love. You take Minna like an axe to hew me down. Have mercy!"



"Why do you say these things, my friend, when you know that they are

useless?" she replied, with a look which grew in the end so soft that



Wilfrid ceased to behold her eyes, but saw in their place a fluid

light, the shimmer of which was like the last vibrations of an Italian



song.

"Ah! no man dies of anguish!" he murmured.



"You are suffering?" she said in a voice whose intonations produced

upon his heart the same effect as that of her look. "Would I could



help you!"

"Love me as I love you."



"Poor Minna!" she replied.

"Why am I unarmed!" exclaimed Wilfrid, violently.



"You are out of temper," said Seraphita, smiling. "Come, have I not

spoken to you like those Parisian women whose loves you tell of?"



Wilfrid sat down, crossed his arms, and looked gloomily at Seraphita.

"I forgive you," he said; "for you know not what you do."



"You mistake," she replied; "every woman from the days of Eve does

good and evil knowingly."



"I believe it"; he said.

"I am sure of it, Wilfrid. Our instinct is precisely that which makes



us perfect. What you men learn, we feel."

"Why, then, do you not feel how much I love you?"



"Because you do not love me."

"Good God!"



"If you did, would you complain of your own sufferings?"

"You are terrible to-night, Seraphita. You are a demon."



"No, but I am gifted with the faculty of comprehending, and it is

awful. Wilfrid, sorrow is a lamp which illumines life."



"Why did you ascend the Falberg?"

"Minna will tell you. I am too weary to talk. You must talk to me,--



you who know so much, who have learned all things and forgotten

nothing; you who have passed through every social test. Talk to me,



amuse me, I am listening."

"What can I tell you that you do not know? Besides, the request is



ironical. You allow yourself no intercourse with social life; you

trample on its conventions, its laws, its customs, sentiments, and



sciences; you reduce them all to the proportions such things take when

viewed by you beyond this universe."



"Therefore you see, my friend, that I am not a woman. You do wrong to

love me. What! am I to leave the ethereal regions of my pretended



strength, make myself humbly small, cringe like the haplessfemale of

all species, that you may lift me up? and then, when I, helpless and



broken, ask you for help, when I need your arm, you will repulse me!

No, we can never come to terms."



"You are more maliciously unkind to-night than I have ever known you."

"Unkind!" she said, with a look which seemed to blend all feelings



into one celestialemotion, "no, I am ill, I suffer, that is all.

Leave me, my friend; it is your manly right. We women should ever



please you, entertain you, be gay in your presence and have no whims

save those that amuse you. Come, what shall I do for you, friend?



Shall I sing, shall I dance, though weariness deprives me of the use

of voice and limbs?--Ah! gentlemen, be we on our deathbeds, we yet



must smile to please you; you call that, methinks, your right. Poor

women! I pity them. Tell me, you who abandon them when they grow old,



is it because they have neither hearts nor souls? Wilfrid, I am a

hundred years old; leave me! leave me! go to Minna!"



"Oh, my eternal love!"

"Do you know the meaning of eternity? Be silent, Wilfrid. You desire



me, but you do not love me. Tell me, do I not seem to you like those

coquettish Parisian women?"



"Certainly I no longer find you the pure celestialmaiden I first saw

in the church of Jarvis."



At these words Seraphita passed her hands across her brow, and when

she removed them Wilfrid was amazed at the saintly expression that



overspread her face.

"You are right, my friend," she said; "I do wrong whenever I set my



feet upon your earth."

• disgust [dis´gʌst] n.厌恶 vt.令(人)作呕 (初中英语单词)


• abandon [ə´bændən] vt.抛弃，放弃，离弃 (初中英语单词)


• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为….所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• inspire [in´spaiə] v.鼓舞；使感悟；吸入 (初中英语单词)


• enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm] n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词)


• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)


• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)


• monster [´mɔnstə] n.怪物 a.大得异常的 (初中英语单词)


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


• delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)


• winged [´wiŋd] a.有翼的 (初中英语单词)


• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)


• lightly [´laitli] ad.轻微地，稍微 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• hasten [´heisən] vt.催促；促进 vi.赶紧 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


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


• daylight [´deilait] n.日光；黎明 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


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


• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)


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


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


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


• garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)


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


• slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)


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


• instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)


• complain [kəm´plein] vi.抱怨，叫屈；控诉 (初中英语单词)


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


• ascend [ə´send] v.登；上升；追溯 (初中英语单词)


• female [´fi:meil] a.女(性)的 n.女人 (初中英语单词)


• helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)


• emotion [i´məuʃən] n.感情；情绪；激动 (初中英语单词)


• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)


• eternal [i´tə:nəl] a.永远的；永恒的 (初中英语单词)


• maiden [´meidn] n.少女 a.未婚的 (初中英语单词)


• whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)


• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)


• vigorous [´vigərəs] a.精力旺盛的；健壮的 (高中英语单词)


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


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


• overtake [,əuvə´teik] vt.追上；赶上 (高中英语单词)


• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)


• remainder [ri´meində] n.剩余物；残余部分 (高中英语单词)


• shadowy [´ʃædəui] a.有阴影的；模糊的 (高中英语单词)


• refreshment [ri´freʃmənt] n.精神爽快 (高中英语单词)


• regain [ri´gein] vt.收回；恢复 (高中英语单词)


• pastor [´pɑ:stə] n.牧师 (高中英语单词)


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


• bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)


• lantern [´læntən] n.灯笼；提灯 (高中英语单词)


• motionless [´məuʃənləs] a.静止的；固定的 (高中英语单词)


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


• mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)


• violently [´vaiələntli] ad.强暴地；猛烈地 (高中英语单词)


• disturbance [di´stə:bəns] n.扰乱，骚动 (高中英语单词)


• precisely [pri´saisli] ad.精确地；刻板地 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• celestial [si´lestiəl] a.天空的，天的 (高中英语单词)


• methinks [mi´θiŋks] vi.据我看来 (高中英语单词)


• eternity [i´tə:niti] n.永恒，来世，无穷 (高中英语单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• morsel [´mɔ:səl] n.佳肴 vt.少量地分配 (英语四级单词)


• impatience [im´peiʃəns] n.不耐烦，急躁 (英语四级单词)


• flowery [´flauəri] a.多花的 (英语四级单词)


• perception [pə´sepʃən] n.感觉；概念；理解力 (英语四级单词)


• precipice [´presipis] n.悬崖；危急的处境 (英语四级单词)


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


• swedish [´swi:diʃ] a.瑞典人 n.瑞典语 (英语四级单词)


• lighting [´laitiŋ] n.照明，发光 (英语四级单词)


• immensely [i´mensli] ad.极大地，无限地 (英语四级单词)


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


• parisian [pə´riziən] n.&a.巴黎人(的) (英语四级单词)


• gifted [´giftid] a.有天赋的，有才华的 (英语四级单词)


• intercourse [´intəkɔ:s] n.交际；往来；交流 (英语四级单词)


• humbly [´hʌmbli] ad.恭顺地，谦卑地 (英语四级单词)


• repulse [ri´pʌls] vt.拒绝；排斥 n.击退 (英语四级单词)


• unkind [,ʌn´kaind] a.不客气的；不和善的 (英语四级单词)


• weariness [wiərinis] n.疲倦；厌烦 (英语四级单词)


• miraculous [mi´rækjuləs] a.非凡的；奇迹般的 (英语六级单词)


• dexterity [dek´steriti] n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 (英语六级单词)


• shimmer [´ʃimə] v.&n.闪烁；微微发光 (英语六级单词)


• gloomily [´glu:mili] adv.忧郁的 (英语六级单词)


• ethereal [i´θiəriəl] a.飘渺的；稀薄的 (英语六级单词)


• hapless [´hæpləs] a.不幸的；倒楣的 (英语六级单词)