make the smallest advances to that young lady? It would be at the risk

of your life perhaps."



"To lose your good graces, madame, would be worse than to lose my

life."



"Martial," said the Countess severely, "she is Madame de Soulanges.

Her husband would blow your brains out--if, indeed, you have any----"



"Ha! ha!" laughed the coxcomb. "What! the Colonel can leave the man in

peace who has robbed him of your love, and then would fight for his



wife! What a subversion of principles!--I beg of you to allow me to

dance with the little lady. You will then be able to judge how little



love that heart of ice could feel for you; for, if the Colonel

disapproves of my dancing with his wife after allowing me to----"



"But she loves her husband."

"A still further obstacle that I shall have the pleasure of



conquering."

"But she is married."



"A whimsical objection!"

"Ah!" said the Countess, with a bitter smile, "you punish us alike for



our faults and our repentance!"

"Do not be angry!" exclaimed Martial eagerly. "Oh, forgive me, I



beseech you. There, I will think no more of Madame de Soulanges."

"You deserve that I should send you to her."



"I am off then," said the Baron, laughing, "and I shall return more

devoted to you than ever. You will see that the prettiest woman in the



world cannot capture the heart that is yours."

"That is to say, that you want to win Colonel Montcornet's horse?"



"Ah! Traitor!" said he, threatening his friend with his finger. The

Colonel smiled and joined them; the Baron gave him the seat near the



Countess, saying to her with a sardonic accent:

"Here, madame, is a man who boasted that he could win your good graces



in one evening."

He went away, thinking himself clever to have piqued the Countess'



pride and done Montcornet an ill turn; but, in spite of his habitual

keenness, he had not appreciated the irony underlying Madame de



Vaudremont's speech, and did not perceive that she had come as far to

meet his friend as his friend towards her, though both were



unconscious of it.

At that moment when the lawyer went fluttering up to the candelabrum



by which Madame de Soulanges sat, pale, timid, and apparently alive

only in her eyes, her husband came to the door of the ballroom, his



eyes flashing with anger. The old Duchess, watchful of everything,

flew to her nephew, begged him to give her his arm and find her



carriage, affecting to be mortally bored, and hoping thus to prevent a

vexatious outbreak. Before going she fired a singular glance of



intelligence at her niece, indicating the enterprisingknight who was

about to address her, and this signal seemed to say, "There he is,



avenge yourself!"

Madame de Vaudremont caught these looks of the aunt and niece; a



sudden light dawned on her mind; she was frightened lest she was the

dupe of this old woman, so cunning and so practised in intrigue.



"That perfidious Duchess," said she to herself, "has perhaps been

amusing herself by preachingmorality to me while playing me some



spiteful trick of her own."

At this thought Madame de Vaudremont's pride was perhaps more roused



than her curiosity to disentangle the thread of this intrigue. In the

absorption of mind to which she was a prey she was no longer mistress



of herself. The Colonel, interpreting to his own advantage the

embarrassment evident in the Countess' manner and speech, became more



ardent and pressing. The old blase diplomates, amusing themselves by

watching the play of faces, had never found so many intrigues at once



to watch or guess at. The passions agitating the two couples were to

be seen with variations at every step in the crowded rooms, and



reflected with different shades in other countenances. The spectacle

of so many vivid passions, of all these lovers' quarrels, these



pleasing revenges, these cruel favors, these flaming glances, of all

this ardent life diffused around them, only made them feel their

• imperial [im´piəriəl] a.帝国的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


• undoubtedly [ʌn´dautidli] ad.无疑地，确实地 (初中英语单词)


• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)


• scheming [´ski:miŋ] a.计划的；诡计多端 (初中英语单词)


• eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)


• ambitious [æm´biʃəs] a.有雄心的；热望的 (初中英语单词)


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


• investment [in´vestmənt] n.投资；(时间等)投入 (初中英语单词)


• career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)


• alliance [ə´laiəns] n.联盟；同盟 (初中英语单词)


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


• disturb [di´stə:b] vt.扰乱；使不安；打乱 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• fulfil [ful´fil] vt.履行；完成；执行 (初中英语单词)


• forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)


• instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)


• persuasion [pə´sweiʒən] n.说服(力)；劝说；见解 (初中英语单词)


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


• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)


• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• assistance [ə´sistəns] n.协作；援助；帮助 (初中英语单词)


• pointed [´pɔintid] a.尖(锐)的；中肯的 (初中英语单词)


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


• attach [ə´tætʃ] v.附；使隶属；使依恋 (初中英语单词)


• forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)


• punish [´pʌniʃ] vt.(惩)罚；痛击；折磨 (初中英语单词)


• deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)


• capture [´kæptʃə] vt.&n.捕获；俘获；夺取 (初中英语单词)


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


• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)


• nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju] n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词)


• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)


• curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)


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


• evident [´evidənt] a.明显的，明白的 (初中英语单词)


• agitation [,ædʒi´teiʃən] n.鼓动；摇动；焦虑 (高中英语单词)


• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• elegant [´eligənt] a.文雅的；优美的 (高中英语单词)


• colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)


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


• sweetheart [´swi:thɑ:t] n.爱人；情人 (高中英语单词)


• passionate [´pæʃənit] a.易动情的；易怒的 (高中英语单词)


• perfection [pə´fekʃən] n.完美；极致；熟练 (高中英语单词)


• half-way [´hɑ:fwei] ad.半途；几乎 (高中英语单词)


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


• duchess [´dʌtʃis] n.公爵夫人；女公爵 (高中英语单词)


• disperse [di´spə:s] v.解散；驱散；传播 (高中英语单词)


• beseech [bi´si:tʃ] v.恳求，哀求 (高中英语单词)


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


• salmon [´sæmən] n.鲑，大马哈鱼 (高中英语单词)


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


• significance [sig´nifikəns] n.意义；重要性 (高中英语单词)


• generosity [,dʒenə´rɔsiti] n.慷慨；慷慨的行为 (高中英语单词)


• brightness [´braitnis] n.光明；快乐 (高中英语单词)


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


• obstacle [´ɔbstəkl] n.障碍(物)；妨碍 (高中英语单词)


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


• apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)


• outbreak [´autbreik] n.(战争等的)爆发 (高中英语单词)


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


• knight [nait] n.骑士；爵士 (高中英语单词)


• amusing [ə´mju:ziŋ] a.有趣的 (高中英语单词)


• crowded [´kraudid] a.充(拥)满了的 (高中英语单词)


• martial [´mɑ:ʃəl] a.战争的；象军人的 (英语四级单词)


• alternately [ɔ:l´tə:nitli] ad.交替地，轮流地 (英语四级单词)


• charitable [´tʃæritəbəl] a.仁爱的；慈善的 (英语四级单词)


• sterling [´stə:liŋ] a.真正的 n.英国货币 (英语四级单词)


• trivial [´triviəl] a.琐碎的；不重要的 (英语四级单词)


• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)


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


• sorrowful [´sɔrəuful] a.悲伤的，使人伤心的 (英语四级单词)


• consolation [,kɔnsə´leiʃən] n.安慰，慰问 (英语四级单词)


• compassion [kəm´pæʃən] n.同情；怜悯 (英语四级单词)


• irresistible [,iri´zistəbəl] a.不可抵抗的 (英语四级单词)


• armchair [´ɑ:mtʃeə] n.扶手椅 (英语四级单词)


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


• watchful [´wɔtʃfəl] a.注意的；戒备的 (英语四级单词)


• morality [mə´ræliti] n.道德；教训；伦理学 (英语四级单词)


• flaming [´fleimiŋ] a.熊熊燃烧的；热情的 (英语四级单词)


• ardent [´ɑ:dənt] a.热心的；热情洋溢的 (英语四级单词)


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


• plaintive [´pleintiv] a.表示哀怨(悲痛) (英语六级单词)


• involuntary [in´vɔləntəri] a.无意识的；非自愿的 (英语六级单词)


• inviting [in´vaitiŋ] a.动人的 (英语六级单词)


• enduring [in´djuəriŋ] a.持久的 (英语六级单词)


• reckoning [´rekəniŋ] n.计算；算帐；估计 (英语六级单词)


• tremulous [´tremjuləs] a.发抖的；震颤的 (英语六级单词)


• brilliantly [´briljəntli] ad.灿烂地；杰出地 (英语六级单词)


• dejected [di´dʒektid] a.垂头丧气的 (英语六级单词)


• festivity [fe´stiviti] n.节日；喜庆日；庆祝 (英语六级单词)


• prophetic [prə´fetik] a.预言(家)的；预示的 (英语六级单词)


• underlying [,ʌndə´laiiŋ] a.基础的；下层的 (英语六级单词)


• enterprising [´entəpraiziŋ] a.有事业心的 (英语六级单词)


• preaching [´pri:tʃiŋ] n.说教 a.说教的 (英语六级单词)