CHAPTER 19

 As soon as she could next morning she rang Townsend up at his office.

 

"Yes, what is it?"

 

"I want to see you."

 

"My dear, I'm awfully¹ busy. I'm a working man."

 

"It's very important. Can I come down to the office?"

 

"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

 

"Well, come here then."

 

"I can't possibly get away. What about this afternoon? And don't you think it would be better if I didn't come to your house?"

 

"I must see you at once."

 

There was a pause and she was afraid that she had been cut off.

 

"Are you there?" she asked anxiously.

 

"Yes, I was thinking. Has anything happened?"

 

"I can't tell you over the telephone."

 

There was another silence before he spoke² again.

 

"Well, look here, I can manage to see you for ten minutes at one if that'll do. You'd better go to Ku-Chou's and I'll come along as soon as I can."

 

"The curio shop?" she asked in dismay.

 

"Well, we can't meet in the lounge at the Tching Yen³ Hotel very well," he answered.

 

She noticed a trace of irritation⁴ in his voice.

1 awfully   

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。

2 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。

3 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

4 irritation   

n.激怒，恼怒，生气

参考例句：

• He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
• Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。