PART THREE DECEMBER 24TH V

V

“Nothing like a wood fire,” said Colonel Johnson as he threw on an additional log and then drew

his chair nearer to the blaze. “Help yourself,” he added, hospitably¹ calling attention to the tantalus

and siphon that stood near his guest’s elbow.

The guest raised a polite hand in negation². Cautiously he edged his own chair nearer to the

blazing logs, though he was of the opinion that the opportunity for roasting the soles of one’s feet

(like some mediaeval torture) did not offset³ the cold draught⁴ that swirled⁵ round the back of the

shoulders.

Colonel Johnson, Chief Constable⁶ of Middleshire, might be of the opinion that nothing could

beat a wood fire, but Hercule Poirot was of the opinion that central heating could and did every

time!

“Amazing business that Cartwright case,” remarked the host reminiscently. “Amazing man!

Enormous charm of manner. Why, when he came here with you, he had us all eating out of his

hand.”

He shook his head.

“We’ll never have anything like that case!” he said. “Nicotine poisoning is rare, fortunately.”

“There was a time when you would have considered all poisoning unEnglish,” suggested

Hercule Poirot. “A device of foreigners! Unsportsmanlike!”

“I hardly think we could say that,” said the chief constable. “Plenty of poisoning by arsenic—

probably a good deal more than has ever been suspected.”

“Possibly, yes.”

“Always an awkward business, a poisoning case,” said Johnson. “Conflicting testimony⁷ of

the experts—then doctors are usually so extremely cautious in what they say. Always a difficult

case to take to a jury. No, if one must have murder (which heaven forbid!) give me a

straightforward⁸ case. Something where there’s no ambiguity⁹ about the cause of death.”

Poirot nodded.

“The bullet wound, the cut throat, the crushed-in skull¹⁰? It is there your preference lies?”

“Oh, don’t call it a preference, my dear fellow. Don’t harbour the idea that I like murder

cases! Hope I never have another. Anyway, we ought to be safe enough during your visit.”

Poirot began modestly:

“My reputation—”

But Johnson had gone on.

“Christmastime,” he said. “Peace, goodwill¹¹—and all that kind of thing. Goodwill all round.”

Hercule Poirot leaned back in his chair. He joined his fingertips. He studied his host

thoughtfully.

He murmured: “It is, then, your opinion that Christmastime is an unlikely season for crime?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Johnson was thrown slightly out of his stride. “Well, as I’ve just said—season of

good cheer, and all that!”

Hercule Poirot murmured:

“The British, they are so sentimental¹²!”

Johnson said stoutly¹³: “What if we are? What if we do like the old ways, the old traditional

festivities? What’s the harm?”

“There is no harm. It is all most charming! But let us for a moment examine facts. You have

said that Christmas is a season of good cheer. That means, does it not, a lot of eating and drinking?

It means, in fact, the overeating! And with the overeating there comes the indigestion! And with

the indigestion there comes the irritability¹⁴!”

“Crimes,” said Colonel Johnson, “are not committed from irritability.”

“I am not so sure! Take another point. There is, at Christmas, a spirit of goodwill. It is, as you

say, ‘the thing to do.’ Old quarrels are patched up, those who have disagreed consent to agree once

more, even if it is only temporarily.”

Johnson nodded.

“Bury the hatchet¹⁵, that’s right.”

Poirot pursued his theme:

“And families now, families who have been separated throughout the year, assemble once

more together. Now under these conditions, my friend, you must admit that there will occur a

great amount of strain. People who do not feel amiable¹⁶ are putting great pressure on themselves to

appear amiable! There is at Christmastime a great deal of hypocrisy¹⁷, honourable¹⁸ hypocrisy,

hypocrisy undertaken pour le bon motif¹⁹, c’est entendu, but nevertheless hypocrisy!”

“Well, I shouldn’t put it quite like that myself,” said Colonel Johnson doubtfully.

Poirot beamed upon him.

“No, no. It is I who am putting it like that, not you. I am pointing out to you that under these

conditions—mental strain, physical malaise—it is highly probable that dislikes that were before

merely mild and disagreements that were trivial might suddenly assume a more serious character.

The result of pretending to be a more amiable, a more forgiving, a more high-minded person than

one really is, has sooner or later the effect of causing one to behave as a more disagreeable, a more

ruthless and an altogether more unpleasant person than is actually the case! If you dam the stream

of natural behaviour, mon ami, sooner or later the dam bursts and a cataclysm²⁰ occurs!”

Colonel Johnson looked at him doubtfully.

“Never know when you’re serious and when you’re pulling my leg,” he grumbled²¹.

Poirot smiled at him.

“I am not serious! Not in the least am I serious! But all the same, it is true what I say—

artificial conditions bring about their natural reaction.”

Colonel Johnson’s manservant entered the room.

“Superintendent²² Sugden on the phone, sir.”

“Right. I’ll come.”

With a word of apology the chief constable left the room.

He returned some three minutes later. His face was grave and perturbed²³.

“Damn it all!” he said. “Case of murder! On Christmas Eve, too!”

Poirot’s eyebrows²⁴ rose.

“It is that definitely—murder, I mean?”

“Eh? Oh, no other solution possible! Perfectly²⁵ clear case. Murder—and a brutal²⁶ murder at

that!”

“Who is the victim?”

“Old Simeon Lee. One of the richest men we’ve got! Made his money in South Africa

originally. Gold—no, diamonds, I believe. He sunk an immense fortune in manufacturing some

particular gadget²⁷ of mining machinery²⁸. His own invention, I believe. Anyway, it’s paid him hand

over fist! They say he’s a millionaire twice over.”

Poirot said: “He was well-liked, yes?”

Johnson said slowly:

“Don’t think anyone liked him. Queer sort of chap. He’s been an invalid²⁹ for some years now.

I don’t know very much about him myself. But of course he is one of the big figures of the

county.”

“So this case, it will make a big stir?”

“Yes. I must get over to Longdale as fast as I can.”

He hesitated, looking at his guest. Poirot answered the unspoken question:

“You would like that I should accompany you?”

Johnson said awkwardly:

“Seems a shame to ask you. But, well, you know how it is! Superintendent Sugden is a good

man, none better, painstaking³⁰, careful, thoroughly³¹ sound—but—well, he’s not an imaginative

chap in any way. Should like very much, as you are here, benefit of your advice.”

He halted a little over the end part of his speech, making it somewhat telegraphic in style.

Poirot responded quickly.

“I shall be delighted. You can count on me to assist you in any way I can. We must not hurt

the feelings of the good superintendent. It will be his case—not mine. I am only the unofficial

consultant³².”

Colonel Johnson said warmly:

“You’re a good fellow, Poirot.”

With those words of commendation, the two men started out.

1 hospitably   

亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地

参考例句：

• At Peking was the Great Khan, and they were hospitably entertained. 忽必烈汗在北京，他们受到了盛情款待。
• She was received hospitably by her new family. 她的新家人热情地接待了她。

2 negation   

n.否定；否认

参考例句：

• No reasonable negation can be offered.没有合理的反对意见可以提出。
• The author boxed the compass of negation in his article.该作者在文章中依次探讨了各种反面的意见。

3 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

4 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

5 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

6 constable   

n.(英国)警察，警官

参考例句：

• The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
• The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

7 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

8 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

9 ambiguity   

n.模棱两可；意义不明确

参考例句：

• The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
• Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。

10 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

11 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

12 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

13 stoutly   

adv.牢固地，粗壮的

参考例句：

• He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
• Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难，但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。

14 irritability   

n.易怒

参考例句：

• It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
• All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。

15 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

16 amiable   

adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的

参考例句：

• She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
• We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。

17 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

18 honourable   

adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的

参考例句：

• I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。
• I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。

19 motif   

n.(图案的)基本花纹，(衣服的)花边；主题

参考例句：

• Alienation is a central motif in her novels.疏离感是她小说的一个重要的主题。
• The jacket has a rose motif on the collar.这件夹克衫领子上有一朵玫瑰花的图案。

20 cataclysm   

n.洪水，剧变，大灾难

参考例句：

• The extinct volcano's eruption would mean a cataclysm for the city.死火山又重新喷发，对这座城市来说意味着大难临头。
• The cataclysm flooded the entire valley.洪水淹没了整个山谷。

21 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

22 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。

23 perturbed   

adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I am deeply perturbed by the alarming way the situation developing. 我对形势令人忧虑的发展深感不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother was much perturbed by my illness. 母亲为我的病甚感烦恼不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

24 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

25 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

26 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

27 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

28 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

29 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

30 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

31 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

32 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。