AN HOUR LATER Dunyasha came in to the princess with the news that Dron had come, and all the peasants by the princess's orders were assembled at the granary and desirous of speaking with their mistress.

“But I did not send for them,” said Princess Marya. “I merely told Dronushka to give them the corn.”

“Only, for God's sake, your excellency, order them to be sent away and don't go to them. It's all a plot,” said Dunyasha, “and Yakov Alpatitch will come and we will start … and pray …”

“How a plot?” asked the princess in surprise.

“Why, I know all about it, only do listen to me, for God's sake. Ask old nurse too. They say they won't agree to move away at your orders.”

“You are making some mistake. Why, I have never given them orders to go away …” said Princess Marya. “Call Dronushka.”

Dron on coming in confirmed Dunyasha's words; the peasants had come by the princess's instructions.

“But I have never sent for them,” said the princess. “You must have given them my message wrong. I only said that you were to give them the corn.”

Dron sighed without replying.

“If so you command, they will go away,” he said.

“No, no, I'll go out to them,” said Princess Marya.

In spite of Dunyasha's and the old nurse's attempts to dissuade¹ her, Princess Marya went out on to the steps. Dronushka, Dunyasha, the old nurse, and Mihail Ivanitch followed her.

“They probably imagine I am offering them the corn to keep them here while I go away myself, leaving them at the mercy of the French,” thought Princess Marya. “I will promise them monthly rations² and lodgings³ on the Moscow estate. I am sure Andrey would do more for them in my place,” she thought, as she went out in the twilight⁴ towards the crowd, waiting on the pasture near the granary.

The crowd stirred, huddling⁵ closer, and rapidly took off their hats. Princess Marya came closer to them, her eyes cast down and her feet tripping over her gown. So many different eyes, old and young, were fixed⁶ upon her, there were so many different faces that Princess Marya did not see a single one of them, and feeling it necessary to address all at once, did not know how to set about it. But again the sense that she was the representative of her father and brother gave her strength, and she boldly began her speech.

点击收听单词发音  

1 dissuade
v.劝阻，阻止
参考例句：
You'd better dissuade him from doing that.你最好劝阻他别那样干。 I tried to dissuade her from investing her money in stocks and shares.我曾设法劝她不要投资于股票交易。

2 rations
定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量
参考例句：
They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。 The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

3 lodgings
n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍
参考例句：
When he reached his lodgings the sun had set. 他到达公寓房间时，太阳已下山了。 I'm on the hunt for lodgings. 我正在寻找住所。

4 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

5 huddling
n. 杂乱一团, 混乱, 拥挤 v. 推挤, 乱堆, 草率了事
参考例句：
Twenty or thirty monkeys are huddling along the thick branch. 三十只猴子挤在粗大的树枝上。 The defenders are huddling down for cover. 捍卫者为了掩护缩成一团。

6 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 grudge
n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做
参考例句：
I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。 I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

8 belongings
n.私人物品，私人财物
参考例句：
I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。 Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

9 fathom
v.领悟，彻底了解
参考例句：
I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。 What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 propped
支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。 This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。

14 catching
adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住
参考例句：
There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。 Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

15 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

16 exasperated
adj.恼怒的
参考例句：
We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。 Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

17 melancholy
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。 He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

18 plunder
vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠
参考例句：
The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。 Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

19 dodge
v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计
参考例句：
A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。 The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

20 bondage
n.奴役，束缚
参考例句：
Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。 They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

21 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。