空幻之屋27

时间：2024-12-31 10:09:04

（单词翻译:单击）

Nineteen
I
When Henrietta had left him, Poirot sat on until he saw below him Inspector1 Grange walk past the
pool with a resolute2, easy stride and take the path on past the pavilion.
The inspector was walking in a purposeful way.
He must be going, therefore, either to Resthaven or to Dovecotes. Poirot wondered which.
He got up and retraced3 his steps along the way he had come. If Inspector Grange was coming to
see him, he was interested to hear what the inspector had to say.
But when he got back to Resthaven there was no sign of a visitor. Poirot looked thoughtfully up
the lane in the direction of Dovecotes. Veronica Cray had not, he knew, gone back to London.
He found his curiosity rising about Veronica Cray. The pale, shining fox furs, the heaped boxes
of matches, that sudden imperfectly explained invasion on the Saturday night, and finally
Henrietta Savernake’s revelations about John Christow and Veronica.
It was, he thought, an interesting pattern. Yes, that was how he saw it: a pattern.
A design of intermingled emotions and the clash of personalities4. A strange involved design,
with dark threads of hate and desire running through it.
Had Gerda Christow shot her husband? Or was it not quite so simple as that?
He thought of his conversation with Henrietta and decided5 that it was not so simple.
Henrietta had jumped to the conclusion that he suspected her of the murder, but actually he had
not gone nearly as far as that in his mind. No further indeed than the belief that Henrietta knew
something. Knew something or was concealing6 something—which?
He shook his head, dissatisfied.
The scene by the pool. A set scene. A stage scene.
Staged by whom? Staged for whom?
The answer to the second question was, he strongly suspected, Hercule Poirot. He had thought
so at the time. But he had thought then that it was an impertinence—a joke.
It was still an impertinence—but not a joke.
And the answer to the first question?
He shook his head. He did not know. He had not the least idea.
But he half-closed his eyes and conjured7 them up—all of them—seeing them clearly in his
mind’s eye. Sir Henry, upright, responsible, trusted administrator8 of Empire. Lady Angkatell,
shadowy, elusive9, unexpectedly and bewilderingly charming, with that deadly power of
inconsequent suggestion. Henrietta Savernake, who had loved John Christow better than she loved
herself. The gentle and negative Edward Angkatell. The dark, positive girl called Midge
Hardcastle. The dazed, bewildered face of Gerda Christow clasping a revolver in her hand. The
offended adolescent personality of David Angkatell.
There they all were, caught and held in the meshes10 of the law. Bound together for a little while
in the relentless11 aftermath of sudden and violent death. Each of them had their own tragedy and
meaning, their own story.
And somewhere in that interplay of characters and emotions lay the truth.
To Hercule Poirot there was only one thing more fascinating than the study of human beings,
and that was the pursuit of truth.
He meant to know the truth of John Christow’s death.

分享到：


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 resolute 2sCyu     
adj.坚决的，果敢的
参考例句：
  • He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
  • The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。
3 retraced 321f3e113f2767b1b567ca8360d9c6b9     
v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯
参考例句：
  • We retraced our steps to where we started. 我们折回我们出发的地方。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • We retraced our route in an attempt to get back on the right path. 我们折返，想回到正确的路上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 personalities ylOzsg     
n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
  • Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
5 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
6 concealing 0522a013e14e769c5852093b349fdc9d     
v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产
7 conjured 227df76f2d66816f8360ea2fef0349b5     
用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现
参考例句：
  • He conjured them with his dying breath to look after his children. 他临终时恳求他们照顾他的孩子。
  • His very funny joke soon conjured my anger away. 他讲了个十分有趣的笑话，使得我的怒气顿消。
8 administrator SJeyZ     
n.经营管理者，行政官员
参考例句：
  • The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
  • He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。
9 elusive d8vyH     
adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的
参考例句：
  • Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
  • Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。
10 meshes 1541efdcede8c5a0c2ed7e32c89b361f     
网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境
参考例句：
  • The net of Heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. 天网恢恢，疏而不漏。
  • This net has half-inch meshes. 这个网有半英寸见方的网孔。
11 relentless VBjzv     
adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的
参考例句：
  • The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
  • Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

©2005-2010英文阅读网