有声名著之双城记Book2 Chapter10

　　有声名著之双城记

      CHAPTER XTwo Promises

      MORE months, to the number of twelve, had come and gone, andMr. Charles Darnay was established in England as a higherteacher of the French language who was conversant¹ with Frenchliterature. In this age, he would have been a Professor; inthat age, he was a Tutor. He read with young men who couldfind any leisure and interest for the study of a living tonguespoken all over the world, and he cultivated a taste for itsstores of knowledge and fancy. He could write of them,besides, in sound English, and render them into sound English.
Such masters were not at that time easily found; Princes thathad been, and Kings that were to be, were not yet of theTeacher class, and no ruined nobility had dropped out ofTellson's ledgers³, to turn cooks and carpenters. As a tutor,whose attainments⁴ made the student's way unusually pleasantand profitable, and as an elegant translator who broughtsomething to his work besides mere⁵ dictionary knowledge, youngMr. Darnay soon became known and encouraged. He was wellacquainted, moreover, with the circumstances of his country,and those were of ever-growing interest. So, with greatperseverance and untiring industry, he prospered⁶.
In London, he had expected neither to walk on pavements ofgold, nor to lie on beds of roses: if he had had any suchexalted expectation, he would not have prospered. He hadexpected labour, and he found it, and did it, and made thebest of it. In this, his prosperity consisted.
A certain portion of his time was passed at Cambridge, wherehe read with undergraduates as a sort of tolerated smugglerwho drove a contraband⁷ trade in European languages, instead ofconveying Greek and Latin through the Custom-house. The restof his time he passed in London.
Now, from the days when it was always summer in Eden, tothese days when it is mostly winter in fallen latitudes⁸, theworld of a man has invariably gone one way--Charles Darnay'sway--the way of the love of a woman.
He had loved Lucie Manette from the hour of his danger. Hehad never heard a sound so sweet and dear as the sound of hercompassionate voice; he had never seen a face so tenderlybeautiful, as hers when it was confronted with his own on theedge of the grave that had been dug for him. But, he had notyet spoken to her on the subject; the assassination⁹ at thedeserted chaateau far away beyond the heaving water and thelong, long, dusty roads--the solid stone chaateau which haditself become the mere mist of a dream--had been done a year,and he had never yet, by so much as a single spoken word,disclosed to her the state of his heart.
That he had his reasons for this, he knew full well. It wasagain a summer day when, lately arrived in London from hiscollege occupation, he turned into the quiet corner in Soho,bent¹⁰ on seeking an opportunity of opening his mind to DoctorManette. It was the close of the summer day, and he knew Lucieto be out with Miss Pross.
He found the Doctor reading in his arm-chair at a window. Theenergy which had at once supported him under his oldsufferings and aggravated¹¹ their sharpness, had been graduallyrestored to him. He was now a very energetic man indeed withgreat firmness of purpose, strength of resolution, and vigourof action. In his recovered energy he was sometimes a littlefitful and sudden, as he had at first been in the exercise ofhis other recovered faculties¹²; but, this had never beenfrequently observable, and had grown more and more rare.
He studied much, slept little, sustained a great deal offatigue with ease, and was equably cheerful. To him, nowentered Charles Darnay, at sight of whom he laid aside hisbook and held out his hand.
`Charles Darnay! I rejoice to see you. We have been countingon your return these three or four days past. Mr. Stryver andSydney Carton were both here yesterday, and both made you outto be more than due.
`I am obliged to them for their interest in the matter,' heanswered, a little coldly as to chem, though very warmly as tothe Doctor. `Miss Manette---'
`Is well,' said the Doctor, as he stopped short, `and yourreturn will delight us all. She has gone out on some householdmatters, but will soon be home.'
`Doctor Manette, I knew she was from home. I took theopportunity of her being from home, to beg to speak to you.'
There was a blank silence.
`Yes?' said the Doctor, with evident constraint<sup>13</sup>. `Bring yourchair here, and speak on.'
He complied as to the chair, but appeared to find the speakingon less easy.
`I have had the happiness, Doctor Manette, of being sointimate here,' so he at length began, `for some year and ahalf, that I hope the topic on which I am about to touch maynot---'
He was stayed by the Doctor's putting out his hand to stophim. When he had kept it so a little while, he said, drawingit back:
`Is Lucie the topic?'
`She is.'
`It is hard for me to speak of her at any time. It is veryhard for me to hear her spoken of in that tone of yours,Charles Darnay.'
`It is a tone of fervent¹⁴ admiration¹⁵, true homage¹⁶, and deeplove, Doctor Manette!' he said deferentially¹⁷.
There was another blank silence before her father rejoined:
`I believe it. I do you justice; I believe it.'
His constraint was so manifest, and it was so manifest, too,that it originated in an unwillingness<sup>18</sup> to approach thesubject, that Charles Darnay hesitated.
`Shall I go on, sir?'
Another blank.
`Yes, go on.'
`You anticipate what I would say, though you cannot know howearnestly I say it, how earnestly I feel it, without knowingmy secret heart, and the hopes and fears and anxieties withwhich it has long been laden¹⁹. Dear Doctor Manette, I love yourdaughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly²⁰, devotedly²². If everthere were love in the world, I love her. You have lovedyourself; let your old love speak for me!'
The Doctor sat with his face turned away, and his eyes benton the ground. At the last words, he stretched out his handagain, hurriedly, and cried:
`Not that, sir! Let that be! I adjure²³ you, do not recallthat!'
His cry was so like a cry of actual pain, that it rang inCharles Darnay's ears long after he had ceased. He motionedwith the hand he had extended, and it seemed to be an appealto Darnay to pause. The latter so received it, and remainedsilent.

1 conversant   

adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的

参考例句：

• Mr.Taylor is thoroughly conversant with modern music.泰勒先生对现代音乐很精通。
• We become the most conversant stranger in the world.我们变成了世界上最熟悉的陌生人。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 ledgers   

n.分类账( ledger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The ledgers and account books had all been destroyed. 分类账本和账簿都被销毁了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ledgers had all been destroyed. 账簿都被销毁了。 来自辞典例句

4 attainments   

成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就

参考例句：

• a young woman of impressive educational attainments 一位学业成就斐然的年轻女子
• He is a scholar of the highest attainments in this field. 他在这一领域是一位颇有造就的学者。

5 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。

6 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

7 contraband   

n.违禁品，走私品

参考例句：

• Most of the city markets were flooded with contraband goods.大多数的城市市场上都充斥着走私货。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods.海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

8 latitudes   

纬度

参考例句：

• Latitudes are the lines that go from east to west. 纬线是从东到西的线。
• It was the brief Indian Summer of the high latitudes. 这是高纬度地方的那种短暂的晚秋。

9 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

10 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

11 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

12 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

14 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。

15 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

16 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

17 deferentially   

adv.表示敬意地，谦恭地

参考例句：

• "Now, let me see,'said Hurstwood, looking over Carrie's shoulder very deferentially. “来，让我瞧瞧你的牌。”赫斯渥说着，彬彬有礼地从嘉莉背后看过去。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• He always acts so deferentially around his supervisor. 他总是毕恭毕敬地围着他的上司转。 来自互联网

18 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

19 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

20 disinterestedly   

参考例句：

• Few people behave disinterestedly in life. 生活中很少有人能表现得廉洁无私。 来自辞典例句
• He decided the case disinterestedly. 他公正地判决了那个案件。 来自互联网

21 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

22 devotedly   

专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地

参考例句：

• He loved his wife devotedly. 他真诚地爱他的妻子。
• Millions of fans follow the TV soap operas devotedly. 千百万观众非常着迷地收看这部电视连续剧。

23 adjure   

v.郑重敦促(恳请)

参考例句：

• I adjure you to spare him.我恳求你饶恕他。
• I adjure you to tell the truth before this court.我要求你对本庭说实话。

24 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

25 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

26 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

27 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

28 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

29 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

30 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

31 miseries   

n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人

参考例句：

• They forgot all their fears and all their miseries in an instant. 他们马上忘记了一切恐惧和痛苦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I'm suffering the miseries of unemployment. 我正为失业而痛苦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 exertions   

n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使

参考例句：

• As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
• She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

33 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

34 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

35 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

36 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

37 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

38 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

39 perpetuate   

v.使永存，使永记不忘

参考例句：

• This monument was built to perpetuate the memory of the national hero.这个纪念碑建造的意义在于纪念民族英雄永垂不朽。
• We must perpetuate the system.我们必须将此制度永久保持。

40 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

41 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

42 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

43 reverted   

恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还

参考例句：

• After the settlers left, the area reverted to desert. 早期移民离开之后，这个地区又变成了一片沙漠。
• After his death the house reverted to its original owner. 他死后房子归还给了原先的主人。

44 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。