seem to know what they say. That doesn't apply to the master of

the house, who never talked much. He sat there mostly silent and



looming up three sizes bigger than any of them."

"The ruler of the aviary," I muttered viciously.



"It annoys you that I should talk of that time?" she asked in a

tender voice. "Well, I won't, except for once to say that you must



not make a mistake: in that aviary he was the man. I know because

he used to talk to me afterwards sometimes. Strange! For six



years he seemed to carry all the world and me with it in his hand.

. . . "



"He dominates you yet," I shouted.

She shook her head innocently as a child would do.



"No, no. You brought him into the conversation yourself. You

think of him much more than I do." Her voice drooped sadly to a



hopeless note. "I hardly ever do. He is not the sort of person to

merely flit through one's mind and so I have no time. Look. I had



eleven letters this morning and there were also five telegrams

before midday, which have tangled up everything. I am quite



frightened."

And she explained to me that one of them - the long one on the top



of the pile, on the table over there - seemed to contain ugly

inferences directed at herself in a menacing way. She begged me to



read it and see what I could make of it.

I knew enough of the general situation to see at a glance that she



had misunderstood it thoroughly and even amazingly. I proved it to

her very quickly. But her mistake was so ingenious in its



wrongheadedness and arose so obviously from the distraction of an

acute mind, that I couldn't help looking at her admiringly.



"Rita," I said, "you are a marvellous idiot."

"Am I? Imbecile," she retorted with an enchanting smile of relief.



"But perhaps it only seems so to you in contrast with the lady so

perfect in her way. What is her way?"



"Her way, I should say, lies somewhere between her sixtieth and

seventieth year, and I have walked tete-e-tete with her for some



little distance this afternoon."

"Heavens," she whispered, thunderstruck. "And meantime I had the



son here. He arrived about five minutes after Rose left with that

note for you," she went on in a tone of awe. "As a matter of fact,



Rose saw him across the street but she thought she had better go on

to you."



"I am furious with myself for not having guessed that much," I said

bitterly. "I suppose you got him out of the house about five



minutes after you heard I was coming here. Rose ought to have

turned back when she saw him on his way to cheer your solitude.



That girl is stupid after all, though she has got a certain amount

of low cunning which no doubt is very useful at times."



"I forbid you to talk like this about Rose. I won't have it. Rose

is not to be abused before me."



"I only mean to say that she failed in this instance to read your

mind, that's all."



"This is, without exception, the most unintelligent thing you have

said ever since I have known you. You may understand a lot about



running contraband and about the minds of a certain class of

people, but as to Rose's mind let me tell you that in comparison



with hers yours is absolutely infantile, my adventurous friend. It

would be contemptible if it weren't so - what shall I call it? -



babyish. You ought to be slapped and put to bed." There was an

extraordinary earnestness in her tone and when she ceased I



listened yet to the seductive inflexions of her voice, that no

matter in what mood she spoke seemed only fit for tenderness and



love. And I thought suddenly of Azzolati being ordered to take

himself off from her presence for ever, in that voice the very



anger of which seemed to twine itself gently round one's heart. No

wonder the poor wretch could not forget the scene and couldn't



restrain his tears on the plain of Rambouillet. My moods of

resentment against Rita, hot as they were, had no more duration



than a blaze of straw. So I only said:

"Much YOU know about the management of children." The corners of



her lips stirred quaintly; her animosity, especially when provoked

by a personal attack upon herself, was always tinged by a sort of



wistful humour of the most disarming kind.

"Come, amigo George, let us leave poor Rose alone. You had better



tell me what you heard from the lips of the charming old lady.

Perfection, isn't she? I have never seen her in my life, though



she says she has seen me several times. But she has written to me

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


• pretend [pri´tend] v.假装；借口；妄求 (初中英语单词)


• behave [bi´heiv] v.举止；表现；举止端正 (初中英语单词)


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


• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)


• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)


• whereas [weər´æz] conj.鉴于；因此；而 (初中英语单词)


• honourable [´ɔnərəbəl] a.荣誉的；正直的 (初中英语单词)


• communication [kə,mju:ni´keiʃən] n.通信；通讯联系 (初中英语单词)


• shower [´ʃauə] n.展出者；阵雨；淋浴 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• quiver [´kwivə] v.抖动 n.颤动(声) (初中英语单词)


• warmth [wɔ:mθ] n.温暖；热情；激动 (初中英语单词)


• sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)


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


• contain [kən´tein] v.包含；容纳；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)


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


• contrast [´kɔntrɑ:st] n.对比 v.使对比(照) (初中英语单词)


• meantime [´mi:ntaim] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


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


• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)


• forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)


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


• exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)


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


• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• management [´mænidʒmənt] n.管理；处理；经营 (初中英语单词)


• humour [´hju:mə] n.幽默，诙谐 (初中英语单词)


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


• encouragement [in´kʌridʒmənt] n.鼓励；赞助；引诱 (高中英语单词)


• ripple [´ripəl] n.涟漪 v.(使)起涟漪 (高中英语单词)


• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid] a.突然的；意外的 (高中英语单词)


• nonsense [´nɔnsəns] n.胡说 int.胡说!废话 (高中英语单词)


• desperately [´despəritli] ad.绝望地；拼命地 (高中英语单词)


• umbrella [ʌm´brelə] n.伞 (高中英语单词)


• perfection [pə´fekʃən] n.完美；极致；熟练 (高中英语单词)


• motionless [´məuʃənləs] a.静止的；固定的 (高中英语单词)


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


• infinite [´infinit] a.无限的，无穷的 (高中英语单词)


• sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)


• universe [´ju:nivə:s] n.天地；全人类；银河系 (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)


• thunderstruck [´θʌndəstrʌk] a.遭雷击的；吓坏了的 (高中英语单词)


• tenderness [´tendənis] n.娇嫩；柔软；温柔 (高中英语单词)


• parrot [´pærət] n.鹦鹉；应声虫 (英语四级单词)


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


• pathetic [pə´θetik] a.可怜的；悲哀的 (英语四级单词)


• considering [kən´sidəriŋ] prep.就…而论 (英语四级单词)


• immensely [i´mensli] ad.极大地，无限地 (英语四级单词)


• beautifully [´bju:tifəli] ad.美丽地；优美地 (英语四级单词)


• radiance [´reidjəns] n.发光；光彩；辐射 (英语四级单词)


• beforehand [bi´fɔ:hænd] ad.事先；提前 (英语四级单词)


• midday [´middei] n.中午 (英语四级单词)


• adventurous [əd´ventʃərəs] a.冒险的；惊险的 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


• susceptible [sə´septəbəl] a.敏感的；易受影响的 (英语六级单词)


• insolence [´insələns] n.傲慢；无礼 (英语六级单词)


• uncanny [ʌn´kæni] a.神秘的；离奇的 (英语六级单词)


• horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)


• poetical [pəu´etikəl] a.理想化了的 (英语六级单词)


• animated [´ænimeitid] a.栩栩如生的；活跃的 (英语六级单词)


• gaiety [´geəti] n.欢乐；乐事；华丽 (英语六级单词)


• innocently [´inəsntli] ad.天真地，单纯地 (英语六级单词)


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


• contemptible [kən´temptəbəl] a.可鄙的；可轻视的 (英语六级单词)


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


• animosity [æni´mɔsiti] n.仇恨；憎恨；敌意 (英语六级单词)