One morning, about ten days after Mrs. Churchill's decease, Emma was called downstairs to Mr. Weston, who `could not stay five minutes, and wanted particularly to speak with her.' - He met her at the parlour-door, and hardly asking her how she did, in the natural key of his voice, sunk it immediately, to say, unheard by her father,

`Can you come to Randalls at any time this morning? - Do, if it be possible. Mrs. Weston wants to see you. She must see you.'

`Is she unwell?'

`No, no, not at all - only a little agitated². She would have ordered the carriage, and come to you, but she must see you alone, and that you know - (nodding towards her father) - Humph! - Can you come?'

`Certainly. This moment, if you please. It is impossible to refuse what you ask in such a way. But what can be the matter? - Is she really not ill?'

`Depend upon me - but ask no more questions. You will know it all in time. The most unaccountable business! But hush³, hush!'

To guess what all this meant, was impossible even for Emma. Something really important seemed announced by his looks; but, as her friend was well, she endeavoured not to be uneasy, and settling it with her father, that she would take her walk now, she and Mr. Weston were soon out of the house together and on their way at a quick pace for Randalls.

`Now,' - said Emma, when they were fairly beyond the sweep gates, - `now Mr. Weston, do let me know what has happened.'

`No, no,' - he gravely replied. - `Don't ask me. I promised my wife to leave it all to her. She will break it to you better than I can. Do not be impatient, Emma; it will all come out too soon.'

`Break it to me,' cried Emma, standing<sup>4</sup> still with terror. - `Good God! - Mr. Weston, tell me at once. - Something has happened in Brunswick Square. I know it has. Tell me, I charge you tell me this moment what it is.'

`No, indeed you are mistaken.' -

`Mr. Weston do not trifle with me. - Consider how many of my dearest friends are now in Brunswick Square. Which of them is it? - I charge you by all that is sacred, not to attempt concealment⁵.'

`Upon my word, Emma.' -

`Your word! - why not your honour! - why not say upon your honour, that it has nothing to do with any of them? Good Heavens! - What can be to be broke to me, that does not relate to one of that family?'

点击收听单词发音  

1 immediate
adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的
参考例句：
His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。 We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 agitated
adj.被鼓动的，不安的
参考例句：
His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。 She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

3 hush
int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静
参考例句：
A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。 Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

4 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 concealment
n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒
参考例句：
the concealment of crime 对罪行的隐瞒 Stay in concealment until the danger has passed. 把自己藏起来，待危险过去后再出来。

6 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。

7 undesirable
adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子
参考例句：
They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。 Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

8 animating
v.使有生气( animate的现在分词 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命
参考例句：
Nature has her animating spirit as well as man who is nature's child. 大自然就象它的孩子――人类一样，有活生生的灵魂。 来自辞典例句 They were doubtlessly the animating principle of many hours that superficially seemed vacant. 在表面看来无所事事的许多时刻中，它们无疑是活跃的因素。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 suspense
n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑
参考例句：
The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。 The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

11 abhor
v.憎恶；痛恨
参考例句：
They abhor all forms of racial discrimination.他们憎恶任何形式的种族歧视。 They abhor all the nations who have different ideology and regime.他们仇视所有意识形态和制度与他们不同的国家。

12 distress
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。 Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

13 attachment
n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附
参考例句：
She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。 She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

14 nay
adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者
参考例句：
He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。 Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

15 averting
防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移
参考例句：
The margin of time for averting crisis was melting away. 可以用来消弥这一危机的些许时光正在逝去。 These results underscore the value of rescue medications in averting psychotic relapse. 这些结果显示了救护性治疗对避免精神病复发的价值。

16 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

17 confirmation
n.证实，确认，批准
参考例句：
We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。 We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

18 apprehensive
adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的
参考例句：
She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。 He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。

19 countenance
n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同
参考例句：
At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。 I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

20 utterance
n.用言语表达，话语，言语
参考例句：
This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。 My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽，泣不成声。

21 acquit
vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出
参考例句：
That fact decided the judge to acquit him.那个事实使法官判他无罪。 They always acquit themselves of their duty very well.他们总是很好地履行自己的职责。

22 persevering
a.坚忍不拔的
参考例句：
They will only triumph by persevering in their struggle against natural calamities. 他们只有坚持与自然灾害搏斗，才能取得胜利。 Success belongs to the persevering. 胜利属于不屈不挠的人。

23 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。

24 placidity
n.平静，安静，温和
参考例句：
Miss Pross inquired,with placidity.普洛丝小姐不动声色地问。 The swift and indifferent placidity of that look troubled me.那一扫而过的冷漠沉静的目光使我深感不安。

25 agitation
n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动
参考例句：
Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。 These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

26 censure
v./n.责备；非难；责难
参考例句：
You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。 His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

27 adherence
n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着
参考例句：
He was well known for his adherence to the rules.他因遵循这些规定而出名。 The teacher demanded adherence to the rules.老师要求学生们遵守纪律。

28 disdain
n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑
参考例句：
Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。 A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

29 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。

30 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

31 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。

32 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。

33 intelligible
adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的
参考例句：
This report would be intelligible only to an expert in computing.只有计算机运算专家才能看懂这份报告。 His argument was barely intelligible.他的论点不易理解。

34 condemn
vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑
参考例句：
Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。 We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

35 favourably
adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably
参考例句：
The play has been favourably commented by the audience. 本剧得到了观众的好评。 The open approach contrasts favourably with the exclusivity of some universities. 这种开放式的方法与一些大学的封闭排外形成了有利的对比。

36 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。

37 vault
n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室
参考例句：
The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。 The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

38 blessing
n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿
参考例句：
The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。 A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

39 undue
adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的
参考例句：
Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。 It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

40 persuasion
n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派
参考例句：
He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。 After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。

41 positively
adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实
参考例句：
She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。 The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

42 abominable
adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的
参考例句：
Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。 The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

43 proceeding
n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报
参考例句：
This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。 The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

44 hypocrisy
n.伪善，虚伪
参考例句：
He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。 He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

45 espionage
n.间谍行为，谍报活动
参考例句：
The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。 Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

46 simplicity
n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯
参考例句：
She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。 The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

47 judgment
n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见
参考例句：
The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。 He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

48 thoroughly
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。 The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

49 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。

50 prospect
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。 The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

51 accomplished
adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的
参考例句：
Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。 Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

52 briskness
n.敏捷，活泼
参考例句：
A child who was flying a kite sensed it in terms of briskness.一个孩子在放风筝时猛然感到的飞腾。 Father open the window to let in the briskness of the morning air.父亲打开窗户让早晨的清新空气进来。

53 heartily
adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很
参考例句：
He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。 The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。