AND so I'm proprietor¹ of some knights³," said I, as we rode off. "Who would ever have supposed that I should live to list up assets of that sort. I shan't know what to do with them; unless I raffle⁴ them off. How many of them are there, Sandy?"

"Seven, please you, sir, and their squires⁵."

"It is a good haul. Who are they? Where do they hang out?"

"Where do they hang out?"

"Yes, where do they live?"

"Ah, I understood thee not. That will I tell eftsoons." Then she said musingly⁶, and softly, turning the words daintily over her tongue: "Hang they out -- hang they out -- where hang -- where do they hang out; eh, right so; where do they hang out. Of a truth the phrase hath a fair and winsome⁷ grace, and is prettily⁸ worded withal. I will repeat it anon and anon in mine idlesse, whereby I may peradventure learn it. Where do they hang out. Even so! already it falleth trippingly from my tongue, and forasmuch as --"

"Don't forget the cowboys, Sandy."

"Cowboys?"

"Yes; the knights, you know: You were going to tell me about them. A while back, you remember. Figuratively speaking, game's called."

"Game --"

"Yes, yes, yes! Go to the bat. I mean, get to work on your statistics, and don't burn so much kindling⁹ getting your fire started. Tell me about the knights."

"I will well, and lightly will begin. So they two departed and rode into a great forest. And --"

"Great Scott!"

You see, I recognized my mistake at once. I had set her works a-going; it was my own fault; she would be thirty days getting down to those facts. And she generally began without a preface and finished without a result. If you interrupted her she would either go right along without noticing, or answer with a couple of words, and go back and say the sentence over again. So, interruptions only did harm; and yet I had to interrupt, and interrupt pretty frequently, too, in order to save my life; a person would die if he let her monotony drip on him right along all day.

点击收听单词发音  

1 proprietor
n.所有人；业主；经营者
参考例句：
The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。 The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

2 knight
n.骑士，武士；爵士
参考例句：
He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。 A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

3 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。

4 raffle
n.废物，垃圾，抽奖售卖；v.以抽彩出售
参考例句：
The money was raised by the sale of raffle tickets.这笔款子是通过出售购物彩券筹集的。 He won a car in the raffle.他在兑奖售物活动中赢得了一辆汽车。

5 squires
n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The family history was typical of the Catholic squires of England. 这个家族的历史，在英格兰信天主教的乡绅中是很典型的。 来自辞典例句 By 1696, with Tory squires and Amsterdam burghers complaining about excessive taxes. 到1696年，托利党的乡绅们和阿姆斯特丹的市民都对苛捐杂税怨声载道。 来自辞典例句

6 musingly
adv.沉思地，冥想地
参考例句：

7 winsome
n.迷人的，漂亮的
参考例句：
She gave him her best winsome smile.她给了他一个最为迷人的微笑。 She was a winsome creature.她十分可爱。

8 prettily
adv.优美地；可爱地
参考例句：
It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back.此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 She pouted prettily at him.她冲他撅着嘴，样子很可爱。

9 kindling
n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式
参考例句：
There were neat piles of kindling wood against the wall. 墙边整齐地放着几堆引火柴。 "Coal and kindling all in the shed in the backyard." “煤，劈柴，都在后院小屋里。” 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

10 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。

11 monks
n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。 He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 lodged
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属
参考例句：
The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

14 ware
n.(常用复数)商品，货物
参考例句：
The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。 Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

15 turret
n.塔楼，角塔
参考例句：
This ancient turret has attracted many visitors.这座古老的塔楼吸引了很多游客。 The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔楼攀登上了要塞的城墙。

16 mire
n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境
参考例句：
I don't want my son's good name dragged through the mire.我不想使我儿子的名誉扫地。 He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

17 acting
n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
参考例句：
Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。 During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

18 possessed
adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的
参考例句：
He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。 He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

19 modesty
n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素
参考例句：
Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。 As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

20 saluted
v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂
参考例句：
The sergeant stood to attention and saluted. 中士立正敬礼。 He saluted his friends with a wave of the hand. 他挥手向他的朋友致意。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 buck
n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃
参考例句：
The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。 The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

22 archaic
adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的
参考例句：
The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。 Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

23 abide
vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受
参考例句：
You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。 If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

24 smote
v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 )
参考例句：
Figuratively, he could not kiss the hand that smote him. 打个比方说，他是不能认敌为友。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 \"Whom Pearl smote down and uprooted, most unmercifully.\" 珠儿会毫不留情地将这些\"儿童\"踩倒，再连根拔起。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

25 smitten
猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 )
参考例句：
From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起，他就完全被她迷住了。 It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。

26 stark
adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地
参考例句：
The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。 He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

27 random
adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动
参考例句：
The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。 On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

28 picturesque
adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的
参考例句：
You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。 That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

29 monotonous
adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的
参考例句：
She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。 His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

30 exegesis
n.注释，解释
参考例句：
An allegorical exegesis of scripture supported these views.一个寓言圣经注释支持这些观点。 Within this context,Fraser is capable of exegesis that goes beyond the obvious.在这一背景下，弗雷泽能够作些富有新意的诠释。

31 holocaust
n.大破坏；大屠杀
参考例句：
The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。 Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

32 defalcation
n.盗用公款，挪用公款，贪污
参考例句：
Scientific Definition of \"Defalcation Without Return\" and \"Defalcation Turning to Embezzlement \" 科学界定“挪用公款不退还”与“挪用转化为贪污” 来自互联网 The bank lost money by the defalcation of the cashier. 银行因出纳员挪用公款而受到金钱损失。 来自互联网

33 discriminate
v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待
参考例句：
You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。 They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

34 mightiest
adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的
参考例句：
\"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里，你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字 Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实，沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网

35 steadily
adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地
参考例句：
The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。 Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

36 bruised
[医]青肿的，瘀紫的
参考例句：
his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子 She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

37 espied
v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
One day a youth espied her as he was hunting.She saw him and recognized him as her own son, mow grown a young man. 一日，她被一个正在行猎的小伙子看见了，她认出来这个猎手原来是自己的儿子，现在已长成为一个翩翩的少年。 来自《简明英汉词典》 In a little while he espied the two giants. 一会儿就看见了那两个巨人。 来自辞典例句

38 pelting
微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的
参考例句：
The rain came pelting down. 倾盆大雨劈头盖脸地浇了下来。 Hailstones of abuse were pelting him. 阵阵辱骂冰雹般地向他袭来。

39 haven
n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所
参考例句：
It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。 The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

40 refreshments
n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待
参考例句：
We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。 Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

41 dozed
v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

42 slumber
n.睡眠，沉睡状态
参考例句：
All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。 Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

43 drenched
adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）
参考例句：
We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。 The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》

44 perspiration
n.汗水；出汗
参考例句：
It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。 The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

45 hack
n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳
参考例句：
He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。 Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

46 batter
v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员
参考例句：
The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。 Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

47 thereby
adv.因此，从而
参考例句：
I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。 He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

48 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。

49 albeit
conj.即使；纵使；虽然
参考例句：
Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。 Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

50 eldest
adj.最年长的，最年老的
参考例句：
The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。 The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

51 enchanted
adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。 He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

52 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。

53 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。

54 ivy
n.常青藤，常春藤
参考例句：
Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。 The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

55 majestic
adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的
参考例句：
In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。 He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

56 splendors
n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫
参考例句：
The sun rose presently and sent its unobstructed splendors over the land. 没多大工夫，太阳就出来了，毫无阻碍，把它的光华异彩散布在大地之上。 来自辞典例句 Her mortal frame could not endure the splendors of the immortal radiance. 她那世人的肉身禁不住炽热的神光。 来自辞典例句