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CHAPTER XXI THE TRUTH
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Mrs. Baldwin had been much disturbed since the appearance of her husband. In her secret soul she dreaded1 the return of the man who had treated her so badly. All these years she had kept her fears to herself, but sometimes she suffered agonies. For some time these had grown less keen, as Rufus not appearing she fancied he must be dead. But the head of Rufus had been seen at the window: she had distinctly seen his face, and she knew she was no longer safe. He could not touch her money which was safely tied up, nor could he deal with the land she owned. But he had a way of terrorising her which would make her give him whatever he wanted. He would spend the money, treat his children badly, leave her next door to a pauper2, and on the whole make things as unpleasant as he knew how.
There is nothing makes a man bolder than fear. This is paradoxical but true. Under the influence of supreme3 fear, the most cowardly person will become brave to rid himself of the cause of terror. Balzac acutely observes that "The rebellion of a sheep is terrible," and in this way Mrs. Baldwin felt. She was a timid woman in reality and had given in to the will of the brute5 she had unfortunately married. When he went away--not being able to get more money out of her--she breathed freely. But now that there was a chance of his coming into her life again, Mrs. Baldwin felt all her old terrors revive. But she determined6 if he did come she would kill him. To this extent had her fear driven her. She was scared to death, and therefore was the more dangerous.
Had she been wise, she would have seen her lawyers and told them everything. As Rufus had deserted7 her for so many years, the law would put things right for her. As he had treated her with brutality8 her evidence would enable the law to arrange matters so that she would no longer live in a state of terrorism. She could get a separation, even a divorce. But Mrs. Baldwin was not wise. She was a slow-thinking woman, and the
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1
dreaded
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adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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pauper
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n.贫民,被救济者,穷人 | |
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3
supreme
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adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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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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5
brute
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n.野兽,兽性 | |
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determined
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adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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deserted
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adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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8
brutality
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n.野蛮的行为,残忍,野蛮 | |
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mere
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adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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noted
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adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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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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apprehensive
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adj.担心的,恐惧的,善于领会的 | |
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vindictively
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adv.恶毒地;报复地 | |
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hysterically
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ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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villa
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n.别墅,城郊小屋 | |
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fumbled
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(笨拙地)摸索或处理(某事物)( fumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 乱摸,笨拙地弄; 使落下 | |
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soothingly
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adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地 | |
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soothed
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v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦 | |
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guilt
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n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责 | |
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assented
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同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flora
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n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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lodgings
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n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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villain
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n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因 | |
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tack
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n.大头钉;假缝,粗缝 | |
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dense
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a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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pall
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v.覆盖,使平淡无味;n.柩衣,棺罩;棺材;帷幕 | |
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professed
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公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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hopped
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跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 ); 单足蹦跳; 齐足(或双足)跳行; 摘葎草花 | |
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lavishly
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adv.慷慨地,大方地 | |
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verge
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n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临 | |
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manor
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n.庄园,领地 | |
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steadily
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adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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toiled
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长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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devious
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adj.不坦率的,狡猾的;迂回的,曲折的 | |
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looming
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n.上现蜃景(光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼)v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
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pointed
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adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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shrugged
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vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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tempt
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vt.引诱,勾引,吸引,引起…的兴趣 | |
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growled
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v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说 | |
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apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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complacent
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adj.自满的;自鸣得意的 | |
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catching
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adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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hurled
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v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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watchful
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adj.注意的,警惕的 | |
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luring
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吸引,引诱(lure的现在分词形式) | |
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sullenly
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不高兴地,绷着脸,忧郁地 | |
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vehemently
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adv. 热烈地 | |
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extremity
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n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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lured
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吸引,引诱(lure的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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standing
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n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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dagger
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n.匕首,短剑,剑号 | |
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52
shrieked
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v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stratagem
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n.诡计,计谋 | |
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plunged
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v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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stump
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n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走 | |
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wary
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adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的 | |
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tempting
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a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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fugitive
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adj.逃亡的,易逝的;n.逃犯,逃亡者 | |
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abode
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n.住处,住所 | |
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drenched
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adj.湿透的;充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 );在某人(某物)上大量使用(某液体) | |
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frail
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adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
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stunning
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adj.极好的;使人晕倒的 | |
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shrieks
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n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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frantic
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adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 | |
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