took him some time to recollect his thoughts. He had

awakened with a certain blank and childish sense of pleasure,



like a man who had received a legacyovernight; but this

feeling gradually died away, and was then suddenly and



stunningly succeeded by a conviction of the truth. The whole

story of the past night sprang into his mind with every



detail, as by an exercise of the direct and speedy sense of

sight, and he arose from the ditch and, with rueful courage,



went to meet his love.

She came up to him walking steady and fast, her face still



pale, but to all appearance perfectlycomposed; and she

showed neither surprise, relief, nor pleasure at finding her



lover on the spot. Nor did she offer him her hand.

'Here I am,' said he.



'Yes,' she replied; and then, without a pause or any change

of voice, 'I want you to take me away,' she added.



'Away?' he repeated. 'How? Where?'

'To-day,' she said. 'I do not care where it is, but I want



you to take me away.'

'For how long? I do not understand,' gasped Dick.



'I shall never come back here any more,' was all she

answered.



Wild words uttered, as these were, with perfect quiet of

manner and voice, exercise a double influence on the hearer's



mind. Dick was confounded; he recovered from astonishment

only to fall into doubt and alarm. He looked upon her frozen



attitude, so discouraging for a lover to behold, and recoiled

from the thoughts which it suggested.



'To me?' he asked. 'Are you coming to me, Esther?'

'I want you to take me away,' she repeated with weary



impatience. 'Take me away - take me away from here.'

The situation was not sufficiently defined. Dick asked



himself with concern whether she were altogether in her right

wits. To take her away, to marry her, to work off his hands



for her support, Dick was content to do all this; yet he

required some show of love upon her part. He was not one of



those tough-hided and small-hearted males who would marry

their love at the point of the bayonet rather than not marry



her at all. He desired that a woman should come to his arms

with an attractivewillingness, if not with ardour. And



Esther's bearing was more that of despair than that of love.

It chilled him and taught him wisdom.



'Dearest,' he urged, 'tell me what you wish, and you shall

have it; tell me your thoughts, and then I can advise you.



But to go from here without a plan, without forethought, in

the heat of a moment, is madder than madness, and can help



nothing. I am not speaking like a man, but I speak the

truth; and I tell you again, the thing's absurd, and wrong,



and hurtful.'

She looked at him with a lowering, languid look of wrath.



'So you will not take me?' she said. 'Well, I will go

alone.'



And she began to step forward on her way. But he threw

himself before her.



'Esther, Esther!' he cried.

'Let me go - don't touch me - what right have you to



interfere? Who are you, to touch me?' she flashed out,

shrill with anger.



Then, being made bold by her violence, he took her firmly,

almost roughly, by the arm, and held her while he spoke.



'You know well who I am, and what I am, and that I love you.

You say I will not help you; but your heart knows the



contrary. It is you who will not help me; for you will not

tell me what you want. You see - or you could see, if you



took the pains to look - how I have waited here all night to

be ready at your service. I only asked information; I only



urged you to consider; and I still urge and beg you to think

better of your fancies. But if your mind is made up, so be



it; I will beg no longer; I give you my orders; and I will

not allow - not allow you to go hence alone.'



She looked at him for awhile with cold, unkind scrutiny like

one who tries the temper of a tool.



'Well, take me away, then,' she said with a sigh.

• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• feeble [´fi:bəl] a.虚弱的，无力的 (初中英语单词)


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


• distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)


• goodness [´gudnis] n.优良；美德；精华 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• whisper [´wispə] v.耳语 n.低语；沙沙声 (初中英语单词)


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


• cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)


• uncertain [ʌn´sə:tn] a.不定的；不可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• sickness [´siknis] n.生病；呕吐，恶心 (初中英语单词)


• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)


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


• arrival [ə´raivəl] n.到达；到达的人(物) (初中英语单词)


• misery [´mizəri] n.痛苦；悲惨；穷困 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• childish [´tʃaildiʃ] a.孩子的；幼稚的 (初中英语单词)


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


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


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


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


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


• attractive [ə´træktiv] a.有吸引力；诱人的 (初中英语单词)


• despair [di´speə] vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词)


• advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)


• absurd [əb´sə:d] a.荒谬的，可笑的 (初中英语单词)


• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)


• awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)


• temper [´tempə] n.韧度 v.锻炼；调和 (初中英语单词)


• caesar [´si:zə] n.凯撒；暴君；独裁者 (高中英语单词)


• realism [´riəlizəm] n.现(写)实主义 (高中英语单词)


• shrewd [ʃru:d] a.精明的；狡猾的 (高中英语单词)


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


• sullen [´sʌlən] a.不高兴的 (高中英语单词)


• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• conspiracy [kən´spirəsi] n.密谋；协同作用 (高中英语单词)


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


• disturbance [di´stə:bəns] n.扰乱，骚动 (高中英语单词)


• herald [´herəld] n.先驱；预兆 vt.预示 (高中英语单词)


• sprung [sprʌŋ] spring的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


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


• bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)


• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)


• roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)


• unworthy [ʌn´wə:ði] a.不值得的；不足道的 (英语四级单词)


• squarely [´skwɛəli] ad.成方形地；正直地 (英语四级单词)


• vicinity [vi´siniti] n.邻近，附近，接近 (英语四级单词)


• cuckoo [´kuku:] n.杜鹃，布谷鸟 (英语四级单词)


• intently [in´tentli] ad.专心地 (英语四级单词)


• staircase [´steəkeis] n.楼梯 =stairway (英语四级单词)


• recollect [rekə´lekt] v.重新集合；恢复 (英语四级单词)


• overnight [,əuvə´nait] ad.通宵 a.昨晚的 (英语四级单词)


• speedy [´spi:di] a.快的，迅速的 (英语四级单词)


• composed [kəm´pəuzd] a.镇静自若的 (英语四级单词)


• bayonet [´beiənit] n.刺刀 vt.用刺刀刺 (英语四级单词)


• ardour [´ɑ:də] n.热心，热情 (英语四级单词)


• unkind [,ʌn´kaind] a.不客气的；不和善的 (英语四级单词)


• pitiless [´pitiləs] a.无怜悯心的；无情的 (英语六级单词)


• immovable [i´mu:vəbəl] a.不能移动的，固定的 (英语六级单词)


• legacy [´legəsi] n.遗产；传代物 (英语六级单词)


• willingness [´wiliŋnis] n.情愿，乐意，自愿 (英语六级单词)


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


• languid [´læŋgwid] a.精神不振的 (英语六级单词)