Mr. Polly walked back to the house because he wanted to be alone. Miriam and Minnie would have accompanied him, but finding Uncle Pentstemon beside the Chief Mourner they went on in front.

“You’re wise,” said Uncle Pentstemon.

“Glad you think so,” said Mr. Polly, rousing himself to talk.

“I likes a bit of walking before a meal,” said Uncle Pentstemon, and made a kind of large hiccup¹. “That sherry rises,” he remarked. “Grocer’s stuff, I expect.”

He went on to ask how much the funeral might be costing, and seemed pleased to find Mr. Polly didn’t know.

“In that case,” he said impressively, “it’s pretty certain to cost more’n you expect, my boy.”

He meditated² for a time. “I’ve seen a mort of undertakers,” he declared; “a mort of undertakers.”

The Larkins girls attracted his attention.

“Let’s lodgin’s and chars,” he commented. “Leastways she goes out to cook dinners. And look at ’em!

“Dressed up to the nines. If it ain’t borryd clothes, that is. And they goes out to work at a factory!”

“Did you know my father much, Uncle Pentstemon?” asked Mr. Polly.

“Couldn’t stand Lizzie throwin’ herself away like that,” said Uncle Pentstemon, and repeated his hiccup on a larger scale.

“That weren’t good sherry,” said Uncle Pentstemon with the first note of pathos³ Mr. Polly had detected in his quavering voice.

The funeral in the rather cold wind had proved wonderfully appetising, and every eye brightened at the sight of the cold collation⁴ that was now spread in the front room. Mrs. Johnson was very brisk, and Mr. Polly, when he re-entered the house found everybody sitting down. “Come along, Alfred,” cried the hostess cheerfully. “We can’t very well begin without you. Have you got the bottled beer ready to open, Betsy? Uncle, you’ll have a drop of whiskey, I expect.”

“Put it where I can mix for myself,” said Uncle Pentstemon, placing his hat very carefully out of harm’s way on the bookcase.

There were two cold boiled chickens, which Johnson carved with great care and justice, and a nice piece of ham, some

点击收听单词发音  

1 hiccup
n.打嗝
参考例句：
When you have to hiccup,drink a glass of cold water.当你不得不打嗝时，喝一杯冷水就好了。 How long did he hiccup?他打嗝打了多久？

2 meditated
深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑
参考例句：
He meditated for two days before giving his answer. 他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。 She meditated for 2 days before giving her answer. 她考虑了两天才答复。

3 pathos
n.哀婉，悲怆
参考例句：
The pathos of the situation brought tears to our eyes.情况令人怜悯，看得我们不禁流泪。 There is abundant pathos in her words.她的话里富有动人哀怜的力量。

4 collation
n.便餐；整理
参考例句：
It was in this retreat that Mr. Quilp ordered a cold collation to be prepared.奎尔普先生就是在这个别墅里预定冷点的。 I was quite taken with your line of photocopiers with collation and stapling capability.我被贵公司能够自动整理和装订的系列复印机吸引住了。

5 brawn
n.体力
参考例句：
In this job you need both brains and brawn.做这份工作既劳神又费力。 They relied on brains rather than brawn.他们靠的是脑力，而不是体力。

6 pickles
n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱
参考例句：
Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

7 tart
adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇
参考例句：
She was learning how to make a fruit tart in class.她正在课上学习如何制作水果馅饼。 She replied in her usual tart and offhand way.她开口回答了，用她平常那种尖酸刻薄的声调随口说道。

8 preoccupied
adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)
参考例句：
He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。 The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 warfare
n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突
参考例句：
He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。 Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

10 wreck
n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难
参考例句：
Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。 No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

11 lodging
n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍
参考例句：
The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。 Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

12 valiantly
adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳
参考例句：
He faced the enemy valiantly, shuned no difficulties and dangers and would not hesitate to lay down his life if need be. 他英勇对敌，不避艰险，赴汤蹈火在所不计。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Murcertach strove valiantly to meet the new order of things. 面对这个新事态，默克塔克英勇奋斗。 来自辞典例句

13 brass
n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器
参考例句：
Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。 Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

14 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

15 insistently
ad.坚持地
参考例句：
Still Rhett did not look at her. His eyes were bent insistently on Melanie's white face. 瑞德还是看也不看她，他的眼睛死死地盯着媚兰苍白的脸。 These are the questions which we should think and explore insistently. 怎样实现这一主体性等问题仍要求我们不断思考、探索。

16 defiantly
adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地
参考例句：
Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 mischief
n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹
参考例句：
Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。 He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

18 catching
adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住
参考例句：
There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。 Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

19 clatter
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声
参考例句：
The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。 Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。

20 shrill
adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫
参考例句：
Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。 The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

21 hospitable
adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的
参考例句：
The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。 The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

22 fowl
n.家禽，鸡，禽肉
参考例句：
Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。 Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

23 momentary
adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的
参考例句：
We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。 I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

24 consternation
n.大为吃惊，惊骇
参考例句：
He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害，感到非常震惊。 Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。

25 giggle
n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说
参考例句：
Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。 All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。

26 narration
n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体
参考例句：
The richness of his novel comes from his narration of it.他小说的丰富多采得益于他的叙述。 Narration should become a basic approach to preschool education.叙事应是幼儿教育的基本途径。

27 relentless
adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的
参考例句：
The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。 Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

28 climax
n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点
参考例句：
The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。 His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

29 persuasively
adv.口才好地；令人信服地
参考例句：
Students find that all historians argue reasonably and persuasively. 学生们发现所有的历史学家都争论得有条有理，并且很有说服力。 来自辞典例句 He spoke a very persuasively but I smelled a rat and refused his offer. 他说得头头是道，但我觉得有些可疑，于是拒绝了他的建议。 来自辞典例句

30 remonstrance
n抗议，抱怨
参考例句：
She had abandoned all attempts at remonstrance with Thomas.她已经放弃了一切劝戒托马斯的尝试。 Mrs. Peniston was at the moment inaccessible to remonstrance.目前彭尼斯顿太太没功夫听她告状。

31 copiously
adv.丰富地，充裕地
参考例句：
She leant forward and vomited copiously on the floor. 她向前一俯，哇的一声吐了一地。 来自英汉文学 This well-organized, unified course copiously illustrated, amply cross-referenced, and fully indexed. 这条组织完善，统一的课程丰富地被说明，丰富地被相互参照和充分地被标注。 来自互联网

32 remains
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。 The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

33 streaks
n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹
参考例句：
streaks of grey in her hair 她头上的绺绺白发 Bacon has streaks of fat and streaks of lean. 咸肉中有几层肥的和几层瘦的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

34 irritation
n.激怒，恼怒，生气
参考例句：
He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。 Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。

35 melancholy
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。 He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

36 serenity
n.宁静，沉着，晴朗
参考例句：
Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。 She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

37 facetious
adj.轻浮的，好开玩笑的
参考例句：
He was so facetious that he turned everything into a joke.他好开玩笑，把一切都变成了戏谑。 I became angry with the little boy at his facetious remarks.我对这个小男孩过分的玩笑变得发火了。

38 awakened
v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到
参考例句：
She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。 The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 extraordinarily
adv.格外地；极端地
参考例句：
She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。 The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

40 grimace
v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭
参考例句：
The boy stole a look at his father with grimace.那男孩扮着鬼脸偷看了他父亲一眼。 Thomas made a grimace after he had tasted the wine.托马斯尝了那葡萄酒后做了个鬼脸。

41 hilarity
n.欢乐；热闹
参考例句：
The announcement was greeted with much hilarity and mirth.这一项宣布引起了热烈的欢呼声。 Wine gives not light hilarity,but noisy merriment.酒不给人以轻松的欢乐，而给人以嚣嚷的狂欢。

42 drizzle
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。

43 replete
adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁
参考例句：
He was replete with food and drink.他吃喝得饱饱的。 This immense space may be replete with happiness and glory.这巨大的空间可能充满了幸福和光荣。

44 unreasonably
adv. 不合理地
参考例句：
He was also petty, unreasonably querulous, and mean. 他还是个气量狭窄，无事生非，平庸刻薄的人。 Food in that restaurant is unreasonably priced. 那家饭店价格不公道。

45 smitten
猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 )
参考例句：
From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起，他就完全被她迷住了。 It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。

46 muddle
n.困惑，混浊状态；vt.使混乱，使糊涂，使惊呆；vi.胡乱应付，混乱
参考例句：
Everything in the room was in a muddle.房间里每一件东西都是乱七八糟的。 Don't work in a rush and get into a muddle.克服忙乱现象。

47 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

48 tugged
v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。 A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

49 gravel
n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石
参考例句：
We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。 More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

50 hatred
n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨
参考例句：
He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。 The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

51 possessed
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。 He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

52 subsided
v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上
参考例句：
After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

53 omniscient
adj.无所不知的；博识的
参考例句：
He's nervous when trying to potray himself as omniscient.当他试图把自己描绘得无所不知时，内心其实很紧张。 Christians believe that God is omniscient.基督教徒相信上帝是无所不知的。

54 larcenous
adj.盗窃的
参考例句：
A larcenous tendency restricted to shady operators and others of that ilk. 局限于靠不住的经营者及那种人的一种偷窃倾向。 来自互联网 Former it is blame of larcenous finance organization, weigh more than general larceny measurement of penalty. 前者是盗窃金融机构罪，比一般的盗窃罪量刑重得多。 来自互联网

55 peculiar
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。 He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

56 virtue
n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力
参考例句：
He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。 You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

57 lapsed
adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失
参考例句：
He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。 He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

58 sentimental
adj.多愁善感的，感伤的
参考例句：
She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。 We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。