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VIII A GREAT CHANGE
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Until the autumn of this year, life had seemed to flow in one steady, unchanging current. The thought had not entered little Nan Prince's head that changes might be in store for her, for, ever since she could remember, the events of life had followed each other quietly, and except for the differences in every-day work and play, caused by the succession of the seasons, she was not called upon to accommodate herself to new conditions. It was a gentle change at first: as the days grew shorter and the house and cellar were being made ready for winter, her grandmother seemed to have much more to do than usual, and Nan must stay at home to help. She was growing older at any rate; she knew how to help better than she used; she was anxious to show her grandmother how well she could work, and as the river side and the windy pastures grew less hospitable1, she did not notice that she was no longer encouraged to go out to play for hours together to amuse herself as best she might, and at any rate keep out of the way. It seemed natural enough now that she should stay in the house, and be entrusted2 with some regular part of the business of keeping it. For some time Mrs. Thacher had kept but one cow, and early in November, after a good offer for old Brindle had been accepted, it was announced to Nan's surprise that the young cow which was to be Brindle's successor need not be bought until spring; she would be a great care in winter time, and Nan was to bring a quart of milk a day from Jake and Martin's. This did not seem an unpleasant duty while the mild weather lasted; if there came a rainy day, one of the kind neighbors would leave the little pail on his way to the village before the young messenger had started out.
Nan could not exactly understand at last why Mrs. Jake and Mrs. Martin always asked about her grandmother every morning with so much interest and curiosity, or why they came oftener and oftener to help with the heavy work. Mrs. Thacher had never before minded her occasional illnesses so much, and some time passed before Nan's inexperienced eyes and fearless young heart understood that the whole atmosphere which overhung the landscape of her life had somehow changed, that another winter approached full of mystery and strangeness and discomfort3 of mind, and at last a great storm was almost ready to break into the shelter and comfort of her simple life. Poor Nan! She could not think what it all meant. She was asked many a distressing
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1
hospitable
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| adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托,托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便 | |
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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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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅(尤指主要住房) | |
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meeker
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| adj.温顺的,驯服的( meek的比较级 ) | |
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disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐,陶醉;n.作乐,狂欢 | |
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malice
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| n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋 | |
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scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开 | |
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insinuating
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| adj.曲意巴结的,暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 );巧妙或迂回地潜入;(使)缓慢进入;慢慢伸入 | |
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friendliness
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| n.友谊,亲切,亲密 | |
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assent
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| v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可 | |
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faltered
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| (嗓音)颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的 | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的;垂涎的,梦寐以求的v.贪求,觊觎(covet的过去分词);垂涎;贪图 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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puddles
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| n.水坑, (尤指道路上的)雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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landmark
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| n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标 | |
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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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serenity
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| n.宁静,沉着,晴朗 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的,连续的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
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flakes
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| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 | |
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enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱,奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 ); 催促 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的,引人注目的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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glibly
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| adv.流利地,流畅地;满口 | |
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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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admiration
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| n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地,神经麻木地 | |
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munched
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| v.用力咀嚼(某物),大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hoard
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| n./v.窖藏,贮存,囤积 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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reigning
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| adj.统治的,起支配作用的 | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的,奢侈的,华丽的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的,好奇的,好寻根究底的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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longing
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| n.(for)渴望 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的,无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰,慰问 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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cardinals
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| 红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 ); 红衣凤头鸟(见于北美,雄鸟为鲜红色); 基数 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 | |
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IX AT DR. LESLIE'S
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