is, how mean and wretched--grudgingly given, poorly invented,

clumsily made! Ah! the elephant and the hippopotamus, what power!



And the camel, what suppleness!

But the butterfly, you will say, a flying flower! I dream of one



that should be as large as a hundred worlds, with wings whose

shape, beauty, colors, and motion I cannot even express. But I



see it--it flutters from star to star, refreshing them and

perfuming them with the light and harmoniousbreath of its



flight! And the people up there gaze at it as it passes in an

ecstasy of delight!



What is the matter with me? It is He, the Horla who haunts me,

and who makes me think of these foolish things! He is within me,



He is becoming my soul; I shall kill him!

August 20. I shall kill Him. I have seen Him! Yesterday I sat



down at my table and pretended to write very assiduously. I knew

quite well that He would come prowling round me, quite close to



me, so close that I might perhaps be able to touch him, to seize

him. And then--then I should have the strength of desperation; I



should have my hands, my knees, my chest, my forehead, my teeth

to strangle him, to crush him, to bite him, to tear him to



pieces. And I watched for him with all my overexcited nerves.

I had lighted my two lamps and the eight wax candles on my



mantelpiece, as if, by this light I should discover Him.

My bed, my old oak bed with its columns, was opposite to me; on



my right was the fireplace; on my left the door, which was

carefully closed, after I had left it open for some time, in



order to attract Him; behind me was a very high wardrobe with a

looking-glass in it, which served me to dress by every day, and



in which I was in the habit of inspecting myself from head to

foot every time I passed it.



So I pretended to be writing in order to deceive Him, for He also

was watching me, and suddenly I felt, I was certain, that He was



reading over my shoulder, that He was there, almost touching my

ear.



I got up so quickly, with my hands extended, that I almost fell.

Horror! It was as bright as at midday, but I did not see myself



in the glass! It was empty, clear, profound, full of light! But

my figure was not reflected in it--and I, I was opposite to it! I



saw the large, clear glass from top to bottom, and I looked at it

with unsteady eyes. I did not dare advance; I did not venture to



make a movement; feeling certain, nevertheless, that He was

there, but that He would escape me again, He whose imperceptible



body had absorbed my reflection.

How frightened I was! And then suddenly I began to see myself



through a mist in the depths of the looking-glass, in a mist as

it were, or through a veil of water; and it seemed to me as if



this water were flowing slowly from left to right, and making my

figure clearer every moment. It was like the end of an eclipse.



Whatever hid me did not appear to possess any clearly defined

outlines, but was a sort of opaque transparency, which gradually



grew clearer.

At last I was able to distinguish myself completely, as I do



every day when I look at myself.

I had seen Him! And the horror of it remained with me, and makes



me shudder even now.

August 21. How could I kill Him, since I could not get hold of



Him? Poison? But He would see me mix it with the water; and then,

would our poisons have any effect on His impalpable body?



No--no--no doubt about the matter. Then?--then?

August 22. I sent for a blacksmith from Rouen and ordered iron



shutters of him for my room, such as some private hotels in Paris

have on the ground floor, for fear of thieves, and he is going to



make me a similar door as well. I have made myself out a coward,

but I do not care about that!



September 10. Rouen, Hotel Continental. It is done; it is

done--but is He dead? My mind is thoroughly upset by what I have



seen.

Well then, yesterday, the locksmith having put on the iron



shutters and door, I left everything open until midnight,

although it was getting cold.



Suddenly I felt that He was there, and joy, mad joy took

• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)


• ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)


• liquid [´likwid] n.液体 a.流动的 (初中英语单词)


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


• accord [ə´kɔ:d] n.&vi.符合 vt.给与 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


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


• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


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


• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)


• coward [´kauəd] n.胆怯者 a.胆小的 (初中英语单词)


• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)


• invisible [in´vizəbəl] a.看不见的；无形的 (初中英语单词)


• origin [´ɔridʒin] n.起源；由来；出身 (初中英语单词)


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


• emperor [´empərə] n.皇帝 (初中英语单词)


• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


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


• graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)


• coarse [kɔ:s] a.粗(糙)的；粗鲁的 (初中英语单词)


• weapon [´wepən] n.武器；斗争手段 (初中英语单词)


• suggestion [sə´dʒestʃən] n.建议，提议；暗示 (初中英语单词)


• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)


• pigeon [pidʒin] n.鸽子 (初中英语单词)


• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


• differ [´difə] vi.不同；有差别 (初中英语单词)


• distinguish [di´stiŋgwiʃ] v.区分；识别；立功 (初中英语单词)


• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)


• deceive [di´si:v] vt.欺骗，欺诈 (初中英语单词)


• perceive [pə´si:v] vt.察觉；看出；领悟 (初中英语单词)


• complicated [´kɔmplikeitid] a.结构复杂的；难懂的 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


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


• intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的；理智的 (初中英语单词)


• oyster [´ɔistə] n.牡蛎 (初中英语单词)


• elephant [´elifənt] n.象 (初中英语单词)


• butterfly [´bʌtəflai] n.蝴蝶；蝶式 (初中英语单词)


• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


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


• venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险；敢于 (初中英语单词)


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


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)


• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)


• particle [´pɑ:tikl] n.微粒；极小量 (高中英语单词)


• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)


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


• species [´spi:ʃi:z] n.(生物的)种，类 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• buffalo [´bʌfələu] n.水牛；野牛 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• newcomer [´nju:,kʌmə] n.新来的人；移民 (高中英语单词)


• motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)


• fireplace [´faiəpleis] n.壁炉，炉灶 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


• shudder [´ʃʌdə] n.&vi.震颤；发抖 (高中英语单词)


• blacksmith [´blæk,smiθ] n.铁匠，锻工 (高中英语单词)


• continental [,kɔnti´nentl] a.大陆的，大陆性的 (高中英语单词)


• armchair [´ɑ:mtʃeə] n.扶手椅 (英语四级单词)


• epidemic [,epi´demik] n.&a.流行病(的) (英语四级单词)


• contagious [kən´teidʒəs] a.传染性的，有感染力 (英语四级单词)


• brazilian [brə´ziljən] a.&n.巴西(人)(的) (英语四级单词)


• accurately [´ækjuritli] ad.准确地；精密地 (英语四级单词)


• imperfect [im´pə:fikt] a.不完全的；未完成的 (英语四级单词)


• astray [ə´strei] ad.&a.在歧途上(的) (英语四级单词)


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


• awkwardly [´ɔ:kwədli] a.笨拙地；棘手地 (英语四级单词)


• mechanism [´mekənizəm] n.机械装置；机制 (英语四级单词)


• accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


• poorly [´puəli] a.不舒服的 ad.贫穷地 (英语四级单词)


• harmonious [hɑ:məuniəs] a.协调的，悦耳的 (英语四级单词)


• desperation [,despə´reiʃən] n.铤而走险，拼命 (英语四级单词)


• wardrobe [´wɔ:drəub] n.衣柜；全部服装 (英语四级单词)


• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)


• midday [´middei] n.中午 (英语四级单词)


• thieves [θi:vz] thief的复数 (英语四级单词)


• powerless [´pauələs] a.软弱的；无资源的 (英语六级单词)


• transient [´trænziənt, ´trænʃənt] a.短暂的；无常的 (英语六级单词)


• gunpowder [´gʌn,paudə] n.火药 (英语六级单词)


• eccentric [ik´sentrik] a.古怪的；离心的 (英语六级单词)


• refreshing [ri´freʃiŋ] a.使心神爽快的 (英语六级单词)


• extended [iks´tendid] a.伸长的；广大的 (英语六级单词)