"This aroused my curiosity, so when I went out for a walk in the grounds with my charge, I strolled round to the side from which I could see the windows of this part of the house. There were four of them in a row, three of which were simply dirty, while the fourth was shuttered up. They were evidently all deserted1. As I strolled up and down, glancing at them occasionally, Mr. Rucastle came out to me, looking as merry and jovial2 as ever.
"'Ah!' said he, 'you must not think me rude if I passed you without a word, my dear young lady. I was preoccupied3 with Business matters.'
"I assured him that I was not offended. 'By the way,' said I, 'you seem to have quite a suite4 of spare rooms up there, and one of them has the shutters5 up.'
"He looked surprised and, as it seemed to me, a little startled at my remark.
"'Photography is one of my hobbies,' said he. 'I have made my dark room up there. But, dear me! what an observant young lady we have come upon. Who would have believed it? Who would have ever believed it?' He spoke6 in a jesting tone, but there was no jest in his eyes as he looked at me. I read suspicion there and annoyance7, but no jest.
"Well, Mr. Holmes, from the moment that I understood that there was something about that suite of rooms which I was not to know, I was all on fire to go over them. It was not mere8 curiosity, though I have my share of that. It was more a feeling of duty -- a feeling that some good might come from my penetrating9 to this place. They talk of woman's instinct; perhaps it was woman's instinct which gave me that feeling. At any rate, it was there, and I was keenly on the lookout10 for any chance to pass the forbidden door.
"It was only yesterday that the chance came. I may tell you that, besides Mr. Rucastle, both Toller and his wife find something to do in these deserted rooms, and I once saw him carrying a large black linen11 bag with him through the door. Recently he has been drinking hard, and yesterday evening he was very drunk; and when I came upstairs there was the key in the door. I have no doubt at all that he had left it there. Mr. and Mrs. Rucastle were both downstairs, and the child was with them, so that I had an admirable opportunity. I turned the key gently in the lock, opened the door, and slipped through.
1 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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2 jovial | |
adj.快乐的,好交际的 | |
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3 preoccupied | |
adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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4 suite | |
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员 | |
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5 shutters | |
百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 ); (照相机的)快门 | |
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6 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 | |
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7 annoyance | |
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 | |
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8 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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9 penetrating | |
adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的 | |
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10 lookout | |
n.注意,前途,瞭望台 | |
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11 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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