His change, then, cannot be described as a conver-sion. There was nothing edifying¹ about it. When he came home and examined the pistol he would never use, he was seized with disgust; when he greeted his mother no unfathom-able love for her welled up. He lived on, miserable² and mis-understood, as before, and increasingly lonely. One cannot write those words too often: Maurice's loneliness: it increased.

But a change there had been. He set himself to acquire new habits, and in particular those minor³ arts of life that he had neglected when with Clive. Punctuality, courtesy, patriotism⁴, chivalry⁵ even—here were a few. He practised a severe self-discipline. It was necessary not only to acquire the art, but to know when to apply it, and gently to modify his behaviour. At first he could do little. He had taken up a line to which his fam-ily and the world were accustomed, and any deviation⁶ worried them. This came out very strongly in a conversation with Ada.

Ada had become engaged to his old chum Chapman, and his hideous⁷ rivalry⁸ with her could end. Even after his grandfather's death he had feared she might marry Clive, and gone hot with jealousy⁹. Clive would marry someone. But the thought of him with Ada remained maddening, and he could scarcely have be-haved properly unless it had been removed.

The match was excellent, and having approved of it publicly he took her aside, and said, "Ada, I behaved so badly to you,

i

dear, after Clive's visit. I want to say so now and ask you to for-give me. It's given a lot of pain since. I'm very sorry."

She looked surprised and not quite pleased; he saw that she still disliked him. She muttered, "That's all over—I love Arthur now."

点击收听单词发音  

1 edifying
adj.有教训意味的，教训性的，有益的v.开导，启发( edify的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Young students are advised to read edifying books to improve their mind. 建议青年学生们读一些陶冶性情的书籍，以提高自己的心智。 来自辞典例句 This edifying spectacle was the final event of the Governor's ball. 这个有启发性的表演便是省长的舞会的最后一个节目了。 来自辞典例句

2 miserable
adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的
参考例句：
It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。 Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

3 minor
adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修
参考例句：
The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。 I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

4 patriotism
n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义
参考例句：
His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。 They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

5 chivalry
n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤
参考例句：
The Middle Ages were also the great age of chivalry.中世纪也是骑士制度盛行的时代。 He looked up at them with great chivalry.他非常有礼貌地抬头瞧她们。

6 deviation
n.背离，偏离；偏差，偏向；离题
参考例句：
Deviation from this rule are very rare.很少有违反这条规则的。 Any deviation from the party's faith is seen as betrayal.任何对党的信仰的偏离被视作背叛。

7 hideous
adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的
参考例句：
The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。 They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

8 rivalry
n.竞争，竞赛，对抗
参考例句：
The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。 He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

9 jealousy
n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌
参考例句：
Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。 I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

10 trample
vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯
参考例句：
Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。 Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。

11 repartee
n.机敏的应答
参考例句：
This diplomat possessed an excellent gift for repartee.这位外交官具有卓越的应对才能。 He was a brilliant debater and his gift of repartee was celebrated.他擅长辩论，以敏于应答著称。

12 withdrawal
n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销
参考例句：
The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。 They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

13 temperament
n.气质，性格，性情
参考例句：
The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。 Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

14 marred
adj. 被损毁, 污损的
参考例句：
The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。 Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

15 displeased
a.不快的
参考例句：
The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

16 amends
n. 赔偿
参考例句：
He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花，为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。 This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。

17 incited
刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。 The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

18 thwart
v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)
参考例句：
We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。 I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

19 rebuked
责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. 公司因忽略了安全规程而受到公开批评。 The teacher rebuked the boy for throwing paper on the floor. 老师指责这个男孩将纸丢在地板上。

20 noted
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。 Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

21 subscribe
vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助
参考例句：
I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。 The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

22 stockbroking
n.炒股
参考例句：
Gary has something to do with stockbroking. 加里同股票经纪业务有些关系。 来自互联网 Dozens of traditional stockbroking firms went belly-up. 大批传统股票经纪公司倒闭了。 来自互联网

23 materialism
n.［哲］唯物主义，唯物论；物质至上
参考例句：
Idealism is opposite to materialism.唯心论和唯物论是对立的。 Crass materialism causes people to forget spiritual values.极端唯物主义使人忘掉精神价值。

24 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。