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THE strictest measures were taken that the Uskovs’ family secret might not leak out and become generally known. Half of the servants were sent off to the theatre or the circus; the other half were sitting in the kitchen and not allowed to leave it. Orders were given that no one was to be admitted. The wife of the Colonel, her sister, and the governess, though they had been initiated1 into the secret, kept up a pretence2 of knowing nothing; they sat in the dining-room and did not show themselves in the drawing-room or the hall.
Sasha Uskov, the young man of twenty-five who was the cause of all the commotion3, had arrived some time before, and by the advice of kind-hearted Ivan Markovitch, his uncle, who was taking his part, he sat meekly4 in the hall by the door leading to the study, and prepared himself to make an open, candid5 explanation.
The other side of the door, in the study, a family council was being held. The subject under discussion was an exceedingly disagreeable and delicate one. Sasha Uskov had cashed at one of the banks a false promissory note, and it had become due for payment three days before, and now his two paternal6 uncles and Ivan Markovitch, the brother of his dead mother, were deciding the question whether they should pay the money and save the family honour, or wash their hands of it and leave the case to go for trial.
To outsiders who have no personal interest in the matter such questions seem simple; for those who are so unfortunate as to have to decide them in earnest they are extremely difficult. The uncles had been talking for a long time, but the problem seemed no nearer decision.
“My friends!” said the uncle who was a colonel, and there was a note of exhaustion7 and bitterness in his voice. “Who says that family honour is a mere8 convention? I don’t say that at all. I am only warning you against a false view; I am pointing out the possibility of an unpardonable mistake. How can you fail to see it? I am not speaking Chinese; I am speaking Russian!”
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1
initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始,创始,启蒙,介绍加入 | |
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2
pretence
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| n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰 | |
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3
commotion
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| n.骚动,动乱 | |
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4
meekly
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| adv.温顺地,逆来顺受地 | |
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candid
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| adj.公正的,正直的;坦率的 | |
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6
paternal
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| adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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8
mere
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| adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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9
motives
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| n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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10
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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11
civic
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| adj.城市的,都市的,市民的,公民的 | |
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12
cowardice
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| n.胆小,怯懦 | |
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13
condemn
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| vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑 | |
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14
treasury
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| n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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15
spoke
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| 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 | |
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16
publicity
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| n.众所周知,闻名;宣传,广告 | |
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17
maternal
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| adj.母亲的,母亲般的,母系的,母方的 | |
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18
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地 | |
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19
tremor
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| n.震动,颤动,战栗,兴奋,地震 | |
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20
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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21
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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22
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的,表示同情的 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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24
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概,侠义;(男人)对女人彬彬有礼,献殷勤 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地,激烈地 | |
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erring
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| 做错事的,错误的 | |
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28
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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paltry
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| adj.无价值的,微不足道的 | |
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30
blot
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| vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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31
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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32
immoral
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| adj.不道德的,淫荡的,荒淫的,有伤风化的 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地,完全地 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求,哀求 | |
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entreat
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| v.恳求,恳请 | |
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rhetoric
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| n.修辞学,浮夸之言语 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的,可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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40
reprehensible
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| adj.该受责备的 | |
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41
dodge
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| v.闪开,躲开,避开;n.妙计,诡计 | |
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42
musing
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| n. 沉思,冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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43
squandering
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| v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的现在分词 ) | |
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44
prank
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| n.开玩笑,恶作剧;v.装饰;打扮;炫耀自己 | |
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blandly
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| adv.温和地,殷勤地 | |
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suavely
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地 | |
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49
standing
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| n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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50
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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51
hatred
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| n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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52
awfully
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| adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地 | |
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53
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 );保密 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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beckoned
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| v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
wringing
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| 淋湿的,湿透的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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58
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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emphatic
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| adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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muffled
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| adj.(声音)被隔的;听不太清的;(衣服)裹严的;蒙住的v.压抑,捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己) | |
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63
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机;呜咽,哭泣 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的,不安的 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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tranquilly
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| adv. 宁静地 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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repent
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| v.悔悟,悔改,忏悔,后悔 | |
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edifying
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| 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 ) | |
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71
gust
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| n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发 | |
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petrified
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| adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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73
sledge
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| n.雪橇,大锤;v.用雪橇搬运,坐雪橇往 | |
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下一章:
The Kiss
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