watch. 'Good God, how slow you eat!' And yet to eat slowly was



his own particular prescription, the main secret of longevity!

His martyrdom, however, reached an end at last; the pair resumed



their places in the buggy, and Desprez, leaning luxuriously back,

announced his intention of proceeding to Fontainebleau.



'To Fontainebleau?' repeated Jean-Marie.

'My words are always measured,' said the Doctor. 'On!'



The Doctor was driven through the glades of paradise; the air, the

light, the shining leaves, the very movements of the vehicle,



seemed to fall in tune with his golden meditations; with his head

thrown back, he dreamed a series of sunny visions, ale and pleasure



dancing in his veins. At last he spoke.

'I shall telegraph for Casimir,' he said. 'Good Casimir! a fellow



of the lower order of intelligence, Jean-Marie, distinctly not

creative, not poetic; and yet he will repay your study; his fortune



is vast, and is entirely due to his own exertions. He is the very

fellow to help us to dispose of our trinkets, find us a suitable



house in Paris, and manage the details of our installation.

Admirable Casimir, one of my oldest comrades! It was on his



advice, I may add, that I invested my little fortune in Turkish

bonds; when we have added these spoils of the mediaeval church to



our stake in the Mahometan empire, little boy, we shall positively

roll among doubloons, positively roll! Beautiful forest,' he



cried, 'farewell! Though called to other scenes, I will not forget

thee. Thy name is graven in my heart. Under the influence of



prosperity I become dithyrambic, Jean-Marie. Such is the impulse

of the natural soul; such was the constitution of primaeval man.



And I - well, I will not refuse the credit - I have preserved my

youth like a virginity; another, who should have led the same



snoozing, countryfied existence for these years, another had become

rusted, become stereotype; but I, I praise my happy constitution,



retain the spring unbroken. Fresh opulence and a new sphere of

duties find me unabated in ardour and only more mature by



knowledge. For this prospective change, Jean-Marie - it may

probably have shocked you. Tell me now, did it not strike you as



an inconsistency? Confess - it is useless to dissemble - it pained

you?'



'Yes,' said the boy.

'You see,' returned the Doctor, with sublime fatuity, 'I read your



thoughts! Nor am I surprised - your education is not yet complete;

the higher duties of men have not been yet presented to you fully.



A hint - till we have leisure - must suffice. Now that I am once

more in possession of a modest competence; now that I have so long



prepared myself in silent meditation, it becomes my superior duty

to proceed to Paris. My scientific training, my undoubted command



of language, mark me out for the service of my country. Modesty in

such a case would be a snare. If sin were a philosophical



expression, I should call it sinful. A man must not deny his

manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations. I must



be up and doing; I must be no skulker in life's battle.'

So he rattled on, copiously greasing the joint of his inconsistency



with words; while the boy listened silently, his eyes fixed on the

horse, his mind seething. It was all lost eloquence; no array of



words could unsettle a belief of Jean-Marie's; and he drove into

Fontainebleau filled with pity, horror, indignation, and despair.



In the town Jean-Marie was kept a fixture on the driving-seat, to

guard the treasure; while the Doctor, with a singular, slightly



tipsy airiness of manner, fluttered in and out of cafes, where he

shook hands with garrison officers, and mixed an absinthe with the



nicety of old experience; in and out of shops, from which he

returned laden with costly fruits, real turtle, a magnificent piece



of silk for his wife, a preposterous cane for himself, and a kepi

of the newest fashion for the boy; in and out of the telegraph



office, whence he despatched his telegram, and where three hours

later he received an answer promising a visit on the morrow; and

• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• pledge [pledʒ] n.信物；誓约vt.使发誓 (初中英语单词)


• faculty [´fækəlti] n.才干；天赋；院，系 (初中英语单词)


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


• overhead [´əuvə,hed] ad.当头 a.在头上的 (初中英语单词)


• sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• silently [´sailəntli] ad.寂静地；沉默地 (初中英语单词)


• valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)


• indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• harness [´hɑ:nis] vt.上马具 n.马具 (初中英语单词)


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


• grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)


• genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)


• stomach [´stʌmək] n.胃；胃口，食欲 (初中英语单词)


• fiercely [´fiəsli] ad.凶猛地，残忍地 (初中英语单词)


• bitterly [´bitəli] ad.悲痛地；憎恨地 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• paradise [´pærədais] n.天堂；乐园 (初中英语单词)


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


• telegraph [´teligrɑ:f] n.&v.(打)电报；电告 (初中英语单词)


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


• distinctly [di´stiŋktli] ad.清楚地，明晰地 (初中英语单词)


• dispose [di´spəuz] v.处置；安排；布置 (初中英语单词)


• constitution [,kɔnsti´tju:ʃən] n.宪法；体格；体质 (初中英语单词)


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


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)


• modest [´mɔdist] a.谦虚的；朴素的 (初中英语单词)


• scientific [,saiən´tifik] a.科学(上)的 (初中英语单词)


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


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• costly [´kɔstli] a.昂贵的；费用大的 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• telegram [´teligræm] n.电报 (初中英语单词)


• promising [´prɔmisiŋ] a.有希望的；有为的 (初中英语单词)


• exquisite [ik´skwizit] a.精巧的；敏锐的 (高中英语单词)


• unseen [,ʌn´si:n] a.未看见的 (高中英语单词)


• coffin [´kɔfin] n.棺材，柩 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• hitherto [,hiðə´tu:] ad.至今，迄今 (高中英语单词)


• hermitage [´hə:mitidʒ] n.隐居生活(的地方) (高中英语单词)


• tightly [´taitli] ad.紧，紧密地 (高中英语单词)


• fantastic [fæn´tæstik] a.奇异的；荒谬的 (高中英语单词)


• concession [kən´seʃən] n.让步；租界 (高中英语单词)


• critical [´kritikəl] a.批评的；关键性的 (高中英语单词)


• proceeding [prə´si:diŋ] n.程序；进程；行动 (高中英语单词)


• positively [´pɔzətivli] ad.确实；断然；绝对 (高中英语单词)


• sphere [sfiə] n.圆体；天体；范围 (高中英语单词)


• mature [mə´tjuə] a.成熟的 v.(使)成熟 (高中英语单词)


• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)


• suffice [sə´fais] vt.使满足 vi.足够 (高中英语单词)


• indignation [,indig´neiʃən] n.愤慨；气愤 (高中英语单词)


• singular [´siŋgjulə] a.单一的；非凡的 (高中英语单词)


• garrison [´gærisən] n.警备队 vt.驻防 (高中英语单词)


• turtle [´tə:tl] n.海龟；甲鱼 (高中英语单词)


• stirring [´stə:riŋ] a.活跃的；热闹的 (英语四级单词)


• logical [´lɔdʒikəl] a.逻辑(上)的 (英语四级单词)


• briskly [´briskli] ad.轻快地；活泼地 (英语四级单词)


• utterance [´ʌtərəns] n.发音；言辞；所说的话 (英语四级单词)


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


• platter [´plætə] n.(椭圆形的)大浅盘 (英语四级单词)


• crevice [´krevis] n.裂缝，罅隙 (英语四级单词)


• casket [´kɑ:skit] n.(精美)匣子；首饰盒 (英语四级单词)


• heifer [´hefə] n.小母牛 (英语四级单词)


• superb [su:´pə:b, sju:-] a.宏伟的；极好的 (英语四级单词)


• waiter [´weitə] n.侍者，服务员 (英语四级单词)


• beverage [´bevəridʒ] n.饮料 (英语四级单词)


• unbroken [ʌn´brəukən] a.未破的；不间断的 (英语四级单词)


• ardour [´ɑ:də] n.热心，热情 (英语四级单词)


• prospective [prə´spektiv] a.预期的；未来的 (英语四级单词)


• sublime [sə´blaim] a.崇高的，伟大的 (英语四级单词)


• meditation [,medi´teiʃən] n.熟虑；默想 (英语四级单词)


• modesty [´mɔdisti] n.谨慎；端庄；羞怯 (英语四级单词)


• eloquence [´eləkwəns] n.雄辩；口才 (英语四级单词)


• fixture [´fikstʃə] n.设备；竞赛项目 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• morrow [´mɔrəu] n.翌日 (英语四级单词)


• coffer [´kɔfə] n.保险箱；资产 (英语六级单词)


• pneumonia [nju:´məuniə] n.肺炎 (英语六级单词)


• copious [´kəupiəs] a.丰富的；冗长的 (英语六级单词)


• unborn [,ʌn´bɔ:n] a.未生的；将来的 (英语六级单词)


• causeway [´kɔ:zwei] n.堤道；砌道 (英语六级单词)


• irritation [,iri´teiʃən] n.(被)激怒；疼痛处 (英语六级单词)


• heather [´heðə] n.石南属植物 (英语六级单词)


• gaiety [´geəti] n.欢乐；乐事；华丽 (英语六级单词)


• concealment [kən´si:lmənt] n.隐藏，隐瞒 (英语六级单词)


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


• martyrdom [´mɑ:tədəm] n.殉难；牺牲 (英语六级单词)


• poetic [pəu´etik] a.理想化了的 (英语六级单词)


• preposterous [pri´pɔstərəs] a.反常的；荒谬的 (英语六级单词)