Chapter 1 The Letter

Chapter 1 The Letter

It was in June of 1935 that I came home from my ranch¹ in South Americafor a stay of about six months. It had been a difficult time for usoutthere. Like every one else, we had suffered from world depression. Ihad various affairs to see to in England that I felt could only besuccessfulif a personal touch was introduced. My wife remained to managethe ranch.
I need hardly say that one of my first actions on reaching Englandwas to look up my old friend, Hercule Poirot.
I found him installed in one of the newest type of service flats inLondon. I accused him (and he admitted the fact) of having chosen thisparticular building entirely² on account of its strictly³ geometricalpearance and proportions.
"But yes, my friend, it is of a most pleasing symmetry, do you notfind it so?"I said that I thought there could be too much squareness and, alludingto an old j oke, I asked if in this super-modern hostelry they managedto induce hens to lay square eggs?
Poirot laughed heartily⁴.
"Ah, you remember that? Alas⁵! no--science has not yet induced thehens to conform to modern tastes, they still lay eggs of different sizesand colours! "I examined my old friend with an affectionate eye. He was lookingwonderfully well--hardly a day older than when I had last seen him.
"You' re looking in fine fettle, Poirot, " I said. "You' ve hardly agedat all. In fact, if it were possible, I should say that you had fewergreyhairs than when I saw you last. "
Poirot beamed on me.
"And why is that not possible? It is quite true. ""Do you mean your hair is turning from grey to black instead offrom black to grey?""Precisely⁶. "
"But surely that' s a scientific impossibility! ""Not at all. ""But that' s very extraordinary. It seems against nature. ""As usual, Hastings, you have the beautiful and unsuspicious mind.
Years do not change that in you! You perceive a fact and mention thesolution of it in the same breath without noticing that you are doingSO! "I stared at him puzzled.
Without a word he walked into his bedroom and returned with a bot-tlein his hand which he handed to me.
I took it, for the moment uncomprehending.
It bore the words:
REVlVlT. --To bring back the natural tone of the hair. REVlVIT is· NOT a dye. In five shades, Ash, Chestnut⁷, 7tian, Brown, Black.
"Poirot, " I cried. "You have dyed your hair! ""Ah, the comprehension comes to you! ""So thatwhy your hair looks so much blacker than it did last timeI was back. ""Exactly. "
"Dear me, " I said, recovering from the shock. "I suppose next time Icome home I shall find you wearing false moustaches---or are youdoing so now?"Poirot winced⁸. His moustaches had always been his sensitive point.
He was inordinately⁹ proud of them. My words touched him on the raw.
"No, no, indeed, mort ami. That day, I pray the good God, is still faroff. The false moustaches! Quelle horreur?'
He tugged¹⁰ at them vigorously to assure me of their genuine charac-ter.
"Well, they are very luxuriant still, " I said.
"N' est-ce pas? Never, in the whole of London, have I seen a pair ofmoustaches to equal mine. "THE A. B. C. MURDERS
A good j ob too, I thought privately¹¹. But I would not for the worldhave hurt Poirot' s feelings by saying so.
Instead I asked if he still practiced his profession on occasions.
"I know, " I said, "that you actually retired¹² years agog""C' est vrai. To grow the vegetable marrows¹³! And immediately amurder occurs--and I send the vegetable marrows to promenadethemselves to the devil. And since then--I know very well what youwill say--I am like the Prima Donna who makes positively¹⁴ the farewellperformance! That farewell performance, it repeats itself an indefinitenumber of times! "I laughed.
"In truth, it has been very like that. Each time I say: This is theend.
But no, something else arises! And I will admit it, my friend, theretirementI care for it not at all. If the little grey cells are not exercised,theygrow the rust¹⁵. "
"I see, " I said. "You exercise them in moderation. ""Precisely. I pick and choose. For Hercule Poirot nowadays only thecream of crime. ""Has there been much cream about?"
"Pas mai. Not long ago I had a narrow escape. ""Of failure?""No, no. " Poirot looked shocked. "But I--l, Hercule Poirot, wasnearly exterminated¹⁶. "I whistled.
"An enterprising murderer! "
"Not so much enterprising as careless, " said Poirot. "Preciselythat---careless. But let us not talk of it. You know, Hastings, in manyways I regard you as my mascot¹⁷. ""Indeed?" I said. "In what ways?"
Poirot did not answer my question directly. He went on:
"As soon as I heard you were coming over I said to myself: Somethingwill arise. As in former days we will hunt together, we two. But ifso it must be no common affair. It must be something"--he waved hishands excitedly--"something recherchd--delicate--fine. . . " He gavethe last untranslatable word its full fiavour.
"Upon my word, Poirot, " I said. "Any one would think you were orderinga dinner at the Ritz. ""Whereas one cannot command a crime to order? Very true. " Hesighed. "But I believe in luck--in destiny, if you will. It is yourdestinyto stand beside me and prevent me from committing the unforgivableerror. "4AGATHA CHRISTIE
"What do you call the unforgivable error?
"Overlooking the obvious. "
I turned this over in my mind without quite seeing the point.
"Well, " I said presently, smiling, "has this super crime turned upyet?""Pas encore. At least--that
He paused. A frown of perplexity creased¹⁸ his forehead. His handsautomatically straightened an obj ect or two that I had inadvertentlypushed awry¹⁹.
"I am not sure, " he said slowly.
There was something so odd about his tone that I looked at him insurprise.
The frown still iingered.
Suddenly with a brief decisive nod of the head he crossed the roomto a desk near the window. Its contents' , I need hardly say, were allneatly docketed and pigeon-holed so that he was able at once to layhishand upon the paper he wanted.
He came slowly across to me, an open letter in his hand. He read itthrough himself, then passed it to me.
"Tell me, rnon ami, " he said. "What do you make of thisT'
I took it from him with some interest.
It was written on thickish white notepaper in printed characters:
MR. HERCULE POIROT--You fancy yourself, don' t you, at solvingmysteries that are too dicult for our poor thick-headed British po-lice? Let us see, Mr. Clever Poirot, j ust how clever you can be. Per-hapsyou ' ll find this nut too hard to craclc Look out for Andover onthe 21st of the month.
Yours, etc. ,
A. B. C.
I glanced at the envelope. That also was printed.
"Postmarked W. C. 1, " said Poirot as I turned my attention to thepostmark. "Well, what is your opinion. ' ?"I shrugged²⁰ my shoulders as I handed it back to him.
"Some madman or other, I suppose. "
"That is all you have to say. ' ?"
"Well--doesn' t it sound like a madman to youT'
"Yes, my friend, it does. "
His tone was grave. I looked at him curiously²¹.
"You take this very seriously, Poirot. "
"A madman, mon ami, is to be taken seriously. A madman is a verydangerous thing. ""Yes, of course, that is true . . . . I hadn' t considered that point . . . .
But what I meant was, it sounds more like a rather idiotic²² kind of hoax²³.
Perhaps some convivial²⁴ idiot who had had one over the eight. " "Comment?
Nine7 Nine what?
"Nothing--j ust an expression. I meant a fellow who was tight. No,damn it, a fellow who had had a spot too much to drink. ""Merci, Hastings--the expression ' tight' I am acquainted with it. Asyou say, there may be nothing more to it than that . . . . ""But you think there isT" I asked, struck by the dissatisfaction ofhistone.
Poirot shook his head doubtfully, but he did not speak.
"What have you done about it. ' ?" I inquired.
"What can one do. ' ? I showed it to Japp. He was of the same opinionas you--a stupid hoax--that was the expression he used. They getthese things every day at Scotland Yard. I, too, have had my share'
"But
you take this one seriously?
Poirot
replied slowly.
"There
is something about that letter, Hastings, that I do not like. . . . "In
spite of myself, his tone impressed me.
"You
think--what?"
He
shook his head, and picking up the letter, put it away again in thedesk.
"If
you really take it seriously, can' t you do something?" I asked. "Asalways, the man of action! But what is there to do? The county policehave seen the letter but they, too, do not take it seriously. Thereareno fingerprints²⁵ on it. There are no local clues as to the possiblewriter. ""In
fact there is only your own instinct. ' ?"
"Not
instinct, Hastings. Instinct is a bad word. It is my knowledge--myexperience--that tells me that something about that letteris wrong--"He
gesticulated as words failed him, then shook his head again.
"I
may be making the mountain out of the anthill. In any case there isnothing to be done but wait. ""Well,the 21 st is Friday. If a whacking²⁶ great robbery takes place near Andover then--""Ah,what a comfort that would be I "
"A comfort. ' ?" I stared. The word seemed to be a very extra ordinary one to use.
"A robbery may be a thrill but it can hardly be a comfort! " I pro-tested.
Poirot shook his head energetically.
"You are in error, my friend. You do not understand my meaning. Arobbery would be a relief since it would dispossess my mind of the fear of something else. ""Of what?"
"Murder, " said Hercule Poirot.

1 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 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。

4 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

5 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

7 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

8 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

9 inordinately   

adv.无度地，非常地

参考例句：

• But if you are determined to accumulate wealth, it isn't inordinately difficult. 不过，如果你下决心要积累财富，事情也不是太难。 来自互联网
• She was inordinately smart. 她非常聪明。 来自互联网

10 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

13 marrows   

n.骨髓（marrow的复数形式）

参考例句：

14 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

15 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

16 exterminated   

v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was exterminated root and branch. 它被彻底剪除了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The insects can be exterminated by spraying DDT. 可以用喷撒滴滴涕的方法大量杀死这种昆虫。 来自《用法词典》

17 mascot   

n.福神，吉祥的东西

参考例句：

• The football team's mascot is a goat.足球队的吉祥物是山羊。
• We had a panda as our mascot.我们把熊猫作为吉详物。

18 creased   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴

参考例句：

• You've creased my newspaper. 你把我的报纸弄皱了。
• The bullet merely creased his shoulder. 子弹只不过擦破了他肩部的皮肤。

19 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

20 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

22 idiotic   

adj.白痴的

参考例句：

• It is idiotic to go shopping with no money.去买东西而不带钱是很蠢的。
• The child's idiotic deeds caused his family much trouble.那小孩愚蠢的行为给家庭带来许多麻烦。

23 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

24 convivial   

adj.狂欢的，欢乐的

参考例句：

• The atmosphere was quite convivial.气氛非常轻松愉快。
• I found it odd to imagine a nation of convivial diners surrendering their birthright.我发现很难想象让这样一个喜欢热热闹闹吃饭的民族放弃他们的习惯。

25 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 whacking   

adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a whacking great hole in the roof 房顶上一个巨大的窟窿
• His father found him a cushy job in the office, with almost nothing to do and a whacking great salary. 他父亲给他在事务所找到了一份轻松舒适的工作，几乎什么都不用做，工资还极高。 来自《简明英汉词典》