They are always round the corner—or rather round the two corners—and they come on in a couple of streams and meet in the center; and when they are in their proper position they smile.

 

There is nothing like the stage peasants' smile in this world—nothing so perfectly¹ inane², so calmly imbecile.

 

They are so happy. They don't look it, but we know they are because they say so. If you don't believe them, they dance three steps to the right and three steps to the left back again. They can't help it. It is because they are so happy.

 

When they are more than usually rollicking they stand in a semicircle, with their hands on each other's shoulders, and sway from side to side, trying to make themselves sick. But this is only when they are simply bursting with joy.

 

Stage peasants never have any work to do.

 

Sometimes we see them going to work, sometimes coming home from work, but nobody has ever seen them actually at work. They could not afford to work—it would spoil their clothes.

 

They are very sympathetic, are stage peasants. They never seem to have any affairs of their own to think about, but they make up for this by taking a three-hundred-horse-power interest in things in which they have no earthly concern.

 

What particularly rouses them is the heroine's love affairs. They could listen to them all day.

 

They yearn³ to hear what she said to him and to be told what he replied to her, and they repeat it to each other.

 

In our own love-sick days we often used to go and relate to various people all the touching⁴ conversations that took place between our lady-love and ourselves; but our friends never seemed to get excited over it. On the contrary, a casual observer might even have been led to the idea that they were bored by our recital5

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1 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 inane
adj.空虚的，愚蠢的，空洞的
参考例句：
She started asking me inane questions.她开始问我愚蠢的问题。 Such comments are inane because they don't help us solve our problem.这种评论纯属空洞之词，不能帮助我们解决问题。

3 yearn
v.想念；怀念；渴望
参考例句：
We yearn to surrender our entire being.我们渴望着放纵我们整个的生命。 Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

4 touching
adj.动人的，使人感伤的
参考例句：
It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。 His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 recital
n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会
参考例句：
She is going to give a piano recital.她即将举行钢琴独奏会。 I had their total attention during the thirty-five minutes that my recital took.在我叙述的35分钟内，他们完全被我吸引了。

6 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。

7 narrative
n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的
参考例句：
He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。 Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

8 condoled
v.表示同情，吊唁( condole的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He condoled with me upon the death of my father. 我父亲死了，他向我表示吊唁。 来自辞典例句 Her friends condoled with her when her husband had lost a leg in the accident. 她的丈夫在这次事故中失掉一条腿，她的朋友们都向她表示慰问。 来自辞典例句

9 compliance
n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从
参考例句：
I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。 She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

10 envious
adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的
参考例句：
I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。 She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

11 flirt
v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者
参考例句：
He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。 He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

12 flirting
v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Don't take her too seriously; she's only flirting with you. 别把她太当真，她只不过是在和你调情罢了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 'she's always flirting with that new fellow Tseng!" “她还同新来厂里那个姓曾的吊膀子！ 来自子夜部分

13 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

14 sociably
adv.成群地
参考例句：
Hall very sociably pulled up. 霍尔和气地勒住僵绳。 Sociably, the new neighbors invited everyone on the block for coffee. 那个喜好交际的新邻居邀请街区的每个人去喝咖啡。

15 fickleness
n.易变；无常；浮躁；变化无常
参考例句：
While she always criticized the fickleness of human nature. 她一方面总是批评人的本性朝三暮四。 来自互联网 Cor.1:17 This therefore intending, did I then use fickleness? 林后一17我有这样的意思，难道是行事轻浮么？ 来自互联网

16 breach
n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破
参考例句：
We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。 He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

17 heeds
n.留心，注意，听从( heed的名词复数 )v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
You should never fight the band that heeds you. 从来不要攻击那些注意你行动的帮伙们。 来自互联网 He who ignores discipline and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. 弃绝管教的、必致贫受辱．领受责备的、必得尊荣。 来自互联网

18 jealousy
n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌
参考例句：
Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。 I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

19 jug
n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂
参考例句：
He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。 She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

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