"Now, I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended their talk, they drew nigh to a very miry slough¹, that was in the midst of the plain; and they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog². The name of the slough was Despond."--BUNYAN.

When Rosamond was quiet, and Lydgate had left her, hoping that she might soon sleep under the effect of an anodyne³, he went into the drawing-room to fetch a book which he had left there, meaning to spend the evening in his work-room, and he saw on the table Dorothea's letter addressed to him. He had not ventured to ask Rosamond if Mrs. Casaubon had called, but the reading of this letter assured him of the fact, for Dorothea mentioned that it was to be carried by herself.

When Will Ladislaw came in a little later Lydgate met him with a surprise which made it clear that he had not been told of the earlier visit, and Will could not say, "Did not Mrs. Lydgate tell you that I came this morning?"

"Poor Rosamond is ill," Lydgate added immediately on his greeting.

"Not seriously, I hope," said Will.

"No--only a slight nervous shock--the effect of some agitation⁴. She has been overwrought lately. The truth is, Ladislaw, I am an unlucky devil. We have gone through several rounds of purgatory⁵ since you left, and I have lately got on to a worse ledge⁶ of it than ever. I suppose you are only just come down--you look rather battered-- you have not been long enough in the town to hear anything?"

"I travelled all night and got to the White Hart at eight o'clock this morning. I have been shutting myself up and resting," said Will, feeling himself a sneak⁷, but seeing no alternative to this evasion⁸.

And then he heard Lydgate's account of the troubles which Rosamond had already

点击收听单词发音  

1 slough
v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃
参考例句：
He was not able to slough off the memories of the past.他无法忘记过去。 A cicada throws its slough.蝉是要蜕皮的。

2 bog
n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖
参考例句：
We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。 The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。

3 anodyne
n.解除痛苦的东西，止痛剂
参考例句：
It was their delight,their folly,their anodyne,their intellectual stimulant.这是他们的人生乐趣，他们的一时荒唐，他们的止痛药，他们的脑力刺激剂。 Friendship is not only the condiment but also the anodyne of life.友谊是人生的调味品，也是人生的止痛药。

4 agitation
n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动
参考例句：
Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。 These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

5 purgatory
n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的
参考例句：
Every step of the last three miles was purgatory.最后3英里时每一步都像是受罪。 Marriage,with peace,is this world's paradise;with strife,this world's purgatory.和谐的婚姻是尘世的乐园，不和谐的婚姻则是人生的炼狱。

6 ledge
n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁
参考例句：
They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。 Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

7 sneak
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行
参考例句：
He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。 I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

8 evasion
n.逃避，偷漏(税)
参考例句：
The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。 The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

9 depicted
描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述
参考例句：
Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。 They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

10 raffles
n.抽彩售物( raffle的名词复数 )v.以抽彩方式售（物）( raffle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Elsa and I will buzz on to the Raffles bar. 埃尔莎和我继续往前去，到拉福尔旅馆的酒巴。 来自辞典例句 Tudsbury rushed to the Raffles and dictated this hot story to Pamela. 塔茨伯利冲到拉福尔旅馆，对帕米拉口述了这个最新消息。 来自辞典例句

11 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
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 sardonically
adv.讽刺地，冷嘲地
参考例句：
Some say sardonically that combat pay is good and that one can do quite well out of this war. 有些人讽刺地说战地的薪饷很不错，人们可借这次战争赚到很多钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Tu Wei-yueh merely drew himself up and smiled sardonically. 屠维岳把胸脯更挺得直些，微微冷笑。 来自子夜部分

13 exquisite
adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的
参考例句：
I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。 I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

14 generosity
n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为
参考例句：
We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。 We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

15 reticence
n.沉默，含蓄
参考例句：
He breaks out of his normal reticence and tells me the whole story.他打破了平时一贯沈默寡言的习惯，把事情原原本本都告诉了我。 He always displays a certain reticence in discussing personal matters.他在谈论个人问题时总显得有些保留。

16 reticent
adj.沉默寡言的；言不如意的
参考例句：
He was reticent about his opinion.他有保留意见。 He was extremely reticent about his personal life.他对自己的个人生活讳莫如深。

17 allusion
n.暗示，间接提示
参考例句：
He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。 She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

18 entreated
恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
They entreated and threatened, but all this seemed of no avail. 他们时而恳求，时而威胁，但这一切看来都没有用。 'One word,' the Doctor entreated. 'Will you tell me who denounced him?' “还有一个问题，”医生请求道，“你可否告诉我是谁告发他的？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

19 beholding
v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟
参考例句：
Beholding, besides love, the end of love,/Hearing oblivion beyond memory! 我看见了爱，还看到了爱的结局，／听到了记忆外层的哪一片寂寥！ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学 Hence people who began by beholding him ended by perusing him. 所以人们从随便看一看他开始的，都要以仔细捉摸他而终结。 来自辞典例句

20 panorama
n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]
参考例句：
A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。 A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

21 momentous
adj.重要的，重大的
参考例句：
I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。 The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

22 perilous
adj.危险的，冒险的
参考例句：
The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。 We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

23 margin
n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘
参考例句：
We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。 The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

24 insipid
adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的
参考例句：
The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道，需要加点作料。 She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师，但她做的食物却是无味道的。

25 groaning
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式
参考例句：
She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。 The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着，无人救助。

26 dreaded
adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。 He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

27 motiveless
adj.无动机的，无目的的
参考例句：

28 levity
n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变
参考例句：
His remarks injected a note of levity into the proceedings.他的话将一丝轻率带入了议事过程中。 At the time,Arnold had disapproved of such levity.那时候的阿诺德对这种轻浮行为很看不惯。