“Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: and preserve me from the wicked man,” sang Mrs.
Olivera in a firm voice, slightly off the note.
There was a relentlessness1 about her enunciation2 of the sentiment which made Hercule Poirot
deduce that Mr. Howard Raikes was the wicked man immediately in her mind.
Hercule Poirot had accompanied his host and the family to the morning service in the village
church.
Howard Raikes had said with a faint sneer3: “So you always go to church, Mr. Blunt?”
And Alistair had murmured vaguely4 something about it being expected of you in the country—
can’t let the parson down, you know—which typically English sentiment had merely bewildered
the young man, and had made Hercule Poirot smile comprehendingly.
Mrs. Olivera had tactfully accompanied her host and commanded Jane to do likewise.
“They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent,” sang the choir5 boys in shrill6 treble,
“adder’s poison is under their lips.”
The tenors7 and basses8 demanded with gusto:
“Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the ungodly. Preserve me from the wicked men who are
purposed to overthrow9 my goings.”
Hercule Poirot essayed in a hesitant baritone.
“The proud have laid a snare10 for me,” he sang, “and spread a net with cords: yea, and set
traps in my way….”
His mouth remained open.
He saw it—saw clearly the trap into which he had so nearly fallen!
Like a man in a trance Hercule Poirot remained, mouth open, staring into space. He remained
there as the congregation seated themselves with a rustle11; until Jane Olivera tugged12 at his arm and
murmured a sharp, “Sit down.”
Hercule Poirot sat down. An aged13 clergyman with a beard intoned: “Here beginneth the
fifteenth chapter of the First Book of Samuel,” and began to read.
But Poirot heard nothing of the smiting14 of the Amalekites.
A snare cunningly laid—a net with cords—a pit open at his feet—dug carefully so that he
should fall into it.
He was in a daze15—a glorious daze where isolated16 facts spun17 wildly round before settling neatly18
into their appointed places.
It was like a kaleidoscope—shoe buckles19, 10-inch stockings, a damaged face, the low tastes in
literature of Alfred the page boy, the activities of Mr. Amberiotis, and the part played by the late
Mr. Morley, all rose up and whirled and settled themselves down into a coherent pattern.
For the first time, Hercule Poirot was looking at the case the right way up.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft20 and stubborness is as iniquity21 and idolatry. Because
thou hast rejected the word of the Lord he hath also rejected thee from being king. Here endeth
the first lesson,” quavered the aged clergyman all in one breath.
As one in a dream, Hercule Poirot rose to praise the Lord in the Te Deum.
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1
relentlessness
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2
enunciation
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n.清晰的发音;表明,宣言;口齿 | |
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3
sneer
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v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语 | |
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4
vaguely
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adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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5
choir
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n.唱诗班,唱诗班的席位,合唱团,舞蹈团;v.合唱 | |
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6
shrill
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adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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7
tenors
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n.男高音( tenor的名词复数 );大意;男高音歌唱家;(文件的)抄本 | |
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8
basses
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低音歌唱家,低音乐器( bass的名词复数 ) | |
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9
overthrow
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v.推翻,打倒,颠覆;n.推翻,瓦解,颠覆 | |
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10
snare
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n.陷阱,诱惑,圈套;(去除息肉或者肿瘤的)勒除器;响弦,小军鼓;vt.以陷阱捕获,诱惑 | |
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11
rustle
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v.沙沙作响;偷盗(牛、马等);n.沙沙声声 | |
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12
tugged
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v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
aged
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adj.年老的,陈年的 | |
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14
smiting
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v.猛打,重击,打击( smite的现在分词 ) | |
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15
daze
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v.(使)茫然,(使)发昏 | |
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16
isolated
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adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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17
spun
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v.纺,杜撰,急转身 | |
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18
neatly
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adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 | |
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19
buckles
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搭扣,扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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20
witchcraft
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n.魔法,巫术 | |
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21
iniquity
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n.邪恶;不公正 | |
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