On the morrow, in the afternoon, she heard his voice at the door, and his step in the hall.

She received him in the big, bright front parlour, and she instructed the servant that if any one should call she was particularly engaged.

She was not afraid of her father's coming in, for at that hour he was always driving about town.

When Morris stood there before her, the first thing that she was conscious of was that he was even more beautiful to look at than fond recollection had painted him; the next was that he had pressed her in his arms.

When she was free again it appeared to her that she had now indeed thrown herself into the gulf¹ of defiance², and even, for an instant, that she had been married to him.

He told her that she had been very cruel, and had made him very unhappy; and Catherine felt acutely the difficulty of her destiny, which forced her to give pain in such opposite quarters.

But she wished that, instead of reproaches, however tender, he would give her help; he was certainly wise enough, and clever enough, to invent some issue from their troubles.

She expressed this belief, and Morris received the assurance as if he thought it natural; but he interrogated³, at first--as was natural too--rather than committed himself to marking out a course.

"You should not have made me wait so long," he said.

"I don't know how I have been living; every hour seemed like years.

You should have decided⁴ sooner."

"Decided?" Catherine asked.

"Decided whether you would keep me or give me up."

"Oh, Morris," she cried, with a long tender murmur⁵, "I never thought of giving you up!"

"What, then, were you waiting for?"

The young man was ardently⁶ logical.

"I thought my father might--might--" and she hesitated.

"Might see how unhappy you were?"

"Oh no!

But that he might look at it differently."

"And now you have sent for me to tell me that at last he does so.

Is that it?"

点击收听单词发音  

1 gulf
n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂
参考例句：
The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。 There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 defiance
n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗
参考例句：
He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。 He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

3 interrogated
v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询
参考例句：
He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。 Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 murmur
n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言
参考例句：
They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。 There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

6 ardently
adv.热心地，热烈地
参考例句：
The preacher is disserveing the very religion in which he ardently believe. 那传教士在损害他所热烈信奉的宗教。 来自辞典例句 However ardently they love, however intimate their union, they are never one. 无论他们的相爱多么热烈，无论他们的关系多么亲密，他们决不可能合而为一。 来自辞典例句

7 pang
n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷
参考例句：
She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。 She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

8 persuasive
adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的
参考例句：
His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。 The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

9 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。

10 attentively
adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神
参考例句：
She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 passionately
ad.热烈地，激烈地
参考例句：
She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。 He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

12 miserable
adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的
参考例句：
It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。 Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

13 fidelity
n.忠诚，忠实；精确
参考例句：
There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。 His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。

14 immediate
adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的
参考例句：
His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。 We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 simplicity
n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯
参考例句：
She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。 The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

16 motives
n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )
参考例句：
to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机 His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

17 sarcasm
n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）
参考例句：
His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。 She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

18 scrupulously
adv.一丝不苟地；小心翼翼地，多顾虑地
参考例句：
She toed scrupulously into the room. 她小心翼翼地踮着脚走进房间。 来自辞典例句 To others he would be scrupulously fair. 对待别人，他力求公正。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史

19 imputation
n.归罪，责难
参考例句：
I could not rest under the imputation.我受到诋毁，无法平静。 He resented the imputation that he had any responsibility for what she did.把她所作的事情要他承担，这一责难，使他非常恼火。

20 sonorously
adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；堂皇地；朗朗地
参考例句：
He pronounced sonorously as he shook the wet branch. 他一边摇动着湿树枝，一边用洪亮的声音说着。 来自辞典例句 The congregation consisted chiefly of a few young folk, who snored sonorously. 教堂里的会众主要是些打盹睡觉并且鼾声如雷的年轻人。 来自互联网

21 pacified
使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平
参考例句：
The baby could not be pacified. 怎么也止不住婴儿的哭声。 She shrieked again, refusing to be pacified. 她又尖叫了，无法使她平静下来。

22 dismal
adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的
参考例句：
That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。 My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

23 conjure
v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法
参考例句：
I conjure you not to betray me.我恳求你不要背弃我。 I can't simply conjure up the money out of thin air.我是不能像变魔术似的把钱变来。

24 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。

25 inquiries
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。 I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

26 reprobation
n.斥责
参考例句：
Nearly everyone had something to say in reprobation of the views suggested by Owen. 几乎每个人都说几句话来表示反对欧文的见解。 来自辞典例句

27 shudder
v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动
参考例句：
The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。 We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

28 vaguely
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。 He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

29 eyebrows
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。 His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。