channels.

"We got very satisfactory references about you from



Canon Teep," she observed; "a very estimable man, I

should think."



"Drinks like a fish and beats his wife, otherwise a

very lovable character," said the governess



imperturbably.

"MY DEAR Miss Hope! I trust you are exaggerating,"



exclaimed the Quabarls in unison.

"One must in justice admit that there is some



provocation," continued the romancer. "Mrs. Teep is

quite the most irritating bridge-player that I have ever



sat down with; her leads and declarations would condone a

certain amount of brutality in her partner, but to souse



her with the contents of the only soda-water syphon in

the house on a Sunday afternoon, when one couldn't get



another, argues an indifference to the comfort of others

which I cannot altogetheroverlook. You may think me



hasty in my judgments, but it was practically on account

of the syphon incident that I left."



"We will talk of this some other time," said Mrs.

Quabarl hastily.



"I shall never allude to it again," said the

governess with decision.



Mr. Quabarl made a welcomediversion by asking what

studies the new instructress proposed to inaugurate on



the morrow.

"History to begin with," she informed him.



"Ah, history," he observed sagely; "now in teaching

them history you must take care to interest them in what



they learn. You must make them feel that they are being

introduced to the life-stories of men and women who



really lived - "

"I've told her all that," interposed Mrs. Quabarl.



"I teach history on the Schartz-Metterklume method,"

said the governess loftily.



"Ah, yes," said her listeners, thinking it expedient

to assume an acquaintance at least with the name.



* * * *

"What are you children doing out here?" demanded



Mrs. Quabarl the next morning, on finding Irene sitting

rather glumly at the head of the stairs, while her sister



was perched in an attitude of depresseddiscomfort on the

window-seat behind her, with a wolf-skin rug almost



covering her.

"We are having a history lesson," came the



unexpected reply. "I am supposed to be Rome, and Viola

up there is the she-wolf; not a real wolf, but the figure



of one that the Romans used to set store by - I forget

why. Claude and Wilfrid have gone to fetch the shabby



women."

"The shabby women?"



"Yes, they've got to carry them off. They didn't

want to, but Miss Hope got one of father's fives-bats and



said she'd give them a number nine spanking if they

didn't, so they've gone to do it."



A loud, angry screaming from the direction of the

lawn drew Mrs. Quabarl thither in hot haste, fearful lest



the threatened castigation might even now be in process

of infliction. The outcry, however, came principally



from the two small daughters of the lodge-keeper, who

were being hauled and pushed towards the house by the



panting and dishevelled Claude and Wilfrid, whose task

was rendered even more arduous by the incessant, if not



very effectual, attacks of the captured maidens' small

brother. The governess, fives-bat in hand, sat



negligently on the stone balustrade, presiding over the

scene with the cold impartiality of a Goddess of Battles.



A furious and repeatedchorus of "I'll tell muvver" rose

• wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)


• safely [´seifli] ad.安全地；平安地 (初中英语单词)


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


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• platform [´plætfɔ:m] n.(平)台；讲台；站台 (初中英语单词)


• hatred [´heitrid] n.憎恨，敌意 (初中英语单词)


• promptly [´prɔmptli] ad.敏捷地；即时地 (初中英语单词)


• doctrine [´dɔktrin] n.教义；主义；学说 (初中英语单词)


• sketch [sketʃ] n.素描；短剧 v.草拟 (初中英语单词)


• interfere [,intə´fiə] vi.干涉；妨碍；打扰 (初中英语单词)


• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)


• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• resistance [ri´zistəns] n.抵抗；抵制；耐力 (初中英语单词)


• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)


• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)


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


• previous [´pri:viəs] a.先，前，以前的 (初中英语单词)


• sincere [sin´siə] a.真挚的；直率的 (初中英语单词)


• recommend [,rekə´mend] vt.推荐；使受欢迎 (初中英语单词)


• satisfactory [,sætis´fæktəri] a.令人满意的 (初中英语单词)


• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)


• amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)


• partner [´pɑ:tnə] n.伙伴 v.同….合作 (初中英语单词)


• contents [´kɔ:ntents] n.容纳物；要旨 (初中英语单词)


• altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全；总而言之 (初中英语单词)


• overlook [,əuvə´luk] vt.&n.俯瞰；忽略；观察 (初中英语单词)


• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)


• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• thither [´ðiðə] ad.到那里 a.那边的 (初中英语单词)


• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)


• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)


• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)


• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)


• caress [kə´res] n.&vt.爱抚；接吻 (高中英语单词)


• forbidden [fə´bidn] forbid的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• furiously [´fjuəriəsli] ad.狂怒地；有力地 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• sullen [´sʌlən] a.不高兴的 (高中英语单词)


• complexion [kəm´plekʃən] n.肤色；情况；局面 (高中英语单词)


• plentiful [´plentifəl] a.丰富的；多的 (高中英语单词)


• behalf [bi´hɑ:f] n.利益 (高中英语单词)


• indifference [in´difrəns] n.冷淡；无足轻重 (高中英语单词)


• destination [,desti´neiʃən] n.目标地 (高中英语单词)


• luggage [´lʌgidʒ] n.行李；皮箱 (高中英语单词)


• mansion [´mænʃən] n.大厦；宅第；官邸 (高中英语单词)


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


• sensitive [´sensitiv] a.敏感的；感光的 (高中英语单词)


• artistic [ɑ:´tistik] a.艺术的；有美感的 (高中英语单词)


• temperament [´tempərəmənt] n.气质；性格 (高中英语单词)


• embarrass [im´bærəs] vt.妨碍；使为难 (高中英语单词)


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


• critical [´kritikəl] a.批评的；关键性的 (高中英语单词)


• preference [´prefərəns] n.优先选择；偏爱(物) (高中英语单词)


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• shabby [´ʃæbi] a.(衣服)破旧的 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• almond [´ɑ:mənd] n.杏核，杏仁；扁桃 (英语四级单词)


• binding [´baindiŋ] a.捆绑的 n.捆绑(物) (英语四级单词)


• unlucky [ʌn´lʌki] a.倒霉的，不幸的 (英语四级单词)


• eloquent [´eləkwənt] a.流利的；雄辩的 (英语四级单词)


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


• allude [ə´lu:d] vi.暗指；侧面提到 (英语四级单词)


• diversion [dai´və:ʃən] n.转移；消遣 (英语四级单词)


• spanking [´spæŋkiŋ] n.打屁股 a.急速的 (英语四级单词)


• outcry [´autkrai] n.喊叫；强烈抗议 (英语四级单词)


• arduous [´ɑ:djuəs] a.费力的；陡峭的 (英语四级单词)


• fervently [´fə:vəntli] ad.火热地，热烈地 (英语六级单词)


• upland [´ʌplənd] n.高地；山地 (英语六级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)


• wayside [´weisaid] n.&a.路边(的) (英语六级单词)


• desertion [di´zə:ʃən] n.离开，遗弃；潜逃 (英语六级单词)


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


• governess [´gʌvənis] n.女家庭教师 (英语六级单词)


• apparition [,æpə´riʃən] n.(幽灵)出现；鬼；幻影 (英语六级单词)


• abject [´æbdʒekt] a.卑鄙的；可怜的 (英语六级单词)


• animated [´ænimeitid] a.栩栩如生的；活跃的 (英语六级单词)


• respectful [ri´spektfəl] a.恭敬的；尊敬人的 (英语六级单词)


• lovable [´lʌvəbəl] a.可爱的 (英语六级单词)


• inaugurate [i´nɔ:gjureit] vt.举行就职典礼；开始 (英语六级单词)


• depressed [di´prest] a.消沉的；萧条的 (英语六级单词)


• discomfort [dis´kʌmfət] n.不适；不安；困难 (英语六级单词)


• incessant [in´sesənt] a.不断的，不停的 (英语六级单词)