Bad news spreads quickly. By the quarter to eleven interval¹ next daythe facts concerning Wyatt and Mr. Wain were public property. Mike, asan actual spectator of the drama, was in great request as aninformant. As he told the story to a group of sympathisers outside theschool shop, Burgess came up, his eyes rolling in a fine frenzy².

　　"Anybody seen young--oh, here you are. What's all this about JimmyWyatt? They're saying he's been sacked, or some rot."[Illustration: "WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT JIMMY WYATT?"]

　　"So he has--at least, he's got to leave.""What? When?""He's left already. He isn't coming to school again."Burgess's first thought, as befitted a good cricket captain, was forhis team.

　　"And the Ripton match on Saturday!"Nobody seemed to have anything except silent sympathy at his command.

　　"Dash the man! Silly ass³! What did he want to do it for! Poor oldJimmy, though!" he added after a pause. "What rot for him!""Beastly," agreed Mike.

　　"All the same," continued Burgess, with a return to the austere⁴ mannerof the captain of cricket, "he might have chucked playing the goattill after the Ripton match. Look here, young Jackson, you'll turn outfor fielding with the first this afternoon. You'll play on Saturday.""All right," said Mike, without enthusiasm. The Wyatt disaster was toorecent for him to feel much pleasure at playing against Ripton_vice_ his friend, withdrawn⁵.

　　Bob was the next to interview him. They met in the cloisters⁶.

　　"Hullo, Mike!" said Bob. "I say, what's all this about Wyatt?""Wain caught him getting back into the dorm. last night afterNeville-Smith's, and he's taken him away from the school.""What's he going to do? Going into that bank straight away?""Yes. You know, that's the part he bars most. He'd have been leavinganyhow in a fortnight, you see; only it's awful rot for a chap likeWyatt to have to go and froust in a bank for the rest of his life.""He'll find it rather a change, I expect. I suppose you won't beseeing him before he goes?""I shouldn't think so. Not unless he comes to the dorm. during thenight. He's sleeping over in Wain's part of the house, but I shouldn'tbe surprised if he nipped out after Wain has gone to bed. Hope hedoes, anyway.""I should like to say good-bye. But I don't suppose it'll bepossible."They separated in the direction of their respective form-rooms. Mikefelt bitter and disappointed at the way the news had been received.

点击收听单词发音  

1 interval
n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息
参考例句：
The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。 There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

2 frenzy
n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动
参考例句：
He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。 They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

3 ass
n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人
参考例句：
He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。 An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

4 austere
adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的
参考例句：
His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。 The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

5 withdrawn
vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出
参考例句：
Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。 All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

6 cloisters
n.（学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的）走廊( cloister的名词复数 )；回廊；修道院的生活；隐居v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
The thirteenth-century cloisters are amongst the most beautiful in central Italy. 这些13世纪的回廊是意大利中部最美的建筑。 来自辞典例句 Some lovely Christian Science ladies had invited her to a concert at the cloisters. 有几位要好的基督教科学社的女士请她去修道院音乐厅听一个音乐会。 来自辞典例句

7 pal
n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友
参考例句：
He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。 Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着，小子，我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。

8 impersonal
adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的
参考例句：
Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.他的孩子们也认为他跟其他人很疏远，没有人情味。 His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.他的态度似乎很生硬冷淡。

9 sensational
adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的
参考例句：
Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。 Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

10 soothing
adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的
参考例句：
Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。 His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

11 plunged
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降
参考例句：
The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。 She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

12 meditation
n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录
参考例句：
This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。 I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

13 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。

14 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。

15 bowlers
n.（板球）投球手( bowler的名词复数 )；圆顶高帽
参考例句：
Many London businessmen wear bowlers. 伦敦的许多商人戴常礼帽。 来自辞典例句 In America in the 1800s, bowlers began betting money on games. 19世纪在美国，保龄球员们开始在游戏上赌钱。 来自互联网

16 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

17 toddle
v.（如小孩）蹒跚学步
参考例句：
The baby has just learned to toddle.小孩子刚会走道儿。 We watched the little boy toddle up purposefully to the refrigerator.我们看著那小男孩特意晃到冰箱前。

18 yarn
n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事
参考例句：
I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。 The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

19 whacked
a.精疲力尽的
参考例句：
She whacked him with her handbag. 她用手提包狠狠地打他。 He whacked me on the back and I held both his arms. 他用力拍拍我的背，我抱住他的双臂。

20 grunted
（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说
参考例句：
She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。 She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

21 vaguely
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。 He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

22 tracts
大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文
参考例句：
vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林 There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。

23 countless
adj.无数的，多得不计其数的
参考例句：
In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。 I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

25 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

26 pedagogue
n.教师
参考例句：
The pedagogue is correcting the paper with a new pen.这位教师正用一支新笔批改论文。 Misfortune is a good pedagogue.不幸是良好的教师。