选择字号:【大】【中】【小】 | 关灯
护眼
|
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
“They’re not good days, you know,” he had said to Fanny Assingham after declaring himself grateful for finding her, and then, with his cup of tea, putting her in possession of the latest news — the documents signed an hour ago, de part et d’autre, and the telegram from his backers, who had reached Paris the morning before, and who, pausing there a little, poor dears, seemed to think the whole thing a tremendous lark1. “We’re very simple folk, mere2 country cousins compared with you,” he had also observed, “and Paris, for my sister and her husband, is the end of the world. London therefore will be more or less another planet. It has always been, as with so many of us, quite their Mecca, but this is their first real caravan3; they’ve mainly known ‘old England’ as a shop for articles in india-rubber and leather, in which they’ve dressed themselves as much as possible. Which all means, however, that you’ll see them, all of them, wreathed in smiles. We must be very easy with them. Maggie’s too wonderful — her preparations are on a scale! She insists on taking in the sposi and my uncle. The, others will come to me. I’ve been engaging their rooms at the hotel, and, with all those solemn signatures of an hour ago, that brings the case home to me.”
“Do you mean you’re afraid?” his hostess had amusedly asked.
“Terribly afraid. I’ve now but to wait to see the monster come. They’re not good days; they’re neither one thing nor the other. I’ve really got nothing, yet I’ve everything to lose. One doesn’t know what still may happen.”
The way she laughed at him was for an instant almost irritating; it came out, for his fancy, from behind the white curtain. It was a sign, that is, of her deep serenity4, which worried instead of soothing5 him. And to be soothed7, after all, to be tided over, in his mystic impatience8
1
lark
n.云雀,百灵鸟;n.嬉戏,玩笑;vi.嬉戏
2
mere
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
3
caravan
n.大蓬车;活动房屋
4
serenity
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗
5
soothing
adj.慰藉的;使人宽心的;镇静的
6
soothe
v.安慰;使平静;使减轻;缓和;奉承
7
soothed
v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦
8
impatience
n.不耐烦,急躁
9
sincerity
n.真诚,诚意;真实
10
consort
v.相伴;结交
11
orientation
n.方向,目标;熟悉,适应,情况介绍
12
perfectly
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
13
kindly
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
14
vessel
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管
15
berth
n.卧铺,停泊地,锚位;v.使停泊
16
lucidity
n.明朗,清晰,透明
17
precisely
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
18
prettily
adv.优美地;可爱地
19
isles
岛( isle的名词复数 )
20
hesitation
n.犹豫,踌躇
21
remarkably
ad.不同寻常地,相当地
22
retired
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
23
undertaking
n.保证,许诺,事业
24
remains
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
25
delightful
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
26
inquiry
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
27
spoke
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
28
determined
adj.坚定的;有决心的
29
apparently
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
30
humility
n.谦逊,谦恭
31
awfully
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
32
demonstration
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
33
concealed
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的
34
sufficiently
adv.足够地,充分地
35
tortuous
adj.弯弯曲曲的,蜿蜒的
36
perversity
n.任性;刚愎自用
37
gaily
adv.欢乐地,高兴地
38
promptly
adv.及时地,敏捷地
39
drollery
n.开玩笑,说笑话;滑稽可笑的图画(或故事、小戏等)
40
immediate
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
41
anecdotes
n.掌故,趣闻,轶事( anecdote的名词复数 )
42
rococo
n.洛可可;adj.过分修饰的
43
professed
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的
44
appreciation
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨
45
positively
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实
46
tune
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
47
suspense
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑
48
climax
n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点
49
inordinate
adj.无节制的;过度的
50
portentous
adj.不祥的,可怕的,装腔作势的
51
wager
n.赌注;vt.押注,打赌
52
enacting
制定(法律),通过(法案)( enact的现在分词 )
53
worthy
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
54
intensity
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
55
aesthetically
adv.美地,艺术地
56
scantly
缺乏地,仅仅
57
distinguished
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
58
hue
n.色度;色调;样子
59
eyebrows
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
60
amplitude
n.广大;充足;振幅
61
insistently
ad.坚持地
62
divans
n.(可作床用的)矮沙发( divan的名词复数 );(波斯或其他东方诗人的)诗集
63
pampered
adj.饮食过量的,饮食奢侈的v.纵容,宠,娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 )
64
crimson
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色
65
frankly
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
66
shams
假象( sham的名词复数 ); 假货; 虚假的行为(或感情、言语等); 假装…的人
67
attested
adj.经检验证明无病的,经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 );证实;声称…属实;使宣誓
68
beholder
n.观看者,旁观者
69
scraps
油渣
70
morsels
n.一口( morsel的名词复数 );(尤指食物)小块,碎屑
71
eventual
adj.最后的,结局的,最终的
72
patchwork
n.混杂物;拼缝物
73
regiment
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制
74
reigned
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式)
75
twilight
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期
76
primitive
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物
77
honourably
adv.可尊敬地,光荣地,体面地
78
precipitately
adv.猛进地
79
Founder
n.创始者,缔造者
80
privately
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地
81
drawn
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
82
concussion
n.脑震荡;震动
83
luncheon
n.午宴,午餐,便宴
84
lucidly
adv.清透地,透明地
85
abounds
v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的第三人称单数 )
86
extraordinarily
adv.格外地;极端地
87
rebounded
弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 ); 反弹; 产生反作用; 未能奏效
88
colossal
adj.异常的,庞大的
89
depreciate
v.降价,贬值,折旧
90
belle
n.靓女
91
relegated
v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 );使降职;转移;把…归类
92
criticise
v.批评,评论;非难
93
docility
n.容易教,易驾驶,驯服
94
scruple
n./v.顾忌,迟疑
95
impulsively
adv.冲动地
96
acclaimed
adj.受人欢迎的
97
gallantly
adv. 漂亮地,勇敢地,献殷勤地
98
gape
v.张口,打呵欠,目瞪口呆地凝视
99
warrior
n.勇士,武士,斗士
100
lighting
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光
101
diffusing
(使光)模糊,漫射,漫散( diffuse的现在分词 ); (使)扩散; (使)弥漫; (使)传播
102
deferred
adj.延期的,缓召的v.拖延,延缓,推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 );服从某人的意愿,遵从