THERE was sorrow in the house，sorrow in every heart．The［youngest child，a］boy four years old，the joy and hope of his parents had died．There still remained to them two daughters，the elder of whom was about to be confirmed—good，charming girls both；but the child that one has lost always seems the dearest；and here it was the youngest，and a son．It was a heavy trial．The sisters mourned as young hearts can，and were especially moved at the sight of their parents' sorrow．The father was bowed down，and the mother completely overpowered by the great grief．Day and night she had been busy about the sick child，and had tended，lifted，and carried it；she had felt how it was a part of herself．She could not realize that the child was dead，and that it must be laid in a coffin¹ and sleep in the ground．She thought God could not take this child from her；and when it was so，nevertheless，and there could he no more doubt on the subject，she said in her feverish² pain，

“God did not know it．He has heartless servants here on earth，who do according to their own liking，and hear not the prayers of a mother．”

In her grief she fell away from God，and then there came dark thoughts，thoughts of death，of everlasting³ death—that man was but dust in the dust，and that with this life all was ended．But these thoughts gave her no stay，nothing on which she could take hold；and she sank into the fathomless⁴ abyss of despair．

In her heaviest hours she could weep no more，and she thought not of the young daughters who were still left to her．The tears of her husband fell upon her forehead，but she did not look at him．Her thoughts were with the dead child；her whole thought and being were fixed⁵ upon it，to call back every remembrance of the little one，every innocent childish word it had uttered．

The day of the funeral came．For nights before，the mother had not slept；but in the morning twilight⁶ she now slept，overcome by weariness；and in the meantime the coffin was carried into a distant room，and there nailed down，that she might not hear the blows of the hammer．

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1 coffin
n.棺材，灵柩
参考例句：
When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。 The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 feverish
adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的
参考例句：
He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。 They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

3 everlasting
adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的
参考例句：
These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。 He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

4 fathomless
a.深不可测的
参考例句：
"The sand-sea deepens with fathomless ice, And darkness masses its endless clouds;" 瀚海阑干百丈冰，愁云黪淡万里凝。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学 Day are coloured bubbles that float upon the surface of fathomless night. 日是五彩缤纷的气泡，漂浮在无尽的夜的表面。

5 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

7 sobs
啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )
参考例句：
She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。 She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

8 afflicted
使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。 A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

9 fully
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。 They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 glided
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔
参考例句：
The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。 They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 fragrant
adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的
参考例句：
The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。 The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

12 vividly
adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地
参考例句：
The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。 The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

13 eloquent
adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的
参考例句：
He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。 These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

14 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

15 hood
n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖
参考例句：
She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。 The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

16 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。

17 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》

18 supplication
n.恳求，祈愿，哀求
参考例句：
She knelt in supplication. 她跪地祷求。 The supplication touched him home. 这个请求深深地打动了他。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

19 spoke
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
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

20 varied
adj.多样的，多变化的
参考例句：
The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。 The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

21 withdrawn
vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出
参考例句：
Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。 All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

22 apparition
n.幽灵，神奇的现象
参考例句：
He saw the apparition of his dead wife.他看见了他亡妻的幽灵。 But the terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand.这新出现的幽灵吓得我站在那里一动也不敢动。

23 swelling
n.肿胀
参考例句：
Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。 There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

24 eternity
n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷
参考例句：
The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。 Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

25 boundless
adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的
参考例句：
The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。 His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

26 pointed
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。

27 entreated
恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
They entreated and threatened, but all this seemed of no avail. 他们时而恳求，时而威胁，但这一切看来都没有用。 'One word,' the Doctor entreated. 'Will you tell me who denounced him?' “还有一个问题，”医生请求道，“你可否告诉我是谁告发他的？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

28 plaintive
adj.可怜的，伤心的
参考例句：
Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。 Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。

29 immortal
adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的
参考例句：
The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。 The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

30 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

31 derived
vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取
参考例句：
Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》