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CHAPTER X. MISS CHANCE REAPPEARS.
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A week had passed, since the Minister’s wife had left me, when I received a letter from the Minister himself.
After surprising me, as he innocently supposed, by announcing the birth of his child, he mentioned some circumstances connected with that event, which I now heard for the first time.
“Within an easy journey of the populous1 scene of my present labors,” he wrote, “there is a secluded2 country village called Low Lanes. The rector of the place is my wife’s brother. Before the birth of our infant, he had asked his sister to stay for a while at his house; and the doctor thought she might safely be allowed to accept the invitation. Through some error in the customary calculations, as I suppose, the child was born unexpectedly at the rectory; and the ceremony of baptism was performed at the church, under circumstances which I am not able to relate within the limits of a letter: Let me only say that I allude3 to this incident without any sectarian bitterness of feeling—for I am no enemy to the Church of England. You have no idea what treasures of virtue4 and treasures of beauty maternity5 has revealed in my wife’s sweet nature. Other mothers, in her proud position, might find their love cooling toward the poor child whom we have adopted. But my household is irradiated by the presence of an angel, who gives an equal share in her affections to the two little ones alike.”
In this semi-hysterical style of writing, the poor man unconsciously told me how cunningly and how cruelly his wife was deceiving him.
I longed to exhibit that wicked woman in her true character—but what could I do? She must have been so favored by circumstances as to be able to account for her absence from home, without exciting the slightest suspicion of the journey which she had really taken, if I declared in my reply to the Minister’s letter that I had received her in my rooms, and if I repeated the conversation that had taken place, what would the result be? She would find an easy refuge in positive denial of the truth—and, in that case, which of us would her infatuated husband believe?
The one part of the letter which I read with some satisfaction was the end of it.
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收听单词发音

1
populous
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adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 | |
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2
secluded
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adj.与世隔绝的;隐退的;偏僻的v.使隔开,使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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3
allude
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v.提及,暗指 | |
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4
virtue
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n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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5
maternity
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n.母性,母道,妇产科病房;adj.孕妇的,母性的 | |
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6
conceal
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v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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concealing
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v.隐藏,隐瞒,遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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9
consultation
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n.咨询;商量;商议;会议 | |
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10
privately
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adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地 | |
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11
abstaining
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戒(尤指酒),戒除( abstain的现在分词 ); 弃权(不投票) | |
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12
Christian
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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offense
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n.犯规,违法行为;冒犯,得罪 | |
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obedience
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n.服从,顺从 | |
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bereaved
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adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去(希望、生命等)( bereave的过去式和过去分词);(尤指死亡)使丧失(亲人、朋友等);使孤寂;抢走(财物) | |
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hypocrisy
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n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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afflicted
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使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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condoled
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v.表示同情,吊唁( condole的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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determined
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adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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distress
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n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
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allusion
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n.暗示,间接提示 | |
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miserable
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adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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orphan
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n.孤儿;adj.无父母的 | |
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kindly
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adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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complimentary
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adj.赠送的,免费的,赞美的,恭维的 | |
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benevolent
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adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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paramount
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a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
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admiration
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n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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motives
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n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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remains
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n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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applied
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adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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hesitation
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n.犹豫,踌躇 | |
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metropolis
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n.首府;大城市 | |
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maiden
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n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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contemptibly
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adv.卑鄙地,下贱地 | |
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superstitious
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adj.迷信的 | |
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license
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n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许 | |
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metaphor
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n.隐喻,暗喻 | |
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