getting older."



"After all, what is to be done?" asked the Duke.

"If my dear niece is wise," said the Princess, "she will go to



Court this evening--fortunately, today is Monday, and reception

day--and you must see that we all rally round her and give the



lie to this absurd rumour. There are hundreds of ways of

explaining things; and if the Marquis de Montriveau is a



gentleman, he will come to our assistance. We will bring these

children to listen to reason----"



"But, dear aunt, it is not easy to tell M. de Montriveau the

truth to his face. He is one of Buonaparte's pupils, and he has



a position. Why, he is one of the great men of the day; he is

high up in the Guards, and very useful there. He has not a spark



of ambition. He is just the man to say, `Here is my commission,

leave me in peace,' if the King should say a word that he did not



like."

"Then, pray, what are his opinions?"



"Very unsound."

"Really," sighed the Princess, "the King is, as he always has



been, a Jacobin under the Lilies of France."

"Oh! not quite so bad," said the Vidame.



"Yes; I have known him for a long while. The man that pointed

out the Court to his wife on the occasion of her first state



dinner in public with, `These are our people,' could only be a

black-hearted scoundrel. I can see Monsieur exactly the same as



ever in the King. The bad brother who voted so wrongly in his

department of the Constituent Assembly was sure to compound with



the Liberals and allow them to argue and talk. This

philosophical cant will be just as dangerous now for the younger



brother as it used to be for the elder; this fat man with the

little mind is amusing himself by creating difficulties, and how



his successor is to get out of them I do not know; he holds his

younger brother in abhorrence; he would be glad to think as he



lay dying, `He will not reign very long----' "

"Aunt, he is the King, and I have the honour to be in his



service----"

"But does your post take away your right of free speech, my



dear? You come of quite as good a house as the Bourbons. If the

Guises had shown a little more resolution, His Majesty would be a



nobody at this day. It is time I went out of this world, the

noblesse is dead. Yes, it is all over with you, my children,"



she continued, looking as she spoke at the Vidame. "What has my

niece done that the whole town should be talking about her? She



is in the wrong; I disapprove of her conduct, a useless scandal

is a blunder; that is why I still have my doubts about this want



of regard for appearances; I brought her up, and I know

that----"



Just at that moment the Duchess came out of her boudoir. She had

recognised her aunt's voice and heard the name of Montriveau.



She was still in her loose morning-gown; and even as she came in,

M. de Grandlieu, looking carelessly out of the window, saw his



niece's carriage driving back along the street. The Duke took

his daughter's face in both hands and kissed her on the forehead.



"So, dear girl," he said, "you do not know what is going on?"

"Has anything extraordinary happened, father dear?"



"Why, all Paris believes that you are with M. de Montriveau."

"My dear Antoinette, you were at home all the time, were you



not?" said the Princess, holding out a hand, which the Duchess

kissed with affectionate respect.



"Yes, dear mother; I was at home all the time. And," she

added, as she turned to greet the Vidame and the Marquis, "I



wished that all Paris should think that I was with M. de

Montriveau."



The Duke flung up his hands, struck them together in despair, and

folded his arms.



"Then, cannot you see what will come of this mad freak?" he

asked at last.



But the aged Princess had suddenly risen, and stood looking

steadily at the Duchess, the younger woman flushed, and her eyes



fell. Mme de Chauvry gently drew her closer, and said, "My

• accent [´æksənt, æk´sent] n.重音；口音 vt.重读 (初中英语单词)


• observer [əb´zə:və] n.遵守者；观察员 (初中英语单词)


• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)


• submit [səb´mit] vt.使服从；使忍受 (初中英语单词)


• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)


• condemn [kən´dem] vt.谴责；定罪，判处 (初中英语单词)


• literature [´litərətʃə] n.文学；文献；著作 (初中英语单词)


• philosophy [fi´lɔsəfi] n.哲学；人生观 (初中英语单词)


• constant [´kɔnstənt] a.坚定的；坚贞的 (初中英语单词)


• exception [ik´sepʃən] n.例外；反对，异议 (初中英语单词)


• fundamental [,fʌndə´mentl] a.基本的 n.原理 (初中英语单词)


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


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


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


• hunter [´hʌntə] n.猎人；猎狗；猎马 (初中英语单词)


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


• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)


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


• astonishment [ə´stɔniʃmənt] n.吃惊；惊异 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


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


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)


• extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)


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


• complaint [kəm´pleint] n.抱怨；叫屈 (初中英语单词)


• construction [kən´strʌkʃən] n.建设；修建；结构 (初中英语单词)


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


• absurd [əb´sə:d] a.荒谬的，可笑的 (初中英语单词)


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


• ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• assembly [ə´sembli] n.集会；装配；与会者 (初中英语单词)


• compound [kəm´paund] n.&a.混合(的) v.合成 (初中英语单词)


• resolution [,rezə´lu:ʃən] n.决心；坚决；果断 (初中英语单词)


• majesty [´mædʒisti] n.壮丽；崇高；尊严 (初中英语单词)


• useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)


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


• despair [di´speə] vi.&n.绝望 (初中英语单词)


• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)


• courtesy [´kə:tisi] n.礼貌；殷勤；好意 (高中英语单词)


• converse [´kɔnvə:s] n.交谈 a.相反的 (高中英语单词)


• slippery [´slipəri] a.滑的；不稳固的 (高中英语单词)


• unexpected [ʌniks´pektid] a.突然的；意外的 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• renowned [ri´naund] a.有名的，有声望的 (高中英语单词)


• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)


• comprehension [,kɔmpri´henʃən] n.理解；领悟 (高中英语单词)


• pitiful [´pitifəl] a.可怜的；慈悲的 (高中英语单词)


• lifetime [´laiftaim] n.一生，终生，寿命 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


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


• incredible [in´kredəbəl] a.不能相信的；惊人的 (高中英语单词)


• perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地；完美地 (高中英语单词)


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


• marquis [´mɑ:kwis] n.侯爵 (高中英语单词)


• amusing [ə´mju:ziŋ] a.有趣的 (高中英语单词)


• successor [sək´sesə] n.继承人，接班人 (高中英语单词)


• blunder [´blʌndə] n.&v.(犯)大错；疏忽 (高中英语单词)


• carelessly [´kɛəlisli] ad.粗心地；疏忽地 (高中英语单词)


• affectionate [ə´fekʃənit] a.亲爱的 (高中英语单词)


• superficial [,su:pə´fiʃəl, ,sju:-] a.表面的，肤浅的 (英语四级单词)


• listener [´lisənə] n.(收)听者，听众之一 (英语四级单词)


• commonplace [´kɔmənpleis] a.平凡的；常见的 (英语四级单词)


• humiliate [hju:´milieit] vt.使蒙羞，屈辱 (英语四级单词)


• joyfully [´dʒɔifuli] ad.高兴地，快乐地 (英语四级单词)


• noticeable [´nəutisəbəl] a.显著的；值得注意的 (英语四级单词)


• peculiarly [pi´kju:liəli] ad.特有地；古怪地 (英语四级单词)


• annoyance [ə´nɔiəns] n.烦恼事(人) (英语四级单词)


• happening [´hæpəniŋ] n.事件，偶然发生的事 (英语四级单词)


• breeding [´bri:diŋ] n.饲养，教养 (英语四级单词)


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


• yearly [´jiəli] a.每年的；一年间的 (英语四级单词)


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


• constituent [kən´stitʃuənt] n.成分；要素；选民 (英语四级单词)


• disapprove [,disə´pru:v] v.不赞成；指责 (英语四级单词)


• insolence [´insələns] n.傲慢；无礼 (英语六级单词)


• forthcoming [,fɔ:θ´kʌmiŋ] a.即将到来的 (英语六级单词)


• consistency [kən´sistənsi] n.坚韧；一致性 (英语六级单词)


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


• varnish [´vɑ:niʃ] n.清漆 vt.上清漆；粉饰 (英语六级单词)


• smitten [´smitn] smite的过去分词 (英语六级单词)


• disagree [,disə´gri:] vi.不同意 (英语六级单词)


• malicious [mə´liʃəs] a.恶意的；预谋的 (英语六级单词)


• scoundrel [´skaundrəl] n.&a.无赖(的) (英语六级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)