英语文章背六级词汇 Unit 20

UNIT 20 Knight’s Honor PartⅡ
Chapter 5
It was clear from the beginning that
they could have no future together.
They were from two different worlds.
Although Robert had grown into a strong,
intelligent and handsome young man,
his blood was not that of the royalty.
This meant he could not woo Janine openly.
Janine’s father was a shrewd man.
He recognized and comprehended
that Robert would be a fine mate for his daughter,
but the lack of good ancestry
didn’t warrant the alliance between them.
Lord Stafford was not vacant
of feelings for the lad,
and showed this when he entitled Robert
to enter into the realm of knights.
Lacking noble blood anchored his chances
of becoming a knight, but if he
verified the potential Lord Stafford recognized in him,
he would discharge himself well,
and possibly rise above his station.
Robert showed perpetual zeal in his studies
and loyalty to his alliances.
He never evaded responsibility,
was never late, was quick and skillful
in the use of weapons including sword,
dagger and spear,ect.
He also showed keenness in his shrewdness,
was brave in battle, and famous for his honesty.
A favorite among leaders and peers,
he rose through the ranks to become the apprentice
of the most famous and successful knight
in the northern provinces.
Unable, still, to wed Janine, he entreated her
to run away with him.
Janine admitted that she wished to be with him,
but the violation to the taboo of a secret marriage
would bring disgrace upon her father
and contaminate their good name.
Robert was desolate and returned to his detachment,
hoping she would change her mind and not abandon him.
Now he was deeply sorry.
Janine had been kidnapped from her father’s estate
by the Earl of Morley and was being held
as a hostage for ransom in one of his many jails.
Lord Stafford had called upon Robert to come to his aid
and to bring with him as many knights as possible
to fulfill Janine’s release.
Robert’s main objective was to rescue Janine
and reclaiming her honor.
He prayed he could do this
before the conspiring kidnapper further hurt her.
Chapter 6
Janine’s courage had thus far kept her from being bedded
by the Earl of Morley;
she reproached each time he approached.
Her raging temper and threats to hideously wrench
and tramp him should he attempt to touch her
were met with pretentious laughter.
Besides, the Earl was involved in an enfeoffment confrontation
of his own family.
He didn’t have time to try to win her over
by being scheming.
It was Janine’s plan to maintain a climate
of vicious contempt in her refusal of the Earl.
Every time she thought of Robert,
she became increasingly silent.
“Why did I have to be such an idiot?”
she asked herself.
“If I had run off with him,
none of this would have happened.
M
y father’s estates would not have been butchered.
I would not be in peril. And if Robert finds me,
I will have endangered his life
by exposin

g him to this devil.”
Inner annoyance troubled her every waking moment,
even when she was sleeping it was restless.
She began to lose hope.
If someone didn’t come soon,
she would have to become the wife
of the notorious nobleman.
There was no point in asking him
to release her. She knew inwardly
that he would refuse her request.
During the night she sensed a change.
She thought she had become accustomed
to her misfortune, accepting
that her liberty would not be achieved
before the Earl forced her to submit to him.
Suddenly alert, she approached the window of her bed chamber.
Through the window,
in the distance she could see
an orange glow reflected from the clouds
and the odor of smoke drifted in the chill night air.
“The village is on fire!
Why would the Earl want to harm the peasants?
He must be crazy! I have to get out
of here before he returns!”
At that moment she started to prompt her own escape.
She began to groan, softly at first,
then mounting in frequency and volume.
She quivered on the bed,
alternately clutching her stomach
and wringing her hands in a simulation of extreme discomfort.
Her guard, thinking his charge was in distress,
entered the room hastily, neglectful
of the danger he was now in.
As soon as he was close enough,
Janine hoisted her club, improvised
from a piece of firewood,
striking him so hard that he fell unconsciously on the floor.
Treading cautiously,
she made her way down the staircase
and out of the Earl’s domain, surprised to find
that she saw no one as she left.
Chapter 7
Bounced from his illusions by a sudden grumble
from the colonel, Robert returned
to the reality of their dilemma.
He heaved himself up from the floor of the cave
and patted the colonel into full wakefulness.
“I think we must take stock of the wreckage
your stupidity has caused to us,”
he shouted at him crankily.
“If we follow the creek, and enter the village deviously,
it is possible that we might be able
to take some of it back through the element of surprise.”
The colonel, reproached by his underling,
refused at the idea of taking orders from Robert.
“If you do as I say, I will not ridicule you
in public and you may, just possibly,
be able to rejoice victory and flee from reproach!”
Robert told him forcefully.
It took the colonel a moment to
decide to abide by Robert’s conditions.
“Tell me what you want me to do,”
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