have done next moment if I had not seen the steward come out of my

room, close the door, and then stand quietly by the sideboard.



"Saved," I thought. "But, no! Lost! Gone! He was gone!"

I laid my knife and fork down and leaned back in my chair. My head



swam. After a while, when sufficiently recovered to speak in a

steady voice, I instructed my mate to put the ship round at eight



o'clock himself.

"I won't come on deck," I went on. "I think I'll turn in, and



unless the wind shifts I don't want to be disturbed before

midnight. I feel a bit seedy."



"You did look middling bad a little while ago," the chief mate

remarked without showing any great concern.



They both went out, and I stared at the stewardclearing the table.

There was nothing to be read on that wretched man's face. But why



did he avoid my eyes I asked myself. Then I thought I should like

to hear the sound of his voice.



"Steward!"

"Sir!" Startled as usual.



"Where did you hang up that coat?"

"In the bath-room, sir." The usual anxious tone. "It's not quite



dry yet, sir."

For some time longer I sat in the cuddy. Had my double vanished as



he had come? But of his coming there was an explanation, whereas

his disappearance would be inexplicable. . . . I went slowly into



my dark room, shut the door, lighted the lamp, and for a time dared

not turn round. When at last I did I saw him standing bolt-upright



in the narrow recessed part. It would not be true to say I had a

shock, but an irresistible doubt of his bodilyexistence flitted



through my mind. Can it be, I asked myself, that he is not visible

to other eyes than mine? It was like being haunted. Motionless,



with a grave face, he raised his hands slightly at me in a gesture

which meant clearly, "Heavens! what a narrow escape!" Narrow



indeed. I think I had come creeping quietly as near insanity as

any man who has not actually gone over the border. That gesture



restrained me, so to speak.

The mate with the terrific whiskers was now putting the ship on the



other tack. In the moment of profound silence which follows upon

the hands going to their stations I heard on the poop his raised



voice: "Hard alee!" and the distant shout of the order repeated on

the maindeck. The sails, in that light breeze, made but a faint



fluttering noise. It ceased. The ship was coming round slowly; I

held my breath in the renewed stillness of expectation; one



wouldn't have thought that there was a single living soul on her

decks. A sudden brisk shout, "Mainsail haul!" broke the spell, and



in the noisy cries and rush overhead of the men running away with

the main-brace we two, down in my cabin, came together in our usual



position by the bed-place.

He did not wait for my question. "I heard him fumbling here and



just managed to squat myself down in the bath," he whispered to me.

"The fellow only opened the door and put his arm in to hang the



coat up. All the same - "

"I never thought of that," I whispered back, even more appalled



than before at the closeness of the shave, and marvelling at that

something unyielding in his character which was carrying him



through so finely. There was no agitation in his whisper. Whoever

was being driven distracted, it was not he. He was sane. And the



proof of his sanity was continued when he took up the whispering

again.



"It would never do for me to come to life again."

It was something that a ghost might have said. But what he was



alluding to was his old captain's reluctantadmission of the theory

of suicide. It would obviously serve his turn - if I had



understood at all the view which seemed to govern the unalterable

purpose of his action.



"You must maroon me as soon as ever you can get amongst these

• sincere [sin´siə] a.真挚的；直率的 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)


• wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)


• absent [´æbsənt, əb´sent] a.不在的 vt.使缺席 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• compass [´kʌmpəs] n.指南针；圆规 (初中英语单词)


• startle [´stɑ:tl] vt.使吃惊，使惊跳 (初中英语单词)


• henceforth [´hens´fɔ:θ] ad.今后；从今以后 (初中英语单词)


• trifling [´traifliŋ] a.微小的；轻浮的 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• reflection [ri´flekʃən] n.反射；映象；想法 (初中英语单词)


• commander [kə´mɑ:ndə] n.指挥员，司令员 (初中英语单词)


• extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)


• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)


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


• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)


• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)


• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)


• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• shower [´ʃauə] n.展出者；阵雨；淋浴 (初中英语单词)


• garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)


• shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• carpenter [´kɑ:pintə] n.木工 vi.做木工活 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)


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


• explanation [,eksplə´neiʃən] n.解释；说明；辩解 (初中英语单词)


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


• existence [ig´zistəns] n.存在；生存；生活 (初中英语单词)


• haunted [´hɔ:tid] a.常出现鬼的，闹鬼的 (初中英语单词)


• slightly [´slaitli] ad.轻微地；细长的 (初中英语单词)


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• breeze [bri:z] n.微风；不费力的事 (初中英语单词)


• overhead [´əuvə,hed] ad.当头 a.在头上的 (初中英语单词)


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• admission [əd´miʃən] n.接纳；承认 (初中英语单词)


• obviously [´ɔbviəsli] ad.明显地；显而易见地 (初中英语单词)


• govern [´gʌvən] v.统治；控制；指导 (初中英语单词)


• assurance [ə´ʃuərəns] n.保证；自信；信任 (高中英语单词)


• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)


• saloon [sə´lu:n] n.大厅；餐车 (高中英语单词)


• enlarge [in´lɑ:dʒ] vt.扩大，增大；详述 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• unconscious [ʌn´kɔnʃəs] a.无意识的；不觉察的 (高中英语单词)


• pantry [´pæntri] n.食品室；餐具室 (高中英语单词)


• steward [´stju:əd] n.管家；服务员 (高中英语单词)


• inward [´inwəd] a.向内的；心灵上的 (高中英语单词)


• shudder [´ʃʌdə] n.&vi.震颤；发抖 (高中英语单词)


• perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地；完美地 (高中英语单词)


• convict [kən´vikt, ´kɔnvikt] vt.证明…有罪 n.罪犯 (高中英语单词)


• agitation [,ædʒi´teiʃən] n.鼓动；摇动；焦虑 (高中英语单词)


• terrific [tə´rifik] a.可怕的；极大的 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


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


• stillness [´stilnis] n.不动；无声，寂静 (高中英语单词)


• expectation [,ekspek´teiʃən] n.期待(望)；预期 (高中英语单词)


• finely [´fainli] ad.美好地；精细地 (高中英语单词)


• suicide [´su:isaid, ´sju:-] n.&a.自杀(者)(的) (高中英语单词)


• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)


• unworthy [ʌn´wə:ði] a.不值得的；不足道的 (英语四级单词)


• physically [´fizikəli] ad.按照自然规律 (英语四级单词)


• secrecy [´si:krəsi] n.保密；秘密 (英语四级单词)


• instinctively [in´stiŋktivli] ad.本能地 (英语四级单词)


• incidentally [,insi´dentəli] ad.顺便一提；偶然地 (英语四级单词)


• haggard [´hægəd] a.憔悴的 (英语四级单词)


• infinitely [´infinitli] ad.无限地；无穷地 (英语四级单词)


• asparagus [ə´spærəgəs] n.文竹；天门冬；龙须菜 (英语四级单词)


• abominable [ə´bɔminəbəl] a.可憎的；极坏的 (英语四级单词)


• busily [´bizili] ad.忙碌地 (英语四级单词)


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


• respective [ri´spektiv] a.各自的，各个的 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• clearing [´kliəriŋ] n.(森林中的)空旷地 (英语四级单词)


• irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)


• bodily [´bɔdili] a.身体的 ad.亲自 (英语四级单词)


• reluctant [ri´lʌktənt] a.勉强的；难得到的 (英语四级单词)


• recoil [ri´kɔil] vi.&n.退缩；弹回 (英语六级单词)


• affected [ə´fektid] a.做作的；假装的 (英语六级单词)


• seaman [´si:mən] n.海员，水手 (英语六级单词)


• miraculous [mi´rækjuləs] a.非凡的；奇迹般的 (英语六级单词)


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


• unmoved [ʌn´mu:vd] a.无动于衷的；坚定的 (英语六级单词)


• smuggle [´smʌg(ə)l] v.走私；偷偷拿出(进) (英语六级单词)


• forefinger [´fɔ:,fiŋgə] n.食指 (英语六级单词)


• disappearance [,disə´piərəns] n.消失；失踪 (英语六级单词)


• inexplicable [,inik´splikəbəl] a.难以理解的 (英语六级单词)


• insanity [in´sæniti] n.疯狂；精神错乱 (英语六级单词)