“And now the Adriatic’s free to wed¹ another,” said Houston to himself, as he put himself into a cab, and had himself carried to his club. There he wrote that valedictory² letter to Gertrude which is given at the end of the last chapter. Had he reason to complain of his fate, or to rejoice? He had looked the question of an establishment full in the face — an establishment to be created by Sir Thomas Tringle’s money, to be shared with Sir Thomas Tringle’s daughter, and had made up his mind to accept it, although the prospects⁴ were not, as he told himself, “altogether rosy”. When he first made up his mind to marry Gertrude — on condition that Gertrude should bring with her, at any rate, not less than three thousand a year — he was quite aware that he would have to give up all his old ways of life, and all his little pleasures. He would become son-in-law to Sir Thomas Tringle, with a comfortable house to live in; with plenty to eat and drink, and, probably, a horse or two to ride. If he could manage things at their best, perhaps he might be able to settle himself at Pau, or some other place of the kind, so as to be as far away as possible from Tringle influences. But his little dinners at one club, his little rubbers of whist at the other club, his evenings at the opera, the pleasant smiles of the ladies, whom he loved in a general way — these would be done with for ever! Earn his own bread! Why, he was going to earn his bread, and that in most disagreeable manner. He would set up an establishment, not because such an establishment would have any charms for him, but because he was compelled by lack of money to make some change in his present manner of life. And yet the time had been when he had looked forward to a marriage as the happiest thing that could befall him. As far as his nature could love, he had loved Imogene Docimer. There had come a glimpse upon him of something better than the little dinners and the little rubbers. There had been a prospect³ of an income — not ample, as would have been that forthcoming from Sir Thomas — but sufficient for a sweet and modest home, in which he thought that it would have sufficed for his happiness to paint a few pictures, and read a few books, and to love his wife and children. Even as to that there had been a doubt. There was a regret as to the charms of London life. But, nevertheless, he had made up his mind — and she, without any doubt, had made up hers. Then that wicked uncle had died, and was found to have

点击收听单词发音  

1 wed
v.娶，嫁，与…结婚
参考例句：
The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。 The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

2 valedictory
adj.告别的；n.告别演说
参考例句：
He made a valedictory address after two years as chairman.在担任主席职务两年后他发表了告别演说。 This valedictory dispatch was written as he retired from the foreign service a few weeks ago.这份告别报告是他几周前从外交界退休时所写的。

3 prospect
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。 The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

4 prospects
n.希望，前途(恒为复数)
参考例句：
There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。 They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

5 expended
v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽
参考例句：
She expended all her efforts on the care of home and children. 她把所有精力都花在料理家务和照顾孩子上。 The enemy had expended all their ammunition. 敌人已耗尽所有的弹药。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 considerably
adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上
参考例句：
The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。 The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

7 favourably
adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably
参考例句：
The play has been favourably commented by the audience. 本剧得到了观众的好评。 The open approach contrasts favourably with the exclusivity of some universities. 这种开放式的方法与一些大学的封闭排外形成了有利的对比。

8 droll
adj.古怪的，好笑的
参考例句：
The band have a droll sense of humour.这个乐队有一种滑稽古怪的幽默感。 He looked at her with a droll sort of awakening.他用一种古怪的如梦方醒的神情看着她.

9 untoward
adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的
参考例句：
Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.有些不幸的事件使我不能在这欢庆的时刻和你在一起。 I'll come if nothing untoward happens.我要是没有特殊情况一定来。

10 sojourn
v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留
参考例句：
It would be cruel to begrudge your sojourn among flowers and fields.如果嫉妒你逗留在鲜花与田野之间，那将是太不近人情的。 I am already feeling better for my sojourn here.我在此逗留期间，觉得体力日渐恢复。

11 persevered
v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。 Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句

12 futile
adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的
参考例句：
They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。 Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

13 arbiter
n.仲裁人，公断人
参考例句：
Andrew was the arbiter of the disagreement.安德鲁是那场纠纷的仲裁人。 Experiment is the final arbiter in science.实验是科学的最后仲裁者。

14 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

15 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。

16 bosom
n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的
参考例句：
She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。 A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

17 persistent
adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的
参考例句：
Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。 She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

18 profligate
adj.行为不检的；n.放荡的人，浪子，肆意挥霍者
参考例句：
This young man had all the inclination to be a profligate of the first water.这个青年完全有可能成为十足的浪子。 Similarly Americans have been profligate in the handling of mineral resources.同样的，美国在处理矿产资源方面亦多浪费。

19 unaware
a.不知道的，未意识到的
参考例句：
They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。 I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

20 plunge
v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲
参考例句：
Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。 That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

21 nay
adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者
参考例句：
He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。 Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

22 theatrical
adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的
参考例句：
The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。 She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

23 virtuous
adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的
参考例句：
She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。 My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

24 prudent
adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的
参考例句：
A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。 You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

25 inquiry
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。 The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

26 besiege
vt.包围，围攻，拥在...周围
参考例句：
The Afghan air force was using helicopters to supply the besieged town.阿富汗空军正用直升机向被围城镇提供补给。 She was besieged by the press and the public.她被媒体和公众纠缠不休。

27 foully
ad.卑鄙地
参考例句：
This internationally known writer was foully condemned by the Muslim fundamentalists. 这位国际知名的作家受到了穆斯林信徒的无礼谴责。 Two policemen were foully murdered. 两个警察被残忍地杀害了。

28 repudiated
v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务）
参考例句：
All slanders and libels should be repudiated. 一切诬蔑不实之词，应予推倒。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The Prime Minister has repudiated racist remarks made by a member of the Conservative Party. 首相已经驳斥了一个保守党成员的种族主义言论。 来自辞典例句

29 prelude
n.序言，前兆，序曲
参考例句：
The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。 The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。

30 meditating
a.沉思的，冥想的
参考例句：
They were meditating revenge. 他们在谋划进行报复。 The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics. 这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

31 pint
n.品脱
参考例句：
I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。 In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

32 champagne
n.香槟酒；微黄色
参考例句：
There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。 They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

33 rambling
adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的
参考例句：
We spent the summer rambling in Ireland. 我们花了一个夏天漫游爱尔兰。 It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. 在布局凌乱的大房子里容易迷路。

34 purport
n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是...
参考例句：
Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause.许多理论都标榜以单一的原因解释生长。 Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。

35 regain
vt.重新获得，收复，恢复
参考例句：
He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。 The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

36 regained
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地
参考例句：
The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。 She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

37 outraged
a.震惊的，义愤填膺的
参考例句：
Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。 He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

38 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

39 utterly
adv.完全地，绝对地
参考例句：
Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。 I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

40 contentions
n.竞争( contention的名词复数 )；争夺；争论；论点
参考例句：
Direct tests on individual particles do not support these contentions. 对单个粒子所作的直接试验并不支持这些论点。 来自辞典例句 His contentions cannot be laughed out of court. 对他的争辩不能一笑置之。 来自辞典例句

41 fickle
adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的
参考例句：
Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。 The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

42 blessing
n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿
参考例句：
The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。 A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

43 annoyance
n.恼怒，生气，烦恼
参考例句：
Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？ I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

44 persistency
n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数)
参考例句：
I was nettled by her persistency. 我被她的固执惹恼了。 We should stick to and develop the heritage of persistency. 我们应坚持和发扬坚忍不拔的传统。

45 entangle
vt.缠住，套住；卷入，连累
参考例句：
How did Alice manage to entangle her hair so badly in the brambles?爱丽丝是怎么把头发死死地缠在荆棘上的？ Don't entangle the fishing lines.不要让钓鱼线缠在一起。

46 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。

47 dealing
n.经商方法，待人态度
参考例句：
This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。 His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

48 accede
v.应允，同意
参考例句：
They are ready to accede to our request for further information.我们要是还需要资料，他们乐于随时提供。 In a word,he will not accede to your proposal in the meeting.总而言之，他不会在会中赞成你的提议。