铜山毛榉案 23来到铜山毛榉(8)

"The warning was no idle one, for two nights later I happened to look out of my bedroom window about two o'clock in the morning.

“这警告并不是没有根据的，过了两宵，我凑巧在凌晨大约两点钟的时候从卧室窗口向外眺望。

It was a beautiful moonlight night, and the lawn in front of the house was silvered over and almost as bright as day.

那天晚上月光皎洁，屋前的草坪银光闪烁，明如白昼。

I was standing¹, rapt in the peaceful beauty of the scene, when I was aware that something was moving under the shadow of the copper² beeches³.

我正站在那里沉湎在这宁静美丽的景色中，忽然间警觉到有什么东西在铜山毛榉树的阴影下移动。

As it emerged into the moonshine I saw what it was.

当它出现在月光底下后，我清楚地看到它是什么。

It was a giant dog, as large as a calf⁴, tawny⁵ tinted⁶, with hanging jowl, black muzzle⁷, and huge projecting bones.

原来它是一只像头小牛犊那么大的巨狗，棕黄色，颚骨宽厚下垂，一张黑嘴巴和硕大突出的骨骼。

It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow upon the other side.

它慢慢地走过草坪，在另一角的阴影里消失了。

That dreadful sentinel sent a chill to my heart which I do not think that any burglar could have done.

这个可怕的守卫使我的心里打了个寒战。我想没有一个窃贼能象它那样把我吓成这样子。

And now I have a very strange experience to tell you.

现在，我有一件很奇怪的事要告诉你。

I had, as you know, cut off my hair in London, and I had placed it in a great coil at the bottom of my trunk.

你知道我是在伦敦将我的头发剪短的。我将剪下的一大绺头发放在我的箱底。

One evening, after the child was in bed, I began to amuse myself by examining the furniture of my room and by rearranging my own little things.

有一天晚上，我把小孩子安置上床后，就开始以检查房间里的家具和整理我自己的零星东西作为消遣。

There was an old chest of drawers in the room, the two upper ones empty and open, the lower one locked.

房间里有一个旧衣柜，上面两只抽屉是没有锁上的，里面空无一物，下面的一只抽屉则锁上了。

I had filled the first two with my linen⁸, and as I had still much to pack away I was naturally annoyed at not having the use of the third drawer.

我把我的衣物装满了上面两只抽屉，但是还有许多东西没地方放，因而不能用那第三只抽屉，自然使我感到懊恼。

It struck me that it might have been fastened by a mere⁹ oversight¹⁰, so I took out my bunch of keys and tried to open it.

我突然想到它也可能是无意中随便锁上的，所以我拿出一大串钥匙试着去打开它。

The very first key fitted to perfection, and I drew the drawer open.

正好第一把钥匙就配这把锁，于是我就把它打开了。

There was only one thing in it, but I am sure that you would never guess what it was. It was my coil of hair."

抽屉里只有一件东西，可是我肯定你们永远猜想不到它是什么。它是我的那绺头发！”

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

3 beeches   

n.山毛榉( beech的名词复数 )；山毛榉木材

参考例句：

• The beeches, oaks and chestnuts all belong to the same family. 山毛榉树、橡树和栗子树属于同科树种。 来自互联网
• There are many beeches in this wood. 这片树林里有许多山毛榉。 来自互联网

4 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

5 tawny   

adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色

参考例句：

• Her black hair springs in fine strands across her tawny,ruddy cheek.她的一头乌发分披在健康红润的脸颊旁。
• None of them noticed a large,tawny owl flutter past the window.他们谁也没注意到一只大的、褐色的猫头鹰飞过了窗户。

6 tinted   

adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• a pair of glasses with tinted lenses 一副有色镜片眼镜
• a rose-tinted vision of the world 对世界的理想化看法

7 muzzle   

n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默

参考例句：

• He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
• The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。

8 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

9 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

10 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。