Chapter 12.
For a moment or two I sat breathless, hardly able to believe my ears. Then my senses and my voice came back to me, while a crushing weight of responsibility seemed in an instant to be lifted from my soul. That cold, incisive2, ironical3 voice could belong to but one man in all the world.
“Holmes!” I cried—“Holmes!”
“Come out,” said he, “and please be careful with the revolver.”
I stooped under the rude lintel, and there he sat upon a stone outside, his grey eyes dancing with amusement as they fell upon my astonished features. He was thin and worn, but clear and alert, his keen face bronzed by the sun and roughened by the wind. In his tweed suit and cloth cap he looked like any other tourist upon the moor, and he had contrived4, with that catlike love of personal cleanliness which was one of his characteristics, that his chin should be as smooth and his linen5 as perfect as if he were in Baker6 Street.
“I never was more glad to see anyone in my life,” said I as I wrung7 him by the hand.
“Or more astonished, eh?”
“Well, I must confess to it.”
“The surprise was not all on one side, I assure you. I had no idea that you had found my occasional retreat, still less that you were inside it, until I was within twenty paces of the door.”
“My footprint, I presume?”
“No, Watson, I fear that I could not undertake to recognize your footprint amid all the footprints of the world. If you seriously desire to deceive me you must change your tobacconist; for when I see the stub of a cigarette marked Bradley, Oxford8 Street, I know that my friend Watson is in the neighbourhood. You will see it there beside the path. You threw it down, no doubt, at that supreme9 moment when you charged into the empty hut.”
“Exactly.”
“I thought as much—and knowing your admirable tenacity10 I was convinced that you were sitting in ambush11, a weapon within reach, waiting for the tenant12 to return. So you actually thought that I was the criminal?”
“I did not know who you were, but I was determined13 to find out.”
“Excellent, Watson! And how did you localise me? You saw me, perhaps, on the night of the convict hunt, when I was so imprudent as to allow the moon to rise behind me?”
“Yes, I saw you then.”
“And have no doubt searched all the huts until you came to this one?”
“No, your boy had been observed, and that gave me a guide where to look.”
“The old gentleman with the telescope, no doubt. I could not make it out when first I saw the light flashing upon the lens.” He rose and peeped into the hut. “Ha, I see that Cartwright has brought up some supplies. What’s this paper? So you have been to Coombe Tracey, have you?”
“Yes.”
“To see Mrs. Laura Lyons?”
“Exactly.”
“Well done! Our researches have evidently been running on parallel lines, and when we unite our results I expect we shall have a fairly full knowledge of the case.”
“Well, I am glad from my heart that you are here, for indeed the responsibility and the mystery were both becoming too much for my nerves. But how in the name of wonder did you come here, and what have you been doing? I thought that you were in Baker Street working out that case of blackmailing14.”
“That was what I wished you to think.”
“Then you use me, and yet do not trust me!” I cried with some bitterness. “I think that I have deserved better at your hands, Holmes.”
“My dear fellow, you have been invaluable16 to me in this as in many other cases, and I beg that you will forgive me if I have seemed to play a trick upon you. In truth, it was partly for your own sake that I did it, and it was my appreciation17 of the danger which you ran which led me to come down and examine the matter for myself. Had I been with Sir Henry and you it is confident that my point of view would have been the same as yours, and my presence would have warned our very formidable opponents to be on their guard. As it is, I have been able to get about as I could not possibly have done had I been living in the Hall, and I remain an unknown factor in the business, ready to throw in all my weight at a critical moment.”
“But why keep me in the dark?”
“For you to know could not have helped us and might possibly have led to my discovery. You would have wished to tell me something, or in your kindness you would have brought me out some comfort or other, and so an unnecessary risk would be run. I brought Cartwright down with me—you remember the little chap at the express office—and he has seen after my simple wants: a loaf of bread and a clean collar. What does man want more? He has given me an extra pair of eyes upon a very active pair of feet, and both have been invaluable.”
“Then my reports have all been wasted!”—My voice trembled as I recalled the pains and the pride with which I had composed them.
Holmes took a bundle of papers from his pocket.
“Here are your reports, my dear fellow, and very well thumbed, I assure you. I made excellent arrangements, and they are only delayed one day upon their way. I must compliment you exceedingly upon the zeal18 and the intelligence which you have shown over an extraordinarily19 difficult case.”
I was still rather raw over the deception20 which had been practised upon me, but the warmth of Holmes’s praise drove my anger from my mind. I felt also in my heart that he was right in what he said and that it was really best for our purpose that I should not have known that he was upon the moor.
“That’s better,” said he, seeing the shadow rise from my face. “And now tell me the result of your visit to Mrs. Laura Lyons—it was not difficult for me to guess that it was to see her that you had gone, for I am already aware that she is the one person in Coombe Tracey who might be of service to us in the matter. In fact, if you had not gone today it is exceedingly probable that I should have gone tomorrow.”
The sun had set and dusk was settling over the moor. The air had turned chill and we withdrew into the hut for warmth. There, sitting together in the twilight21, I told Holmes of my conversation with the lady. So interested was he that I had to repeat some of it twice before he was satisfied.
“This is most important,” said he when I had concluded. “It fills up a gap which I had been unable to bridge in this most complex affair. You are aware, perhaps, that a close intimacy23 exists between this lady and the man Stapleton?”
“I did not know of a close intimacy.”
“There can be no doubt about the matter. They meet, they write, there is a complete understanding between them. Now, this puts a very powerful weapon into our hands. If I could only use it to detach his wife—”
“His wife?”
“I am giving you some information now, in return for all that you have given me. The lady who has passed here as Miss Stapleton is in reality his wife.”
“Good heavens, Holmes! Are you sure of what you say? How could he have permitted Sir Henry to fall in love with her?”
“Sir Henry’s falling in love could do no harm to anyone except Sir Henry. He took particular care that Sir Henry did not make love to her, as you have yourself observed. I repeat that the lady is his wife and not his sister.”
“But why this elaborate deception?”
“Because he foresaw that she would be very much more useful to him in the character of a free woman.”
All my unspoken instincts, my vague suspicions, suddenly took shape and centred upon the naturalist25. In that impassive colourless man, with his straw hat and his butterfly-net, I seemed to see something terrible—a creature of infinite patience and craft, with a smiling face and a murderous heart.
“It is he, then, who is our enemy—it is he who dogged us in London?”
“And the warning—it must have come from her!”
“Exactly.”
The shape of some monstrous27 villainy, half seen, half guessed, loomed29 through the darkness which had girt me so long.
“But are you sure of this, Holmes? How do you know that the woman is his wife?”
“Because he so far forgot himself as to tell you a true piece of autobiography30 upon the occasion when he first met you, and I dare say he has many a time regretted it since. He was once a schoolmaster in the north of England. Now, there is no one more easy to trace than a schoolmaster. There are scholastic31 agencies by which one may identify any man who has been in the profession. A little investigation32 showed me that a school had come to grief under atrocious circumstances, and that the man who had owned it—the name was different—had disappeared with his wife. The descriptions agreed. When I learned that the missing man was devoted33 to entomology the identification was complete.”
The darkness was rising, but much was still hidden by the shadows.
“If this woman is in truth his wife, where does Mrs. Laura Lyons come in?” I asked.
“That is one of the points upon which your own researches have shed a light. Your interview with the lady has cleared the situation very much. I did not know about a projected divorce between herself and her husband. In that case, regarding Stapleton as an unmarried man, she counted no doubt upon becoming his wife.”
“And when she is undeceived?”
“Why, then we may find the lady of service. It must be our first duty to see her—both of us—tomorrow. Don’t you think, Watson, that you are away from your charge rather long? Your place should be at Baskerville Hall.”
The last red streaks34 had faded away in the west and night had settled upon the moor. A few faint stars were gleaming in a violet sky.
“One last question, Holmes,” I said as I rose. “Surely there is no need of secrecy35 between you and me. What is the meaning of it all? What is he after?”
Holmes’s voice sank as he answered:
“It is murder, Watson—refined, cold-blooded, deliberate murder. Do not ask me for particulars. My nets are closing upon him, even as his are upon Sir Henry, and with your help he is already almost at my mercy. There is but one danger which can threaten us. It is that he should strike before we are ready to do so. Another day—two at the most—and I have my case complete, but until then guard your charge as closely as ever a fond mother watched her ailing15 child. Your mission today has justified36 itself, and yet I could almost wish that you had not left his side. Hark!”
A terrible scream—a prolonged yell of horror and anguish—burst out of the silence of the moor. That frightful37 cry turned the blood to ice in my veins38.
“Oh, my God!” I gasped39. “What is it? What does it mean?”
Holmes had sprung to his feet, and I saw his dark, athletic40 outline at the door of the hut, his shoulders stooping, his head thrust forward, his face peering into the darkness.
“Hush41!” he whispered. “Hush!”
The cry had been loud on account of its vehemence42, but it had pealed43 out from somewhere far off on the shadowy plain. Now it burst upon our ears, nearer, louder, more urgent than before.
“Where is it?” Holmes whispered; and I knew from the thrill of his voice that he, the man of iron, was shaken to the soul. “Where is it, Watson?”
“There, I think.” I pointed44 into the darkness.
“No, there!”
Again the agonised cry swept through the silent night, louder and much nearer than ever. And a new sound mingled45 with it, a deep, muttered rumble46, musical and yet menacing, rising and falling like the low, constant murmur47 of the sea.
“The hound!” cried Holmes. “Come, Watson, come! Great heavens, if we are too late!”
He had started running swiftly over the moor, and I had followed at his heels. But now from somewhere among the broken ground immediately in front of us there came one last despairing yell, and then a dull, heavy thud. We halted and listened. Not another sound broke the heavy silence of the windless night.
I saw Holmes put his hand to his forehead like a man distracted. He stamped his feet upon the ground.
“He has beaten us, Watson. We are too late.”
“No, no, surely not!”
“Fool that I was to hold my hand. And you, Watson, see what comes of abandoning your charge! But, by Heaven, if the worst has happened we’ll avenge48 him!”
Blindly we ran through the gloom, blundering against boulders49, forcing our way through gorse bushes, panting up hills and rushing down slopes, heading always in the direction whence those dreadful sounds had come. At every rise Holmes looked eagerly round him, but the shadows were thick upon the moor, and nothing moved upon its dreary50 face.
“Can you see anything?”
“Nothing.”
“But, hark, what is that?”
A low moan had fallen upon our ears. There it was again upon our left! On that side a ridge22 of rocks ended in a sheer cliff which overlooked a stone-strewn slope. On its jagged face was spread-eagled some dark, irregular object. As we ran towards it the vague outline hardened into a definite shape. It was a prostrate51 man face downward upon the ground, the head doubled under him at a horrible angle, the shoulders rounded and the body hunched52 together as if in the act of throwing a somersault. So grotesque53 was the attitude that I could not for the instant realise that that moan had been the passing of his soul. Not a whisper, not a rustle54, rose now from the dark figure over which we stooped. Holmes laid his hand upon him and held it up again with an exclamation55 of horror. The gleam of the match which he struck shone upon his clotted56 fingers and upon the ghastly pool which widened slowly from the crushed skull57 of the victim. And it shone upon something else which turned our hearts sick and faint within us—the body of Sir Henry Baskerville!
There was no chance of either of us forgetting that peculiar58 ruddy tweed suit—the very one which he had worn on the first morning that we had seen him in Baker Street. We caught the one clear glimpse of it, and then the match flickered59 and went out, even as the hope had gone out of our souls. Holmes groaned60, and his face glimmered61 white through the darkness.
“The brute62! The brute!” I cried with clenched63 hands. “Oh Holmes, I shall never forgive myself for having left him to his fate.”
“I am more to blame than you, Watson. In order to have my case well rounded and complete, I have thrown away the life of my client. It is the greatest blow which has befallen me in my career. But how could I know—how could I know—that he would risk his life alone upon the moor in the face of all my warnings?”
“That we should have heard his screams—my God, those screams!—and yet have been unable to save him! Where is this brute of a hound which drove him to his death? It may be lurking64 among these rocks at this instant. And Stapleton, where is he? He shall answer for this deed.”
“He shall. I will see to that. Uncle and nephew have been murdered—the one frightened to death by the very sight of a beast which he thought to be supernatural, the other driven to his end in his wild flight to escape from it. But now we have to prove the connection between the man and the beast. Save from what we heard, we cannot even swear to the existence of the latter, since Sir Henry has evidently died from the fall. But, by heavens, cunning as he is, the fellow shall be in my power before another day is past!”
We stood with bitter hearts on either side of the mangled65 body, overwhelmed by this sudden and irrevocable disaster which had brought all our long and weary labours to so piteous an end. Then as the moon rose we climbed to the top of the rocks over which our poor friend had fallen, and from the summit we gazed out over the shadowy moor, half silver and half gloom. Far away, miles off, in the direction of Grimpen, a single steady yellow light was shining. It could only come from the lonely abode66 of the Stapletons. With a bitter curse I shook my fist at it as I gazed.
“Why should we not seize him at once?”
“Our case is not complete. The fellow is wary67 and cunning to the last degree. It is not what we know, but what we can prove. If we make one false move the villain28 may escape us yet.”
“What can we do?”
“There will be plenty for us to do tomorrow. Tonight we can only perform the last offices to our poor friend.”
Together we made our way down the precipitous slope and approached the body, black and clear against the silvered stones. The agony of those contorted limbs struck me with a spasm68 of pain and blurred69 my eyes with tears.
“We must send for help, Holmes! We cannot carry him all the way to the Hall. Good heavens, are you mad?”
He had uttered a cry and bent70 over the body. Now he was dancing and laughing and wringing71 my hand. Could this be my stern, self-contained friend? These were hidden fires, indeed!
“A beard! A beard! The man has a beard!”
“A beard?”
“It is not the baronet—it is—why, it is my neighbour, the convict!”
With feverish72 haste we had turned the body over, and that dripping beard was pointing up to the cold, clear moon. There could be no doubt about the beetling73 forehead, the sunken animal eyes. It was indeed the same face which had glared upon me in the light of the candle from over the rock—the face of Selden, the criminal.
Then in an instant it was all clear to me. I remembered how the baronet had told me that he had handed his old wardrobe to Barrymore. Barrymore had passed it on in order to help Selden in his escape. Boots, shirt, cap—it was all Sir Henry’s. The tragedy was still black enough, but this man had at least deserved death by the laws of his country. I told Holmes how the matter stood, my heart bubbling over with thankfulness and joy.
“Then the clothes have been the poor devil’s death,” said he. “It is clear enough that the hound has been laid on from some article of Sir Henry’s—the boot which was abstracted in the hotel, in all probability—and so ran this man down. There is one very singular thing, however: How came Selden, in the darkness, to know that the hound was on his trail?”
“He heard him.”
“To hear a hound upon the moor would not work a hard man like this convict into such a paroxysm of terror that he would risk recapture by screaming wildly for help. By his cries he must have run a long way after he knew the animal was on his track. How did he know?”
“A greater mystery to me is why this hound, presuming that all our conjectures74 are correct—”
“I presume nothing.”
“Well, then, why this hound should be loose tonight. I suppose that it does not always run loose upon the moor. Stapleton would not let it go unless he had reason to think that Sir Henry would be there.”
“My difficulty is the more formidable of the two, for I think that we shall very shortly get an explanation of yours, while mine may remain forever a mystery. The question now is, what shall we do with this poor wretch’s body? We cannot leave it here to the foxes and the ravens76.”
“I suggest that we put it in one of the huts until we can communicate with the police.”
“Exactly. I have no doubt that you and I could carry it so far. Halloa, Watson, what’s this? It’s the man himself, by all that’s wonderful and audacious! Not a word to show your suspicions—not a word, or my plans crumble77 to the ground.”
A figure was approaching us over the moor, and I saw the dull red glow of a cigar. The moon shone upon him, and I could distinguish the dapper shape and jaunty78 walk of the naturalist. He stopped when he saw us, and then came on again.
“Why, Dr. Watson, that’s not you, is it? You are the last man that I should have expected to see out on the moor at this time of night. But, dear me, what’s this? Somebody hurt? Not—don’t tell me that it is our friend Sir Henry!” He hurried past me and stooped over the dead man. I heard a sharp intake79 of his breath and the cigar fell from his fingers.
“Who—who’s this?” he stammered80.
“It is Selden, the man who escaped from Princetown.”
Stapleton turned a ghastly face upon us, but by a supreme effort he had overcome his amazement81 and his disappointment. He looked sharply from Holmes to me. “Dear me! What a very shocking affair! How did he die?”
“He appears to have broken his neck by falling over these rocks. My friend and I were strolling on the moor when we heard a cry.”
“I heard a cry also. That was what brought me out. I was uneasy about Sir Henry.”
“Why about Sir Henry in particular?” I could not help asking.
“Because I had suggested that he should come over. When he did not come I was surprised, and I naturally became alarmed for his safety when I heard cries upon the moor. By the way”—his eyes darted82 again from my face to Holmes’s—“did you hear anything else besides a cry?”
“No,” said Holmes; “did you?”
“No.”
“What do you mean, then?”
“Oh, you know the stories that the peasants tell about a phantom83 hound, and so on. It is said to be heard at night upon the moor. I was wondering if there were any evidence of such a sound tonight.”
“We heard nothing of the kind,” said I.
“And what is your theory of this poor fellow’s death?”
“I have no doubt that anxiety and exposure have driven him off his head. He has rushed about the moor in a crazy state and eventually fallen over here and broken his neck.”
“That seems the most reasonable theory,” said Stapleton, and he gave a sigh which I took to indicate his relief. “What do you think about it, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?”
My friend bowed his compliments. “You are quick at identification,” said he.
“We have been expecting you in these parts since Dr. Watson came down. You are in time to see a tragedy.”
“Yes, indeed. I have no doubt that my friend’s explanation will cover the facts. I will take an unpleasant remembrance back to London with me tomorrow.”
“Oh, you return tomorrow?”
“That is my intention.”
“I hope your visit has cast some light upon those occurrences which have puzzled us?”
Holmes shrugged84 his shoulders.
“One cannot always have the success for which one hopes. An investigator85 needs facts and not legends or rumours86. It has not been a satisfactory case.”
My friend spoke24 in his frankest and most unconcerned manner. Stapleton still looked hard at him. Then he turned to me.
“I would suggest carrying this poor fellow to my house, but it would give my sister such a fright that I do not feel justified in doing it. I think that if we put something over his face he will be safe until morning.”
And so it was arranged. Resisting Stapleton’s offer of hospitality, Holmes and I set off to Baskerville Hall, leaving the naturalist to return alone. Looking back we saw the figure moving slowly away over the broad moor, and behind him that one black smudge on the silvered slope which showed where the man was lying who had come so horribly to his end.
“We’re at close grips at last,” said Holmes as we walked together across the moor. “What a nerve the fellow has! How he pulled himself together in the face of what must have been a paralyzing shock when he found that the wrong man had fallen a victim to his plot. I told you in London, Watson, and I tell you now again, that we have never had a foeman more worthy87 of our steel.”
“I am sorry that he has seen you.”
“And so was I at first. But there was no getting out of it.”
“What effect do you think it will have upon his plans now that he knows you are here?”
“It may cause him to be more cautious, or it may drive him to desperate measures at once. Like most clever criminals, he may be too confident in his own cleverness and imagine that he has completely deceived us.”
“Why should we not arrest him at once?”
“My dear Watson, you were born to be a man of action. Your instinct is always to do something energetic. But supposing, for argument’s sake, that we had him arrested tonight, what on earth the better off should we be for that? We could prove nothing against him. There’s the devilish cunning of it! If he were acting88 through a human agent we could get some evidence, but if we were to drag this great dog to the light of day it would not help us in putting a rope round the neck of its master.”
“Surely we have a case.”
“Not a shadow of one—only surmise89 and conjecture75. We should be laughed out of court if we came with such a story and such evidence.”
“There is Sir Charles’s death.”
“Found dead without a mark upon him. You and I know that he died of sheer fright, and we know also what frightened him, but how are we to get twelve stolid90 jurymen to know it? What signs are there of a hound? Where are the marks of its fangs91? Of course we know that a hound does not bite a dead body and that Sir Charles was dead before ever the brute overtook him. But we have to prove all this, and we are not in a position to do it.”
“Well, then, tonight?”
“We are not much better off tonight. Again, there was no direct connection between the hound and the man’s death. We never saw the hound. We heard it, but we could not prove that it was running upon this man’s trail. There is a complete absence of motive92. No, my dear fellow; we must reconcile ourselves to the fact that we have no case at present, and that it is worth our while to run any risk in order to establish one.”
“And how do you propose to do so?”
“I have great hopes of what Mrs. Laura Lyons may do for us when the position of affairs is made clear to her. And I have my own plan as well. Sufficient for tomorrow is the evil thereof; but I hope before the day is past to have the upper hand at last.”
I could draw nothing further from him, and he walked, lost in thought, as far as the Baskerville gates.
“Are you coming up?”
“Yes; I see no reason for further concealment93. But one last word, Watson. Say nothing of the hound to Sir Henry. Let him think that Selden’s death was as Stapleton would have us believe. He will have a better nerve for the ordeal94 which he will have to undergo tomorrow, when he is engaged, if I remember your report aright, to dine with these people.”
“And so am I.”
“Then you must excuse yourself and he must go alone. That will be easily arranged. And now, if we are too late for dinner, I think that we are both ready for our suppers.”
1 moor [mɔ:(r)] 第9级 | |
n.荒野,沼泽;vt.(使)停泊;vi.停泊 | |
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2 incisive [ɪnˈsaɪsɪv] 第10级 | |
adj.敏锐的,机敏的,锋利的,切入的 | |
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3 ironical [aɪ'rɒnɪkl] 第8级 | |
adj.讽刺的,冷嘲的 | |
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4 contrived [kənˈtraɪvd] 第12级 | |
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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5 linen [ˈlɪnɪn] 第7级 | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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6 baker [ˈbeɪkə(r)] 第7级 | |
n.面包师 | |
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7 wrung [rʌŋ] 第7级 | |
绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水) | |
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8 Oxford ['ɒksfəd] 第8级 | |
n.牛津(英国城市) | |
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9 supreme [su:ˈpri:m] 第7级 | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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10 tenacity [tə'næsətɪ] 第9级 | |
n.坚韧 | |
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11 ambush [ˈæmbʊʃ] 第10级 | |
n.埋伏(地点);伏兵;v.埋伏;伏击 | |
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12 tenant [ˈtenənt] 第7级 | |
n.承租人;房客;佃户;vt.租借,租用 | |
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13 determined [dɪˈtɜ:mɪnd] 第7级 | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的;v.决定;断定(determine的过去分词) | |
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14 blackmailing [b'lækmeɪlɪŋ] 第8级 | |
胁迫,尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的现在分词 ) | |
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15 ailing ['eiliŋ] 第11级 | |
v.生病 | |
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16 invaluable [ɪnˈvæljuəbl] 第7级 | |
adj.无价的,非常宝贵的,极为贵重的 | |
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17 appreciation [əˌpri:ʃiˈeɪʃn] 第7级 | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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18 zeal [zi:l] 第7级 | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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19 extraordinarily [ɪk'strɔ:dnrəlɪ] 第9级 | |
adv.格外地;极端地 | |
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20 deception [dɪˈsepʃn] 第9级 | |
n.欺骗,欺诈;骗局,诡计 | |
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21 twilight [ˈtwaɪlaɪt] 第7级 | |
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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22 ridge [rɪdʒ] 第7级 | |
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭 | |
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23 intimacy [ˈɪntɪməsi] 第8级 | |
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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24 spoke [spəʊk] 第11级 | |
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 | |
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25 naturalist [ˈnætʃrəlɪst] 第9级 | |
n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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26 riddle [ˈrɪdl] 第7级 | |
n.谜;谜语;vt. 解谜;出谜题;充满;筛选;vi.出谜题 | |
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27 monstrous [ˈmɒnstrəs] 第9级 | |
adj.巨大的;恐怖的;可耻的,丢脸的 | |
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28 villain [ˈvɪlən] 第9级 | |
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因 | |
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29 loomed [lu:md] 第7级 | |
v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
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30 autobiography [ˌɔ:təbaɪˈɒgrəfi] 第8级 | |
n.自传 | |
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31 scholastic [skəˈlæstɪk] 第7级 | |
adj.学校的,学院的,学术上的 | |
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32 investigation [ɪnˌvestɪˈgeɪʃn] 第7级 | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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33 devoted [dɪˈvəʊtɪd] 第8级 | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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34 streaks [st'ri:ks] 第7级 | |
n.(与周围有所不同的)条纹( streak的名词复数 );(通常指不好的)特征(倾向);(不断经历成功或失败的)一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 );使布满条纹 | |
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35 secrecy [ˈsi:krəsi] 第8级 | |
n.秘密,保密,隐蔽 | |
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36 justified ['dʒʌstifaid] 第7级 | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
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37 frightful [ˈfraɪtfl] 第9级 | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
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38 veins ['veɪnz] 第7级 | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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39 gasped [ɡɑ:spt] 第7级 | |
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 | |
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40 athletic [æθˈletɪk] 第7级 | |
adj.擅长运动的,强健的;活跃的,体格健壮的 | |
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41 hush [hʌʃ] 第8级 | |
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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42 vehemence ['vi:əməns] 第11级 | |
n.热切;激烈;愤怒 | |
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43 pealed [pi:ld] 第12级 | |
v.(使)(钟等)鸣响,(雷等)发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44 pointed [ˈpɔɪntɪd] 第7级 | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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45 mingled [ˈmiŋɡld] 第7级 | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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46 rumble [ˈrʌmbl] 第9级 | |
n.隆隆声;吵嚷;vt.&vi.隆隆响;低沉地说 | |
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47 murmur [ˈmɜ:mə(r)] 第7级 | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;vi.低语,低声而言;vt.低声说 | |
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48 avenge [əˈvendʒ] 第8级 | |
vt. 替…报仇 vi. 报复,报仇 | |
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49 boulders [ˈbəʊldəz] 第11级 | |
n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 );巨砾;(受水或天气侵蚀而成的)巨石;漂砾 | |
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50 dreary [ˈdrɪəri] 第8级 | |
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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51 prostrate [ˈprɒstreɪt] 第11级 | |
vt.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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52 hunched [hʌntʃt] 第10级 | |
(常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦)耸肩弓身的,伏首前倾的 | |
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53 grotesque [grəʊˈtesk] 第8级 | |
adj.怪诞的,丑陋的;n.怪诞的图案,怪人(物) | |
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54 rustle [ˈrʌsl] 第9级 | |
vt.沙沙作响;偷盗(牛、马等);vi.发出沙沙声;n.沙沙声声 | |
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55 exclamation [ˌekskləˈmeɪʃn] 第8级 | |
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词 | |
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56 clotted ['klɒtɪd] 第9级 | |
adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57 skull [skʌl] 第7级 | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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58 peculiar [pɪˈkju:liə(r)] 第7级 | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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59 flickered [ˈflikəd] 第9级 | |
(通常指灯光)闪烁,摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60 groaned [ɡrəund] 第7级 | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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61 glimmered [ˈglɪməd] 第8级 | |
v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62 brute [bru:t] 第9级 | |
n.野兽,兽性 | |
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63 clenched [klentʃd] 第8级 | |
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64 lurking [] 第8级 | |
潜在 | |
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65 mangled [] 第11级 | |
vt.乱砍(mangle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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66 abode [əˈbəʊd] 第10级 | |
n.住处,住所 | |
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67 wary [ˈweəri] 第8级 | |
adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的 | |
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68 spasm [ˈspæzəm] 第10级 | |
n.痉挛,抽搐;一阵发作 | |
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69 blurred [blə:d] 第7级 | |
v.(使)变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 );(使)难以区分;模模糊糊;迷离 | |
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70 bent [bent] 第7级 | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的;v.(使)弯曲,屈身(bend的过去式和过去分词) | |
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71 wringing [rɪŋɪŋ] 第7级 | |
淋湿的,湿透的 | |
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72 feverish [ˈfi:vərɪʃ] 第9级 | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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73 beetling ['bi:tlɪŋ] 第8级 | |
adj.突出的,悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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74 conjectures [kənˈdʒektʃəz] 第9级 | |
推测,猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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75 conjecture [kənˈdʒektʃə(r)] 第9级 | |
n./v.推测,猜测 | |
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76 ravens ['rævənz] 第11级 | |
n.低质煤;渡鸦( raven的名词复数 ) | |
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77 crumble [ˈkrʌmbl] 第8级 | |
vi.碎裂,崩溃;vt.弄碎,摧毁 | |
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78 jaunty [ˈdʒɔ:nti] 第12级 | |
adj.愉快的,满足的;adv.心满意足地,洋洋得意地;n.心满意足;洋洋得意 | |
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79 intake [ˈɪnteɪk] 第7级 | |
n.吸入,纳入;进气口,入口 | |
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80 stammered [ˈstæməd] 第8级 | |
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81 amazement [əˈmeɪzmənt] 第8级 | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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82 darted [dɑ:tid] 第8级 | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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83 phantom [ˈfæntəm] 第10级 | |
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的 | |
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84 shrugged [ʃ'rʌɡd] 第7级 | |
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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85 investigator [ɪnˈvestɪgeɪtə(r)] 第9级 | |
n.研究者,调查者,审查者 | |
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86 rumours [ˈru:məz] 第7级 | |
n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 );风闻;谣言;谣传 | |
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87 worthy [ˈwɜ:ði] 第7级 | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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88 acting [ˈæktɪŋ] 第7级 | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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89 surmise [səˈmaɪz] 第9级 | |
v./n.猜想,推测 | |
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90 stolid [ˈstɒlɪd] 第9级 | |
adj.无动于衷的,感情麻木的 | |
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91 fangs [fæŋz] 第11级 | |
n.(尤指狗和狼的)长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 );(蛇的)毒牙;罐座 | |
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92 motive [ˈməʊtɪv] 第7级 | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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93 concealment [kən'si:lmənt] 第7级 | |
n.隐藏, 掩盖,隐瞒 | |
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