Look at him cutting it—cur to the bone!”

      “Ask ere the youngster be rated and chidden,

     What did he carry and how was he ridden?

     Maybe they used him too much at the start;

     Maybe Fate's weight-cloths are breaking his heart.”

 

                                       Life's Handicap.

When I was telling you of the joke that The Worm played off on the Senior Subaltern, I promised a somewhat similar tale, but with all the jest left out. This is that tale:

 

Dicky Hatt was kidnapped in his early, early youth—neither by landlady's daughter, housemaid, barmaid, nor cook, but by a girl so nearly of his own caste that only a woman could have said she was just the least little bit in the world below it. This happened a month before he came out to India, and five days after his one-and-twentieth birthday. The girl was nineteen—six years older than Dicky in the things of this world, that is to say—and, for the time, twice as foolish as he.

 

Excepting, always, falling off a horse there is nothing more fatally easy than marriage before the Registrar¹. The ceremony costs less than fifty shillings, and is remarkably² like walking into a pawn-shop. After the declarations of residence have been put in, four minutes will cover the rest of the proceedings—fees, attestation³, and all. Then the Registrar slides the blotting-pad over the names, and says grimly, with his pen between his teeth:—“Now you're man and wife;” and the couple walk out into the street, feeling as if something were horribly illegal somewhere.

 

But that ceremony holds and can drag a man to his undoing⁴ just as thoroughly⁵ as the “long as ye both shall live” curse from the altar-rails, with the bridesmaids giggling

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1 registrar
n.记录员，登记员；(大学的)注册主任
参考例句：
You can obtain the application from the registrar.你可以向注册人员索取申请书。 The manager fired a young registrar.经理昨天解雇了一名年轻的记录员。

2 remarkably
ad.不同寻常地，相当地
参考例句：
I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。 He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

3 attestation
n.证词
参考例句：
According to clew, until pay treasure attestation the success. 按照提示，直到支付宝认证成功。 来自互联网 Hongkong commercial college subdecanal. Specialty division of international attestation. 香港商学院副院长，国际认证专业培训师。 来自互联网

4 undoing
n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭
参考例句：
That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。 This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

5 thoroughly
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。 The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 giggling
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑，叫我真受不了，那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 sketched
v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 loomed
v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近
参考例句：
A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。 The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 remitted
v.免除（债务），宽恕( remit的过去式和过去分词 )；使某事缓和；寄回，传送
参考例句：
She has had part of her sentence remitted. 她被免去部分刑期。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The fever has remitted. 退烧了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 outfit
n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装
参考例句：
Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。 His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

11 trifling
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。

12 longing
n.（for）渴望
参考例句：
Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。 His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

13 shackles
手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊
参考例句：
a country struggling to free itself from the shackles of colonialism 为摆脱殖民主义的枷锁而斗争的国家 The cars of the train are coupled together by shackles. 火车的车厢是用钩链连接起来的。

14 lodged
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属
参考例句：
The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 ponies
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。

16 scotch
n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的
参考例句：
Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。 Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

17 subscribe
vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助
参考例句：
I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。 The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

18 besets
v.困扰( beset的第三人称单数 )；不断围攻；镶；嵌
参考例句：

19 perspiring
v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He had been working hard and was perspiring profusely. 他一直在努力干活，身上大汗淋漓的。 来自《简明英汉词典》 So they "went it lively," panting and perspiring with the work. 于是他们就“痛痛快快地比一比”了，结果比得两个人气喘吁吁、汗流浃背。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

20 immature
adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的
参考例句：
Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅，不夠成熟。 The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。

21 elastic
n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的
参考例句：
Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。 These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

22 kit
n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物
参考例句：
The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。 The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

23 yearned
渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The people yearned for peace. 人民渴望和平。 She yearned to go back to the south. 她渴望回到南方去。

24 advancement
n.前进，促进，提升
参考例句：
His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。 The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

25 scrawl
vt.潦草地书写；n.潦草的笔记，涂写
参考例句：
His signature was an illegible scrawl.他的签名潦草难以辨认。 Your beautiful handwriting puts my untidy scrawl to shame.你漂亮的字体把我的潦草字迹比得见不得人。

26 averted
防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移
参考例句：
A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。 Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

27 remittances
n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额
参考例句：
He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

28 thrift
adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约
参考例句：
He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。 His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

29 distinguished
adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的
参考例句：
Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。 A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

30 jingling
叮当声
参考例句：
A carriage went jingling by with some reclining figure in it. 一辆马车叮当驶过，车上斜倚着一个人。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 Melanie did not seem to know, or care, that life was riding by with jingling spurs. 媚兰好像并不知道，或者不关心，生活正马刺丁当地一路驶过去了呢。

31 junctures
n.时刻，关键时刻( juncture的名词复数 )；接合点
参考例句：
At such junctures he always had an impulse to leave. 在这样的紧要关头，他总有要离开的冲动。 来自互联网 At such junctures he always had an impulse to leave; it was needed on special occasions. 在那时他总有要离开的冲动，在紧急时刻她站了出来。 来自互联网

32 infinitely
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。

33 probation
n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)
参考例句：
The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。 His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

34 confirmation
n.证实，确认，批准
参考例句：
We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。 We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

35 gratitude
adj.感激，感谢
参考例句：
I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。 She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

36 retired
adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的
参考例句：
The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。 Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。