空幻之屋16

时间：2024-12-31 10:05:07

（单词翻译:单击）

Ten
It was ten o’clock the next morning when John came down. Breakfast was on the sideboard.
Gerda had had her breakfast sent up to her in bed and had been rather perturbed1 since perhaps she
might be “giving trouble.”
Nonsense, John had said. People like the Angkatells who still managed to have butlers and
servants might just as well give them something to do.
He felt very kindly2 towards Gerda this morning. All that nervous irritation3 that had so fretted4
him of late seemed to have died down and disappeared.
Sir Henry and Edward had gone out shooting, Lady Angkatell told him. She herself was busy
with a gardening basket and gardening gloves. He stayed talking to her for a while until Gudgeon
approached him with a letter on a salver.
“This has just come by hand, sir.”
He took it with slightly raised eyebrows5.
Veronica!
He strolled into the library, tearing it open.
Please come over this morning. I must see you.
Veronica.
Imperious as ever, he thought. He’d a good mind not to go. Then he thought he might as well and
get it over. He’d go at once.
He took the path opposite the library window, passed by the swimming pool which was a kind
of nucleus6 with paths radiating from it in every direction, one up the hill to the woods proper, one
from the flower walk above the house, one from the farm and the one that led on to the lane which
he took now. A few yards up the lane was the cottage called Dovecotes.
Veronica was waiting for him. She spoke7 from the window of the pretentious8 half-timbered
building.
“Come inside, John. It’s cold this morning.”
There was a fire lit in the sitting room, which was furnished in off-white with pale cyclamen
cushions.
Looking at her this morning with an appraising9 eye, he saw the differences there were from the
girl he remembered, as he had not been able to see them last night.
Strictly10 speaking, he thought, she was more beautiful now than then. She understood her beauty
better, and she cared for it and enhanced it in every way. Her hair, which had been deep golden,
was now a silvery platinum11 colour. Her eyebrows were different, giving much more poignancy12 to
her expression.
Hers had never been a mindless beauty. Veronica, he remembered, had qualified13 as one of our
“intellectual actresses.” She had a university degree and had views on Strindberg and on
Shakespeare.
He was struck now with what had only been dimly apparent to him in the past—that she was a
woman whose egoism was quite abnormal. Veronica was accustomed to getting her own way, and
beneath the smooth beautiful contours of flesh he seemed to sense an ugly iron determination.
“I sent for you,” said Veronica, as she handed him a box of cigarettes, “because we’ve got to
talk. We’ve got to make arrangements. For our future, I mean.”
He took a cigarette and lighted it. Then he said quite pleasantly:
“But have we a future?”
She gave him a sharp glance.
“What do you mean, John? Of course we have got a future. We’ve wasted fifteen years. There’s
no need to waste any more time.”
He sat down.
“I’m sorry, Veronica. But I’m afraid you’ve got all this taped out wrong. I’ve—enjoyed meeting
you again very much. But your life and mine don’t touch anywhere. They are quite divergent.”
“Nonsense, John. I love you and you love me. We’ve always loved each other. You were
incredibly obstinate14 in the past! But never mind that now. Our lives needn’t clash. I don’t mean to
go back to the States. When I’ve finished this picture I’m working on now, I’m going to play a
straight play on the London stage. I’ve got a wonderful play—Elderton’s written it for me. It will
be a terrific success.”
“I’m sure it will,” he said politely.
“And you can go on being a doctor.” Her voice was kind and condescending15. “You’re quite
well-known, they tell me.”
“My dear girl, I’m married. I’ve got children.”
“I’m married myself at the moment,” said Veronica. “But all these things are easily arranged. A
good lawyer can fix up everything.” She smiled at him dazzlingly. “I always did mean to marry
you, darling. I can’t think why I have this terrible passion for you, but there it is!”
“I’m sorry, Veronica, but no good lawyer is going to fix up anything. Your life and mine have
nothing to do with each other.”
“Not after last night?”
“You’re not a child, Veronica. You’ve had a couple of husbands, and by all accounts several
lovers. What does last night mean actually? Nothing at all, and you know it.”
“Oh, my dear John.” She was still amused, indulgent. “If you’d seen your face—there in that
stuffy16 drawing room! You might have been in San Miguel again.”
John sighed. He said:
“I was in San Miguel. Try to understand, Veronica. You came to me out of the past. Last night,
I, too, was in the past, but today—today’s different. I’m a man fifteen years older. A man you
don’t even know—and whom I daresay you wouldn’t like much if you did know.”
“You prefer your wife and children to me?”
She was genuinely amazed.
“Odd as it may seem to you, I do.”
“Nonsense, John, you love me.”
“I’m sorry, Veronica.”
She said incredulously:
“You don’t love me?”
“It’s better to be quite clear about these things. You are an extraordinarily17 beautiful woman,
Veronica, but I don’t love you.”
She sat so still that she might have been a waxwork18. That stillness of hers made him just a little
uneasy.
When she spoke it was with such venom19 that he recoiled20.
“Who is she?”
“She? Who do you mean?”
“That woman by the mantelpiece last night?”
Henrietta! he thought. How the devil did she get on to Henrietta? Aloud he said:
“Who are you talking about? Midge Hardcastle?”
“Midge? That’s the square, dark girl, isn’t it? No, I don’t mean her. And I don’t mean your
wife. I mean that insolent21 devil who was leaning against the mantelpiece! It’s because of her that
you’re turning me down! Oh, don’t pretend to be so moral about your wife and children. It’s that
other woman.”
She got up and came towards him.
“Don’t you understand, John, that ever since I came back to England, eighteen months ago, I’ve
been thinking about you? Why do you imagine I took this idiotic22 place here? Simply because I
found out that you often came down for weekends with the Angkatells!”
“So last night was all planned, Veronica?”
“You belong to me, John. You always have!”
“I don’t belong to anyone, Veronica. Hasn’t life taught you even now that you can’t own other
human beings body and soul? I loved you when I was a young man. I wanted you to share my life.
You wouldn’t do it!”
“My life and career were much more important than yours. Anyone can be a doctor!”
He lost his temper a little.
“Are you quite as wonderful as you think you are?”
“You mean that I haven’t got to the top of the tree. I shall! I shall!”
John Christow looked at her with a sudden, quite dispassionate interest.
“I don’t believe, you know, that you will. There’s a lack in you, Veronica. You’re all grab and
snatch—no real generosity—I think that’s it.”
Veronica got up. She said in a quiet voice:
“You turned me down fifteen years ago. You’ve turned me down again today. I’ll make you
sorry for this.”
John got up and went to the door.
“I’m sorry, Veronica, if I’ve hurt you. You’re very lovely, my dear, and I once loved you very
much. Can’t we leave it at that?”
“Good-bye, John. We’re not leaving it at that. You’ll find that out all right. I think—I think I
hate you more than I believed I could hate anyone.”
He shrugged23 his shoulders:
“I’m sorry. Goodbye.”
John walked back slowly through the wood. When he got to the swimming pool he sat down on
the bench there. He had no regrets for his treatment of Veronica. Veronica, he thought
dispassionately, was a nasty bit of work. She always had been a nasty bit of work, and the best
thing he had ever done was to get clear of her in time. God alone knew what would have happened
to him by now if he hadn’t!
As it was, he had that extraordinary sensation of starting a new life, unfettered and unhampered
by the past. He must have been extremely difficult to live with for the last year or two. Poor Gerda,
he thought, with her unselfishness and her continual anxiety to please him. He would be kinder in
future.
And perhaps now he would be able to stop trying to bully24 Henrietta. Not that one could really
bully Henrietta — she wasn’t made that way. Storms broke over her and she stood there,
meditative25, her eyes looking at you from very far away.
He thought: “I shall go to Henrietta and tell her.”
He looked up sharply, disturbed by some small unexpected sound. There had been shots in the
woods higher up, and there had been the usual small noises of woodlands, birds, and the faint
melancholy26 dropping of leaves. But this was another noise—a very faint businesslike click.
And suddenly, John was acutely conscious of danger. How long had he been sitting here? Half
an hour? An hour? There was someone watching him. Someone—
And that click was—of course it was—
He turned sharply, a man very quick in his reactions. But he was not quick enough. His eyes
widened in surprise, but there was no time for him to make a sound.
The shot rang out and he fell, awkwardly, sprawled27 out by the edge of the swimming pool.
A dark stain welled up slowly on his left side and trickled28 slowly on to the concrete of the pool
edge; and from there dripped red into the blue water.

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1 perturbed 7lnzsL     
adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • I am deeply perturbed by the alarming way the situation developing. 我对形势令人忧虑的发展深感不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Mother was much perturbed by my illness. 母亲为我的病甚感烦恼不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
2 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地
参考例句：
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
3 irritation la9zf     
n.激怒，恼怒，生气
参考例句：
  • He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
  • Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。
4 fretted 82ebd7663e04782d30d15d67e7c45965     
焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的
参考例句：
  • The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
  • The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。
5 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
6 nucleus avSyg     
n.核，核心，原子核
参考例句：
  • These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
  • These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。
7 spoke XryyC     
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 pretentious lSrz3     
adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的
参考例句：
  • He is a talented but pretentious writer.他是一个有才华但自命不凡的作家。
  • Speaking well of yourself would only make you appear conceited and pretentious.自夸只会使你显得自负和虚伪。
9 appraising 3285bf735793610b563b00c395ce6cc6     
v.估价( appraise的现在分词 )；估计；估量；评价
参考例句：
  • At the appraising meeting, experts stated this method was superior to others. 鉴定会上，专家们指出这种方法优于其他方法。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The teacher is appraising the students' work. 老师正在评定学生的作业。 来自辞典例句
10 strictly GtNwe     
adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地
参考例句：
  • His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
  • The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。
11 platinum CuOyC     
n.白金
参考例句：
  • I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
  • Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。
12 poignancy xOMx3     
n.辛酸事，尖锐
参考例句：
  • As she sat in church her face had a pathos and poignancy. 当她坐在教堂里时，脸上带着一种哀婉和辛辣的表情。
  • The movie, "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles" treats this with hilarity and poignancy. 电影“火车，飞机和汽车”是以欢娱和热情庆祝这个节日。
13 qualified DCPyj     
adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的
参考例句：
  • He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
  • We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。
14 obstinate m0dy6     
adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的
参考例句：
  • She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。
  • The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。
15 condescending avxzvU     
adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的
参考例句：
  • He has a condescending attitude towards women. 他对女性总是居高临下。
  • He tends to adopt a condescending manner when talking to young women. 和年轻女子说话时，他喜欢摆出一副高高在上的姿态。
16 stuffy BtZw0     
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。
17 extraordinarily Vlwxw     
adv.格外地；极端地
参考例句：
  • She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
  • The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。
18 waxwork ceJze4     
n.蜡像
参考例句：
  • The waxworker brought a new waxwork into the room.蜡制品工人把一个新蜡像搬进了屋。
  • She's only a waxwork.她只是一座蜡像罢了。
19 venom qLqzr     
n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨
参考例句：
  • The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
  • In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。
20 recoiled 8282f6b353b1fa6f91b917c46152c025     
v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回
参考例句：
  • She recoiled from his touch. 她躲开他的触摸。
  • Howard recoiled a little at the sharpness in my voice. 听到我的尖声，霍华德往后缩了一下。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 insolent AbGzJ     
adj.傲慢的，无理的
参考例句：
  • His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。
  • It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇，脸皮真厚。
22 idiotic wcFzd     
adj.白痴的
参考例句：
  • It is idiotic to go shopping with no money.去买东西而不带钱是很蠢的。
  • The child's idiotic deeds caused his family much trouble.那小孩愚蠢的行为给家庭带来许多麻烦。
23 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 bully bully     
n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮
参考例句：
  • A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
  • The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
25 meditative Djpyr     
adj.沉思的，冥想的
参考例句：
  • A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。
  • Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。
26 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。
27 sprawled 6cc8223777584147c0ae6b08b9304472     
v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）
参考例句：
  • He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
  • He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。
28 trickled 636e70f14e72db3fe208736cb0b4e651     
v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动
参考例句：
  • Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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