friend remarked when I recently appeared holding the plate, at



our last charity sermon.

What would my surviving relatives and associates in England say,



if they could see me now? I have heard of them at different times

and through various channels. Lady Malkinshaw, after living to



the verge of a hundred, and surviving all sorts of accidents,

died quietly one afternoon, in her chair, with an empty dish



before her, and without giving the slightest notice to anybody.

Mr. Batterbury, having sacrificed so much to his wife's



reversion, profited nothing by its falling in at last. His

quarrels with my amiable sister--which took their rise from his



interested charities toward me--ended in producing a separation.

And, far from saving anything by Annabella's inheritance of her



pin-money, he had a positive loss to put up with, in the shape of

some hundreds extracted yearly from his income, as alimony to his



uncongenial wife. He is said to make use of shocking language

whenever my name is mentioned, and to wish that he had been



carried off by the yellow fever before he ever set eyes on the

Softly family.



My father has retired from practice. He and my mother have gone

to live in the country, near the mansion of the only marquis with



whom my father was actually and personally acquainted in his

professional days. The marquis asks him to dinner once a year,



and leaves a card for my mother before he returns to town for the

season. A portrait of Lady Malkinshaw hangs in the dining-room.



In this way, my parents are ending their days contentedly. I can

honestly say that I am glad to hear it.



Doctor Dulcifer, when I last heard of him, was editing a

newspaper in America. Old File, who shared his flight, still



shares his fortunes, being publisher of his newspaper. Young File

resumed coining operations in London; and, having braved his fate



a second time, threaded his way, in due course, up to the steps

of the scaffold. Screw carries on the profitable trade of



informer, in London. The dismaldisappearance of Mill I have

already recorded.



So much on the subject of my relatives and associates. On the

subject of myself, I might still write on at considerable length.



But while the libelous title of "A ROGUE'S LIFE" stares me in the

face at the top of the page, how can I, as a rich and reputable



man, be expected to communicate any further autobiographical

particulars, in this place, to a discerning public of readers?



No, no, my friends! I am no longer interesting--I am only

respectable like yourselves. It is time to say "Good-by."



End

• relative [´relətiv] a.有关系的 n.亲属 (初中英语单词)


• briefly [´bri:fli] ad.简短地；简略地 (初中英语单词)


• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• voyage [´vɔi-idʒ] n.&vi.航海；航程；旅行 (初中英语单词)


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


• harmony [´hɑ:məni] n.调合，协调，和谐 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• obligation [,ɔbli´geiʃən] n.义务；职责；合约 (初中英语单词)


• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• fortunate [´fɔ:tʃənət] a.幸运的，侥幸的 (初中英语单词)


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


• occasionally [ə´keiʒənəli] ad.偶然地；非经常地 (初中英语单词)


• female [´fi:meil] a.女(性)的 n.女人 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


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


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• privilege [´privilidʒ] n.特权 vt.给….特权 (初中英语单词)


• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)


• ceremony [´seriməni] n.典礼；礼仪；客气 (初中英语单词)


• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)


• prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)


• wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)


• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)


• transportation [,trænspɔ:´teiʃən] n.运输；运送；运费 (初中英语单词)


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


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• considerable [kən´sidərəbəl] a.重要的；值得重视 (初中英语单词)


• convict [kən´vikt, ´kɔnvikt] vt.证明…有罪 n.罪犯 (高中英语单词)


• behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)


• amusing [ə´mju:ziŋ] a.有趣的 (高中英语单词)


• necessarily [´nesisərili] ad.必定，必然地 (高中英语单词)


• needless [´ni:dləs] a.不必要的；无用的 (高中英语单词)


• profitable [´prɔfitəbəl] a.有益的；有用的 (高中英语单词)


• speculation [,spekju´leiʃən] n.思索，推测；投机 (高中英语单词)


• boldly [´bəuldli] ad.大胆地；醒目地 (高中英语单词)


• respectable [ri´spektəbəl] a.可敬的；有身价的 (高中英语单词)


• charity [´tʃæriti] n.施舍；慈悲；博爱 (高中英语单词)


• inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)


• positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)


• mansion [´mænʃən] n.大厦；宅第；官邸 (高中英语单词)


• marquis [´mɑ:kwis] n.侯爵 (高中英语单词)


• personally [´pə:sənəli] ad.亲自；就个人来说 (高中英语单词)


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


• ending [´endiŋ] n.结尾，结局 (高中英语单词)


• publisher [´pʌbliʃə] n.书籍出版者；发表者 (高中英语单词)


• dismal [´dizməl] a.灰暗的；阴郁的 (高中英语单词)


• communicate [kə´mju:nikeit] vi.通讯；传达；传播 (高中英语单词)


• persecution [,pə:si´kju:ʃən] n.迫害；残害；困扰 (英语四级单词)


• reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)


• upstairs [,ʌp´steəz] ad.在楼上 a.楼上的 (英语四级单词)


• humility [hju:´militi] n.谦逊，谦让 (英语四级单词)


• enormously [i´nɔ:məsli] ad.巨大的，庞大的 (英语四级单词)


• superfluous [su:´pə:fluəs, sju:-] a.过剩的，多余的 (英语四级单词)


• coachman [´kəutʃmən] n.赶马车人 (英语四级单词)


• amiable [´eimiəbəl] a.亲切的，温和的 (英语四级单词)


• yearly [´jiəli] a.每年的；一年间的 (英语四级单词)


• abandoned [ə´bændənd] a.被抛弃的；无约束的 (英语六级单词)


• hamburg [´hæmbə:g] n.汉堡 (英语六级单词)


• footman [´futmən] n.侍应员；男仆 (英语六级单词)


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


• shocking [´ʃɔkiŋ] a.令人震惊的；可怕的 (英语六级单词)


• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)


• disappearance [,disə´piərəns] n.消失；失踪 (英语六级单词)