He stammered. She looked up at him with wide eyes, and her lips were

slightly parted. He went on mumbling--



". . . Pain. . . . Indignation. . . . Sure to misunderstand. I've

suffered enough. And if there has been nothing irreparable--as you



assure me . . . then . . ."

"Alvan!" she cried.



"What?" he said, morosely. He gazed down at her for a moment with a

sombre stare, as one looks at ruins, at the devastation of some



natural disaster.

"Then," he continued after a short pause, "the best thing is . . . the



best for us . . . for every one. . . . Yes . . . least pain--most

unselfish. . . ." His voice faltered, and she heard only detached



words. ". . . Duty. . . . Burden. . . . Ourselves. . . . Silence."

A moment of perfect stillness ensued.



"This is an appeal I am making to your conscience," he said, suddenly,

in an explanatory tone, "not to add to the wretchedness of all this:



to try loyally and help me to live it down somehow. Without any

reservations--you know. Loyally! You can't deny I've been cruelly



wronged and--after all--my affection deserves . . ." He paused with

evident anxiety to hear her speak.



"I make no reservations," she said, mournfully. "How could I? I found

myself out and came back to . . ." her eyes flashed scornfully for an



instant ". . . to what--to what you propose. You see . . . I . . . I

can be trusted . . . now."



He listened to every word with profound attention, and when she ceased

seemed to wait for more.



"Is that all you've got to say?" he asked.

She was startled by his tone, and said faintly--



"I spoke the truth. What more can I say?"

"Confound it! You might say something human," he burst out. "It isn't



being truthful; it's being brazen--if you want to know. Not a word to

show you feel your position, and--and mine. Not a single word of



acknowledgment, or regret--or remorse . . . or . . . something."

"Words!" she whispered in a tone that irritated him. He stamped his



foot.

"This is awful!" he exclaimed. "Words? Yes, words. Words mean



something--yes--they do--for all this infernal affectation. They mean

something to me--to everybody--to you. What the devil did you use to



express those sentiments--sentiments--pah!--which made you forget me,

duty, shame!" . . . He foamed at the mouth while she stared at him,



appalled by this sudden fury. "Did you two talk only with your eyes?"

he spluttered savagely. She rose.



"I can't bear this," she said, trembling from head to foot. "I am

going."



They stood facing one another for a moment.

"Not you," he said, with conscious roughness, and began to walk up and



down the room. She remained very still with an air of listening

anxiously to her own heart-beats, then sank down on the chair slowly,



and sighed, as if giving up a task beyond her strength.

"You misunderstand everything I say," he began quietly, "but I prefer



to think that--just now--you are not accountable for your actions." He

stopped again before her. "Your mind is unhinged," he said, with



unction. "To go now would be adding crime--yes, crime--to folly. I'll

have no scandal in my life, no matter what's the cost. And why? You



are sure to misunderstand me--but I'll tell you. As a matter of duty.

Yes. But you're sure to misunderstand me--recklessly. Women always



do--they are too--too narrow-minded."

He waited for a while, but she made no sound, didn't even look at him;



he felt uneasy, painfullyuneasy, like a man who suspects he is

unreasonably mistrusted. To combat that exasperating sensation he



recommenced talking very fast. The sound of his words excited his

thoughts, and in the play of darting thoughts he had glimpses now and



then of the inexpugnable rock of his convictions, towering in

solitary grandeur above the unprofitable waste of errors and passions.



"For it is self-evident," he went on with anxious vivacity, "it is

self-evident that, on the highest ground we haven't the right--no, we



haven't the right to intrude our miseries upon those who--who

naturally expect better things from us. Every one wishes his own life



and the life around him to be beautiful and pure. Now, a scandal

• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


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


• distinctly [di´stiŋktli] ad.清楚地，明晰地 (初中英语单词)


• conscience [´kɔnʃəns] n.良心；道德心 (初中英语单词)


• survive [sə´vaiv] vt.幸存；残存 (初中英语单词)


• abundance [ə´bʌndəns] n.丰富，充裕 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• criminal [´kriminəl] a.犯罪的 n.罪犯 (初中英语单词)


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


• thrill [θril] v.震惊；激动；刺激 (初中英语单词)


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


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)


• purely [´pjuəli] ad.仅仅；简单地 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


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


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


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)


• abruptly [ə´brʌptli] ad.突然地；粗鲁地 (初中英语单词)


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


• hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• sullen [´sʌlən] a.不高兴的 (高中英语单词)


• inspiration [,inspi´reiʃən] n.鼓舞；灵感；启发 (高中英语单词)


• secretly [´si:kritli] ad.秘密地；隐蔽地 (高中英语单词)


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


• upright [´ʌprait] a.直立的 ad.直立地 (高中英语单词)


• breadth [bredθ] n.宽度，幅面，广度 (高中英语单词)


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


• faintly [´feintli] ad.微弱地，软弱无力的 (高中英语单词)


• bronze [brɔnz] n.青铜(器) (高中英语单词)


• passionate [´pæʃənit] a.易动情的；易怒的 (高中英语单词)


• resentment [ri´zentmənt] n.不满；怨恨；忿恨 (高中英语单词)


• bitterness [´bitənis] n.苦味；辛酸；苦难 (高中英语单词)


• assent [ə´sent] vi.&n.同意，赞成 (高中英语单词)


• soothe [su:ð] vt.安慰；镇定；减轻 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• conspiracy [kən´spirəsi] n.密谋；协同作用 (高中英语单词)


• sanction [´sæŋkʃən] n.&vt.批准；认可 (高中英语单词)


• forlorn [fə´lɔ:n] a.被遗弃的；绝望的 (高中英语单词)


• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)


• flicker [´flikə] n.&v.闪烁；忽隐忽现 (高中英语单词)


• insane [in´sein] a.患神经病的；疯狂的 (高中英语单词)


• strictly [´striktli] ad.严格地 (高中英语单词)


• hopeless [´həupləs] a.无望的，无可救药的 (高中英语单词)


• impatient [im´peiʃənt] a.不耐烦的，急躁的 (高中英语单词)


• horrid [´hɔrid] a.令人讨厌的；极糟的 (高中英语单词)


• exposure [ik´spəuʒə] n.暴露；曝光(时间) (高中英语单词)


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


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


• appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)


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


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• combat [´kɔmbæt] v.&n.斗争；战斗；争斗 (高中英语单词)


• frenzy [´frenzi] n.&vt.(使)狂乱 (英语四级单词)


• sinner [´sinə] n.罪人 (英语四级单词)


• austere [ɔ´stiə] a.严峻(格)的；质朴的 (英语四级单词)


• vagabond [´vægəbɔnd] n.流浪者 a.流浪的 (英语四级单词)


• unfair [ʌn´feə] a.不公平的；不正直的 (英语四级单词)


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


• intolerable [in´tɔlərəb(ə)l] a.无法忍受的 (英语四级单词)


• episode [´episəud] n.插曲；一段情节 (英语四级单词)


• unexpectedly [´ʌniks´pektidli] ad.意外地；突然地 (英语四级单词)


• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)


• remorse [ri´mɔ:s] n.懊悔；自责；同情 (英语四级单词)


• savagely [´sævidʒli] ad.野蛮地；原始地 (英语四级单词)


• painfully [´peinfuli] ad.痛苦地；费力地 (英语四级单词)


• towering [´tauəriŋ] a.高耸的；强烈的 (英语四级单词)


• grandeur [´grændʒə] n.伟大；富丽；壮观 (英语四级单词)


• intrude [in´tru:d] v.闯进；打扰；强加 (英语四级单词)


• pinnacle [´pinəkl] n.小尖塔；山顶；极点 (英语六级单词)


• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)


• infernal [in´fə:nəl] a.地狱的，恶魔似的 (英语六级单词)


• posture [´pɔstʃə] n.姿势 v.故作姿态 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• footing [´futiŋ] n.立脚点；基础；地位 (英语六级单词)


• resolutely [´rezəlju:tli] ad.坚决地；果断地 (英语六级单词)


• inwardly [´inwədli] ad.内向；独自地 (英语六级单词)


• amazingly [ə´meiziŋli] ad.惊人地；惊奇地 (英语六级单词)


• feasible [´fi:zibəl] a.可行的，可实行的 (英语六级单词)


• inability [,inə´biliti] n.无能，无力 (英语六级单词)


• misunderstand [,misʌndə´stænd] vt.误会 (英语六级单词)


• truthful [´tru:θfəl] a.诚实的；真实的 (英语六级单词)


• unprofitable [ʌn´prɔfitəbl] a.没有利润的；无益的 (英语六级单词)