空幻之屋23

时间：2024-12-31 10:07:37

（单词翻译:单击）

Fifteen
Hercule Poirot, enjoying a mid-morning cup of chocolate, was interrupted by the ringing of the
telephone. He got up and lifted the receiver.
“’Allo?”
“M. Poirot?”
“Lady Angkatell?”
“How nice of you to know my voice! Am I disturbing you?”
“But not at all. You are, I hope, none the worse for the distressing1 events of yesterday?”
“No, indeed. Distressing, as you say, but one feels, I find, quite detached. I rang you up to know
if you could possibly come over—an imposition, I know, but I am really in great distress2.”
“But certainly, Lady Angkatell. Did you mean now?”
“Well, yes, I did mean now. As quickly as you can. That’s very sweet of you.”
“Not at all. I will come by the woods, then?”
“Oh, of course—the shortest way. Thank you so much, dear M. Poirot.”
Pausing only to brush a few specks3 of dust off the lapels of his coat and to slip on a thin
overcoat, Poirot crossed the lane and hurried along the path through the chestnuts4. The swimming
pool was deserted—the police had finished their work and gone. It looked innocent and peaceful
in the soft misty5 autumn light.
Poirot took a quick look into the pavilion. The platinum6 fox cape7, he noted8, had been removed.
But the six boxes of matches still stood upon the table by the settee. He wondered more than ever
about those matches.
“It is not a place to keep matches—here in the damp. One box, for convenience, perhaps—but
not six.”
He frowned down on the painted iron table. The tray of glasses had been removed. Someone
had scrawled9 with a pencil on the table—a rough design of a nightmarish tree. It pained Hercule
Poirot. It offended his tidy mind.
He clicked his tongue, shook his head, and hurried on towards the house, wondering at the
reason for this urgent summons.
Lady Angkatell was waiting for him at the french windows and swept him into the empty
drawing room.
“It was nice of you to come, M. Poirot.”
She clasped his hand warmly.
“Madame, I am at your service.”
Lady Angkatell’s hands floated out expressively10. Her wide, beautiful eyes opened.
“You see, it’s all so difficult. The inspector11 person is interviewing—no, questioning—taking a
statement—what is the term they use?—Gudgeon. And really our whole life here depends on
Gudgeon, and one does so sympathize with him. Because naturally it is terrible for him to be
questioned by the police—even Inspector Grange, who I do feel is really nice and probably a
family man—boys, I think, and he helps them with Meccano in the evenings—and a wife who has
everything spotless but a little overcrowded….”
Hercule Poirot blinked as Lady Angkatell developed her imaginary sketch12 of Inspector
Grange’s home life.
“By the way his moustache droops,” went on Lady Angkatell, “I think that a home that is too
spotless might be sometimes depressing—like soap on hospital nurses’ faces. Quite a shine! But
that is more in the country where things lag behind—in London nursing homes they have lots of
powder and really vivid lipstick13. But I was saying, M. Poirot, that you really must come to lunch
properly when all this ridiculous business is over.”
“You are very kind.”
“I do not mind the police myself,” said Lady Angkatell. “I really find it all quite interesting. ‘Do
let me help you in any way I can,’ I said to Inspector Grange. He seems rather a bewildered sort of
person, but methodical.
“Motive seems so important to policemen,” she went on. “Talking of hospital nurses just now, I
believe that John Christow—a nurse with red hair and an upturned nose—quite attractive. But of
course it was a long time ago and the police might not be interested. One doesn’t really know how
much poor Gerda had to put up with. She is the loyal type, don’t you think? Or possibly she
believes what is told her. I think if one has not a great deal of intelligence, it is wise to do that.”
Quite suddenly, Lady Angkatell flung open the study door and ushered14 Poirot in, crying
brightly, “Here is M. Poirot.” She swept round him and out, shutting the door. Inspector Grange
and Gudgeon were sitting by the desk. A young man with a notebook was in a corner. Gudgeon
rose respectfully to his feet.
Poirot hastened into apologies.
“I retire immediately. I assure you I had no idea that Lady Angkatell—”
“No, no, you wouldn’t have.” Grange’s moustache looked more pessimistic than ever this
morning. “Perhaps,” thought Poirot, fascinated by Lady Angkatell’s recent sketch of Grange,
“there has been too much cleaning or perhaps a Benares brass15 table has been purchased so that the
good inspector he really cannot have space to move.”
Angrily he dismissed these thoughts. Inspector Grange’s clean but overcrowded home, his wife,
his boys and their addiction16 to Meccano were all figments of Lady Angkatell’s busy brain.
But the vividness with which they assumed concrete reality interested him. It was quite an
accomplishment17.
“Sit down, M. Poirot,” said Grange. “There’s something I want to ask you about, and I’ve
nearly finished here.”
He turned his attention back to Gudgeon, who deferentially18 and almost under protest resumed
his seat and turned an expressionless face towards his interlocutor.
“And that’s all you can remember?”
“Yes, sir. Everything, sir, was very much as usual. There was no unpleasantness of any kind.”
“There’s a fur cape thing—out in that summerhouse by the pool. Which of the ladies did it
belong to?”
“Are you referring, sir, to a cape of platinum fox? I noticed it yesterday when I took out the
glasses to the pavilion. But it is not the property of anyone in this house, sir.”
“Whose is it, then?”
“It might possibly belong to Miss Cray, sir. Miss Veronica Cray, the motion picture actress. She
was wearing something of the kind.”
“When?”
“When she was here the night before last, sir.”
“You didn’t mention her as having been a guest here?”
“She was not a guest, sir. Miss Cray lives at Dovecotes, the—er—cottage up the lane, and she
came over after dinner, having run out of matches, to borrow some.”
“Did she take away six boxes?” asked Poirot.
Gudgeon turned to him.
“That is correct, sir. Her ladyship, after having inquired if we had plenty, insisted on Miss
Cray’s taking half a dozen boxes.”
“Which she left in the pavilion,” said Poirot.
“Yes, sir, I observed them there yesterday morning.”
“There is not much that that man does not observe,” remarked Poirot as Gudgeon departed,
closing the door softly and deferentially behind him.
Inspector Grange merely remarked that servants were the devil!
“However,” he said with a little renewed cheerfulness, “there’s always the kitchenmaid.
Kitchenmaids talk—not like these stuck-up upper servants.
“I’ve put a man on to make inquiries19 at Harley Street,” he went on. “And I shall be there myself
later in the day. We ought to get something there. Daresay, you know, that wife of Christow’s had
a good bit to put up with. Some of these fashionable doctors and their lady patients—well, you’d
be surprised! And I gather from Lady Angkatell that there was some trouble over a hospital nurse.
Of course, she was very vague about it.”
“Yes,” Poirot agreed. “She would be vague.”
A skilfully20 built-up picture…John Christow and amorous21 intrigues22 with hospital nurses…the
opportunities of a doctor’s life… plenty of reasons for Gerda Christow’s jealousy23 which had
culminated24 at last in murder.
Yes, a skilfully suggested picture, drawing attention to a Harley Street background—away from
The Hollow—away from the moment when Henrietta Savernake, stepping forward, had taken the
revolver from Gerda Christow’s unresisting hand…Away from that other moment when John
Christow, dying, had said “Henrietta.”
Suddenly opening his eyes, which had been half- closed, Hercule Poirot demanded with
irresistible25 curiosity:
“Do your boys play with Meccano?”
“Eh, what?” Inspector Grange came back from a frowning reverie to stare at Poirot. “Why, what
on earth? As a matter of fact, they’re a bit young—but I was thinking of giving Teddy a Meccano
set for Christmas. What made you ask?”
Poirot shook his head.
What made Lady Angkatell dangerous, he thought, was the fact that those intuitive, wild
guesses of hers might be often right. With a careless (seemingly careless?) word she built up a
picture—and if part of the picture was right, wouldn’t you, in spite of yourself, believe in the other
half of the picture?….
Inspector Grange was speaking.
“There’s a point I want to put to you, M. Poirot. This Miss Cray, the actress—she traipses over
here borrowing matches. If she wanted to borrow matches, why didn’t she come to your place,
only a step or two away? Why come about half a mile?”
Hercule Poirot shrugged26 his shoulders.
“There might be reasons. Snob27 reasons, shall we say? My little cottage, it is small, unimportant.
I am only a weekender, but Sir Henry and Lady Angkatell are important—they live here—they are
what is called in the country. This Miss Veronica Cray, she may have wanted to get to know them
—and after all, this was a way.”
Inspector Grange got up.
“Yes,” he said, “that’s perfectly28 possible, of course, but one doesn’t want to overlook anything.
Still, I’ve no doubt that everything’s going to be plain sailing. Sir Henry has identified the gun as
one of his collection. It seems they were actually practising with it the afternoon before. All Mrs.
Christow had to do was to go into the study and get it from where she’d seen Sir Henry put it and
the ammunition29 away. It’s all quite simple.”
“Yes,” Poirot murmured. “It seems all quite simple.”
Just so, he thought, would a woman like Gerda Christow commit a crime. Without subterfuge30 or
complexity—driven suddenly to violence by the bitter anguish31 of a narrow but deeply loving
nature.
And yet surely—surely, she would have had some sense of self-preservation. Or had she acted
in that blindness—that darkness of the spirit—when reason is entirely32 laid aside?
He recalled her blank, dazed face.
He did not know—he simply did not know.
But he felt that he ought to know.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 distressing cuTz30     
a.使人痛苦的
参考例句：
  • All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
  • It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。
2 distress 3llzX     
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
  • Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
  • Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
3 specks 6d64faf449275b5ce146fe2c78100fed     
n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Minutes later Brown spotted two specks in the ocean. 几分钟后布朗发现海洋中有两个小点。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
  • Do you ever seem to see specks in front of your eyes? 你眼睛前面曾似乎看见过小点吗？ 来自辞典例句
4 chestnuts 113df5be30e3a4f5c5526c2a218b352f     
n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马
参考例句：
  • A man in the street was selling bags of hot chestnuts. 街上有个男人在卖一包包热栗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Talk of chestnuts loosened the tongue of this inarticulate young man. 因为栗子，正苦无话可说的年青人，得到同情他的人了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
5 misty l6mzx     
adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的
参考例句：
  • He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
  • The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。
6 platinum CuOyC     
n.白金
参考例句：
  • I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
  • Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。
7 cape ITEy6     
n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风
参考例句：
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
8 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
9 scrawled ace4673c0afd4a6c301d0b51c37c7c86     
乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
  • Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”
10 expressively 7tGz1k     
ad.表示(某事物)地；表达地
参考例句：
  • She gave the order to the waiter, using her hands very expressively. 她意味深长地用双手把订单递给了服务员。
  • Corleone gestured expressively, submissively, with his hands. "That is all I want." 说到这里，考利昂老头子激动而谦恭地表示：“这就是我的全部要求。” 来自教父部分
11 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员，监察员，视察员
参考例句：
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
12 sketch UEyyG     
n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述
参考例句：
  • My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
  • I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。
13 lipstick o0zxg     
n.口红，唇膏
参考例句：
  • Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
  • Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
14 ushered d337b3442ea0cc4312a5950ae8911282     
v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
  • A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 brass DWbzI     
n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器
参考例句：
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
16 addiction JyEzS     
n.上瘾入迷，嗜好
参考例句：
  • He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
  • Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。
17 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能
参考例句：
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。
18 deferentially 90c13fae351d7697f6aaf986af4bccc2     
adv.表示敬意地，谦恭地
参考例句：
  • "Now, let me see,'said Hurstwood, looking over Carrie's shoulder very deferentially. “来，让我瞧瞧你的牌。”赫斯渥说着，彬彬有礼地从嘉莉背后看过去。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • He always acts so deferentially around his supervisor. 他总是毕恭毕敬地围着他的上司转。 来自互联网
19 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
20 skilfully 5a560b70e7a5ad739d1e69a929fed271     
adv. (美skillfully)熟练地
参考例句：
  • Hall skilfully weaves the historical research into a gripping narrative. 霍尔巧妙地把历史研究揉进了扣人心弦的故事叙述。
  • Enthusiasm alone won't do. You've got to work skilfully. 不能光靠傻劲儿，得找窍门。
21 amorous Menys     
adj.多情的；有关爱情的
参考例句：
  • They exchanged amorous glances and clearly made known their passions.二人眉来眼去，以目传情。
  • She gave him an amorous look.她脉脉含情的看他一眼。
22 intrigues 48ab0f2aaba243694d1c9733fa06cfd7     
n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心
参考例句：
  • He was made king as a result of various intrigues. 由于搞了各种各样的阴谋，他当上了国王。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Those who go in for intrigues and conspiracy are doomed to failure. 搞阴谋诡计的人注定要失败。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
23 jealousy WaRz6     
n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌
参考例句：
  • Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
  • I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。
24 culminated 2d1e3f978078666a2282742e3d1ca461     
v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers 一场造成两名警察死亡的枪战
  • The gala culminated in a firework display. 晚会以大放烟火告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 irresistible n4CxX     
adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的
参考例句：
  • The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
  • She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。
26 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
27 snob YFMzo     
n.势利小人，自以为高雅、有学问的人
参考例句：
  • Going to a private school had made her a snob.上私立学校后，她变得很势利。
  • If you think that way, you are a snob already.如果你那样想的话，你已经是势利小人了。
28 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
29 ammunition GwVzz     
n.军火，弹药
参考例句：
  • A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
  • They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。
30 subterfuge 4swwp     
n.诡计；藉口
参考例句：
  • European carping over the phraseology represented a mixture of hypocrisy and subterfuge.欧洲在措词上找岔子的做法既虚伪又狡诈。
  • The Independents tried hard to swallow the wretched subterfuge.独立党的党员们硬着头皮想把这一拙劣的托词信以为真。
31 anguish awZz0     
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼
参考例句：
  • She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
  • The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。
32 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

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