It had been Clara Desmond's first ball, and on the following morning she had much to occupy her thoughts. In the first place, had she been pleased or had she not? Had she been most gratified or most pained?

Girls when they ask themselves such questions seldom give themselves fair answers. She had liked dancing with Owen Fitzgerald; oh, so much! She had liked dancing with others too, though she had not known them, and had hardly spoken to them. The mere² act of dancing, with the loud music in the room, and the gay dresses and bright lights around her, had been delightful³. But then it had pained her—she knew not why, but it had pained her—when her mother told her that people would make remarks about her. Had she done anything improper⁴ on this her first entry into the world? Was her conduct to be scanned, and judged, and condemned⁵, while she was flattering herself that no one had noticed her but him who was speaking to her?

Their breakfast was late, and the countess sat, as was her wont⁶, with her book beside her tea-cup, speaking a word every now and again to her son.

"Owen will be over here to-day," said he. "We are going to have a schooling⁷ match down on the Callows." Now in Ireland a schooling match means the amusement of teaching your horses to jump.

"Will he?" said Lady Desmond, looking up from her book for a moment. "Mind you bring him in to lunch; I want to speak to him."

"He doesn't care much about lunch, I fancy," said he; "and, maybe, we shall be half way to Millstreet by that time."

"Never mind, but do as I tell you. You expect everybody to be as wild and wayward as yourself." And the countess smiled on her son in a manner which showed that she was proud even of his wildness and his waywardness.

Clara had felt that she blushed when she heard that Mr. Fitzgerald was to be there that morning. She felt that her own manner became constrained

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1 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。

2 mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

3 delightful
adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的
参考例句：
We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。 Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

4 improper
adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的
参考例句：
Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。 Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

5 condemned
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。 The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 wont
adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯
参考例句：
He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。 It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

7 schooling
n.教育；正规学校教育
参考例句：
A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。 Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

8 constrained
adj.束缚的,节制的
参考例句：
The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。 I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

9 frustrated
adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧
参考例句：
It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。 The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 stoutly
adv.牢固地，粗壮的
参考例句：
He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。 Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难，但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。

12 mare
n.母马，母驴
参考例句：
The mare has just thrown a foal in the stable.那匹母马刚刚在马厩里产下了一只小马驹。 The mare foundered under the heavy load and collapsed in the road.那母马因负载过重而倒在路上。

13 demesne
n.领域，私有土地
参考例句：
The tenants of the demesne enjoyed certain privileges.领地的占有者享有一定的特权。 Keats is referring to epic poetry when he mentions Homer's"proud demesne".当济慈提到荷马的“骄傲的领域”时，他指的是史诗。

14 trotted
小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走
参考例句：
She trotted her pony around the field. 她骑着小马绕场慢跑。 Anne trotted obediently beside her mother. 安妮听话地跟在妈妈身边走。

15 docile
adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的
参考例句：
Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。 He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。

16 hap
n.运气；v.偶然发生
参考例句：
Some have the hap,some stick in the gap.有的人走运, 有的人倒霉。 May your son be blessed by hap and happiness.愿你儿子走运幸福。

17 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。

18 novice
adj.新手的，生手的
参考例句：
As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。 She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

19 accomplished
adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的
参考例句：
Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。 Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

20 begrudge
vt.吝啬，羡慕
参考例句：
I begrudge spending so much money on train fares.我舍不得把这么多钱花在火车票上。 We should not begrudge our neighbour's richness.我们不应该嫉妒邻人的富有。

21 sob
n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣
参考例句：
The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。 The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

22 sobbing
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的
参考例句：
I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。 Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

23 presumption
n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定
参考例句：
Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。 I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。

24 scanty
adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的
参考例句：
There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。 The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。

25 barons
男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨
参考例句：
The barons of Normandy had refused to countenance the enterprise officially. 诺曼底的贵族们拒绝正式赞助这桩买卖。 The barons took the oath which Stephen Langton prescribed. 男爵们照斯蒂芬？兰顿的指导宣了誓。

26 baronesses
n.女男爵( baroness的名词复数 )；男爵夫人[寡妇]
参考例句：

27 bleak
adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的
参考例句：
They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。 The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

28 dread
vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧
参考例句：
We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。 Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

29 repudiate
v.拒绝，拒付，拒绝履行
参考例句：
He will indignantly repudiate the suggestion.他会气愤地拒绝接受这一意见。 He repudiate all debts incurred by his son.他拒绝偿还他儿子的一切债务。

30 affected
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。 His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

31 sobbed
哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说
参考例句：
She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。 She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

32 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。

33 banish
vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除
参考例句：
The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.医生劝她消除恐惧和忧虑。 He tried to banish gloom from his thought.他试图驱除心中的忧愁。

34 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

35 favourable
adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的
参考例句：
The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。 We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

36 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

37 pretence
n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰
参考例句：
The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。 He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。

38 uncommon
adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的
参考例句：
Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。 Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

39 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。

40 tact
n.机敏，圆滑，得体
参考例句：
She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。 Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。

41 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。

42 tardily
adv.缓慢
参考例句：
Notice came so tardily that we almost missed the deadline. 通知下达的太慢了，我几乎都错过了最后期限。 来自互联网 He always replied rather tardily to my letters. 他对我的信总是迟迟不作答复。 来自互联网

43 hysterical
adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的
参考例句：
He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。 His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

44 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。

45 haughtily
adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地
参考例句：
She carries herself haughtily. 她举止傲慢。 Haughtily, he stalked out onto the second floor where I was standing. 他傲然跨出电梯，走到二楼，我刚好站在那儿。

46 defiance
n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗
参考例句：
He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。 He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

47 lodge
v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆
参考例句：
Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？ I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

48 kindliness
n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为
参考例句：
Martha looked up into a strange face and dark eyes alight with kindliness and concern. 马撒慢慢抬起头，映入眼帘的是张陌生的脸，脸上有一双充满慈爱和关注的眼睛。 来自辞典例句 I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. 我想，我对伯顿印象最深之处主要还是这个人的和善。 来自辞典例句

49 manliness
刚毅
参考例句：
She was really fond of his strength, his wholesome looks, his manliness. 她真喜欢他的坚强，他那健康的容貌，他的男子气概。 His confidence, his manliness and bravery, turn his wit into wisdom. 他的自信、男子气概和勇敢将他的风趣变为智慧。

50 disarmed
v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒
参考例句：
Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。 The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

51 attachment
n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附
参考例句：
She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。 She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

52 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。

53 thoroughly
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。 The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

54 paramount
a.最重要的，最高权力的
参考例句：
My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。 Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

55 mansion
n.大厦，大楼；宅第
参考例句：
The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。 The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

56 analyzed
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析
参考例句：
The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

57 squire
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅
参考例句：
I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。 The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。