ELEVEN, TWELVE, MEN MUST DELVE 2

II
“I’ve finished my letters,” said Blunt, appearing later in the morning. “Now, M. Poirot, I’m going
to show you my garden.”
The two men went out together and Blunt talked eagerly of his hobby.
The rock garden, with its rare alpine¹ plants, was his greatest joy and they spent some time there
while Blunt pointed² out certain minute and rare species.
Hercule Poirot, his feet encased in his best patent leather shoes, listened patiently, shifting his
weight tenderly from one foot to the other and wincing³ slightly as the heat of the sun caused the
illusion that his feet were gigantic puddings!
His host strolled on, pointing out various plants in the wide border. Bees were humming and
from near at hand came the monotonous⁴ clicking of a pair of shears⁵ trimming a laurel hedge.
It was all very drowsy⁶ and peaceful.
Blunt paused at the end of the border, looking back. The clip of the shears was quite close by,
though the clipper was concealed⁷ from view.
“Look at the vista⁸ down from here, Poirot. The Sweet Williams are particularly fine this year. I
don’t know when I’ve seen them so good—and those are Russell lupins. Marvellous colours.”
Crack! The shot broke the peace of the morning. Something sang angrily through the air.
Alistair Blunt turned bewildered to where a faint thread of smoke was rising from the middle of
the laurels⁹.
There was a sudden outcry of angry voices, the laurels heaved as two men struggled together. A
high-pitched American voice sang out resolutely¹⁰:
“I’ve got you, you damned scoundrel! drop that gun!”
Two men struggled out into the open. The young gardener who had dug so industriously¹¹ that
morning was writhing¹² in the powerful grip of a man nearly a head taller.
Poirot recognized the latter at once. He had already guessed from the voice.
Frank Carter snarled¹³:
“Let go of me! It wasn’t me, I tell you! I never did.”
Howard Raikes said:
“Oh, no? Just shooting at the birds, I suppose!”
He stopped—looking at the newcomers.
“Mr. Alistair Blunt? This guy here has just taken a potshot at you. I caught him right in the act.”
Frank Carter cried out:
“It’s a lie! I was clipping the hedge. I heard a shot and the gun fell right here at my feet. I picked
it up—that’s only natural, that is, and then this bloke jumped on me.”
Howard Raikes said grimly:
“The gun was in your hand and it had just been fired!”
With a final gesture, he tossed the pistol to Poirot.
“Let’s see what the dick’s got to say about it! Lucky I got hold of you in time. I guess there are
several more shots in that automatic of yours.”
Poirot murmured:
“Precisely.”
Blunt was frowning angrily. He said sharply:
“Now then Dunnon—Dunbury—what’s your name?”
Hercule Poirot interrupted. He said:
“This man’s name is Frank Carter.”
Carter turned on him furiously.
“You’ve had it in for me all along! You came spying on me that Sunday. I tell you, it’s not true.
I never shot at him.”
Hercule Poirot said gently:
“Then, in that case, who did?”
He added:
“There is no one else here but ourselves, you see.”

1 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 wincing   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She switched on the light, wincing at the sudden brightness. 她打开了灯，突如其来的强烈光线刺得她不敢睜眼。
• "I will take anything," he said, relieved, and wincing under reproof. “我什么事都愿意做，"他说，松了一口气，缩着头等着挨骂。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

5 shears   

n.大剪刀

参考例句：

• These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use.这些园丁剪刀又轻又好用。
• With a few quick snips of the shears he pruned the bush.他用大剪刀几下子就把灌木给修剪好了。

6 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

7 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

8 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

9 laurels   

n.桂冠，荣誉

参考例句：

• The path was lined with laurels.小路两旁都种有月桂树。
• He reaped the laurels in the finals.他在决赛中荣膺冠军。

10 resolutely   

adj.坚决地，果断地

参考例句：

• He resolutely adhered to what he had said at the meeting. 他坚持他在会上所说的话。
• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。

11 industriously   

参考例句：

• She paces the whole class in studying English industriously. 她在刻苦学习英语上给全班同学树立了榜样。
• He industriously engages in unostentatious hard work. 他勤勤恳恳，埋头苦干。

12 writhing   

（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
• He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。

13 snarled   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
• As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》