it necessary to have a pair of spirited horses, servants in

livery, and torrents of gold to draw a glance from a woman here



in Paris?"

The demon of luxury gnawed at his heart, greed burned in his



veins, his throat was parched with the thirst of gold.

He had a hundred and thirty francs every quarter. His father,



mother, brothers, sisters, and aunt did not spend two hundred

francs a month among them. This swift comparison between his



present condition and the aims he had in view helped to benumb

his faculties.



"Why not?" the Vicomtesse was saying, as she smiled at the

Portuguese. "Why cannot you come to the Italiens?"



"Affairs! I am to dine with the English Ambassador."

"Throw him over."



When a man once enters on a course of deception, he is compelled

to add lie to lie. M. d'Ajuda therefore said, smiling, "Do you



lay your commands on me?"

"Yes, certainly."



"That was what I wanted to have you say to me," he answered,

dissembling his feelings in a glance which would have reassured



any other woman.

He took the Vicomtesse's hand, kissed it, and went.



Eugene ran his fingers through his hair, and constrained himself

to bow. He thought that now Mme. de Beauseant would give him her



attention; but suddenly she sprang forward, rushed to a window in

the gallery, and watched M. d'Ajuda step into his carriage; she



listened to the order that he gave, and heard the Swiss repeat it

to the coachman:



"To M. de Rochefide's house."

Those words, and the way in which M. d'Ajuda flung himself back



in the carriage, were like a lightning flash and a thunderbolt

for her; she walked back again with a deadly fear gnawing at her



heart. The most terrible catastrophes only happen among the

heights. The Vicomtesse went to her own room, sat down at a



table, and took up a sheet of dainty notepaper.

"When, instead of dining with the English Ambassador,"



she wrote, "you go to the Rochefides, you owe me an

explanation, which I am waiting to hear."



She retraced several of the letters, for her hand was trembling

so that they were indistinct; then she signed the note with an



initial C for "Claire de Bourgogne," and rang the bell.

"Jacques," she said to the servant, who appeared immediately,



"take this note to M. de Rochefide's house at half-past seven and

ask for the Marquis d'Ajuda. If M. d'Ajuda is there, leave the



note without waiting for an answer; if he is not there, bring the

note back to me."



"Madame la Vicomtess, there is a visitor in the drawing-room."

"Ah! yes, of course," she said, opening the door.



Eugene was beginning to feel very uncomfortable, but at last the

Vicomtesse appeared; she spoke to him, and the tremulous tones of



her voice vibrated through his heart.

"Pardon me, monsieur," she said; "I had a letter to write. Now I



am quite at liberty."

She scarcely knew what she was saying, for even as she spoke she



thought, "Ah! he means to marry Mlle. de Rochefide? But is he

still free? This evening the marriage shall be broken off, or



else . . . But before to-morrow I shall know."

"Cousin . . ." the student replied.



"Eh?" said the Countess, with an insolent glance that sent a cold

shudder through Eugene; he understood what that "Eh?" meant; he



had learned a great deal in three hours, and his wits were on the

alert. He reddened:



"Madame . . ." he began; he hesitated a moment, and then went on.

"Pardon me; I am in such need of protection that the nearest



scrap of relationship could do me no harm."

Mme. de Beauseant smiled but there was sadness in her smile; even



now she felt forebodings of the coming pain, the air she breathed

was heavy with the storm that was about to burst.



"If you knew how my family are situated," he went on, "you would

love to play the part of a beneficent fairy godmother who



graciously clears the obstacles from the path of her protege."

"Well, cousin," she said, laughing, "and how can I be of service



to you?"

• scarlet [´skɑ:lit] n.猩红色 a.猩红的 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• beheld [bi´held] behold的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• laughter [´lɑ:ftə] n.笑，笑声 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)


• invitation [,invi´teiʃən] n.邀请；请帖；吸引 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


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


• reflect [ri´flekt] v.反射；反响；表达 (初中英语单词)


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)


• interval [´intəvəl] n.间隙；(工间)休息 (初中英语单词)


• arrangement [ə´reindʒmənt] n.整理；排列；筹备 (初中英语单词)


• possibility [,pɔsə´biliti] n.可能(性)；希望；前途 (初中英语单词)


• mischief [´mistʃif] n.伤害；故障；调皮 (初中英语单词)


• pistol [´pistl] n.手枪 vt.用手枪射击 (初中英语单词)


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


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


• breeze [bri:z] n.微风；不费力的事 (初中英语单词)


• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)


• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• comparison [kəm´pærisən] n.比较；对照；比喻 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• gallery [´gæləri] n.画廊；美术馆；长廊 (初中英语单词)


• carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)


• lightning [´laitniŋ] n.闪电 a.突然的 (初中英语单词)


• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• visitor [´vizitə] n.访问者；来宾；参观者 (初中英语单词)


• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)


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


• protection [prə´tekʃən] n.警戒；护照；通行证 (初中英语单词)


• courtyard [´kɔ:tjɑ:d] n.院子，庭院 (高中英语单词)


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


• routine [ru:´ti:n] n.日常工作 a.日常的 (高中英语单词)


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


• marquis [´mɑ:kwis] n.侯爵 (高中英语单词)


• fashionable [´fæʃənəbəl] a.流行的，时髦的 (高中英语单词)


• treachery [´tretʃəri] n.背叛；背信弃义 (高中英语单词)


• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)


• ingenuity [,indʒi´nju:iti] n.创造性；机灵 (高中英语单词)


• detect [di´tekt] vt.发觉；侦察 (高中英语单词)


• poland [´pəulənd] n.波兰 (高中英语单词)


• picturesque [,piktʃə´resk] a.似画的；别致的 (高中英语单词)


• scandal [´skændl] n.丑闻；耻辱；流言蜚语 (高中英语单词)


• awkward [´ɔ:kwəd] a.笨拙的；为难的 (高中英语单词)


• dainty [´deinti] a.秀丽的 n.美味 (高中英语单词)


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


• uncomfortable [ʌn´kʌmftəbəl] a.不舒服的，不自在的 (高中英语单词)


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


• relationship [ri´leiʃənʃip] n.关系；联系；亲属关系 (高中英语单词)


• sadness [´sædnis] n.悲哀；悲痛；凄惨 (高中英语单词)


• vehicle [´vi:ikəl] n.车辆；媒介物 (英语四级单词)


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


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


• portuguese [,pɔ:tʃu´gi:z] a.葡萄牙的 n.葡萄牙人 (英语四级单词)


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


• appalling [ə´pɔ:liŋ] a.令人震惊的 (英语四级单词)


• exclamation [,eksklə´meiʃən] n.喊(惊)叫；感叹词 (英语四级单词)


• prodigious [prə´didʒəs] a.惊人的；巨大的 (英语四级单词)


• gracefully [´greisfuli] ad.优美地，斯文地 (英语四级单词)


• bloodshed [´blʌdʃed] n.流血；杀人 (英语六级单词)


• respecting [ri´spektiŋ] prep.由于；鉴于 (英语六级单词)


• monotony [mə´nɔtəni] n.单音；单调 (英语六级单词)


• forsaken [fə´seik] forsake的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


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


• deception [di´sepʃən] n.欺骗，诈骗；骗术 (英语六级单词)


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


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


• insolent [´insələnt] a.傲慢的；无礼的 (英语六级单词)


• godmother [´gɔdmʌðə] n.教母 (英语六级单词)