of winning." My Lord (a true Englishman) blushes, bows, and obeys.

The Countess proves to be a prophet. She loses again. My Lord wins twice



the sum that he has risked.

'The Countess rises from the table. She has no more money,



and she offers my Lord her chair.

'Instead of taking it, he politely places his winnings in her hand,



and begs her to accept the loan as a favour to himself.

The Countess stakes again, and loses again. My Lord smiles superbly,



and presses a second loan on her. From that moment her luck turns.

She wins, and wins largely. Her brother, the Baron, trying his fortune



in another room, hears of what is going on, and joins my Lord and

the Countess.



'Pay attention, if you please, to the Baron. He is delineated

as a remarkable and interesting character.



'This noble person has begun life with a single-minded devotion

to the science of experimentalchemistry, very surprising in a young



and handsome man with a brilliant future before him. A profound

knowledge of the occult sciences has persuaded the Baron that it is



possible to solve the famous problem called the "Philosopher's Stone."

His own pecuniary resources have long since been exhausted by his



costly experiments. His sister has next supplied him with the small

fortune at her disposal: reserving only the family jewels,



placed in the charge of her banker and friend at Frankfort.

The Countess's fortune also being swallowed up, the Baron has



in a fatal moment sought for new supplies at the gaming table.

He proves, at starting on his perilouscareer, to be a favourite



of fortune; wins largely, and, alas! profanes his noble enthusiasm

for science by yielding his soul to the all-debasing passion of



the gamester.

'At the period of the Play, the Baron's good fortune has deserted him.



He sees his way to a crowning experiment in the fatal search

after the secret of transmuting the baser elements into gold.



But how is he to pay the preliminary expenses? Destiny, like a

mocking echo, answers, How?



'Will his sister's winnings (with my Lord's money) prove large enough

to help him? Eager for this result, he gives the Countess his advice



how to play. From that disastrous moment the infection of his own

adverse fortune spreads to his sister. She loses again, and again--



loses to the last farthing.

'The amiable and wealthy Lord offers a third loan;



but the scrupulous Countess positively refuses to take it.

On leaving the table, she presents her brother to my Lord.



The gentlemen fall into pleasant talk. My Lord asks leave to pay

his respects to the Countess, the next morning, at her hotel.



The Baron hospitably invites him to breakfast. My Lord accepts,

with a last admiring glance at the Countess which does not escape her



brother's observation, and takes his leave for the night.

'Alone with his sister, the Baron speaks out plainly. "Our affairs,"



he says, "are in a desperate condition, and must find a desperate remedy.

Wait for me here, while I make inquiries about my Lord.



You have evidently produced a strong impression on him. If we

can turn that impression into money, no matter at what sacrifice,



the thing must be done."

'The Countess now occupies the stage alone, and indulges



in a soliloquy which develops her character.

'It is at once a dangerous and attractivecharacter.



Immense capacities for good are implanted in her nature,

side by side with equallyremarkable capacities for evil.



It rests with circumstances to develop either the one or the other.

Being a person who produces a sensationwherever she goes, this noble



lady is naturally made the subject of all sorts of scandalous reports.

To one of these reports (which falsely and abominably points to the Baron



as her lover instead of her brother) she now refers with just indignation.

She has just expressed her desire to leave Homburg, as the place



in which the vile calumny first took its rise, when the Baron returns,

overhears her last words, and says to her, "Yes, leave Homburg



by all means; provided you leave it in the character of my Lord's

betrothed wife!"



'The Countess is startled and shocked. She protests that she

does not reciprocate my Lord's admiration for her. She even goes



the length of refusing to see him again. The Baron answers,

• holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)


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


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• instrument [´instrumənt] n.仪器；手段；乐器 (初中英语单词)


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


• liquor [´likə] n.酒类；(溶)液 (初中英语单词)


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


• invention [in´venʃən] n.创造；发明；虚构 (初中英语单词)


• abruptly [ə´brʌptli] ad.突然地；粗鲁地 (初中英语单词)


• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• humour [´hju:mə] n.幽默，诙谐 (初中英语单词)


• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)


• shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出…轮廓 (初中英语单词)


• invest [in´vest] v.投资；授予 (初中英语单词)


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


• striking [´straikiŋ] a.显著的，明显的 (初中英语单词)


• contrast [´kɔntrɑ:st] n.对比 v.使对比(照) (初中英语单词)


• actual [´æktʃuəl] a.现实的；实际的 (初中英语单词)


• extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)


• stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• manager [´mænidʒə] n.经理；管理人；干事 (初中英语单词)


• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• deposit [di´pɔzit] vt.存放，存储 n.存款 (初中英语单词)


• prophet [´prɔfit] n.预言家；先知；提倡者 (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)


• chemistry [´kemistri] n.化学 (初中英语单词)


• surprising [sə´praiziŋ] a.惊人的；意外的 (初中英语单词)


• brilliant [´briliənt] a.灿烂的；杰出的 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• banker [´bæŋkə] n.银行家 (初中英语单词)


• career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)


• observation [,ɔbzə´veiʃən] n.观测；注意；意义 (初中英语单词)


• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)


• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• equally [´i:kwəli] ad.相等地；平等地 (初中英语单词)


• sensation [sen´seiʃən] n.感觉；轰动；轰动一时 (初中英语单词)


• wherever [weər´evə] conj.无论在哪里 (初中英语单词)


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


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


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


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


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


• everlasting [,evə´lɑ:stiŋ] a.永久的，无尽的 (高中英语单词)


• manuscript [´mænjuskript] a.手抄的 n.手稿 (高中英语单词)


• customary [´kʌstəməri] a.通常的；惯例的 (高中英语单词)


• drowsy [´drauzi] a.困倦的；催眠的 (高中英语单词)


• distinguished [di´stiŋgwiʃt] a.卓越的，著名的 (高中英语单词)


• injustice [in´dʒʌstis] n.不公正，不公平 (高中英语单词)


• politely [pə´laitli] ad.温和地；文雅地 (高中英语单词)


• disposal [di´spəuzəl] n.处理；支配 (高中英语单词)


• perilous [´periləs] a.危险的；冒险的 (高中英语单词)


• preliminary [pri´liminəri] a.初步的 n.预赛 (高中英语单词)


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


• infection [in´fekʃən] n.感染，影响 (高中英语单词)


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


• nervously [´nə:vəsli] ad.神经质地；胆怯地 (英语四级单词)


• remorse [ri´mɔ:s] n.懊悔；自责；同情 (英语四级单词)


• impatiently [im´peiʃəntli] ad.不耐烦地，急躁地 (英语四级单词)


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


• unfinished [´ʌn´finiʃt] a.未完成的，未完工的 (英语四级单词)


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


• unlucky [ʌn´lʌki] a.倒霉的，不幸的 (英语四级单词)


• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)


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


• disastrous [di´zɑ:strəs] a.招致灾祸的；不幸的 (英语四级单词)


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


• outburst [´autbə:st] n.喷发；爆发；激增 (英语六级单词)


• countess [´kauntis] n.伯爵夫人；女伯爵 (英语六级单词)


• uttermost [´ʌtəməust] a.&n.=utmost (英语六级单词)


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


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• languid [´læŋgwid] a.精神不振的 (英语六级单词)


• familiarity [fə,mili´æriti] n.熟悉；新近；随便 (英语六级单词)


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