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cheering began. But poor Hugo stood no chance whatever. His frantic and lubberly "prentice-work found but a poor market for itself when pitted against an arm which had been trained by the first masters of Europe in single-stick, quarter-staff, and every art and trick of swordsmanship. The little king stood, alert but at graceful ease, and caught and turned aside the thick rain of blows with a facility and precision which set the motley onlookers wild with admiration; and every now and then, when his practised eye detected an opening, and a lightning-swift rap upon Hugo's head followed as a result, the storm of cheers and laughter that swept the place was something wonderful to hear. At the end of fifteen minutes, Hugo, all battered, bruised, and the target for a pitiless bombardment of ridicule, slunk from the field; and the unscathed hero of the fight was seized and borne aloft upon the shoulders of the joyous rabble to the place of honor beside the Ruffler, where with vast ceremony he was crowned King of the Game-Cocks; his meaner title being at the same time solemnly canceled and annulled, and a decree of banishment from the gang pronounced against any who should henceforth utter it.

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was all. And on the land I should have been lying on the broad of my back, with a surgeon attending me, and with strict injunctions to do nothing but rest. But I must do these men justice. Callous as they were to my suffering, they were equally callous to their own when anything befell them. And this was due, I believe, first to habit and second to the fact that they were less sensitively organized. I really believe that a finely organized, high-strung man would suffer twice or thrice as much as they from a like injury. ¡¡¡¡Tired as I was, exhausted in fact, I was prevented from sleeping
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by the pain in my knee. It was all I could do to keep from groaning aloud. At home I should undoubtedly have given vent to my anguish, but this new and elemental environment seemed to call for a savage repression. Like the savage, the attitude of these men was stoical in great things, childish in little things. I remember, later in the voyage, seeing Kerfoot, another of the hunters, lose a finger by having it smashed to a jelly; and he did not even murmur or change the expression on his face. Yet I have seen the same man, time and again, fly into the most outrageous passion over a trifle.

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"Oh, I see." Mr. Wimborne picked up his spectacles which he had laid aside in his irritation, and put them on, staring through them at Inspector Craddock with shrewd attention. "Well, at the moment, nothing. But if she could prove that the boy was the son of Edmund Crackenthorpe, born in lawful wedlock, then the boy would be entitled to his share of Josiah Crackenthorpe's trust on the death of Luther Crackenthorpe. More than that, he'd inherit Rutherford Hall, since he's the son of the eldest son."
"Would anyone want to inherit the house?"
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"To live in? I should say, certainly not. But that estate, my dear Inspector, is worth a considerable amount of money. Very considerable. Land for industrial and building purposes. Land which is now in the heart of Brackhampton. Oh, yes, a very considerable inheritance."
"If Luther Crackenthorpe dies, I believe you told me that Cedric gets it?"
"He inherits the real estate – yes, as the eldest surviving son."
"Cedric Crackenthorpe, I have been given to understand, is not interested in money?"
Mr. Wimborne gave Craddock a cold stare.
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"Well，if he wanted his bathing-dress，he must have been going to theseaside.I say，Lily'-his face crinkled up with amusement."What price yourold dugout being the murderer himself?" "Poor Mr Cust?He wouldn't hurt a fly，"laughed Lily. They danced on happily-in their conscious minds nothing but the pleasureof being together. In their unconscious minds something stirred...... ------------------
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Doncaster! I shall，I think，remember that 11th of September all my life. Indeed，whenever I see a mention of the St Leger my mind fliesautomatically not to horse-racing but to murder. When I recall my own sensations，the thing that stands out most is asickening sense of insufficiency.We were here-on the spot-Poirot，myself，Clarke，Fraser，Megan Barnard，Thora Grey and Mary Drower，and in the lastresort what could any of us do? We were building on a forlorn hope-on the chance of recognizing amongsta crowd of thousands of people a face or figure imperfectly seen on anoccasion one，two or three months back.
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"Oh!Lady Clarke，you mustn't say that.I did think Miss Grey a very nicegirl-so romantic-looking，like someone out of a novel." "I've no patience with the lot of you，"said Lady Clarke feebly. "Well，she's gone now，my dear.Gone right away." Lady Clarke shook her head with feeble impatience but she did not answer. Poirot said: "Why did you say that Miss Grey was a liar?" "Because she is.She told you no strangers came to the house，didn'tshe?" "Yes." "Very well，then.I saw her-with my own eyes-out of this window-talkingto a perfectly strange man on the front doorstep." "When was this?"
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"In the morning of the day Car died-about eleven o'clock." "What did this man look like?" "An ordinary sort of man.Nothing special." "A gentleman-or a tradesman?" "Not a tradesman.A shabby sort of person.I can't remember." A sudden quiver of pain shot across her face. "Please-you must go now-I'm a little tired-Nurse." We obeyed the cue and took our departure. "That's an extraordinary story，"I said to Poirot as we journeyed backto London."About Miss Grey and a strange man." "You see，Hastings?It is，as I tell you:there is always something to befound out."
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As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter, and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels. Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded the City. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.
In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick, was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun that even the painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by their brilliancy.
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the button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the big gate swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found themselves in a high arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds.
Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a large green box.
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The high hedge hid him from the house now; and so, under the impulse of a deadly fright, he let out all his forces and sped toward a wood in the distance. He never looked back until he had almost gained the shelter of the forest; then he turned and descried two figures in the distance. That was sufficient; he did not wait to scan them critically, but hurried on, and never abated his pace till he was far within the twilight depths of the wood. Then he stopped;
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being persuaded that he was now tolerably safe. He listened intently, but the stillness was profound and solemn-awful, even, and depressing to the spirits. At wide intervals his straining ear did detect sounds, but they were so remote, and hollow, and mysterious, that they seemed not to be real sounds, but only the moaning and complaining ghosts of departed ones. So the sounds were yet more dreary than the silence which they interrupted.
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Decorative painting " D'you mean that The Avenger may be a toff, staying in some West-end hotel, Mr. Bunting? Well, things almost as funny as that 'ud be have come to pass." He smiled as if the notion was a funny one.
"Yes, something o' that sort," muttered Bunting.
"Well, if your idea's correct, Mr.- Bunting - "
"I never said 'twas my idea," said Bunting, all in a hurry.
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"Well, if that idea's correct then, 'twill make our task more difficult than ever. Why, 'twould be looking for a needle in a field of hay, Mr. Bunting! But there! I don't think it's anything quite so unlikely as that - not myself I don't." He hesitated. "There's some of us" - he lowered his voice-" that hopes he'll betake himself off - The Avenger, I mean - to another big city, to Manchester or to Edinburgh. There'd be plenty of work for him to do there," and Chandler chuckled at his own grim joke
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Putting her candle down on the well-scrubbed wooden table, she turned up the gas-jet, and blew out the candle.
Then, lighting one of the gas-rings, she put a frying-pan on the stove, and once more her mind reverted, as if in spite of herself, to Mr. Sleuth. Never had there been a more confiding or trusting gentleman than the lodger, and yet in some ways he was so secret, so - so peculiar.
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And then she thrust away the thought of the bag almost violently from her mind, and went back to the more agreeable thought of Mr. Sleuth's income, and of how little trouble he gave. Of course, the lodger was eccentric, otherwise he wouldn't be their lodger at all - he would be living in quite a different sort of way with some of his relations, or with a friend in his own class.
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obert Bunting and Ellen his wife sat before their dully burning, carefully-banked-up fire.
The room, especially when it be known that it was part of a house standing in a grimy, if not exactly sordid, London thoroughfare, was exceptionally clean and well-cared-for. A casual stranger, more particularly one of a Superior class to their own, on suddenly opening the door of that sitting-room; would have thought that Mr. and Mrs.
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Bunting presented a very pleasant cosy picture of comfortable married life. Bunting, who was leaning back in a deep leather arm-chair, was clean-shaven and dapper, still in appearance what he had been for many years of his life - a self-respecting man-servant.
On his wife, now sitting up in an uncomfortable straight-backed chair, the marks of past servitude were less apparent; but they were there all the same - in her neat black stuff dress, and in her scrupulously clean, plain collar and cuffs. Mrs. Bunting, as a single woman, had been what is known as a useful maid. Decorative painting

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"Those glasses will drive me silly! Mathematically speaking the thing is possible; but humanly speaking it is impossible - or afterwards - or afterwards -"
Two light knocks struck the door. Rouletabille opened it. A figure entered. I recognised the concierge, whom I had seen when she was being taken to the pavilion for examination. I was surprised, thinking she was still under lock and key. This woman said in a very low tone:
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"In the grove of the parquet."
Rouletabille replied: "Thanks." - The woman then left. He again turned to me, his look haggard, after having carefully refastened the door, muttering some incomprehensible phrases.
"If the thing is mathematically possible, why should it not be hu- manly! - And if it is humanly possible, the matter is simply awful." I interrupted him in his soliloquy: Decorative painting

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Stop fighting, you rascals! These battles between boys rarely end well. Trouble is sure to come to you!"
Poor Crab! He might as well have spoken to the wind. Instead of listening to his good advice, Pinocchio turned to him and said as roughly as he knew how:
"Keep quiet, ugly Gab! It would be better for you to chew a few cough drops to get rid of that cold you have. Go to bed and sleep! You will feel better in the morning."
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In the meantime, the boys, having used all their books, looked around for new ammunition. Seeing Pinocchio's bundle lying idle near-by, they somehow managed to get hold of it.
One of the books was a very large volume, an arithmetic text, heavily bound in leather. It was Pinocchio's pride. Among all his books, he liked that one the best.
We have hundreds more books for your enjoyment. Read them all!
Thinking it would make a fine missile, one of the boys took hold of it and threw it with all his strength at Pinocchio's head. But instead of hitting the Marionette, the book struck one of the other boys, who, as pale as a ghost, cried out faintly: "Oh, Mother, help! I'm dying!" and fell senseless to the ground.
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Hush! Frederic Larsan is at work! Don't let us disturb him!"
Rouletabille had a great admiration for the celebrated detective. I had never before seen him, but I knew him well by reputation. At that time, before Rouletabille had given proof of his unique talent, Larsan was reputed as the most skilful unraveller of the most mysterious and complicated crimes. His reputation was world-wide, and the police of
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London, and even of America, often called him in to their aid when their own national inspectors and detectives found themselves at the end of their wits and resources.
No one was astonished, then, that the head of the Surete had, at the outset of the mystery of The Yellow Room, telegraphed his precious subordinate to London, where he had been sent on a big case of stolen securities, to return with all haste.
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冈仁波奇的神秘色彩和极其富有挑战意义，吸引着大量顶级运动家竞相前来一窥究竟，也正是如此，我们的故事才有了开始。这来自21个国家的选手，自从上了冈仁波奇之后，不但没有人从山上下来，更连带的整个攀岩队都音讯全无，生死不明。这引起了轩然大波，要知道他们每个人身上带着的可是世界上最前进的通讯系统，就算他们不幸在攀爬中遇难，卫星导航也会准确无误的告知他们所在的位置。可是现在不但卫星导航找不到他们，就连上去的好几个纠察队也没有再下来过。
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这引起了极大的恐慌，山下的民众纷纷发动游行，坚称这次的攀岩活动亵渎了神明，要求所有外乡人立刻下山，驱除入境。就连不轻易出山的活佛也抛开所有的顾虑连夜带着寺中的喇嘛赶到山下。一时之间，冈仁波奇峰的天空上响遍了充满神秘色彩的异国颂歌。 Decorative painting

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尘芳撑着脸，静静地看着沈氏作画。舅母的手指纤细修长，关节处峋骨微突，散脉着浅浅的纹路。举手间，衣袖滑落，迭成朵朵云花，散发着淡淡幽香。这双手，能写下凄艳绝美的传世之词，能画出栩栩如生的人物花鸟。
“舅母，将来我要象您一样，文采风流，才情四溢。”尘芳忍不住道。
“好啊。”沈氏浅笑，笔尖在画纸上一顿，又道：“只要不似舅母这般福薄便好。”
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还是有不甘吧！看着沈氏眉间笼罩的淡淡愁绪，尘芳暗叹。本以为嫁得当世俊才，可夫妻共鸾，琴瑟和谐，却不料檀郎心属亡妻，词藻言语中皆是对前妻的思念之情。‘落花有意，流水无情。’本已是憾事，更不料新婚一年，便守寡遗居，可怜如此才华横溢的女子，身世竟这般凄凉飘零。
都道‘此情已自成追忆’，谁知其中苦滋味。
“格格，近日可好？”徐乾学挡在南书房外，躬身问道。
尘芳双目寒光立现，冷笑道：“徐学士近日可好，是否夜夜安眠？”想到外间的传言，想到舅母因他而毁名节，自己不由恨由心生。
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金多多向来不讲什么主仆尊卑，与庄子里的丫环也能说上话，便问道：“说什么好事呢？也说给我听听。”
丫环们听了却只是笑着一个看一个，似乎羞于开口。
“让我猜猜，一定是在说哪个武林少侠长得最俊。”最近许多门派的青年高手都前来拜寿，倒让庄里的丫环饱了眼福。
丫环们又是一阵笑，终于有个大胆的说：“多多姑娘真是聪明，一猜就猜中了。”
“那再让我来猜猜哪一个最俊。”
“姑娘连这个也猜得着？”
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还用得着猜吗？当然是你们翩翩少年郎的君少庄主了！”
金多多想着哪次不是如此。可不想她话音刚落，丫环们就七嘴八舌地嚷嚷着：“姑娘猜错了！姑娘猜错了！”、“姑娘没说错，那有人俊得过少庄主！”嚷嚷得金多多一头雾水。
最后还是最先开口的丫环说道：“她几个说这次长得最俊的公子不是武林中人，是从京城里来的一位贵公子。我们几个不信。”
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世上的男人没一个好东西！
女人总爱把男人当作自己的天，自己的地，可男人呢？这一点她最清楚了。
比如师父，潜心修道，视儿女情长为修炼路上的孽障；
比如哥哥，一心只想着精忠报国，娶妻生子不过是“不孝有三，无后为大”；
比如大徒弟，身为霸主当然需要美人陪伴，品质要高，数量不限；
比如小徒弟，明白女人是用来疼的，结局是成为目前江湖上最出名的薄情郎；
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比如睡在身边的这个男人，女人于他不过是暖床的工具罢了。
想到这儿，她不禁摸了摸尚未隆起的腹部，呢喃道：“不知你将来会是个怎样的男人呢？还是跟娘一样做个女人好了。”
话说回来，这几个不是东西的男人对她倒是不错：对师父而言，她是唯一的亲亲徒弟；对哥哥而言，她是唯一的亲亲妹子；对徒弟们而言，她是唯一的亲亲师父；对睡在身边的男人而言——嘿嘿，她还只是暖床的工具之一。可这正是她当初挑上他的原因之一，不是吗？
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左思右想，又怕人家以为我离了皇太后便再不屑应付其他人，还不如和刘氏说话，她虽心眼小、又不善与人交际，但是她那点小心思，很容易让人看透，再说在大场合也搞不出什么乱子来。权衡利弊之后，恃宠而骄的我便做主拉了本该坐侧妃那一桌的刘氏过来，其他的侧妃均是一脸羡慕。待她坐定，偶尔便与刘氏搭两句讪，她起先装腔作势答一句不答一句，我大为光火，凑了过去不动声色地说了句：“如果让王爷知道刘侧妃在这种场合不识大体，扫了信亲王府的颜面
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你猜他会怎么看你？”她一时不知所措，然而，终究是有些小聪明的，立刻和我上演了一场姐妹情深，或嗔或笑，好不热闹。众人都羡慕不已，看我姐妹俩说体己话，也都识相地不予打扰。
哪知咱们的信亲王今儿兴奋过了头，大大咧咧地来到女眷区，冲我笑得那叫一个温柔，身畔的刘氏也一下子紧张了起来。看着他越过人群，直直向我走来，其他桌的贵妇们纷纷投以注目礼。
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原来不知不觉间，我已泪流满面。我定了定神：“我……我没哭，你痛不痛？”笨蛋，我骂了骂自己，都成这样了哪能不痛？绿萼赶紧把我扶到一旁，跟在后头的雅琴、雅棋，看到此景立刻上前帮忙，几下手脚，终于解开了，她二人扶着绯红退到一旁。
王爷已经带着刘氏来到跟前，看到已经解了下来的绯红，火大道：“这是谁让解的？本王还在这儿哪，有没有规矩？”转身看到我泪流满面的样子，他一愣：“既然……解了那就算了，反正这奴才也已经教训过了，带回去算了。”
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那厢的刘氏见王爷颇有心软之势，煽风点火道：“王爷，您现在是亲王，上上下下都看着哪，这在府上正立规矩，哪能这么就免了？以后还怎么立威哪？”
我怒极，你这刁妇，我还没找你算账呢，你倒自己送上门来了？上前不管不顾的就是一巴掌：“王爷和本妃说话，还没轮到你插嘴的分，要立规矩，就先从你这儿做起。”
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片刻后，只听见前边传来撩帘子的声音，一个着翠绿马甲，素色襦裙的宫女带着几个小宫女、太监走到跟前。福了福身道：“太后娘娘请姑娘进去说话。这两位姐姐跟奴婢去侧厅喝茶，休息一下可好？”我对绯红、绿萼二人鼓励地笑了笑，回头对绿衣宫女笑答：“有劳了。”
我走进外间，只觉眼到之处甚是奢华，却是空旷旷的没人。看似太后应该在左边里间等着，寻思着是自己直接冲进去还是先要客气地问声安？只听见帘子自里边卷起，何总管挽帘道：“姑娘这边请，娘娘等着哪！”得，甭客气了，进去先！
刚进得门，只见锦榻上端坐着头戴凤冠、身着九爪凤服霞帔的太后，她见我进得门来，立刻起身走过来，笑说：“好孩子，终于来了！近来事儿多，都委屈你很久了吧
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