No place could have been more distasteful as the scene ofthe talk that lay before him; but he had acceded¹ to Anna'ssuggestion that it would seem more natural for her to summonSophy Viner than for him to go in search of her. As histroubled pacings carried him back and forth² a relentlesshand seemed to be tearing away all the tender fibres ofassociation that bound him to the peaceful room. Here, inthis very place, he had drunk his deepest draughts³ ofhappiness, had had his lips at the fountain-head of itsoverflowing rivers; but now that source was poisoned and hewould taste no more of an untainted cup.

　　For a moment he felt an actual physical anguish⁴; then hisnerves hardened for the coming struggle. He had no notionof what awaited him; but after the first instinctive⁵ recoilhe had seen in a flash the urgent need of another word withSophy Viner. He had been insincere in letting Anna thinkthat he had consented to speak because she asked it. Inreality he had been feverishly⁶ casting about for the pretextshe had given him; and for some reason this trivialhypocrisy weighed on him more than all his heavy burden ofdeceit.

　　At length he heard a step behind him and Sophy Vinerentered. When she saw him she paused on the threshold andhalf drew back.

　　"I was told that Mrs. Leath had sent for me.""Mrs. Leath DID send for you. She'll be here presently;but I asked her to let me see you first."He spoke⁷ very gently, and there was no insincerity in hisgentleness. He was profoundly moved by the change in thegirl's appearance. At sight of him she had forced a smile;but it lit up her wretchedness like a candle-flame held to adead face.

　　She made no reply, and Darrow went on: "You must understandmy wanting to speak to you, after what I was told just now."She interposed, with a gesture of protest: "I'm notresponsible for Owen's ravings!""Of course----". He broke off and they stood facing eachother. She lifted a hand and pushed back her loose lockwith the gesture that was burnt into his memory; then shelooked about her and dropped into the nearest chair.

点击收听单词发音  

1 acceded
v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职
参考例句：
He acceded to demands for his resignation. 他同意要他辞职的要求。 They have acceded to the treaty. 他们已经加入了那个条约。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 draughts
n. <英>国际跳棋
参考例句：
Seal (up) the window to prevent draughts. 把窗户封起来以防风。 I will play at draughts with him. 我跟他下一盘棋吧！

4 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。

5 instinctive
adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的
参考例句：
He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。 Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。

6 feverishly
adv. 兴奋地
参考例句：
Feverishly he collected his data. 他拼命收集资料。 The company is having to cast around feverishly for ways to cut its costs. 公司迫切须要想出各种降低成本的办法。

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 flickered
（通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。 These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。

9 miserable
adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的
参考例句：
It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。 Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

10 fatuity
n.愚蠢，愚昧
参考例句：
This is no doubt the first step out of confusion and fatuity.这无疑是摆脱混乱与愚味的第一步。 Therefore,ignorance of history often leads to fatuity in politics.历史的无知，往往导致政治上的昏庸。

11 disastrous
adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的
参考例句：
The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。 Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

12 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》

13 contemptible
adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的
参考例句：
His personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.他气貌不扬，言语粗俗。 That was a contemptible trick to play on a friend.那是对朋友玩弄的一出可鄙的把戏。

14 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

15 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。

16 futile
adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的
参考例句：
They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。 Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

17 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。

18 futility
n.无用
参考例句：
She could see the utter futility of trying to protest. 她明白抗议是完全无用的。 The sheer futility of it all exasperates her. 它毫无用处，这让她很生气。

19 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。

20 humbled
adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低
参考例句：
The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。 I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

21 blur
n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚
参考例句：
The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。 If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

22 looming
n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近
参考例句：
The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

23 intonation
n.语调，声调；发声
参考例句：
The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。 Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。

24 perilous
adj.危险的，冒险的
参考例句：
The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。 We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

25 boredom
n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊
参考例句：
Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。 A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

26 hesitations
n.犹豫( hesitation的名词复数 )；踌躇；犹豫（之事或行为）；口吃
参考例句：
His doubts and hesitations were tiresome. 他的疑惑和犹豫令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The cool manipulators in Hanoi had exploited America's hesitations and self-doubt. 善于冷静地操纵这类事的河内统治者大大地钻了美国当局优柔寡断的空子。 来自辞典例句

27 justified
a.正当的，有理的
参考例句：
She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。 The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

28 compassion
n.同情，怜悯
参考例句：
He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。 Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

29 intercourse
n.性交；交流，交往，交际
参考例句：
The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。 There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

30 chatter
vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战
参考例句：
Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。 I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

31 tilted
v. 倾斜的
参考例句：
Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。 She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

32 well-being
n.安康，安乐，幸福
参考例句：
He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。 My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

33 amplification
n.扩大，发挥
参考例句：
The voice of despair may be weak and need amplification.绝望的呼声可能很微弱，需要扩大。 Some of them require further amplification.其中有些内容需进一步详细阐明。

34 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的
参考例句：
It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。 Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

35 entreating
恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 )
参考例句：
We have not bound your feet with our entreating arms. 我们不曾用恳求的手臂来抱住你的双足。 The evening has come. Weariness clings round me like the arms of entreating love. 夜来到了，困乏像爱的恳求用双臂围抱住我。

36 brink
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿
参考例句：
The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。 The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

37 estranging
v.使疏远（尤指家庭成员之间）( estrange的现在分词 )
参考例句：
But she shrank with peculiar reluctance from any risk of estranging it. 但她一向小心翼翼，唯恐失掉它。 来自辞典例句 The landscape was estranging. 前景非常遥远。 来自互联网

38 sentimental
adj.多愁善感的，感伤的
参考例句：
She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。 We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

39 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。

40 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。

41 suffused
v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Her face was suffused with colour. 她满脸通红。 Her eyes were suffused with warm, excited tears. 她激动地热泪盈眶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

42 throbbed
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动
参考例句：
His head throbbed painfully. 他的头一抽一跳地痛。 The pulse throbbed steadily. 脉搏跳得平稳。

43 persistently
ad.坚持地；固执地
参考例句：
He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。 She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

44 frankly
adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说
参考例句：
To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。 Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

45 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》

46 deserted
adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
参考例句：
The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。 The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

47 arcades
n.商场( arcade的名词复数 )；拱形走道（两旁有商店或娱乐设施）；连拱廊；拱形建筑物
参考例句：
Clothes are on sale in several shopping arcades these days. 近日一些服装店的服装正在大减价。 来自轻松英语会话---联想4000词(下) The Plaza Mayor, with its galleries and arcades, is particularly impressive. 市长大厦以其别具风格的走廊和拱廊给人留下十分深刻的印象。 来自互联网

48 insistence
n.坚持；强调；坚决主张
参考例句：
They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。 His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

49 awnings
篷帐布
参考例句：
Striped awnings had been stretched across the courtyard. 一些条纹雨篷撑开架在院子上方。 The room, shadowed well with awnings, was dark and cool. 这间屋子外面有这篷挡着，又阴暗又凉快。

50 poking
n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢
参考例句：
He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。 He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

51 irritably
ad.易生气地
参考例句：
He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。 On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

52 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。

53 stuffy
adj.不透气的，闷热的
参考例句：
It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。 It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。