carronades; he had travelled Europe in a chaise and four,

drawing bridle at the palace-doors of German princes; queens



of song and dance had followed him like sheep and paid his

tailor's bills. And to behold him now, seeking small loans



with plaintive condescension, sponging for breakfast on an

art-student of nineteen, a fallen Don Juan who had neglected



to die at the propitious hour, had a colour of romance for

young imaginations. His name and his bright past, seen



through the prism of whispered gossip, had gained him the

nickname of THE ADMIRAL.



Dick found him one day at the receipt of custom, rapidly

painting a pair of hens and a cock in a little water-colour



sketching box, and now and then glancing at the ceiling like

a man who should seek inspiration from the muse. Dick



thought it remarkable that a painter should choose to work

over an absinthe in a public cafe, and looked the man over.



The aged rakishness of his appearance was set off by a

youthful costume; he had disreputable grey hair and a



disreputable sore, red nose; but the coat and the gesture,

the outworks of the man, were still designed for show. Dick



came up to his table and inquired if he might look at what

the gentleman was doing. No one was so delighted as the



Admiral.

'A bit of a thing,' said he. 'I just dash them off like



that. I - I dash them off,' he added with a gesture.

'Quite so,' said Dick, who was appalled by the feebleness of



the production.

'Understand me,' continued Van Tromp; 'I am a man of the



world. And yet - once an artist always an artist. All of a

sudden a thought takes me in the street; I become its prey:



it's like a pretty woman; no use to struggle; I must - dash

it off.'



'I see,' said Dick.

'Yes,' pursued the painter; 'it all comes easily, easily to



me; it is not my business; it's a pleasure. Life is my

business - life - this great city, Paris - Paris after dark -



its lights, its gardens, its odd corners. Aha!' he cried,

'to be young again! The heart is young, but the heels are



leaden. A poor, mean business, to grow old! Nothing remains

but the COUP D'OEIL, the contemplative man's enjoyment, Mr. -



,' and he paused for the name.

'Naseby,' returned Dick.



The other treated him at once to an exciting beverage, and

expatiated on the pleasure of meeting a compatriot in a



foreign land; to hear him, you would have thought they had

encountered in Central Africa. Dick had never found any one



take a fancy to him so readily, nor show it in an easier or

less offensive manner. He seemed tickled with him as an



elderly fellow about town might be tickled by a pleasant and

witty lad; he indicated that he was no precision, but in his



wildest times had never been such a blade as he thought Dick.

Dick protested, but in vain. This manner of carrying an



intimacy at the bayonet's point was Van Tromp's stock-in-

trade. With an older man he insinuated himself; with youth



he imposed himself, and in the same breath imposed an ideal

on his victim, who saw that he must work up to it or lose the



esteem of this old and viciouspatron. And what young man

can bear to lose a character for vice?



At last, as it grew towards dinner-time, 'Do you know Paris?'

asked Van Tromp.



'Not so well as you, I am convinced,' said Dick.

'And so am I,' returned Van Tromp gaily. 'Paris! My young



friend - you will allow me? - when you know Paris as I do,

you will have seen Strange Things. I say no more; all I say



is, Strange Things. We are men of the world, you and I, and

in Paris, in the heart of civilised existence. This is an



opportunity, Mr. Naseby. Let us dine. Let me show you where

to dine.'



Dick consented. On the way to dinner the Admiral showed him

• bundle [´bʌndl] n.包，捆；包袱(裹) (初中英语单词)


• miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)


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


• underneath [,ʌndə´ni:θ] ad.&prep.在底下 (初中英语单词)


• plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


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


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• intelligence [in´telidʒəns] n.智力；消息 (初中英语单词)


• philosophy [fi´lɔsəfi] n.哲学；人生观 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


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


• painter [´peintə] n.画家；(油)漆工 (初中英语单词)


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


• greedy [´gri:di] a.贪婪的；馋的 (初中英语单词)


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


• series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)


• colonial [kə´ləuniəl] a.(关于)殖民地的 (初中英语单词)


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


• infant [´infənt] n.&a.婴(幼)儿 (初中英语单词)


• foreigner [´fɔrinə] n.外国人 (初中英语单词)


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


• sketch [sketʃ] n.素描；短剧 v.草拟 (初中英语单词)


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


• canvas [´kænvəs] n.帆布；油画(布) (初中英语单词)


• greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)


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


• receipt [ri´si:t] n.收到；收据 (初中英语单词)


• remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)


• costume [´kɔstju:m] n.服装(试样)；女装 (初中英语单词)


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


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中英语单词)


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


• admiral [´ædmərəl] n.海军上将，舰队司令 (初中英语单词)


• repetition [,repi´tiʃən] n.重复；背诵；复制品 (高中英语单词)


• tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)


• kindle [´kindl] v.点燃；(使)激动 (高中英语单词)


• expand [ik´spænd] vt.张开；膨胀；扩大 (高中英语单词)


• brightness [´braitnis] n.光明；快乐 (高中英语单词)


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


• concerned [kən´sə:nd] a.有关的；担心的 (高中英语单词)


• passionate [´pæʃənit] a.易动情的；易怒的 (高中英语单词)


• comprehension [,kɔmpri´henʃən] n.理解；领悟 (高中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• cherish [´tʃeriʃ] vt.珍爱；怀有(感情) (高中英语单词)


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


• nobility [nəu´biliti, nə-] n.高贵；贵金属性 (高中英语单词)


• dismal [´dizməl] a.灰暗的；阴郁的 (高中英语单词)


• inspiration [,inspi´reiʃən] n.鼓舞；灵感；启发 (高中英语单词)


• certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)


• resident [´rezidənt] a.居住的 n.居民 (高中英语单词)


• bridle [´braidl] n.(马)笼头；束缚 (高中英语单词)


• gossip [´gɔsip] n.&vi.说闲话；聊天 (高中英语单词)


• enjoyment [in´dʒɔimənt] n.享受；愉快；乐趣 (高中英语单词)


• offensive [ə´fensiv] a.冒犯的 n.进攻 (高中英语单词)


• patron [´peitrən] n.庇护人，保护人；赞助人 (高中英语单词)


• instinctively [in´stiŋktivli] ad.本能地 (英语四级单词)


• unnatural [,ʌn´nætʃərəl] a.不自然的 (英语四级单词)


• befallen [bi´fɔ:lən] befall的过去分词 (英语四级单词)


• edinburgh [´edinbərə] n.爱丁堡 (英语四级单词)


• occupant [´ɔkjupənt] n.居住者；占有人 (英语四级单词)


• experimental [ik,speri´mentl] a.实验的 (英语四级单词)


• rightly [´raitli] ad.正义地；正确地 (英语四级单词)


• apprehend [,æpri´hend] vt.理解；忧虑；逮捕 (英语四级单词)


• utility [ju:´tiliti] n.有用 a.有各种用途的 (英语四级单词)


• withal [wi´ðɔ:l] ad.加之；同样；然而 (英语四级单词)


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


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


• beverage [´bevəridʒ] n.饮料 (英语四级单词)


• precision [pri´siʒən] n.精密(度) a.精确的 (英语四级单词)


• vicious [´viʃəs] a.不道德的；刻毒的 (英语四级单词)


• nameless [´neimlis] a.无名字的；无名声的 (英语六级单词)


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


• deluge [´delju:dʒ] n.大洪水 vt.泛滥 (英语六级单词)


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


• roadway [´rəudwei] n.车行道；路面 (英语六级单词)


• parasite [´pærəsait] n.寄生动(植)物；食客 (英语六级单词)


• hazardous [´hæzədəs] a.危险的 (英语六级单词)


• specify [´spesifai] vt.指定；详述；说明 (英语六级单词)


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


• courier [´kuriə] n.送急件的人；信使 (英语六级单词)


• celebrity [si´lebriti] n.名声；名人 (英语六级单词)


• plaintive [´pleintiv] a.表示哀怨(悲痛) (英语六级单词)