among clouds of red dust; and then, when the camels had passed, there were only mountains, very high and full of clefts204 and with pinnacles205 of rock, and she fancied she heard goat bells ringing in their passes, and in their folds were fields of irises206 and gentian. So the sky changed and her eyes slowly lowered themselves down and down till they came to the rain-darkened earth and saw the great hump of the South Downs, flowing in one wave along the coast; and where the land parted, there was the sea, the sea with ships passing; and she fancied she heard a gun far out at sea, and thought at first, ‘That’s the Armada,’ and then thought ‘No, it’s Nelson’, and then remembered how those wars were over and the ships were busy merchant ships; and the sails on the winding208 river were those of pleasure boats. She saw, too, cattle sprinkled on the dark fields, sheep and cows, and she saw the lights coming here and there in farm-house windows, and lanterns moving among the cattle as the shepherd went his rounds and the cowman; and then the lights went out and the stars rose and tangled209 themselves about the sky. Indeed, she was falling asleep with the wet feathers on her face and her ear pressed to the ground when she heard, deep within, some hammer on an anvil210, or was it a heart beating? Tick-tock, tick-tock, so it hammered, so it beat, the anvil, or the heart in the middle of the earth; until, as she listened, she thought it changed to the trot of a horse’s hoofs211; one, two, three, four, she counted; then she heard a stumble; then, as it came nearer and nearer, she could hear the crack of a twig212 and the suck of the wet bog in its hoofs. The horse was almost on her. She sat upright. Towering dark against the yellow-slashed sky of dawn, with the plovers213 rising and falling about him, she saw a man on horseback. He started. The horse stopped.

‘Madam,’ the man cried, leaping to the ground, ‘you’re hurt!’

‘I’m dead, sir!’ she replied.

A few minutes later, they became engaged.

The morning after, as they sat at breakfast, he told her his name. It was Marmaduke Bonthrop Shelmerdine, Esquire.

‘I knew it!’ she said, for there was something romantic and chivalrous214, passionate215, melancholy216, yet determined about him which went with the wild, dark-plumed name — a name which had, in her mind, the steel-blue gleam of rooks’ wings, the hoarse laughter of their caws, the snake-like twisting descent of their feathers in a silver pool, and a thousand other things which will be described presently.

‘Mine is Orlando,’ she said. He had guessed it. For if you see a ship in full sail coming with the sun on it proudly sweeping217 across the Mediterranean218 from the South Seas, one says at once, ‘Orlando’, he explained.

In fact, though their acquaintance had been so short, they had guessed, as always happens between lovers, everything of any importance about each other in two seconds at the utmost, and it now remained only to fill in such unimportant details as what they were called; where they lived; and whether they were beggars or people of substance. He had a castle in the Hebrides, but it was ruined, he told her. Gannets feasted in the banqueting hall. He had been a soldier and a sailor, and had explored the East. He was on his way now to join his brig at Falmouth, but the wind had fallen and it was only when the gale5 blew from the South-west that he could put out to sea. Orlando looked hastily from the breakfast-room window at the gilt219 leopard220 on the weather vane. Mercifully its tail pointed221 due east and was steady as a rock. ‘Oh! Shel, don’t leave me!’ she cried. ‘I’m passionately222 in love with you,’ she said. No sooner had the words left her mouth than an awful suspicion rushed into both their minds simultaneously223.

‘You’re a woman, Shel!’ she cried.

‘You’re a man, Orlando!’ he cried.

Never was there such a scene of protestation and demonstration224 as then took place since the world began. When it was over and they were seated again she asked him, what was this talk of a South-west gale? Where was he bound for?

‘For the Horn,’ he said briefly225, and blushed. (For a man had to blush as a woman had, only at rather different things.) It was only by dint226 of great pressure on her side and the use of much intuition that she gathered that his life was spent in the most desperate and splendid of adventures — which is to voyage round Cape8 Horn in the teeth of a gale. Masts had been snapped off; sails torn to ribbons (she had to drag the admission from him). Sometimes the ship had sunk, and he had been left the only survivor227 on a raft with a biscuit.

‘It’s about all a fellow can do nowadays,’ he said sheepishly, and helped himself to great spoonfuls of strawberry jam. The vision which she had thereupon of this boy (for he was little more) sucking peppermints228, for which he had a passion, while the masts snapped and the stars reeled and he roared brief orders to cut this adrift, to heave that overboard, brought the tears to her eyes, tears, she noted230, of a finer flavour than any she had cried before: ‘I am a woman,’ she thought, ‘a real woman, at last.’ She thanked Bonthrop from the bottom of her heart for having given her this rare and unexpected delight. Had she not been lame49 in the left foot, she would have sat upon his knee.

‘Shel, my darling,’ she began again, ‘tell me...’ and so they talked two hours or more, perhaps about Cape Horn, perhaps not, and really it would profit little to write down what they said, for they knew each other so well that they could say anything, which is tantamount to saying nothing, or saying such stupid, prosy things as how to cook an omelette, or where to buy the best boots in London, things which have no lustre taken from their setting, yet are positively of amazing beauty within it. For it has come about, by the wise economy of nature, that our modern spirit can almost dispense231 with language; the commonest expressions do, since no expressions do; hence the most ordinary conversation is often the most poetic232, and the most poetic is precisely that which cannot be written down. For which reasons we leave a great blank here, which must be taken to indicate that the space is filled to repletion233.

After some days more of this kind of talk,

‘Orlando, my dearest,’ Shel was beginning, when there was a scuffling outside, and Basket the butler entered with the information that there was a couple of Peelers downstairs with a warrant from the Queen.

‘Show ‘em up,’ said Shelmerdine briefly, as if on his own quarter-deck, taking up, by instinct, a stand with his hands behind him in front of the fireplace. Two officers in bottlegreen uniforms with truncheons at their hips207 then entered the room and stood at attention. Formalities being over, they gave into Orlando’s own hands, as their commission was, a legal document of some very impressive sort; judging by the blobs of sealing wax, the ribbons, the oaths, and the signatures, which were all of the highest importance.

Orlando ran her eyes through it and then, using the first finger of her right hand as pointer, read out the following facts as being most germane234 to the matter.

‘The lawsuits235 are settled,’ she read out...’some in my favour, as for example...others not. Turkish marriage annulled237 (I was ambassador in Constantinople, Shel,’ she explained) ‘Children pronounced illegitimate, (they said I had three sons by Pepita, a Spanish dancer). So they don’t inherit, which is all to the good...Sex? Ah! what about sex? My sex’, she read out with some solemnity, ‘is pronounced indisputably, and beyond the shadow of a doubt (what I was telling you a moment ago, Shel?), female. The estates which are now desequestrated in perpetuity descend238 and are tailed and entailed239 upon the heirs male of my body, or in default of marriage’— but here she grew impatient with this legal verbiage240, and said, ‘but there won’t be any default of marriage, nor of heirs either, so the rest can be taken as read.’ Whereupon she appended her own signature beneath Lord Palmerston’s and entered from that moment into the undisturbed possession of her titles, her house, and her estate — which was now so much shrunk, for the cost of the lawsuits had been prodigious241, that, though she was infinitely242 noble again, she was also excessively poor.

When the result of the lawsuit236 was made known (and rumour243 flew much quicker than the telegraph which has supplanted it), the whole town was filled with rejoicings.

(Horses were put into carriages for the sole purpose of being taken out. Empty barouches and landaus were trundled up and down the High Street incessantly. Addresses were read from the Bull. Replies were made from the Stag. The town was illuminated244. Gold caskets were securely sealed in glass cases. Coins were well and duly laid under stones. Hospitals were founded. Rat and Sparrow clubs were inaugurated. Turkish women by the dozen were burnt in effigy245 in the market-place, together with scores of peasant boys with the label ‘I am a base Pretender’, lolling from their mouths. The Queen’s cream-coloured ponies246 were soon seen trotting247 up the avenue with a command to Orlando to dine and sleep at the Castle, that very same night. Her table, as on a previous occasion, was snowed under with invitations from the Countess if R., Lady Q., Lady Palmerston, the Marchioness of P., Mrs W.E. Gladstone and others, beseeching248 the pleasure of her company, reminding her of ancient alliances between their family and her own, etc.)— all of which is properly enclosed in square brackets, as above, for the good reason that a parenthesis249 it was without any importance in Orlando’s life. She skipped it, to get on with the text. For when the bonfires were blazing in the marketplace, she was in the dark woods with Shelmerdine alone. So fine was the weather that the trees stretched their branches motionless above them, and if a leaf fell, it fell, spotted250 red and gold, so slowly that one could watch it for half an hour fluttering and falling till it came to rest at last, on Orlando’s foot.

‘Tell me, Mar,’ she would say (and here it must be explained, that when she called him by the first syllable251 of his first name, she was in a dreamy, amorous, acquiescent252 mood, domestic, languid a little, as if spiced logs were burning, and it was evening, yet not time to dress, and a thought wet perhaps outside, enough to make the leaves glisten41, but a nightingale might be singing even so among the azaleas, two or three dogs barking at distant farms, a cock crowing — all of which the reader should imagine in her voice)—’Tell me, Mar,’ she would say, ‘about Cape Horn.’ Then Shelmerdine would make a little model on the ground of the Cape with twigs253 and dead leaves and an empty snail254 shell or two.

‘Here’s the north,’ he would say. ‘There’s the south. The wind’s coming from hereabouts. Now the brig is sailing due west; we’ve just lowered the top-boom mizzen: and so you see — here, where this bit of grass is, she enters the current which you’ll find marked — where’s my map and compasses, Bo’sun? Ah! thanks, that’ll do, where the snail shell is. The current catches her on the starboard side, so we must rig the jib-boom or we shall be carried to the larboard, which is where that beech255 leaf is,— for you must understand my dear —’ and so he would go on, and she would listen to every word; interpreting them rightly, so as to see, that is to say, without his having to tell her, the phosphorescence on the waves; the icicles clanking in the shrouds256; how he went to the top of the mast in a gale; there reflected on the destiny of man; came down again; had a whisky and soda257; went on shore; was trapped by a black woman; repented258; reasoned it out; read Pascal; determined to write philosophy; bought a monkey; debated the true end of life; decided259 in favour of Cape Horn, and so on. All this and a thousand other things she understood him to say, and so when she replied, Yes, negresses are seductive, aren’t they? he having told her that the supply of biscuits now gave out, he was surprised and delighted to find how well she had taken his meaning.

‘Are you positive you aren’t a man?’ he would ask anxiously, and she would echo,

‘Can it be possible you’re not a woman?’ and then they must put it to the proof without more ado. For each was so surprised at the quickness of the other’s sympathy, and it was to each such a revelation that a woman could be as tolerant and free-spoken as a man, and a man as strange and subtle as a woman, that they had to put the matter to the proof at once.

And so they would go on talking or rather, understanding, which has become the main art of speech in an age when words are growing daily so scanty260 in comparison with ideas that ‘the biscuits ran out’ has to stand for kissing a negress in the dark when one has just read Bishop146 Berkeley’s philosophy for the tenth time. (And from this it follows that only the most profound masters of style can tell the truth, and when one meets a simple one-syllable writer, one may conclude, without any doubt at all, that the poor man is lying.)

So they would talk; and then, when her feet were fairly covered with spotted autumn leaves, Orlando would rise and stroll away into the heart of the woods in solitude261, leaving Bonthrop sitting there among the snail shells, making models of Cape Horn. ‘Bonthrop,’ she would say, ‘I’m off,’ and when she called him by his second name, ‘Bonthrop’, it should signify to the reader that she was in a solitary mood, felt them both as specks262 on a desert, was desirous only of meeting death by herself, for people die daily, die at dinner tables, or like this, out of doors in the autumn woods; and with the bonfires blazing and Lady Palmerston or Lady Derby asking her out every night to dinner, the desire for death would overcome her, and so saying ‘Bonthrop’, she said in effect, ‘I’m dead’, and pushed her way as a spirit might through the spectre-pale beech trees, and so oared229 herself deep into solitude as if the little flicker263 of noise and movement were over and she were free now to take her way — all of which the reader should hear in her voice when she said ‘Bonthrop,’ and should also add, the better to illumine the word, that for him too the same word signified, mystically, separation and isolation264 and the disembodied pacing the deck of his brig in unfathomable seas.

After some hours of death, suddenly a jay shrieked265 ‘Shelmerdine’, and stooping, she picked up one of those autumn crocuses which to some people signify that very word, and put it with the jay’s feather that came tumbling blue through the beech woods, in her breast. Then she called ‘Shelmerdine’ and the word went shooting this way and that way through the woods and struck him where he sat, making models out of snail shells in the grass. He saw her, and heard her coming to him with the crocus and the jay’s feather in her breast, and cried ‘Orlando’, which meant (and it must be remembered that when bright colours like blue and yellow mix themselves in our eyes, some of it rubs off on our thoughts) first the bowing and swaying of bracken as if something were breaking through; which proved to be a ship in full sail, heaving and tossing a little dreamily, rather as if she had a whole year of summer days to make her voyage in; and so the ship bears down, heaving this way, heaving that way, nobly, indolently, and rides over the crest266 of this wave and sinks into the hollow of that one, and so, suddenly stands over you (who are in a little cockle shell of a boat, looking up at her) with all her sails quivering, and then, behold, they drop all of a heap on deck — as Orlando dropped now into the grass beside him.

Eight or nine days had been spent thus, but on the tenth, which was the 26th of October, Orlando was lying in the bracken, while Shelmerdine recited Shelley (whose entire works he had by heart), when a leaf which had started to fall slowly enough from a treetop whipped briskly across Orlando’s foot. A second leaf followed and then a third. Orlando shivered and turned pale. It was the wind. Shelmerdine — but it would be more proper now to call him Bonthrop — leapt to his feet.

‘The wind!’ he cried.

Together they ran through the woods, the wind plastering them with leaves as they ran, to the great court and through it and the little courts, frightened servants leaving their brooms and their saucepans to follow after till they reached the Chapel267, and there a scattering268 of lights was lit as fast as could be, one knocking over this bench, another snuffing out that taper269. Bells were rung. People were summoned. At length there was Mr Dupper catching270 at the ends of his white tie and asking where was the prayer book. And they thrust Queen Mary’s prayer book in his hands and he searched, hastily fluttering the pages, and said, ‘Marmaduke Bonthrop Shelmerdine, and Lady Orlando, kneel down’; and they knelt down, and now they were bright and now they were dark as the light and shadow came flying helter-skelter through the painted windows; and among the banging of innumerable doors and a sound like brass271 pots beating, the organ sounded, its growl272 coming loud and faint alternately, and Mr Dupper, who was grown a very old man, tried now to raise his voice above the uproar273 and could not be heard and then all was quiet for a moment, and one word — it might be ‘the jaws274 of death’— rang out clear, while all the estate servants kept pressing in with rakes and whips still in their hands to listen, and some sang loud and others prayed, and now a bird was dashed against the pane56, and now there was a clap of thunder, so that no one heard the word Obey spoken or saw, except as a golden flash, the ring pass from hand to hand. All was movement and confusion. And up they rose with the organ booming and the lightning playing and the rain pouring, and the Lady Orlando, with her ring on her finger, went out into the court in her thin dress and held the swinging stirrup, for the horse was bitted and bridled275 and the foam was still on his flank, for her husband to mount, which he did with one bound, and the horse leapt forward and Orlando, standing there, cried out Marmaduke Bonthrop Shelmerdine! and he answered her Orlando! and the words went dashing and circling like wild hawks276 together among the belfries and higher and higher, further and further, faster and faster they circled, till they crashed and fell in a shower of fragments to the ground; and she went in.



十九世纪第一天出现的漫天乌云,不仅笼罩了伦敦,而且笼罩了整个英伦三岛。那乌云持续了很长时间,对生活在它阴影之下的人们来说,这时间长到了后果不同寻常的地步。或者说,它也没有羁留多久,因为它不断受到狂风的袭击。英格兰的气候似乎发生了变化,雨下得更勤,间隔更短,而且往往是风急雨骤。太阳偶尔露面,但它周围总是云雾缭绕,空气中的水气饱和了,于是阳光的缤纷色彩不复存在,紫、橙、红等颜色中的呆滞色调取代了十八世纪活泼的风景。在这伤痕累累、阴霾密布的天穹之下,包心菜不再碧绿鲜艳,白雪亦显得污迹斑斑。更糟糕的是,潮湿开始潜入每一所房屋。在一切危害中,潮湿最为邪恶,因为百叶窗可阻挡炎热的阳光,炉火可变严寒为温暖,惟有潮湿,它在我们的睡梦中偷偷潜入,无声无息,神出鬼没,无孔不入。木头因潮湿而膨胀,水壶因潮湿而长毛,铁器因潮湿而生锈,石头因潮湿而腐蚀。这个过程潜移默化,直到有一天,我们拉开抽屉或拎起煤桶,抽屉或煤桶在手中散了架,我们才会怀疑是这祸害造的孽。

于是,说不清哪一天哪一刻,不知不觉之间,英国的本性改变了。这一改变留下的影响无处不在。过去,一位体格强壮的乡绅,可以坐在屋子里,惬意地喝着麦芽酒,吃着牛肉,那屋子的设计或许出自亚当兄弟之手(亚当兄弟,罗伯特·亚当和詹姆斯·亚当,18世纪英国建筑师和家具设计,新古典主义“亚当式”建筑风格的创始人。),很有古典气派。现在不行了,他开始觉得寒气逼人,不免在膝上围了毛毯,开始留长胡须,系紧裤腿。而且这位绅士腿部感觉到寒冷很快移到家里,为了保暖,他把家具覆盖起来,墙上挂了壁毯,桌上蒙了台布,屋里再没有什么东西是裸露的。后来,饮食也发生了根本的变化。发明了松糕和烤面饼,咖啡取代了饭后波尔多葡萄酒。此后,咖啡引出喝咖啡的起居室,起居室引出玻璃柜,玻璃柜引出人造花,人造花引出壁炉台,壁炉台引出钢琴,钢琴引出起居室抒情歌曲,而抒情歌曲又引出(我们跳过了一两个阶段)无数的小狗、地垫和瓷器装饰品。家彻底地改变了,它已经变得无比重要。

屋外,常春藤繁芜茂盛,这是潮湿的另一结果。曾经光秃秃的石头房子,现在覆盖了厚厚的一层绿苔。所有的花园,无论原本设计得多么堂皇,无不灌木丛生、荒草芜秽、迷宫密布。在婴儿出生的卧室,凡有光线透进的地方,当然是一片模糊的绿色。成人活动的起居室,光线穿透过褐色和紫色的长毛绒窗帘。然而,变化并非仅仅停留在表面,潮湿亦侵袭到人体内。男人感到内心的冰冷和头脑的迷乱。他们竭力将情感蜷缩到某个温暖的角落,不断尝试一个又一个逃避的手段。爱情、生育和死亡都局限于各式华丽辞藻之中。两性的距离愈拉愈远,双方甚至忍受不了坦诚的交谈,只能小心翼翼地相互回避,极力掩饰。恰似常春藤和常青树在屋外潮湿的泥土中疯长,同样的繁殖力也在屋内表现出来。普通女人的生活就是连续不断地生育。十九岁嫁人,三十岁时已有十五个或十八个孩子,因为双胞胎比比皆是。于是大英帝国应运而生。于是句子膨胀,形容词成倍增加,抒情诗变成了史诗,因为潮湿没有停止,反而像侵入木头一样侵入了墨水瓶。区区小事,原本只能作为专栏文章的主题,现在可以写成十卷、二十卷的百科全书。欧斯比俄斯·查布将是我们的见证人,他目睹了这一切如何对生性敏感的人的头脑发生影响,却根本无法加以阻止。在他的回忆录里,接近尾声处有一段话,描述一天上午,他在对开本上写了三十五页“废话”,然后拧紧墨水瓶盖,来到花园散心。他很快发现自己纠缠在灌木丛中,数不清的树叶在他头顶上方嘎吱作响,闪闪发光。他觉得自己“脚下踩碎了多得数不胜数的霉菌”。花园的尽头,有一堆潮湿的篝火冒着浓烟。他思忖道,世上的火,无论多大,也无望吞噬那一大片由植被生成的障碍。举目四望,植被繁芜错杂。黄瓜“蜷曲着爬过草地,伸展到他脚边”。硕大的菜花,长得高过一个又一个露天平台,直到按照他的混乱的想象,可与榆树比肩。母鸡接二连三下蛋,蛋的颜色浅浅的。这时,他叹了口气,记起自己的繁殖力和他可怜的妻子简,此刻她正在屋里,忍受第十五次分娩的阵痛。他自问还有什么可责怪那些禽类的呢?他仰视苍天。天堂本身,或天堂的前厅、即天空,岂不就意味着上苍赞同或鼓励这种繁殖吗?因为在那里,年复一年,无论冬夏,乌云如同鲸鱼一般——或者说如同大象一般——翻滚,他这样沉思着。但是,不,万里云霄给他留下明明白白、挥之不去的影像;整个天空就是一张宽大的羽毛床,覆盖在英伦三岛之上;菜园、卧室和鸡窝的繁殖力毫无例外在那里得到复制。他走进屋里,写下上面引用的那段话,然后把头放在瓦斯炉上,待人们发现时,他已经一命呜呼了。

这种情况在英国各地延续,但奥兰多尽可以隐居在布莱克弗里亚斯的家中,只当气候没有变,人们依旧能够随心所欲,想说什么就说什么,穿裙子穿裤子两可。不过到最后,甚至她也不得不承认,时代变了。世纪初的一个下午,她驱车穿过圣詹姆斯公园,还是她那辆镶木板的老式马车。这时,偶尔照临大地的阳光,有一束挣扎着穿透云层,给云彩镶上色彩缤纷的奇异花纹。既然十八世纪一碧如洗的天空不复存在,现在这样的景观成了奇观,足以让她放下窗子,放眼眺望。云彩呈紫褐色和火红色,令她想起爱奥尼亚海垂死的海豚,那种极度痛苦产生的快感,证明不知不觉之中,她已受到潮湿的感染。但让她惊奇的是,日光照射到地面时,似乎产生或者说照亮了一座金字塔、一场百牲祭,一堆战利品(因为它有一种筵席的气氛)。无论怎么说,那都是一大堆乌七八糟、相互抵牾的物品,杂乱无章地堆在现在矗立着维多利亚女王雕像的地方!一个有花叶雕饰但已磨损的巨大十字架竖在那里,上面垂挂了寡妇的丧服和新娘的面纱。水晶宫、柳条婴儿车、军用钢盔、纪念花圈、裤子、八字胡须、婚礼蛋糕、大炮、圣诞树、望远镜、灭绝的怪物、地球仪、地图、大象和数学仪器与其他赘物联在一起,就像一个巨大的盾徽,左边被一位身着飘逸白衣的女郎支撑,右边的支撑却是个一个彪形大汉,身穿大衣和鼓鼓囊囊的裤子。把毫不相称的各类物品放在一起,全身披挂杂以半身裸露、花里胡哨杂以彩格呢,这一切都让奥兰多觉得大煞风景。她一辈子从未同时看到如此之多寒伧和丑陋的庞然大物。这可能是,其实这必定是阳光照射水淋淋的空气所起的作用。一阵微风吹过,它就会消失殆尽。尽管如此,她乘车经过时,它却好似必定会永存下去。她缩回车里,觉得风雨雷电和阳光,一切都永远毁灭不了戳在那里的花哨玩艺儿。它的鼻子会斑驳脱落,喇叭会生锈;但它们会留在那里,永远指向东西南北。马车驶上宪法山,她回头看去。是的,它在那里,它在——她从男式裤子的表袋中掏出怀表——正午十二点的阳光下放射着光芒。再没有什么玩艺儿比它更乏味、更无想像力、对黎明与黄昏的暗示更无动于衷了,而它又经过如此精心谋划,打算永存下去。她下决心不再看它一眼。她已经感到自己的血流得很怠惰。然而更奇特的是,经过白金汉宫时,她的面色渐趋绯红,是一种鲜艳而罕见的红。有一股超凡的力量迫她低下头来看自己的膝盖。突然,她看到自己穿着黑色的马裤,不觉大惊失色,一路脸红到乡间宅邸。想想看四匹马小跑三十英里需要很长时间,我们希望她的脸红可以给人看作是贞洁的明证。

一到乡间大宅,她立即循着此时情理中最迫切的需要,抓起一条花锦缎被,紧紧裹住自己的身体。她对巴特洛莫寡妇(她接替善良的老格里姆斯迪奇当上管家)解释说这是因为她很冷。

“我们大家都一样,我的夫人,”那寡妇重重地叹了一口气说,口气中透出一股离奇、悲哀的满足,“墙都在冒汗。”这一点毫无疑问,她只要把手放在橡木板墙上,指痕就会印在那里。常春藤一个劲儿地疯长,许多窗户都被它封死了。厨房里黑乎乎的,几乎分不清哪里是壶,哪里是箩。一只可怜的黑猫被错当煤块,铲进了炉膛。女佣大多已穿上三四条红色法兰绒的衬裙,虽然这时是八月天。

“夫人,”那好女人问,抱了(着)双臂,金十字架在胸前上下起伏,“女王,保佑她,她穿的那个东西……你们叫什么来着?”这好女人吞吞吐吐,脸都红了。

“圈环衬裙,”奥兰多替她说出口(因为这个词儿已经传到了布莱克弗里亚斯)。巴特洛莫太太点点头。眼泪顺着她的双颊淌下来,但她泪中含笑。因为哭是一件快乐的事。她们岂不都是柔弱女子?穿圈环衬裙岂不就是为了更好地掩饰这一真相,惟一的真相、重要的真相,然而又是可悲的真相,每一谦卑女子总是尽力否认这一真相,直到无法否认、无法否认她将生育一个孩子这一真相?其实是生育十五到二十个孩子,于是一位谦卑女子,一生大部分时间都花在否认每年至少有一天必会真相大白的事实。

“松糕热着呢,”巴特洛莫太太说,一边抹眼泪,“在书房里。”

奥兰多裹着一条花锦缎被,面对一碟松糕,坐了下来。

“松糕热着呢,在书房里,”奥兰多一边喝茶,一边模仿巴特洛莫太太那做作的伦敦东区口音,装腔作势地从牙缝里挤出这句可怕的伦敦东区土话。啊,不,她讨厌这淡而无味的液体。她记得,就是在这房间里,伊丽莎白女王叉开腿站在壁炉旁,手握一只颈短肚大的啤酒壶。伯格雷勋爵大大咧咧,说话时不用虚拟语气,而用了祈使句,女王猛地将酒壶掷到桌上。“小东西,小东西,”奥兰多仿佛听见她在说:“‘必须’一词岂可随便对君主使用?”酒壶磕到桌上,现在还有痕迹。

奥兰多跳起来,仅仅想到那尊贵的女王,她就必得这样做,但她给被子绊了一下,跌回到椅子上,不禁咒骂了一句。她想,没办法,明天只得去买二十码黑色邦巴辛毛料,可能还得更多,做条裙子。然后(此处她脸红了)还得去买圈环衬裙,然后(她的脸又红了)是婴儿摇篮,然后是另一条圈环衬裙,等等,等等……她脸上红一阵白一阵,可以想见谦卑与羞愧几乎完美的交替重复。人们看到时代精神,时热时冷,吹拂着她的面颊。倘若时代精神有点儿不平衡,在为嫁人脸红之前先要为穿圈环衬裙脸红,那么,考虑到她的模棱两可的地位,和她以前不合常规的生活,她(甚至她的性别仍在争议之中)这样倒也情有可原了。

终于,双颊的红晕恢复了稳定,似乎时代精神——倘若这确实是时代精神——休眠了一段时间。这时,奥兰多开始在怀里摸索,好像是在找寻某个小盒子,或者说是失落了的爱情的信物。但她掏出来的并不是这类玩艺儿,而是一卷纸,上面有大海、血和旅行的污渍,那是她的诗作《大橡树》的手稿。她怀揣它经过了那么多年,历经千难万险,其中许多页污迹斑斑,有些页残破不全,因为住在吉卜赛人中间时,她一直处于无纸写字的窘境,只得在页边写满了字,行与行之间勾来勾去,整个手稿看起来就像一片针脚儿绵密的织补物。她翻回到第一页,日期一五八六年,是她自己那稚嫩的男孩笔迹。她一直在写这首诗,迄今已近三百年。该是结束的时候了。于是,她开始掀书页、蘸墨水、一会儿字斟句酌、一会儿一目十行,边看边想,所有这些年,她真的没有多少改变。她曾是郁郁寡欢的少年,像所有少年一样迷恋死亡;后来她变得多情而轻佻;又变得洒脱而玩世;她时而尝试散文,时而尝试戏剧。但如今一想,变来变去,却是万变不离其宗,她还是同样内向,喜爱沉思默想,她依然喜欢动物和自然,酷爱乡村和四季。

“毕竟,”她站起来,走到窗前,“一切都没有变。房子、花园原封未动。椅子没有挪过地方,小玩艺儿没有卖掉一件。一样的小径、一样的草坪、一样的树木、一样的池塘,我敢说,甚至塘里的鲤鱼都是原来的。不错,王位上坐的不再是伊丽莎白女王,而是维多利亚女王,但那又有什么分别……”

这想法刚刚形成,仿佛是为了指认它的荒唐,房门豁然大开,司膳总管巴斯克特走进来,身后跟着管家巴特洛莫,他们是来收拾茶具的。奥兰多把笔浸了墨水,正准备写下她对万物亘古不变的感想,一块墨渍阻止了她,这墨渍在笔的四周泅开。她很是气恼,猜想是笔管出了毛病:裂了或者脏了。她再次把它浸入墨水,墨渍更大了。她试着继续写下去,却毫无灵感。在这之后,她开始装饰那块墨渍,给它画上翅膀和胡须,直到它看上去像个圆头怪物,似蝙蝠,又似毛鼻袋熊。至于写诗,有巴斯克特和巴特洛莫在屋里,哪里又有可能。但令她惊诧万分的是,她刚想到这里,那笔就开始旋转飞舞,流利地写起来。纸面上出现了工整的意大利斜体字,而她一辈子从没看过比这更乏味的韵体诗:

我不过是微不足道的一环

连接生活疲惫不堪的锁链,

但我说过的神圣之言

啊,不会说得徒劳枉然!

年轻的女子,满眼晶莹的泪花

独自徘徊在月光下,

那泪水为远离的恋人挥洒

喃喃低语——

她不停地写,根本不睬巴特洛莫和巴斯克特在屋里一边咕哝抱怨,一边笼火和收拾松糕。

她又蘸了蘸墨水,提笔写道:

她的变化如此巨大,那朵柔嫩的康乃馨红云

当年曾覆盖她的双颊,仿佛黄昏

依偎天穹,闪烁玫瑰色的光彩,

如今已苍白失色,偶然现出

燃烧的鲜艳红晕,像火把照亮孤坟,

但此处,她倏地将墨水泼在纸上,希望永远挡住人们的目光。她浑身颤抖,心乱如麻。让不受意志控制的灵感驱动墨水流淌,再没有比这更可憎的事了。她究竟怎么啦?什么原因?难道是潮湿,还是巴特洛莫或巴斯克特?原因究竟在哪里?她追问着。但房间里空空荡荡,无人回答她的问题,只有雨打常春藤的滴答声。

与此同时,她站在窗前,开始觉得有一股奇特的刺痛和震颤遍布全身,仿佛她是由一千根金属细弦制成,微风轻轻吹拂,或有几根手指有意无意地在上面拨弄。她时而觉得脚趾刺痛,时而觉得骨髓刺痛。大腿骨四周有一些奇异无比的感觉。头发似乎竖了起来。手臂好似二十几年后发明的电报线那样发出嗖嗖和嘣嘣的声音。但所有这些焦躁不安,最后似乎都集中于她的两只手,然后是一只手,然后是那只手的一根手指头,最终它渐渐紧缩,围绕左手中指,形成窄窄一圈颤栗的感觉。她抬起那根手指,想看看是什么引起这不适的感觉。除了伊丽莎白女王赐给她的那只硕大的翡翠戒指,孤零零地戴在手指上,她什么也没看到。难道这还不够?她问道。那只戒指水色纯正,至少价值一万英镑。她所感到的战栗似乎在以古怪的方式(不过请记住,我们现在讲的,是人的灵魂深处最隐秘的一些表现)说,不够,还不够;而且带有拷问的色彩,好像在进一步问,这意味着什么?这疏漏,这奇怪的失察?直到可怜的奥兰多莫名其妙对自己左手中指有一种羞愧难当的感觉。这时,巴特洛莫进来请示,晚餐时她准备穿哪件衣服。奥兰多此时敏感多了,立即瞥了一眼巴特洛莫的左手,立即看到无名指上有一只粗大的黄色戒指,这是她过去从未注意的。那种黄,仿佛患了黄疸病似的。而她自己的无名指上却是光裸的,什么也没有。

“让我看看你的戒指,巴特洛莫,”她说,伸手欲把它摘下来。

巴特洛莫一惊,好像是有流氓当胸向她袭来,吓得退后两步,握紧拳头,猛地一挥,姿态极其庄重。“这可不行,”她凛然说道。夫人愿意的话,看就是了,至于摘下她的结婚戒指,无论大主教、教皇,还是在位的维多利亚女王,都休想逼她这样做。二十五年六个月零三星期前,她的托马斯把这戒指戴在她的手指上,她戴它睡觉,戴它干活,戴它洗澡,戴它祷告;还打算戴着它进坟墓。她的声音因为激动而结结巴巴的。事实上,奥兰多明白她要说的是,就是凭了这结婚戒指上的光辉,她在天使中才有一席之地。如果她有一秒钟照管不周,它的光泽就会受到永久的玷污。

“天可怜见,”奥兰多说,站在窗前,看着鸽子在窗外戏耍。“我们生活在一个什么样的世界上啊?真的,什么样的世界啊?”这世界之复杂,让她惊诧。她现在觉得,整个世界都套上了金指环。她进屋吃饭,结婚戒指数不胜数。她去教堂,结婚戒指触目皆是。她乘车出行,金戒指或仿金戒指,在每只手上闪着黯淡的光芒,它们或窄或宽,或普通或光滑。戒指充斥了珠宝店,它们不是奥兰多收集的那些闪光的人造宝石和钻石,而是简简单单的一个环,上面没有宝石。与此同时,她开始注意到城里人的一个新习气。过去,人们经常会遇到姑娘小伙儿在山楂树丛中调情。奥兰多曾多次用鞭梢轻轻抽打他们,然后大笑着跑开。现在,一切都变了。一对对男女如胶似漆般粘在一起,跌跌撞撞地走在路中央。女人的右手一律挽着男人的左手,手指紧紧扣在男人的手心里。常常是直到马鼻子撞到跟前,他们才会移动,即便如此,也是粘在一起,笨拙地移向路的一侧。

奥兰多只能假定对人类有了一些新的发现;他们粘在一起,一对又一对,但是谁把他们粘在一起,又是在何时,她无从猜测。似乎并不是大自然,因为她观察了鸽子、兔子和挪威犬,看不出大自然改变或修正了自己的方式,至少自伊丽莎白时代以来是如此。在她所能见到的兽类中间,根本没有牢不可破的同盟。那么,难道是维多利亚女王?或是莫尔本勋爵(莫尔本勋爵,维多利亚女王的第一任首相。)?对婚姻的伟大发现是否来自他们?但是,她沉思道,据说女王喜欢狗,而莫尔本勋爵,她听说,他喜欢女人。这很奇怪——很不雅观;不错,身体的这种如胶似漆,其中有某种东西与她的体面和卫生观相抵触。然而,伴随她的沉思默想的,是那根手指饱受刺痛和抽搐的折磨,让她几乎无法理清自己的思绪。它宛如女仆的白日梦,让人浑身无力,又不断撩拨人的神经。奥兰多因此而脸红,感到惟一可做的,就是买一只同样丑陋不堪的指环,如他人一样戴在手上。她这样做了,躲在窗帘的暗处,偷偷把它套在指上,心中觉得很是羞辱。但这于事无补,刺痛依然在继续,而且更剧烈、更不可抑制。那晚她彻夜无眠,第二天早晨,拿出笔写作,脑子里却是一片空白,墨水在纸上留下一摊又一摊污渍。还有比这更可怕的情形出现,那就是她的笔缓缓而行,对早夭和腐朽大发议论。这甚至比大脑一片空白还糟糕,因为我们似乎不是用手指而是用全部身心来写作。奥兰多的情形就证明了这一点,控制笔的神经缠绕身体的每一根纤维,钻心裂肺。虽然她的麻烦似乎在左手,但她可以感到自己已经鬼迷心窍,最终只得考虑铤而走险,以作补救之计,这就是彻底妥协,顺从时代精神,找一位丈夫。

这样做有悖她的天性,这一点我们已经表达得明白无误。当年大公的马车轮声逐渐远去,她脱口喊出的是“生活!恋人!”而非“生活!丈夫!”正是为了追寻这一目标,她迁到城里,奔走于前一章所描述的那个世界。然而,时代精神自有其不可违拗之处,它给所有试图抗拒者都带来巨大创痛,相形之下,那些识时务者的下场倒好些。奥兰多天生亲和伊丽莎白时代、王政复辟时期和十八世纪的精神,因此几乎觉不出从一个时代向另一时代的转变。但她的天性与十九世纪的精神格格不入,因此它击败了她,打垮了她,她知道自己前所未有地败在了它的手中。或许人的精神自有其归属;有人天生属于此一时代,有人属于彼一时代;奥兰多既然已是三十一、二岁的成年妇人,她的性格就已大体形成,容不得强扭了。

因此,她悲哀地站在起居室(巴特洛莫已把书房装饰得基督教的味道太浓)的窗前,已顺从地穿上圈环衬裙,它的重量坠得她直不起腰来。她以前穿过的衣服从来没有如此沉重、灰暗、碍手碍脚。她再不能与爱犬一起大步穿过花园,再不能轻快地跑上高坡,扑到大橡树下。她的裙裾拖带地上湿漉漉的树叶和稻草。插了翎毛的帽子给微风一吹就有掀翻的危险。薄薄的鞋子走几步路就会湿透,变成泥饼。她的肌肉失去了当年的柔韧。她变得非常神经质,惟恐护墙板后藏着强盗,而且一辈子头一次害怕走廊上有鬼魂出没。凡此种种,一步步逼迫她屈从无论是维多利亚女王还是别人的新发现,即无论男女,人人都有一个命定的终身伴侣,他供养她,或者说她由他供养,至死才分离。她觉得,有人可依靠,坐下来,甚至躺下去,永远永远不起来,也是一种慰藉。因此,尽管她过去那么骄傲,时代精神还是对她发生了作用。而且就在她的情绪低落到如此不同寻常的地步时,那些夹缠不清又让人困惑的刺痛变成了曼妙的旋律,直到似乎是天使在用雪白的手指拨弄琴弦,她全身都沉浸在简洁无瑕的和谐之中。

然而,谁能是她的依靠呢?她向瑟瑟秋风提出了这个问题。因为已是十月,天气依然阴雨连绵。这个人不会是大公,他早已娶了一位贵妇,在罗马尼亚猎兔好多年了。也不会是M先生,他皈依了天主教;不会是C侯爵,他正在博坦尼湾(澳大利亚地名,19世纪英国流放犯人的地方。)缝麻袋;也不会是O勋爵,他早就葬身鱼腹。反正,她的所有密友都不在了;而德鲁瑞巷的奈尔和基蒂们,虽然颇得她的欢心,只怕很难靠得住。

“我能依靠谁呢?”她问,仰望天空中翻卷的流云。她跪在窗台上,轻拍双手,一幅楚楚可怜的女儿家形象。她说话不由自主,拍手不由自主,恰似她的笔写起来完全不听她的使唤。因此说话的不是奥兰多,而是时代精神。不过无论是谁,反正没有人回答这个问题。秃鼻鸦在秋日里紫色的云彩间上下翻飞。雨终于停了,空中现出一道彩虹,诱得奥兰多在晚餐前戴上那顶簪了羽毛的帽子,穿一双系带的小巧鞋子,来到了屋外。

“除了我,一切都是成双成对,”她想,闷闷不乐地穿过庭院。天上飞着的秃鼻鸦,甚至连卡努特和皮平,那个傍晚似乎也都有一个伴儿,尽管它们的结盟很短暂。 “而我,这一切的女主人,”奥兰多想,“却是孤零零一人,形单影只。”经过大厅时,她瞥了几眼那数不清的窗子上的彩色镶嵌画。

此前,她从未有过这类想法。如今,它们已把她彻底击败。她没有砰地推开大门,而是用戴了手套的手轻叩,请看门人替她把门打开。人必须有人可依靠,即便是看门人也好,她想,几乎希望留下来,帮她在一桶红红的热炭上烤肉排。但她又不好意思讲出来,只好独自漫步到庭园。开始她有些畏缩,恐怕让偷猎者、猎场看守人,甚至听差的小厮看了笑话,奇怪一位贵妇怎么会独自四处行走。

她每走一步,都要神经质地四处张望,惟恐有男人隐在荆豆树后,或有只野牛低头向她拱来,用角挑起她抛向天空。其实,此间只有天空中翻飞的秃鼻鸦。一根铁青色的翎毛,从秃鼻鸦身上飘下,落到欧石南丛中。奥兰多喜欢野禽的翎毛,打从小时候就常常收集。现在她拾起这根翎毛,插到帽子上。四周的空气多少让她的精神一振。秃鼻鸦在她头顶盘旋、滑翔,翎毛一根接一根落下,在紫色的空气中闪烁着光芒。她尾随它们,来到沼泽地,又上了山,长长的斗篷拖在身后。她有很多年没有走这么长的路了。她从草地上捡起了六根翎毛,用指尖夹着,贴在嘴唇上,体味它们平滑的质感。就在这时,她看到山坡边有一汪水塘,闪着神秘的银光,恰似贝迪威尔爵士(贝迪威尔爵士,传说中亚瑟王的圆桌骑士之一。)抛人亚瑟王之剑的那个湖。空中一根翎毛飘飘摇摇,落入水塘中央。奥兰多全身在此刻感到一种奇特的狂喜。她痴迷地觉得,自己跟着这些秃鼻鸦来到了海角天涯,扑到湿软的草皮上,狂饮忘却之酒,而秃鼻鸦沙哑的笑声在她头顶上回旋。她加快脚步,跑了起来,却被欧石南粗硬的树根绊了一下,跌倒在地,跌断了脚踝骨,爬不起来。但她心满意足地躺在那里,耳边响着秃鼻鸦沙哑的笑声,睡菜和绣线菊的香气扑鼻。“我找到了自己的伴侣,”她喃喃自语。“那就是沼泽。我是大自然的新娘,”她低语道,欣喜若狂地接受草地冰冷的拥抱。她裹着斗篷躺在水塘边的洼地里。“我将长眠于此,”(一根翎毛落在她的额上。)“我找到了碧绿的桂冠,碧绿甚于海湾,我的前额将永远清凉。这些野禽的翎毛——猫头鹰的、欧夜莺的。我的梦将是荒蛮之梦。我的手将不戴结婚戒指,”她边说边从手指上褪下戒指。“草根将环绕它们。啊!”她叹了口气,头舒坦地靠在洼地湿软的枕头上。“我多年寻觅幸福,没有结果。我与声名擦肩而过;我从未有过爱情;生活——也罢,还是死了好。我认识众多男女,”她接着想;“但未有一人我真正明白。若能安息于此,惟有苍天在上,岂不更好——就像多年前吉卜赛人告诉我的那样。那是在土耳其。”她两眼直瞪瞪望向天空,云朵翻滚,堆积成奇特的金色泡沫,转瞬之间,她看到其中有条小路,一行骆驼,穿过红色沙尘笼罩的戈壁。驼队过后,只留下危岩林立的高山峻岭,她想象自己听到山口响起山羊脖子上叮当的铃声,漫山遍野的鸢尾和黄龙胆。于是,天空变了,她的视线慢慢下移,直至触到雨水浸润而颜色变暗的大地,看到南丘(英格兰南部的丘陵地带。)那大片山冈,沿海岸逶迤起伏;陆地分开的地方是大海,不时有船只驶过;她想象听到远处海上的炮声,开始以为“是西班牙无敌舰队,”又一想,“不对,是纳尔逊 (纳尔逊(1758—1805),英国海军统帅,1805年在科拉法尔加角海战中大败法国一西班牙联合舰队。),”随后才记起那些战争早巳结束,这些是忙碌的商船;弯弯曲曲的河面上漂着扬帆的游船。她还看到黝暗的田野中星星点点散布的羊群和牛群,她看到农舍的窗间透出点点灯火,畜群中有灯笼漂移,是牧羊人和牧牛人在巡夜;然后,灯火熄灭,群星升起,密布夜空。她脸上盖着沾水的羽毛,耳朵贴着大地,睡意朦胧之间,听到地心深处,有锤子敲击铁砧的声音,抑或是心跳的声音?答、答、答,是锤子敲击铁砧,还是地心在跳,直到她觉得它变成了马蹄声;一、二、三、四,她数着,听到它绊了一下;然后愈来愈近,她可以听到细树枝折断和马蹄陷入湿沼泽的声音。那马几乎踩到了她。她坐了起来。朦胧的天光依稀映衬出一个高大的黑影,她看到一个男人骑在马上,凤头麦鸡在他四周扑扇着翅膀,惊起落下。他吓了一跳,勒住马。

“夫人,”那男子惊叫,跳下马,“你受伤了!”

“我死了,先生!”她答道。

几分钟后,两人订了婚。

第二天早上,两人坐在一起吃早饭,他告诉她,他名叫马默杜克·邦斯洛普·谢尔默丁,是一位士绅。

“我知道这名字!”她说,因为他身上有某种浪漫、侠义、热情、忧郁,但坚定不移的气质,与这一怪诞、(仿佛深色翎毛般)华贵的名字很相配。这名字让她联想起秃鼻鸦双翼的铁青色光芒、它们沙哑的笑声、它们蛇一般打着旋儿落人银色池塘的翎毛,还有其他千百种我们即将描述的东西。

“我叫奥兰多,”她说。他已经猜到了。他解释说,这是因为,倘若你看到一条洒满阳光的船,高张风帆,大摇大摆地从南太平洋驶来,穿过地中海,你立即会说,“这是奥兰多。”

事实上,尽管相识的时间很短,但最多只有两秒钟,他们就已勘破对方的本相,就像恋人间一向发生的情形。现在只剩下一些无关紧要的细节需要填充,譬如叫什么名字,家住何处,是乞丐还是富豪。他告诉她,他在赫布里底群岛有座古堡,现已破败,宴会厅成了塘鹅饱餐的地方。他曾是军人和水手,还到过东方探险,眼下正在去菲尔茅斯的途中。他要去那里与他的双桅帆船会合,但是风停了,非得刮西南风,他才能出海。奥兰多赶忙看看窗外风向标上的镀金豹。幸好豹尾一动不动地指向正东。“啊!谢尔,别离开我!”她喊道。“我疯狂地爱上了你,”她说。话刚出口,两人心中就同时产生了一丝可怕的疑虑。

“你是女人,谢尔!”她喊道。

“你是男人,奥兰多!”他喊道。

其后出现的是开天辟地从未发生过的一通责难和辩白。待这一切结束后,他们再次坐下来,奥兰多问他这西南风是怎么回事?他要去向何方?

“合恩角(智利南部合恩岛的南角,南美洲的最南端。),”他简短地说,脸红了。(因为男人也像女人一样脸红,惟脸红的原因大不相同罢了。)只是凭着她这一方的逼问,再加上直觉,她才猜出他一生都在用性命博取辉煌,即顶风绕合恩角航行。桅杆被掀翻,船帆撕成碎片(让他承认这些,她费了九牛二虎之力)。有时,船沉没了,他是惟一的幸存者,漂一只木筏,身边只剩一块饼干。

“现如今男人大概也只剩这一件事可做了,”他怯怯地说,自己舀了一大勺草莓酱吃起来。她眼前现出这么一幅景象:桅杆折断了,发出咔嚓咔嚓的声响,天旋地转,这个男孩(因为他不过是个男孩)一边吸吮自己酷爱的薄荷,一边大吼大叫,干脆地命令割断这个,把那个扔下海去。这情景让她眼里溢满了泪水,她注意到,这是甜蜜的泪水,胜过她以往流过的任何眼泪。“我是女人了,”她想,“我终于是一个真正的女人了。”她衷心感激邦斯洛普给了她这鲜有的、出乎意料的愉悦。若不是左脚瘸了,她本会坐到他膝上去。

“谢尔,亲爱的,”她又开始说,“告诉我……”于是他们谈了两个多小时,话题可能是合恩角,也可能不是。写下他们的叙谈,着实没有什么意义,因为他们相互之间是如此默契,以至到了无话不谈的地步,其实等于什么也没说,或者是说些愚蠢、乏味的事情,譬如怎样炒鸡蛋,在伦敦何处能买到上乘的靴子等等,这些事情离开了背景即光彩全无,而它们又确实有其惊人的内在之美。因为似乎根据自然那睿智的节约法则,我们的现代精神几乎可以省去语言;既然一切表达都不得体,那么最日常的表达就是得体的;而最普通的谈话往往是最有诗意的谈话,而最有诗意的谈话又恰恰是不可以写下来的。为此原因,我们在这里留下一大片空白,而我们又必须当这空白是填得满满的。

他们又如此这般地叙谈了几天。

“奥兰多,最亲爱的,”谢尔刚说到这里,外面出现一阵混乱,男总管巴斯克特进来通报,楼下来了两位警察,呈送女王的令状。

“带他们上来,”谢尔默丁很干脆地说,仿佛是在自己的甲板上。他本能地背剪双手,站在壁炉前。两位身穿深绿色制服、后腰挂警棍的警官走了进来,立正站好。行过礼节之后,他们遵命将一份法律文件递到奥兰多手里。从那一大堆封蜡、缎带、宣誓和签字判断,这文件绝对是至高无上地重要。

奥兰多迅速浏览一遍,然后用右手食指点着,念出与这件事有密切关系的下列事实。

“  官司有结果了,”她大声说,“有些对我有利,譬如……有些对我不利。在土耳其的婚姻被宣布无效(“我那时是驻君士坦丁堡大使,谢尔,”她解释说)。子女属私生(他们说我与一位叫皮佩塔的西班牙舞女生有三子),因此他们没有继承权,这很不错……性别?啊!关于性别怎么说?我的性别,”她庄严地宣布, “被无可争辩、毫无疑问地宣布为女性(刚才我怎么告诉你的,谢尔?)。现在永久归还我的财产,世代相传,限为我的男嗣继承,或在未婚的情况下”——此处她变得对这一法律措辞很不耐烦,说,“不会有未婚的情况,也不会有无嗣的情况,因此后面就不用念了。”于是她在帕尔默斯顿勋爵的签名下签了自己的名字。从那一刻起,她可以不受打扰地拥有她的头衔、宅邸和财产,但由于诉讼费用惊人,她的财产锐减,以至现在虽又重为贵族,却也因此家道中落。

这场官司的结果公布后(传闻行走之快,远远超过现在取而代之的电报),全镇喜气洋洋,一片沸腾景象。

【人们套上各式四轮大马车,在大街上来回奔跑,马车中并没有载人。名为公牛和牡鹿的酒吧里都有人在演讲和辩论。小镇灯火通明。玻璃箱子中封着金盒子,石头底下压着钱币,成立了医院,老鼠和麻雀俱乐部也开了张。市场上焚毁了成打的土耳其女人模拟像,还有许多土里土气的小伙子,纸条从嘴上悬挂下来,上面写着“我是卑鄙的觊觎王位者”。不久,女王的米黄色小马一路小跑而来,带来女王要奥兰多当晚去温莎堡赴宴和过夜的邀请。奥兰多的桌上又像往常一样,堆满请帖。R伯爵夫人、Q夫人、帕尔默斯顿夫人、P侯爵夫人、W.E.格莱斯顿太太等人,纷纷恳请她光临,并提醒她,她们的家族与她的家族之间累世通好。】凡此种种,都如上文的做法,适于放在一个方括号中,原因在于它不过是一段插曲,在奥兰多的生活中无足轻重。她跳过它,继续生活。当篝火在市场上燃烧时,她正单独与谢尔默丁一起呆在黝暗的树林里。天气好极了,林木的枝杈在他们头顶上伸展开来,纹丝不动,若有一片树叶飘下,那金红相间的树叶会忽忽悠悠,在空中飘游半小时,最后终于落下,栖息在奥兰多的脚面。

“马尔,给我讲讲,”她会说(此处必须解释一下,在用他名字的头一个音节来称呼他时,她往往处于一种梦幻般含情脉脉、以心相许的状态,驯服,有点儿倦怠,好似香木在燃烧,而且这是傍晚,但又未到穿礼服的时候,屋外可能在下小雨,树叶因此而闪闪发光,杜鹃花丛中,一只夜莺在啼啭,从远处的农庄,传来三两声狗吠鸡鸣——所有这些,读者都应根据她的声音来想象)——“马尔,给我讲讲合恩角。”她说,于是谢尔默丁就会用树枝和枯树叶,还有一两个空蜗牛壳,在地上搭起一个合恩角的模型。

“这是北,”他说。“那是南。风起于这附近。双桅帆船正向西行驶;我们刚放下顶帆杆上的后桅纵帆;你看,就是在这里,这有点儿草的地方,船碰上了海流,你会看到,这是标出来的,在一我的地图和指南针哪里去了,水手长?——啊,谢谢!这就行,蜗牛壳那里就行。海流吃住了右舷,必须给艏斜帆桁上索具,否则船就要斜到左舷去,就是山毛榉叶落下的地方——因为你得明白,亲爱的——”他会这样不断说下去,而她,字字都听得仔细,并且对它们的意思心领神会。这就是说,无须他作任何说明,她即能看到浪尖上闪烁的磷光,侧支索上叮当作响的冰凌;看到他如何顶着大风爬上桅顶,在那里沉思人的命运;又如何下来,饮一杯威士忌加苏打水,然后上岸,被一黑女人迷住,后来又幡然悔悟,设法摆脱;读帕斯卡尔((1623--1662),法国数学家、物理学家、哲学家。)的著作;决心写哲思录;买一只猴子;辩论生命的真正意义之所在;决定值得去合恩角,等等,等等。凡此种种,外加他所讲的其他无数事情,她都能领会,因此当他告诉她饼干吃完了,她回答说,是啊,黑女人很能勾引人,对不对?他发现她竟能一点儿不差地领会他的意思,不免又惊又喜。

“你能肯定自己不是男人?”他会迫不及待地问。她则会回声似地反问:

“你竟然不是女人,这可能吗?”然后他们必须立即来验证一下。因为两人都为对方的默契来得如此之快感到惊奇,都觉得这是一个启示,表明女子可宽容、坦率如男子,男子亦可古怪、敏感如女子,对此他们也必须立即加以验证。

于是,他们会继续谈下去,或者说是继续领悟下去。领悟在这个时代,已成为演讲的主要艺术,因为比之思想,言语正变得日益稀少,以至在读毕十遍伯克莱主教(伯克莱主教(1685—1753),爱尔兰基督教新教主教,唯心主义哲学家。“饼干吃完了”即表示在暗处与一个黑女人亲嘴。(据此推论,只有最深刻的风格大师才能讲述真理。如果遇到一位用词简单的作家,人们可以毫不怀疑地断定,那倒霉蛋一定是在撒谎)的哲学后,他们就这样不断地谈下去,直到奥兰多的脚面覆盖了一层秋叶,厚厚的,金红相间。她站起来,独自走到树林深处,留下邦斯洛普一人坐在蜗牛壳中间,摆弄他的合恩角模型。“邦斯洛普,”她会说,“我走了。”她用他中间的名字“邦斯洛普”来称呼他,这向读者表明,她此时陷于孤寂的心境,觉得两人都是沙漠中的尘粒,只渴望去独自迎接死亡,因为死亡每时每刻都在发生,人们死在饭桌上,或者像这样,死在户外秋天的树林里。尽管篝火在熊熊燃烧,尽管帕尔默斯顿夫人或戴尔比夫人邀请她每晚出去赴宴,对死的渴望依然征服了她。因此,说“邦斯洛普”,她实际上是在说,“我死了。”她像个鬼魂,穿过幽灵般苍白的山毛榉丛林,潜入僻静无人的树林深处,仿佛连那一点点声音和运动都停止了,她现在可以自由自在地出走——这一切,当她说“邦斯洛普”时,读者都应该从她的声音中听出,而且为了更好地解释这四个字,读者还应进一步想到,对他来说,它们也神秘地象征分手、与世隔绝,以及在深不可测的大海上,在他那双桅帆船的甲板上,游魂般地踱步。

经过几小时死一般的枯寂,一只松鸦突然尖叫了一声“谢尔默丁”,她弯下腰,拾起一朵番红花,对有些人来说,这象征着同一个词。她把番红花和松鸦的翎毛一起插在胸前,那翎毛闪着蓝光,打着旋儿,穿过山毛榉林,落了下来。然后,她高声呼喊“谢尔默丁”,这声音在树林里回荡,最后传到他的耳中,他正坐在草地上摆弄蜗牛壳搭成的模型。他看到她、也听到她向他跑来,胸前插着番红花和松鸦的翎毛。他大声喊“奥兰多”,这最初意味着(切记当蓝色和黄色这样鲜艳的色彩在我们眼前混成一片时,我们的头脑中会产生幻象)蕨丛的摇摆起伏、仿佛有什么:东西正在挣脱而出;结果是一条张满风帆的船,好似已缓缓航行了整整一夏天,正摇摇摆摆,高贵、倦怠而梦幻般地向你驶来,一会儿爬上浪尖,一会儿又跌人深谷。就这样,她突然高耸在你面前(你正在一条船的小蛤壳里,仰视着她),所有船帆都在轻轻抖动,然后,瞧,它们全都落了下来,堆在甲板上,一大堆,就像奥兰多现在倒在他身边的草地上。

八九天就这样过去了,但是到了第十天,即十月二十六日,奥兰多正躺在蕨丛中,听谢尔默丁吟诵雪莱的诗(他能背诵雪莱的全部作品)。这时,一片叶子从树梢上飘落下来,开始还是慢悠悠的,突然疾飞旋转,掠过奥兰多的脚面。紧跟着飞来第二片树叶,然后是第三片。奥兰多打了个寒噤,脸色发白。起风了。谢尔默丁——但这时称他邦斯洛普更合适 ——一跃而起。

“起风了!”他喊道。

他们一起奔跑,穿过树林,风在他们身上贴满树叶。他们跑到大方庭,穿过它,又穿过许多小方庭,仆人们吓得扔下扫把、簸箕,跟在他们身后,来到小教堂。仆人们匆匆点燃零落的灯光,有人踢翻板凳,有人不小心熄灭了小蜡烛。钟声大作,召集人们前来。杜普尔先生终于到了,他一只手抓着自己的白领结,问祈祷书在哪里。人们把玛丽女王的祈祷书塞到他手里,他急忙很快地翻起来,一面说:“马默杜克·邦斯洛普·谢尔默丁、奥兰多小姐,跪下。”他们跪下身来,阳光夹杂着阴影扫过彩色的玻璃窗,照在他们身上,时明时暗。在不断的开门关门声和好像敲铜锅的声响中,风琴响了起来,它发出低沉的轰鸣,时重时轻地交替着。年老的杜普尔先生提高嗓门,想盖过这一片喧嚣,却没有人能听得见他在说些什么。然后,忽然出现了片刻的沉静,一个类似“至死不渝”的词突然清晰地凸显出来,同时,全庄园的仆人不断涌进来,依然手握搂耙和鞭子,有人高声诵唱,有人祈祷,不时还会有只鸟儿撞到窗格上。一声霹雳突然响起,因此谁也未听到“服从”这个词,而且除了金光一闪,谁也未看到交换戒指。一切都在运动和混乱之中。他们站起身,风琴发出低沉的声音,电闪雷鸣,大雨滂沱。奥兰多小姐,手戴戒指,身穿轻薄的长裙,走出教堂,来到院子里。她抓住马镫,因为马已戴好嚼子配好鞍,背上仍然大汗淋漓,只等她丈夫翻身而上,他真的一跃而上,策马奔向前方。奥兰多立在那里,高声喊道:马默杜克·邦斯洛普·谢尔默丁!他答道:奥兰多!这几个字好似一群野鹰在钟楼间俯冲、盘旋,愈来愈高、愈来愈远、愈来愈快,直至撞到钟楼上,撞成碎片,如一阵雨珠坠落在地;她回到屋里。

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 isles 4c841d3b2d643e7e26f4a3932a4a886a     
岛( isle的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
  • The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。
2 buffeted 2484040e69c5816c25c65e8310465688     
反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 ); 连续猛击; 打来打去; 推来搡去
参考例句:
  • to be buffeted by the wind 被风吹得左右摇摆
  • We were buffeted by the wind and the rain. 我们遭到风雨的袭击。
3 blustering DRxy4     
adj.狂风大作的,狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 );咆哮;(风)呼啸;狂吹
参考例句:
  • It was five and a half o'clock now, and a raw, blustering morning. 这时才五点半,正是寒气逼人,狂风咆哮的早晨。 来自辞典例句
  • So sink the shadows of night, blustering, rainy, and all paths grow dark. 夜色深沉,风狂雨骤;到处途暗路黑。 来自辞典例句
4 gales c6a9115ba102941811c2e9f42af3fc0a     
龙猫
参考例句:
  • I could hear gales of laughter coming from downstairs. 我能听到来自楼下的阵阵笑声。
  • This was greeted with gales of laughter from the audience. 观众对此报以阵阵笑声。
5 gale Xf3zD     
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等)
参考例句:
  • We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
  • According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报,明天有大风。
6 gusts 656c664e0ecfa47560efde859556ddfa     
一阵强风( gust的名词复数 ); (怒、笑等的)爆发; (感情的)迸发; 发作
参考例句:
  • Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。
  • Turbulence is defined as a series of irregular gusts. 紊流定义为一组无规则的突风。
7 saturated qjEzG3     
a.饱和的,充满的
参考例句:
  • The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
  • a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液
8 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
9 bruised 5xKz2P     
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的
参考例句:
  • his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
  • She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤,摔得鼻青脸肿。
10 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。
11 canopy Rczya     
n.天篷,遮篷
参考例句:
  • The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
  • They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。
12 insidious fx6yh     
adj.阴险的,隐匿的,暗中为害的,(疾病)不知不觉之间加剧
参考例句:
  • That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
  • Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。
13 swells e5cc2e057ee1aff52e79fb6af45c685d     
增强( swell的第三人称单数 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
  • A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。
14 rust XYIxu     
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退
参考例句:
  • She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
  • The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。
15 rusts 27b9b19980c5303e65d11a6f9f07e096     
n.铁锈( rust的名词复数 );(植物的)锈病,锈菌v.(使)生锈( rust的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Copper nails are better than iron nails because the iron rusts. 铜钉比铁钉好,因为铁会生锈。 来自辞典例句
  • The axenic culture of rusts has been achieved on various defined media. 在各种规定的培养基上可得到锈菌的单体纯净培养物。 来自辞典例句
16 scuttle OEJyw     
v.急赶,疾走,逃避;n.天窗;舷窗
参考例句:
  • There was a general scuttle for shelter when the rain began to fall heavily.下大雨了,人们都飞跑着寻找躲雨的地方。
  • The scuttle was open,and the good daylight shone in.明朗的亮光从敞开的小窗中照了进来。
17 hardy EenxM     
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的
参考例句:
  • The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
  • He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。
18 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
参考例句:
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
19 muffled fnmzel     
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)
参考例句:
  • muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
  • There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 supplanted 1f49b5af2ffca79ca495527c840dffca     
把…排挤掉,取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • In most offices, the typewriter has now been supplanted by the computer. 当今许多办公室里,打字机已被电脑取代。
  • The prime minister was supplanted by his rival. 首相被他的政敌赶下台了。
21 ballads 95577d817acb2df7c85c48b13aa69676     
民歌,民谣,特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 ); 讴
参考例句:
  • She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
  • She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书,还教他唱两三首民谣,弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。
22 ornaments 2bf24c2bab75a8ff45e650a1e4388dec     
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
  • Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 ivy x31ys     
n.常青藤,常春藤
参考例句:
  • Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
  • The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。
24 profusion e1JzW     
n.挥霍;丰富
参考例句:
  • He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
  • The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。
25 smothered b9bebf478c8f7045d977e80734a8ed1d     
(使)窒息, (使)透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 ); 覆盖; 忍住; 抑制
参考例句:
  • He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
  • The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。
26 wilderness SgrwS     
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠
参考例句:
  • She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
  • Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。
27 maze F76ze     
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑
参考例句:
  • He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
  • She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时,她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。
28 penetrated 61c8e5905df30b8828694a7dc4c3a3e0     
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The knife had penetrated his chest. 刀子刺入了他的胸膛。
  • They penetrated into territory where no man had ever gone before. 他们已进入先前没人去过的地区。
29 subterfuge 4swwp     
n.诡计;藉口
参考例句:
  • European carping over the phraseology represented a mixture of hypocrisy and subterfuge.欧洲在措词上找岔子的做法既虚伪又狡诈。
  • The Independents tried hard to swallow the wretched subterfuge.独立党的党员们硬着头皮想把这一拙劣的托词信以为真。
30 evasions 12dca57d919978b4dcae557be5e6384e     
逃避( evasion的名词复数 ); 回避; 遁辞; 借口
参考例句:
  • A little overwhelmed, I began the generalized evasions which that question deserves. 我有点不知所措,就开始说一些含糊其词的话来搪塞。
  • His answers to my questions were all evasions. 他对我的问题的回答均为遁词。
31 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
32 sedulously c8c26b43645f472a76c56ac7fe5a2cd8     
ad.孜孜不倦地
参考例句:
  • In this view they were sedulously abetted by their mother, aunts and other elderly female relatives. 在这方面,他们得到了他们的母亲,婶婶以及其它年长的女亲戚们孜孜不倦的怂恿。
  • The clerk laid the two sheets of paper alongside and sedulously compared their contents. 那职员把两张纸并排放在前面,仔细比较。
33 evergreen mtFz78     
n.常青树;adj.四季常青的
参考例句:
  • Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的,被叫做常青树。
  • There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
34 abounded 40814edef832fbadb4cebe4735649eb5     
v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Get-rich-quick schemes abounded, and many people lost their savings. “生财之道”遍地皆是,然而许多人一生积攒下来的钱转眼之间付之东流。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • Shoppers thronged the sidewalks. Olivedrab and navy-blue uniforms abounded. 人行道上逛商店的人摩肩接踵,身着草绿色和海军蓝军装的军人比比皆是。 来自辞典例句
35 swelled bd4016b2ddc016008c1fc5827f252c73     
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染,他的手肿了起来。
  • After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后,河水猛涨。
36 lyrics ko5zoz     
n.歌词
参考例句:
  • music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
  • The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。
37 epics a6d7b651e63ea6619a4e096bc4fb9453     
n.叙事诗( epic的名词复数 );壮举;惊人之举;史诗般的电影(或书籍)
参考例句:
  • one of the great Hindu epics 伟大的印度教史诗之一
  • Homer Iliad and Milton's Paradise Lost are epics. 荷马的《伊利亚特》和弥尔顿的《失乐园》是史诗。 来自互联网
38 encyclopaedias 0383fe1bd930c867f25c5b4e991465d6     
n.百科全书,大全( encyclopaedia的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • IT IS normally hard to get excited about encyclopaedias. 一般情况下,人们很难对一本百科全书而感到兴奋。 来自互联网
  • He went from door door, selling encyclopaedias. 他逐门逐户去推销百科全书。 来自互联网
39 memoirs f752e432fe1fefb99ab15f6983cd506c     
n.回忆录;回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)
参考例句:
  • Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
  • I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》
40 glistened 17ff939f38e2a303f5df0353cf21b300     
v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
41 glisten 8e2zq     
vi.(光洁或湿润表面等)闪闪发光,闪闪发亮
参考例句:
  • Dewdrops glisten in the morning sun.露珠在晨光下闪闪发光。
  • His sunken eyes glistened with delight.他凹陷的眼睛闪现出喜悦的光芒。
42 exuded c293617582a5cf5b5aa2ffee16137466     
v.缓慢流出,渗出,分泌出( exude的过去式和过去分词 );流露出对(某物)的神态或感情
参考例句:
  • Nearby was a factory which exuded a pungent smell. 旁边是一家散发出刺鼻气味的工厂。 来自辞典例句
  • The old drawer exuded a smell of camphor. 陈年抽屉放出樟脑气味。 来自辞典例句
43 encumbrance A8YyP     
n.妨碍物,累赘
参考例句:
  • Only by overcoming our weaknesses can we advance without any encumbrance;only by uniting ourselves in our struggle can we be invincible.克服缺点才能轻装前进,团结战斗才能无往不胜。
  • Now I should be an encumbrance.现在我成为累赘了。
44 rampant LAuzm     
adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的
参考例句:
  • Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
  • You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。
45 incessantly AqLzav     
ad.不停地
参考例句:
  • The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
  • It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。
46 tint ZJSzu     
n.淡色,浅色;染发剂;vt.着以淡淡的颜色
参考例句:
  • You can't get up that naturalness and artless rosy tint in after days.你今后不再会有这种自然和朴实无华的红润脸色。
  • She gave me instructions on how to apply the tint.她告诉我如何使用染发剂。
47 fecundity hkdxm     
n.生产力;丰富
参考例句:
  • The probability of survival is the reciprocal of fecundity.生存的概率是生殖力的倒数。
  • The boy's fecundity of imagination amazed his teacher.男孩想像力的丰富使教师感到惊异。
48 confinement qpOze     
n.幽禁,拘留,监禁;分娩;限制,局限
参考例句:
  • He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
  • The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。
49 lame r9gzj     
adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的
参考例句:
  • The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
  • I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。
50 fowls 4f8db97816f2d0cad386a79bb5c17ea4     
鸟( fowl的名词复数 ); 禽肉; 既不是这; 非驴非马
参考例句:
  • A great number of water fowls dwell on the island. 许多水鸟在岛上栖息。
  • We keep a few fowls and some goats. 我们养了几只鸡和一些山羊。
51 upwards lj5wR     
adv.向上,在更高处...以上
参考例句:
  • The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
  • The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。
52 assent Hv6zL     
v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可
参考例句:
  • I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
  • The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。
53 hierarchy 7d7xN     
n.等级制度;统治集团,领导层
参考例句:
  • There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
  • She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。
54 simile zE0yB     
n.直喻,明喻
参考例句:
  • I believe this simile largely speaks the truth.我相信这种比拟在很大程度上道出了真实。
  • It is a trite simile to compare her teeth to pearls.把她的牙齿比做珍珠是陈腐的比喻。
55 revival UWixU     
n.复兴,复苏,(精力、活力等的)重振
参考例句:
  • The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
  • He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。
56 pane OKKxJ     
n.窗格玻璃,长方块
参考例句:
  • He broke this pane of glass.他打破了这块窗玻璃。
  • Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.他们呼出的水气,在冰冷的窗玻璃上形成一层雾。
57 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
58 flamingo nsWzxe     
n.红鹳,火烈鸟
参考例句:
  • This is the only species of flamingo in the region,easily recognized by its pink plumage.这是那个地区唯一一种火烈鸟,很容易凭粉红色的羽毛辨认出来。
  • In my family,I am flamingo in the flock of pigeons.在家里,我就像一只被困在鸽笼里的火烈鸟。
59 anguish awZz0     
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼
参考例句:
  • She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时,她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
  • The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。
60 afflicted aaf4adfe86f9ab55b4275dae2a2e305a     
使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
  • A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。
61 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
62 trophy 8UFzI     
n.优胜旗,奖品,奖杯,战胜品,纪念品
参考例句:
  • The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
  • He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。
63 conglomeration Fp8z6     
n.团块,聚集,混合物
参考例句:
  • a conglomeration of buildings of different sizes and styles 大小和风格各异的建筑楼群
  • To her it was a wonderful conglomeration of everything great and mighty. 在她看来,那里奇妙地聚集着所有伟大和非凡的事业。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
64 heterogeneous rdixF     
adj.庞杂的;异类的
参考例句:
  • There is a heterogeneous mass of papers in the teacher's office.老师的办公室里堆满了大批不同的论文。
  • America has a very heterogeneous population.美国人口是由不同种族组成的。
65 mound unCzhy     
n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫
参考例句:
  • The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
  • The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。
66 fretted 82ebd7663e04782d30d15d67e7c45965     
焦躁的,附有弦马的,腐蚀的
参考例句:
  • The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝,有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
  • The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。
67 cannon 3T8yc     
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮
参考例句:
  • The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
  • The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。
68 incongruity R8Bxo     
n.不协调,不一致
参考例句:
  • She smiled at the incongruity of the question.面对这样突兀的问题,她笑了。
  • When the particular outstrips the general,we are faced with an incongruity.当特别是超过了总的来讲,我们正面临着一个不协调。
69 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
70 garishness 3269201e6054e80d67bbbe5e5b359fe5     
n.鲜艳夺目,炫耀
参考例句:
  • Succinct line layout abandons excessive garishness. 简洁而洗练的一字造型摒弃过多的花哨,把一切都交由门板去演绎。 来自互联网
71 garish mfyzK     
adj.华丽而俗气的,华而不实的
参考例句:
  • This colour is bright but not garish.这颜色艳而不俗。
  • They climbed the garish purple-carpeted stairs.他们登上铺着俗艳的紫色地毯的楼梯。
72 juxtapositions 765bc6fafa55e440b420fcda9604499f     
n.并置,并列( juxtaposition的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Their early films tried to convey revolutionary propaganda through shocking juxtapositions, and circus tricks. 他们早期的电影试图通过令人震惊的对比和马戏技巧来进行革命宣传。 来自辞典例句
  • His richly coloured lyrical paintings depict objects and people in unusual juxtapositions, often floating in space. 他的色彩斑斓的抒情油画将人物和事物不同寻常地加以并置,并经常漂浮在空中。 来自互联网
73 hideous 65KyC     
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的
参考例句:
  • The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
  • They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
74 destined Dunznz     
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的
参考例句:
  • It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
  • The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。
75 demolish 1m7ze     
v.拆毁(建筑物等),推翻(计划、制度等)
参考例句:
  • They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
  • He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库,屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。
76 erect 4iLzm     
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的
参考例句:
  • She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头,把背挺得笔直。
  • Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。
77 trumpets 1d27569a4f995c4961694565bd144f85     
喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 ); 小号; 喇叭形物; (尤指)绽开的水仙花
参考例句:
  • A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
  • A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。
78 placidly c0c28951cb36e0d70b9b64b1d177906e     
adv.平稳地,平静地
参考例句:
  • Hurstwood stood placidly by, while the car rolled back into the yard. 当车子开回场地时,赫斯渥沉着地站在一边。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • The water chestnut floated placidly there, where it would grow. 那棵菱角就又安安稳稳浮在水面上生长去了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
79 prosaic i0szo     
adj.单调的,无趣的
参考例句:
  • The truth is more prosaic.真相更加乏味。
  • It was a prosaic description of the scene.这是对场景没有想象力的一个描述。
80 impervious 2ynyU     
adj.不能渗透的,不能穿过的,不易伤害的
参考例句:
  • He was completely impervious to criticism.他对批评毫不在乎。
  • This material is impervious to gases and liquids.气体和液体都透不过这种物质。
81 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
82 sluggishly d76f4d1262958898317036fd722b1d29     
adv.懒惰地;缓慢地
参考例句:
  • The river is silted up and the water flows sluggishly. 河道淤塞,水流迟滞。
  • Loaded with 870 gallons of gasoline and 40 gallons of oil, the ship moved sluggishly. 飞机载着八百七十加仑汽油和四十加仑机油,缓慢地前进了。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
83 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
84 trot aKBzt     
n.疾走,慢跑;n.老太婆;现成译本;(复数)trots:腹泻(与the 连用);v.小跑,快步走,赶紧
参考例句:
  • They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
  • The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。
85 rim RXSxl     
n.(圆物的)边,轮缘;边界
参考例句:
  • The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
  • She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。
86 housekeeper 6q2zxl     
n.管理家务的主妇,女管家
参考例句:
  • A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
  • She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家,一家人吃得很省。
87 lugubrious IAmxn     
adj.悲哀的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • That long,lugubrious howl rose on the night air again!夜空中又传来了那又长又凄凉的狗叫声。
  • After the earthquake,the city is full of lugubrious faces.地震之后,这个城市满是悲哀的面孔。
88 profusely 12a581fe24557b55ae5601d069cb463c     
ad.abundantly
参考例句:
  • We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture. 我们搬动家具大费气力,累得大汗淋漓。
  • He had been working hard and was perspiring profusely. 他一直在努力干活,身上大汗淋漓的。
89 shovelled c80a960e1cd1fc9dd624b12ab4d38f62     
v.铲子( shovel的过去式和过去分词 );锹;推土机、挖土机等的)铲;铲形部份
参考例句:
  • They shovelled a path through the snow. 他们用铲子在积雪中铲出一条路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The hungry man greedily shovelled the food into his mouth. 那个饿汉贪婪地把食物投入口中。 来自辞典例句
90 bosom Lt9zW     
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的
参考例句:
  • She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
  • A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。
91 minced e78bfe05c6bed310407099ae848ca29a     
v.切碎( mince的过去式和过去分词 );剁碎;绞碎;用绞肉机绞(食物,尤指肉)
参考例句:
  • He minced over to serve us. 他迈着碎步过来招待我们。
  • A young fop minced up to George and introduced himself. 一个花花公子扭扭捏捏地走到乔治面前并作了自我介绍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
92 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
93 detested e34cc9ea05a83243e2c1ed4bd90db391     
v.憎恶,嫌恶,痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • They detested each other on sight. 他们互相看着就不顺眼。
  • The freethinker hated the formalist; the lover of liberty detested the disciplinarian. 自由思想者总是不喜欢拘泥形式者,爱好自由者总是憎恶清规戒律者。 来自辞典例句
94 imperative BcdzC     
n.命令,需要;规则;祈使语气;adj.强制的;紧急的
参考例句:
  • He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
  • The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。
95 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
96 exquisite zhez1     
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的
参考例句:
  • I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
  • I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。
97 modesty REmxo     
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素
参考例句:
  • Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
  • As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后,谦虚使人进步。
98 dormant d8uyk     
adj.暂停活动的;休眠的;潜伏的
参考例句:
  • Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
  • This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。
99 relic 4V2xd     
n.神圣的遗物,遗迹,纪念物
参考例句:
  • This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
  • He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。
100 hazardous Iddxz     
adj.(有)危险的,冒险的;碰运气的
参考例句:
  • These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
  • Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。
101 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
102 conscientiously 3vBzrQ     
adv.凭良心地;认真地,负责尽职地;老老实实
参考例句:
  • He kept silent,eating just as conscientiously but as though everything tasted alike. 他一声不吭,闷头吃着,仿佛桌上的饭菜都一个味儿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She discharged all the responsibilities of a minister conscientiously. 她自觉地履行部长的一切职责。 来自《简明英汉词典》
103 amorous Menys     
adj.多情的;有关爱情的
参考例句:
  • They exchanged amorous glances and clearly made known their passions.二人眉来眼去,以目传情。
  • She gave him an amorous look.她脉脉含情的看他一眼。
104 sprightly 4GQzv     
adj.愉快的,活泼的
参考例句:
  • She is as sprightly as a woman half her age.她跟比她年轻一半的妇女一样活泼。
  • He's surprisingly sprightly for an old man.他这把年纪了,还这么精神,真了不起。
105 meditative Djpyr     
adj.沉思的,冥想的
参考例句:
  • A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌,智者思虑。
  • Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。
106 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
参考例句:
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
107 rebuke 5Akz0     
v.指责,非难,斥责 [反]praise
参考例句:
  • He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
  • Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。
108 indite Ikeyi     
v.写(文章,信等)创作
参考例句:
  • This essay is written just for trying to indite article in English.此散文仅仅是为了尝试用英文写文章。
  • I indite a poem.我写了一首诗。
109 eternity Aiwz7     
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷
参考例句:
  • The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
  • Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞,永世相随。
110 impeded 7dc9974da5523140b369df3407a86996     
阻碍,妨碍,阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Work on the building was impeded by severe weather. 楼房的施工因天气恶劣而停了下来。
  • He was impeded in his work. 他的工作受阻。
111 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。
112 meandered 5dfab2b9284d93e5bf8dd3e7c2bd3b6b     
(指溪流、河流等)蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • A stream meandered towards the sea. 一条小河蜿蜒地流向大海。
  • The small river meandered in lazy curves down the centre. 小河缓缓地绕着中心地区迤逦流过。
113 quill 7SGxQ     
n.羽毛管;v.给(织物或衣服)作皱褶
参考例句:
  • He wrote with a quill.他用羽毛笔写字。
  • She dipped a quill in ink,and then began to write.她将羽毛笔在墨水里蘸了一下,随后开始书写。
114 wombat RMvzA     
n.袋熊
参考例句:
  • Wombat wanted to wiggle along the ground.袋熊想在地面上扭动前进。
  • A wombat stops in front a ranger's vehicle.袋熊停在护林员的车辆前面。
115 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
116 fluency ajCxF     
n.流畅,雄辩,善辩
参考例句:
  • More practice will make you speak with greater fluency.多练习就可以使你的口语更流利。
  • Some young children achieve great fluency in their reading.一些孩子小小年纪阅读已经非常流畅。
117 insipid TxZyh     
adj.无味的,枯燥乏味的,单调的
参考例句:
  • The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道,需要加点作料。
  • She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师,但她做的食物却是无味道的。
118 vile YLWz0     
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的
参考例句:
  • Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢?
  • Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。
119 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。
120 maiden yRpz7     
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
参考例句:
  • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
  • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
121 murmur EjtyD     
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言
参考例句:
  • They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
  • There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。
122 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
123 groaned 1a076da0ddbd778a674301b2b29dff71     
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
  • The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
124 carnation kT9yI     
n.康乃馨(一种花)
参考例句:
  • He had a white carnation in his buttonhole.他在纽扣孔上佩了朵白色康乃馨。
  • He was wearing a carnation in his lapel.他的翻领里别着一枝康乃馨。
125 mantling 6464166c9af80bc17e4f719f58832c50     
覆巾
参考例句:
126 hue qdszS     
n.色度;色调;样子
参考例句:
  • The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
  • The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。
127 abrupt 2fdyh     
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的
参考例句:
  • The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
  • His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。
128 blotted 06046c4f802cf2d785ce6e085eb5f0d7     
涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 ); (用吸墨纸)吸干
参考例句:
  • She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。
  • The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。
129 stew 0GTz5     
n.炖汤,焖,烦恼;v.炖汤,焖,忧虑
参考例句:
  • The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
  • There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。
130 repulsive RsNyx     
adj.排斥的,使人反感的
参考例句:
  • She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。
  • The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。
131 cascades 6a84598b241e2c2051459650eb88013f     
倾泻( cascade的名词复数 ); 小瀑布(尤指一连串瀑布中的一支); 瀑布状物; 倾泻(或涌出)的东西
参考例句:
  • The river fell in a series of cascades down towards the lake. 河形成阶梯状瀑布泻入湖中。
  • Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. 现在他朝着太阳驶去,开始了穿越喀斯喀特山脉的漫长而曲折的路程。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦
132 tingling LgTzGu     
v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
133 vibration nLDza     
n.颤动,振动;摆动
参考例句:
  • There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
  • The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。
134 tingled d46614d7855cc022a9bf1ac8573024be     
v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • My cheeks tingled with the cold. 我的脸颊冻得有点刺痛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The crowd tingled with excitement. 群众大为兴奋。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
135 marrow M2myE     
n.骨髓;精华;活力
参考例句:
  • It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了,他感到寒冷刺骨。
  • He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。
136 thigh RItzO     
n.大腿;股骨
参考例句:
  • He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了,疼得很。
  • The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
137 agitation TN0zi     
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动
参考例句:
  • Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
  • These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。
138 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。
139 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
140 manifestations 630b7ac2a729f8638c572ec034f8688f     
n.表示,显示(manifestation的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • These were manifestations of the darker side of his character. 这些是他性格阴暗面的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • To be wordly-wise and play safe is one of the manifestations of liberalism. 明哲保身是自由主义的表现之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
141 oversight WvgyJ     
n.勘漏,失察,疏忽
参考例句:
  • I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
  • Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。
142 positively vPTxw     
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实
参考例句:
  • She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
  • The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。
143 rogue qCfzo     
n.流氓;v.游手好闲
参考例句:
  • The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
  • They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。
144 clenched clenched     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
  • She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上,以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
145 resolute 2sCyu     
adj.坚决的,果敢的
参考例句:
  • He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
  • The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。
146 bishop AtNzd     
n.主教,(国际象棋)象
参考例句:
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。
147 lustre hAhxg     
n.光亮,光泽;荣誉
参考例句:
  • The sun was shining with uncommon lustre.太阳放射出异常的光彩。
  • A good name keeps its lustre in the dark.一个好的名誉在黑暗中也保持它的光辉。
148 tarnished e927ca787c87e80eddfcb63fbdfc8685     
(通常指金属)(使)失去光泽,(使)变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 ); 玷污,败坏
参考例句:
  • The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
  • His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨,败坏了学校的声誉。
149 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
150 pranks cba7670310bdd53033e32d6c01506817     
n.玩笑,恶作剧( prank的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Frank's errancy consisted mostly of pranks. 法兰克错在老喜欢恶作剧。 来自辞典例句
  • He always leads in pranks and capers. 他老是带头胡闹和开玩笑。 来自辞典例句
151 complexities b217e6f6e3d61b3dd560522457376e61     
复杂性(complexity的名词复数); 复杂的事物
参考例句:
  • The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
  • The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。
152 trifling SJwzX     
adj.微不足道的;没什么价值的
参考例句:
  • They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
  • So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利,不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。
153 hawthorn j5myb     
山楂
参考例句:
  • A cuckoo began calling from a hawthorn tree.一只布谷鸟开始在一株山楂树里咕咕地呼叫。
  • Much of the track had become overgrown with hawthorn.小路上很多地方都长满了山楂树。
154 flicked 7c535fef6da8b8c191b1d1548e9e790a     
(尤指用手指或手快速地)轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 ); (用…)轻挥; (快速地)按开关; 向…笑了一下(或瞥了一眼等)
参考例句:
  • She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
  • I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。
155 trudged e830eb9ac9fd5a70bf67387e070a9616     
vt.& vi.跋涉,吃力地走(trudge的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
  • He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
156 plodded 9d4d6494cb299ac2ca6271f6a856a23b     
v.沉重缓慢地走(路)( plod的过去式和过去分词 );努力从事;沉闷地苦干;缓慢进行(尤指艰难枯燥的工作)
参考例句:
  • Our horses plodded down the muddy track. 我们的马沿着泥泞小路蹒跚而行。
  • He plodded away all night at his project to get it finished. 他通宵埋头苦干以便做完专题研究。 来自《简明英汉词典》
157 budged acd2fdcd1af9cf1b3478f896dc0484cf     
v.(使)稍微移动( budge的过去式和过去分词 );(使)改变主意,(使)让步
参考例句:
  • Old Bosc had never budged an inch--he was totally indifferent. 老包斯克一直连动也没有动,他全然无所谓。 来自辞典例句
  • Nobody budged you an inch. 别人一丁点儿都算计不了你。 来自辞典例句
158 brutes 580ab57d96366c5593ed705424e15ffa     
兽( brute的名词复数 ); 畜生; 残酷无情的人; 兽性
参考例句:
  • They're not like dogs; they're hideous brutes. 它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
  • Suddenly the foul musty odour of the brutes struck his nostrils. 突然,他的鼻尖闻到了老鼠的霉臭味。 来自英汉文学
159 decency Jxzxs     
n.体面,得体,合宜,正派,庄重
参考例句:
  • His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
  • Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。
160 sanitation GYgxE     
n.公共卫生,环境卫生,卫生设备
参考例句:
  • The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看,这个地段非常糟糕。
  • Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。
161 languishing vpCz2c     
a. 衰弱下去的
参考例句:
  • He is languishing for home. 他苦思家乡。
  • How long will she go on languishing for her red-haired boy? 为想见到她的红头发的儿子,她还将为此烦恼多久呢?
162 ogling 3909c194e988e6cbbdf4a436a512ec6f     
v.(向…)抛媚眼,送秋波( ogle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was not in the habit of ogling women. 他没有盯着女人看个没完的习惯。
  • Uncle Geooge got a black eye for ogling a lady in the pub. 乔治叔叔在酒店里对一女士抛媚眼而被打黑了一只眼睛。
163 wink 4MGz3     
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁
参考例句:
  • He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
  • The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间,那颗卫星就消失了。
164 lachrymose v2Mx9     
adj.好流泪的,引人落泪的;adv.眼泪地,哭泣地
参考例句:
  • She waxed lachrymose.她伤心起来了。
  • Maybe if you moved away from Lake Lachrymose you might feel better.也许搬离这悲哀之湖会让你好受一些。
165 ambled 7a3e35ee6318b68bdb71eeb2b10b8a94     
v.(马)缓行( amble的过去式和过去分词 );从容地走,漫步
参考例句:
  • We ambled down to the beach. 我们漫步向海滩走去。
  • The old man ambled home through the garden every evening. 那位老人每天晚上经过花园漫步回家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
166 mellifluous JCGxc     
adj.(音乐等)柔美流畅的
参考例句:
  • Soon the room is filled with Bates' mellifluous tones.很快,房间里便充满了贝茨动听的声音。
  • Her voice was distinctive,soft and mellifluous.她的嗓音甜美,清脆而柔和。
167 corruption TzCxn     
n.腐败,堕落,贪污
参考例句:
  • The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
  • The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
168 temperament 7INzf     
n.气质,性格,性情
参考例句:
  • The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
  • Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。
169 batters f7ed21931431c6e07fb35b2002a84f83     
n.面糊(煎料)( batter的名词复数 );面糊(用于做糕饼);( 棒球) 正在击球的球员;击球员v.连续猛击( batter的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The pitcher has beaned as many as three batters in this game. 在这?热?投手投球竟打中了三个击手的头。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • A storm batters the ship. 一场风暴袭击了这条船。 来自辞典例句
170 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
171 plume H2SzM     
n.羽毛;v.整理羽毛,骚首弄姿,用羽毛装饰
参考例句:
  • Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
  • He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。
172 plumed 160f544b3765f7a5765fdd45504f15fb     
饰有羽毛的
参考例句:
  • The knight plumed his helmet with brilliant red feathers. 骑士用鲜红的羽毛装饰他的头盔。
  • The eagle plumed its wing. 这只鹰整理它的翅膀。
173 pliancy a4b95c5a57dada58c78b92ab6fceeb32     
n.柔软,柔顺
参考例句:
  • Movable splitters should always advertise their pliancy with cursor hinting. 可移动的分割线应该借助光标暗示显示其受范性。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Use cursor hinting to indicate pliancy. 运用光标暗示来表达受范性。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
174 allotted 5653ecda52c7b978bd6890054bd1f75f     
分配,拨给,摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。
  • Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。
175 captious wTjy2     
adj.难讨好的,吹毛求疵的
参考例句:
  • There is no captious client but faulty product and service.没有挑剔的客户,只有不完善的产品和服务。
  • His criticisms were always captious and frivolous,never offering constructive suggestions.他的评论一向轻率并爱吹毛求疵,从不提出有建设性的建议。
176 modulated b5bfb3c5c3ebc18c62afa9380ab74ba5     
已调整[制]的,被调的
参考例句:
  • He carefully modulated his voice. 他小心地压低了声音。
  • He had a plump face, lemur-like eyes, a quiet, subtle, modulated voice. 他有一张胖胖的脸,狐猴般的眼睛,以及安详、微妙和富于抑扬顿挫的嗓音。
177 pervaded cf99c400da205fe52f352ac5c1317c13     
v.遍及,弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • A retrospective influence pervaded the whole performance. 怀旧的影响弥漫了整个演出。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The air is pervaded by a smell [smoking]. 空气中弥散着一种气味[烟味]。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
178 kits e16d4ffa0f9467cd8d2db7d706f0a7a5     
衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 ); 成套用品; 配套元件
参考例句:
  • Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
  • Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品,玩具和游戏,木制的玩具,智力玩具,手艺装备。
179 revolving 3jbzvd     
adj.旋转的,轮转式的;循环的v.(使)旋转( revolve的现在分词 );细想
参考例句:
  • The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
  • The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。
180 iridescence t4fxJ     
n.彩虹色;放光彩;晕色;晕彩
参考例句:
  • You can see the iridescence on their faces. 你可以看到他们脸上的彩虹色。 来自辞典例句
  • The huge pool of blood in front of her was already assuming the iridescence of coagulation. 她面前那一滩血,已经凝结了起来,显出五光十色。 来自辞典例句
181 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
  • I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
182 mused 0affe9d5c3a243690cca6d4248d41a85     
v.沉思,冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 );沉思自语说(某事)
参考例句:
  • \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们,”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道:‘我们这是在干什么?” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
183 disconsolately f041141d86c7fb7a4a4b4c23954d68d8     
adv.悲伤地,愁闷地;哭丧着脸
参考例句:
  • A dilapidated house stands disconsolately amid the rubbles. 一栋破旧的房子凄凉地耸立在断垣残壁中。 来自辞典例句
  • \"I suppose you have to have some friends before you can get in,'she added, disconsolately. “我看得先有些朋友才能进这一行,\"她闷闷不乐地加了一句。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
184 grill wQ8zb     
n.烤架,铁格子,烤肉;v.烧,烤,严加盘问
参考例句:
  • Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
  • I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。
185 fiery ElEye     
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的
参考例句:
  • She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
  • His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。
186 faltering b25bbdc0788288f819b6e8b06c0a6496     
犹豫的,支吾的,蹒跚的
参考例句:
  • The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
  • I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。
187 apprehensive WNkyw     
adj.担心的,恐惧的,善于领会的
参考例句:
  • She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
  • He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。
188 marvel b2xyG     
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事
参考例句:
  • The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
  • The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。
189 nervously tn6zFp     
adv.神情激动地,不安地
参考例句:
  • He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇,努力忍着不哭出来。
  • He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。
190 savage ECxzR     
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人
参考例句:
  • The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
  • He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。
191 flaunting 79043c1d84f3019796ab68f35b7890d1     
adj.招摇的,扬扬得意的,夸耀的v.炫耀,夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 );有什么能耐就施展出来
参考例句:
  • He did not believe in flaunting his wealth. 他不赞成摆阔。
  • She is fond of flaunting her superiority before her friends and schoolmates. 她好在朋友和同学面前逞强。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
192 moor T6yzd     
n.荒野,沼泽;vt.(使)停泊;vi.停泊
参考例句:
  • I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
  • There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。
193 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。
194 ecstasy 9kJzY     
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷
参考例句:
  • He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
  • Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具,高兴得说不出话来。
195 hoarse 5dqzA     
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的
参考例句:
  • He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
  • He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动,嗓子都喊哑了。
196 scent WThzs     
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉
参考例句:
  • The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
  • The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
197 bog QtfzF     
n.沼泽;室...陷入泥淖
参考例句:
  • We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。
  • The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。
198 nostrils 23a65b62ec4d8a35d85125cdb1b4410e     
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
  • The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。
199 rapture 9STzG     
n.狂喜;全神贯注;着迷;v.使狂喜
参考例句:
  • His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.他的演说受到支持者们的热烈欢迎。
  • In the midst of his rapture,he was interrupted by his father.他正欢天喜地,被他父亲打断了。
200 twine vg6yC     
v.搓,织,编饰;(使)缠绕
参考例句:
  • He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。
  • Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。
201 luxuriously 547f4ef96080582212df7e47e01d0eaf     
adv.奢侈地,豪华地
参考例句:
  • She put her nose luxuriously buried in heliotrope and tea roses. 她把自己的鼻子惬意地埋在天芥菜和庚申蔷薇花簇中。 来自辞典例句
  • To be well dressed doesn't mean to be luxuriously dressed. 穿得好不一定衣着豪华。 来自辞典例句
202 behold jQKy9     
v.看,注视,看到
参考例句:
  • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
  • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。
203 foam LjOxI     
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫
参考例句:
  • The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
  • The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。
204 clefts 68f729730ad72c2deefa7f66bf04d11b     
n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 );裂口;cleave的过去式和过去分词;进退维谷
参考例句:
  • Clefts are often associated with other more serious congenital defects. 裂口常与其他更严重的先天性异常并发。 来自辞典例句
  • Correction of palate clefts is much more difficult and usually not as satisfactory. 硬腭裂的矫正更为困难,且常不理想。 来自辞典例句
205 pinnacles a4409b051276579e99d5cb7d58643f4e     
顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 ); 顶点; 尖顶; 小尖塔
参考例句:
  • What would be the pinnacles of your acting and music? 对你而言什麽代表你的演技和音乐的巅峰?
  • On Skye's Trotternish Peninsula, basalt pinnacles loom over the Sound of Raasay. 在斯开岛的特洛登尼许半岛,玄武岩尖塔俯瞰着拉塞海峡。
206 irises 02b35ccfca195572fa75a384bbcf196a     
n.虹( iris的名词复数 );虹膜;虹彩;鸢尾(花)
参考例句:
  • The cottage gardens blaze with irises, lilies and peonies. 村舍花园万紫千红,鸢尾、百合花和牡丹竞相争艳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The irises were of flecked grey. 虹膜呈斑驳的灰色。 来自《简明英汉词典》
207 hips f8c80f9a170ee6ab52ed1e87054f32d4     
abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯,耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 );[建筑学]屋脊;臀围(尺寸);臀部…的
参考例句:
  • She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
  • They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》
208 winding Ue7z09     
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈
参考例句:
  • A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
  • The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
209 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了,我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
210 anvil HVxzH     
n.铁钻
参考例句:
  • The blacksmith shaped a horseshoe on his anvil.铁匠在他的铁砧上打出一个马蹄形。
  • The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly.订书机上的铁砧安装错位。
211 hoofs ffcc3c14b1369cfeb4617ce36882c891     
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句
  • The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句
212 twig VK1zg     
n.小树枝,嫩枝;v.理解
参考例句:
  • He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
  • The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。
213 plovers 581c0fd10ae250c0bb69c2762155940c     
n.珩,珩科鸟(如凤头麦鸡)( plover的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The most likely reason for this is that male plovers outnumber females. 导致这种现象最可能的原因是雄性?鸟比雌性多。 来自互联网
214 chivalrous 0Xsz7     
adj.武士精神的;对女人彬彬有礼的
参考例句:
  • Men are so little chivalrous now.现在的男人几乎没有什么骑士风度了。
  • Toward women he was nobly restrained and chivalrous.对于妇女,他表现得高尚拘谨,尊敬三分。
215 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
216 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
217 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
218 Mediterranean ezuzT     
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
  • Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。
219 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。
220 leopard n9xzO     
n.豹
参考例句:
  • I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
  • The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。
221 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。
222 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。
223 simultaneously 4iBz1o     
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地
参考例句:
  • The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
  • The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。
224 demonstration 9waxo     
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
参考例句:
  • His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
  • He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
225 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
226 dint plVza     
n.由于,靠;凹坑
参考例句:
  • He succeeded by dint of hard work.他靠苦干获得成功。
  • He reached the top by dint of great effort.他费了很大的劲终于爬到了顶。
227 survivor hrIw8     
n.生存者,残存者,幸存者
参考例句:
  • The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
  • There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。
228 peppermints 0861208365c44aa8cacf6bdeab27fccd     
n.薄荷( peppermint的名词复数 );薄荷糖
参考例句:
  • She just curls up and sucks peppermints. 她老是蜷着腿躺着,吮着薄荷糖。 来自辞典例句
  • Enough, already with this mellow incense and peppermints vibe. 够了,我受够这些薰香以及薄荷的感觉了。 来自电影对白
229 oared aa635db9b275f654f3756e2f75f0ab50     
adj.有桨的v.划(行)( oar的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He oared himself to the other side of the big river. 他划到大河的彼岸。 来自辞典例句
  • A four-oared galley is hovering about. 一艘四桨的小艇,在四下游弋。 来自辞典例句
230 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
231 dispense lZgzh     
vt.分配,分发;配(药),发(药);实施
参考例句:
  • Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
  • The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱,可自行适当分配。
232 poetic b2PzT     
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的
参考例句:
  • His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
  • His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。
233 repletion vBczc     
n.充满,吃饱
参考例句:
  • It is better to die of repletion than to endure hunger.饱死胜过挨饿。
  • A baby vomits milk from repletion.婴儿吃饱会吐奶。
234 germane dgHx3     
adj.关系密切的,恰当的
参考例句:
  • He asks questions that are germane and central to the issue.他问了一些与论点有密切关系的重要问题。
  • Fenton was a good listener,and his questions were germane.芬顿听得聚精会神,提问也切中要害。
235 lawsuits 1878e62a5ca1482cc4ae9e93dcf74d69     
n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权,耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
  • I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多,赢的也多,输的也多。 来自辞典例句
236 lawsuit A14xy     
n.诉讼,控诉
参考例句:
  • They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
  • He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。
237 annulled 6487853b1acaba95e5982ede7b1d3227     
v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 );取消;使消失;抹去
参考例句:
  • Their marriage was annulled after just six months. 他们的婚姻仅过半年就宣告取消。
  • Many laws made by the former regime have been annulled. 前政权制定的许多法律被宣布无效。 来自《简明英汉词典》
238 descend descend     
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降
参考例句:
  • I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
  • We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
239 entailed 4e76d9f28d5145255733a8119f722f77     
使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 ); 需要; 限定继承; 使必需
参考例句:
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son. 城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
  • The house and estate are entailed on the eldest daughter. 这所房子和地产限定由长女继承。
240 verbiage wLyzq     
n.冗词;冗长
参考例句:
  • Stripped of their pretentious verbiage,his statements come dangerously close to inviting racial hatred.抛开那些夸大其词的冗词赘语不论,他的言论有挑起种族仇恨的危险。
  • Even in little 140-character bites,that's a lot of verbiage.即使限制在一条140个字也有很大一部分是废话。
241 prodigious C1ZzO     
adj.惊人的,奇妙的;异常的;巨大的;庞大的
参考例句:
  • This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
  • He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。
242 infinitely 0qhz2I     
adv.无限地,无穷地
参考例句:
  • There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
  • The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。
243 rumour 1SYzZ     
n.谣言,谣传,传闻
参考例句:
  • I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
  • There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来,一直有谣言产生,对他进行中伤。
244 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
245 effigy Vjezy     
n.肖像
参考例句:
  • There the effigy stands,and stares from age to age across the changing ocean.雕像依然耸立在那儿,千秋万载地凝视着那变幻无常的大海。
  • The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.群众焚烧退位独裁者的模拟像。
246 ponies 47346fc7580de7596d7df8d115a3545d     
矮种马,小型马( pony的名词复数 ); £25 25 英镑
参考例句:
  • They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。
  • She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。
247 trotting cbfe4f2086fbf0d567ffdf135320f26a     
小跑,急走( trot的现在分词 ); 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句:
  • The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
  • Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳,小马开始慢跑起来。
248 beseeching 67f0362f7eb28291ad2968044eb2a985     
adj.恳求似的v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲,恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
  • He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句
249 parenthesis T4MzP     
n.圆括号,插入语,插曲,间歇,停歇
参考例句:
  • There is no space between the function name and the parenthesis.函数名与括号之间没有空格。
  • In this expression,we do not need a multiplication sign or parenthesis.这个表达式中,我们不需要乘号或括号。
250 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
251 syllable QHezJ     
n.音节;vt.分音节
参考例句:
  • You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
  • The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。
252 acquiescent cJ4y4     
adj.默许的,默认的
参考例句:
  • My brother is of the acquiescent rather than the militant type.我弟弟是属于服从型的而不是好斗型的。
  • She is too acquiescent,too ready to comply.她太百依百顺了。
253 twigs 17ff1ed5da672aa443a4f6befce8e2cb     
细枝,嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
  • Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。
254 snail 8xcwS     
n.蜗牛
参考例句:
  • Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
  • Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。
255 beech uynzJF     
n.山毛榉;adj.山毛榉的
参考例句:
  • Autumn is the time to see the beech woods in all their glory.秋天是观赏山毛榉林的最佳时期。
  • Exasperated,he leaped the stream,and strode towards beech clump.他满腔恼怒,跳过小河,大踏步向毛榉林子走去。
256 shrouds d78bcaac146002037edd94626a00d060     
n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 );寿衣;遮蔽物;覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 );保密
参考例句:
  • 'For instance,' returned Madame Defarge, composedly,'shrouds.' “比如说,”德伐日太太平静地回答,“裹尸布。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
  • Figure 3-10 illustrates the result of a study or conical shrouds. 图3-10表明了对锥形外壳的研究结果。 来自辞典例句
257 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
258 repented c24481167c6695923be1511247ed3c08     
对(自己的所为)感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He repented his thoughtlessness. 他后悔自己的轻率。
  • Darren repented having shot the bird. 达伦后悔射杀了那只鸟。
259 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
260 scanty ZDPzx     
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的
参考例句:
  • There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
  • The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。
261 solitude xF9yw     
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方
参考例句:
  • People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
  • They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
262 specks 6d64faf449275b5ce146fe2c78100fed     
n.眼镜;斑点,微粒,污点( speck的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Minutes later Brown spotted two specks in the ocean. 几分钟后布朗发现海洋中有两个小点。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
  • Do you ever seem to see specks in front of your eyes? 你眼睛前面曾似乎看见过小点吗? 来自辞典例句
263 flicker Gjxxb     
vi./n.闪烁,摇曳,闪现
参考例句:
  • There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
  • At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时,光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现,几乎并不灿烂。
264 isolation 7qMzTS     
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离
参考例句:
  • The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
  • He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
265 shrieked dc12d0d25b0f5d980f524cd70c1de8fe     
v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
  • Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫,陆子潇尖声叫:“告诉什么? 来自汉英文学 - 围城
266 crest raqyA     
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖
参考例句:
  • The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
  • He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。
267 chapel UXNzg     
n.小教堂,殡仪馆
参考例句:
  • The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
  • She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午,她在小教堂的演出,可以说是登峰造极。
268 scattering 91b52389e84f945a976e96cd577a4e0c     
n.[物]散射;散乱,分散;在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的;分散在不同范围的;广泛扩散的;(选票)数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式);散布;驱散
参考例句:
  • The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒,把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
269 taper 3IVzm     
n.小蜡烛,尖细,渐弱;adj.尖细的;v.逐渐变小
参考例句:
  • You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。
  • Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。
270 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
271 brass DWbzI     
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器
参考例句:
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
272 growl VeHzE     
v.(狗等)嗥叫,(炮等)轰鸣;n.嗥叫,轰鸣
参考例句:
  • The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫,尾巴也跟着摇摆。
  • The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。
273 uproar LHfyc     
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸
参考例句:
  • She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
  • His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。
274 jaws cq9zZq     
n.口部;嘴
参考例句:
  • 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。
  • The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。
275 bridled f4fc5a2dd438a2bb7c3f6663cfac7d22     
给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 ); 控制; 昂首表示轻蔑(或怨忿等); 动怒,生气
参考例句:
  • She bridled at the suggestion that she was lying. 她对暗示她在说谎的言论嗤之以鼻。
  • He bridled his horse. 他给他的马套上笼头。
276 hawks c8b4f3ba2fd1208293962d95608dd1f1     
鹰( hawk的名词复数 ); 鹰派人物,主战派人物
参考例句:
  • Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
  • Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。


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