A silly child that, quivering with joy,

  Would cast its little mimic¹ fishing-line

  Baited with loadstone for a bowl of toys

  In the salt ocean.

Eight months after the arrival of the family at Offendene, that is to say in the end of the following June, a rumor² was spread in the neighborhood which to many persons was matter of exciting interest. It had no reference to the results of the American war, but it was one which touched all classes within a certain circuit round Wanchester: the corn-factors, the brewers, the horse-dealers, and saddlers, all held it a laudable thing, and one which was to be rejoiced in on abstract grounds, as showing the value of an aristocracy in a free country like England; the blacksmith in the hamlet of Diplow felt that a good time had come round; the wives of laboring³ men hoped their nimble boys of ten or twelve would be taken into employ by the gentlemen in livery; and the farmers about Diplow admitted, with a tincture of bitterness and reserve, that a man might now again perhaps have an easier market or exchange for a rick of old hay or a wagon-load of straw. If such were the hopes of low persons not in society, it may be easily inferred that their betters had better reasons for satisfaction, probably connected with the pleasures of life rather than its business. Marriage, however, must be considered as coming under both heads; and just as when a visit of majesty⁴ is announced, the dream of knighthood or a baronetcy is to be found under various municipal nightcaps, so the news in question raised a floating indeterminate vision of marriage in several well-bred imaginations.

 

The news was that Diplow Hall, Sir Hugo Mallinger’s place, which had for a couple of years turned its white window-shutters in a painfully wall-eyed manner on its fine elms and beeches⁶, its lilied pool and grassy⁷ acres specked with deer, was being prepared for a tenant

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1 mimic
v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人
参考例句：
A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。 He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

2 rumor
n.谣言，谣传，传说
参考例句：
The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。 The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

3 laboring
n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转
参考例句：
The young man who said laboring was beneath his dignity finally put his pride in his pocket and got a job as a kitchen porter. 那个说过干活儿有失其身份的年轻人最终只能忍辱，做了厨房搬运工的工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》 But this knowledge did not keep them from laboring to save him. 然而，这并不妨碍她们尽力挽救他。 来自飘（部分）

4 majesty
n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权
参考例句：
The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。 Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

5 baron
n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王
参考例句：
Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。 The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

6 beeches
n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材
参考例句：
The beeches, oaks and chestnuts all belong to the same family. 山毛榉树、橡树和栗子树属于同科树种。 来自互联网 There are many beeches in this wood. 这片树林里有许多山毛榉。 来自互联网

7 grassy
adj.盖满草的；长满草的
参考例句：
They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。 Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

8 tenant
n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用
参考例句：
The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。 The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

9 contingency
n.意外事件，可能性
参考例句：
We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。 A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

10 streak
n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动
参考例句：
The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。 Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

11 uneven
adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的
参考例句：
The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。 The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

12 entirely
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。 His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 prospects
n.希望，前途(恒为复数)
参考例句：
There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。 They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

14 mere
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。

15 gall
v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难
参考例句：
It galled him to have to ask for a loan.必须向人借钱使他感到难堪。 No gall,no glory.没有磨难，何来荣耀。

16 aver
v.极力声明；断言；确证
参考例句：
I aver it will not rain tomorrow.我断言明天不会下雨。 In spite of all you say,I still aver that his report is true.不管你怎么说，我还是断言他的报告是真实的。

17 bridle
n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒
参考例句：
He learned to bridle his temper.他学会了控制脾气。 I told my wife to put a bridle on her tongue.我告诉妻子说话要谨慎。

18 speculation
n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机
参考例句：
Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。 There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

19 speculations
n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断
参考例句：
Your speculations were all quite close to the truth. 你的揣测都很接近于事实。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 This possibility gives rise to interesting speculations. 这种可能性引起了有趣的推测。 来自《用法词典》

20 narrated
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 sordid
adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的
参考例句：
He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively.他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。 They lived in a sordid apartment.他们住在肮脏的公寓房子里。

22 resolutely
adj.坚决地，果断地
参考例句：
He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。 He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。

23 virtuous
adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的
参考例句：
She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。 My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

24 stimulated
a.刺激的
参考例句：
The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。 The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

25 guardian
n.监护人；守卫者，保护者
参考例句：
The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。 The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

26 metaphor
n.隐喻，暗喻
参考例句：
Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。 In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

27 judicious
adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的
参考例句：
We should listen to the judicious opinion of that old man.我们应该听取那位老人明智的意见。 A judicious parent encourages his children to make their own decisions.贤明的父亲鼓励儿女自作抉择。

28 advent
n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临
参考例句：
Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。 The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

29 prudently
adv. 谨慎地，慎重地
参考例句：
He prudently pursued his plan. 他谨慎地实行他那计划。 They had prudently withdrawn as soon as the van had got fairly under way. 他们在蓬车安全上路后立即谨慎地离去了。

30 fixed
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。

31 forestall
vt.抢在…之前采取行动；预先阻止
参考例句：
I left the room to forestall involvements.我抢先离开了这房间以免受牵累。 He followed this rule in order to forestall rumors.他遵守这条规矩是为了杜绝流言蜚语。

32 fervor
n.热诚；热心；炽热
参考例句：
They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。 The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。

33 saucy
adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的
参考例句：
He was saucy and mischievous when he was working.他工作时总爱调皮捣蛋。 It was saucy of you to contradict your father.你顶撞父亲，真是无礼。

34 futile
adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的
参考例句：
They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。 Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

35 venial
adj.可宽恕的；轻微的
参考例句：
The venial sins are relatively minor and more easily forgiven.可宽恕的罪都是比较微小且易被原谅的。 Her poverty had been a venial fault for two gallant gentlemen.她的贫穷对那两位殷勤的绅士而言，只是一个微不足道的缺点。

36 gambling
n.赌博；投机
参考例句：
They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。 The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

37 proprietor
n.所有人；业主；经营者
参考例句：
The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。 The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

38 veins
n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理
参考例句：
The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 inquiry
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。 The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

40 determined
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。

41 inevitably
adv.不可避免地；必然发生地
参考例句：
In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。 Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

42 accomplished
adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的
参考例句：
Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。 Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

43 excellence
n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德
参考例句：
His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。 My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

44 dread
vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧
参考例句：
We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。 Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

45 dreading
v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )
参考例句：
She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。 This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

46 adverse
adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的
参考例句：
He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。 The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

47 poise
vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信
参考例句：
She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise.她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。 Ballet classes are important for poise and grace.芭蕾课对培养优雅的姿仪非常重要。

48 detest
vt.痛恨，憎恶
参考例句：
I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。 The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。

49 peril
n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物
参考例句：
The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。 The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

50 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。

51 decided
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。

52 complexion
n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格
参考例句：
Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。 Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

53 tingle
vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动
参考例句：
The music made my blood tingle.那音乐使我热血沸腾。 The cold caused a tingle in my fingers.严寒使我的手指有刺痛感。

54 enjoyment
n.乐趣；享有；享用
参考例句：
Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。 After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

55 piqued
v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心）
参考例句：
Their curiosity piqued, they stopped writing. 他们的好奇心被挑起，停下了手中的笔。 来自辞典例句 This phenomenon piqued Dr Morris' interest. 这一现象激起了莫里斯医生的兴趣。 来自辞典例句

56 stratagem
n.诡计，计谋
参考例句：
Knit the brows and a stratagem comes to mind.眉头一皱，计上心来。 Trade discounts may be used as a competitive stratagem to secure customer loyalty.商业折扣可以用作维护顾客忠诚度的一种竞争策略。

57 resentment
n.怨愤，忿恨
参考例句：
All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。 She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

58 needy
adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的
参考例句：
Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。 They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

59 standing
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。

60 dint
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。

61 divination
n.占卜，预测
参考例句：
Divination is made up of a little error and superstition,plus a lot of fraud.占卜是由一些谬误和迷信构成，再加上大量的欺骗。 Katherine McCormack goes beyond horoscopes and provides a quick guide to other forms of divination.凯瑟琳·麦考马克超越了占星并给其它形式的预言提供了快速的指导。

62 faculty
n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员
参考例句：
He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。 He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

63 forefinger
n.食指
参考例句：
He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。 He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger.他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。

64 delightful
adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的
参考例句：
We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。 Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

65 veranda
n.走廊；阳台
参考例句：
She sat in the shade on the veranda.她坐在阳台上的遮荫处。 They were strolling up and down the veranda.他们在走廊上来回徜徉。

66 irony
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。

67 distressed
痛苦的
参考例句：
He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。 The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

68 sob
n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣
参考例句：
The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。 The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

69 retraction
n.撤消；收回
参考例句：
He demanded a full retraction of the allegations against him.他要求完全收回针对他的言论。 The newspaper published a retraction of the erroneous report.那家报纸声明撤回那篇错误的报道。

70 sobbing
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句：
I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。 Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

71 logic
n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性
参考例句：
What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？ I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

72 intelligible
adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的
参考例句：
This report would be intelligible only to an expert in computing.只有计算机运算专家才能看懂这份报告。 His argument was barely intelligible.他的论点不易理解。

73 contented
adj.满意的，安心的，知足的
参考例句：
He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。 The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

74 dreaded
adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。 He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

75 maternal
adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的
参考例句：
He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。 The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

76 concurred
同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。 So many things concurred to give rise to the problem. 许多事情同时发生而导致了这一问题。

77 justified
a.正当的，有理的
参考例句：
She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。 The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

78 evade
vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避
参考例句：
He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。 You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

79 unreasonable
adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的
参考例句：
I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。 They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

80 alienation
n.疏远；离间；异化
参考例句：
The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.新政策导致许多选民疏远了。 As almost every conceivable contact between human beings gets automated,the alienation index goes up.随着人与人之间几乎一切能想到的接触方式的自动化，感情疏远指数在不断上升。

81 defiant
adj.无礼的，挑战的
参考例句：
With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。 He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

82 avowal
n.公开宣称，坦白承认
参考例句：
The press carried his avowal throughout the country.全国的报纸登载了他承认的消息。 This was not a mere empty vaunt,but a deliberate avowal of his real sentiments.这倒不是一个空洞的吹牛，而是他真实感情的供状。

83 admiration
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。 We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

84 explicit
adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的
参考例句：
She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。 He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

85 potent
adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的
参考例句：
The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。 We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

86 accomplishments
n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就
参考例句：
It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。 Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

87 desperately
adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地
参考例句：
He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。 He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

88 supremacy
n.至上；至高权力
参考例句：
No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。 Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

89 inclinations
倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡
参考例句：
She has artistic inclinations. 她有艺术爱好。 I've no inclinations towards life as a doctor. 我的志趣不是行医。

90 eligible
adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句：
He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。 Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

91 undone
a.未做完的，未完成的
参考例句：
He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。