belong, she is not Mrs. Romayne--she is Mrs. Winterfield, living

with you in adultery. If you regret your conversion--"



"I don't regret it, Father Benwell."

"If you renounce the holy aspirations which you have yourself



acknowledged to me, return to your domestic life. But don't ask

us, while you are living with that lady, to respect you as a



member of our communion."

Romayne was silent. The more violent emotions aroused in him had,



with time, subsided into calm. Tenderness, mercy, past affection,

found their opportunity, and pleaded with him. The priest's bold



language had missed the object at which it aimed. It had revived

in Romayne's memory the image of Stella in the days when he had



first seen her. How gently her influence had wrought on him for

good! how tenderly, how truly, she had loved him. "Give me some



more wine!" he cried. "I feel faint and giddy. Don't despise me,

Father Benwell--I was once so fond of her!"



The priest poured out the wine. "I feel for you," he said.

"Indeed, indeed, I feel for you."



It was not all a lie--there were grains of truth in that outburst

of sympathy. Father Benwell was not whollymerciless. His



far-seeing intellect, his daring duplicity, carried him straight

on to his end in view. But, that end once gained--and, let it be



remembered, not gained, in this case, whol ly for himself--there

were compassionate impulses left in him which sometimes forced



their way to the surface. A man of high intelligence--however he

may misuse it, however unworthy he may be of it--has a gift from



Heaven. When you want to see unredeemed wickedness, look for it

in a fool.



"Let me mention one circumstance," Father Benwell proceeded,

"which may help to relieve you for the moment. In your present



state of mind, you cannot return to The Retreat."

"Impossible!"



"I have had a room prepared for you in this house. Here, free

from any disturbing influence, you can shape the future course of



your life. If you wish to communicate with your residence at

Highgate--"



"Don't speak of it!"

Father Benwell sighed. "Ah, I understand!" he said, sadly. "The



house associated with Mr. Winterfield's visit--"

Romayne again interrupted him--this time by gesture only. The



hand that had made the sign clinched itself when it rested

afterward on the table. His eyes looked downward, under frowning



brows. At the name of Winterfield, remembrances that poisoned

every better influence in him rose venomously in his mind. Once



more he loathed the deceit that had been practiced on him. Once

more the detestable doubt of that asserted parting at the church



door renewed its stealthy torment, and reasoned with him as if in

words: She has deceived you in one thing; why not in another?



"Can I see my lawyer here?" he asked, suddenly.

"My dear Romayne, you can see any one whom you like to invite."



"I shall not trouble you by staying very long, Father Benwell."

"Do nothing in a hurry, my son. Pray do nothing in a hurry!"



Romayne paid no attention to this entreaty. Shrinking from the

momentous decision that awaited him, his mind instinctively took



refuge in the prospect of change of scene. "I shall leave

England," he said, impatiently.



"Not alone!" Father Benwell remonstrated.

"Who will be my companion?"



"I will," the priest answered.

Romayne's weary eyes brightened faintly. In his desolate



position, Father Benwell was the one friend on whom he could

rely. Penrose was far away; the Lorings had helped to keep him



deceived; Major Hynd had openly pitied and despised him as a

victim to priestcraft.



"Can you go with me at any time?" he asked. "Have you no duties

that keep you in England?"



"My duties, Romayne, are already confided to other hands."

"Then you have foreseen this?"

• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)


• deceive [di´si:v] vt.欺骗，欺诈 (初中英语单词)


• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)


• passive [´pæsiv] a.被动的 n.被动性 (初中英语单词)


• consequence [´kɔnsikwəns] n.结果；后果；推断 (初中英语单词)


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


• career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


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


• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)


• allowance [ə´lauəns] n.津贴；配给量；考虑 (初中英语单词)


• absolutely [´æbsəlu:tli] ad.绝对地；确实 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• acknowledge [ək´nɔlidʒ] vt.(公开)承认；感谢 (初中英语单词)


• purely [´pjuəli] ad.仅仅；简单地 (初中英语单词)


• parliament [´pɑ:ləmənt] n.议(国)会 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• grieve [gri:v] v.&n.(使)悲痛；哀悼 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• humanity [hju:´mæniti] n.人类；人性；仁慈 (初中英语单词)


• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


• domestic [də´mestik] a.家庭的；本国的 (初中英语单词)


• violent [´vaiələnt] a.强暴的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• despise [di´spaiz] vt.轻视，藐视 (初中英语单词)


• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)


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


• wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)


• relieve [ri´li:v] v.救济，援救；减轻 (初中英语单词)


• residence [´rezidəns] n.居住(期间)；住宅 (初中英语单词)


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


• prospect [´prɔspekt, prəs´pekt] n.景色；境界 v.勘察 (初中英语单词)


• indifference [in´difrəns] n.冷淡；无足轻重 (高中英语单词)


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


• reverend [´revərənd] a.可尊敬的 (高中英语单词)


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


• extract [ik´strækt, ´ekstrækt] vt.取出；摘录 n.精华 (高中英语单词)


• innocence [´inəsəns] n.无罪；天真 (高中英语单词)


• outrage [´aut,reidʒ] n.残暴 vt.虐待；伤害 (高中英语单词)


• sensitive [´sensitiv] a.敏感的；感光的 (高中英语单词)


• severely [si´viəli] ad.剧烈地；严格地 (高中英语单词)


• napoleon [nə´pəuljən] n.拿破仑 (高中英语单词)


• senate [´senit] n.参议院；上院 (高中英语单词)


• circus [´sə:kəs] n.马戏(团)；圆形广场 (高中英语单词)


• pronounced [prə´naunst] a.发出音的；显著的 (高中英语单词)


• formula [´fɔ:mjulə] n.公式；配方；原则 (高中英语单词)


• clergyman [´klə:dʒimən] n.牧师；教士 (高中英语单词)


• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)


• tenderness [´tendənis] n.娇嫩；柔软；温柔 (高中英语单词)


• tenderly [´tendəli] ad.娇嫩地；柔和地 (高中英语单词)


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


• downward [´daunwəd] a.下降的，向下的 (高中英语单词)


• torment [´tɔ:ment] vt.(使)痛苦，折磨 (高中英语单词)


• faintly [´feintli] ad.微弱地，软弱无力的 (高中英语单词)


• openly [´əupənli] ad.公开地；直率地 (高中英语单词)


• chaplain [´tʃæplin] n.本堂神父；专职教士 (英语四级单词)


• brussels [´brʌslz] n.布鲁塞尔 (英语四级单词)


• colleague [´kɔli:g] n.同事，同僚 (英语四级单词)


• assuredly [ə´ʃuəridli] ad.确实地；确信地 (英语四级单词)


• justly [´dʒʌstli] ad.公正地，正当地 (英语四级单词)


• profane [prə´fein] a.亵渎的 vt.玷污 (英语四级单词)


• lawful [´lɔ:fəl] a.合法的，守法的 (英语四级单词)


• layman [´leimən] n.俗人 (英语四级单词)


• humiliate [hju:´milieit] vt.使蒙羞，屈辱 (英语四级单词)


• renounce [ri´nauns] v.拒绝 n.放弃权力 (英语四级单词)


• intellect [´intilekt] n.智力；有才智的人 (英语四级单词)


• daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)


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


• deceit [di´si:t] n.欺骗 (英语四级单词)


• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)


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


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


• vestige [´vestidʒ] n.形迹；痕迹；遗迹 (英语六级单词)


• horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)


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


• expressive [ik´spresiv] a.有表现力的 (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)


• mockery [´mɔkəri] n.嘲笑；笑柄 (英语六级单词)


• merciless [´mə:siləs] a.残忍的；无情的 (英语六级单词)


• compassionate [kəm´pæʃənit] a.有同情心的 vt.同情 (英语六级单词)


• misuse [,mis´ju:z] vt.误用，滥用 (英语六级单词)


• practiced [´præktist] a.经验丰富的；熟练的 (英语六级单词)


• entreaty [in´tri:ti] n.恳求，哀求 (英语六级单词)


• foreseen [fɔ:´si:n] foresee的过去分词 (英语六级单词)