missed it for the world. Blunt in a ragged old jacket and a white

tie and that incisive polite voice of his seemed strange and weird.



It seemed as though he were inventing it all rather angrily. I had

doubts as to your existence."



"Mr. Blunt is very much interested in my story."

"Anybody would be," I said. "I was. I didn't sleep a wink. I was



expecting to see you soon - and even then I had my doubts."

"As to my existence?"



"It wasn't exactly that, though of course I couldn't tell that you

weren't a product of Captain Blunt's sleeplessness. He seemed to



dread exceedingly to be left alone and your story might have been a

device to detain us . . ."



"He hasn't enough imagination for that," she said.

"It didn't occur to me. But there was Mills, who apparently



believed in your existence. I could trust Mills. My doubts were

about the propriety. I couldn't see any good reason for being



taken to see you. Strange that it should be my connection with the

sea which brought me here to the Villa."



"Unexpected perhaps."

"No. I mean particularly strange and significant."



"Why?"

"Because my friends are in the habit of telling me (and each other)



that the sea is my only love. They were always chaffing me because

they couldn't see or guess in my life at any woman, open or secret.



. ."

"And is that really so?" she inquired negligently.



"Why, yes. I don't mean to say that I am like an innocent shepherd

in one of those interminable stories of the eighteenth century.



But I don't throw the word love about indiscriminately. It may be

all true about the sea; but some people would say that they love



sausages."

"You are horrible."



"I am surprised."

"I mean your choice of words."



"And you have never uttered a word yet that didn't change into a

pearl as it dropped from your lips. At least not before me."



She glanced down deliberately and said, "This is better. But I

don't see any of them on the floor."



"It's you who are horrible in the implications of your language.

Don't see any on the floor! Haven't I caught up and treasured them



all in my heart? I am not the animal from which sausages are

made."



She looked at me suavely and then with the sweetest possible smile

breathed out the word: "No."



And we both laughed very loud. O! days of innocence! On this

occasion we parted from each other on a light-hearted note. But



already I had acquired the conviction that there was nothing more

lovable in the world than that woman; nothing more life-giving,



inspiring, and illuminating than the emanation of her charm. I

meant it absolutely - not excepting the light of the sun.



From this there was only one step further to take. The step into a

conscious surrender; the open perception that this charm, warming



like a flame, was also all-revealing like a great light; giving new

depth to shades, new brilliance to colours, an amazing vividness to



all sensations and vitality to all thoughts: so that all that had

been lived before seemed to have been lived in a drab world and



with a languid pulse.

A great revelation this. I don't mean to say it was soul-shaking.



The soul was already a captive before doubt, anguish, or dismay

could touch its surrender and its exaltation. But all the same the



revelation turned many things into dust; and, amongst others, the

sense of the careless freedom of my life. If that life ever had



any purpose or any aim outside itself I would have said that it

threw a shadow across its path. But it hadn't. There had been no



path. But there was a shadow, the inseparablecompanion of all

light. No illumination can sweep all mystery out of the world.



After the departed darkness the shadows remain, more mysterious

because as if more enduring; and one feels a dread of them from

• handkerchief [´hæŋkətʃif] n.手帕，手绢 (初中英语单词)


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


• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• absolutely [´æbsəlu:tli] ad.绝对地；确实 (初中英语单词)


• downstairs [,daun´steəz] ad.在楼下 a.楼下的 (初中英语单词)


• reform [ri´fɔ:m] v.&n.改革；改良；革除 (初中英语单词)


• frozen [´frəuzn] freeze 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


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


• prospect [´prɔspekt, prəs´pekt] n.景色；境界 v.勘察 (初中英语单词)


• peasant [´pezənt] n.农民；庄稼人 (初中英语单词)


• fascinating [´fæsineitiŋ] a.迷人，使神魂颠倒的 (初中英语单词)


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


• tragedy [´trædʒidi] n.悲剧；惨案；灾难 (初中英语单词)


• flatter [´flætə] vt.阿谀，奉承；胜过 (初中英语单词)


• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


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


• brilliant [´briliənt] a.灿烂的；杰出的 (初中英语单词)


• peaceful [´pi:sfəl] a.和平的；平静的 (初中英语单词)


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


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• resemble [ri´zembəl] vt.类似，象 (初中英语单词)


• achievement [ə´tʃi:vmənt] n.完成；成就，成绩 (初中英语单词)


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


• possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)


• scheme [ski:m] n.计划；阴谋，诡计 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• enormous [i´nɔ:məs] a.巨大地，很，极 (初中英语单词)


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


• amazing [ə´meiziŋ] a.惊人的；惊奇的 (初中英语单词)


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


• jacket [´dʒækit] n.茄克衫；外套 (初中英语单词)


• polite [pə´lait] a.有礼貌的；温和的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)


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


• conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)


• surrender [sə´rendə] vt.&n.交出；引渡；放弃 (初中英语单词)


• captive [´kæptiv] n.俘虏；捕获物 (初中英语单词)


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


• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• pilgrim [´pilgrim] n.旅行者；香客 (高中英语单词)


• shrine [ʃrain] n.神龛；神殿；圣地 (高中英语单词)


• convent [´kɔnvənt] n.女修道院；女修道会 (高中英语单词)


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


• apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)


• ridiculous [ri´dikjuləs] a.荒谬的；可笑的 (高中英语单词)


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


• tissue [´tiʃu:, -sju:] n.织物，薄绢，纸 (高中英语单词)


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


• specially [´speʃəli] ad.专门地；特别地 (高中英语单词)


• presumption [pri´zʌmpʃən] n.推测；专横；冒昧 (高中英语单词)


• sleepy [´sli:pi] a.困的，想睡的 (高中英语单词)


• ragged [´rægid] a.衣服破烂的 (高中英语单词)


• angrily [´æŋgrili] ad.生气地；愤怒地 (高中英语单词)


• exceedingly [ik´si:diŋli] ad.非常地，极度地 (高中英语单词)


• detain [di´tein] vt.留住；拘留 (高中英语单词)


• deliberately [di´libərətli] ad.故意地；慎重地 (高中英语单词)


• revelation [,revə´leiʃən] n.展现；揭露(的事物) (高中英语单词)


• anguish [´æŋgwiʃ] n.(极度的)痛苦；苦恼 (高中英语单词)


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


• sinner [´sinə] n.罪人 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• willingly [´wiliŋli] ad.情愿地，乐意地 (英语四级单词)


• fascination [,fæsi´neiʃən] n.魅力；强烈爱好 (英语四级单词)


• grotesque [grəu´tesk] a.奇异的，想象中的 (英语四级单词)


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


• amiable [´eimiəbəl] a.亲切的，温和的 (英语四级单词)


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


• loveliness [´lʌvlinis] n.美丽，可爱 (英语四级单词)


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


• psychological [,saikə´lɔdʒikəl] a.心理学(上)的 (英语四级单词)


• perception [pə´sepʃən] n.感觉；概念；理解力 (英语四级单词)


• vitality [vai´tæliti] n.活力；生命力；效力 (英语四级单词)


• ruthless [´ru:θləs] a.无情的；残忍的 (英语六级单词)


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


• darkly [´dɑ:kli] adv.暗，黑；暗中 (英语六级单词)


• compassionate [kəm´pæʃənit] a.有同情心的 vt.同情 (英语六级单词)


• compressed [kəm´prest] a.压缩的 (英语六级单词)


• extended [iks´tendid] a.伸长的；广大的 (英语六级单词)


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


• frightfully [,fraitfuli] ad.可怕地；非常 (英语六级单词)


• propriety [prə´praiəti] n.正当；合适；礼貌 (英语六级单词)


• interminable [in´tə:minəbəl] a.无终止的；冗长的 (英语六级单词)


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


• languid [´læŋgwid] a.精神不振的 (英语六级单词)


• inseparable [in´sepərəbəl] a.分不开的 (英语六级单词)


• illumination [i,lju:mi´neiʃən] n.照明；阐明 (英语六级单词)


• departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)


• enduring [in´djuəriŋ] a.持久的 (英语六级单词)