‘I see the Bullfinch is in this morning from Rouen,’ he said. ‘I take it she’ll have that consignment3 of wines for Norton and Banks?’
‘She has,’ replied the chief clerk, ‘I’ve just rung up the dock office to inquire.’
‘I think we ought to have it specially4 checked from here. You remember all the trouble they gave us about the last lot. Will you send some reliable man down? Whom can you spare?’
‘Broughton could go. He has done it before.’
‘Well, see to it, will you, and then send in Miss Johnson, and I shall go through the mail.’
The office was the headquarters of the Insular and Continental Steam Navigation Company, colloquially5 known as the I. and C., and occupied the second floor of a large block of buildings at the western end of Fenchurch Street. The Company was an important concern, and owned a fleet of some thirty steamers ranging from 300 to 1000 tons burden, which traded between London and the smaller Continental ports. Low freights was their specialty6, but they did not drive their boats, and no attempt was made to compete with the more expensive routes in the matter of speed. Under these circumstances they did a large trade in all kinds of goods other than perishables7.
Mr. Wilcox picked up some papers and stepped over to the desk at which Tom Broughton was working.
‘Broughton,’ he said, ‘Mr. Avery wants you to go down at once to the docks and check a consignment of wines for Norton and Banks. It came in last night from Rouen in the Bullfinch. These people gave us a lot of trouble about their last lot, disputing our figures, so you will have to be very careful. Here are the invoices8, and don’t take the men’s figures but see each cask yourself.’
‘Right, sir,’ replied Broughton, a young fellow of three-and-twenty, with a frank, boyish face and an alert manner. Nothing loath9 to exchange the monotony of the office for the life and bustle10 of the quays11, he put away his books, stowed the invoices carefully in his pocket, took his hat and went quickly down the stairs and out into Fenchurch Street.
It was a brilliant morning in early April. After a spell of cold, showery weather, there was at last a foretaste of summer in the air, and the contrast made it seem good to be alive. The sun shone with that clear freshness seen only after rain. Broughton’s spirits rose as he hurried through the busy streets, and watched the ceaseless flow of traffic pouring along the arteries13 leading to the shipping14.
His goal was St. Katherine’s Docks, where the Bullfinch was berthed15, and, passing across Tower Hill and round two sides of the grim old fortress17, he pushed on till he reached the basin in which the steamer was lying. She was a long and rather low vessel18 of some 800 tons burden, with engines amidships, and a single black funnel19 ornamented20 with the two green bands that marked the Company’s boats. Recently out from her annual overhaul21, she looked trim and clean in her new coat of black paint. Unloading was in progress, and Broughton hurried on board, anxious to be present before any of the consignment of wine was set ashore22.
He was just in time, for the hatches of the lower forehold, in which the casks were stowed, had been cleared and were being lifted off as he arrived. As he stood on the bridge deck waiting for the work to be completed he looked around.
Several steamers were lying in the basin. Immediately behind, with her high bluff24 bows showing over the Bullfinch’s counter, was the Thrush, his Company’s largest vessel, due to sail that afternoon for Corunna and Vigo. In the berth16 in front lay a Clyde Shipping Company’s boat bound for Belfast and Glasgow and also due out that afternoon, the smoke from her black funnel circling lazily up into the clear sky. Opposite was the Arcturus, belonging to the I. and C.’s rivals, Messrs. Babcock and Millman, and commanded by ‘Black Mac,’ so called to distinguish him from the Captain M‘Tavish of differently coloured hair, ‘Red Mac,’ who was master of the same Company’s Sirius. To Broughton these boats represented links with the mysterious, far-off world of romance, and he never saw one put to sea without longing25 to go with her to Copenhagen, Bordeaux, Lisbon, Spezzia, or to whatever other delightful-sounding place she was bound.
The fore-hatch being open, Broughton climbed down into the hold armed with his notebook, and the unloading of the casks began. They were swung out in lots of four fastened together by rope slings26. As each lot was dealt with, the clerk noted28 the contents in his book, from which he would afterwards check the invoices.
The work progressed rapidly, the men straining and pushing to get the heavy barrels in place for the slings. Gradually the space under and around the hatch was cleared, the casks then having to be rolled forward from the farther parts of the hold.
A quartet of casks had just been hoisted29 and Broughton was turning to examine the net lot when he heard a sudden shout of ‘Look out, there! Look out!’ and felt himself seized roughly and pulled backwards30. He swung round and was in time to see the four casks turning over out of the sling27 and falling heavily to the floor of the hold. Fortunately they had only been lifted some four or five feet, but they were heavy things and came down solidly. The two under were damaged slightly and the wine began to ooze31 out between the staves. The others had had their fall broken and neither seemed the worse. The men had all jumped clear and no one was hurt.
‘Upend those casks, boys,’ called the foreman, when the damage had been briefly32 examined, ‘and let’s save the wine.’
The leaking casks were turned damaged end up and lifted aside for temporary repairs. The third barrel was found to be uninjured, but when they came to the fourth it was seen that it had not entirely33 escaped.
This fourth cask was different in appearance from the rest, and Broughton had noted it as not belonging to Messrs. Norton and Banks’ consignment. It was more strongly made and better finished, and was stained a light oak colour and varnished34. Evidently, also, it did not contain wine, for what had called their attention to its injury was a little heap of sawdust which had escaped from a crack at the end of one of the staves.
‘Strange looking cask this. Did you ever see one like it before?’ said Broughton to the I. and C. foreman who had pulled him back, a man named Harkness. He was a tall, strongly built man with prominent cheekbones, a square chin and a sandy moustache. Broughton had known him for some time and had a high opinion of his intelligence and ability.
‘Never saw nothin’ like it,’ returned Harkness. ‘I tell you, sir, that there cask ’as been made to stand some knocking about.’
‘Looks like it. Let’s get it rolled back out of the way and turned up, so as to see the damage.’
Harkness seized the cask and with some difficulty rolled it close to the ship’s side out of the way of the unloading, but when he tried to upend it he found it too heavy to lift.
‘There’s something more than sawdust in there,’ he said. ‘It’s the ’eaviest cask ever I struck. I guess it was its weight shifted the other casks in the sling and spilled the lot.’
He called over another man and they turned the cask damaged end up. Broughton stepped over to the charge hand and asked him to check the tally35 for a few seconds while he examined the injury.
As he was returning across the half-dozen yards to join the foreman, his eye fell on the little heap of sawdust that had fallen out of the crack, and the glitter of some bright object showing through it caught his attention. He stooped and picked it up. His amazement36 as he looked at it may be imagined, for it was a sovereign!
He glanced quickly round. Only Harkness of all the men present had seen it.
‘Turn the ’eap over, sir,’ said the foreman, evidently as surprised as the younger man, ‘see if there are any more.’
Broughton sifted37 the sawdust through his fingers, and his astonishment38 was not lessened39 when he discovered two others hidden in the little pile.
He gazed at the three gold coins lying in his palm. As he did so Harkness gave a smothered40 exclamation41 and, stooping rapidly, picked something out from between two of the boards of the hold’s bottom.
‘Another, by gum!’ cried the foreman in low tones, ‘and another!’ He bent42 down again and lifted a second object from behind where the cask was standing43. ‘Blest if it ain’t a blooming gold mine we’ve struck.’
Broughton put the five sovereigns in his pocket, as he and Harkness unostentatiously scrutinised the deck. They searched carefully, but found no other coins.
‘Did you drop them when I dragged you back?’ asked Harkness.
‘I? No, I wish I had, but I had no gold about me.’
‘Some of the other chaps must ’ave then. Maybe Peters or Wilson. Both jumped just at this place.’
‘Well, don’t say anything for a moment. I believe they came out of the cask.’
‘Out o’ the cask? Why, sir, ’oo would send sovereigns in a cask?’
‘No one, I should have said; but how would they get among the sawdust if they didn’t come out through the crack with it?’
‘That’s so,’ said Harkness thoughtfully, continuing, ‘I tell you, Mr. Broughton, you say the word and I’ll open that crack a bit more and we’ll ’ave a look into the cask.’
The clerk recognised that this would be irregular, but his curiosity was keenly aroused and he hesitated.
‘I’ll do it without leaving any mark that won’t be put down to the fall,’ continued the tempter, and Broughton fell.
‘I think we should know,’ he replied. ‘This gold may have been stolen and inquiries44 should be made.’
The foreman smiled and disappeared, returning with a hammer and cold chisel45. The broken piece at the end of the stave was entirely separated from the remainder by the crack, but was held in position by one of the iron rings. This piece Harkness with some difficulty drove upwards46, thus widening the crack. As he did so, a little shower of sawdust fell out and the astonishment of the two men was not lessened when with it came a number of sovereigns, which went rolling here and there over the planks47.
It happened that at the same moment the attention of the other men was concentrated on a quartet of casks which was being slung48 up through the hatches, the nervousness caused by the slip not having yet subsided49. None of them therefore saw what had taken place, and Broughton and Harkness had picked up the coins before any of them turned round. Six sovereigns had come out, and the clerk added them to the five he already had, while he and his companion unostentatiously searched for others. Not finding any, they turned back to the cask deeply mystified.
‘Open that crack a bit more,’ said Broughton. ‘What do you think about it?’
‘Blest if I know what to think,’ replied the foreman. ‘We’re on to something mighty50 queer anyway. ’Old my cap under the crack till I prize out that there bit of wood altogether.’
With some difficulty the loose piece of the stave was hammered up, leaving a hole in the side of the barrel some six inches deep by nearly four wide. Half a capful of sawdust fell out, and the clerk added to it by clearing the broken edge of the wood. Then he placed the cap on the top of the cask and they eagerly felt through the sawdust.
‘By Jehoshaphat!’ whispered Harkness excitedly, ‘it’s just full of gold!’
It seemed to be so, indeed, for in it were no fewer than seven sovereigns.
‘That’s eighteen in all,’ said Broughton, in an awed51 tone, as he slipped them into his pocket. ‘If the whole cask’s full of them it must be worth thousands and thousands of pounds.’
They stood gazing at the prosaic52 looking barrel, outwardly remarkable53 only in its strong design and good finish, marvelling54 if beneath that commonplace exterior55 there was indeed hidden what to them seemed a fortune. Then Harkness crouched56 down and looked into the cask through the hole he had made. Hardly had he done so when he sprang back with a sudden oath.
‘Look in there, Mr. Broughton!’ he cried in a suppressed tone. ‘Look in there!’
Broughton stooped in turn and peered in. Then he also recoiled57, for there, sticking up out of the sawdust, were the fingers of a hand.
‘This is terrible,’ he whispered, convinced at last they were in the presence of tragedy, and then he could have kicked himself for being such a fool.
‘Why, it’s only a statue,’ he cried.
‘Statue?’ replied Harkness sharply. ‘Statue? That ain’t no statue. That’s part of a dead body, that is. And don’t you make no mistake.’
‘It’s too dark to see properly. Get a light, will you, till we make sure.’
When the foreman had procured58 a hand-lamp Broughton looked in again and speedily saw that his first impression was correct. The fingers were undoubtedly59 those of a woman’s hand, small, pointed60, delicate, and bearing rings which glinted in the light.
‘Clear away some more of the sawdust, Harkness,’ said the young man as he stood up again. ‘We must find out all we can now.’
He held the cap as before, and the foreman carefully picked out with the cold chisel the sawdust surrounding the fingers. As its level lowered, the remainder of the hand and the wrist gradually became revealed. The sight of the whole only accentuated61 the first impression of dainty beauty and elegance62.
Broughton emptied the cap on to the top of the cask. Three more sovereigns were found hidden in it, and these he pocketed with the others. Then he turned to re-examine the cask.
It was rather larger than the wine-barrels, being some three feet six high by nearly two feet six in diameter. As already mentioned, it was of unusually strong construction, the sides, as shown by the broken stave, being quite two inches thick. Owing possibly to the difficulty of bending such heavy stuff, it was more cylindrical63 than barrel shaped, the result being that the ends were unusually large, and this no doubt partly accounted for Harkness’s difficulty in upending it. In place of the usual thin metal bands, heavy iron rings clamped it together.
On one side was a card label, tacked64 round the edges and addressed in a foreign handwriting: ‘M. Léon Felix, 141 West Jubb Street, Tottenham Court Road, London, W., via Rouen and long sea,’ with the words ‘Statuary only’ printed with a rubber stamp. The label bore also the sender’s name: ‘Dupierre et Cie., Fabricants de la Sculpture Monumentale, Rue65 Provence, Rue de la Convention, Grenelle, Paris.’ Stencilled66 in black letters on the woodwork was ‘Return to’ in French, English, and German, and the name of the same firm. Broughton examined the label with care, in the half-unconscious hope of discovering something from the handwriting. In this he was disappointed, but, as he held the hand-lamp close, he saw something else which interested him.
The label was divided into two parts, an ornamental67 border containing the sender’s advertisement and a central portion for the address. These two were separated by a thick black line. What had caught Broughton’s eye was an unevenness68 along this line, and closer examination showed that the central portion had been cut out, and a piece of paper pasted on the back of the card to cover the hole. Felix’s address was therefore written on this paper, and not on the original label. The alteration69 had been neatly70 done, and was almost unnoticeable. Broughton was puzzled at first, then it occurred to him that the firm must have run out of labels and made an old one do duty a second time.
‘A cask containing money and a human hand—probably a body,’ he mused71. ‘It’s a queer business and something has got to be done about it.’ He stood looking at the cask while he thought out his course of action.
That a serious crime had been committed he felt sure, and that it was his duty to report his discovery immediately he was no less certain. But there was the question of the consignment of wines. He had been sent specially to the docks to check it, and he wondered if he would be right to leave the work undone72. He thought so. The matter was serious enough to justify73 him. And it was not as if the wine would not be checked. The ordinary tallyman was there, and Broughton knew him to be careful and accurate. Besides, he could probably get a clerk from the dock office to help. His mind was made up. He would go straight to Fenchurch Street and report to Mr. Avery, the managing director.
‘Harkness,’ he said, ‘I’m going up to the head office to report this. You’d better close up that hole as best you can and then stay here and watch the cask. Don’t let it out of your sight on any pretext74 until you get instructions from Mr. Avery.’
‘Right, Mr. Broughton,’ replied the foreman, ‘I think you’re doing the proper thing.’
They replaced as much of the sawdust as they could, and Harkness fitted the broken piece of stave into the space and drove it home, nailing it fast.
‘Well, I’m off,’ said Broughton, but as he turned to go a gentleman stepped down into the hold and spoke75 to him. He was a man of medium height, foreign-looking, with a dark complexion76 and a black pointed beard, and dressed in a well-cut suit of blue clothes, with white spats77 and a Homburg hat. He bowed and smiled.
‘Pardon me, but you are, I presume, an I. and C. official?’ he asked, speaking perfect English, but with a foreign accent.
‘I am a clerk in the head office, sir,’ replied Broughton.
‘Ah, quite so. Perhaps then you can oblige me with some information? I am expecting from Paris by this boat a cask containing a group of statuary from Messrs. Dupierre of that city. Can you tell me if it has arrived? This is my name.’ He handed Broughton a card on which was printed: ‘M. Léon Felix, 141 West Jubb Street, Tottenham Court Road, W.’
Though the clerk saw at a glance the name was the same as that on the label on the cask, he pretended to read it with care while considering his reply. This man clearly was the consignee78, and if he were told the cask was there he would doubtless claim immediate23 possession. Broughton could think of no excuse for refusing him, but he was determined79 all the same not to let it go. He had just decided80 to reply that it had not yet come to light, but that they would keep a look-out for it, when another point struck him.
The damaged cask had been moved to the side of the hold next the dock, and it occurred to the clerk that any one standing on the wharf81 beside the hatch could see it. For all he knew to the contrary, this man Felix might have watched their whole proceedings82, including the making of the hole in the cask and the taking out of the sovereigns. If he had recognised his property, as was possible, a couple of steps from where he was standing would enable him to put his finger on the label and so convict Broughton of a falsehood. The clerk decided that in this case honesty would be the best policy.
‘Yes, sir,’ he answered, ‘your cask has arrived. By a curious coincidence it is this one beside us. We had just separated it out from the wine-barrels owing to its being differently consigned83.’
Mr. Felix looked at the young man suspiciously, but he only said: ‘Thank you. I am a collector of objets d’art, and am anxious to see the statue. I have a cart here and I presume I can get it away at once?’
This was what Broughton had expected, but he thought he saw his way.
‘Well, sir,’ he responded civilly, ‘that is outside my job and I fear I cannot help you. But I am sure you can get it now if you will come over to the office on the quay12 and go through the usual formalities. I am going there now and will be pleased to show you the way.’
‘Oh, thank you. Certainly,’ agreed the stranger.
As they walked off, a doubt arose in Broughton’s mind that Harkness might misunderstand his replies to Felix, and if the latter returned with a plausible84 story might let the cask go. He therefore called out:—
‘You understand then, Harkness, you are to do nothing till you hear from Mr. Avery,’ to which the foreman replied by a wave of the hand.
The problem the young clerk had to solve was threefold. First, he had to go to Fenchurch Street to report the matter to his managing director. Next, he must ensure that the cask was kept in the Company’s possession until that gentleman had decided his course of action, and lastly, he wished to accomplish both of these things without raising the suspicions either of Felix or the clerks in the quay office. It was not an easy matter, and at first Broughton was somewhat at a loss. But as they entered the office a plan occurred to him which he at once decided on. He turned to his companion.
‘If you will wait here a moment, sir,’ he said, ‘I’ll find the clerk who deals with your business and send him to you.’
‘I thank you.’
He passed through the door in the screen dividing the outer and inner offices and, crossing to the manager’s room, spoke in a low tone to that official.
‘Mr. Huston, there’s a man outside named Felix for whom a cask has come from Paris on the Bullfinch and he wants possession now. The cask is there, but Mr. Avery suspects there is something not quite right about it, and he sent me to tell you to please delay delivery until you hear further from him. He said to make any excuse, but under no circumstances to give the thing up. He will ring you up in an hour or so when he has made some further inquiries.’
Mr. Huston looked queerly at the young man, but he only said, ‘That will be all right,’ and the latter took him out and introduced him to Mr. Felix.
Broughton delayed a few moments in the inner office to arrange with one of the clerks to take up his work on the Bullfinch during his absence. As he passed out by the counter at which the manager and Mr. Felix were talking, he heard the latter say in an angry tone:—
‘Very well, I will go now and see your Mr. Avery, and I feel sure he will make it up to me for this obstruction85 and annoyance86.’
‘It’s up to me to be there first,’ thought Broughton, as he hurried out of the dock gates in search of a taxi. None was in sight and he stopped and considered the situation. If Felix had a car waiting he would get to Fenchurch Street while he, Broughton, was looking round. Something else must be done.
Stepping into the Little Tower Hill Post Office, he rang up the head office, getting through to Mr. Avery’s private room. In a few words he explained that he had accidentally come on evidence which pointed to the commission of a serious crime, that a man named Felix appeared to know something about it, and that this man was about to call on Mr. Avery, continuing,—
‘Now, sir, if you’ll let me make a suggestion, it is that you don’t see this Mr. Felix immediately he calls, but that you let me into your private office by the landing door, so that I don’t need to pass through the outer office. Then you can hear my story in detail and decide what to do.’
‘It all sounds rather vague and mysterious,’ replied the distant voice, ‘can you not tell me what you found?’
‘Not from here, sir, if you please. If you’ll trust me this time, I think you’ll be satisfied that I am right when you hear my story.’
‘All right. Come along.’
Broughton left the post office and, now when it no longer mattered, found an empty taxi. Jumping in, he drove to Fenchurch Street and, passing up the staircase, knocked at his chief’s private door.
‘Well, Broughton,’ said Mr. Avery, ‘sit down there.’ Going to the door leading to the outer office he spoke to Wilcox.
‘I’ve just had a telephone call and I want to send some other messages. I’ll be engaged for half an hour.’ Then he closed the door and slipped the bolt.
‘You see I have done as you asked and I shall now hear your story. I trust you haven’t put me to all this inconvenience without a good cause.’
‘I think not, sir, and I thank you for the way you have met me. What happened was this,’ and Broughton related in detail his visit to the docks, the mishap87 to the casks, the discovery of the sovereigns and the woman’s hand, the coming of Mr. Felix and the interview in the quay office, ending up by placing the twenty-one sovereigns in a little pile on the chief’s desk.
When he ceased speaking there was silence for several minutes, while Mr. Avery thought over what he had heard. The tale was a strange one, but both from his knowledge of Broughton’s character as well as from the young man’s manner he implicitly88 believed every word he had heard. He considered the firm’s position in the matter. In one way it did not concern them if a sealed casket, delivered to them for conveyance89, contained marble, gold, or road metal, so long as the freight was paid. Their contract was to carry what was handed over to them from one point to another and give it up in the condition they received it. If any one chose to send sovereigns under the guise90 of statuary, any objection that might be raised concerned the Customs Department, not them.
On the other hand, if evidence pointing to a serious crime came to the firm’s notice, it would be the duty of the firm to acquaint the police. The woman’s hand in the cask might or might not indicate a murder, but the suspicion was too strong to justify them in hiding the matter. He came to a decision.
‘Broughton,’ he said, ‘I think you have acted very wisely all through. We will go now to Scotland Yard, and you may repeat your tale to the authorities. After that I think we will be clear of it. Will you go out the way you came in, get a taxi, and wait for me in Fenchurch Street at the end of Mark Lane.’
Mr. Avery locked the private door after the young man, put on his coat and hat, and went into the outer office.
‘I am going out for a couple of hours, Wilcox,’ he said.
The head clerk approached with a letter in his hand.
‘Very good, sir. A gentleman named Mr. Felix called about 11.30 to see you. When I said you were engaged, he would not wait, but asked for a sheet of paper and an envelope to write you a note. This is it.’
The managing director took the note and turned back into his private office to read it. He was puzzled. He had said at 11.15 he would be engaged for half an hour. Therefore, Mr. Felix would only have had fifteen minutes to wait. As he opened the envelope he wondered why that gentleman could not have spared this moderate time, after coming all the way from the docks to see him. And then he was puzzled again, for the envelope was empty!
He stood in thought. Had something occurred to startle Mr. Felix when writing his note, so that in his agitation91 he omitted to enclose it? Or had he simply made a mistake? Or was there some deep-laid plot? Well, he would see what Scotland Yard thought.
He put the envelope away in his pocket-book and, going down to the street, joined Broughton in the taxi. They rattled92 along the crowded thoroughfares while Mr. Avery told the clerk about the envelope.
‘I say, sir,’ said the latter, ‘but that’s a strange business. When I saw him, Mr. Felix was not at all agitated93. He seemed to me a very cool, clear-headed man.’
It happened that about a year previously94 the shipping company had been the victim of a series of cleverly planned robberies, and, in following up the matter, Mr. Avery had become rather well acquainted with two or three of the Yard Inspectors96. One of these in particular he had found a shrewd and capable officer, as well as a kindly97 and pleasant man to work with. On arrival at the Yard he therefore asked for this man, and was pleased to find he was not engaged.
‘Good morning, Mr. Avery,’ said the Inspector95, as they entered his office, ‘what good wind blows you our way to-day?’
‘Good morning, Inspector. This is Mr. Broughton, one of my clerks, and he has got a rather singular story that I think will interest you to hear.’
Inspector Burnley shook hands, closed the door, and drew up a couple of chairs.
‘Sit down, gentlemen,’ he said. ‘I am always interested in a good story.’
‘Now, Broughton, repeat your adventures over again to Inspector Burnley.’
Broughton started off and, for the second time, told of his visit to the docks, the damage to the heavily built cask, the finding of the sovereigns and the woman’s hand, and the interview with Mr. Felix. The Inspector listened gravely and took a note or two, but did not speak till the clerk had finished, when he said:—
‘Let me congratulate you, Mr. Broughton, on your very clear statement.’
‘To which I might add a word,’ said Mr. Avery, and he told of the visit of Mr. Felix to the office and handed over the envelope he had left.
‘That envelope was written at 11.30,’ said the Inspector, ‘and it is now nearly 12.30. I am afraid this is a serious matter, Mr. Avery. Can you come to the docks at once?’
‘Certainly.’
‘Well, don’t let us lose any time.’ He threw a London directory down before Broughton. ‘Just look up this Felix, will you, while I make some arrangements.’
Broughton looked for West Jubb Street, but there was no such near Tottenham Court Road.
‘I thought as much,’ said Inspector Burnley, who had been telephoning. ‘Let us proceed.’
As they reached the courtyard a taxi drew up, containing two plain clothes men as well as the driver. Burnley threw open the door, they all got in, and the vehicle slid quickly out into the street.
Burnley turned to Broughton. ‘Describe the man Felix as minutely as you can.’
‘He was a man of about middle height, rather slightly and elegantly built. He was foreign-looking, French, I should say, or even Spanish, with dark eyes and complexion, and black hair. He wore a short, pointed beard. He was dressed in blue clothes of good quality, with a dark-green or brown Homburg hat, and black shoes with light spats. I did not observe his collar and tie specially, but he gave me the impression of being well-dressed in such matters of detail. He wore a ring with some kind of stone on the little finger of his left hand.’
The two plain clothes men had listened attentively98 to the description, and they and the Inspector conversed99 in low tones for a few moments, when silence fell on the party.
They stopped opposite the Bullfinch’s berth and Broughton led the way down.
‘There she is,’ he pointed, ‘if we go to that gangway we can get down direct to the forehold.’
The two plain-clothes men had also alighted and the five walked in the direction indicated. They crossed the gangway and, approaching the hatchway, looked down into the hold.
‘There’s where it is,’ began Broughton, pointing down, and then suddenly stopped.
The others stepped forward and looked down. The hold was empty. Harkness and the cask were gone!
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insular
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| adj.岛屿的，心胸狭窄的 | |
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continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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consignment
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| n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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colloquially
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| adv.用白话，用通俗语 | |
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specialty
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| n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长 | |
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perishables
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| n.容易腐坏的东西（尤指食品）( perishable的名词复数 ) | |
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invoices
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| 发票( invoice的名词复数 )； （发货或服务）费用清单； 清单上货物的装运； 货物的托运 | |
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loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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11
quays
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| 码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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arteries
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| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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15
berthed
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| v.停泊( berth的过去式和过去分词 )；占铺位 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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18
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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19
funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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20
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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22
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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23
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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24
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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25
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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26
slings
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| 抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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29
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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31
ooze
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| n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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33
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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34
varnished
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| 浸渍过的，涂漆的 | |
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35
tally
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| n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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37
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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38
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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41
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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42
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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43
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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45
chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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46
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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47
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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49
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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51
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
prosaic
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| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
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53
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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54
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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55
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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56
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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58
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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60
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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61
accentuated
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| v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于 | |
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62
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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cylindrical
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| adj.圆筒形的 | |
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64
tacked
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| 用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝 | |
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65
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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66
stencilled
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| v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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68
unevenness
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| n. 不平坦，不平衡，不匀性 | |
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69
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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70
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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71
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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72
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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73
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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74
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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75
spoke
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| 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 | |
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76
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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77
spats
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| n.口角( spat的名词复数 )；小争吵；鞋罩；鞋套v.spit的过去式和过去分词( spat的第三人称单数 )；口角；小争吵；鞋罩 | |
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78
consignee
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| n.受托者，收件人，代销人；承销人；收货人 | |
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79
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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80
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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81
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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82
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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83
consigned
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| 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 | |
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84
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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85
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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86
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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87
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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88
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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89
conveyance
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| n.(不动产等的)转让，让与；转让证书；传送；运送；表达；（正）运输工具 | |
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90
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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91
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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92
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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93
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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94
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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95
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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96
inspectors
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| n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官 | |
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97
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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98
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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99
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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