She was reassured¹ as to Cyril during the next few days. He did not attempt to repeat his ingenious naughtiness of the Monday evening, and he came directly home for tea; moreover he had, as a kind of miracle performed to dazzle her, actually arisen early on the Tuesday morning and done his arithmetic. To express her satisfaction she had manufactured a specially² elaborate straw- frame for the sketch³ after Sir Edwin Landseer, and had hung it in her bedroom: an honour which Cyril appreciated. She was as happy as a woman suffering from a recent amputation⁴ can be; and compared with the long nightmare created by Samuel's monomania and illness, her existence seemed to be now a beneficent calm.

Cyril, she thought, had realized the importance in her eyes of tea, of that evening hour and that companionship which were for her the flowering of the day. And she had such confidence in his goodness that she would pour the boiling water on the Horniman tea-leaves even before he arrived: certainty could not be more sure. And then, on the Friday of the first week, he was late! He bounded in, after dark, and the state of his clothes indicated too clearly that he had been playing football in the mud that was a grassy⁵ field in summer.

"Have you been kept in, my boy?" she asked, for the sake of form.

"No, mother," he said casually⁶. "We were just kicking the ball about a bit. Am I late?"

"Better go and tidy yourself," she said, not replying to his question. "You can't sit down in that state. And I'll have some fresh tea made. This is spoilt."

"Oh, very well!"

Her sacred tea--the institution which she wanted to hallow by long habit, and which was to count before everything with both of them- -had been carelessly sacrificed to the kicking of a football in mud! And his father buried not ten days! She was wounded: a deep, clean, dangerous wound that would not bleed. She tried to be glad that he had not lied; he might easily have lied, saying that he had been detained for a fault and could not help being late. No! He was not given to lying; he would lie, like any human being, when a great occasion demanded such

点击收听单词发音  

1 reassured
adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 specially
adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地
参考例句：
They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。 The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

3 sketch
n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述
参考例句：
My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。 I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

4 amputation
n.截肢
参考例句：
In ancient India,adultery was punished by amputation of the nose.在古代印度，通奸要受到剖鼻的处罚。 He lived only hours after the amputation.截肢后，他只活了几个小时。

5 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。

6 casually
adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地
参考例句：
She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。 I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

7 prudence
n.谨慎，精明，节俭
参考例句：
A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。 The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

8 liar
n.说谎的人
参考例句：
I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！ She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

9 truthful
adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的
参考例句：
You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。 I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

10 grumbling
adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的
参考例句：
She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。 We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

11 wheedle
v.劝诱，哄骗
参考例句：
I knew he was trying to wheedle me into being at his beck and call.我知道这是他拉拢我，好让我俯首贴耳地为他效劳。 They tried to wheedle her into leaving the house.他们想哄骗她离开这屋子。

12 affront
n./v.侮辱，触怒
参考例句：
Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。 This remark caused affront to many people.这句话得罪了不少人。

13 monarch
n.帝王，君主，最高统治者
参考例句：
The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。 I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

14 apropos
adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于
参考例句：
I thought he spoke very apropos.我认为他说得很中肯。 He arrived very apropos.他来得很及时。

15 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。

16 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。

17 interfere
v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰
参考例句：
If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。 When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

18 purely
adv.纯粹地，完全地
参考例句：
I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。 This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

19 lurking
潜在
参考例句：
Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？ There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 vocation
n.职业，行业
参考例句：
She struggled for years to find her true vocation.她多年来苦苦寻找真正适合自己的职业。 She felt it was her vocation to minister to the sick.她觉得照料病人是她的天职。

21 insolence
n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度
参考例句：
I've had enough of your insolence, and I'm having no more. 我受够了你的侮辱，不能再容忍了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 How can you suffer such insolence? 你怎么能容忍这种蛮横的态度？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 pouted
v.撅（嘴）( pout的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Her lips pouted invitingly. 她挑逗地撮起双唇。 I pouted my lips at him, hinting that he should speak first. 我向他努了努嘴，让他先说。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 thwarted
阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过
参考例句：
The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。 Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

24 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

25 sarcastically
adv.挖苦地，讽刺地
参考例句：
'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。 Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她，讽刺地鞠了一躬。

26 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。

27 condemned
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。 The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

28 solitary
adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士
参考例句：
I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。 The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

29 ecstasy
n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷
参考例句：
He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。 Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

30 solaced
v.安慰，慰藉( solace的过去分词 )
参考例句：
The unhappy man solaced himself with whisky. 那忧伤的人以威士忌酒浇愁。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 She was distracted with grief and refused to be solaced. 她悲痛得精神恍惚，怎麽安慰也没用。 来自辞典例句