sure that he should have no chance of speaking to Mary,



when Mr. Farebrother said--

"Fred, help me to carry these drawers back into my study--



you have never seen my fine new study. Pray come too, Miss Garth.

I want you to see a stupendousspider I found this morning."



Mary at once saw the Vicar's intention. He had never since the

memorable evening deviated from his old pastoral kindness towards her,



and her momentary wonder and doubt had quite gone to sleep.

Mary was accustomed to think rather rigorously of what was probable,



and if a belief flattered her vanity she felt warned to dismiss it

as ridiculous, having early had much exercise in such dismissals.



It was as she had foreseen: when Fred had been asked to admire the

fittings of the study, and she had been asked to admire the spider,



Mr. Farebrother said--

"Wait here a minute or two. I am going to look out an engraving



which Fred is tall enough to hang for me. I shall be back in a

few minutes." And then he went out. Nevertheless, the first



word Fred said to Mary was--

"It is of no use, whatever I do, Mary. You are sure to marry



Farebrother at last." There was some rage in his tone.

"What do you mean, Fred?" Mary exclaimed indignantly, blushing deeply,



and surprised out of all her readiness in reply.

"It is impossible that you should not see it all clearly enough--



you who see everything."

"I only see that you are behaving very ill, Fred, in speaking so



of Mr. Farebrother after he has pleaded your cause in every way.

How can you have taken up such an idea?"



Fred was rather deep, in spite of his irritation. If Mary

had really been unsuspicious, there was no good in telling



her what Mrs. Garth-had said.

"It follows as a matter of course," he replied. "When you are



continually seeing a man who beats me in everything, and whom

you set up above everybody, I can have no fair chance."



"You are very ungrateful, Fred," said Mary. "I wish I had never

told Mr. Farebrother that I cared for you in the least."



"No, I am not ungrateful; I should be the happiest fellow in the

world if it were not for this. I told your father everything,



and he was very kind; he treated me as if I were his son.

I could go at the work with a will, writing and everything, if it



were not for this."

"For this? for what?" said Mary, imagining now that something



specific must have been said or done.

"This dreadfulcertainty that I shall be bowled out by Farebrother."



Mary was appeased by her inclination to laugh.

"Fred," she said, peeping round to catch his eyes, which were



sulkily turned away from her, "you are too delightfullyridiculous.

If you were not such a charming simpleton, what a temptation



this would be to play the wicked coquette, and let you suppose

that somebody besides you has made love to me."



"Do you really like me best, Mary?" said Fred, turning eyes full

of affection on her, and trying to take her hand.



"I don't like you at all at this moment," said Mary, retreating,

and putting her hands behind her. "I only said that no mortal



ever made love to me besides you. And that is no argument

that a very wise man ever will," she ended, merrily.



"I wish you would tell me that you could not possibly ever think

of him," said Fred.



"Never dare to mention this any more to me, Fred," said Mary,

getting serious again. "I don't know whether it is more stupid



or ungenerous in you not to see that Mr: Farebrother has left us

together on purpose that we might speak freely. I am disappointed



that you should be so blind to his delicate feeling."

There was no time to say any more before Mr. Farebrother came back



with the engraving; and Fred had to return to the drawing-room still

with a jealous dread in his heart, but yet with comforting arguments



from Mary's words and manner. The result of the conversation was on

the whole more painful to Mary: inevitably her attention had taken



a new attitude, and she saw the possibility of new interpretations.

She was in a position in which she seemed to herself to be slighting

• conceive [kən´si:v] v.设想；表达；怀孕 (初中英语单词)


• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


• surprising [sə´praiziŋ] a.惊人的；意外的 (初中英语单词)


• horizon [hə´raizən] n.地平线；范围；视野 (初中英语单词)


• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)


• emotion [i´məuʃən] n.感情；情绪；激动 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• discipline [´disiplin] n.纪律；训练 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• severe [si´viə] a.严厉的；苛刻的 (初中英语单词)


• kitten [´kitn] n.小猫 (初中英语单词)


• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)


• sensation [sen´seiʃən] n.感觉；轰动；轰动一时 (初中英语单词)


• interfere [,intə´fiə] vi.干涉；妨碍；打扰 (初中英语单词)


• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən] n.建议，提议；暗示 (初中英语单词)


• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)


• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)


• anxiety [æŋ´zaiəti] n.挂念；渴望；焦虑的事 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)


• shallow [´ʃæləu] a.肤浅的；表面的 (初中英语单词)


• cabinet [´kæbinit] n.橱，柜；内阁 (初中英语单词)


• handwriting [´hænd,raitiŋ] n.笔迹；书法 (初中英语单词)


• peculiar [pi´kju:liə] a.特有的；奇异的 (初中英语单词)


• engagement [in´geidʒmənt] n.婚约；雇用；受聘 (初中英语单词)


• dreadfully [dredfuli] ad.可怕地；糟透地 (初中英语单词)


• preach [pri:tʃ] v.宣扬；鼓吹 n.训诫 (初中英语单词)


• dislike [dis´laik] vt.&n.不喜爱，厌恶 (初中英语单词)


• exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• spider [´spaidə] n.蜘蛛；三角架 (初中英语单词)


• intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)


• belief [bi´li:f] n.相信；信仰，信条 (初中英语单词)


• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• dismiss [dis´mis] vt.解散；下课；解雇 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)


• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)


• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)


• wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• freely [´fri:li] ad.自由地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)


• possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)


• indignation [,indig´neiʃən] n.愤慨；气愤 (高中英语单词)


• needless [´ni:dləs] a.不必要的；无用的 (高中英语单词)


• unpleasant [ʌn´plezənt] a.不愉快的；不合意的 (高中英语单词)


• consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• revelation [,revə´leiʃən] n.展现；揭露(的事物) (高中英语单词)


• notwithstanding [,nɔtwiθ´stændiŋ] prep.&conj.虽然；还是 (高中英语单词)


• generosity [,dʒenə´rɔsiti] n.慷慨；慷慨的行为 (高中英语单词)


• muscular [´mʌskjulə] a.肌肉的；强有力的 (高中英语单词)


• skilled [skild] a.有技能的，熟练的 (高中英语单词)


• hinder [´hində, ´haində] vt.阻止 a.后面的 (高中英语单词)


• respectable [ri´spektəbəl] a.可敬的；有身价的 (高中英语单词)


• openly [´əupənli] ad.公开地；直率地 (高中英语单词)


• ridiculous [ri´dikjuləs] a.荒谬的；可笑的 (高中英语单词)


• certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)


• inclination [,inkli´neiʃən] n.倾斜；爱好；天资 (高中英语单词)


• painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)


• inference [´infərəns] n.推论，推断(的结果) (英语四级单词)


• severity [si´veriti] n.严厉；严重；苛刻 (英语四级单词)


• hopeful [´həupfəl] a.有希望的，激励人的 (英语四级单词)


• surmount [sə´maunt] vt.克服；越过 (英语四级单词)


• whatsoever [,wɔtsəu´evə] (强势语)=whatever (英语四级单词)


• hurriedly [´hʌridli] ad.仓促地，忙乱地 (英语四级单词)


• merriment [´merimənt] n.欢乐 (英语四级单词)


• pastoral [´pɑ:stərəl] a.牧(羊)人的 n.田园诗 (英语四级单词)


• momentary [´məuməntəri] a.瞬息间的 (英语四级单词)


• readiness [´redinis] n.准备就绪；愿意 (英语四级单词)


• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)


• inevitably [in´evitəbli] ad.不可避免地；必然地 (英语四级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• animated [´ænimeitid] a.栩栩如生的；活跃的 (英语六级单词)


• rebellious [ri´beljəs] a.造反的；反叛的 (英语六级单词)


• secular [´sekjulə] a.世俗的；现世的 (英语六级单词)


• horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)


• stupendous [stju:´pendəs] a.惊人的；伟大的 (英语六级单词)


• foreseen [fɔ:´si:n] foresee的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


• indignantly [in´dignəntli] ad.愤慨地，义愤地 (英语六级单词)


• irritation [,iri´teiʃən] n.(被)激怒；疼痛处 (英语六级单词)


• delightfully [di´laitfuli] ad.大喜，欣然 (英语六级单词)


• engraving [in´greiviŋ] n.雕刻术；雕板 (英语六级单词)