the world, could see on the big sofa during the gatherings in

Allegre's exclusive Pavilion: the Dona Rita of their respectful



addresses, manifest and mysterious, like an object of art from some

unknown period; the Dona Rita of the initiated Paris. Dona Rita



and nothing more - unique and indefinable." He stopped with a

disagreeable smile.



"And of peasant stock?" I exclaimed in the strangelyconscious

silence that fell between Mills and Blunt.



"Oh! All these Basques have been ennobled by Don Sanche II," said

Captain Blunt moodily. "You see coats of arms carved over the



doorways of the most miserable caserios. As far as that goes she's

Dona Rita right enough whatever else she is or is not in herself or



in the eyes of others. In your eyes, for instance, Mills. Eh?"

For a time Mills preserved that conscious silence.



"Why think about it at all?" he murmured coldly at last. "A

strange bird is hatched sometimes in a nest in an unaccountable way



and then the fate of such a bird is bound to be ill-defined,

uncertain, questionable. And so that is how Henry Allegre saw her



first? And what happened next?"

"What happened next?" repeated Mr. Blunt, with an affected surprise



in his tone. "Is it necessary to ask that question? If you had

asked HOW the next happened. . . But as you may imagine she hasn't



told me anything about that. She didn't," he continued with polite

sarcasm, "enlarge upon the facts. That confounded Allegre, with



his impudent assumption of princely airs, must have (I shouldn't

wonder) made the fact of his notice appear as a sort of favour



dropped from Olympus. I really can't tell how the minds and the

imaginations of such aunts and uncles are affected by such rare



visitations. Mythology may give us a hint. There is the story of

Danae, for instance."



"There is," remarked Mills calmly, "but I don't remember any aunt

or uncle in that connection."



"And there are also certain stories of the discovery and

acquisition of some unique objects of art. The sly approaches, the



astute negotiations, the lying and the circumventing . . . for the

love of beauty, you know."



With his dark face and with the perpetual smiles playing about his

grimness, Mr. Blunt appeared to me positively satanic. Mills' hand



was toying absently with an empty glass. Again they had forgotten

my existence altogether.



"I don't know how an object of art would feel," went on Blunt, in

an unexpectedlygrating voice, which, however, recovered its tone



immediately. "I don't know. But I do know that Rita herself was

not a Danae, never, not at any time of her life. She didn't mind



the holes in her stockings. She wouldn't mind holes in her

stockings now. . . That is if she manages to keep any stockings at



all," he added, with a sort of suppressed fury so funnily

unexpected that I would have burst into a laugh if I hadn't been



lost in astonishment of the simplest kind.

"No - really!" There was a flash of interest from the quiet Mills.



"Yes, really," Blunt nodded and knitted his brows very devilishly

indeed. "She may yet be left without a single pair of stockings."



"The world's a thief," declared Mills, with the utmost composure.

"It wouldn't mind robbing a lonely traveller."



"He is so subtle." Blunt remembered my existence for the purpose

of that remark and as usual it made me very uncomfortable.



"Perfectly true. A lonely traveller. They are all in the scramble

from the lowest to the highest. Heavens! What a gang! There was



even an Archbishop in it."

"Vous plaisantez," said Mills, but without any marked show of



incredulity.

"I joke very seldom," Blunt protested earnestly. "That's why I



haven't mentioned His Majesty - whom God preserve. That would have

been an exaggeration. . . However, the end is not yet. We were

• weakness [´wi:knis] n.虚弱；弱点，缺点 (初中英语单词)


• outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出…轮廓 (初中英语单词)


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


• permanent [´pə:mənənt] a.永久的；不变的 (初中英语单词)


• curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)


• succession [sək´seʃən] n.继任；继承(权) (初中英语单词)


• politician [,pɔli´tiʃən] n.政治家；政客 (初中英语单词)


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


• painting [´peintiŋ] n.绘画；(油)画；着色 (初中英语单词)


• personality [,pə:sə´næliti] n.人；个性；人品；人物 (初中英语单词)


• statue [´stætʃu:] n.塑像，雕像 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


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


• stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• paradise [´pærədais] n.天堂；乐园 (初中英语单词)


• temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)


• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


• fragment [´frægmənt] n.碎片；破片；断片 (初中英语单词)


• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


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


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


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


• ignorance [´ignərəns] n.无知，愚昧 (初中英语单词)


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


• stocking [´stɔkiŋ] n.长统袜 (初中英语单词)


• mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)


• careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• twilight [´twailait] n.黎明；黄昏 (初中英语单词)


• peasant [´pezənt] n.农民；庄稼人 (初中英语单词)


• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)


• origin [´ɔridʒin] n.起源；由来；出身 (初中英语单词)


• politics [´pɔlitiks] n.政治(学)；政治活动 (初中英语单词)


• strangely [´streindʒli] ad.奇怪地；陌生地 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• coldly [´kəuldli] ad.冷淡地 (初中英语单词)


• calmly [´kɑ:mli] ad.平静地；无风浪地 (初中英语单词)


• astonishment [ə´stɔniʃmənt] n.吃惊；惊异 (初中英语单词)


• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)


• majesty [´mædʒisti] n.壮丽；崇高；尊严 (初中英语单词)


• preserve [pri´zə:v] v.保藏 n.保藏物 (初中英语单词)


• carrier [´kæriə] n.搬运工人；托架 (高中英语单词)


• distinguished [di´stiŋgwiʃt] a.卓越的，著名的 (高中英语单词)


• escort [´eskɔ:t] n.伴随者；警卫(队) (高中英语单词)


• cavalry [´kævəlri] n.骑兵(部队) (高中英语单词)


• portrait [´pɔ:trit] n.肖像；相片；雕像 (高中英语单词)


• abreast [ə´brest] ad.并排，并肩 (高中英语单词)


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


• manhood [´mænhud] n.人格；男子气概 (高中英语单词)


• strain [strein] vt.拉紧 vi.拖 n.张力 (高中英语单词)


• positively [´pɔzətivli] ad.确实；断然；绝对 (高中英语单词)


• uncomfortable [ʌn´kʌmftəbəl] a.不舒服的，不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• nowhere [´nəuweə] n.无处；不知道 (高中英语单词)


• gateway [´geit-wei] n.入口；通道；途径 (高中英语单词)


• pavilion [pə´viljən] n.大帐篷；亭子 (高中英语单词)


• porter [´pɔ:tə] n.守门人；勤杂工人 (高中英语单词)


• unseen [,ʌn´si:n] a.未看见的 (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)


• parish [´pæriʃ] n.教区(的全体居民) (高中英语单词)


• exclusive [ik´sklu:siv] a.独有的；集中的 (高中英语单词)


• manifest [´mænifest] a.明显的 v.表明 (高中英语单词)


• unique [ju:´ni:k] a.唯一的 n.独一无二 (高中英语单词)


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


• assumption [ə´sʌmpʃən] n.掌握；担任；假定 (高中英语单词)


• perpetual [pə´petʃuəl] a.永恒的；终身的 (高中英语单词)


• archbishop [,ɑ:tʃ´biʃəp] n.大主教 (高中英语单词)


• earnestly [´ə:nistli] ad.认真地；急切地 (高中英语单词)


• freshness [´freʃnis] n.新鲜 (英语四级单词)


• feminine [´feminin] a.女性的 (英语四级单词)


• prestige [pres´ti:ʒ] n.威望，威信；声望 (英语四级单词)


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


• breeches [´britʃiz] n.裤子；马裤 (英语四级单词)


• yearly [´jiəli] a.每年的；一年间的 (英语四级单词)


• pilgrimage [´pilgrimidʒ] n.朝圣；远游；人生历程 (英语四级单词)


• sentimental [,senti´mentl] a.感伤的；多愁善感的 (英语四级单词)


• contraction [kən´trækʃ(ə)n] n.收缩；挛缩 (英语四级单词)


• twitch [twitʃ] v.&n.(使)抽动；急拉 (英语四级单词)


• worldly [´wə:ldli] a.现世的；世俗的 (英语四级单词)


• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)


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


• tenement [´tenimənt] n.公寓 (英语四级单词)


• warehouse [´weəhaus] n.仓库 v.存入仓库 (英语四级单词)


• totally [´təutəli] ad.统统，完全 (英语四级单词)


• princely [´prinsli] a.王候般的；高贵的 (英语四级单词)


• grating [´greitiŋ] n.格栅 a.刺耳的 (英语四级单词)


• unfamiliar [ʌnfə´miljə] a.不熟悉的；生疏的 (英语六级单词)


• perspective [pə´spektiv] n.望远镜 a.透视的 (英语六级单词)


• downcast [´daunkɑ:st] a.沮丧的；向下看的 (英语六级单词)


• brilliance [´briljəns] n.光辉，辉煌 (英语六级单词)


• facial [´feiʃəl] a.面部的，脸部的 (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)


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


• category [´kætigəri] n.种类；部属；范畴 (英语六级单词)


• thoughtless [´θɔ:tləs] a.粗心的，轻率的 (英语六级单词)


• questionable [´kwestʃənəbəl] a.可疑的，不可靠的 (英语六级单词)


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


• olympus [əu´limpəs] n.(希腊)奥林匹斯山 (英语六级单词)


• absently [´æbsəntli] ad.心不在焉地 (英语六级单词)


• exaggeration [ig,zædʒə´reiʃən] n.夸张，夸大 (英语六级单词)