The housekeeper¹’s reminding her that Mr. Orme would be at home the next day for dinner, and did she think he would like the venison with claret sauce or jelly, roused Kate to the first consciousness of her surroundings. Her father would return on the morrow: he would give to the dressing² of the venison such minute consideration as, in his opinion, every detail affecting his comfort or convenience quite obviously merited. And if it were not the venison it would be something else; if it were not the housekeeper it would be Mr. Orme, charged with the results of a conference with his agent, a committee-meeting at his club, or any of the other incidents which, by happening to himself, became events. Kate found herself caught in the inexorable continuity of life, found herself gazing over a scene of ruin lit up by the punctual recurrence³ of habit as nature’s calm stare lights the morrow of a whirlwind.

Life was going on, then, and dragging her at its wheels. She could neither check its rush nor wrench⁴ loose from it and drop out — oh, how blessedly — into darkness and cessation. She must go bounding on, racked, broken, but alive in every fibre. The most she could hope was a few hours’ respite⁵, not from her own terrors, but from the pressure of outward claims: the midday halt, during which the victim is unbound while his torturers rest from their efforts. Till her father’s return she would have the house to herself, and, the question of the venison despatched, could give herself to long lonely pacings of the empty rooms, and shuddering⁶ subsidences upon her pillow.

Her first impulse, as the mist cleared from her brain, was the habitual⁷ one of reaching out for ultimate relations. She wanted to know the worst; and for her, as she saw in a flash, the worst of it was the core of fatality9

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1 housekeeper
n.管理家务的主妇，女管家
参考例句：
A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。 She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

2 dressing
n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料
参考例句：
Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。 The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

3 recurrence
n.复发，反复，重现
参考例句：
More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。 He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。

4 wrench
v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受
参考例句：
He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。 It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

5 respite
n.休息，中止，暂缓
参考例句：
She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。 Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

6 shuddering
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动
参考例句：
'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记 She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

7 habitual
adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的
参考例句：
He is a habitual criminal.他是一个惯犯。 They are habitual visitors to our house.他们是我家的常客。

8 lash
v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛
参考例句：
He received a lash of her hand on his cheek.他突然被她打了一记耳光。 With a lash of its tail the tiger leaped at her.老虎把尾巴一甩朝她扑过来。

9 fatality
n.不幸，灾祸，天命
参考例句：
She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。 He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。

10 ordeals
n.严峻的考验，苦难的经历( ordeal的名词复数 )
参考例句：
London had stood triumphant through all her ordeals. 伦敦在经历考验之后仍巍然屹立。 来自辞典例句 He's come through some bad personal ordeals. 他个人经历了一些沉痛的考验。 来自辞典例句

11 tragic
adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的
参考例句：
The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。 Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

12 droop
v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡
参考例句：
The heavy snow made the branches droop.大雪使树枝垂下来。 Don't let your spirits droop.不要萎靡不振。

13 precisely
adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地
参考例句：
It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。 The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

14 graceful
adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的
参考例句：
His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了! The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

15 avowal
n.公开宣称，坦白承认
参考例句：
The press carried his avowal throughout the country.全国的报纸登载了他承认的消息。 This was not a mere empty vaunt,but a deliberate avowal of his real sentiments.这倒不是一个空洞的吹牛，而是他真实感情的供状。

16 prey
n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨
参考例句：
Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。 The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

17 ebb
vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态
参考例句：
The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other.涨潮和落潮交替更迭。 They swam till the tide began to ebb.他们一直游到开始退潮。

18 opium
n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的
参考例句：
That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。 Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

19 devotedly
专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地
参考例句：
He loved his wife devotedly. 他真诚地爱他的妻子。 Millions of fans follow the TV soap operas devotedly. 千百万观众非常着迷地收看这部电视连续剧。

20 noose
n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑
参考例句：
They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。 A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

21 bribe
n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通
参考例句：
He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。 He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

22 rustic
adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬
参考例句：
It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。 We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

23 folly
n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话
参考例句：
Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。 Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

24 inquiries
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。 I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

25 dispersed
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句：
The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。 After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

26 humiliation
n.羞辱
参考例句：
He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。 He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

27 afterward
adv.后来；以后
参考例句：
Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。 Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

28 improvised
a.即席而作的,即兴的
参考例句：
He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。 We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

29 logic
n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性
参考例句：
What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？ I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

30 justification
n.正当的理由；辩解的理由
参考例句：
There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。 In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

31 talons
n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部
参考例句：
The fingers were curved like talons, but they closed on empty air. 他的指头弯得像鹰爪一样，可是抓了个空。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命 The tiger has a pair of talons. 老虎有一对利爪。 来自辞典例句

32 anguish
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼
参考例句：
She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。 The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

33 groaned
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦
参考例句：
He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。 The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 savagely
adv. 野蛮地，残酷地
参考例句：
The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。 He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。

35 perplexed
adj.不知所措的
参考例句：
The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。 The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

36 guilt
n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责
参考例句：
She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。 Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

37 conclusive
adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的
参考例句：
They produced some fairly conclusive evidence.他们提供了一些相当确凿的证据。 Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的。

38 irrelevance
n.无关紧要；不相关；不相关的事物
参考例句：
the irrelevance of the curriculum to children's daily life 课程与孩子们日常生活的脱节 A President who identifies leadership with public opinion polls dooms himself to irrelevance. 一位总统如果把他的领导和民意测验投票结果等同起来，那么他注定将成为一个可有可无的人物。 来自辞典例句

39 gutter
n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟
参考例句：
There's a cigarette packet thrown into the gutter.阴沟里有个香烟盒。 He picked her out of the gutter and made her a great lady.他使她脱离贫苦生活，并成为贵妇。

40 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。

41 caress
vt./n.爱抚，抚摸
参考例句：
She gave the child a loving caress.她疼爱地抚摸着孩子。 She feasted on the caress of the hot spring.她尽情享受着温泉的抚爱。

42 musingly
adv.沉思地，冥想地
参考例句：

43 imprisoned
下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。 They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

44 stammered
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

45 rhetoric
n.修辞学，浮夸之言语
参考例句：
Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？ Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

46 elasticity
n.弹性，伸缩力
参考例句：
The skin eventually loses its elasticity.皮肤最终会失去弹性。 Every sort of spring has a definite elasticity.每一种弹簧都有一定的弹性。

47 expiation
n.赎罪，补偿
参考例句：
'served him right,'said Drouet afterward, even in view of her keen expiation of her error. “那是他活该，"这一场结束时杜洛埃说，尽管那个妻子已竭力要赎前愆。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 Jesus made expiation for our sins on the cross. 耶稣在十字架上为我们赎了罪。 来自互联网

48 tinge
vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息
参考例句：
The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。 There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.她声音中流露出一丝忧伤。

49 assented
同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。 "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

50 gathering
n.集会，聚会，聚集
参考例句：
He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。 He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

51 acquiescence
n.默许；顺从
参考例句：
The chief inclined his head in sign of acquiescence.首领点点头表示允许。 This is due to his acquiescence.这是因为他的默许。

52 retrospect
n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯
参考例句：
One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。 In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

53 lapsed
adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失
参考例句：
He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。 He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

54 entreaty
n.恳求，哀求
参考例句：
Mrs. Quilp durst only make a gesture of entreaty.奎尔普太太仅做出一种哀求的姿势。 Her gaze clung to him in entreaty.她的眼光带着恳求的神色停留在他身上。

55 passionate
adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的
参考例句：
He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。 He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

56 tumult
n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹
参考例句：
The tumult in the streets awakened everyone in the house.街上的喧哗吵醒了屋子里的每一个人。 His voice disappeared under growing tumult.他的声音消失在越来越响的喧哗声中。

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