The Kempton-Wace Letters
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III FROM DANE KEMPTON TO HERBERT WACE

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 London,        
September 30, 19—.    
 
It is because you know not what you do that I cannot forgive you. Could you know that your letter with its catalogue of advantages and arrangements must offend me as much as it belies1 (let us hope) you and the woman of your love, I would pardon the affront2 of it upon us all, and ascribe the unseemly want of warmth to reserve or to the sadness which grips the heart when joy is too palpitant. But something warns me that you are unaware3 of the chill your words breathe, and that is a lapse4 which it is impossible to meet with indulgence.
 
"He does not love her," was Barbara's quick decision, and she laid the open letter down with a definiteness which said that you, too, are laid out and laid low. Your sister's very wrists can be articulate. However, I laughed at her and she soon joined me. We do not mean to be extravagant5 with our fears. Who shall prescribe the letters of lovers to their sisters and foster-fathers? Yet there are some things their letters should be incapable6 of saying, and amongst them that love is not a crisis and a rebirth, but that it is common as the commonplace, a hit or miss affair which "shuffling7" could not affect.
 
Barbara showed me your note to her. "Had I written like this of myself and Earl—"
 
"You could not," I objected.
 
"Then Herbert should have been as little able to do it," she deduced with emphasis. Here I might have told her that men and women are races apart, but no one talks cant8 to Barbara. So I did not console her, and it stands against you in our minds that on this critical occasion you have baffled us with coldness.

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1 belies adc6923ddc035ffa328eef4f66df520a     
v.掩饰( belie的第三人称单数 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎
参考例句：
  • His appearance belies him. 他的外貌给人以假象。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The modesty of their home belies their great wealth. 他们简朴的家使人们看不出他们拥有巨额财富。 来自辞典例句
2 affront pKvy6     
n./v.侮辱，触怒
参考例句：
  • Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。
  • This remark caused affront to many people.这句话得罪了不少人。
3 unaware Pl6w0     
a.不知道的，未意识到的
参考例句：
  • They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
  • I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。
4 lapse t2lxL     
n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效
参考例句：
  • The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
  • I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。
5 extravagant M7zya     
adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的
参考例句：
  • They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
  • He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
6 incapable w9ZxK     
adj.无能力的，不能做某事的
参考例句：
  • He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
  • Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
7 shuffling 03b785186d0322e5a1a31c105fc534ee     
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式
参考例句：
  • Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
8 cant KWAzZ     
n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔
参考例句：
  • The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
  • He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。
9 unnatural 5f2zAc     
adj.不自然的；反常的
参考例句：
  • Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
  • She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
10 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯
参考例句：
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
11 austere GeIyW     
adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的
参考例句：
  • His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
  • The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。
12 vows c151b5e18ba22514580d36a5dcb013e5     
誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿
参考例句：
  • Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
  • The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。
13 dedicated duHzy2     
adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的
参考例句：
  • He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
  • His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。
14 vibrant CL5zc     
adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的
参考例句：
  • He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
  • She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。
15 ridges 9198b24606843d31204907681f48436b     
n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊
参考例句：
  • The path winds along mountain ridges. 峰回路转。
  • Perhaps that was the deepest truth in Ridges's nature. 在里奇斯的思想上，这大概可以算是天经地义第一条了。
16 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。
17 scintillant cebb4243f4c0d9120340bd675feb7f9e     
adj.产生火花的，闪烁（耀）的
参考例句：
18 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
19 halcyon 8efx7     
n.平静的，愉快的
参考例句：
  • He yearned for the halcyon day sof his childhood.他怀念儿时宁静幸福的日子。
  • He saw visions of a halcyon future.他看到了将来的太平日子的幻境。
20 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。
21 prosaically addf5fa73ee3c679ba45dc49f39e438f     
adv.无聊地；乏味地；散文式地；平凡地
参考例句：
  • 'We're not dead yet,'said Julia prosaically. “我们还没死哩，”朱莉亚干巴巴地答道。 来自英汉文学
  • I applied my attention prosaically to my routine. 我把我的注意力投入到了平淡无味的日常事务之中。 来自互联网
22 honeymoon ucnxc     
n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月
参考例句：
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
23 conjure tnRyN     
v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法
参考例句：
  • I conjure you not to betray me.我恳求你不要背弃我。
  • I can't simply conjure up the money out of thin air.我是不能像变魔术似的把钱变来。
24 plummet s2izN     
vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌；n.铅坠；重压物
参考例句：
  • Mengniu and Yili have seen their shares plummet since the incident broke.自事件发生以来，蒙牛和伊利的股票大幅下跌。
  • Even if rice prices were to plummet,other brakes on poverty alleviation remain.就算大米价格下跌，其它阻止导致贫困的因素仍然存在。
25 sobbed 4a153e2bbe39eef90bf6a4beb2dba759     
哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说
参考例句：
  • She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
  • She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。
26 chuckle Tr1zZ     
vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑
参考例句：
  • He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
  • I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。
27 irony P4WyZ     
n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄
参考例句：
  • She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
  • In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。
28 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句：
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
29 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。
30 quelling f4267e1dfb0e0cf8eebbf7ab87b64dae     
v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • Quelling her grief, she said 'Good-bye! 'again and went on. 她把悲痛压下去，二番说了一声再见，又转身走去了。 来自辞典例句
  • The police succeeded in quelling the riot. 警方把暴乱镇压了下去。 来自辞典例句
31 spasm dFJzH     
n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作
参考例句：
  • When the spasm passed,it left him weak and sweating.一阵痉挛之后，他虚弱无力，一直冒汗。
  • He kicked the chair in a spasm of impatience.他突然变得不耐烦，一脚踢向椅子。
32 idiocy 4cmzf     
n.愚蠢
参考例句：
  • Stealing a car and then driving it drunk was the ultimate idiocy.偷了车然后醉酒开车真是愚蠢到极点。
  • In this war there is an idiocy without bounds.这次战争疯癫得没底。
33 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

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