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OLE THE TOWER-KEEPER
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"In the world it's always going up and down; and now I can't go up any higher!" So said Ole the tower-keeper. "Most people have to try both the ups and the downs; and, rightly considered, we all get to be watchmen at last, and look down upon life from a height."
Such was the speech of Ole, my friend, the old tower-keeper, a strange, talkative old fellow, who seemed to speak out everything that came into his head, and who for all that had many a serious thought deep in his heart. Yes, he was the child of respectable people, and there were even some who said that he was the son of a privy1 councillor, or that he might have been. He had studied, too, and had been assistant teacher and deputy clerk; but of what service was all that to him? In those days he lived in the clerk's house, and was to have everything in the house—to be at free quarters, as the saying is; but he was still, so to speak, a fine young gentleman. He wanted to have his boots cleaned with patent blacking, and the clerk could only afford ordinary grease; and upon that point they split. One spoke2 of stinginess, the other of vanity, and the blacking became the black cause of enmity between them, and at last they parted.
This is what he demanded of the world in general, namely, patent blacking, and he got nothing but grease. Accordingly, he at last drew back from all men, and became a hermit3; but the church tower is the only place in a great city where hermitage, office and bread can be found together. So he betook himself up thither4, and smoked his pipe as he made his solitary5 rounds. He looked upward and downward, and had his own thoughts, and told in his own way of what he read in books and in himself. I often lent him books—good books; and you may know by the company he keeps. He loved neither the English governess novels nor the French ones, which he called a mixture of empty wind and raisin-stalks: he wanted biographies, and descriptions of the wonders of, the world. I visited him at least once a year, generally directly after New Year's day, and then he always spoke of this and that which the change of the year had put into his head.
I will tell the story of three of these visits, and will reproduce his own words whenever I can remember them.
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1
privy
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| adj.私用的;隐密的 | |
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spoke
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| 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 | |
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hermit
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| n.隐士,修道者;隐居 | |
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4
thither
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| adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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6
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 );巨砾;(受水或天气侵蚀而成的)巨石;漂砾 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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8
antiquity
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| n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹 | |
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9
strata
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| n.地层(复数);社会阶层 | |
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10
acting
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| n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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11
mere
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| adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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12
novice
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| adj.新手的,生手的 | |
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13
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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14
backwards
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| adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地 | |
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15
quill
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| n.羽毛管;v.给(织物或衣服)作皱褶 | |
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16
tattoo
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| n.纹身,(皮肤上的)刺花纹;vt.刺花纹于 | |
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17
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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18
warehouse
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| n.仓库;vt.存入仓库 | |
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19
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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20
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的,心怀恶意的 | |
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21
icebergs
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| n.冰山,流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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22
forth
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| adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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23
dwelling
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| n.住宅,住所,寓所 | |
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24
lapse
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| n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 | |
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25
cipher
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| n.零;无影响力的人;密码 | |
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benefactor
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| n. 恩人,行善的人,捐助人 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激,感谢 | |
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28
woe
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| n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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arbor
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| n.凉亭;树木 | |
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30
onward
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| adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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31
urchin
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| n.顽童;海胆 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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33
drawn
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| v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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carnival
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| n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演 | |
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extravagantly
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| adv.挥霍无度地 | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的,迷人的 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼,恶魔 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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mingled
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| 混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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sweepings
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| n.笼统的( sweeping的名词复数 );(在投票等中的)大胜;影响广泛的;包罗万象的 | |
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shreds
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| v.撕碎,切碎( shred的第三人称单数 );用撕毁机撕毁(文件) | |
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42
wade
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| v.跋涉,涉水;n.跋涉 | |
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43
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠 | |
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44
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝,嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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droll
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| adj.古怪的,好笑的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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48
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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49
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉);苦干;n.拖;苦干;拖船 | |
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chattels
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| n.动产,奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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51
lodging
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| n.寄宿,住所;(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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maxim
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| n.格言,箴言 | |
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53
countersigns
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| v.连署,副署,会签 (文件)( countersign的第三人称单数 ) | |
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savings
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| n.存款,储蓄 | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flouted
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| v.藐视,轻视( flout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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draught
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| n.拉,牵引,拖;一网(饮,吸,阵);顿服药量,通风;v.起草,设计 | |
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awakened
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| v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到 | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的,折磨人的 | |
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inscribed
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| v.写,刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 );内接 | |
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inscription
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| n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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flake
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| v.使成薄片;雪片般落下;n.薄片 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察,警官 | |
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spurted
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| (液体,火焰等)喷出,(使)涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 ); (短暂地)加速前进,冲刺 | |
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immortality
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| n.不死,不朽 | |
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