"Youare a most unmitigated cad."
"Nowthat you've got that off your chest, let's go and have dinner."
Idare say it would have been more seemly to decline this proposal. I thinkperhaps I should have made a show of the indignation I really felt, and I amsure that Colonel MacAndrew at least would have thought well of me if I hadbeen able to report my stout refusal to sit at the same table with a man ofsuch character. But the fear of not being able to carry it through effectivelyhas always made me shy of assuming the moral attitude; and in this case thecertainty that my sentiments would be lost on Strickland made it peculiarlyembarrassing to utter them. only the poet or the saint can water an asphaltpavement in the confident anticipation that lilies will reward his labour.
章振邦新编高级英语语法195-196页说:
这里的ColonelMacAndrew at least would have thought well of me if I had been able to reportmy stout refusal to sit at the same table with a man of such character.是表示以后时间的“非真实”。
表示以后时间，为何可以用If had done...would have done这种形式呢？
我不可以理解，既然是表示以后时间，为何不说成：
ColonelMacAndrew at least would think well of me if I was/were? able to report mystout refusal to sit at the same table with a man of such character.
另外，顺便请教老师：这里的a most unmitigated怎么样剖析理解？most是最高级还是very的意思？unmitigated有最高级吗？或most=very可以修饰unmitigated吗？
这是说话人以第一人称的口吻讲故事。讲述中常常主句用目前是表示讲故事时我们的怎么看，但宾语从句描述的却是过去的事情。比如，I‘m sure he was at home that day, but I didn't know then. 你提问的句子就是这样，that从句讲的是当时的状况，是对当时（即过去状况的假设）所以虚拟语气用had done/would have done. 章振邦的讲解是不对的。
a most +形容词+名词，most为very的意思。你也不想想，不可分级的形容词说母语的人会用most吗？
