regularly every spring and autumn he absented himself for about a

month. On the direction and purpose of his periodical journey he
remained steadily silent; but it was well understood that he was

then in attendance on his unfortunatepatron. At length, on his
return from one of these visits, his grave countenance, and deep

mourning dress, announced to the Ellieslaw family that their
benefactor was no more. Sir Edward's death made no addition to

their fortune, for he had divested himself of his property during
his lifetime, and chiefly in their favour. Ratcliffe, his sole

confidant, died at a good old age, but without ever naming the
place to which his master had finally retired, or the manner of

his death, or the place of his burial. It was supposed that on
all these particulars his patron had enjoined him strict secrecy.

The sudden disappearance of Elshie from his extraordinary
hermitage corroborated the reports which the common people had

spread concerning him. Many believed that, having ventured to
enter a consecrated building, contrary to his paction with the

Evil One, he had been bodily carried off while on his return to
his cottage; but most are of opinion that he only disappeared for

a season, and continues to be seen from time to time among the
hills. And retaining, according to custom, a more vivid

recollection of his wild and desperate language, than of the
benevolent tendency of most of his actions, he is usually

identified with the malignant demon called the Man of the Moors,
whose feats were quoted by Mrs. Elliot to her grandsons; and,

accordingly, is generally represented as bewitching the sheep,
causing the ewes to KEB, that is, to cast their lambs, or seen

loosening the impendingwreath of snow to precipitate its weight
on such as take shelter, during the storm, beneath the bank of a

torrent, or under the shelter of a deep glen. In short, the
evils most dreaded and deprecated by the inhabitants of that

pastoral country, are ascribed to the agency of the BLACK DWARF.
End

• steadily [´stedili] ad.坚定地；不断地 (初中英语单词)
• unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)
• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)
• addition [ə´diʃən] n.加；加法；附加物 (初中英语单词)
• chiefly [´tʃi:fli] ad.主要地；尤其 (初中英语单词)
• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
• contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)
• cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)
• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
• tendency [´tendənsi] n.趋势；倾向 (初中英语单词)
• wreath [ri:θ] n.花圈；花环；圈状物 (初中英语单词)
• agency [´eidʒənsi] n.代理商；机构；代理 (初中英语单词)
• regularly [´regjuləli] ad.有规律地；经常地 (高中英语单词)
• patron [´peitrən] n.庇护人，保护人；赞助人 (高中英语单词)
• lifetime [´laiftaim] n.一生，终生，寿命 (高中英语单词)
• strict [strikt] a.严厉的；精确的 (高中英语单词)
• concerning [kən´sə:niŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)
• periodical [,piəri´ɔdikəl] a.定期的 n.期刊 (英语四级单词)
• bodily [´bɔdili] a.身体的 ad.亲自 (英语四级单词)
• precipitate [pri´sipiteit] v.猛抛；a.仓促的 (英语四级单词)
• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)
• disappearance [,disə´piərəns] n.消失；失踪 (英语六级单词)
• malignant [mə´lignənt] a.恶意的；有害的 (英语六级单词)
• impending [im´pendiŋ] a.即将发生的 (英语六级单词)