THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, MAIDS ARE COURTING 2

II
Poirot paid another visit to Hampstead. Mrs. Adams was a little surprised, perhaps, to see him.
Though he had been vouched¹ for, so to speak, by a Chief Inspector² of Scotland Yard, she
nevertheless regarded him as a “quaint little foreigner” and had not taken his pretentions very
seriously. She was, however, very willing to talk.
After the first sensational³ announcement about the identity of the victim, the finding of the
inquest had received very little publicity⁴. It had been a case of mistaken identity—the body of
Mrs. Chapman had been mistaken for that of Miss Sainsbury Seale. That was all that the public
knew. The fact that Miss Sainsbury Seale had been probably the last person to see the unfortunate
Mrs. Chapman alive was not stressed. There had been no hint in the Press that Miss Sainsbury
Seale might possibly be wanted by the police on a criminal charge.
Mrs. Adams had been very relieved when she knew that it was not her friend’s body which had
been discovered so dramatically. She appeared to have no idea that any suspicion might attach to
Mabelle Sainsbury Seale.
“But it is so extraordinary that she has disappeared like this. I feel sure, M. Poirot, that it must
be loss of memory.”
Poirot said that it was very probable. He had known cases of the kind.
“Yes—I remember a friend of one of my cousins. She’d had a lot of nursing and worry, and it
brought it on. Amnesia⁵, I think they called it.”
Poirot said that he believed that that was the technical term.
He paused and then asked if Mrs. Adams had ever heard Miss Sainsbury Seale speak of a Mrs.
Albert Chapman?
No, Mrs. Adams never remembered her friend mentioning anyone of that name. But then, of
course, it wasn’t likely that Miss Sainsbury Seale should happen to mention everyone with whom
she was acquainted. Who was this Mrs. Chapman? Had the police any idea who could have
murdered her?
“It is still a mystery, Madame.” Poirot shook his head and then asked if it was Mrs. Adams who
had recommended Mr. Morley as a dentist to Miss Sainsbury Seale.
Mrs. Adams replied in the negative. She herself went to a Mr. French in Harley Street, and if
Mabelle had asked her about a dentist she would have sent her to him.
Possibly, Poirot thought, it might have been this Mrs. Chapman who recommended Miss
Sainsbury Seale to go to Mr. Morley.
Mrs. Adams agreed that it might have been. Didn’t they know at the dentist’s?
But Poirot had already asked Miss Nevill that question and Miss Nevill had not known or had
not remembered. She recollected⁶ Mrs. Chapman, but did not think the latter had ever mentioned a
Miss Sainsbury Seale—the name being an odd one, she would have remembered it had she heard
it then.
Poirot persevered⁷ with his questions.
Mrs. Adams had known Miss Sainsbury Seale first in India, had she not? Mrs. Adams agreed.
Did Mrs. Adams know if Miss Sainsbury Seale had met Mr. or Mrs. Alistair Blunt at any time
out there?
“Oh, I don’t think so, M. Poirot. You mean the big banker? They were out some years ago
staying with the Viceroy, but I’m sure if Mabelle had met them at all, she would have talked about
it or mentioned them.”
“I’m afraid,” added Mrs. Adams, with a faint smile, “one does usually mention the important
people. We’re all such snobs⁸ at heart.”
“She never did mention the Blunts—Mrs. Blunt in particular?”
“Never.”
“If she had been a close friend of Mrs. Blunt’s probably you would have known?”
“Oh yes. I don’t believe she knew anyone like that. Mabelle’s friends were all very ordinary
people—like us.”
“That, Madame, I cannot allow,” said Poirot gallantly⁹.
Mrs. Adams went on talking of Mabelle Sainsbury Seale as one talks of a friend who has
recently died. She recalled all Mabelle’s good works, her kindnesses, her indefatigable¹⁰ work for
the mission, her zeal¹¹, her earnestness.
Hercule Poirot listened. As Japp had said, Mabelle Sainsbury Seale was a real person. She had
lived in Calcutta and taught elocution and worked amongst the native population. She had been
respectable, well-meaning, a little fussy¹² and stupid perhaps, but also what is termed a woman with
a heart of gold.
And Mrs. Adams’ voice ran on: “She was so much in earnest over everything, M. Poirot. And
she found people so apathetic—so hard to rouse. It was very difficult to get subscriptions¹³ out of
people—worse every year, with the income tax rising and the cost of living and everything. She
said to me once: ‘When one knows what money can do—the wonderful good you can accomplish
with it—well, really sometimes, Alice, I feel I would commit a crime to get it.’ That shows,
doesn’t it, M. Poirot, how strongly she felt?”
“She said that, did she?” said Poirot thoughtfully.
He asked, casually¹⁴, when Miss Sainsbury Seale had enunciated¹⁵ this particular statement, and
learned that it had been about three months ago.
He left the house and walked away lost in thought.
He was considering the character of Mabelle Sainsbury Seale.
A nice woman—an earnest and kindly¹⁶ woman—a respectable, decent type of woman. It was
amongst that type of person that Mr. Barnes had suggested a potential criminal could be found.
She had travelled back on the same boat from India as Mr. Amberiotis. There seemed reason to
believe that she had lunched with him at the Savoy.
She had accosted¹⁷ and claimed acquaintance with Alistair Blunt and laid claim to an intimacy¹⁸
with his wife.
She had twice visited King Leopold Mansions¹⁹ where, later, a dead body had been found dressed
in her clothes and with her handbag conveniently identifying it.
A little too convenient, that!
She had left the Glengowrie Court Hotel suddenly after an interview with the police.
Could the theory that Hercule Poirot believed to be true account for and explain all those facts?
He thought it could.

1 vouched   

v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说

参考例句：

• He vouched his words by his deeds. 他用自己的行动证明了自己的言辞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Have all those present been vouched for? 那些到场的人都有担保吗？ 来自互联网

2 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

3 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

4 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

5 amnesia   

n.健忘症，健忘

参考例句：

• People suffering from amnesia don't forget their general knowledge of objects.患健忘症的人不会忘记关于物体的一些基本知识。
• Chinese medicine experts developed a way to treat amnesia using marine materials.中国医学专家研制出用海洋物质治疗遗忘症的方法。

6 recollected   

adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I recollected that she had red hair. 我记得她有一头红发。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His efforts, the Duke recollected many years later, were distinctly half-hearted. 据公爵许多年之后的回忆，他当时明显只是敷衍了事。 来自辞典例句

7 persevered   

v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。
• Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句

8 snobs   

（谄上傲下的）势利小人( snob的名词复数 )； 自高自大者，自命不凡者

参考例句：

• She dislikes snobs intensely. 她极其厌恶势利小人。
• Most of the people who worshipped her, who read every tidbit about her in the gossip press and hung up pictures of her in their rooms, were not social snobs. 崇敬她大多数的人不会放过每一篇报导她的八卦新闻，甚至在他们的房间中悬挂黛妃的画像，这些人并非都是傲慢成性。

9 gallantly   

adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地

参考例句：

• He gallantly offered to carry her cases to the car. 他殷勤地要帮她把箱子拎到车子里去。
• The new fighters behave gallantly under fire. 新战士在炮火下表现得很勇敢。

10 indefatigable   

adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的

参考例句：

• His indefatigable spirit helped him to cope with his illness.他不屈不挠的精神帮助他对抗病魔。
• He was indefatigable in his lectures on the aesthetics of love.在讲授关于爱情的美学时，他是不知疲倦的。

11 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

12 fussy   

adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的

参考例句：

• He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
• The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

13 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

15 enunciated   

v.（清晰地）发音( enunciate的过去式和过去分词 )；确切地说明

参考例句：

• She enunciated each word slowly and carefully. 她每个字都念得又慢又仔细。
• His voice, cold and perfectly enunciated, switched them like a birch branch. 他的话口气冰冷，一字一板，有如给了他们劈面一鞭。 来自辞典例句

16 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

17 accosted   

v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭

参考例句：

• She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

19 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