PART THREE DECEMBER 24TH X

X

Harry¹ Lee came into the room with a swagger. For a moment Poirot stared at him, frowning. He

had a feeling that somewhere he had seen this man before. He noted² the features: the high-bridged

nose, the arrogant³ poise⁴ of the head, the line of the jaw⁵; and he realized that though Harry was a

big man and his father had been a man of merely middle height, yet there had been a good deal of

resemblance between them.

He noted something else, too. For all his swagger, Harry Lee was nervous. He was carrying it

off with a swing, but the anxiety underneath⁷ was real enough.

“Well, gentlemen,” he said. “What can I tell you?”

Colonel Johnson said:

“We shall be glad of any light you can throw on the events of this evening.”

Harry Lee shook his head.

“I don’t know anything at all. It’s all pretty horrible and utterly⁸ unexpected.”

Poirot said:

“You have recently returned from abroad, I think, Mr. Lee?”

Harry turned to him quickly.

“Yes. Landed in England a week ago.”

Poirot said:

“You had been away a long time?”

Harry Lee lifted up his chin and laughed.

“You might as well hear straight away—someone will soon tell you! I’m the prodigal⁹ son,

gentlemen! It’s nearly twenty years since I last set foot in this house.”

“But you returned—now. Will you tell us why?” asked Poirot.

With the same appearance of frankness Harry answered readily enough.

“It’s the good old parable¹⁰ still. I got tired of the husks that the swine do eat—or don’t eat, I

forget which. I thought to myself that the fatted calf¹¹ would be a welcome exchange. I had a letter

from my father suggesting that I come home. I obeyed the summons and came. That’s all.”

Poirot said:

“You came for a short visit—or a long one?”

Harry said: “I came home—for good!”

“Your father was willing?”

“The old man was delighted.” He laughed again. The corners of his eyes crinkled engagingly.

“Pretty boring for the old man living here with Alfred! Alfred’s a dull stick—very worthy¹² and all

that, but poor company. My father had been a bit of a rip in his time. He was looking forward to

my company.”

“And your brother and his wife, were they pleased that you were to live here?”

Poirot asked the question with a slight lifting of his eyebrows¹³.

“Alfred? Alfred was livid with rage. Don’t know about Lydia. She was probably annoyed on

Alfred’s behalf. But I’ve no doubt she’d be quite pleased in the end. I like Lydia. She’s a

delightful¹⁴ woman. I should have got on with Lydia. But Alfred was quite another pair of shoes.”

He laughed again. “Alfred’s always been as jealous as hell of me. He’s always been the good

dutiful stay-at-home stick-in-the-mud son. And what was he going to get for it in the end?—what

the good boy of the family always gets—a kick in the pants. Take it from me, gentlemen, virtue¹⁵

doesn’t pay.” He looked from one face to another.

“Hope you’re not shocked by my frankness. But after all, it’s the truth you’re after. You’ll

drag out all the family dirty linen¹⁶ into the light of day in the end. I might as well display mine

straight away. I’m not particularly brokenhearted by my father’s death—after all, I hadn’t seen the

old devil since I was a boy—but nevertheless he was my father and he was murdered. I’m all out

for revenge on the murderer.” He stroked his jawbone, watching them. “We’re rather hot on

revenge in our family. None of the Lees forget easily. I mean to make sure that my father’s

murderer is caught and hanged.”

“I think you can trust us to do our best in that line, Mr. Lee,” said Sugden.

“If you don’t I shall take the law into my own hands,” said Harry Lee.

The chief constable¹⁷ said sharply:

“Have you any ideas on the subject of the murderer’s identity, then, Mr. Lee?”

Harry shook his head.

“No,” he said slowly. “No—I haven’t. You know it’s rather a jolt¹⁸. Because I’ve been thinking

about it—and I don’t see that it can have been an outside job. . . .”

“Ah,” said Sugden, nodding his head.

“And if so,” said Harry Lee, “then someone here in the house killed him . . . But who the

devil could have done it? Can’t suspect the servants. Tressilian has been here since the year one.

The half-witted footman? Not on your life. Horbury, now, he’s a cool customer, but Tressilian

tells me he was out at the pictures. So what do you come to? Passing over Stephen Farr (and why

the devil should Stephen Farr come all the way from South Africa and murder a total stranger?)

there’s only the family. And for the life of me I can’t see one of us doing it. Alfred? He adored

Father. George? He hasn’t got the guts¹⁹. David? David’s always been a moon dreamer. He’d faint

if he saw his own finger bleed. The wives? Women don’t go and slit²⁰ a man’s throat in cold blood.

So who did? Blessed if I know. But it’s damned disturbing.”

Colonel Johnson cleared his throat—an official habit of his—and said:

“When did you last see your father this evening?”

“After tea. He’d just had a row with Alfred—about your humble²¹ servant. The old man was no

end bucked²² with himself. He always liked stirring up trouble. In my opinion, that’s why he kept

my arrival dark from the others. Wanted to see the fur fly when I blew in unexpectedly! That’s

why he talked about altering his will, too.”

Poirot stirred softly. He murmured:

“So your father mentioned his will?”

“Yes—in front of the whole lot of us, watching us like a cat to see how we reacted. Just told

the lawyer chap to come over and see him about it after Christmas.”

Poirot asked:

“What changes did he contemplate²³ making?”

Harry Lee grinned:

“He didn’t tell us that! Trust the old fox! I imagine—or shall we say I hoped—that the

change was to the advantage of your humble servant! I should imagine I’d been cut out of any

former wills. Now, I rather fancy, I was to go back. Nasty blow for the others. Pilar, too—he’d

taken a fancy to her. She was in for something good, I should imagine. You haven’t seen her yet?

My Spanish niece. She’s a beautiful creature, Pilar—with the lovely warmth of the South—and its

cruelty. Wish I wasn’t a mere⁶ uncle!”

“You say your father took to her?”

Harry nodded.

“She knew how to get round the old man. Sat up there with him a good deal. I bet she knew

just what she was after! Well, he’s dead now. No wills can be altered in Pilar’s favour—nor mine

either, worse luck.”

He frowned, paused a minute, and then went on with a change of tone.

“But I’m wandering from the point. You wanted to know what was the last time I saw my

father? As I’ve told you, it was after tea—might have been a little past six. The old man was in

good spirits then—a bit tired, perhaps. I went away and left him with Horbury. I never saw him

again.”

“Where were you at the time of his death?”

“In the dining room with brother Alfred. Not a very harmonious²⁴ after-dinner session. We

were in the middle of a pretty sharp argument when we heard the noise overhead. Sounded as

though ten men were wrestling up there. And then poor old Father screamed. It was like killing²⁵ a

pig. The sound of it paralysed Alfred. He just sat there with his jaw dropping. I fairly shook him

back to life, and we started off upstairs. The door was locked. Had to break it open. Took some

doing, too. How the devil that door came to be locked, I can’t imagine! There was no one in the

room but Father, and I’m damned if anyone could have got away through the windows.”

Superintendent²⁶ Sugden said:

“The door was locked from the outside.”

“What?” Harry stared. “But I’ll swear the key was on the inside.”

Poirot murmured:

“So you noticed that?”

Harry Lee said sharply:

“I do notice things. It’s a habit of mine.”

He looked sharply from one face to the other.

“Is there anything more you want to know, gentlemen?”

Johnson shook his head.

“Thank you, Mr. Lee, not for the moment. Perhaps you will ask the next member of the

family to come along?”

“Certainly I will.”

He walked to the door and went out without looking back.

The three men looked at each other.

Colonel Johnson said:

“What about it, Sugden?”

The superintendent shook his head doubtfully. He said:

“He’s afraid of something. I wonder why?. . . .”

1 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。

2 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。

3 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

4 poise   

vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信

参考例句：

• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise.她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。
• Ballet classes are important for poise and grace.芭蕾课对培养优雅的姿仪非常重要。

5 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

6 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

7 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

8 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

9 prodigal   

adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的

参考例句：

• He has been prodigal of the money left by his parents.他已挥霍掉他父母留下的钱。
• The country has been prodigal of its forests.这个国家的森林正受过度的采伐。

10 parable   

n.寓言，比喻

参考例句：

• This is an ancient parable.这是一个古老的寓言。
• The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.牧师讲道时用了亡羊的比喻。

11 calf   

n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮

参考例句：

• The cow slinked its calf.那头母牛早产了一头小牛犊。
• The calf blared for its mother.牛犊哞哞地高声叫喊找妈妈。

12 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

13 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。

14 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

15 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

16 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

17 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。

18 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

19 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 slit   

n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂

参考例句：

• The coat has been slit in two places.这件外衣有两处裂开了。
• He began to slit open each envelope.他开始裁开每个信封。

21 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

22 bucked   

adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• When he tried to ride the horse, it bucked wildly. 当他试图骑上这匹马时，它突然狂暴地跃了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The plane bucked a strong head wind. 飞机顶着强烈的逆风飞行。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

23 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

24 harmonious   

adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的

参考例句：

• Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
• The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。

25 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

26 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。