PART THREE DECEMBER 24TH III

III

The doorbell rang about a quarter to eight.

Tressilian went to answer it. he returned to his pantry to find Horbury there, picking up the

coffee cups off the tray and looking at the mark on them.

“Who was it?” said Horbury.

“Superintendent¹ of Police—Mr. Sugden—mind what you’re doing!”

Horbury had dropped one of the cups with a crash.

“Look at that now,” lamented² Tressilian. “Eleven years I’ve had the washing up of those and

never one broken, and now you come along touching³ things you’ve no business to touch, and look

what happens!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tressilian. I am indeed,” the other apologized. His face was covered with

perspiration⁴. “I don’t know how it happened. Did you say a Superintendent of Police had called?”

“Yes—Mr. Sugden.”

The valet passed a tongue over pale lips.

“What—what did he want?”

“Collecting for the Police Orphanage⁵.”

“Oh!” The valet straightened his shoulders. In a more natural voice he said:

“Did he get anything?”

“I took up the book to old Mr. Lee, and he told me to fetch the superintendent up and to put

the sherry on the table.”

“Nothing but begging, this time of year,” said Horbury. “The old devil’s generous, I will say

that for him, in spite of his other failings.”

Tressilian said with dignity:

“Mr. Lee has always been an open-handed gentleman.”

Horbury nodded.

“It’s the best thing about him! Well, I’ll be off now.”

“Going to the pictures?”

“I expect so. Ta-ta, Mr. Tressilian.”

He went through the door that led to the servants’ hall.

Tressilian looked up at the clock hanging on the wall.

He went into the dining room and laid the rolls in the napkins.

Then, after assuring himself that everything was as it should be, he sounded the gong in the

hall.

As the last note died away the police superintendent came down the stairs. Superintendent

Sugden was a large handsome man. He wore a tightly buttoned blue suit and moved with a sense

of his own importance.

He said affably: “I rather think we shall have a frost tonight. Good thing: the weather’s been

very unseasonable lately.”

Tressilian said, shaking his head:

“The damp affects my rheumatism⁶.”

The superintendent said that the rheumatism was a painful complaint, and Tressilian let him

out by the front door.

The old butler refastened the door and came back slowly into the hall. He passed his hand

over his eyes and sighed. Then he straightened his back as he saw Lydia pass into the drawing

room. George Lee was just coming down the stairs.

Tressilian hovered⁷ ready. When the last guest, Magdalene, had entered the drawing room, he

made his own appearance, murmuring:

“Dinner is served.”

In his way Tressilian was a connoisseur⁸ of ladies’ dress. He always noted⁹ and criticized the

gowns of the ladies as he circled round the table, decanter in hand.

Mrs. Alfred, he noted, had got on her new flowered black and white taffeta. A bold design,

very striking, but she could carry it off, though many ladies couldn’t. The dress Mrs. George had

on was a model, he was pretty sure of that. Must have cost a pretty penny. He wondered how Mr.

George would like paying for it! Mr. George didn’t like spending money—he never had. Mrs.

David now: a nice lady, but didn’t have any idea of how to dress. For her figure, plain black velvet¹⁰

would have been the best. Figured velvet, and crimson¹¹ at that, was a bad choice. Miss Pilar, now,

it didn’t matter what she wore, with her figure and her hair she looked well in anything. A flimsy

cheap little white gown it was, though. Still, Mr. Lee would soon see to that! Taken to her

wonderful, he had. Always was the same way when a gentleman was elderly. A young face could

do anything with him!

“Hock or claret?” murmured Tressilian in a deferential¹² whisper in Mrs. George’s ear. Out of

the tail of his eye he noted that Walter, the footman, was handing the vegetables before the gravy¹³

again—after all he had been told!

Tressilian went round with the soufflé. It struck him, now that his interest in the ladies’

toilettes and his misgivings¹⁴ over Walter’s deficiencies were a thing of the past, that everyone was

very silent tonight. At least, not exactly silent: Mr. Harry¹⁵ was talking enough for twenty—no, not

Mr. Harry, the South African gentleman. And the others were talking too, but only, as it were, in

spasms¹⁶. There was something a little—queer about them.

Mr. Alfred, for instance, he looked downright ill. As though he had had a shock or

something. Quite dazed he looked and just turning over the food on his plate without eating it. The

mistress, she was worried about him. Tressilian could see that. Kept looking down the table

towards him—not noticeably, of course, just quietly. Mr. George was very red in the face—

gobbling his food, he was, without tasting it. He’d get a stroke one day if he wasn’t careful. Mrs.

George wasn’t eating. Slimming, as likely as not. Miss Pilar seemed to be enjoying her food all

right and talking and laughing up at the South African gentleman. Properly taken with her, he was.

Didn’t seem to be anything on their minds!

Mr. David? Tressilian felt worried about Mr. David. Just like his mother, he was, to look at.

And remarkably¹⁷ young-looking still. But nervy; there, he’d knocked over his glass.

Tressilian whisked it away, mopped up the stream deftly¹⁸. It was all over. Mr. David hardly

seemed to notice what he had done, just sat staring in front of him with a white face.

Thinking of white faces, funny the way Horbury had looked in the pantry just now when he’d

heard a police officer had come to the house . . . almost as though—

Tressilian’s mind stopped with a jerk. Walter had dropped a pear off the dish he was handing.

Footmen were no good nowadays! They might be stable boys, the way they went on!

He went round with the port. Mr. Harry seemed a bit distrait¹⁹ tonight. Kept looking at Mr.

Alfred. Never had been any love lost between those two, not even as boys. Mr. Harry, of course,

had always been his father’s favourite, and that had rankled²⁰ with Mr. Alfred. Mr. Lee had never

cared for Mr. Alfred much. A pity, when Mr. Alfred always seemed so devoted²¹ to his father.

There, Mrs. Alfred was getting up now. She swept round the table. Very nice that design on

the taffeta; that cape²² suited her. A very graceful²³ lady.

He went out to the pantry, closing the dining room door on the gentlemen with their port.

He took the coffee tray into the drawing room. The four ladies were sitting there rather

uncomfortably, he thought. They were not talking. He handed round the coffee in silence.

He went out again. As he went into his pantry he heard the dining room door open. David

Lee came out and went along the hall to the drawing room.

Tressilian went back into his pantry. He read the riot act to Walter. Walter was nearly, if not

quite, impertinent!

Tressilian, alone in his pantry, sat down rather wearily.

He had a feeling of depression. Christmas Eve, and all this strain and tension . . . He didn’t

like it!

With an effort he roused himself. He went to the drawing room and collected the coffee cups.

The room was empty except for Lydia, who was standing²⁴ half concealed²⁵ by the window curtain at

the far end of the room. She was standing there looking out into the night.

From next door the piano sounded.

Mr. David was playing. But why, Tressilian asked himself, did Mr. David play the “Dead

March?” For that’s what it was. Oh, indeed things were very wrong.

He went slowly along the hall and back into his pantry.

It was then he first heard the noise from overhead: a crashing of china, the overthrowing²⁶ of

furniture, a series of cracks and bumps.

“Good gracious!” thought Tressilian. “Whatever is the master doing? What’s happening up

there?”

And then, clear and high, came a scream—a horrible high wailing²⁷ scream that died away in a

choke or gurgle.

Tressilian stood there a moment paralysed, then he ran out into the hall and up the broad

staircase. Others were with him. That scream had been heard all over the house.

They raced up the stairs and round the bend, past a recess²⁸ with statues gleaming white and

eerie²⁹, and along the straight passage to Simeon Lee’s door. Mr. Farr was there already and Mrs.

David. She was leaning back against the wall and he was twisting at the door handle.

“The door’s locked,” he was saying. “The door’s locked!”

Harry Lee pushed past and wrested³⁰ it from him. He, too, turned and twisted at the handle.

“Father,” he shouted. “Father, let us in.”

He held up his hand and in the silence they all listened. There was no answer. No sound from

inside the room.

The front door bell rang, but no one paid any attention to it.

Stephen Farr said:

“We’ve got to break the door down. It’s the only way.”

Harry said: “That’s going to be a tough job. These doors are good solid stuff. Come on,

Alfred.”

They heaved and strained. Finally they went and got an oak bench and used it as a battering³¹

ram³². The door gave at last. Its hinges splintered and the door sank shuddering³³ from its frame.

For a minute they stood there huddled³⁴ together looking in. What they saw was a sight that no

one of them ever forgot. . . .

There had clearly been a terrific struggle. Heavy furniture was overturned. China vases lay

splintered on the floor. In the middle of the hearthrug in front of the blazing fire lay Simeon Lee in

a great pool of blood . . . Blood was splashed all round. The place was like a shambles³⁵.

There was a long shuddering sigh, and then two voices spoke³⁶ in turn. Strangely enough, the

words they uttered were both quotations³⁷.

David Lee said:

“The mills of God grind slowly. . . .”

Lydia’s voice came like a fluttering whisper:

“Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? . . .”

1 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

2 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

4 perspiration   

n.汗水；出汗

参考例句：

• It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
• The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

5 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

6 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

7 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

8 connoisseur   

n.鉴赏家，行家，内行

参考例句：

• Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines.只有真正的内行才能指出这两种酒的区别。
• We are looking for a connoisseur of French champagne.我们想找一位法国香槟酒品酒专家。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

11 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

12 deferential   

adj. 敬意的，恭敬的

参考例句：

• They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
• I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。

13 gravy   

n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快

参考例句：

• You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
• The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。

14 misgivings   

n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧

参考例句：

• I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
• Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后， 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

16 spasms   

n.痉挛( spasm的名词复数 )；抽搐；（能量、行为等的）突发；发作

参考例句：

• After the patient received acupuncture treatment,his spasms eased off somewhat. 病人接受针刺治疗后，痉挛稍微减轻了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The smile died, squeezed out by spasms of anticipation and anxiety. 一阵阵预测和焦虑把她脸上的微笑挤掉了。 来自辞典例句

17 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

18 deftly   

adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

19 distrait   

adj.心不在焉的

参考例句：

• The distrait boy is always losing his books.这个心不在焉的男孩老是丢书。
• The distrait actress fluffed her lines.那位心不在焉的女演员忘了台词。

20 rankled   

v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her comments still rankled. 她的评价仍然让人耿耿于怀。
• The insult rankled in his mind. 这种侮辱使他心里难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

22 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

23 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

24 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。

25 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

26 overthrowing   

v.打倒，推翻( overthrow的现在分词 )；使终止

参考例句：

• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship. 他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I always delight in overthrowing those kinds of schemes. 我一向喜欢戳穿人家的诡计。 来自辞典例句

27 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。

28 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

29 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

30 wrested   

（用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去…

参考例句：

• The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。
• But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在，他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

31 battering   

n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。
• He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

33 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

34 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

35 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

36 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。

37 quotations   

n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价

参考例句：

• The insurance company requires three quotations for repairs to the car. 保险公司要修理这辆汽车的三家修理厂的报价单。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These quotations cannot readily be traced to their sources. 这些引语很难查出出自何处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》