bittern
a type of bird.
clamor
a loud and confused noise.
clapper-claw
to claw or scratch with hands or nails.
cloven
split or divided into two.
deluge
flood with a great quantity of something.
dolefully
with sadness.
effects
personal belongings.
farthing
a very small unit of British currency.
forlorn
abandoned or lonely.
gridiron
a frame of parallel bars or beams.
land-jobber
one who makes a business of buying or selling land.
melancholy
a gloomy state of mind.
miser
a person who hoards wealth and spends as little as possible.
morass
an area of muddy or boggy ground.
obliterate
destroy or wipe out.
ostentation
pretentious or vulgar display of wealth.
parsimony
extreme unwillingness to spend money.
prevalent
widespread.
propitiatory
intended to appease.
quagmire
a soft, boggy area of land that gives way underfoot.
surmise
suppose that something is true without evidence.
termagant
a harsh-tempered or overbearing woman.
trifle
a thing of little value or importance.
usurer
a person who lends money at unreasonably high rates of interest (also called a loan-shark).
wayfarer
a person who travels on foot.
zeal
great enthusiasm.
