IN THE MORNING Gerald woke late. He had slept heavily. Pussum was still asleep, sleeping childishly and pathetically. There was something small and curled up and defenceless about her, that roused an unsatisfied flame of passion in the young man's blood, a devouring¹ avid² pity. He looked at her again. But it would be too cruel to wake her. He subdued³ himself, and went away.

Hearing voices coming from the sitting-room⁴, Halliday talking to Libidnikov, he went to the door and glanced in. He had on a silk wrap of a beautiful bluish colour, with an amethyst⁵ hem⁶.

To his surprise he saw the two young men by the fire, stark⁷ naked. Halliday looked up, rather pleased.

`Good-morning,' he said. `Oh -- did you want towels?' And stark naked he went out into the hall, striding a strange, white figure between the unliving furniture. He came back with the towels, and took his former position, crouching⁸ seated before the fire on the fender.

`Don't you love to feel the fire on your skin?' he said.

`It is rather pleasant,' said Gerald.

`How perfectly⁹ splendid it must be to be in a climate where one could do without clothing altogether,' said Halliday.

`Yes,' said Gerald, `if there weren't so many things that sting and bite.'

`That's a disadvantage,' murmured Maxim¹⁰.

Gerald looked at him, and with a slight revulsion saw the human animal, golden skinned and bare, somehow humiliating. Halliday was different. He had a rather heavy, slack, broken beauty, white and firm. He was like a Christ in a Pieta. The animal was not there at all, only the heavy, broken beauty. And Gerald realised how Halliday's eyes were beautiful too, so blue and warm and confused, broken also in their expression. The fireglow fell on his heavy, rather bowed shoulders, he sat slackly

点击收听单词发音  

1 devouring
吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句：
The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。 He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。

2 avid
adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的
参考例句：
He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。 She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

3 subdued
adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。 I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

4 sitting-room
n.（BrE）客厅，起居室
参考例句：
The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。 Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

5 amethyst
n.紫水晶
参考例句：
She pinned a large amethyst brooch to her lapel.她在翻领上别了一枚大大的紫水晶饰针。 The exquisite flowers come alive in shades of amethyst.那些漂亮的花儿在紫水晶的映衬下显得格外夺目。

6 hem
n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制
参考例句：
The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。 The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

7 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。

8 crouching
v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 )
参考例句：
a hulking figure crouching in the darkness 黑暗中蹲伏着的一个庞大身影 A young man was crouching by the table, busily searching for something. 一个年轻人正蹲在桌边翻看什么。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

9 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

10 maxim
n.格言，箴言
参考例句：
Please lay the maxim to your heart.请把此格言记在心里。 "Waste not,want not" is her favourite maxim.“不浪费则不匮乏”是她喜爱的格言。

11 crouched
v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。 The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

12 disintegrate
v.瓦解，解体，（使）碎裂，（使）粉碎
参考例句：
The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。 The plane would probably disintegrate at that high speed.飞机以那么高速飞行也许会四分五裂。

13 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。

14 suave
adj.温和的；柔和的；文雅的
参考例句：
He is a suave,cool and cultured man.他是个世故、冷静、有教养的人。 I had difficulty answering his suave questions.我难以回答他的一些彬彬有礼的提问。

15 repelled
v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开
参考例句：
They repelled the enemy. 他们击退了敌军。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The minister tremulously, but decidedly, repelled the old man's arm. 而丁梅斯代尔牧师却哆里哆嗦地断然推开了那老人的胳臂。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

16 doorway
n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径
参考例句：
They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。 Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

17 pyjamas
n.（宽大的）睡衣裤
参考例句：
This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。 Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。

18 aloof
adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的
参考例句：
Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。 On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。

19 nude
adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品
参考例句：
It's a painting of the Duchess of Alba in the nude.这是一幅阿尔巴公爵夫人的裸体肖像画。 She doesn't like nude swimming.她不喜欢裸泳。

20 protuberant
adj.突出的，隆起的
参考例句：
The boy tripped over a protuberant rock.那个男孩被突起的岩石绊了一下。 He has a high-beaked nose and large protuberant eyes.他有着高鼻梁和又大又凸出的眼睛

21 posture
n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势
参考例句：
The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。 He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

22 vividly
adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地
参考例句：
The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。 The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

23 carving
n.雕刻品，雕花
参考例句：
All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。 He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

24 opposition
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

25 utterly
adv.完全地，绝对地
参考例句：
Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。 I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

26 supreme
adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的
参考例句：
It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。 He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

27 outrageousness
n. 残暴 蛮横
参考例句：
It's a matter of outrageousness to about his body shape. 嘲笑他的体形是一件残忍的事。

28 defiant
adj.无礼的，挑战的
参考例句：
With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。 He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

29 inchoate
adj.才开始的，初期的
参考例句：
His dreams were senseless and inchoate.他的梦想根本行不通，很不成熟。 Her early works are inchoate idea,nothing but full of lush rhetoric.她的早期作品都不太成熟，除了华丽的词藻外就没什麽内容了。

30 mordant
adj.讽刺的；尖酸的
参考例句：
Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.演员都惧怕这位批评家辛辣尖刻的笔调。 His mordant wit appealed to students.他那尖刻的妙语受到学生们的欢迎。

31 violation
n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯
参考例句：
He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。 He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

32 tingled
v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
My cheeks tingled with the cold. 我的脸颊冻得有点刺痛。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The crowd tingled with excitement. 群众大为兴奋。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

33 flannel
n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服
参考例句：
She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。 She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

34 shimmering
v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。 The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

35 torment
n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠
参考例句：
He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。 Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。

36 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。

37 sinister
adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的
参考例句：
There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。 Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

38 unwilling
adj.不情愿的
参考例句：
The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。 His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

39 immutable
adj.不可改变的，永恒的
参考例句：
Nothing in the world is immutable.世界没有一成不变的东西。 They free our minds from considering our world as fixed and immutable.它们改变着人们将世界看作是永恒不变的观点。

40 tinged
v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
memories tinged with sadness 略带悲伤的往事 white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣

41 corruption
n.腐败，堕落，贪污
参考例句：
The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。 The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

42 nauseating
adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 )
参考例句：
I had to listen to the whole nauseating story. 我不得不从头到尾听那令人作呕的故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 There is a nauseating smell of rotten food. 有一股令人恶心的腐烂食物的气味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

43 bestial
adj.残忍的；野蛮的
参考例句：
The Roman gladiatorial contests were bestial amusements.罗马角斗是残忍的娱乐。 A statement on Amman Radio spoke of bestial aggression and a horrible massacre. 安曼广播电台播放的一则声明提到了野蛮的侵略和骇人的大屠杀。

44 friability
n.脆弱，易碎性；脆性；松脆
参考例句：
The friability explains how portions of the vegetation can break off and embolize. 由于赘生物的易碎，因此极易脱落和引起栓塞。 来自互联网

45 irritation
n.激怒，恼怒，生气
参考例句：
He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。 Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。

46 hatred
n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨
参考例句：
He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。 The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

47 hostility
n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争
参考例句：
There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。 His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

48 obstinacy
n.顽固；（病痛等）难治
参考例句：
It is a very accountable obstinacy.这是一种完全可以理解的固执态度。 Cindy's anger usually made him stand firm to the point of obstinacy.辛迪一发怒，常常使他坚持自见，并达到执拗的地步。

49 indifference
n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎
参考例句：
I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。 He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

50 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。

51 piqued
v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心）
参考例句：
Their curiosity piqued, they stopped writing. 他们的好奇心被挑起，停下了手中的笔。 来自辞典例句 This phenomenon piqued Dr Morris' interest. 这一现象激起了莫里斯医生的兴趣。 来自辞典例句

52 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。

53 inevitable
adj.不可避免的，必然发生的
参考例句：
Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。 The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。