The Old Willow Tree and Other Stories
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CHAPTER 4

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 After the warm days came rain and drizzle1 and wind. The roads became difficult because of the mud and slosh. Only in the avenue did it dry up soon, however hard it had rained. For the poplars gave no shade, so the sun was able to come at once as soon as the rain had ceased. And they gave no shelter either, so the wind came with a rush and dried the puddles3.
 
The squire4 came driving with his wife. When the carriage reached the place where the willow5 stood, the wet mud splashed all over her new silk dress.
 
"Ugh!" she said.
 
"What's all this nasty mess?" asked the squire.
 
The keeper, who was sitting on the box beside the coachman, pointed6 to the willow-tree:
 
"It's that fellow there," he said. "He was planted by mistake and now he has stood and grown big. He shelters the ground from the wind and shades it from the sun, so there is always a big puddle2 under him, long after the rest of the avenue is dry."
 
"Did you ever hear of such a thing?" said the squire. "And the look of him, too! He spoils the whole of the beautiful, stately avenue. See and poll him to-morrow, keeper. Off with the whole of his crown, do you hear?"
 
For that happened to be his mood that day.
 
On the next day, they came and sawed the willow-tree down to a man's height. Only the thick naked trunk remained. Not a leaf was-left, except five that stood on a little twig7 down by the ground and really had no business to be there at all. The whole of the splendid crown lay in the ditch. The keeper chopped all the branches into pieces with his axe8.
 
"Will they become cuttings?" asked the willow,

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1 drizzle Mrdxn     
v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨
参考例句：
  • The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小，最后变成了毛毛雨。
  • Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨，今天果然下起来了。
2 puddle otNy9     
n.(雨)水坑，泥潭
参考例句：
  • The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
  • She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。
3 puddles 38bcfd2b26c90ae36551f1fa3e14c14c     
n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The puddles had coalesced into a small stream. 地面上水洼子里的水汇流成了一条小溪。
  • The road was filled with puddles from the rain. 雨后路面到处是一坑坑的积水。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 squire 0htzjV     
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅
参考例句：
  • I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
  • The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。
5 willow bMFz6     
n.柳树
参考例句：
  • The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
  • The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。
6 pointed Il8zB4     
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。
7 twig VK1zg     
n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解
参考例句：
  • He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
  • The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。
8 axe 2oVyI     
n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减
参考例句：
  • Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
  • The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。
9 disconsolately f041141d86c7fb7a4a4b4c23954d68d8     
adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸
参考例句：
  • A dilapidated house stands disconsolately amid the rubbles. 一栋破旧的房子凄凉地耸立在断垣残壁中。 来自辞典例句
  • \"I suppose you have to have some friends before you can get in,'she added, disconsolately. “我看得先有些朋友才能进这一行，\"她闷闷不乐地加了一句。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
10 stunned 735ec6d53723be15b1737edd89183ec2     
adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
  • The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
  • The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
11 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的，新奇的
参考例句：
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
12 withered 342a99154d999c47f1fc69d900097df9     
adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
  • The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
  • The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

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