chapter 20

The car was close by when they came out, but Earl was gone. He had stopped the car, cut the lights, and walked back towards the big cabin without saying anything to me. He was still whistling, groping for some half-remembered tune¹. Wade² climbed carefully into the back seat and I got in beside him. Dr. Verringer drove. If his jaw³ hurt badly and his head ached, he didn't show it or mention it. We went over the ridge⁴ and down to the end of the graveled drive. Earl had already been down and unlocked the gate and pulled it open. I told Verringer where my car was and he pulled up close to it. Wade got into it and sat silent, staring at nothing. Verringer got out and went round beside him. He spoke⁵ to Wade gently. "About my five thousand dollars, Mr. Wade. The check you promised me." Wade slid down and rested his head on the back of the seat. "I'll think about it." "You promised it. I need it." "Duress⁶, the word is, Verringer, a threat of harm. I have protection now." "I fed and washed you," Verringer persisted. "I came in the night. I protected you, I cured you—for the time being, at least." "Not five grand worth," Wade sneered⁷. "You got plenty out of my pockets." Verringer wouldn't let go. "I have a promise of a connection in Cuba, Mr. Wade. You are a rich man. You should help others in their need. I have Earl to look after. To avail myself of this opportunity I need the money. I will pay it back in full." I began to squirm. I wanted to smoke, but I was afraid it would make Wade sick. "Like hell you'd pay it back," Wade said wearily. "You won't live long enough. One of these nights Blue Boy will kill you in your sleep." Verringer stepped back. I couldn't see his expression, but his voice hardened. "There are more unpleasant ways to die," he said. "I think yours will be one of them." He walked back to his car and got into it. He drove in through his gates and was gone. I backed and turned and headed towards the city. After a mile or two Wade muttered: "Why should I give that fat slob five thousand dollars?" "No reason at all." "Then why do I feel like a bastard⁸ for not giving it to him?" "No reason at all." He turned his head just enough to look at me. "He handled me like a baby," Wade said. "He hardly left me alone for fear Earl would come in and beat me up. He took every dime⁹ I had in my pockets." "You probably told him to." "You on his side?" "Skip, it," I said. "This is just a job to me." Silence for a couple of miles more. We went past the fringe of one of the outlying suburbs. Wade spoke again. "Maybe I'll give it to him. He's broke. The property is foreclosed. He won't get a dime out of it. All on account of that psycho. Why does he do it?" "I wouldn't know." "I'm a writer," Wade said. "I'm supposed to understand what makes people tick. I don't understand one damn thing about anybody." I turned over the pass and after a climb the lights of the valley spread out endlessly in front of us. We dipped down to the highway north and west that goes to Ventura. After a while we passed through Encino. I stopped for a light and looked up towards the lights high on the hill where the big houses were. In one of them the Lennoxes had lived. We went on. "The turn-off is pretty close now," Wade said. "Or do you know it?" "I know it." "By the way, you haven't told me your name." "Philip Marlowe." "Nice name." His voice changed sharply, saying: "Wait a minute. You the guy that was mixed up with Lennox?" "Yeah." He was staring at me in the darkness of the car. We passed the last buildings on the main drag of Encino. "I knew her," Wade said. "A little. Him I never saw. Queer business, that. The law boys gave you the rough edge, didn't they?" I didn't answer him. "Maybe you don't like to talk about it," he said. "Could be. Why would it interest you?" "Hell, I'm a writer. It must be quite a story." "Take tonight off. You must be feeling pretty weak." "Okay, Marlowe. Okay. You don't like me. I get it." We reached the turn-off and I swung the car into it and towards the low hills and the gap between them that was Idle Valley. "I don't either like you or dislike you," I said. "I don't know you. Your wife asked me to find you and bring you home. When I deliver you at your house I'm through. Why she picked on me I couldn't say. Like I said, it's just a job." We turned the flank of a hill and hit a wider, more firmly paved road. He said his house was a mile farther on, on the right side. He told me the number, which I already knew. For a guy in his shape he was a pretty persistent¹⁰ talker. "How much is she paying you?" he asked, "We didn't discuss it." "Whatever it is, it's not enough. I owe you a lot of thanks. You did a great job, chum. I wasn't worth the trouble." "That's just the way you feel tonight." He laughed. "You know something, Marlowe? I could get to like you. You're a bit of a bastard—like me." We reached the house. It was a two-story over-all shingle¹¹ house with a small pillared portico¹² and a long lawn from the entrance to a thick row of shrubs¹³ inside the white fence. There was a light in the portico. I pulled into the driveway and stopped close to the garage. "Can you make it without help?" "Of course." He got out of the car. "Aren't you coming in for a drink or something?" "Not tonight, thanks; I'll wait here until you're in the house." He stood there breathing hard. "Okay," he said shortly. He turned and walked carefully along a flagged path to the front door. He held on to a white pillar for a moment, then tried the door. It opened, he went in. The door stayed open and light washed across the green lawn. There was a sudden flutter of voices. I started backing from the driveway, following the back-up light. Somebody called out. I looked and saw Eileen Wade standing¹⁴ in the open doorway¹⁵. I kept going and she started to run. So I had to stop. I cut the lights and got out of the car. When she came up I said: "I ought to have called you, but I was afraid to leave him." "Of course. Did you have a lot of trouble?" "Well—a little more than ringing a doorbell." "Please come in the house and tell me all about it." "He should be in bed. By tomorrow he'll be as good as new." "Candy will put him to bed," she said, "He won't drink tonight, if that's what you are thinking of." "Never occurred to me. Goodnight, Mrs. Wade." "You must be tired. Don't you want a drink yourself?" I lit a cigarette. It seemed like a couple of weeks since I had tasted tobacco. I drank in the smoke. "May I have just one puff¹⁶?" She came close to me and I handed her the cigarette. She drew on it and coughed. She handed it back laughing. "Strictly¹⁷ an amateur, as you see." "So you knew Sylvia Lennox," I said. "Was that why you wanted to hire me?" "I knew who?" She sounded puzzled. "Sylvia Lennox." I had the cigarette back now. I was eating it pretty fast. "Oh," she said, startled. "That girl that was—murdered. No, I didn't know her personally. I knew who she was. Didn't I tell you that?" "Sorry, I'd forgotten just what you did tell me." She was still standing there quietly, close to me, slim and tall in a white dress of some sort. The light from the open door touched the fringe of her hair and made it glow softly. "Why did you ask me if that had anything to do with my wanting to, as you put it, hire you?" When I didn't answer at once she added, "Did Roger tell you he knew her?" "He said something about the case when I told him my name. He didn't connect me with it immediately, then he did. He talked so damn much I don't remember half of what he said." "I see. I must go in, Mr. Marlowe, and see if my husband needs anything. And if you won't come in—" "I'll leave this with you," I said. I took hold of her and pulled her towards me and tilted¹⁸ her head back. I kissed her hard on the lips. She didn't fight me and she didn't respond. She pulled herself away quietly and stood there looking at me. "You shouldn't have done that," she said. "That was wrong. You're too nice a person." "Sure. Very wrong," I agreed. "But I've been such a nice faithful well-behaved gun dog all day long, I got charmed into one of the silliest ventures I ever tackled, and damned if it didn't turn out just as though somebody had written a script for it. You know something? I believe you knew where he was all along — or at least knew the name of Dr. Verringer. You just wanted to get me involved with him, tangled¹⁹ up with him so I'd feel a sense of responsibility to look after him. Or am I crazy?" "Of course you're crazy," she said coldly. "That is the most outrageous²⁰ nonsense I ever listened to." She started to turn away. "Wait a minute," I said. "That kiss won't leave a scar. You just think it will. And don't tell me I'm too nice a person. I'd rather be a heel." She looked back. "Why?" "If I hadn't been a nice guy to Terry Lennox, he would still be alive." "Yes?" she said quietly. "How can you be so sure? Goodnight, Mr. Marlowe. And thank you so very much for almost everything." She walked back along the edge of the grass. I watched her into the house. The door closed. The porch light went off. I waved at nothing and drove away.

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

4 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

5 spoke   

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。

6 duress   

n.胁迫

参考例句：

• He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.他说他是被迫在认罪书上签字的。
• These unequal treaties were made under duress.这些不平等条约是在强迫下签订的。

7 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

8 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

9 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

10 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

11 shingle   

n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短

参考例句：

• He scraped away the dirt,and exposed a pine shingle.他刨去泥土，下面露出一块松木瓦块。
• He hung out his grandfather's shingle.他挂出了祖父的行医招牌。

12 portico   

n.柱廊，门廊

参考例句：

• A large portico provides a suitably impressive entrance to the chapel.小教堂入口处宽敞的柱廊相当壮观。
• The gateway and its portico had openings all around.门洞两旁与廊子的周围都有窗棂。

13 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

14 standing   

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。

15 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

16 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

17 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

18 tilted   

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。

19 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

20 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。