小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 英文短篇小说 » The Poisoned Goblet » 3. The Shadow over the Abbey
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
3. The Shadow over the Abbey
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
That night during dinner, his first meal at Carmel Abbey, in the brief intervals1 of chatting with his charming and vivacious2 neighbor, a Miss Patricia Howard, Larose philosophically3 considered whether the possession of ample means was to be desired above most things, and he came to the conclusion most definitely that it was.

“It is all nonsense,” he reflected, “for people of no means to keep on repeating like parrots that money isn’t everything, as if it were no good at all, because we get nearly all our happiness from what money brings, and without it we are poor things and have a rotten time.”

He looked round the room and sighed with great contentment. “Now, tonight is typical of what money can give! Here am I in the most comfortable surroundings possible, with every opportunity to snatch a most perfect hour from the sadness of this vale of tears. I am banqueting in the company of distinguished4-looking men and beautiful looking women, and everything about me is conducive5 to comfort and happiness. The food is delicious enough to satisfy the most exacting6 taste, the wines are a very nectar of the gods, the room is as beautiful as that of any medieval church and I am being waited upon as if I had been crowned a king.” He nodded emphatically. “Yes, it is good to be alive to-night.”

He went on. “And this delightfully7 pretty young woman who was consigned8 to me to escort into the meal and the gleam of whose white shoulders is so disturbing to me every time I turn my head — well, she is very gracious to me and smiles and shows her dimples whenever I speak. She is wishing, of course, that I should form a good opinion of her and she continually droops9 those pretty lashes10 for me and flashes at me with those violet eyes. But undoubtedly11 she does all this because she assumes that I am of her own class in wealth and position.” He shook his head sadly. “Now if she knew who I really was, and the exact figures of my very modest banking12 account, then — good gracious! — there would he no more dimples for me, no more pretty smiles and those white, gleaming shoulders would surely stiffen13 up and lose all their friendly pose.” He drew in a deep breath. “Yes, money is a wonderful thing to have.”

He looked round the large and sumptuously14 furnished room again. “And how perfect the service is here, and how beautifully the harmony of everything has been fitted in! Those maids in their dainty uniforms are as pretty as butterflies themselves, and there is not one of them who is not good to look upon. Why, endowed with high sounding names and a bit of money, as far as appearances go, they could any moment with equal distinction take their places among the guests! And the footmen! Quite refined and certainly the best type of their class! They glide15 rather than walk and their bearing is courtly, as if they had acquired grace by attending to the wants of emperors and kings.”

He smiled. “And the butler! Ah! I must not forget him. He certainly does not seem to do much, except stand behind his mistress’s chair, but I note his head is continually turning round and round, with his eyes everywhere upon the menials whom he controls. He is like a great general, directing a field of battle, and the men-servants advance and retreat, and go this way and that, upon the slightest movement of his eye.” He nodded. “Yes, no doubt he is among the great masters of his calling.”

He looked towards the head of the table. “And Lady Ardane herself! The mistress of it all. She is certainly lovely to-night and her beauty outshines that of all the other women here. The soft candle lights are poor rivals to that red head of hers and their timid rays show up the ivory of her skin to the perfection of a lover’s dream.” He sighed once more. “Yes, she is very lovely, but what good is all that loveliness if she will give it to no one to delight in? Is all the romance of her life closed and will she never in abandon again ——”

But his reflections were suddenly broken into by the silvery voice of his partner.

“Mr. Maxwell!” exclaimed that young lady with a great assumption of indignation, “I have spoken to you and you did not answer! I do believe you were looking at the maids.”

“No, no,” replied Larose instantly. “I was just thinking how beautiful our hostess is to-night.”

“She is always beautiful,” commented the girl sharply. She tilted17 up her chin mockingly. “And I don’t believe there’s a man here, married or unmarried, who would not run off with her tomorrow, if he could only get the chance.”

“Good gracious!” exclaimed Larose, “but is she as devastating18 as all that?”

“Quite,” replied the girl laughing. “Why, look at the reverence19 with which the great Sir Arnold is regarding her, and by nature he is as cold as a fish.”

“Which is Sir Arnold!” asked Larose at once.

“Oh! I forgot,” exclaimed the girl. “Of course, you don’t know us all yet.” She nodded. “Sir Arnold Medway is that very handsome man talking to her now. He is one of the great surgeons of the world, and Royalty20 are among his patients.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He is supposed to have received seventy thousand guineas last year for going over to India to operate upon that Rajah’s wife. But isn’t he distinguished looking?”

Larose regarded the fine, strong face of the man she indicated and agreed that he was, for not only, the detective thought, was the great surgeon handsome, but his whole demeanor21 suggested that in whatever walk of life he was, he would excel.

The girl went on. “Come now, I’ll be nice to you and tell you everything about everybody you want to know.”

“Well, that dark man,” asked Larose at once, “right opposite to us, with the girl in pink? Mr. Daller is, I think, his name. Who is he?”

“The Bernard Daller, the air-man,” was the reply, “and a dare-devil if ever there was one. He’s crashed more times than anyone knows, and he still carries on as if he liked it.” She smiled archly. “Another devoted22 slave at the foot of Helen Ardane.”

“And that man with the big glasses, who is always smiling,” asked Larose, “the one with the bald head?”

“Sir Parry Bardell, and Helen’s greatest friend,” Replied the girl. “He lives close near here, just across the meadows. Founded the Bardell line of steamers and used to own them all. Retired23 now, and a most eligible24 bachelor in spite of the absence of raven25 locks.” She pretended to look very sad. “I set my cap at him every time we meet, but it’s quite hopeless for he’d marry no one but”— she sighed —“Helen again.” She turned smilingly to the detective. “But he seems rather interested in you, for I’ve noticed him look this way several times.”

“At you, of course,” smiled back Larose, “and I can quite understand it, for except for being able to talk to you, I’d rather sit opposite to you every time.”

“Quite nice of you, I am sure,” laughed the girl. “Now, is there anyone else you are curious about?”

“Yes, that tall, big man, a friend of Senator Harvey, I believe.”

The girl shook her head. “I know very little about him,” She replied, “except that he’s an American and his name is Rankin, Theodore Rankin. He only arrived yesterday. He’s a wheat fiend, I think, for he comes from Chicago, and was arguing about crops and prices all the morning with the Senator.”

“Another person,” said Larose, “that bronzed man over there upon the left? I haven’t noticed him until dinner to-night.”

“Clive Huntington, a naval26 engineer. He’s a friend of Sir Parry, who, of course, has only come in for the evening. Still you’ll be seeing a lot of Sir Parry for he is always in and out of the Abbey, looking after the affairs of the estate.”

“Is there a lot then to look after?” asked Larose.

“Good gracious, yes!” exclaimed the girl, opening her eyes very wide. “Why, Helen rules over more than ten thousand acres, and all the villages round here belong to her.”

Miss Howard was a very intelligent and observant young woman, and by the time the meal was over the detective was in the possession of many facts that would otherwise have taken a long time to collect. She gave him thumb-nail sketches27 of almost everybody there, and her comments, he thought, were shrewd and very much to the point.

The evening was passed with music and bridge, and, in view of the shoot upon the morrow, the company dispersed28 early and by midnight everybody had retired to their rooms.

But it was not bed-time for Larose yet, for at twenty minutes after midnight he was to have a talk with Lady Ardane in her boudoir, which was next to his own room. She was going to tap upon the wall when she judged it would be safe for him to come in.

He was not too pleased somehow with Lady Ardane, for her manner towards him when they had been enabled to have two words together had been stiff and formal, and as icily cold as if he were a complete stranger and it were necessary for him to be kept at a distance.

He had been formally introduced to her in the lounge, in front of them all, by the very casual and off-hand Lestrange, and she had received him graciously and hoped he would enjoy his stay at the Abbey, but then, when a few moments later, he had spoken to her when no one was close near, she had informed him in the manner of a mistress speaking to her servant, and a female one at that, that she had arranged for his room to be next to her suite29, in case she should require his services. Then when he had said that he wanted to have a talk with her and would need to know in which particular room everyone was sleeping, she had told him as if she were speaking to a block of wood to come to her’s after midnight.

Yes, he was annoyed with her, for her manner was so off-hand, and as if she were quite oblivious30 to the services he had already rendered her.

He sat before the radiator31 and considering everything, notwithstanding his usual buoyancy of disposition33, was in no very cheerful frame of mind.

“Yes, I am being handicapped in many ways here,” he told himself, “for apparently34 I am to ask no questions of anyone. As a guest myself, I cannot, of course, talk to the servants, and my fellow guests are undoubtedly intending to ignore the fact that there is any shadow over the Abbey, and hold it bad taste to want to discuss it. That charming Miss Howard shut me up at once when I referred to it, and the old Admiral almost pretended to know nothing about it when I started to ask him about what had taken place that afternoon upon the Brancaster sands.”

He shook his head frowningly. “Now there is something most sinister35 about this whole business, for it must be that the arch-traitor36 lies near home and when I uncover him I shall probably find he is no stranger to this poor woman whom he is terrifying. Indeed, he must be on intimate terms with her, for if there be any truth in the second warning she has received, his influence is such that he has actually been able to arrange for an ally to be received here as another guest.” He thought for a moment. “Then he must be the master-mind directing the whole conspiracy37, for it is not likely that anyone in the position of an intimate friend of the family here would be the paid tool of a professional gang outside.”

He rose to his feet and paced softly up and down the room. “But if the conspiracy originated here and its master-mind has been here all along, then surely the solution of the problem should be very easy, for only five of the men whom I saw to-night at dinner were here at the time of that attempt to kidnap the child, Admiral Charters, Sir Arnold Medway, Lord Wonnock, Sir Parry Bardell and Senator Harvey.” He whistled softly. “Ah! Senator Harvey, the most inconceivable of them all and yet ——”

He was silent for a long while. “And this second conspirator38 among the newcomers, who then is he? Is he the airman, Daller; Rankin, the American, the friend of the Senator, or Clive Huntington, the friend of Sir Parry?”

He went on. “And where did this gang spring from, this gang which we know for certain must consist of, at least, six men? Was it called specially39 into existence to kidnap the Ardane child, or did it exist before, and were its energies simply diverted from other nefarious40 projects to this?”

He nodded emphatically. “Yes, yes, it certainly existed before, and I must therefore consider who here would have been most likely to have been able to get in touch with it.”

But suddenly he heard a muffled41 tap upon the wall, and at once switching off his radiator, he tiptoed to the door and passed out into the corridor. It was only a few steps to Lady Ardane’s boudoir, and he could see a faint light under the door. He drummed softly with his finger-nails and the door yielded noiselessly to his touch and he stepped into the room, closing the door again as noiselessly behind him.

The boudoir was half in shadow, for the only light was that of a cowled reading-lamp upon the desk. The door leading to the bedroom was pulled to, but not shut. Lady Ardane put her finger to her lips. “Speak quietly,” she ordered, “for my son is very restless to-night.” She was standing32 by the desk, and beckoning42 the detective to approach, did not, however, invite him to sit down.

“Well, did you see those men?” she went on sharply.

“Yes, I saw them and spoke16 to two of them,” replied Larose, “but that was all. They stopped me and I did not get near their car.”

“Then you did no good,” she said almost as if she were annoyed.

“No,” said the detective, “except that I should recognise one of them again. They threatened me with a pistol and I could do nothing with that pointed43 against my chest. I tell you these are desperate men, who came after you last night.” He was nettled44 by her manner and went on, speaking as sharply as she had spoken. “Now, I want to know about that telephone wire, please. I heard in Norwich this morning that it had been cut.”

“Yes, it was cut,” she said, “and there have been two detectives here nearly all day, questioning the servants about it.” She bit upon her lip. “The publicity45 is dreadful.”

“It was cut by the main door, I understand,” said Larose.

She nodded. “Someone fetched a ladder from the garage, when dinner was being served, and cut the wires, ten feet up. He put the ladder back after he had used it, but the detectives saw the gravel46 marks upon it. They say he must know all the arrangements of the house, and are certain it must be one of the servants”— she shook her head —“but whatever they think, that is impossible, for the movements of all the men can be accounted for at the time it must have been cut.” She bit upon her lip again. “It is a terrible thought to know that I have such an enemy here.”

“But it mayn’t have been a man,” suggested Larose. “It may perhaps have been a woman.”

Lady Ardane shook her head. “No, it is a heavy ladder, twelve feet in length, and it must have been a man.”

“And how do you know it was done during dinner?” asked the detective.

“Because Senator Harvey rang up the chemist just before dinner, at a quarter to eight, and at a quarter to nine, when I went to ring up the exchange, it was dead.”

A short silence followed and then Larose said quietly, “Well, now I shall have to ask you some questions that you may not like, but the situation in my opinion is so grave that I cannot allow any feelings of sentiment to hamper47 me in my work.”

“Feelings of sentiment!” exclaimed Lady Ardane quickly, as if she had not heard aright. “What on earth do you mean?” She spoke angrily, and it was evident to Larose that her nerves were all on edge. “What, pray, has any sentiment to do with what you are here for?”

“Oh! you’ll understand what I mean in a minute,” replied the detective. “Now, please tell me at exactly what time they went into dinner last night.”

“At a quarter to eight,” was the frowning reply. “They had waited a quarter of an hour for me and then, as I had told my aunt, Mrs. Chalmers, I might be delayed, she gave orders for dinner to be served.”

“And who were actually present at the meal?” asked Larose.

Lady Ardane considered. “My aunt, Mrs. Chalmers, Mrs. Challans, Miss Howard, Miss Montgomery, Lord and Lady Wonnock and Sir Arnold Medway. It was a small party because Senator Harvey was indisposed and Admiral Charters had gone to bed with a bad cold.”

“A bad cold!” exclaimed Larose. “He was lively enough to-night.”

“But he thought he was sickening for one and he’s always nervous about his health. As a matter of fact, he sent for Sir Arnold in the middle of dinner to go up and see him.”

A moment’s silence followed, and then Larose said grimly, “Now for the sentiment, your ladyship.” He paused for a moment, and regarding her intently, asked quickly, “Are you on good terms with your step-father?”

Lady Ardane returned his intent gaze. “Certainly,” she replied haughtily48.

“And you always have been?”

“Always.”

“Well,” said Larose, “and please don’t get angry now, is there any insanity49 in Senator Harvey’s family?”

Lady Ardane drew in a deep breath and looked furious. “What do you mean?” she gasped50. “Are you out of your mind yourself?”

The detective looked very uncomfortable. “Lady Ardane,” he said firmly, “it will be a dreadful thought for you but it must be one of only five people who has all along been your enemy in this house, for if we leave out the servants, there have only been five persons here in a position to betray you as you have been betrayed — Senator Harvey, Lord Wonnock, Sir Arnold Medway, Admiral Charters and Sir Parry Bardell. They alone were present here before the beginning of this trouble, and if we rule out the motives51 of ransom52 and revenge, then it can be only insanity that has urged one of them on to attempt this dreadful wrong.” He raised one hand in his earnestness. “Think — if Mr. Jones is right, and from the notes that he has given me I am inclined to believe that he is, and none of the servants are involved, then who else but one of the five I have mentioned can have been the one who is helping53 these wretches54 outside.”

“But it is impossible!” gasped Lady Ardane. “All these gentlemen you mention are proved friends of mine. They are dear friends of long standing and every one of them would give his life for me.” She gasped again. “My step-father, above all people, for he has been the same as if he were my own parent, from my childhood’s days! Good heavens! what suspicion have you against him?”

“You tell me he was not at dinner last night,” replied Larose grimly “you say the ladder was used by a man, you are sure all the men servants are accounted for”— he shrugged55 his shoulders —“well, however improbable, I must consider everyone, one by one.”

Lady Ardane made no comment. She had sunk down into an armchair and was lying back as if all the spirit had been taken out of her.

The detective went on, but speaking now with great sympathy, “Come, your ladyship, just answer my question without any comment, and then we’ll soon be finished with the unpleasant part. Now, no insanity in the Senator’s family? None at all? Well, tell me about Admiral Charters — none there either? And how long have you known the Admiral?”

“Since my marriage.” was the low reply, “but my husband had known him since his boyhood.”

“And he is a man of substance, in no need of money?”

Then Larose dragged out of her all she could tell him of her guests, and among other things that the Admiral was wealthy and one of the directors of Lloyds Bank, that Lord Wonnock was a rich north country iron magnate and a pillar of finance in the city and that Sir Arnold Medway’s income must run into many thousands of pounds.

“And now for the last of them,” said the detective, “this Sir Parry Bardell who has had his eyes upon me the whole of the evening.”

“The life-long friend of my husband,” replied Lady Ardane weakly, “and my greatest friend, too. He has the affection for me of a father.” A little of her spirit began to come back and she laughed scornfully. “You may as well suspect me myself.”

The detective frowned in disappointment. Everywhere he seemed to be up against a dead wall. He proceeded to try in another direction now.

“And this second enemy,” he asked, “this newcomer who, according to your last warning, was to join up among the shooting party to help enemy number one. Tell me, please, about the later arrivals, and particularly about Mr. Daller and Mr. Huntington, for either of these gentlemen might perhaps fill the bill.”

“Thank you, Mr. Larose,” said Lady Ardane with icy politeness, “for Mr. Daller is a particular friend of mine and has stayed here several times and upon more occasions than I remember has flown me to Paris and the South of France. As for Mr. Huntington, he certainly is a stranger to us all here, but as he has been in Sir Parry’s service on his vessels56 ever since he was a boy and is a personal friend of Sir Parry, too, that speaks for itself.”

Then for half an hour and longer, Larose questioned her, and before he had finished, every one of her guests had been passed under review.

A short silence followed and the detective said thoughtfully, “Then as far as I can see, it all amounts to this. Your guests are all of impeccable character, your servants are all above suspicion”— he smiled dryly —“and yet there is someone here, as callous57 and pitiless a malefactor58 as you would find anywhere in the world of crime.” He regarded her curiously59. “But surely, Lady Ardane, you must be suspicious of someone yourself. You know the traitor must be among those we have been talking about, and in your own mind you must have had doubts about someone.”

Instantly Lady Ardane’s face fell and the spirit seemed to go out of her again. The lines of her body lost all pose of self-reliance and she looked the very picture of distress60.

“I have no suspicions, Mr. Larose,” she whispered piteously, “for I can by no possibility conceive of anyone willing to do me this wrong. I know with you that someone here is my enemy and that he is only biding61 his chance to strike another blow, but thinking it over night and day — and I am always thinking of it — I have no suspicions of anyone, no distrust at all.”

“Never mind,” said the detective gently, touched by her distress, “we’ll find him sooner or later, and at any rate they shan’t get your child whilst I am here.” He shook his head slowly. “But you know, with all these people to watch, I think that in many ways it would have been better if I had come down here in my official capacity, for then I could have gone openly everywhere, and asked questions where I wanted to. As it is, although my anonymity62 certainly has its advantages, it hampers63 my search in too many ways.”

“But that will remedy itself,” said Lady Ardane with the ghost of a smile, “for if Mr. Jones is right, they will soon find out who you are, and then you will be able to have a free hand.”

“With a bullet inside me, perhaps,” commented Larose grimly, “for that seems to be how their discoveries of identities becomes known.”

“But when they found that Mr. Jones was here,” asked Lady Ardane plaintively64, “why did they try to injure him? And why did they try to cause a fearful accident to the car that was bringing out those men from Hunstanton? Why did they want to let me know they were up to every move I was making to protect my son?”

“Probably only frightfulness,” replied the detective promptly65, “just to make you realise that they don’t mind to what extremes they go, so that if they get either you or the child in their clutches, you will be so terrified that you will come to terms with them at once.” His face frightened. “Still, they’ve not got either of you yet and we’re not beaten by a long chalk. Now, please, give me the numbers of the bedrooms where everyone sleeps and I’ll get to work at once.”

Back in his own room the detective went carefully through the list she had given him, and his face lost a little of its worried expression.

“Now, if there’s any reliance to be placed on human nature,” he whispered, “the boss of this conspiracy will want to have a talk to-night with his new hand, when he thinks everybody is asleep, so I’ll just mark all their doors and in the morning see who have left their rooms during the night.”

He crept out into the corridor and, one by one, low down upon the jambs of every door of the men guests affixed66 a minute piece of plasticine. Then he returned to his own room and setting his mind to awake before dawn, threw himself upon his bed to try and snatch a few hours’ sleep.

But he need not have worried about waking up in time, for his sleep was very troubled, and half a dozen times, at least, he stirred himself to look at his watch.

Then a few minutes before five he got off the bed and made his way into the corridor again to examine the traps that he had set, and he frowned in great perplexity when he saw what had happened.

One, two, three, four doors had been opened during the night, those of the Senator, the American, Rankin, Daller, the airman, and that of the handsome and debonair67 naval engineer, Clive Huntington.

“Great James!” he exclaimed, when he was back again in his own room, “but can half the gang be here? Now, what the devil were all these people after, moving about in the night?”

At breakfast time it was pouring with rain, and it looked highly improbable that there would be any going out that day, so following upon the meal, the party proceeded to amuse themselves in their own particular ways. The detective joined Senator Harvey, Mr. Rankin and Sir Parry Bardell in the library, and for an hour and more they discussed everything in general.

Finally, the detective came away very disappointed, for none of the three, he had reluctantly to confess to himself, exhibited the slightest signs that they would for one moment be mixed up in any criminal conspiracy.

Sir Parry was just a quiet gentleman, with courtly, early Victorian manners. He was charming to talk to, and was so unassuming that, with all the undoubted strength and character in his face, the detective found it difficult to associate him with the authority he must have wielded68 to have gained the outstanding success in commercial life that he had.

Theodore Rankin was apparently nothing other than a shrewd, level-headed business man, most patently anxious to enjoy himself among the historic surroundings of the Abbey, but all the time chafing69 under his enforced absence from his beloved Chicago.

Senator Harvey, the detective did not like very much, for the stepfather of Lady Ardane was inclined to be haughty70, and distant in his manner and several times Larose had caught him frowning in his direction, as if he were not too pleased that he, Larose, was there.

“A stuck-up man,” was the detective’s comment, “and as I have no title or ancestors that he knows of, then I suppose I am not good enough for him.” He shook his head. “Still, he doesn’t look a man who’d be mixed up with a gang.”

Leaving them still talking in the library, and with a certain project in his mind, the detective obtained a small pair of binoculars71 from his room and made his way along the long corridors towards the old belfry. He knew how to reach it without going outside the Abbey from the plan Lady Ardane had given him, and he was minded to get some idea of the surrounding country from its tower.

“For it is just possible,” he told himself, “if they do not use the telephone and yet are able to communicate so quickly with one another, that they are resorting to some kind of signaling, and if they do, then the high tower of the belfry would be the very place.”

He soon arrived at the door shutting off the modern part of the Abbey from that which had been left almost untouched, and started to mount the steps of the tower. He reached the big room where the bells had once been and was negotiating the ladder that led to the little room of the tower above, when he suddenly became aware that there was someone already up there, for he heard the sounds of feet shuffling72 upon the wooden floor and then a loud cough.

“Hullo! hullo!” he ejaculated, “now who on earth can have come up here, and what does he want?”

A few steps higher and with his head now level with the floor of the room, his eyes fell upon a man, with his feet planted wide, leaning out across the broad sill of one of the windows looking seawards, and peering intently through a pair of large glasses. The man was holding an unfolded handkerchief in his hand.

For a few seconds, not being able to see his face, the detective did not determine who the man was, but then from his broad shoulders and the general outline of his figure, he knew him to be Admiral Charters.

The Admiral had not heard him, and Larose waited longer than a minute to see what he was going to do with the handkerchief, but then, nothing happened, and not wishing to run the risk of being caught watching so intently, he coughed in his turn, and climbed up into the room.

But the Admiral was still so engrossed73 with his observations that it was not until the detective was almost up to him and he had probably then been disturbed by the shaking of the very ancient floor-boards, that he turned with a start and, open-mouthed in his surprise, surveyed Larose with all the consternation74 of a child who had been caught in a guilty action.

“By Jove!” he exclaimed, very red in the face, “but you gave me a shock. I’ve never known anybody else come up here before.”

“You haven’t?” remarked Larose carelessly. “Well, I just came up to have a look at the view, although it’s certainly a bad day for it.”

“You’re right there,” agreed the Admiral, and now furtively75 stuffing the handkerchief back into his pocket, “but I came up to have a peep at those destroyers. They’re making heavy weather and it reminds me of my own bad days upon the sea.”

Larose advanced to the window and putting his own glasses up, swept them quickly round in the hope of noticing something of more interest than the destroyers the Admiral had pointed out. He was realising with a little quickening of his heart how admirably the situation, not only of the belfry tower, but of the whole Abbey itself, would lend itself to the exchange of signals with anyone outside, for the historic building was on slightly rising ground, and the view of a dozen and more habitations across the meadows and over the marshlands was clear and uninterrupted in the direction of the sea.

He scanned quickly over every house in sight, but except for a woman leading a saddled horse into a stable of one of them, about a mile away, there were no signs of life to be seen anywhere. He turned sharply and caught the Admiral looking at him in a peculiar77 manner. The old man at once began to talk very quickly.

“Most interesting country this,” he said boisterously78, “because of its association with Anglo–Saxon times. All along the coast every place has got its little bit of history. Now you see that hut there across the marshes79, Overy Marshes they’re called, well, it’s on the site of an old Danish camp that is more than a thousand years old.”

“No one lives there, of course,” said the detective.

“Oh, yes, but someone does,” replied the Admiral. “Old Henrik, the fisherman, has been there years and years, and that’s his boat upon the foreshore. Funnily enough, he’s a Dane himself and he’s got quite a romantic history. He was master of his own ship once and it was wrecked80 here more than thirty years ago, when he was quite a young man. He was the only survivor81. He lost everything and his wife was drowned. He went half out of his mind, they say, and they couldn’t get him away from the spot so they subscribed82 and bought him an old boat and he’s been there ever since. A darned good fisherman, but he wears his hair long and is supposed never to have a wash. He brings his fish up to the Abbey sometimes.”

“And those other houses on the shore,” asked the detective, “they look very dilapidated, are they inhabited?”

“Some of them are,” replied the Admiral, “but most are empty.” He pointed with his arm again. “But I notice two men have lately come to that stone one nearest the camp. They are the usual sporting chaps, I suppose, and have come after the wild duck.” He laughed. “They’re deuced early if that’s their game, for the duck won’t be here in any number for some weeks yet.”

“Oh!” exclaimed the detective, interested at once, “then how long have those men been there?”

The Admiral considered. “About a month, I should say. I’ve been staying here now for seven weeks and I didn’t notice them at first.” He smiled and pointed to a quantity of cigarette butts83 upon the floor. “I’m often up here for an old sea-dog can’t keep his eye very long away from the sea. Hullo!” he went on, looking out of the window again, “here comes Sir Parry out in the rain.” He laughed. “There are two things that occupy Sir Parry’s mind. His big telescope and our gracious Lady Ardane, and I almost think that the telescope comes first.”

“That’s his house then with the long windows at the top,” commented Larose, pointing to a high pagoda-like structure about half a mile away. “What a queer-looking place for a wealthy man, as he is said to be!”

“Yes, but he’s a bachelor and lives there all by himself,” said the Admiral.

“What! no servants,” exclaimed Larose,

“Oh! yes, two,” was the reply, “but they live in another building, a hundred yards and more away behind those trees. He won’t have them sleeping in the house. One’s almost stone deaf and the other is a deaf-mute.” The Admiral chuckled85. “Sir Parry’s quite a woman-hater except for Lady Ardane.”

For half an hour and more Larose remained up in the tower, and when ultimately the two descended86 together he had almost as good an idea of the surrounding country as if he had tramped it on foot. The Admiral had been coming to the Abbey for several years and there was not a village that he did not know something about, or a creek87 with which he was not familiar. He chatted so openly, too, about everything, that although the detective was certain he had not come up there solely88 to look at those destroyers, and also that the matter of the handkerchief was suspicious, still he could hardly bring himself to believe that the old man was one of the plotters.

Returning into the Abbey and parting with the Admiral, Larose came upon Lestrange, alone in the library. The barrister was reading, and after a quick look at the detective, lowered his eyes again upon his book, but Larose went up to him and said quietly:—

“Anyone been curious about me?”

Lestrange favored him with a cold stare. “What do you mean?” he asked. His lips curved to a contemptuous smile. “People in our class, Mr. Larose, do not display their curiosity about fellow guests, whatever may be their private thoughts.”

“Oh!” exclaimed the detective in no way abashed89, “then no one has asked you anything particular about me?”

“No,” was the reply with a cold smile, “and no one has even mentioned your cigarette case.”

Proceeding90 into the lounge, the detective, under the pretence91 of warming himself before the fire, drew up a chair close to the airman and Clive Huntington, who were talking earnestly together, and he noted92 they abruptly93 broke off their conversation as he did so. Also, the airman frowned slightly, as if he were annoyed at their being disturbed.

However, Clive Huntington at once began to ask Larose about Australia, informing him that he had twice been there himself. The young naval engineer had very nice manners, and as the detective regarded his open and handsome face, he thought with a pang94 that it would be very hard to associate so pleasing a personality with any form of heartless crime.

But of Bernard Daller he did not form quite so good an opinion. He was good-looking certainly, and no one could deny the atmosphere of courage and capacity that surrounded him, but still, the detective thought him to be just the type of man who would be disposed to take risks other than those in the air, and risks, too, that might be of a very questionable95 nature. Certainly he was a cold gambler, for the previous night at bridge he had been wanting to play for higher stakes than were agreeable to any of the others.

They chatted for a few minutes and then the Senator and his friend, Rankin, came and joined them, and the detective realised suddenly with a start that all the four men who had left their rooms during the night were now gathered round him, and for some reason they were all undoubtedly interested and curious about him.

Daller continued to eye him frowningly, Huntington never wanted to leave him long out of the conversation, the Senator was taking good note of everything he said and putting in a searching question every now and then, and the large, placid96 eyes of the American were always turned upon him.

Presently he took out his cigarette case and passed it round, and Rankin, being the last one to handle it, after he had taken out a cigarette, continued for a few moments to interestedly examine the case.

“My!” he exclaimed, “that’s pretty.” He held it up for the brilliants to catch the light, and then added as he passed it back —“But when you’ve had it a little while, you’ll find it’ll show the scratches badly. That high carat gold always does.”

Larose flushed with annoyance97. He had played a bad card, for this shrewd-looking man had dismissed with a word all pretension98 that a seventy-five guinea cigarette case formed part of his, Larose’s, daily life.

And then, all at once, as if to compensate99 for his discomfiture100, he became positive that he was now the centre of a little comedy in which two sets of players, both upon their own, were trying to find out all about him; the Senator and Rankin on the one hand and the airman and Clive Huntington upon the other, with the curiosity in both cases being shared by the respective partners.

That they were all trying to turn him inside out he was certain, for whenever the Senator asked him a question about his life in Australia, Rankin immediately supplemented it with a further one, and whenever Daller, who had now thrown off his frown and was all amiability101, wanted to be informed about something, Huntington invariably chipped in for a more detailed102 form of reply.

It was exactly, he thought, as it they were all doubtful if he were what he was making himself out to be and were putting him well through the ‘once over,’ and he wondered with a grin, which, however, he instantly suppressed, if he did not come too well out of the ordeal103, from which of the two parties he would be receiving a bullet in due course of time.

And he certainly would have been highly gratified with himself if he had heard the remark that the airman made to Clive Huntington as later on they were all trooping into lunch.

“I don’t quite understand that fellow,” said that dashing gentleman quietly. “He’s altogether too plausible104 and innocent for a man with those eyes and that facial angle.”

After lunch the weather began to clear up a little and someone suggested that they should go for a blow by the sea.

“Oh! yes, do let us go,” exclaimed Patricia Howard with animation105. “Let’s go over to Holkham Bay and see if old Henrik has caught any fish.”

“Yes,” supplemented Sir Arnold Medway, “and I ought to have a look and see how the old chap’s hand is getting on.”

So, soon after three, five car-loads of the guests, along with Lady Ardane and the little baronet, proceeded in the direction suggested, the detective being in the car driven by the great surgeon and containing Miss Howard, Mrs. Charters and the very affable Rankin.

The girl was full of energy and talk, and for the benefit of Larose and the American gave them full details of the romantic history of the lonely fisherman at the hut upon the Danish Camp.

“And he’s never been really right since,” she added, “for he’s like a child in many ways and even after these thirty years has only picked up a few words of English. He understands what you say but cannot answer back.”

Their short journey was soon over and their cars were parked upon the sands of Holkham Bay. There was no sign of old Henrik or his boat, however, and proceeding to his hut, as they expected, they found it empty.

“But look what a place to live in,” said Lady Ardane, “for over thirty years. No comforts and not even the bare necessities of life, and yet he appears quite happy.”

And certainly there could not be much comfort about the hut, for it contained no furniture of any description. Empty boxes formed the table and chair of the old man, and where he kept his few battered106 and dilapidated cooking utensils107. In one corner there were a quantity of old sacks, and scattered108 about everywhere were his lobster109 pots and nets. A number of empty bottles were heaped in a corner.

“And those are the great consolation110 of his life, ladies and gentlemen,” said Sir Arnold with a smile. “Rum, just rum, for I am sorry to say our friend often gets very drunk. He half severed111 one of his fingers a couple of weeks or so ago, when he was in that condition, and it was quite accidentally that I noticed his injury and gave him some treatment the other day.”

Returning on to the sands, they passed within a hundred yards of the stone house Admiral Charters had pointed out to Larose that morning as being now the dwelling-place of two newcomers to the marsh76, and the detective had a good look at it as they went by. Smoke was rising from one of the chimneys and he was half-minded to go up for a closer inspection112 and even to make some excuse and obtain word with anyone there, but he thought better of it, determining to make a secret investigation113 later on.

Arriving upon the seashore, the little party became aware of a boat just coming round a spit of sand that jutted114 out into the sea, and it was immediately seen to be that of Henrik.

They waited for him to pull in, and as soon as the boat grounded the old man sprang out, and seeing Lady Ardane among the little group awaiting him, shouted eagerly. “Bacco, bacco, me have good fish.”

He was certainly a most disreputable looking old fellow, tall and gaunt and with cadaverous features, hollow cheeks and toothless gums. His hair was long and matted and drooped115 over his face and almost down to his shoulders. Around the fingers of one hand was tied a filthy116 rag.

“And he was said to be very handsome once,” said Miss Howard with a grimace117 of disgust, “and see him now.”

“Let’s have a look at your hand, Henrik,” said the great surgeon firmly, “and not a cigarette until I’ve attended to it. Come up to the car. I’ve got a fresh bandage there.”

The hand was rebandaged, and from the fish in the boat Lady Ardane pointed out which she wished to take.

“But put them in a bag, please, Henrik,” she said, “and be quick about it because it’s going to pour with rain in a minute,” and with the sweeping118 up of a threatening cloud from over the sea, they all hurried back towards the cars.

The old man, shouldering his basket of fish, disappeared into his hut, to emerge again, however, very quickly with the selected fish in a small sugar bag.

The ladies of the party had already seated themselves in the cars, but some of the men were still standing about to finish their cigarettes. Henrik tied the bag of fish on to the luggage grid119 of Sir Arnold’s car, and with the rain beginning to fall in real earnest now, everyone proceeded to take their places.

It happened that Larose and the airman were the last two to make for their respective cars and the detective, a few paces behind the latter, suddenly became aware that someone was pulling at his sleeve.

He turned and saw it was the old fisherman. At first he thought Henrik was begging for a tip, and he was putting his hand into his pocket to find a sixpence, when Henrik all at once screwed up his face in a peculiar manner and with his damaged hand pointing furtively to the airman, whispered hoarsely120, “Smuggler — watch.” Then as Miss Howard called out shrilly121, “Come on, please, Mr. Maxwell, the rain is blowing in the door,” the amazed detective would have sworn that the sunken lips of the old fisherman framed the word “Dope.”

For the moment the detective was too astounded122 to take in what had happened, but then, quickly recovering his wits, he put out a hand to lay hold of Henrik and ask him what he meant. The old man, however, avoided his grasp and with an amused chuckle84 as a good-bye, proceeded to shuffle123 quickly off to his hut.

Then, Miss Howard calling out again for him to come, and the rain now beginning to fall in sheets, the detective, as puzzled as he had ever been in his life, jumped into the car and seated himself beside her.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 intervals f46c9d8b430e8c86dea610ec56b7cbef     
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息
参考例句:
  • The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
  • Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
2 vivacious Dp7yI     
adj.活泼的,快活的
参考例句:
  • She is an artless,vivacious girl.她是一个天真活泼的女孩。
  • The picture has a vivacious artistic conception.这幅画气韵生动。
3 philosophically 5b1e7592f40fddd38186dac7bc43c6e0     
adv.哲学上;富有哲理性地;贤明地;冷静地
参考例句:
  • He added philosophically that one should adapt oneself to the changed conditions. 他富于哲理地补充说,一个人应该适应变化了的情况。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Harry took his rejection philosophically. 哈里达观地看待自己被拒的事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 distinguished wu9z3v     
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
参考例句:
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
5 conducive hppzk     
adj.有益的,有助的
参考例句:
  • This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
  • Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。
6 exacting VtKz7e     
adj.苛求的,要求严格的
参考例句:
  • He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
  • The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移,公众的要求更趋严格。
7 delightfully f0fe7d605b75a4c00aae2f25714e3131     
大喜,欣然
参考例句:
  • The room is delightfully appointed. 这房子的设备令人舒适愉快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The evening is delightfully cool. 晚间凉爽宜人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
8 consigned 9dc22c154336e2c50aa2b71897ceceed     
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃
参考例句:
  • I consigned her letter to the waste basket. 我把她的信丢进了废纸篓。
  • The father consigned the child to his sister's care. 那位父亲把孩子托付给他妹妹照看。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
9 droops 7aee2bb8cacc8e82a8602804f1da246e     
弯曲或下垂,发蔫( droop的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • If your abdomen droops or sticks out, the high BMI is correct. 如果你的腹部下垂或伸出,高BMI是正确的。
  • Now droops the milk white peacock like a ghost. 乳白色的孔雀幽灵般消沉。
10 lashes e2e13f8d3a7c0021226bb2f94d6a15ec     
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥
参考例句:
  • Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时,母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面,以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
12 banking aySz20     
n.银行业,银行学,金融业
参考例句:
  • John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
  • He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。
13 stiffen zudwI     
v.(使)硬,(使)变挺,(使)变僵硬
参考例句:
  • The blood supply to the skin is reduced when muscles stiffen.当肌肉变得僵硬时,皮肤的供血量就减少了。
  • I was breathing hard,and my legs were beginning to stiffen.这时我却气吁喘喘地开始感到脚有点僵硬。
14 sumptuously 5a9a881421f66e6399d9561fdfe9a227     
奢侈地,豪华地
参考例句:
  • The hall was sumptuously decorated. 大厅装饰得富丽堂皇。
  • This government building is sumptuously appointed. 这座政府办公大楼布置得极为豪华。
15 glide 2gExT     
n./v.溜,滑行;(时间)消逝
参考例句:
  • We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着,眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
  • So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞,宛如滑翔。
16 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
17 tilted 3gtzE5     
v. 倾斜的
参考例句:
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
18 devastating muOzlG     
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
参考例句:
  • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
  • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
19 reverence BByzT     
n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬
参考例句:
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统,但不被传统所束缚。
20 royalty iX6xN     
n.皇家,皇族
参考例句:
  • She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
  • I waited on tables,and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生, 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。
21 demeanor JmXyk     
n.行为;风度
参考例句:
  • She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
  • The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。
22 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
23 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
24 eligible Cq6xL     
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句:
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
25 raven jAUz8     
n.渡鸟,乌鸦;adj.乌亮的
参考例句:
  • We know the raven will never leave the man's room.我们知道了乌鸦再也不会离开那个男人的房间。
  • Her charming face was framed with raven hair.她迷人的脸上垂落着乌亮的黑发。
26 naval h1lyU     
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的
参考例句:
  • He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
  • The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
27 sketches 8d492ee1b1a5d72e6468fd0914f4a701     
n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概
参考例句:
  • The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
  • You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 dispersed b24c637ca8e58669bce3496236c839fa     
adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的
参考例句:
  • The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
  • After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后,孩子们四散回家了。
29 suite MsMwB     
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
参考例句:
  • She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
  • That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
30 oblivious Y0Byc     
adj.易忘的,遗忘的,忘却的,健忘的
参考例句:
  • Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后,妈妈变得特别健忘。
  • He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。
31 radiator nTHxu     
n.暖气片,散热器
参考例句:
  • The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
  • Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。
32 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
33 disposition GljzO     
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署
参考例句:
  • He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
  • He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
34 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
35 sinister 6ETz6     
adj.不吉利的,凶恶的,左边的
参考例句:
  • There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
  • Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值,而且包藏祸心。
36 traitor GqByW     
n.叛徒,卖国贼
参考例句:
  • The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
  • He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。
37 conspiracy NpczE     
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋
参考例句:
  • The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
  • He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。
38 conspirator OZayz     
n.阴谋者,谋叛者
参考例句:
  • We started abusing him,one conspirator after another adding his bitter words.我们这几个预谋者一个接一个地咒骂他,恶狠狠地骂个不停。
  • A conspirator is not of the stuff to bear surprises.谋反者是经不起惊吓的。
39 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
40 nefarious 1jsyH     
adj.恶毒的,极坏的
参考例句:
  • My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
  • He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当,所以人人都惧怕他。
41 muffled fnmzel     
adj.(声音)被隔的;听不太清的;(衣服)裹严的;蒙住的v.压抑,捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己)
参考例句:
  • muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
  • There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
42 beckoning fcbc3f0e8d09c5f29e4c5759847d03d6     
adj.引诱人的,令人心动的v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
  • He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句
43 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
44 nettled 1329a37399dc803e7821d52c8a298307     
v.拿荨麻打,拿荨麻刺(nettle的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • My remarks clearly nettled her. 我的话显然惹恼了她。
  • He had been growing nettled before, but now he pulled himself together. 他刚才有些来火,但现在又恢复了常态。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
45 publicity ASmxx     
n.众所周知,闻名;宣传,广告
参考例句:
  • The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
  • He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事,只当它是一种宣传手法。
46 gravel s6hyT     
n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石
参考例句:
  • We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
  • More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。
47 hamper oyGyk     
vt.妨碍,束缚,限制;n.(有盖的)大篮子
参考例句:
  • There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
  • The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。
48 haughtily haughtily     
adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地
参考例句:
  • She carries herself haughtily. 她举止傲慢。
  • Haughtily, he stalked out onto the second floor where I was standing. 他傲然跨出电梯,走到二楼,我刚好站在那儿。
49 insanity H6xxf     
n.疯狂,精神错乱;极端的愚蠢,荒唐
参考例句:
  • In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱,为自己辩解。
  • He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里,这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。
50 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
51 motives 6c25d038886898b20441190abe240957     
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
  • His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。
52 ransom tTYx9     
n.赎金,赎身;v.赎回,解救
参考例句:
  • We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
  • The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。
53 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
54 wretches 279ac1104342e09faf6a011b43f12d57     
n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 );可怜的人;恶棍;坏蛋
参考例句:
  • The little wretches were all bedraggledfrom some roguery. 小淘气们由于恶作剧而弄得脏乎乎的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The best courage for us poor wretches is to fly from danger. 对我们这些可怜虫说来,最好的出路还是躲避危险。 来自辞典例句
55 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》
56 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
57 callous Yn9yl     
adj.无情的,冷淡的,硬结的,起老茧的
参考例句:
  • He is callous about the safety of his workers.他对他工人的安全毫不关心。
  • She was selfish,arrogant and often callous.她自私傲慢,而且往往冷酷无情。
58 malefactor S85zS     
n.罪犯
参考例句:
  • If he weren't a malefactor,we wouldn't have brought him before you.如果他不是坏人,我们是不会把他带来见你的。
  • The malefactor was sentenced to death.这个罪犯被判死刑。
59 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
60 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。
61 biding 83fef494bb1c4bd2f64e5e274888d8c5     
v.等待,停留( bide的现在分词 );居住;(过去式用bided)等待;面临
参考例句:
  • He was biding his time. 他正在等待时机。 来自辞典例句
  • Applications:used in carbide alloy, diamond tools, biding admixture, high-temperature alloy, rechargeable cell. 用作硬质合金,磁性材料,金刚石工具,高温合金,可充电池等。 来自互联网
62 anonymity IMbyq     
n.the condition of being anonymous
参考例句:
  • Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密,书中的人用的都是化名。
  • Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。
63 hampers aedee0b9211933f51c82c37a6b8cd413     
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Prejudice sometimes hampers a person from doing the right thing. 有时候,偏见会妨碍人正确行事。
  • This behavior is the opposite of modeless feedback, and it hampers flow. 这个行为有悖于非模态的反馈,它阻碍了流。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
64 plaintively 46a8d419c0b5a38a2bee07501e57df53     
adv.悲哀地,哀怨地
参考例句:
  • The last note of the song rang out plaintively. 歌曲最后道出了离别的哀怨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Birds cry plaintively before they die, men speak kindly in the presence of death. 鸟之将死,其鸣也哀;人之将死,其言也善。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
65 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地,敏捷地
参考例句:
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
66 affixed 0732dcfdc852b2620b9edaa452082857     
adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章)
参考例句:
  • The label should be firmly affixed to the package. 这张标签应该牢牢地贴在包裹上。
  • He affixed the sign to the wall. 他将标记贴到墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
67 debonair xyLxZ     
adj.殷勤的,快乐的
参考例句:
  • He strolled about,look very debonair in his elegant new suit.他穿了一身讲究的新衣服逛来逛去,显得颇为惬意。
  • He was a handsome,debonair,death-defying racing-driver.他是一位英俊潇洒、风流倜傥、敢于挑战死神的赛车手。
68 wielded d9bac000554dcceda2561eb3687290fc     
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的过去式和过去分词 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响)
参考例句:
  • The bad eggs wielded power, while the good people were oppressed. 坏人当道,好人受气
  • He was nominally the leader, but others actually wielded the power. 名义上他是领导者,但实际上是别人掌握实权。
69 chafing 2078d37ab4faf318d3e2bbd9f603afdd     
n.皮肤发炎v.擦热(尤指皮肤)( chafe的现在分词 );擦痛;发怒;惹怒
参考例句:
  • My shorts were chafing my thighs. 我的短裤把大腿磨得生疼。 来自辞典例句
  • We made coffee in a chafing dish. 我们用暖锅烧咖啡。 来自辞典例句
70 haughty 4dKzq     
adj.傲慢的,高傲的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a haughty look and walked away.他向我摆出傲慢的表情后走开。
  • They were displeased with her haughty airs.他们讨厌她高傲的派头。
71 binoculars IybzWh     
n.双筒望远镜
参考例句:
  • He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
  • If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜,我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。
72 shuffling 03b785186d0322e5a1a31c105fc534ee     
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
73 engrossed 3t0zmb     
adj.全神贯注的
参考例句:
  • The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
  • No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。
74 consternation 8OfzB     
n.大为吃惊,惊骇
参考例句:
  • He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害,感到非常震惊。
  • Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。
75 furtively furtively     
adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地
参考例句:
  • At this some of the others furtively exchanged significant glances. 听他这样说,有几个人心照不宣地彼此对望了一眼。
  • Remembering my presence, he furtively dropped it under his chair. 后来想起我在,他便偷偷地把书丢在椅子下。
76 marsh Y7Rzo     
n.沼泽,湿地
参考例句:
  • There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
  • I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。
77 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
78 boisterously 19b3c18619ede9af3062a670f3d59e2b     
adv.喧闹地,吵闹地
参考例句:
  • They burst boisterously into the room. 他们吵吵嚷嚷地闯入房间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Drums and gongs were beating boisterously. 锣鼓敲打得很热闹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
79 marshes 9fb6b97bc2685c7033fce33dc84acded     
n.沼泽,湿地( marsh的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Cows were grazing on the marshes. 牛群在湿地上吃草。
  • We had to cross the marshes. 我们不得不穿过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
80 wrecked ze0zKI     
adj.失事的,遇难的
参考例句:
  • the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
  • the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞
81 survivor hrIw8     
n.生存者,残存者,幸存者
参考例句:
  • The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
  • There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。
82 subscribed cb9825426eb2cb8cbaf6a72027f5508a     
v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 );签署,题词;订阅;同意
参考例句:
  • It is not a theory that is commonly subscribed to. 一般人并不赞成这个理论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I subscribed my name to the document. 我在文件上签了字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
83 butts 3da5dac093efa65422cbb22af4588c65     
笑柄( butt的名词复数 ); (武器或工具的)粗大的一端; 屁股; 烟蒂
参考例句:
  • The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。
  • The house butts to a cemetery. 这所房子和墓地相连。
84 chuckle Tr1zZ     
vi./n.轻声笑,咯咯笑
参考例句:
  • He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
  • I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个,我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。
85 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
86 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
87 creek 3orzL     
n.小溪,小河,小湾
参考例句:
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
88 solely FwGwe     
adv.仅仅,唯一地
参考例句:
  • Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
  • The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
89 abashed szJzyQ     
adj.窘迫的,尴尬的v.使羞愧,使局促,使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥,朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
90 proceeding Vktzvu     
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报
参考例句:
  • This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
  • The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
91 pretence pretence     
n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰
参考例句:
  • The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
  • He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。
92 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。
93 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
94 pang OKixL     
n.剧痛,悲痛,苦闷
参考例句:
  • She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
  • She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。
95 questionable oScxK     
adj.可疑的,有问题的
参考例句:
  • There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
  • Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。
96 placid 7A1yV     
adj.安静的,平和的
参考例句:
  • He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
  • You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。
97 annoyance Bw4zE     
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼
参考例句:
  • Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气?
  • I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。
98 pretension GShz4     
n.要求;自命,自称;自负
参考例句:
  • I make no pretension to skill as an artist,but I enjoy painting.我并不自命有画家的技巧,但我喜欢绘画。
  • His action is a satire on his boastful pretension.他的行动是对他自我卖弄的一个讽刺。
99 compensate AXky7     
vt.补偿,赔偿;酬报 vi.弥补;补偿;抵消
参考例句:
  • She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
  • Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。
100 discomfiture MlUz6     
n.崩溃;大败;挫败;困惑
参考例句:
  • I laughed my head off when I heard of his discomfiture. 听到别人说起他的狼狈相,我放声大笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Without experiencing discomfiture and setbacks,one can never find truth. 不经过失败和挫折,便找不到真理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
101 amiability e665b35f160dba0dedc4c13e04c87c32     
n.和蔼可亲的,亲切的,友善的
参考例句:
  • His amiability condemns him to being a constant advisor to other people's troubles. 他那和蔼可亲的性格使他成为经常为他人排忧解难的开导者。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • I watched my master's face pass from amiability to sternness. 我瞧着老师的脸上从和蔼变成严峻。 来自辞典例句
102 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
103 ordeal B4Pzs     
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验
参考例句:
  • She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
  • Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。
104 plausible hBCyy     
adj.似真实的,似乎有理的,似乎可信的
参考例句:
  • His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
  • Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。
105 animation UMdyv     
n.活泼,兴奋,卡通片/动画片的制作
参考例句:
  • They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
  • The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。
106 battered NyezEM     
adj.磨损的;v.连续猛击;磨损
参考例句:
  • He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
  • The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。
107 utensils 69f125dfb1fef9b418c96d1986e7b484     
器具,用具,器皿( utensil的名词复数 ); 器物
参考例句:
  • Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
  • Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。
108 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
参考例句:
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
109 lobster w8Yzm     
n.龙虾,龙虾肉
参考例句:
  • The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
  • I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾,但它不适宜于我的健康。
110 consolation WpbzC     
n.安慰,慰问
参考例句:
  • The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
  • This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。
111 severed 832a75b146a8d9eacac9030fd16c0222     
v.切断,断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 );断,裂
参考例句:
  • The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
112 inspection y6TxG     
n.检查,审查,检阅
参考例句:
  • On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
  • The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。
113 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
114 jutted 24c546c23e927de0beca5ea56f7fb23f     
v.(使)突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 );伸出;(从…)突出;高出
参考例句:
  • A row of small windows jutted out from the roof. 有一排小窗户从房顶上突出来。
  • His jaw jutted stubbornly forward; he would not be denied. 他固执地扬起下巴,一副不肯罢休的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
115 drooped ebf637c3f860adcaaf9c11089a322fa5     
弯曲或下垂,发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
  • The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。
116 filthy ZgOzj     
adj.卑劣的;恶劣的,肮脏的
参考例句:
  • The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
  • You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发,然后再去买张新的。
117 grimace XQVza     
v.做鬼脸,面部歪扭
参考例句:
  • The boy stole a look at his father with grimace.那男孩扮着鬼脸偷看了他父亲一眼。
  • Thomas made a grimace after he had tasted the wine.托马斯尝了那葡萄酒后做了个鬼脸。
118 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
119 grid 5rPzpK     
n.高压输电线路网;地图坐标方格;格栅
参考例句:
  • In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下,要用载体把格栅密封起来。
  • Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。
120 hoarsely hoarsely     
adv.嘶哑地
参考例句:
  • "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
  • Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
121 shrilly a8e1b87de57fd858801df009e7a453fe     
尖声的; 光亮的,耀眼的
参考例句:
  • The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰,尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
  • He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子,低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨,一面挥挥手。
122 astounded 7541fb163e816944b5753491cad6f61a     
v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词);愕然;愕;惊讶
参考例句:
  • His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
  • How can you say that? I'm absolutely astounded. 你怎么能说出那种话?我感到大为震惊。
123 shuffle xECzc     
n.拖著脚走,洗纸牌;v.拖曳,慢吞吞地走
参考例句:
  • I wish you'd remember to shuffle before you deal.我希望在你发牌前记得洗牌。
  • Don't shuffle your feet along.别拖着脚步走。


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533