(Monday, September 17; noon)
When Vance finished speaking, there was several minutes’ silence. Markham sat deep in his chair glaring into space. Heath, however, was watching Vance with a kind of grudging1 admiration2. The corner-stone in the foundation of his case against Jessup had been knocked out, and the structure he had built was tottering3 precariously4. Markham realized this, and the fact played havoc5 with his hopes.
“I wish your inspirations were more helpful,” he grumbled6, turning his gaze upon Vance. “This latest revelation of yours puts us back almost to where we started from.”
“Oh, don’t be pessimistic. Let us face the future with a bright eye. . . . Want to hear my theory?—it’s fairly bulging7 with possibilities.” He arranged himself comfortably in his chair. “Skeel needed money—no doubt his silk shirts were running low—and after his unsuccessful attempt to extort8 it from the lady a week before her demise9, he came here last Monday night. He had learned she would be out, and he intended to wait for her; for she had probably refused to receive him in the custom’ry social way. He knew the side door was bolted at night, and, as he didn’t want to be seen entering the apartment, he devised the little scheme of unbolting the door for himself under cover of a futile10 call at half past nine. The unbolting accomplished11, he returned via the alleyway, and let himself into the apartment at some time before eleven. When the lady returned with an escort, he quickly hid in the clothes-closet, and remained there until the escort had departed. Then he came forth12, and the lady, startled by his sudden appearance, screamed. But, on recognizing him, she told Spotswoode, who was now hammering at the door, that it was all a mistake. So Spotswoode ran along and played poker13. A financial discussion between Skeel and the lady—probably a highly acrimonious14 tiff15—ensued. In the midst of it the telephone rang, and Skeel snatched off the receiver and said the Canary was out. The tiff was resumed; but presently another suitor appeared on the scene. Whether he rang the bell or let himself in with a key I can’t say—probably the latter, for the phone operator was unaware16 of his visit. Skeel hid himself a second time in the closet, and luckily took the precaution of locking himself in. Also, he quite naturally put his eye to the keyhole to see who the second intruder was.”
“The keyhole, you will observe, is on a line with the davenport; and as Skeel peered out into the room he saw a sight that froze his blood. The new arrival—in the midst, perhaps, of some endearing sentence—seized the lady by the throat and proceeded to throttle18 her. . . . Imagine Skeel’s emotions, my dear Markham. There he was, crouching19 in a dark closet, and a few feet from him stood a murderer in the act of strangling a lady! Pauvre Antoine! I don’t wonder he was petrified20 and speechless. He saw what he imagined to be maniacal22 fury in the strangler’s eyes; and the strangler must have been a fairly powerful creature, whereas Skeel was slender and almost undersized. . . . No, merci. Skeel wasn’t having any. He lay doggo. And I can’t say that I blame the beggar, what?”
He made a gesture of interrogation.
“What did the strangler do next? Well, well; we’ll probably never know, now that Skeel, the horrified23 witness, has gone to his Maker24. But I rather imagine he got out that black document-box, opened it with a key he had taken from the lady’s hand-bag, and extracted a goodly number of incriminating documents. Then, I fancy, the fireworks began. The gentleman proceeded to wreck25 the apartment in order to give the effect of a professional burglary. He tore the lace on the lady’s gown and severed26 the shoulder-strap; snatched her orchid27 corsage and threw it in her lap; stripped off her rings and bracelets28; and tore the pendant from its chain. After that he upset the lamp, rifled the escritoire, ransacked29 the Boule cabinet, broke the mirror, overturned the chairs, tore the draperies. . . . And all the time Skeel kept his eye glued to the keyhole with fascinated horror, afraid to move, terrified lest he be discovered and sent to join his erstwhile inamorata, for by now he was no doubt thoroughly30 convinced that the man outside was a raving31 lunatic.—I can’t say that I envy Skeel his predicament: it was ticklish32, y’ know. Rather!—And the devastation33 went on. He could hear it even when the operations had passed from out his radius34 of vision. And he himself was caught like a rat in a trap, with no means of escape. A harrowin’ situation—my word!”
Vance smoked a moment, and then shifted his position slightly.
“Y’ know, Markham, I imagine that the worst moment in the whole of Skeel’s checkered35 career came when that mysterious wrecker tried to open the closet door behind which he was crouching. Fancy! There he was cornered, and not two inches from him stood, apparently36, a homicidal maniac21 trying to get to him, rattling37 that thin barricade38 of white pine. . . . Can you picture the blighter’s relief when the murderer finally released the knob and turned away? It’s a wonder he didn’t collapse39 from the reaction. But he didn’t. He listened and watched in a sort of hypnotic panic, until he heard the invader40 leave the apartment. Then, weak-kneed and in a cold sweat, he came forth and surveyed the battlefield.”
Vance glanced about him.
“Not a pretty sight—eh, what? And there on the davenport reclined the lady’s strangled body. That corpse41 was Skeel’s dominant42 horror. He staggered to the table to look at it, and steadied himself with his right hand—that’s how you got your finger-prints, Sergeant43. Then the realization44 of his own position suddenly smote45 him. Here he was alone with a murdered person. He was known to have been intimate with the lady; and he was a burglar with a record. Who would believe that he was innocent? And though he had probably recognized the man who had negotiated the business, he was in no position to tell his story. Everything was against him—his sneaking46 in, his presence in the house at half past nine, his relations with the girl, his profession, his reputation. He hadn’t a chance in the world. . . . I say, Markham, would you have credited his tale?”
“Never mind that,” retorted Markham. “Go on with your theory.” He and Heath had been listening with rapt interest.
“My theory from this point on,” resumed Vance, “is what you might term self-developing. It proceeds on its own inertia47, so to speak.—Skeel was confronted by the urgent problem of getting away and covering up his tracks. His mind in this emergency became keen and highly active: his life was forfeit48 if he didn’t succeed. He began to think furiously. He could have left by the side door at once without being seen; but then, the door would have been found unbolted. And this fact, taken in connection with his earlier visit that night, would have suggested his manner of unbolting the door. . . . No, that method of escape wouldn’t do—decidedly it wouldn’t do. He knew he was likely, in any event, to be suspected of the murder, in view of his shady association with the lady and his general character. Motive49, place, opportunity, time, means, conduct, and his own record—all were against him. Either he must cover up his tracks, don’t y’ know, or else his career as a Lothario was at an end. A sweet dilemma50! He realized, of course, that if he could get out and leave that side door bolted on the inside, he’d be comparatively safe. No one could then explain how he had come in or gone out. It would establish his only possible alibi—a negative one, to be sure; but, with a good lawyer, he could probably make it hold. Doubtless he searched for other means of escape, but found himself confronted with obstacles on every hand. The side door was his only hope. How could it be worked?”
Vance rose and yawned.
“That’s my caressin’ theory. Skeel was caught in a trap, and with his shrewd, tricky51 brain he figured his way out. He may have roamed up and down these two rooms for hours before he hit on his plan; and it’s not unlikely that he appealed to the Deity52 with an occasional ‘Oh, my God!’ As for his using the tweezers53, I’m inclined to think the mechanism54 of the idea came to him almost immediately.—Y’ know, Sergeant, this locking of a door on the inside is an old trick. There are any number of recorded cases of it in the criminal literature of Europe. Indeed, in Professor Hans Gross’s handbook of criminology there’s a whole chapter on the devices used by burglars for illegal entries and exits.15 But all such devices have had to do with the locking—not the bolting—of doors. The principle, of course, is the same, but the technic is different. To lock a door on the inside, a needle, or strong slender pin, is inserted through the bow of the key, and pulled downward with a string. But on the side door of this house there is no lock and key; nor is there a bow in the bolt-handle.—Now, the resourceful Skeel, while pacing nervously55 about, looking for something that might offer a suggestion, probably espied56 the tweezers on the lady’s dressing-table—no lady nowadays is without these little eyebrow-pluckers, don’t y’ know—and immediately his problem was solved. It remained only to test the device. Before departing, however, he chiselled57 open the jewel-case which the other chap had merely dinted, and found the solitaire diamond ring that he later attempted to pawn58. Then he erased59, as he thought, all his finger-prints, forgetting to wipe off the inside door-knob of the closet, and overlooking the hand-mark on the table. After that, he let himself out quietly, and rebolted the side door the same as I did, stuffing the tweezers in his waistcoat pocket and forgetting them.”
Heath nodded his head oracularly.
“Why single out crooks61 for your criticism, Sergeant?” asked Vance lazily. “Do you know of anybody in this imperfect world who doesn’t always overlook something?” He gave Heath a benignant smile. “Even the police, don’t y’ know, overlooked the tweezers.”
“What do you think, Mr. Markham?”
“The situation doesn’t become much clearer,” was Markham’s gloomy comment.
“My theory isn’t exactly a blindin’ illumination,” said Vance. “Yet I wouldn’t say that it left things in pristine63 darkness. There are certain inferences to be drawn64 from my vagaries65. To wit: Skeel either knew or recognized the murderer; and once he had made good his escape from the apartment and had regained66 a modicum67 of self-confidence, he undoubtedly68 blackmailed69 his homicidal confrère. His death was merely another manifestation70 of our inconnu’s bent71 for ridding himself of persons who annoyed him. Furthermore, my theory accounts for the chiselled jewel-case, the finger-prints, the unmolested closet, the finding of the gems72 in the refuse-tin—the person who took them really didn’t want them, y’ know—and Skeel’s silence. It also explains the unbolting and bolting of the side door.”
“Yes,” sighed Markham. “It seems to clarify everything but the one all-important point—the identity of the murderer.”
“Exactly,” said Vance. “Let’s go to lunch.”
Heath, morose73 and confused, departed for Police Headquarters; and Markham, Vance, and I rode to Delmonico’s, where we chose the main dining-room in preference to the grill74.
“The case now would seem to centre in Cleaver75 and Mannix,” said Markham, when we had finished our luncheon76. “If your theory that the same man killed both Skeel and the Canary is correct, then Lindquist is out of it, for he certainly was in the Episcopal Hospital Saturday night.”
“Quite,” agreed Vance. “The doctor is unquestionably eliminated. . . . Yes; Cleaver and Mannix—they’re the allurin’ twins. Don’t see any way to go beyond them.” He frowned and sipped77 his coffee. “My original quartet is dwindling78, and I don’t like it. It narrows the thing down too much—there’s no scope for the mind, as it were, in only two choices. What if we should succeed in eliminating Cleaver and Mannix? Where would we be—eh, what? Nowhere—simply nowhere. And yet, one of the quartet is guilty; let’s cling to that consolin’ fact. It can’t be Spotswoode and it can’t be Lindquist. Cleaver and Mannix remain: two from four leaves two. Simple arithmetic, what? The only trouble is, this case isn’t simple. Lord, no!—I say, how would the equation work out if we used algebra79, or spherical80 trigonometry, or differential calculus81? Let’s cast it in the fourth dimension—or the fifth, or the sixth. . . .” He held his temples in both hands. “Oh, promise, Markham—promise me that you’ll hire a kind, gentle keeper for me.”
“I know how you feel. I’ve been in the same mental state for a week.”
“It’s the quartet idea that’s driving me mad,” moaned Vance. “It wrings82 me to have my tetrad lopped off in such brutal83 fashion. I’d set my young trustin’ heart on that quartet, and now it’s only a pair. My sense of order and proportion has been outraged84. . . . I want my quartet.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be satisfied with two of them,” Markham returned wearily. “One of them can’t qualify, and one is in bed. You might send some flowers to the hospital, if it would cheer you any.”
“One is in bed—one is in bed,” repeated Vance. “Well, well—to be sure! And one from four leaves three. More arithmetic. Three! . . . On the other hand, there is no such thing as a straight line. All lines are curved; they transcribe85 circles in space. They look straight, but they’re not. Appearances, y’ know—so deceptive86! . . . Let’s enter the silence, and substitute mentation for sight.”
He gazed up out of the great windows into Fifth Avenue. For several moments he sat smoking thoughtfully. When he spoke87 again, it was in an even, deliberate voice.
“Markham, would it be difficult for you to invite Mannix and Cleaver and Spotswoode to spend an evening—this evening, let us say—in your apartment?”
“What new harlequinade is this?”
“Fie on you! Answer my question.”
“Well—of course—I might arrange it,” replied Markham hesitantly. “They’re all more or less under my jurisdiction89 at present.”
“So that such an invitation would be rather in line with the situation—eh, what? And they wouldn’t be likely to refuse you, old dear—would they?”
“No; I hardly think so. . . .”
“And if, when they had assembled in your quarters, you should propose a few hands of poker, they’d probably accept, without thinking the suggestion strange?”
“Probably,” said Markham, nonplussed90 at Vance’s amazing request. “Cleaver and Spotswoode both play, I know; and Mannix doubtless knows the game. But why poker? Are you serious, or has your threatened dementia already overtaken you?”
“Oh, I’m deuced serious.” Vance’s tone left no doubt as to the fact. “The game of poker, d’ ye see, is the crux91 of the matter. I knew Cleaver was an old hand at the game; and Spotswoode, of course, played with Judge Redfern last Monday night. So that gave me a basis for my plan. Mannix, we’ll assume, also plays.”
He leaned forward, speaking earnestly.
“Nine-tenths of poker, Markham, is psychology92; and if one understands the game, one can learn more of a man’s inner nature at a poker table in an hour than during a year’s casual association with him. You rallied me once when I said I could lead you to the perpetrator of any crime by examining the factors of the crime itself. But naturally I must know the man to whom I am to lead you; otherwise I cannot relate the psychological indications of the crime to the culprit’s nature. In the present case, I know the kind of man who committed the crime; but I am not sufficiently93 acquainted with the suspects to point out the guilty one. However, after our game of poker, I hope to be able to tell you who planned and carried out the Canary’s murder.”16
Markham gazed at him in blank astonishment94. He knew that Vance played poker with amazing skill, and that he possessed95 an uncanny knowledge of the psychological elements involved in the game; but he was unprepared for the latter’s statement that he might be able to solve the Odell murder by means of it. Yet Vance had spoken with such undoubted earnestness that Markham was impressed. I knew what was passing in his mind almost as well as if he had voiced his thoughts. He was recalling the way in which Vance had, in a former murder case, put his finger unerringly on the guilty man by a similar process of psychological deduction96. And he was also telling himself that, however incomprehensible and seemingly extravagant97 Vance’s requests were, there was always a fundamentally sound reason behind them.
“Damn it!” he muttered at last. “The whole scheme seems idiotic98. . . . And yet, if you really want a game of poker with these men, I’ve no special objection. It’ll get you nowhere—I’ll tell you that beforehand. It’s stark99 nonsense to suppose that you can find the guilty man by such fantastic means.”
“Ah, well,” sighed Vance, “a little futile recreation will do us no harm.”
“But why do you include Spotswoode?”
“Really, y’ know, I haven’t the slightest notion—except, of course, that he’s one of my quartet. And we’ll need an extra hand.”
“Well, don’t tell me afterwards that I’m to lock him up for murder. I’d have to draw the line. Strange as it may seem to your layman’s mind, I wouldn’t care to prosecute100 a man, knowing that it was physically101 impossible for him to have committed the crime.”
“As to that,” drawled Vance, “the only obstacles that stand in the way of physical impossibilities are material facts. And material facts are notoriously deceivin’. Really, y’ know, you lawyers would do better if you ignored them entirely102.”
Markham did not deign103 to answer such heresy104, but the look he gave Vance was most expressive105.
点击收听单词发音
1 grudging | |
adj.勉强的,吝啬的 | |
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2 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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3 tottering | |
adj.蹒跚的,动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠 | |
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4 precariously | |
adv.不安全地;危险地;碰机会地;不稳定地 | |
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5 havoc | |
n.大破坏,浩劫,大混乱,大杂乱 | |
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6 grumbled | |
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声 | |
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7 bulging | |
膨胀; 凸出(部); 打气; 折皱 | |
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8 extort | |
v.勒索,敲诈,强要 | |
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9 demise | |
n.死亡;v.让渡,遗赠,转让 | |
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10 futile | |
adj.无效的,无用的,无希望的 | |
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11 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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12 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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13 poker | |
n.扑克;vt.烙制 | |
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14 acrimonious | |
adj.严厉的,辛辣的,刻毒的 | |
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15 tiff | |
n.小争吵,生气 | |
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16 unaware | |
a.不知道的,未意识到的 | |
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17 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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18 throttle | |
n.节流阀,节气阀,喉咙;v.扼喉咙,使窒息,压 | |
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19 crouching | |
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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20 petrified | |
adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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21 maniac | |
n.精神癫狂的人;疯子 | |
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22 maniacal | |
adj.发疯的 | |
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23 horrified | |
a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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24 maker | |
n.制造者,制造商 | |
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25 wreck | |
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难 | |
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26 severed | |
v.切断,断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 );断,裂 | |
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27 orchid | |
n.兰花,淡紫色 | |
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28 bracelets | |
n.手镯,臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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29 ransacked | |
v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 );抢劫,掠夺 | |
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30 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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31 raving | |
adj.说胡话的;疯狂的,怒吼的;非常漂亮的;令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话;疯话adv.胡言乱语地;疯狂地 | |
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32 ticklish | |
adj.怕痒的;问题棘手的;adv.怕痒地;n.怕痒,小心处理 | |
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33 devastation | |
n.毁坏;荒废;极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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34 radius | |
n.半径,半径范围;有效航程,范围,界限 | |
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35 checkered | |
adj.有方格图案的 | |
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36 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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37 rattling | |
adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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38 barricade | |
n.路障,栅栏,障碍;vt.设路障挡住 | |
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39 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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40 invader | |
n.侵略者,侵犯者,入侵者 | |
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41 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
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42 dominant | |
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因 | |
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43 sergeant | |
n.警官,中士 | |
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44 realization | |
n.实现;认识到,深刻了解 | |
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45 smote | |
v.猛打,重击,打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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46 sneaking | |
a.秘密的,不公开的 | |
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47 inertia | |
adj.惰性,惯性,懒惰,迟钝 | |
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48 forfeit | |
vt.丧失;n.罚金,罚款,没收物 | |
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49 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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50 dilemma | |
n.困境,进退两难的局面 | |
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51 tricky | |
adj.狡猾的,奸诈的;(工作等)棘手的,微妙的 | |
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52 deity | |
n.神,神性;被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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53 tweezers | |
n.镊子 | |
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54 mechanism | |
n.机械装置;机构,结构 | |
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55 nervously | |
adv.神情激动地,不安地 | |
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56 espied | |
v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57 chiselled | |
adj.凿过的,凿光的; (文章等)精心雕琢的v.凿,雕,镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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58 pawn | |
n.典当,抵押,小人物,走卒;v.典当,抵押 | |
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59 erased | |
v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;清除 | |
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60 crook | |
v.使弯曲;n.小偷,骗子,贼;弯曲(处) | |
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61 crooks | |
n.骗子( crook的名词复数 );罪犯;弯曲部分;(牧羊人或主教用的)弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 ) | |
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62 grunted | |
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说 | |
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63 pristine | |
adj.原来的,古时的,原始的,纯净的,无垢的 | |
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64 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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65 vagaries | |
n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 );异想天开;异常行为;难以预测的情况 | |
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66 regained | |
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地 | |
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67 modicum | |
n.少量,一小份 | |
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68 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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69 blackmailed | |
胁迫,尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 ) | |
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70 manifestation | |
n.表现形式;表明;现象 | |
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71 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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72 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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73 morose | |
adj.脾气坏的,不高兴的 | |
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74 grill | |
n.烤架,铁格子,烤肉;v.烧,烤,严加盘问 | |
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75 cleaver | |
n.切肉刀 | |
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76 luncheon | |
n.午宴,午餐,便宴 | |
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77 sipped | |
v.小口喝,呷,抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78 dwindling | |
adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 ) | |
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79 algebra | |
n.代数学 | |
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80 spherical | |
adj.球形的;球面的 | |
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81 calculus | |
n.微积分;结石 | |
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82 wrings | |
绞( wring的第三人称单数 ); 握紧(尤指别人的手); 把(湿衣服)拧干; 绞掉(水) | |
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83 brutal | |
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的 | |
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84 outraged | |
a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
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85 transcribe | |
v.抄写,誉写;改编(乐曲);复制,转录 | |
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86 deceptive | |
adj.骗人的,造成假象的,靠不住的 | |
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87 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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88 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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89 jurisdiction | |
n.司法权,审判权,管辖权,控制权 | |
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90 nonplussed | |
adj.不知所措的,陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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91 crux | |
adj.十字形;难事,关键,最重要点 | |
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92 psychology | |
n.心理,心理学,心理状态 | |
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93 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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94 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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95 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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96 deduction | |
n.减除,扣除,减除额;推论,推理,演绎 | |
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97 extravagant | |
adj.奢侈的;过分的;(言行等)放肆的 | |
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98 idiotic | |
adj.白痴的 | |
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99 stark | |
adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地 | |
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100 prosecute | |
vt.告发;进行;vi.告发,起诉,作检察官 | |
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101 physically | |
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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102 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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103 deign | |
v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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104 heresy | |
n.异端邪说;异教 | |
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105 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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