SEVEN, EIGHT, LAY THEM STRAIGHT 3

III
Mrs. Merton of No. 82, King Leopold Mansions¹ had been designated by the porter as Mrs.
Chapman’s closest friend in the Mansions.
It was, therefore, to No. 82 that Japp and Poirot betook themselves next.
Mrs. Merton was a loquacious² lady, with snapping black eyes, and an elaborate coiffure.
It needed no pressure to make her talk. She was only too ready to rise to a dramatic situation.
“Sylvia Chapman—well, of course, I don’t know her really well—not intimately, so to speak.
We had a few bridge evenings occasionally and we went to the pictures together, and of course
shopping sometimes. But oh, do tell me—she isn’t dead, is she?”
Japp reassured³ her.
“Well, I’m sure I’m thankful to hear it! But the postman just now was all agog⁴ about a body
having been found in one of the flats—but then one really can’t believe half one hears, can one? I
never do.”
Japp asked a further question.
“No, I haven’t heard anything of Mrs. Chapman—not since we had spoken about going to see
the new Ginger⁶ Rogers and Fred Astaire the following week, and she said nothing about going
away then.”
Mrs. Merton had never heard a Miss Sainsbury Seale mentioned. Mrs. Chapman had never
spoken of anyone of that name.
“And yet, you know, the name is familiar to me, distinctly familiar. I seem to have seen it
somewhere quite lately.”
Japp said drily:
“It’s been in all the papers for some weeks—”
“Of course—some missing person, wasn’t it? And you thought Mrs. Chapman might have
known her? No, I’m sure I’ve never heard Sylvia mention that name.”
“Can you tell me anything about Mr. Chapman, Mrs. Merton?”
A rather curious expression came over Mrs. Merton’s face. She said:
“He was a commercial traveller, I believe, so Mrs. Chapman told me. He travelled abroad for
his firm—armaments, I believe. He went all over Europe.”
“Did you ever meet him?”
“No, never. He was at home so seldom, and when he was at home he and Mrs. Chapman didn’t
want to bother with outsiders. Very naturally.”
“Do you know if Mrs. Chapman had any near relations or friends?”
“I don’t know about friends. I don’t think she had any near relations. She never spoke⁵ of any.”
“Was she ever in India?”
“Not that I know of.”
Mrs. Merton paused, and then broke out:
“But please tell me—why are you asking all these questions? I quite understand that you come
from Scotland Yard and all that, but there must be some special reason?”
“Well, Mrs. Merton, you are bound to know some time. As a matter of fact, a dead body has
been found in Mrs. Chapman’s flat.”
“Oh—?” Mrs. Merton looked for a moment like the dog whose eyes were as big as saucers.
“A dead body! It wasn’t Mr. Chapman, was it? Or perhaps some foreigner?”
Japp said:
“It wasn’t a man at all—it was a woman.”
“A woman.” Mrs. Merton seemed even more surprised.
Poirot said gently:
“Why should you think it was a man?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It seemed more likely somehow.”
“But why? Was it because Mrs. Chapman was in the habit of receiving gentleman visitors?”
“Oh no—oh no indeed.” Mrs. Merton was indignant. “I never meant anything of that kind.
Sylvia Chapman wasn’t in the least that kind of woman—not at all! It was just that, with Mr.
Chapman—I mean—”
She came to a stop.
Poirot said:
“I think, Madame, that you know a little more than you have told us.”
Mrs. Merton said uncertainly:
“I don’t know, I’m sure — what I ought to do! I mean, I don’t exactly want to betray a
confidence and of course I never have repeated what Sylvia told me—except just to one or two
intimates whom I knew were really safe—”
Mrs. Merton leaned forward and lowered her voice:
“It just—slipped out, as it were, one day. When we were seeing a film—about the Secret
Service and Mrs. Chapman said you could see that whoever had written it didn’t know much about
their subject, and then it came out—only she swore me to secrecy⁷. Mr. Chapman was in the Secret
Service, I mean. That was the real reason he had to go abroad so much. The armament firm was
only a blind. And it was terribly worrying for Mrs. Chapman because she couldn’t write to him or
get letters from him while he was away. And, of course, it was terribly dangerous!”

1 mansions   

n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

2 loquacious   

adj.多嘴的，饶舌的

参考例句：

• The normally loquacious Mr O'Reilly has said little.平常话多的奥赖利先生几乎没说什么。
• Kennedy had become almost as loquacious as Joe.肯尼迪变得和乔一样唠叨了。

3 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 agog   

adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地

参考例句：

• The children were all agog to hear the story.孩子们都渴望着要听这个故事。
• The city was agog with rumors last night that the two had been executed.那两人已被处决的传言昨晚搞得全城沸沸扬扬。

5 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。

6 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

7 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。