NEKHLUDOFF SEEKS AN INTERVIEW WITH MASLOVA.

On the day when the convoy¹ officer had the encounter with the prisoners at the halting station about the child, Nekhludoff, who had spent the night at the village inn, woke up late, and was some time writing letters to post at the next Government town, so that he left the inn later than usual, and did not catch up with the gang on the road as he had done previously², but came to the village where the next halting station was as it was growing dusk.

Having dried himself at the inn, which was kept by an elderly woman who had an extraordinarily³ fat, white neck, he had his tea in a clean room decorated with a great number of icons⁴ and pictures and then hurried away to the halting station to ask the officer for an interview with Katusha. At the last six halting stations he could not get the permission for an interview from any of the officers. Though they had been changed several times, not one of them would allow Nekhludoff inside the halting stations, so that he had not seen Katusha for more than a week. This strictness was occasioned by the fact that an important prison official was expected to pass that way. Now this official had passed without looking in at the gang, after all, and Nekhludoff hoped that the officer who had taken charge of the gang in the morning would allow him an interview with the prisoners, as former officers had done.

The landlady⁵ offered Nekhludoff a trap to drive him to the halting station, situated⁶ at the farther end of the village, but Nekhludoff preferred to walk. A young labourer, a broad-shouldered young fellow of herculean dimensions, with enormous top-boots freshly blackened with strongly smelling tar⁷, offered himself as a guide.

A dense⁸ mist obscured the sky, and it was so dark that when the young fellow was three steps in advance of him Nekhludoff could not see him unless the light of some window happened to fall on the spot, but he could hear the heavy boots

点击收听单词发音  

1 convoy
vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队
参考例句：
The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。 Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

2 previously
adv.以前，先前（地）
参考例句：
The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。 Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

3 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。

4 icons
n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像
参考例句：
Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓 Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 landlady
n.女房东，女地主
参考例句：
I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。 The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。

6 situated
adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的
参考例句：
The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。 She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

7 tar
n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于
参考例句：
The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。 We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

8 dense
a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的
参考例句：
The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

9 wading
（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子，准备涉水。 The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。

10 outskirts
n.郊外，郊区
参考例句：
Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。 They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

11 abashed
adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥，朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 rattled
慌乱的，恼火的
参考例句：
The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。 Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

13 sergeant
n.警官，中士
参考例句：
His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。 How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

14 inquisitive
adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的
参考例句：
Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。 A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。

15 scenting
vt.闻到（scent的现在分词形式）
参考例句：
Soames, scenting the approach of a jest, closed up. 索来斯觉察出有点调侃的味儿来了，赶快把话打断。 来自辞典例句 The pale woodbines and the dog-roses were scenting the hedgerows. 金银花和野蔷薇把道旁的树也薰香了。 来自辞典例句

16 gratitude
adj.感激，感谢
参考例句：
I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。 She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

17 jugs
（有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Two china jugs held steaming gravy. 两个瓷罐子装着热气腾腾的肉卤。 Jugs-Big wall lingo for Jumars or any other type of ascenders. 大岩壁术语，祝玛式上升器或其它种类的上升器。

18 chattering
n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。 I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

19 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。

20 curiously
adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地
参考例句：
He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。 He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

21 demon
n.魔鬼，恶魔
参考例句：
The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。 He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

22 mingling
adj.混合的
参考例句：
There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。 The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。