Among those who hunt there are two classes of hunting people who always like it, and these people are hunting parsons and hunting ladies. That it should be so is natural enough. In the life and habits of parsons and ladies there is much that is antagonistic¹ to hunting, and they who suppress this antagonism² do so because they are Nimrods at heart. But the riding of these horsemen under difficulties, horsemen and horsewomen, leaves a strong impression on the casual observer of hunting; for to such an one it seems that the hardest riding is forthcoming exactly where no hard riding should be expected. On the present occasion I will, if you please, confine myself to the lady who rides to hounds, and will begin with an assertion, which will not be contradicted, that the number of such ladies is very much on the increase.

Women who ride, as a rule, ride better than men. They, the women, have always been instructed; whereas men have usually come to ride without any instruction. They are put upon ponies³ when they are all boys, and put themselves upon their fathers’ horses as they become hobbledehoys: and thus they obtain the power of sticking on to the animal while he gallops⁴ and jumps, and even while he kicks and shies; and, so progressing, they achieve an amount of horsemanship which answers the purposes of life. But they do not acquire the art of riding with exactness, as women do, and rarely have such hands as a woman has on a horse’s mouth. The consequence of this is that women fall less often than men, and the field is not often thrown into the horror which would arise were a lady known to be in a ditch with a horse lying on her.

I own that I like to see three or four ladies out in a field, and I like it the better if I am happy enough to count one or more of them among my own acquaintances. Their presence tends to take off from hunting that character of horseyness, of both fast horseyness and slow horseyness, which has become, not unnaturally⁵, attached to it, and to bring it within the category of gentle sports. There used to prevail an idea that the hunting man was of necessity loud and rough, given to strong drinks, ill adapted for the poetries of life, and perhaps a little

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1 antagonistic
adj.敌对的
参考例句：
He is always antagonistic towards new ideas.他对新思想总是持反对态度。 They merely stirred in a nervous and wholly antagonistic way.他们只是神经质地，带着完全敌对情绪地骚动了一下。

2 antagonism
n.对抗，敌对，对立
参考例句：
People did not feel a strong antagonism for established policy.人们没有对既定方针产生强烈反应。 There is still much antagonism between trades unions and the oil companies.工会和石油公司之间仍然存在着相当大的敌意。

3 ponies
矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑
参考例句：
They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。 She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

4 gallops
（马等）奔驰，骑马奔驰( gallop的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Let me turn the beautiful steed, gallops with you in the horizon. 让我变成美丽的骏马，和你驰骋在天涯。 When Tao gallops through and Yang, all things come into and thrive. 当道驰骋在阴阳之中时，则万物生焉，万物兴焉。

5 unnaturally
adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地
参考例句：
Her voice sounded unnaturally loud. 她的嗓音很响亮，但是有点反常。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Her eyes were unnaturally bright. 她的眼睛亮得不自然。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 prone
adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的
参考例句：
Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。 He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

7 Vogue
n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的
参考例句：
Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。 Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

8 vice
n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的
参考例句：
He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。 They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 nag
v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人
参考例句：
Nobody likes to work with a nag.谁也不愿与好唠叨的人一起共事。 Don't nag me like an old woman.别像个老太婆似的唠唠叨叨烦我。

10 propensity
n.倾向；习性
参考例句：
He has a propensity for drinking too much alcohol.他有酗酒的倾向。 She hasn't reckoned on his propensity for violence.她不曾料到他有暴力倾向。

11 coverts
n.隐蔽的，不公开的，秘密的( covert的名词复数 )；复羽
参考例句：
But personage inside story thinks, this coverts namely actually leave one's post. 但有知情人士认为，这实际上就是变相离职。 来自互联网

12 auspices
n.资助，赞助
参考例句：
The association is under the auspices of Word Bank.这个组织是在世界银行的赞助下办的。 The examination was held under the auspices of the government.这次考试是由政府主办的。

13 grooms
n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗
参考例句：
Plender end Wilcox became joint grooms of the chambers. 普伦德和威尔科克斯成为共同的贴身侍从。 来自辞典例句 Egypt: Families, rather than grooms, propose to the bride. 埃及：在埃及，由新郎的家人，而不是新郎本人，向新娘求婚。 来自互联网

14 artillery
n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)
参考例句：
This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。 The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

15 exacting
adj.苛求的，要求严格的
参考例句：
He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。 The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

16 brute
n.野兽，兽性
参考例句：
The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。 That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

17 submission
n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出
参考例句：
The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。 No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

18 obedience
n.服从，顺从
参考例句：
Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。 Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

19 trespassing
[法]非法入侵
参考例句：
He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。 Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

20 embryo
n.胚胎，萌芽的事物
参考例句：
They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。 The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

21 dissent
n./v.不同意，持异议
参考例句：
It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。 He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

22 atoned
v.补偿，赎（罪）( atone的过去式和过去分词 )；补偿，弥补，赎回
参考例句：
He atoned for his sin with life. 他以生命赎罪。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 She had atoned for everything by the sacrifice she had made of her life. 她用牺牲生命来抵偿了一切。 来自辞典例句

23 profane
adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污
参考例句：
He doesn't dare to profane the name of God.他不敢亵渎上帝之名。 His profane language annoyed us.他亵渎的言语激怒了我们。

24 aloof
adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的
参考例句：
Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。 On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

25 dyke
n.堤，水坝，排水沟
参考例句：
If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。 One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

26 knights
骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马
参考例句：
stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事 He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

27 accusations
n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名
参考例句：
There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。 He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

28 demure
adj.严肃的；端庄的
参考例句：
She's very demure and sweet.她非常娴静可爱。 The luscious Miss Wharton gave me a demure but knowing smile.性感迷人的沃顿小姐对我羞涩地会心一笑。

29 flirt
v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者
参考例句：
He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。 He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

30 flirting
v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Don't take her too seriously; she's only flirting with you. 别把她太当真，她只不过是在和你调情罢了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 'she's always flirting with that new fellow Tseng!" “她还同新来厂里那个姓曾的吊膀子！ 来自子夜部分

31 tinged
v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
memories tinged with sadness 略带悲伤的往事 white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣

32 commodious
adj.宽敞的；使用方便的
参考例句：
It was a commodious and a diverting life.这是一种自由自在，令人赏心悦目的生活。 Their habitation was not merely respectable and commodious,but even dignified and imposing.他们的居所既宽敞舒适又尊严气派。

33 fiddles
n.小提琴( fiddle的名词复数 )；欺诈；（需要运用手指功夫的）细巧活动；当第二把手v.伪造( fiddle的第三人称单数 )；篡改；骗取；修理或稍作改动
参考例句：
He fiddles with his papers on the table. 他抚弄着桌子上那些报纸。 来自辞典例句 The annual Smithsonian Festival of American Folk Life celebrates hands-hands plucking guitars and playing fiddles. 一年一度的美国民间的“史密斯索尼安节”是赞美人的双手的节日--弹拔吉他的手，演奏小提琴的手。 来自辞典例句

34 opposition
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

35 iniquitous
adj.不公正的；邪恶的；高得出奇的
参考例句：
Many historians,of course,regard this as iniquitous.当然，许多历史学家认为这是极不公正的。 Men of feeling may at any moment be killed outright by the iniquitous and the callous.多愁善感的人会立即被罪恶的人和无情的人彻底消灭。

36 attained
（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）
参考例句：
She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。 Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

37 succumbing
不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死
参考例句：
Mrs. Smith washed and ironed clothes for him, succumbing to him. 史密斯太太被他迷住了，愿意为他洗衣烫衣。 They would not in the end abandon their vital interests by succumbing to Soviet blandishment. 他们最终决不会受苏联人的甜言蜜语的诱惑，从而抛弃自己的切身利益。

38 blemish
v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点
参考例句：
The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。 He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。