PART FIVE DECEMBER 26TH V

 PART FIVE DECEMBER 26TH V

Alfred Lee said: “Then you accept, M. Poirot?”

His hand, as it went to his mouth, shook slightly. His mild brown eyes were alight with a new

and feverish¹ expression. He stammered² slightly in his speech. Lydia, standing³ silently by, looked

at him with some anxiety.

Alfred said:

“You don’t know—you c-c-can’t imagine—what it m-m-means to me . . . My father’s

murderer must be f-f-found.”

Poirot said:

“Since you have assured me that you have reflected long and carefully—yes, I accept. But

you comprehend, Mr. Lee, there can be no drawing back. I am not the dog one sets on to hunt and

then recalls because you do not like the game he puts up!”

“Of course . . . of course . . . Everything is ready. Your bedroom is prepared. Stay as long as

you like—”

Poirot said gravely: “It will not be long.”

“Eh? What’s that?”

“I said it will not be long. There is in this crime such a restricted circle that it cannot possibly

take long to arrive at the truth. Already, I think, the end draws near.”

Alfred stared at him, “Impossible!” he said.

“Not at all. The facts all point more or less clearly in one direction. There is just some

irrelevant⁴ matter to be cleared out of the way. When this is done the truth will appear.”

Alfred said incredulously:

“You mean you know?”

Poirot smiled. “Oh, yes,” he said. “I know.”

Alfred said:

“My father—my father—” He turned away.

Poirot said briskly:

“There are, M. Lee, two requests that I have to make.”

Alfred said in a muffled⁵ voice:

“Anything—anything.”

“Then, in the first place, I would like the portrait of M. Lee as a young man placed in the

bedroom you are good enough to allot⁶ to me.”

Alfred and Lydia stared at him.

The former said: “My father’s portrait—but why?”

Poirot said with a wave of the hand:

“It will—how shall I say—inspire me.”

Lydia said sharply:

“Do you propose, M. Poirot, to solve a crime by clairvoyance⁷?”

“Let us say, madame, that I intend to use not only the eyes of the body, but the eyes of the

mind.”

She shrugged⁸ her shoulders.

Poirot continued:

“Next, M. Lee, I should like to know of the true circumstances attending the death of your

sister’s husband, Juan Estravados.”

Lydia said: “Is that necessary?”

“I want all the facts, madame.”

Alfred said:

“Juan Estravados, as the result of a quarrel about a woman, killed another man in a café.”

“How did he kill him?”

Alfred looked appealingly at Lydia. She said evenly:

“He stabbed him. Juan Estravados was not condemned⁹ to death, as there had been

provocation¹⁰. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment¹¹ and died in prison.”

“Does his daughter know about her father?”

“I think not.”

Alfred said:

“No, Jennifer never told her.”

“Thank you.”

Lydia said:

“You don’t think that Pilar—Oh, it’s absurd!”

Poirot said:

“Now, M. Lee, will you give me some facts about your brother, M. Harry¹² Lee?”

“What do you want to know?”

“I understand that he was considered somewhat of a disgrace to the family. Why?”

Lydia said:

“It is so long ago. . . .”

Alfred said, the colour coming up in his face:

“If you want to know, M. Poirot, he stole a large sum of money by forging my father’s name

to a cheque. Naturally my father didn’t prosecute¹³. Harry’s always been crooked¹⁴. He’s been in

trouble all over the world. Always cabling for money to get out of a scrape. He’s been in and out

of gaol¹⁵ here, there and everywhere.”

Lydia said:

“You don’t really know all this, Alfred.”

Alfred said angrily, his hands shaking:

“Harry’s no good—no good whatever! He never has been!”

Poirot said:

“There is, I see, no love lost between you?”

Alfred said:

“He victimized my father—victimized him shamefully¹⁶!”

Lydia sighed—a quick, impatient sigh. Poirot heard it and gave her a sharp glance.

She said:

“If only those diamonds could be found. I’m sure the solution lies there.”

Poirot said:

“They have been found, madame.”

“What?”

Poirot said gently:

“They were found in your little garden of the Dead Sea. . . .”

Lydia cried:

“In my garden? How—how extraordinary!”

Poirot said softly:

“Is it not, madame?”

1 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

2 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

3 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。

4 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

5 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 allot   

v.分配；拨给；n.部分；小块菜地

参考例句：

• The government is ready to allot houses in that area.政府准备在那个地区分配住房。
• Who will she allot the easy jobs to?她把轻活儿分给谁呢？

7 clairvoyance   

n.超人的洞察力

参考例句：

• Precognition is a form of clairvoyance.预知是超人的洞察力的一种形式。
• You did not have to be a clairvoyant to see that the war would go on.就算没有未卜先知的能力也能料到战争会持续下去。

8 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》

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

11 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

12 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。

13 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

14 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

15 gaol   

n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢

参考例句：

• He was released from the gaol.他被释放出狱。
• The man spent several years in gaol for robbery.这男人因犯抢劫罪而坐了几年牢。

16 shamefully   

可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。
• They have served me shamefully for a long time. 长期以来，他们待我很坏。