"No! This isn't good enough for me," I said.

The last of the light gleamed in her long enigmatic eyes as if they



were precious enamel in that shadowy head which in its immobility

suggested a creation of a distant past: immortal art, not



transient life. Her voice had a profound quietness. She excused

herself.



"It's only habit - or instinct - or what you like. I have had to

practise that in self-defence lest I should be tempted sometimes to



cut the arm off."

I remembered the way she had abandoned this very arm and hand to



the white-haired ruffian. It rendered me gloomy and idiotically

obstinate.



"Very ingenious. But this sort of thing is of no use to me," I

declared.



"Make it up," suggested her mysterious voice, while her shadowy

figure remained unmoved, indifferentamongst the cushions.



I didn't stir either. I refused in the same low tone.

"No. Not before you give it to me yourself some day."



"Yes - some day," she repeated in a breath in which there was no

irony but rather hesitation, reluctance what did I know?



I walked away from the house in a curious state of gloomy

satisfaction with myself.



And this is the last extract. A month afterwards.

- This afternoon going up to the Villa I was for the first time



accompanied in my way by some misgivings. To-morrow I sail.

First trip and therefore in the nature of a trial trip; and I can't



overcome a certain gnawing emotion, for it is a trip that MUSTN'T

fail. In that sort of enterprise there is no room for mistakes.



Of all the individuals engaged in it will every one be intelligent

enough, faithful enough, bold enough? Looking upon them as a whole



it seems impossible; but as each has got only a limited part to

play they may be found sufficient each for his particular trust.



And will they be all punctual, I wonder? An enterprise that hangs

on the punctuality of many people, no matter how well disposed and



even heroic, hangs on a thread. This I have perceived to be also

the greatest of Dominic's concerns. He, too, wonders. And when he



breathes his doubts the smile lurking under the dark curl of his

moustaches is not reassuring.



But there is also something exciting in such speculations and the

road to the Villa seemed to me shorter than ever before.



Let in by the silent, ever-active, dark lady's maid, who is always

on the spot and always on the way somewhere else, opening the door



with one hand, while she passes on, turning on one for a moment her

quick, black eyes, which just miss being lustrous, as if some one



had breathed on them lightly.

On entering the long room I perceive Mills established in an



armchair which he had dragged in front of the divan. I do the same

to another and there we sit side by side facing R., tenderly



amiable yet somehow distant among her cushions, with an immemorial

seriousness in her long, shaded eyes and her fugitive smile



hovering about but never settling on her lips. Mills, who is just

back from over the frontier, must have been asking R. whether she



had been worried again by her devoted friend with the white hair.

At least I concluded so because I found them talking of the heart-



broken Azzolati. And after having answered their greetings I sit

and listen to Rita addressing Mills earnestly.



"No, I assure you Azzolati had done nothing to me. I knew him. He

was a frequentvisitor at the Pavilion, though I, personally, never



talked with him very much in Henry Allegre's lifetime. Other men

were more interesting, and he himself was rather reserved in his



manner to me. He was an internationalpolitician and financier - a

nobody. He, like many others, was admitted only to feed and amuse



Henry Allegre's scorn of the world, which was insatiable - I tell

you."

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


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


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


• marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)


• earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)


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


• connection [kə´nekʃən] n.联系；关系；联运 (初中英语单词)


• sensible [´sensəbəl] a.感觉得到的 (初中英语单词)


• objection [əb´dʒekʃən] n.反对；异议；缺点 (初中英语单词)


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


• altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全；总而言之 (初中英语单词)


• suitable [´su:təbəl, ´sju:-] a.合适的，适当的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的；理智的 (初中英语单词)


• romantic [rəu´mæntik] a.传奇(式)的；浪漫的 (初中英语单词)


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


• headquarters [´hed,kwɔ:təz] n.总部(署)，司令部 (初中英语单词)


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


• humanity [hju:´mæniti] n.人类；人性；仁慈 (初中英语单词)


• partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)


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


• inquiry [in´kwaiəri] n.询问；质询；调查 (初中英语单词)


• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)


• column [´kɔləm] n.柱；柱状物；纵队 (初中英语单词)


• sleeve [sli:v] n.袖子；袖套 (初中英语单词)


• garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• ribbon [´ribən] n.缎带；带子；色带 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• sympathetic [,simpə´θetik] a.同情的，有同情心的 (初中英语单词)


• passive [´pæsiv] a.被动的 n.被动性 (初中英语单词)


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


• creation [kri´eiʃən] n.创作；作品；创造 (初中英语单词)


• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)


• instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)


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


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• enterprise [´entəpraiz] n.企业；雄心；胆识 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• punctual [´pʌŋktjuəl] a.准时的；精确的 (初中英语单词)


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


• perceive [pə´si:v] vt.察觉；看出；领悟 (初中英语单词)


• frontier [´frʌntiə] n.国境；边疆；边界 (初中英语单词)


• frequent [´fri:kwənt] a.常见的，频繁的 (初中英语单词)


• visitor [´vizitə] n.访问者；来宾；参观者 (初中英语单词)


• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)


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


• infectious [in´fekʃəs] a.传染，传染(性)的 (高中英语单词)


• recruit [ri´kru:t] n.新兵 v.征募(新兵) (高中英语单词)


• riddle [´ridl] n.谜(语) v.解(谜等) (高中英语单词)


• mature [mə´tjuə] a.成熟的 v.(使)成熟 (高中英语单词)


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


• frolic [´frɔlik] n.&v.嬉戏 a.嬉戏的 (高中英语单词)


• fortnight [´fɔ:tnait] n.两星期 (高中英语单词)


• pleasantly [´plezntli] ad.令人愉快地；舒适地 (高中英语单词)


• marine [mə´ri:n] a.海的 n.海军陆战队 (高中英语单词)


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


• solely [´səulli] ad.唯一；单独；完全 (高中英语单词)


• indies [´indiz] n.东(西)印度群岛 (高中英语单词)


• severely [si´viəli] ad.剧烈地；严格地 (高中英语单词)


• bronze [brɔnz] n.青铜(器) (高中英语单词)


• discourse [´diskɔ:s] n.论文；演说；说教 (高中英语单词)


• shadowy [´ʃædəui] a.有阴影的；模糊的 (高中英语单词)


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


• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• ingenious [in´dʒi:niəs] a.富于创新的；巧妙的 (高中英语单词)


• indifferent [in´difrənt] a.不关心的；中立的 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• hesitation [,hezi´teiʃən] n.犹豫，踌躇 (高中英语单词)


• extract [ik´strækt, ´ekstrækt] vt.取出；摘录 n.精华 (高中英语单词)


• limited [´limitid] a.有限(制)的 (高中英语单词)


• heroic [hi´rəuik] a.英雄的，英勇的 (高中英语单词)


• fugitive [´fju:dʒitiv] n.逃亡者，亡命者 (高中英语单词)


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


• personally [´pə:sənəli] ad.亲自；就个人来说 (高中英语单词)


• lifetime [´laiftaim] n.一生，终生，寿命 (高中英语单词)


• assertion [ə´sə:ʃən] n.断言；主张；论述 (英语四级单词)


• intensely [in´tensli] ad.激烈地；热切地 (英语四级单词)


• audacity [ɔ:´dæsiti] n.大胆；卤莽；无礼 (英语四级单词)


• lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)


• overwhelming [,əuvə´welmiŋ] a.压倒的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)


• formality [fɔ:´mæliti] n.形式；礼仪；拘谨 (英语四级单词)


• carelessness [kɛəlisnis] n.粗心；漫不经心 (英语四级单词)


• barbarous [´bɑ:bərəs] a.野蛮的；不规范的 (英语四级单词)


• intimacy [´intiməsi] n.亲密；熟悉；秘密 (英语四级单词)


• unconsciously [ʌn´kɔʃəsli] ad.无意识地；不觉察地 (英语四级单词)


• ardent [´ɑ:dənt] a.热心的；热情洋溢的 (英语四级单词)


• lifeless [´laifləs] a.无生命的，无生气的 (英语四级单词)


• enamel [i´næm(ə)l] n.搪瓷；珐琅 (英语四级单词)


• devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身…的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)


• dubious [´dju:biəs] a.怀疑的；可疑的 (英语六级单词)


• affectionately [ə´fekʃnitli] ad.热情地；体贴地 (英语六级单词)


• habitual [hə´bitʃuəl] a.习惯的，通常的 (英语六级单词)


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


• familiarity [fə,mili´æriti] n.熟悉；新近；随便 (英语六级单词)


• earnestness [´ə:nistnis] n.认真，急切；坚定 (英语六级单词)


• abandoned [ə´bændənd] a.被抛弃的；无约束的 (英语六级单词)


• ruffian [´rʌfiən] n.流氓 a.残暴的 (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)


• reluctance [ri´lʌktəns] n.不愿；勉强 (英语六级单词)


• financier [fi´nænsiə] n.财政家，金融家 (英语六级单词)