--while you are still half awake."



"It won't do," said Graham. "Suppose it is as

you say--why am I not being crammed night and



day with facts and warnings and all the wisdom of the

time to fit me for my responsibilities? Am I any



wiser now than two days ago, if it is two days, when I

awoke?"



Howard pulled his lip.

"I am beginning to feel--every hour I feel more



clearly--a sense of complexconcealment of which

you are the salient point. Is this Council, or committee,



or whatever they are, cooking the accounts of

my estate? Is that it? "



"That note of suspicion--" said Howard.

" Ugh!" said Graham. "Now, mark my words, it



will be ill for those who have put me here. It will be

ill. I am alive. Make no doubt of it, I am alive.



Every day my pulse is stronger and my mind clearer

and more vigorous. No more quiescence. I am a



man come back to life. And I want to __live---__"

"__Live!__"



Howard's face lit with an idea. He came towards

Graham and spoke in an easy confidential tone.



"The Council secludes you here for your good.

You are restless. Naturally--an energetic man!



You find it dull here. But we are anxious that everything

you may desire--every desire--every sort of



desire . . . There may be something. Is there

any sort of company? "



He paused meaningly.

" Yes," said Graham thoughtfully. " There is."



"Ah! __Now!__ We have treated you neglectfully."

"The crowds in yonder streets of yours."



"That," said Howard, "I am afraid--. But--"

Graham began pacing the room. Howard stood



near the door watching him. The implication of Howard's

suggestion was only half evident to Graham



Company? Suppose he were to accept the proposal,

demand some sort of __company__? Would there be any



possibilities of gathering from the conversation o?this

additional person some vague inkling of the struggle



that had broken out so vividly at his waking moment?

He meditated again, and the suggestion took colour.



He turned on Howard abruptly.

"What do you mean by company? "



Howard raised his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"Human beings," he said, with a curious smile on his



heavy face.

"Our social ideas," he said, "have a certain increased



liberality, perhaps, in comparison with your

times. If a man wishes to relieve such a tedium as



this--by feminine society, for instance. We think it

no scandal. We have cleared our minds of formulae.



There is in our city a class, a necessary class, no longer

despised--discreet--"



Graham stopped dead.

"It would pass the time," said Howard. "It is a



thing I should perhaps have thought of before, but,

as a matter of fact, so much is happening--"



He indicated the exterior world.

Graham hesitated. For a moment the figure of a



possible woman that his imagination suddenly created

dominated his mind with an intenseattraction. Then



he flashed into anger.

"No I" he shouted.



He began striding rapidly up and down the room.

"Everything you say, everything you do, convinces



me--of some great issue in which I am concerned.

I do not want to pass the time, as you call it. Yes, I



know. Desire and indulgence are life in a sense--

and Death! Extinction! In my life before I slept



I had worked out that pitiful question. I will not

begin again. There is a city, a multitude--. And

• actual [´æktʃuəl] a.现实的；实际的 (初中英语单词)


• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)


• poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)


• essential [i´senʃəl] a.必需的 n.要素，要点 (初中英语单词)


• apartment [ə´pɑ:tmənt] n.一套房间 (初中英语单词)


• tendency [´tendənsi] n.趋势；倾向 (初中英语单词)


• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)


• misery [´mizəri] n.痛苦；悲惨；穷困 (初中英语单词)


• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)


• miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)


• persuasion [pə´sweiʒən] n.说服(力)；劝说；见解 (初中英语单词)


• delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)


• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• marvel [´mɑ:vəl] n.令人惊异的事；奇迹 (初中英语单词)


• elaborate [i´læbərət, -reit] a.精心设计的 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• definite [´definit] a.确定的，明确的 (初中英语单词)


• arrest [ə´rest] vt.逮捕 n.逮捕；停止 (初中英语单词)


• complex [´kɔmpleks] a.复杂的 n.综合企业 (初中英语单词)


• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


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


• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)


• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


• evident [´evidənt] a.明显的，明白的 (初中英语单词)


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


• comparison [kəm´pærisən] n.比较；对照；比喻 (初中英语单词)


• relieve [ri´li:v] v.救济，援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)


• imagination [i,mædʒi´neiʃən] n.想象(力) (初中英语单词)


• gigantic [dʒai´gæntik] a.巨大的 (高中英语单词)


• discontent [´diskən´tent] n.&a.不满(平)(的) (高中英语单词)


• boyhood [´bɔihud] n.少年时代(期) (高中英语单词)


• solitude [´sɔlitju:d] n.孤独；寂寞；荒凉 (高中英语单词)


• politely [pə´laitli] ad.温和地；文雅地 (高中英语单词)


• interpretation [in,tə:pri´teiʃən] n.解释；翻译；表演 (高中英语单词)


• bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)


• deepen [´di:pən] v.加深；加浓 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• automatic [,ɔ:tə´mætik] a.自动的 n.自动装置 (高中英语单词)


• interference [,intə´fiərəns] n.干涉，干扰，妨碍 (高中英语单词)


• vigorous [´vigərəs] a.精力旺盛的；健壮的 (高中英语单词)


• thoughtfully [´θɔ:tfuli] ad.深思地；体贴地 (高中英语单词)


• scandal [´skændl] n.丑闻；耻辱；流言蜚语 (高中英语单词)


• intense [in´tens] a.强烈的；紧张的 (高中英语单词)


• attraction [ə´trækʃən] n.吸引(力)；引力 (高中英语单词)


• pitiful [´pitifəl] a.可怜的；慈悲的 (高中英语单词)


• socialistic [,səuʃə´listik] a.社会主义(者)的 (英语四级单词)


• uneasiness [ʌn´i:zinis] n.不安，担忧；不自在 (英语四级单词)


• feverish [´fi:vəriʃ] a.发烧的；狂热的 (英语四级单词)


• exhaustion [ig´zɔ:stʃən] n.用完；精疲力尽 (英语四级单词)


• mumble [´mʌmbəl] v.咕哝 n.咕噜 (英语四级单词)


• strenuous [´strenjuəs] a.费力的；奋发的 (英语四级单词)


• defective [di´fektiv] a.有缺陷的；有瑕疵的 (英语四级单词)


• graham [´greiəm] a.&n.用全麦粉做的 (英语四级单词)


• increasingly [in´kri:siŋli] ad.日益，愈加 (英语四级单词)


• contrivance [kən´traivəns] n.发明，设计(的才能) (英语四级单词)


• happening [´hæpəniŋ] n.事件，偶然发生的事 (英语四级单词)


• confidential [,kɔnfi´denʃəl] a.极受信任的；心腹的 (英语四级单词)


• energetic [,enə´dʒetik] a.精力旺盛的；有力的 (英语四级单词)


• gathering [´gæðəriŋ] n.集会，聚集 (英语四级单词)


• feminine [´feminin] a.女性的 (英语四级单词)


• exterior [ik´stiəriə] n.&a.外表(的) (英语四级单词)


• indulgence [in´dʌldʒəns] n.沉迷；宽容；恩惠 (英语四级单词)


• abject [´æbdʒekt] a.卑鄙的；可怜的 (英语六级单词)


• foolishly [´fu:liʃli] ad.愚蠢地 (英语六级单词)


• heaviness [´hevinis] n.重；重量 (英语六级单词)


• awakening [ə´weikəniŋ] n.&a.觉醒(中的) (英语六级单词)


• concealment [kən´si:lmənt] n.隐藏，隐瞒 (英语六级单词)


• implication [,impli´keiʃən] n.牵过；暗示；含蓄 (英语六级单词)


• vividly [´vividli] ad.活泼地；生动地 (英语六级单词)