seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly



assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.

Edna did not reveal so much as all this to Madame Ratignolle



that summer day when they sat with faces turned to the sea. But a

good part of it escaped her. She had put her head down on Madame



Ratignolle's shoulder. She was flushed and felt intoxicated with

the sound of her own voice and the unaccustomed taste of candor.



It muddled her like wine, or like a first breath of freedom.

There was the sound of approaching voices. It was Robert,



surrounded by a troop of children, searching for them. The two

little Pontelliers were with him, and he carried Madame



Ratignolle's little girl in his arms. There were other children

beside, and two nurse-maids followed, looking disagreeable and



resigned.

The women at once rose and began to shake out their draperies



and relax their muscles. Mrs. Pontellier threw the cushions and

rug into the bath-house. The children all scampered off to the



awning, and they stood there in a line, gazing upon the intruding

lovers, still exchanging their vows and sighs. The lovers got up,



with only a silent protest, and walked slowly away somewhere else.

The children possessed themselves of the tent, and Mrs.



Pontellier went over to join them.

Madame Ratignolle begged Robert to accompany her to the house;



she complained of cramp in her limbs and stiffness of the joints.

She leaned draggingly upon his arm as they walked.



VIII

"Do me a favor, Robert," spoke the pretty woman at his side,



almost as soon as she and Robert had started their slow, homeward

way. She looked up in his face, leaning on his arm beneath the



encircling shadow of the umbrella which he had lifted.

"Granted; as many as you like," he returned, glancing down



into her eyes that were full of thoughtfulness and some

speculation.



"I only ask for one; let Mrs. Pontellier alone."

"Tiens!" he exclaimed, with a sudden, boyish laugh.



"Voila que Madame Ratignolle est jalouse!"

"Nonsense! I'm in earnest; I mean what I say. Let Mrs.



Pontellier alone."

"Why?" he asked; himself growing serious at his companion's



solicitation.

"She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the



unfortunateblunder of taking you seriously."

His face flushed with annoyance, and taking off his soft hat



he began to beat it impatiently against his leg as he walked. "Why

shouldn't she take me seriously?" he demanded sharply. "Am I a



comedian, a clown, a jack-in-the-box? Why shouldn't she? You

Creoles! I have no patience with you! Am I always to be regarded as



a feature of an amusing programme? I hope Mrs. Pontellier does take

me seriously. I hope she has discernment enough to find in me



something besides the blagueur. If I thought there was any doubt--"

"Oh, enough, Robert!" she broke into his heated outburst.



"You are not thinking of what you are saying. You speak with about

as little reflection as we might expect from one of those children



down there playing in the sand. If your attentions to any married

women here were ever offered with any intention of being



convincing, you would not be the gentleman we all know you to be,

and you would be unfit to associate with the wives and daughters of



the people who trust you."

Madame Ratignolle had spoken what she believed to be the law



and the gospel. The young man shrugged his shoulders impatiently.

"Oh! well! That isn't it," slamming his hat down vehemently



upon his head. "You ought to feel that such things are not

flattering to say to a fellow."



"Should our whole intercourse consist of an exchange of

compliments? Ma foi!"



"It isn't pleasant to have a woman tell you--" he went on,

unheedingly, but breaking off suddenly: "Now if I were like



Arobin-you remember Alcee Arobin and that story of the consul's wife at

• horizon [hə´raizən] n.地平线；范围；视野 (初中英语单词)


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)


• delicious [di´liʃəs] a.美味的，可口的 (初中英语单词)


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


• meadow [´medəu] n.草地；牧场 (初中英语单词)


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)


• readily [´redili] ad.乐意地；容易地 (初中英语单词)


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


• unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• intimate [´intimit] a.亲密的 n.知己 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• neighboring [´neibəriŋ] a.邻近的；接壤的 (初中英语单词)


• mississippi [,misi´sipi] n.密西西比(河) (初中英语单词)


• realization [,riəlai´zeiʃən] n.实现；认识 (初中英语单词)


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


• comment [´kɔment] n.&v.评论；评注；注意 (初中英语单词)


• reflection [ri´flekʃən] n.反射；映象；想法 (初中英语单词)


• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)


• purely [´pjuəli] ad.仅仅；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• absolute [´æbsəlu:t] a.绝对的 n.绝对 (初中英语单词)


• sympathy [´simpəθi] n.同情，怜悯 (初中英语单词)


• catholic [´kæθəlik] a.天主教 n.天主教徒 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• dignity [´digniti] n.尊严，尊贵；高官显贵 (初中英语单词)


• reality [ri´æliti] n.现实(性)；真实；逼真 (初中英语单词)


• romance [rəu´mæns] n.中世纪骑士小说 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• warmth [wɔ:mθ] n.温暖；热情；激动 (初中英语单词)


• thereby [´ðeəbai] ad.因此，由此 (初中英语单词)


• grandmother [´græn,mʌðə] n.(外)祖母 (初中英语单词)


• welfare [´welfeə] n.福利(事业) (初中英语单词)


• occasional [ə´keiʒənəl] a.偶然的；临时的 (初中英语单词)


• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)


• relief [ri´li:f] n.救济；援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


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


• sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)


• patience [´peiʃəns] n.忍耐(力)；耐心；坚韧 (初中英语单词)


• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)


• associate [ə´səuʃieit] v.联合a.同伴的n.伙伴 (初中英语单词)


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


• kentucky [kən´tʌki] n.肯塔基 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• caress [kə´res] n.&vt.爱抚；接吻 (高中英语单词)


• outward [´autwəd] a.外面的 ad.向外 (高中英语单词)


• dignified [´dignifaid] a.尊贵的 (高中英语单词)


• intellectual [,inti´lektʃuəl] n.知识分子 (高中英语单词)


• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• imitate [´imiteit] vt.模仿；伪造 (高中英语单词)


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


• plantation [plæn´teiʃən] n.种植园；栽植；移民 (高中英语单词)


• climax [´klaimæks] n.顶点；高潮 (高中英语单词)


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


• likeness [´laiknis] n.相似；肖像；外表 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• excessive [ik´sesiv] a.过分的；极端的 (高中英语单词)


• regarding [ri´gɑ:diŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)


• intense [in´tens] a.强烈的；紧张的 (高中英语单词)


• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)


• disagreeable [,disə´gri:əbl] a.令人不悦的 (高中英语单词)


• umbrella [ʌm´brelə] n.伞 (高中英语单词)


• blunder [´blʌndə] n.&v.(犯)大错；疏忽 (高中英语单词)


• amusing [ə´mju:ziŋ] a.有趣的 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• gospel [´gɔspəl] n.福音；信条；真理 (高中英语单词)


• presbyterian [,prezbi´tiəriən] a.长老会(制)的 (英语四级单词)


• withdrawn [wið´drɔ:n] withdraw过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• exceptional [ik´sepʃənəl] a.异常的，特别的 (英语四级单词)


• passionately [´pæʃənitli] ad.多情地；热烈地 (英语四级单词)


• sinister [´sinistə] a.阴险的；不吉的 (英语四级单词)


• fidelity [fi´deliti] n.忠实；精确；保真度 (英语四级单词)


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


• uneven [ʌn´i:vən] a.崎岖的；不匀的 (英语四级单词)


• boyish [´bɔiiʃ] a.少年的；幼稚的 (英语四级单词)


• annoyance [ə´nɔiəns] n.烦恼事(人) (英语四级单词)


• impatiently [im´peiʃəntli] ad.不耐烦地，急躁地 (英语四级单词)


• intercourse [´intəkɔ:s] n.交际；往来；交流 (英语四级单词)


• exacting [ig´zæktiŋ] a.苛求的；严格的 (英语六级单词)


• beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)


• accidentally [,æksi´dentəli] ad.偶然地 (英语六级单词)


• affliction [ə´flikʃən] n.痛苦，苦恼；折磨 (英语六级单词)


• masquerade [,mæskə´reid] n.化装舞会 vi.冒充 (英语六级单词)


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


• impulsive [im´pʌlsiv] a.易冲动的 (英语六级单词)


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