II
“It doesn’t ring,” said Mrs. Dane Calthrop, appearing at the door with theunexpectedness of a genie¹.
I had already suspected that fact.
“They’ve mended it twice,” said Mrs. Dane Calthrop. “But it never lasts.
So I have to keep alert. In case it’s something important. It’s importantwith you, isn’t it?”
“It—well—yes, it is important—to me, I mean.”
“That’s what I meant, too…” She looked at me thoughtfully. “Yes, it’squite bad, I can see— Who do you want? The vicar?”
“I— I’m not sure—”
It had been the vicar I came to see—but now, unexpectedly, I was doubt-ful. I didn’t quite know why. But immediately Mrs. Dane Calthrop told me.
“My husband’s a very good man,” she said. “Besides being the vicar, Imean. And that makes things difficult sometimes. Good people, you see,don’t really understand evil.” She paused and then said with a kind ofbrisk efficiency, “I think it had better be me.”
A faint smile came to my lips. “Is evil your department?” I asked.
“Yes, it is. It’s important in a parish to know all about the various—well—sins that are going on.”
“Isn’t sin your husband’s province? His official business, so to speak.”
“The forgiveness of sins,” she corrected me. “He can give absolution. Ican’t. But I,” said Mrs. Dane Calthrop with the utmost cheerfulness, “canget sin arranged and classified for him. And if one knows about it one canhelp to prevent its harming other people. One can’t help the people them-selves. I can’t, I mean. Only God can call to repentance², you know—or per-haps you don’t know. A lot of people don’t nowadays.”
“I can’t compete with your expert knowledge,” I said, “but I would liketo prevent people being—harmed.”
She shot me a quick glance.
“It’s like that, is it? You’d better come in and we’ll be comfortable.”
The vicarage sitting room was big and shabby. It was much shaded by agargantuan Victorian shrubbery that no one seemed to have had the en-ergy to curb³. But the dimness was not gloomy for some peculiar

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1 genie
n.妖怪，神怪
参考例句：
Now the genie of his darkest and weakest side was speaking.他心灵中最阴暗最软弱的部分有一个精灵在说话。 He had to turn to the Genie of the Ring for help.他不得不向戒指神求助。

2 repentance
n.懊悔
参考例句：
He shows no repentance for what he has done.他对他的所作所为一点也不懊悔。 Christ is inviting sinners to repentance.基督正在敦请有罪的人悔悟。

3 curb
n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制
参考例句：
I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。 You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

4 peculiar
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。 He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

5 regularity
n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐
参考例句：
The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。 He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

6 prospective
adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的
参考例句：
The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。 They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

7 confided
v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）
参考例句：
She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。 He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 marital
adj.婚姻的，夫妻的
参考例句：
Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。 I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

10 ignoble
adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的
参考例句：
There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。 Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

11 pussy
n.(儿语)小猫，猫咪
参考例句：
Why can't they leave my pussy alone?为什么他们就不能离我小猫咪远一点？ The baby was playing with his pussy.孩子正和他的猫嬉戏。

12 robustly
adv.要用体力地，粗鲁地
参考例句：
These three hormones also robustly stimulated thymidine incorporation and inhibited drug-induced apoptosis. 并且这三种激素有利于胸（腺嘧啶脱氧核）苷掺入和抑制药物诱导的细胞凋亡。 来自互联网 The economy is still growing robustly, but inflation, It'seems, is back. 经济依然强劲增长，但是通胀似乎有所抬头。 来自互联网

13 activate
vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用
参考例句：
We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。 These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

14 musingly
adv.沉思地，冥想地
参考例句：

15 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。

16 idiocy
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。

17 Christian
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
参考例句：
They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。 His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

18 tangible
adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的
参考例句：
The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。 There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。