Mansfield Park - Chapter 19

How is the consternation ¹ of the party to be described? To the greater number it was a moment of absolute horror. Sir Thomas in the house! All felt the instantaneous conviction. Not a hope of imposition or mistake was harboured anywhere. Julia's looks were an evidence of the fact that made it indisputable; and after the first starts and exclamations ², not a word was spoken for half a minute: each with an altered countenance ⁴ was looking at some other, and almost each was feeling it a stroke the most unwelcome, most ill-timed, most appalling ⁵! Mr. Yates might consider it only as a vexatious interruption for the evening, and Mr. Rushworth might imagine it a blessing ⁶; but every other heart was sinking under some degree of self-condemnation or undefined alarm, every other heart was suggesting, "What will become of us? what is to be done now?" It was a terrible pause; and terrible to every ear were the corroborating ⁷ sounds of opening doors and passing footsteps., ,Julia was the first to move and speak again. Jealousy ⁸ and bitterness had been suspended: selfishness was lost in the common cause; but at the moment of her appearance, Frederick was listening with looks of devotion to Agatha's narrative ⁹, and pressing her hand to his heart; and as soon as she could notice this, and see that, in spite of the shock of her words, he still kept his station and retained her sister's hand, her wounded heart swelled ¹⁰ again with injury, and looking as red as she had been white before, she turned out of the room, saying, "_I_ need not be afraid of appearing before him.", ,Her going roused the rest; and at the same moment the two brothers stepped forward, feeling the necessity of doing something. A very few words between them were sufficient. The case admitted no difference of opinion: they must go to the drawing-room directly. Maria joined them with the same intent, just then the stoutest ¹² of the three; for the very circumstance which had driven Julia away was to her the sweetest support. Henry Crawford's retaining her hand at such a moment, a moment of such peculiar ¹³ proof and importance, was worth ages of doubt and anxiety. She hailed it as an earnest of the most serious determination, and was equal even to encounter her father. They walked off, utterly ¹⁴ heedless of Mr. Rushworth's repeated question of, "Shall I go too? Had not I better go too? Will not it be right for me to go too?" but they were no sooner through the door than Henry Crawford undertook to answer the anxious inquiry ¹⁵, and, encouraging him by all means to pay his respects to Sir Thomas without delay, sent him after the others with delighted haste., , ,The Crawfords were more warm on the subject than Mr. Yates, from better understanding the family, and judging more clearly of the mischief ²⁸ that must ensue. The ruin of the play was to them a certainty: they felt the total destruction of the scheme to be inevitably ²⁹ at hand; while Mr. Yates considered it only as a temporary interruption, a disaster for the evening, and could even suggest the possibility of the rehearsal ³⁰ being renewed after tea, when the bustle ³¹ of receiving Sir Thomas were over, and he might be at leisure to be amused by it. The Crawfords laughed at the idea; and having soon agreed on the propriety ³² of their walking quietly home and leaving the family to themselves, proposed Mr. Yates's accompanying them and spending the evening at the Parsonage. But Mr. Yates, having never been with those who thought much of parental ³³ claims, or family confidence, could not perceive that anything of the kind was necessary; and therefore, thanking them, said, "he preferred remaining where he was, that he might pay his respects to the old gentleman handsomely since he was come; and besides, he did not think it would be fair by the others to have everybody run away.", ,Fanny was just beginning to collect herself, and to feel that if she staid longer behind it might seem disrespectful, when this point was settled, and being commissioned with the brother and sister's apology, saw them preparing to go as she quitted the room herself to perform the dreadful duty of appearing before her uncle., ,Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他
。,The visitors broke into exclamations of wonder when they saw the magnificent Great Wall. 看到雄伟的长城
，游客们惊叹不已。 来自《简明英汉词典》