PART FOUR DECEMBER 25TH IV

IV
Lydia said:
“Good morning, M. Poirot. Tressilian told me I should find you out here with Harry¹; but I am
glad to find you alone. My husband has been speaking about you. I know he is very anxious to talk
to you.”
“Ah! Yes? Shall I go and see him now?”
“Not just yet. He got hardly any sleep last night. In the end I gave him a strong sleeping
draught². He is still asleep, and I don’t want to disturb him.”
“I quite understand. That was very wise. I could see last night that the shock had been very
great.”
She said seriously:
“You see, M. Poirot, he really cared—much more than the others.”
“I understand.”
She asked:
“Have you—has the superintendent—any idea of who can have done this awful thing?”
Poirot said deliberately³:
“We have certain ideas, madame, as to who did not do it.”
Lydia said, almost impatiently:
“It’s like a nightmare—so fantastic—I can’t believe it’s real!”
She added:
“What about Horbury? Was he really at the cinema, as he said?”
“Yes, madame, his story has been checked. He was speaking the truth.”
Lydia stopped and plucked at a bit of yew⁴. Her face went a little paler. She said:
“But that’s awful! It only leaves—the family!”
“Exactly.”
“M. Poirot, I can’t believe it!”
“Madame, you can and you do believe it!”
She seemed about to protest. Then suddenly she smiled ruefully.
She said:
“What a hypocrite one is!”
He nodded.
“If you were to be frank with me, madame,” he said, “you would admit that to you it seems
quite natural that one of his family should murder your father-in-law.”
Lydia said sharply:
“That’s really a fantastic thing to say, M. Poirot!”
“Yes, it is. But your father-in-law was a fantastic person!”
Lydia said:
“Poor old man. I can feel sorry for him now. When he was alive, he just annoyed me
unspeakably!”
Poirot said:
“So I should imagine!”
He bent⁵ over one of the stone sinks.
“They are very ingenious, these. Very pleasing.”
“I’m glad you like them. It’s one of my hobbies. Do you like this Arctic one with the
penguins⁶ and the ice?”
“Charming. And this—what is this?”
“Oh, that’s the Dead Sea—or going to be. It isn’t finished yet. You mustn’t look at it. Now
this one is supposed to be Piana in Corsica. The rocks there, you know, are quite pink and too
lovely where they go down into the blue sea. This desert scene is rather fun, don’t you think?”
She led him along. When they had reached the farther end she glanced at her wristwatch.
“I must go and see if Alfred is awake.”
When she had gone Poirot went slowly back again to the garden representing the Dead Sea.
He looked at it with a good deal of interest. Then he scooped⁷ up a few of the pebbles⁸ and let them
run through his fingers.
Suddenly his face changed. He held up the pebbles close to his face.
“Sapristi!” he said. “This is a surprise! Now what exactly does this mean?”

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 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。

3 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

4 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

5 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

6 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 pebbles   

[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
• Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。