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Chapter 17
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    Thomas Xavier Meredith was a shrewd young man. It was said of himby Signor Paulo Coselli, the eminent1 criminologist, that he had agift of intuition which was abnormal. Probably the mystery of thetwisted candle was solved by him long before any other person inthe world had the dimmest idea that it was capable of solution.

  The house in Cadogan Square was still in the hands of the police.

  To this house and particularly to Kara's bedroom T. X. from timeto time repaired, and reproduced as far as possible the conditionswhich obtained on the night of the murder. He had the samestifling fire, the same locked door. The latch2 was dropped in itssocket, whilst T. X., with a stop watch in his hand, madeelaborate calculations and acted certain parts which he did notreveal to a soul.

  Three times, accompanied by Mansus, he went to the house, threetimes went to the death chamber3 and was alone on one occasion foran hour and a half whilst the patient Mansus waited outside.

  Three times he emerged looking graver on each occasion, and afterthe third visit he called into consultation4 John Lexman.

  Lexman had been spending some time in the country, having deferredhis trip to the United States.

  "This case puzzles me more and more, John," said T. X., troubledout of his usual boisterous5 self, "and thank heaven it worriesother people besides me. De Mainau came over from France theother day and brought all his best sleuths, whilst O'Grady of theNew York central office paid a flying visit just to get hold ofthe facts. Not one of them has given me the real solution, thoughthey've all been rather ingenious. Gathercole has vanished and isprobably on his way to some undiscoverable region, and our peoplehave not yet traced the valet.""He should be the easiest for you," said John Lexman,reflectively.

  "Why Gathercole should go off I can't understand," T. X.

  continued. "According to the story which was told me by Fisher,his last words to Kara were to the effect that he was expecting acheque or that he had received a cheque. No cheque has beenpresented or drawn6 and apparently7 Gathercole has gone off withoutwaiting for any payment. An examination of, Kara's books shownothing against the Gathercole account save the sum of 600 poundswhich was originally advanced, and now to upset all mycalculations, look at this."He took from his pocketbook a newspaper cutting and pushed itacross the table, for they were dining together at the Carlton.

  John Lexman picked up the slip and read. It was evidently from aNew York paper:

  "Further news has now come to hand by the Antarctic TradingCompany's steamer, Cyprus, concerning the wreck8 of the City of theArgentine. It is believed that this ill-fated vessel9, whichcalled at South American ports, lost her propellor and driftedsouth out of the track of shipping10. This theory is now confirmed.

  Apparently the ship struck an iceberg11 on December 23rd andfoundered with all aboard save a few men who were able to launch aboat and who were picked up by the Cyprus. The following is thepassenger list."John Lexman ran down the list until he came upon the name whichwas evidently underlined in ink by T. X. That name was GeorgeGathercole and after it in brackets (Explorer).

  "If that were true, then, Gathercole could not have come toLondon.""He may have taken another boat," said T. X., "and I cabled to theSteamship Company without any great success. ApparentlyGathercole was an eccentric sort of man and lived in terror ofbeing overcrowded. It was a habit of his to make provisionalbookings by every available steamer. The company can tell me nomore than that he had booked, but whether he shipped on the Cityof the Argentine or not, they do not know.""I can tell you this about Gathercole," said John slowly andthoughtfully, "that he was a man who would not hurt a fly. He wasincapable of killing12 any man, being constitutionally averse13 totaking life in any shape. For this reason he never madecollections of butterflies or of bees, and I believe has nevershot an animal in his life. He carried his principles to such anextent that he was a vegetarian14 - poor old Gathercole!" he said,with the first smile which T. X. had seen on his face since hecame back.

  "If you want to sympathize with anybody," said T. X. gloomily,"sympathize with me."On the following day T. X. was summoned to the Home Office andwent steeled for a most unholy row. The Home Secretary, a largeand worthy15 gentleman, given to the making of speeches on everyexcuse, received him, however, with unusual kindness.

  "I've sent for you, Mr. Meredith," he said, "about thisunfortunate Greek. I've had all his private papers looked intoand translated and in some cases decoded16, because as you areprobably aware his diaries and a great deal of his correspondencewere in a code which called for the attention of experts."T. X. had not troubled himself greatly about Kara's private papersbut had handed them over, in accordance with instructions, to theproper authorities.

  "Of course, Mr. Meredith," the Home Secretary went on, beamingacross his big table, "we expect you to continue your search forthe murderer, but I must confess that your prisoner when yousecure him will have a very excellent case to put to a jury.""That I can well believe, sir," said T. X.

  "Seldom in my long career at the bar," began the Home Secretary inhis best oratorical17 manner, "have I examined a record so utterlydiscreditable as that of the deceased man."Here he advanced a few instances which surprised even T. X.

  "The men was a lunatic," continued the Home Secretary, a vicious,evil man who loved cruelty for cruelty's sake. We have in thisdiary alone sufficient evidence to convict him of three separatemurders, one of which was committed in this country."T. X. looked his astonishment18.

  "You will remember, Mr. Meredith, as I saw in one of your reports,that he had a chauffeur19, a Greek named Poropulos."T. X. nodded.

  "He went to Greece on the day following the shooting ofVassalaro," he said.

  The Home Secretary shook his head"He was killed on the same night," said the Minister, "and youwill have no difficulty in finding what remains20 of his body in thedisused house which Kara rented for his own purpose on thePortsmouth Road. That he has killed a number of people in Albaniayou may well suppose. Whole villages have been wiped out toprovide him with a little excitement. The man was a Nero withoutany of Nero's amiable21 weaknesses. He was obsessed22 with the ideathat he himself was in danger of assassination23, and saw an enemyeven in his trusty servant. Undoubtedly24 the chauffeur Poropuloswas in touch with several Continental25 government circles. Youunderstand," said the Minister in conclusion, "that I am tellingyou this, not with the idea of expecting you, to relax yourefforts to find the murderer and clear up the mystery, but inorder that you may know something of the possible motive26 for thisman's murder."T. X. spent an hour going over the decoded diary and documents andleft the Home Office a little shakily. It was inconceivable,incredible. Kara was a lunatic, but the directing genius was adevil.

  T. X. had a flat in Whitehall Gardens and thither27 he repaired tochange for dinner. He was half dressed when the evening paperarrived and he glanced as was his wont28 first at the news' page andthen at the advertisement column. He looked down the columnmarked "Personal" without expecting to find anything of particularinterest to himself, but saw that which made him drop the paperand fly round the room in a frenzy29 to complete his toilet.

  "Tommy X.," ran the brief announcement, "most urgent, Marble Arch8."He had five minutes to get there but it seemed like five hours.

  He was held up at almost every crossing and though he might haveused his authority to obtain right of way, it was a step which hiscurious sense of honesty prevented him taking. He leapt out ofthe cab before it stopped, thrust the fare into the driver's handsand looked round for the girl. He saw her at last and walkedquickly towards her. As he approached her, she turned about andwith an almost imperceptible beckoning30 gesture walked away. Hefollowed her along the Bayswater Road and gradually drew level.

  "I am afraid I have been watched," she said in a low voice. "Willyou call a cab?"He hailed a passing taxi, helped her in and gave at random31 thefirst place that suggested itself to him, which was Finsbury Park.

  "I am very worried," she said, "and I don't know anybody who canhelp me except you.""Is it money?" he asked.

  "Money," she said scornfully, "of course it isn't money. I wantto show you a letter," she said after a while.

  She took it from her bag and gave it to him and he struck a matchand read it with difficulty.

  It was written in a studiously uneducated hand.

  "Dear Miss,"I know who you are. You are wanted by the police but I will notgive you away. Dear Miss. I am very hard up and 20 pounds willbe very useful to me and I shall not trouble you again. DearMiss. Put the money on the window sill of your room. I know yousleep on the ground floor and I will come in and take it. And ifnot - well, I don't want to make any trouble.

  "Yours truly,"A FRIEND.""When did you get this?" he asked.

  "This morning," she replied. "I sent the Agony to the paper bytelegram, I knew you would come.""Oh, you did, did you?" he said.

  Her assurance was very pleasing to him. The faith that her wordsimplied gave him an odd little feeling of comfort and happiness.

  "I can easily get you out of this," he added; "give me youraddress and when the gentleman comes - ""That is impossible," she replied hurriedly. "Please don't thinkI'm ungrateful, and don't think I'm being silly - you do think I'mbeing silly, don't you!""I have never harboured such an unworthy thought," he saidvirtuously.

  "Yes, you have," she persisted, "but really I can't tell you whereI am living. I have a very special reason for not doing so. It'snot myself that I'm thinking about, but there's a life involved."This was a somewhat dramatic statement to make and she felt shehad gone too far.

  "Perhaps I don't mean that," she said, "but there is some one Icare for - " she dropped her voice.

  "Oh," said T. X. blankly.

  He came down from his rosy32 heights into the shadow and darkness ofa sunless valley.

  "Some one you care for," he repeated after a while.

  "Yes."There was another long silence, then,"Oh, indeed," said T. X.

  Again the unbroken interval33 of quiet and after a while she said ina low voice, "Not that way.""Not what way!" asked T. X. huskily, his spirits doing a littlemountaineering.

  "The way you mean," she said.

  "Oh," said T. X.

  He was back again amidst the rosy snows of dawn, was in factclimbing a dizzy escalier on the topmost height of hope's MontBlanc when she pulled the ladder from under him.

  "I shall, of course, never marry," she said with a certain primdecision.

  T. X. fell with a dull sickening thud, discovering that his rosysnows were not unlike cold, hard ice in their lack of resilience.

  "Who said you would?" he asked somewhat feebly, but in selfdefence.

  "You did," she said, and her audacity34 took his breath away.

  "Well, how am I to help you!" he asked after a while.

  "By giving me some advice," she said; "do you think I ought to putthe money there!""Indeed I do not," said T. X., recovering some of his naturaldominance; "apart from the fact that you would be compounding afelony, you would merely be laying out trouble for yourself in thefuture. If he can get 20 pounds so easily, he will come for 40pounds. But why do you stay away, why don't you return home?

  There's no charge and no breath of suspicion against you.""Because I have something to do which I have set my mind to," shesaid, with determination in her tones.

  "Surely you can trust me with your address," he urged her, "afterall that has passed between us, Belinda Mary - after all the yearswe have known one another.""I shall get out and leave you," she said steadily35.

  "But how the dickens am I going to help you?" he protested.

  "Don't swear," she could be very severe indeed; "the only way youcan help me is by being kind and sympathetic.""Would you like me to burst into tears?" he asked sarcastically36.

  "I ask you to do nothing more painful or repugnant to your naturalfeelings than to be a gentleman," she said.

  "Thank you very kindly," said T. X., and leant back in the cabwith an air of supreme37 resignation.

  "I believe you're making faces in the dark," she accused him.

  "God forbid that I should do anything so low," said he hastily;"what made you think that?""Because I was putting my tongue out at you," she admitted, andthe taxi driver heard the shrieks38 of laughter in the cab behindhim above the wheezing39 of his asthmatic engine.

  At twelve that night in a certain suburb of London an overcoatedman moved stealthily through a garden. He felt his way carefullyalong the wall of the house and groped with hope, but with nogreat certainty, along the window sill. He found an envelopewhich his fingers, somewhat sensitive from long employment innefarious uses, told him contained nothing more substantial than aletter.

  He went back through the garden and rejoined his companion, whowas waiting under an adjacent lamp-post.

  "Did she drop?" asked the other eagerly.

  "I don't know yet," growled40 the man from the garden.

  He opened the envelope and read the few lines.

  "She hasn't got the money," he said, "but she's going to get it.

  I must meet her to-morrow afternoon at the corner of Oxford41 Streetand Regent Street.""What time!" asked the other.

  "Six o'clock," said the first man. "The chap who takes the moneymust carry a copy of the Westminster Gazette in his hand.""Oh, then it's a plant," said the other with conviction.

  The other laughed.

  "She won't work any plants. I bet she's scared out of her life."The second man bit his nails and looked up and down the road,apprehensively.

  "It's come to something," he said bitterly; "we went out to makeour thousands and we've come down to 'chanting' for 20 pounds.""It's the luck," said the other philosophically42, "and I haven'tdone with her by any means. Besides we've still got a chance ofpulling of the big thing, Harry43. I reckon she's good for ahundred or two, anyway."At six o'clock on the following afternoon, a man dressed in a darkovercoat, with a soft felt hat pulled down over his eyes stoodnonchalantly by the curb44 near where the buses stop at RegentStreet slapping his hand gently with a folded copy of theWestminster Gazette.

  That none should mistake his Liberal reading, he stood as near aspossible to a street lamp and so arranged himself and his attitudethat the minimum of light should fall upon his face and themaximum upon that respectable organ of public opinion. Soon aftersix he saw the girl approaching, out of the tail of his eye, andstrolled off to meet her. To his surprise she passed him by andhe was turning to follow when an unfriendly hand gripped him bythe arm.

  "Mr. Fisher, I believe," said a pleasant voice.

  "What do you mean?" said the man, struggling backward.

  "Are you going quietly!" asked the pleasant Superintendent45 Mansus,"or shall I take my stick to you'?"Mr. Fisher thought awhile.

  "It's a cop," he confessed, and allowed himself to be hustled46 intothe waiting cab.

  He made his appearance in T. X.'s office and that urbane47 gentlemangreeted him as a friend.

  "And how's Mr. Fisher!" he asked; "I suppose you are Mr. Fisherstill and not Mr. Harry Gilcott, or Mr. George Porten."Fisher smiled his old, deferential48, deprecating smile.

  "You will always have your joke, sir. I suppose the young ladygave me away.""You gave yourself away, my poor Fisher," said T. X., and put astrip of paper before him; "you may disguise your hand, and inyour extreme modesty49 pretend to an ignorance of the Britishlanguage, which is not creditable to your many attainments50, butwhat you must be awfully51 careful in doing in future when you writesuch epistles," he said, "is to wash your hands.""Wash my hands!" repeated the puzzled Fisher.

  T. X. nodded.

  "You see you left a little thumb print, and we are rather whaleson thumb prints at Scotland Yard, Fisher.""I see. What is the charge now, sir!""I shall make no charge against you except the conventional one ofbeing a convict under license52 and failing to report."Fisher heaved a sigh.

  "That'll only mean twelve months. Are you going to charge me withthis business?" he nodded to the paper.

  T. X. shook his head.

  "I bear you no ill-will although you tried to frighten MissBartholomew. Oh yes, I know it is Miss Bartholomew, and haveknown all the time. The lady is there for a reason which is nobusiness of yours or of mine. I shall not charge you with attemptto blackmail53 and in reward for my leniency54 I hope you are going totell me all you know about the Kara murder. You wouldn't like meto charge you with that, would you by any chance!"Fisher drew a long breath.

  "No, sir, but if you did I could prove my innocence," he saidearnestly. "I spent the whole of the evening in the kitchen.""Except a quarter of an hour," said T. X.

  The man nodded.

  "That's true, sir, I went out to see a pal55 of mine.""The man who is in this!" asked T. X.

  Fisher hesitated.

  "Yes, sir. He was with me in this but there was nothing wrongabout the business - as far as we went. I don't mind admittingthat I was planning a Big Thing. I'm not going to blow on it, ifit's going to get me into trouble, but if you'll promise me thatit won't, I'll tell you the whole story.""Against whom was this coup56 of yours planned?""Against Mr. Kara, sir," said Fisher.

  "Go on with your story," nodded T. X.

  The story was a short and commonplace one. Fisher had met a manwho knew another man who was either a Turk or an Albanian. Theyhad learnt that Kara was in the habit of keeping large sums ofmoney in the house and they had planned to rob him. That was thestory in a nutshell. Somewhere the plan miscarried. It was whenhe came to the incidents that occurred on the night of the murderthat T. X. followed him with the greatest interest.

  "The old gentleman came in," said Fisher, "and I saw him up to theroom. I heard him coming out and I went up and spoke57 to him whilehe was having a chat with Mr. Kara at the open door.""Did you hear Mr. Kara speak?""I fancy I did, sir," said Fisher; "anyway the old gentleman wasquite pleased with himself.""Why do you say 'old gentleman'!" asked T. X.; "he was not an oldman.""Not exactly, sir," said Fisher, "but he had a sort of fussyirritable way that old gentlemen sometimes have and I somehow gotit fixed58 in my mind that he was old. As a matter of fact, he wasabout forty-five, he may have been fifty.""You have told me all this before. Was there anything peculiarabout him!"Fisher hesitated.

  "Nothing, sir, except the fact that one of his arms was a gameone.""Meaning that it was - ""Meaning that it was an artificial one, sir, so far as I can makeout.""Was it his right or his left arm that was game!" interrupted T.

  X.

  "His left arm, sir.""You're sure?""I'd swear to it, sir.""Very well, go on.""He came downstairs and went out and I never saw him again. Whenyou came and the murder was discovered and knowing as I did that Ihad my own scheme on and that one of your splits might pinch me, Igot a bit rattled59. I went downstairs to the hall and the firstthing I saw lying on the table was a letter. It was addressed tome."He paused and T. X. nodded.

  "Go on," he said again.

  "I couldn't understand how it came to be there, but as I'd been inthe kitchen most of the evening except when I was seeing my paloutside to tell him the job was off for that night, it might havebeen there before you came. I opened the letter. There were onlya few words on it and I can tell you those few words made my heartjump up into my mouth, and made me go cold all over.""What were they!" asked T. X.

  "I shall not forget them, sir. They're sort of permanently60 fixedin my brain," said the man earnestly; "the note started with justthe figures 'A. C. 274.' ""What was that!" asked T. X.

  "My convict number when I was in Dartmoor Prison, sir.""What did the note say?""'Get out of here quick' - I don't know who had put it there, butI'd evidently been spotted61 and I was taking no chances. That'sthe whole story from beginning to end. I accidentally happened tomeet the young lady, Miss Holland - Miss Bartholomew as she is -and followed her to her house in Portman Place. That was thenight you were there."T. X. found himself to his intense annoyance62 going very red.

  "And you know no more?" he asked.

  "No more, sir - and if I may be struck dead - ""Keep all that sabbath talk for the chaplain," commended T. X.,and they took away Mr. Fisher, not an especially dissatisfied man.

  That night T. X. interviewed his prisoner at Cannon63 Row policestation and made a few more enquiries.

  "There is one thing I would like to ask you," said the girl whenhe met her next morning in Green Park.

  "If you were going to ask whether I made enquiries as to whereyour habitation was," he warned her, "I beg of you to refrain."She was looking very beautiful that morning, he thought. The keenair had brought a colour to her face and lent a spring to hergait, and, as she strode along by his side with the free andcareless swing of youth, she was an epitome64 of the life which evennow was budding on every tree in the park.

  "Your father is back in town, by the way," he said, "and he ismost anxious to see you."She made a little grimace65.

  "I hope you haven't been round talking to father about me.""Of course I have," he said helplessly; "I have also had all thereporters up from Fleet Street and given them a full descriptionof your escapades."She looked round at him with laughter in her eyes.

  "You have all the manners of an early Christian66 martyr," she said.

  "Poor soul! Would you like to be thrown to the lions?""I should prefer being thrown to the demnition ducks and drakes,"he said moodily67.

  "You're such a miserable68 man," she chided him, "and yet you haveeverything to make life worth living.""Ha, ha!" said T. X.

  "You have, of course you have! You have a splendid position.

  Everybody looks up to you and talks about you. You have got awife and family who adore you - "He stopped and looked at her as though she were some strangeinsect.

  "I have a how much?" he asked credulously69.

  "Aren't you married?" she asked innocently.

  He made a strange noise in his throat.

  "Do you know I have always thought of you as married," she wenton; "I often picture you in your domestic circle reading to thechildren from the Daily Megaphone those awfully interestingstories about Little Willie Waterbug."He held on to the railings for support.

  "May we sit down" he asked faintly.

  She sat by his side, half turned to him, demure70 and whollyadorable.

  "Of course you are right in one respect," he said at last, "butyou're altogether wrong about the children.""Are you married!" she demanded with no evidence of amusement.

  "Didn't you know?" he asked.

  She swallowed something.

  "Of course it's no business of mine and I'm sure I hope you arevery happy.""Perfectly71 happy," said T. X. complacently72. "You must come outand see me one Saturday afternoon when I am digging the potatoes.

  I am a perfect devil when they let me loose in the vegetablegarden.""Shall we go on?" she said.

  He could have sworn there were tears in her eyes and manlike hethought she was vexed73 with him at his fooling.

  "I haven't made you cross, have I?" he asked.

  "Oh no," she replied.

  "I mean you don't believe all this rot about my being married andthat sort of thing?""I'm not interested," she said, with a shrug74 of her shoulders,"not very much. You've been very kind to me and I should be anawful boor75 if I wasn't grateful. Of course, I don't care whetheryou're married or not, it's nothing to do with me, is it?""Naturally it isn't," he replied. "I suppose you aren't marriedby any chance?""Married," she repeated bitterly; "why, you will make my fourth!"She had hardy76 got the words out of her mouth before she realizedher terrible error. A second later she was in his arms and he waskissing her to the scandal of one aged77 park keeper, one small anddirty-faced little boy and a moulting duck who seemed to sneer78 atthe proceedings79 which he watched through a yellow and malignanteye.

  "Belinda Mary," said T. X. at parting, "you have got to give upyour little country establishment, wherever it may be and comeback to the discomforts80 of Portman Place. Oh, I know you can'tcome back yet. That 'somebody' is there, and I can pretty wellguess who it is.""Who?" she challenged.

  "I rather fancy your mother has come back," he suggested.

  A look of scorn dawned into her pretty face.

  "Good lord, Tommy!" she said in disgust, "you don't think I shouldkeep mother in the suburbs without her telling the world all aboutit!""You're an undutiful little beggar," he said.

  They had reached the Horse Guards at Whitehall and he was sayinggood-bye to her.

  "If it comes to a matter of duty," she answered, "perhaps you willdo your duty and hold up the traffic for me and let me cross thisroad.""My dear girl," he protested, "hold up the traffic?""Of course," she said indignantly, "you're a policeman.""Only when I am in uniform," he said hastily, and piloted heracross the road.

  It was a new man who returned to the gloomy office in Whitehall.

  A man with a heart that swelled81 and throbbed82 with the pride andjoy of life's most precious possession.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 eminent dpRxn     
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的
参考例句:
  • We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
  • He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。
2 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩,窗闩;弹簧锁
参考例句:
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
3 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
4 consultation VZAyq     
n.咨询;商量;商议;会议
参考例句:
  • The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
  • The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。
5 boisterous it0zJ     
adj.喧闹的,欢闹的
参考例句:
  • I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
  • The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起,不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。
6 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
7 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。
8 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
9 vessel 4L1zi     
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管
参考例句:
  • The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
  • You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
10 shipping WESyg     
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
参考例句:
  • We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
  • There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
11 iceberg CbKx0     
n.冰山,流冰,冷冰冰的人
参考例句:
  • The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
  • The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
12 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
13 averse 6u0zk     
adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的
参考例句:
  • I don't smoke cigarettes,but I'm not averse to the occasional cigar.我不吸烟,但我不反对偶尔抽一支雪茄。
  • We are averse to such noisy surroundings.我们不喜欢这么吵闹的环境。
14 vegetarian 7KGzY     
n.素食者;adj.素食的
参考例句:
  • She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
  • I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。
15 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
16 decoded ad05458423e19c1ff1f3c0237f8cfbed     
v.译(码),解(码)( decode的过去式和过去分词 );分析及译解电子信号
参考例句:
  • The control unit decoded the 18 bits. 控制器对这18位字进行了译码。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Scientists have decoded the dog genome. 科学家已经译解了狗的基因组。 来自辞典例句
17 oratorical oratorical     
adj.演说的,雄辩的
参考例句:
  • The award for the oratorical contest was made by a jury of nine professors. 演讲比赛的裁决由九位教授组成的评判委员会作出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • His oratorical efforts evoked no response in his audience. 他的雄辩在听众中不起反响。 来自辞典例句
18 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
19 chauffeur HrGzL     
n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机;v.为…开车
参考例句:
  • The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
  • She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。
20 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
21 amiable hxAzZ     
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的
参考例句:
  • She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
  • We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
22 obsessed 66a4be1417f7cf074208a6d81c8f3384     
adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的
参考例句:
  • He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
  • The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
23 assassination BObyy     
n.暗杀;暗杀事件
参考例句:
  • The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
  • Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年,林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。
24 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。
25 continental Zazyk     
adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的
参考例句:
  • A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
  • The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。
26 motive GFzxz     
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的
参考例句:
  • The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
  • He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
27 thither cgRz1o     
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的
参考例句:
  • He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
  • He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。
28 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
29 frenzy jQbzs     
n.疯狂,狂热,极度的激动
参考例句:
  • He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
  • They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。
30 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
31 random HT9xd     
adj.随机的;任意的;n.偶然的(或随便的)行动
参考例句:
  • The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
  • On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
32 rosy kDAy9     
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的
参考例句:
  • She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作,生活看上去很美好。
  • She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
33 interval 85kxY     
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息
参考例句:
  • The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
  • There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。
34 audacity LepyV     
n.大胆,卤莽,无礼
参考例句:
  • He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。
  • He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。
35 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
36 sarcastically sarcastically     
adv.挖苦地,讽刺地
参考例句:
  • 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
  • Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她,讽刺地鞠了一躬。
37 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
38 shrieks e693aa502222a9efbbd76f900b6f5114     
n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声
  • For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来, 报纸上, 广播里, 舞台上, 会场上的声嘶力竭,装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
39 wheezing 725d713049073d5b2a804fc762d3b774     
v.喘息,发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 );哮鸣
参考例句:
  • He was coughing and wheezing all night. 他整夜又咳嗽又喘。
  • A barrel-organ was wheezing out an old tune. 一架手摇风琴正在呼哧呼哧地奏着一首古老的曲子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
40 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
41 Oxford Wmmz0a     
n.牛津(英国城市)
参考例句:
  • At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
  • This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。
42 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》
43 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
44 curb LmRyy     
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制
参考例句:
  • I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
  • You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。
45 superintendent vsTwV     
n.监督人,主管,总监;(英国)警务长
参考例句:
  • He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
  • He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。
46 hustled 463e6eb3bbb1480ba4bfbe23c0484460     
催促(hustle的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。
  • The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。
47 urbane GKUzG     
adj.温文尔雅的,懂礼的
参考例句:
  • He tried hard to be urbane.他极力作出彬彬有礼的神态。
  • Despite the crisis,the chairman's voice was urbane as usual.尽管处于危机之中,董事长的声音还象通常一样温文尔雅。
48 deferential jmwzy     
adj. 敬意的,恭敬的
参考例句:
  • They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
  • I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。
49 modesty REmxo     
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素
参考例句:
  • Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
  • As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后,谦虚使人进步。
50 attainments 3f47ba9938f08311bdf016e1de15e082     
成就,造诣; 获得( attainment的名词复数 ); 达到; 造诣; 成就
参考例句:
  • a young woman of impressive educational attainments 一位学业成就斐然的年轻女子
  • He is a scholar of the highest attainments in this field. 他在这一领域是一位颇有造就的学者。
51 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
参考例句:
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
52 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
53 blackmail rRXyl     
n.讹诈,敲诈,勒索,胁迫,恫吓
参考例句:
  • She demanded $1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
  • The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。
54 leniency I9EzM     
n.宽大(不严厉)
参考例句:
  • udges are advised to show greater leniency towards first-time offenders.建议法官对初犯者宽大处理。
  • Police offer leniency to criminals in return for information.警方给罪犯宽大处理以换取情报。
55 pal j4Fz4     
n.朋友,伙伴,同志;vi.结为友
参考例句:
  • He is a pal of mine.他是我的一个朋友。
  • Listen,pal,I don't want you talking to my sister any more.听着,小子,我不让你再和我妹妹说话了。
56 coup co5z4     
n.政变;突然而成功的行动
参考例句:
  • The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
  • That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。
57 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。
58 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
59 rattled b4606e4247aadf3467575ffedf66305b     
慌乱的,恼火的
参考例句:
  • The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
  • Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
60 permanently KluzuU     
adv.永恒地,永久地,固定不变地
参考例句:
  • The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
  • The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
61 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
62 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。
63 cannon 3T8yc     
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮
参考例句:
  • The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
  • The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。
64 epitome smyyW     
n.典型,梗概
参考例句:
  • He is the epitome of goodness.他是善良的典范。
  • This handbook is a neat epitome of everyday hygiene.这本手册概括了日常卫生的要点。
65 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。
66 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
67 moodily 830ff6e3db19016ccfc088bb2ad40745     
adv.喜怒无常地;情绪多变地;心情不稳地;易生气地
参考例句:
  • Pork slipped from the room as she remained staring moodily into the distance. 阿宝从房间里溜了出来,留她独个人站在那里瞪着眼睛忧郁地望着远处。 来自辞典例句
  • He climbed moodily into the cab, relieved and distressed. 他忧郁地上了马车,既松了一口气,又忧心忡忡。 来自互联网
68 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
69 credulously 9a5a7ce19df84042a4e7b029e7d64131     
adv.轻信地,易被瞒地
参考例句:
  • The children followed the teacher credulously. 孩子们很容易地听从了老师。 来自互联网
70 demure 3mNzb     
adj.严肃的;端庄的
参考例句:
  • She's very demure and sweet.她非常娴静可爱。
  • The luscious Miss Wharton gave me a demure but knowing smile.性感迷人的沃顿小姐对我羞涩地会心一笑。
71 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
72 complacently complacently     
adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地
参考例句:
  • He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
  • "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装,"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
73 vexed fd1a5654154eed3c0a0820ab54fb90a7     
adj.争论不休的;(指问题等)棘手的;争论不休的问题;烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 );使苦恼;使生气;详细讨论
参考例句:
  • The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。
  • He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
74 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句:
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩,走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
75 boor atRzU     
n.举止粗野的人;乡下佬
参考例句:
  • I'm a bit of a boor,so I hope you won't mind if I speak bluntly.我是一个粗人,说话直来直去,你可别见怪。
  • If he fears the intellectual,he despises the boor.他对知识分子有戒心,但是更瞧不起乡下人。
76 hardy EenxM     
adj.勇敢的,果断的,吃苦的;耐寒的
参考例句:
  • The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
  • He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。
77 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的,陈年的
参考例句:
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了,也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老,然而记忆力还好。
78 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
79 proceedings Wk2zvX     
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
  • to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
80 discomforts 21153f1ed6fc87cfc0ae735005583b36     
n.不舒适( discomfort的名词复数 );不愉快,苦恼
参考例句:
  • Travellers in space have to endure many discomforts in their rockets. 宇宙旅行家不得不在火箭中忍受许多不舒适的东西 来自《用法词典》
  • On that particular morning even these discomforts added to my pleasure. 在那样一个特定的早晨,即使是这种种的不舒适也仿佛给我增添了满足感。 来自辞典例句
81 swelled bd4016b2ddc016008c1fc5827f252c73     
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染,他的手肿了起来。
  • After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后,河水猛涨。
82 throbbed 14605449969d973d4b21b9356ce6b3ec     
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 ); (心脏、脉搏等)跳动
参考例句:
  • His head throbbed painfully. 他的头一抽一跳地痛。
  • The pulse throbbed steadily. 脉搏跳得平稳。


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