It was two rings that the Virginian wrote for when next I heard from him.

After my dark sight of what the Cattle Land could be, I soon had journeyed home by way of Washakie and Rawlins. Steve and Shorty did not leave my memory, nor will they ever, I suppose.

The Virginian had touched the whole thing the day I left him. He had noticed me looking a sort of farewell at the plains and mountains.

"You will come back to it," he said. "If there was a headstone for every man that once pleasured in his freedom here, yu'd see one most every time yu' turned your head. It's a heap sadder than a graveyard--but yu' love it all the same."

Sadness had passed from him--from his uppermost mood, at least, when he wrote about the rings. Deep in him was sadness of course, as well as joy. For he had known Steve, and he had covered Shorty with earth. He had looked upon life with a marksman's eyes, very close; and no one, if he have a heart, can pass through this and not carry sadness in his spirit with him forever. But he seldom shows it openly; it bides¹ within him, enriching his cheerfulness and rendering² him of better service to his fellow-men.

It was a commission of cheerfulness that he now gave, being distant from where rings are to be bought. He could not go so far as the East to procure³ what he had planned. Rings were to be had in Cheyenne, and a still greater choice in Denver; and so far as either of these towns his affairs would have permitted him to travel. But he was set upon having rings from the East. They must come from the best place in the country; nothing short of that was good enough "to fit her finger," as he said. The wedding ring was a simple matter. Let it be right, that was all: the purest gold that could be used, with her initials and his together graven round the inside, with the day of the month and the year.

The date was now set. It had come so far as this. July third was to be the day. Then for sixty days and nights he was to be a bridegroom, free from his duties at Sunk Creek⁴, free to take his bride wheresoever she might choose to go. And she had chosen.

Those voices of the world had more than angered her; for after the anger a set purpose was left. Her sister should have the chance neither to come nor to stay away. Had her mother even answered the Virginian's letter, there could have been some relenting. But the poor lady had been

点击收听单词发音  

1 bides
v.等待，停留( bide的第三人称单数 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临
参考例句：
He is a man who bides by a bargain. 他是个守信用的人。 来自互联网 I cherish his because in me it bides. 我爱他的心，因为他在我体内安眠。 来自互联网

2 rendering
n.表现，描写
参考例句：
She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。 His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

3 procure
vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条
参考例句：
Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？ I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

4 creek
n.小溪，小河，小湾
参考例句：
He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。 People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

5 inadequate
adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的
参考例句：
The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。 She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

6 vow
n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓
参考例句：
My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。 I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

7 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。

8 ashore
adv.在(向)岸上，上岸
参考例句：
The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。 He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

9 canyon
n.峡谷，溪谷
参考例句：
The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。 The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

10 storks
n.鹳( stork的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Meg and Jo fed their mother like dutiful young storks. 麦格和裘像一对忠实的小鹳似地喂她们的母亲。 来自辞典例句 They believe that storks bring new babies to the parents' home. 他们相信白鹤会给父母带来婴儿。 来自互联网

11 engraved
v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）
参考例句：
The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。 It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 ruby
n.红宝石，红宝石色
参考例句：
She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。 On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

14 awakened
v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到
参考例句：
She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。 The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 descended
a.为...后裔的，出身于...的
参考例句：
A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。 The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

16 ranch
n.大牧场，大农场
参考例句：
He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。 The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

17 undertaking
n.保证，许诺，事业
参考例句：
He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。 He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

18 circumvent
vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜
参考例句：
Military planners tried to circumvent the treaty.军事策略家们企图绕开这一条约。 Any action I took to circumvent his scheme was justified.我为斗赢他的如意算盘而采取的任何行动都是正当的。

19 extravagant
adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的
参考例句：
They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。 He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

20 outright
adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的
参考例句：
If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。 You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

21 crimson
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色
参考例句：
She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。 Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

22 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。

23 transparent
adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的
参考例句：
The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。 The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

24 superstition
n.迷信，迷信行为
参考例句：
It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。 Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

25 immediate
adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的
参考例句：
His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。 We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

26 reassurance
n.使放心，使消除疑虑
参考例句：
He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。 Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

27 bestow
v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费
参考例句：
He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。 What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

28 gem
n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel
参考例句：
The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。 The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

29 lore
n.传说；学问，经验，知识
参考例句：
I will seek and question him of his lore.我倒要找上他，向他讨教他的渊博的学问。 Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend.早期人类通过传说传递有关植物和动物的知识。

30 bind
vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬
参考例句：
I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。 He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

31 lustrous
adj.有光泽的；光辉的
参考例句：
Mary has a head of thick,lustrous,wavy brown hair.玛丽有一头浓密、富有光泽的褐色鬈发。 This mask definitely makes the skin fair and lustrous.这款面膜可以异常有用的使肌肤变亮和有光泽。