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Chapter II
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The group in the room sat in silence with an air of stiff expectation. The members of the family knew they were not assembled to pay respect to the memory of the woman who had just been buried. Her husband had regarded her as a drag upon him, and did not consider her removal an occasion for the display of hypocritical grief. Rather was it to be regarded as an act of timely intervention1 on the part of Death, who for once had not acted as marplot in human affairs.
They were there to listen to the story of the triumph of the head of the family, Robert Turold. Most families have some common source of interest and pride. It may be a famous son, a renowned2 ancestor, a faded heirloom, even a musical daughter. The pride of the Turold family rested on the belief that they were of noble blood—the lineal inheritors of a great English title which had fallen into abeyance3 hundreds of years before.
Robert Turold had not been content to boast of his nobility and die a commoner like his father and grandfather before him. His intense pride demanded more than that. As a boy he had pored over the crabbed4 parchments in the family deed-box which indicated but did not record the family descent, and he had vowed5 to devote his life to prove the descent and restore the ancient title of Turrald of Missenden to the Turolds of which he was the head.
There was not much to go upon when he commenced the labour of thirty years—merely a few old documents, a family tradition, and the similarity of name. And the Turolds were poor. Money, and a great deal of it, was needed for the search, in the first instance, of the unbroken line of descent, and for the maintenance of the title afterwards if the claim was completely established. But Robert Turold was not to be deterred6 by obstacles, however great. He was a man with a single idea, and such men are hard to baulk in the long run.
He left England in early manhood and remained away for some years. His family understood that he had gone to seek a fortune in the wilds of the earth. He reappeared—a
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收听单词发音

1
intervention
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n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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2
renowned
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adj.著名的,有名望的,声誉鹊起的 | |
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3
abeyance
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n.搁置,缓办,中止,产权未定 | |
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4
crabbed
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adj.脾气坏的;易怒的;(指字迹)难辨认的;(字迹等)难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
vowed
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起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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6
deterred
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v.阻止,制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
saturnine
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adj.忧郁的,沉默寡言的,阴沉的,感染铅毒的 | |
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8
proceedings
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n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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9
infancy
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n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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10
enraged
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使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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temperament
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n.气质,性格,性情 | |
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12
moody
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adj.心情不稳的,易怒的,喜怒无常的 | |
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13
desperately
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adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地 | |
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14
accomplished
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adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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15
devoted
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adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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divulged
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v.吐露,泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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descended
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a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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18
reticent
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adj.沉默寡言的;言不如意的 | |
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passionately
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ad.热烈地,激烈地 | |
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fixed
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adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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indifference
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n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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afflicted
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使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disdained
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鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 ); 不屑于做,不愿意做 | |
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shrimp
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n.虾,小虾;矮小的人 | |
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stockbroker
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n.股票(或证券),经纪人(或机构) | |
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auction
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n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖 | |
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regularity
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n.规律性,规则性;匀称,整齐 | |
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engrossed
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adj.全神贯注的 | |
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intermittent
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adj.间歇的,断断续续的 | |
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languished
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长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 ); 受折磨; 变得(越来越)衰弱; 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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testy
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adj.易怒的;暴躁的 | |
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intimacy
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n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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antiquities
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n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 );古迹;古人们;古代的风俗习惯 | |
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mingled
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混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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drooped
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弯曲或下垂,发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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exterior
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adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 | |
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scattered
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adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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lore
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n.传说;学问,经验,知识 | |
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gratitude
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adj.感激,感谢 | |
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helping
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n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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dominant
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adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因 | |
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frail
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adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
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sneer
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v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语 | |
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dangled
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悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口 | |
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Oxford
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n.牛津(英国城市) | |
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dilettante
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n.半瓶醋,业余爱好者 | |
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affected
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adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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potent
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adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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convivial
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adj.狂欢的,欢乐的 | |
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eyebrows
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眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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51
entreating
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恳求,乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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52
improper
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adj.不适当的,不合适的,不正确的,不合礼仪的 | |
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53
descending
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n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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Chapter I
下一章:
Chapter III
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