AT midnight all was over, and we sat in the presence of four corpses². We covered them with such rags as we could find, and started away, fastening the door behind us. Their home must be these people's grave, for they could not have Christian³ burial, or be admitted to consecrated⁴ ground. They were as dogs, wild beasts, lepers, and no soul that valued its hope of eternal life would throw it away by meddling⁵ in any sort with these rebuked⁶ and smitten⁷ outcasts.

We had not moved four steps when I caught a sound as of footsteps upon gravel⁸. My heart flew to my throat. We must not be seen coming from that house. I plucked at the king's robe and we drew back and took shelter behind the corner of the cabin.

"Now we are safe," I said, "but it was a close call -- so to speak. If the night had been lighter⁹ he might have seen us, no doubt, he seemed to be so near."

"Mayhap it is but a beast and not a man at all."

"True. But man or beast, it will be wise to stay here a minute and let it get by and out of the way."

"Hark! It cometh hither."

True again. The step was coming toward us -straight toward the hut. It must be a beast, then, and we might as well have saved our trepidation¹⁰. I was going to step out, but the king laid his hand upon my arm. There was a moment of silence, then we heard a soft knock on the cabin door. It made me shiver. Presently the knock was repeated, and then we heard these words in a guarded voice:

"Mother! Father! Open -- we have got free, and we bring news to pale your cheeks but glad your hearts; and we may not tarry, but must fly! And -but they answer not. Mother! father! --"

点击收听单词发音  

1 corpse
n.尸体，死尸
参考例句：
What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。 The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

2 corpses
n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 Christian
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
参考例句：
They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。 His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 consecrated
adj.神圣的，被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣，给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 )；奉献
参考例句：
The church was consecrated in 1853. 这座教堂于1853年祝圣。 They consecrated a temple to their god. 他们把庙奉献给神。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 meddling
v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句 They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 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。

8 gravel
n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石
参考例句：
We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。 More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

9 lighter
n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级
参考例句：
The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。 The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

10 trepidation
n.惊恐，惶恐
参考例句：
The men set off in fear and trepidation.这群人惊慌失措地出发了。 The threat of an epidemic caused great alarm and trepidation.流行病猖獗因而人心惶惶。

11 demur
v．表示异议，反对
参考例句：
Without demur, they joined the party in my rooms. 他们没有推辞就到我的屋里一起聚餐了。 He accepted the criticism without demur. 他毫无异议地接受了批评。

12 desolate
adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂
参考例句：
The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。 We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

13 insolent
adj.傲慢的，无理的
参考例句：
His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。 It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇，脸皮真厚。

14 outrage
n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒
参考例句：
When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。 We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

15 veins
n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理
参考例句：
The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 brutality
n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮
参考例句：
The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。 a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

17 imprison
vt.监禁，关押，限制，束缚
参考例句：
The effect of this one is going to imprison you for life.而这件事的影响力则会让你被终身监禁。 Dutch colonial authorities imprisoned him for his part in the independence movement.荷兰殖民当局因他参加独立运动而把他关押了起来。

18 mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

19 captivity
n.囚禁；被俘；束缚
参考例句：
A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。 He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

20 countenanced
v.支持，赞同，批准( countenance的过去式 )
参考例句：

21 conscientious
adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的
参考例句：
He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。 He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

22 considerably
adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上
参考例句：
The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。 The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

23 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。

24 gambling
n.赌博；投机
参考例句：
They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。 The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

25 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。

26 glibly
adv.流利地，流畅地；满口
参考例句：
He glibly professed his ignorance of the affair. 他口口声声表白不知道这件事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He put ashes on his head, apologized profusely, but then went glibly about his business. 他表示忏悔，满口道歉，但接着又故态复萌了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

27 blur
n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚
参考例句：
The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。 If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

28 murmur
n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言
参考例句：
They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。 There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

29 swelled
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）
参考例句：
The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。 After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

30 winding
n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈
参考例句：
A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。 The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

31 plunged
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降
参考例句：
The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。 She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

32 crammed
adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)
参考例句：
He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。 All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

33 writhing
（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )
参考例句：
She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。 He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。

34 deluge
n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥
参考例句：
This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。 I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。

35 blotted
涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干
参考例句：
She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。 The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

36 reigned
vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式）
参考例句：
Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静，一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

37 charcoal
n.炭，木炭，生物炭
参考例句：
We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。 Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

38 perilous
adj.危险的，冒险的
参考例句：
The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。 We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

39 peril
n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物
参考例句：
The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。 The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

40 spotted
adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的
参考例句：
The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。 Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

41 entirely
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。 His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

42 humble
adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低
参考例句：
In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。 Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

43 lodging
n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍
参考例句：
The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。 Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

44 palatable
adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的
参考例句：
The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。 This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

45 scant
adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略
参考例句：
Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。 Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

46 solely
adv.仅仅，唯一地
参考例句：
Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。 The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

47 swarmed
密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去
参考例句：
When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。 When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

48 frantic
adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的
参考例句：
I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。 He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

49 ransacking
v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺
参考例句：
She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present. 她正在彻底搜寻各家店铺，为吉姆买礼物。 来自英汉文学 - 欧亨利 Ransacking the drawers of the dresser he came upon a discarded, tiny, ragged handkerchief. 他打开橱柜抽屉搜寻，找到了一块弃置的小旧手帕。 来自辞典例句

50 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。

51 baron
n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王
参考例句：
Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。 The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

52 promptly
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。 She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

53 vaults
n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴
参考例句：
It was deposited in the vaults of a bank. 它存在一家银行的保险库里。 来自《简明英汉词典》 They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

54 impatience
n.不耐烦，急躁
参考例句：
He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。 He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

55 proceedings
n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报
参考例句：
He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。 to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

56 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。

57 alacrity
n.敏捷，轻快，乐意
参考例句：
Although the man was very old,he still moved with alacrity.他虽然很老，动作仍很敏捷。 He accepted my invitation with alacrity.他欣然接受我的邀请。

58 helping
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的
参考例句：
The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。 By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

59 zeal
n.热心，热情，热忱
参考例句：
Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。 They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

60 pusillanimously
adv.胆怯地，优柔寡断地
参考例句：

61 perpetuating
perpetuate的现在进行式
参考例句：
Revenge leads to a self-perpetuating cycle of violence. 怨怨相报会导致永不休止的暴力。 It'set out to eradicate heresy, and ended by perpetuating it. 它的目的只是要根除异端邪说，结果却巩固了异端邪说。 来自英汉文学

62 muskets
n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The watch below, all hands to load muskets. 另一组人都来帮着给枪装火药。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛 Deep ditch, single drawbridge, massive stone walls, eight at towers, cannon, muskets, fire and smoke. 深深的壕堑，单吊桥，厚重的石壁，八座巨大的塔楼。大炮、毛瑟枪、火焰与烟雾。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

63 redeeming
补偿的，弥补的
参考例句：
I found him thoroughly unpleasant, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. 我觉得他一点也不讨人喜欢，没有任何可取之处。 The sole redeeming feature of this job is the salary. 这份工作唯其薪水尚可弥补一切之不足。

64 detest
vt.痛恨，憎恶
参考例句：
I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。 The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。

65 prattle
n.闲谈；v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话；发出连续而无意义的声音
参考例句：
Amy's happy prattle became intolerable.艾美兴高采烈地叽叽喳喳说个不停，汤姆感到无法忍受。 Flowing water and green grass witness your lover's endless prattle.流水缠绕，小草依依，都是你诉不尽的情话。

66 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。

67 flustered
adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句：
The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了，都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句

68 irresolute
adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的
参考例句：
Irresolute persons make poor victors.优柔寡断的人不会成为胜利者。 His opponents were too irresolute to call his bluff.他的对手太优柔寡断,不敢接受挑战。

69 absurdity
n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论
参考例句：
The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。 The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

70 apprehension
n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑
参考例句：
There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。 She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

71 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

72 asunder
adj.分离的，化为碎片
参考例句：
The curtains had been drawn asunder.窗帘被拉向两边。 Your conscience,conviction,integrity,and loyalties were torn asunder.你的良心、信念、正直和忠诚都被扯得粉碎了。

73 animation
n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作
参考例句：
They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。 The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

74 undoing
n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭
参考例句：
That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。 This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

75 refreshment
n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点
参考例句：
He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。 A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。

76 gallows
n.绞刑架，绞台
参考例句：
The murderer was sent to the gallows for his crimes.谋杀犯由于罪大恶极被处以绞刑。 Now I was to expiate all my offences at the gallows.现在我将在绞刑架上赎我一切的罪过。

77 overthrow
v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆
参考例句：
After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。 The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

78 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。

79 monarchy
n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国
参考例句：
The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。 The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

80 suffrage
n.投票，选举权，参政权
参考例句：
The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。 The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。