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One night, two or three weeks after the bridal return, when the boywas gone to bed, Rhoda sat a long time over the turf ashes that shehad raked out in front of her to extinguish them. She contemplatedso intently the new wife, as presented to her in her mind's eye overthe embers, that she forgot the lapse1 of time. At last, weariedwith her day's work, she too retired2.
But the figure which had occupied her so much during this and theprevious days was not to be banished3 at night. For the first timeGertrude Lodge4 visited the supplanted5 woman in her dreams. RhodaBrook dreamed--since her assertion that she really saw, beforefalling asleep, was not to be believed--that the young wife, in thepale silk dress and white bonnet7, but with features shockinglydistorted, and wrinkled as by age, was sitting upon her chest as shelay. The pressure of Mrs. Lodge's person grew heavier; the blueeyes peered cruelly into her face; and then the figure thrustforward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding-ring itwore glitter in Rhoda's eyes. Maddened mentally, and nearlysuffocated by pressure, the sleeper8 struggled; the incubus9, stillregarding her, withdrew to the foot of the bed, only, however, tocome forward by degrees, resume her seat, and flash her left hand asbefore.
Gasping for breath, Rhoda, in a last desperate effort, swung out herright hand, seized the confronting spectre by its obtrusive10 leftarm, and whirled it backward to the floor, starting up herself asshe did so with a low cry.
'O, merciful heaven!' she cried, sitting on the edge of the bed in acold sweat; 'that was not a dream--she was here!'
She could feel her antagonist's arm within her grasp even now--thevery flesh and bone of it, as it seemed. She looked on the floorwhither she had whirled the spectre, but there was nothing to beseen.
1 lapse | |
n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 | |
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2 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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3 banished | |
v.放逐,驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4 lodge | |
v.临时住宿,寄宿,寄存,容纳;n.传达室,小旅馆 | |
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5 supplanted | |
把…排挤掉,取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6 brook | |
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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7 bonnet | |
n.无边女帽;童帽 | |
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8 sleeper | |
n.睡眠者,卧车,卧铺 | |
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9 incubus | |
n.负担;恶梦 | |
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10 obtrusive | |
adj.显眼的;冒失的 | |
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11 reluctance | |
n.厌恶,讨厌,勉强,不情愿 | |
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12 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 | |
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13 latch | |
n.门闩,窗闩;弹簧锁 | |
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14 phantom | |
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的 | |
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15 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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16 blessing | |
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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17 dwelling | |
n.住宅,住所,寓所 | |
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18 confidential | |
adj.秘(机)密的,表示信任的,担任机密工作的 | |
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19 ailment | |
n.疾病,小病 | |
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20 beheld | |
v.看,注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
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21 riveted | |
铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 ); 把…固定住; 吸引; 引起某人的注意 | |
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22 spectral | |
adj.幽灵的,鬼魂的 | |
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23 malignant | |
adj.恶性的,致命的;恶意的,恶毒的 | |
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24 stigma | |
n.耻辱,污名;(花的)柱头 | |
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