THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, MAIDS ARE COURTING 4

IV
When Poirot reached home, George said:
“Chief Inspector¹ Japp is here, sir.”
Japp grinned in a rueful way as Poirot came into the room.
“Here I am, old boy. Come round to say: ‘Aren’t you a marvel²? How do you do it? What makes
you think of these things?’”
“All this meaning—? But pardon, you will have some refreshment³? A sirop? Or perhaps the
whisky?”
“The whisky is good enough for me.”
A few minutes later he raised his glass, observing:
“Here’s to Hercule Poirot who is always right!”
“No, no, mon ami.”
“Here we had a lovely case of suicide. H.P. says it’s murder—wants it to be murder—and dash
it all, it is murder!”
“Ah? So you agree at last?”
“Well, nobody can say I’m pigheaded. I don’t fly in the face of evidence. The trouble was there
wasn’t any evidence before.”
“But there is now?”
“Yes, and I’ve come round to make the amend⁴ honourable⁵, as you call it, and present the titbit
to you on toast, as it were.”
“I am all agog⁶, my good Japp.”
“All right. Here goes. The pistol that Frank Carter tried to shoot Blunt with on Saturday is a
twin pistol to the one that killed Morley!”
Poirot stared: “But this is extraordinary!”
“Yes, it makes it look rather black for Master Frank.”
“It is not conclusive⁷.”
“No, but it’s enough to make us reconsider the suicide verdict. They’re a foreign make of pistol
and rather an uncommon⁸ one at that!”
Hercule Poirot stared. His eyebrows⁹ looked like crescent moons. He said at last:
“Frank Carter? No—surely not!”
Japp breathed a sigh of exasperation¹⁰.
“What’s the matter with you, Poirot? First you will have it that Morley was murdered and that it
wasn’t suicide. Then when I come and tell you we’re inclined to come round to your views you
hem¹¹ and ha and don’t seem to like it.”
“You really believe that Morley was murdered by Frank Carter?”
“It fits. Carter had got a grudge¹² against Morley—that we knew all along. He came to Queen
Charlotte Street that morning—and he pretended afterwards that he had come along to tell his
young woman he’d got a job—but we’ve now discovered that he hadn’t got the job then. He
didn’t get it till later in the day. He admits that now. So there’s lie No. 1. He can’t account for
where he was at twenty-five past twelve onwards. Says he was walking in the Marylebone Road,
but the first thing he can prove is having a drink in a pub at five past one. And the barman says he
was in a regular state—his hand shaking and his face as white as a sheet!”
Hercule Poirot sighed and shook his head. He murmured:
“It does not accord with my ideas.”
“What are these ideas of yours?”
“It is very disturbing what you tell me. Very disturbing indeed. Because, you see, if you are
right …”
The door opened softly and George murmured deferentially¹³:
“Excuse me, sir, but …”
He got no further. Miss Gladys Nevill thrust him aside and came agitatedly¹⁴ into the room. She
was crying.
“Oh, M. Poirot—”
“Here, I’ll be off,” said Japp hurriedly.
He left the room precipitately¹⁶.
Gladys Nevill paid his back the tribute of a venomous look.
“That’s the man—that horrid¹⁷ Inspector from Scotland Yard—it’s he who has trumped¹⁸ up a
whole case against poor Frank.”
“Now, now, you must not agitate¹⁵ yourself.”
“But he has. First they pretend that he tried to murder this Mr. Blunt and not content with that
they’ve accused him of murdering poor Mr. Morley.”
Hercule Poirot coughed. He said:
“I was down there, you know, at Exsham, when the shot was fired at Mr. Blunt.”
Gladys Nevill said with a somewhat confusing use of pronouns:
“But even if Frank did—did do a foolish thing like that—and he’s one of those Imperial Shirts,
you know—they march with banners and have a ridiculous salute¹⁹, and of course I suppose Mr.
Blunt’s wife was a very notorious Jewess, and they just work up these poor young men—quite
harmless ones like Frank—until they think they are doing something wonderful and patriotic²⁰.”
“Is that Mr. Carter’s defence?” asked Hercule Poirot.
“Oh no. Frank just swears he didn’t do anything and had never seen the pistol before. I haven’t
spoken to him, of course—they wouldn’t let me—but he’s got a solicitor²¹ acting²² for him and he
told me what Frank had said. Frank just says it’s all a frame-up.”
Poirot murmured:
“And the solicitor is of opinion that his client had better think of a more plausible²³ story?”
“Lawyers are so difficult. They won’t say anything straight out. But it’s the murder charge I’m
worrying about. Oh! M. Poirot, I’m sure Frank couldn’t have killed Mr. Morley. I mean really—
he hadn’t any reason to.”
“Is it true,” said Poirot, “that when he came round that morning he had not yet got a job of any
kind?”
“Well, really, M. Poirot, I don’t see what difference that makes. Whether he got the job in the
morning or the afternoon can’t matter.”
Poirot said:
“But his story was that he came to tell you about his good luck. Now, it seems, he had as yet
had no luck. Why, then, did he come?”
“Well, M. Poirot, the poor boy was dispirited and upset, and to tell the truth I believe he’d been
drinking a little. Poor Frank has rather a weak head—and the drink upset him and so he felt like—
like making a row, and he came round to Queen Charlotte Street to have it out with Mr. Morley,
because, you see, Frank is awfully²⁴ sensitive and it had upset him a lot to feel that Mr. Morley
disapproved²⁵ of him, and was what he called poisoning my mind.”
“So he conceived the idea of making a scene in business hours?”
“Well—yes—I suppose that was his idea. Of course it was very wrong of Frank to think of such
a thing.”
Poirot looked thoughtfully at the tearful blonde young woman in front of him. He said:
“Did you know that Frank Carter had a pistol—or a pair of pistols?”
“Oh no, M. Poirot. I swear I didn’t. And I don’t believe it’s true, either.”
Poirot shook his head slowly in a perplexed²⁶ manner.
“Oh! M. Poirot, do help us. If I could only feel that you were on our side—”
Poirot said:
“I do not take sides. I am on the side only of the truth.”

1 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。

2 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

3 refreshment   

n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点

参考例句：

• He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
• A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。

4 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

5 honourable   

adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的

参考例句：

• I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号，我可担当不起。
• I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。

6 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。

7 conclusive   

adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的

参考例句：

• They produced some fairly conclusive evidence.他们提供了一些相当确凿的证据。
• Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的。

8 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

9 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

10 exasperation   

n.愤慨

参考例句：

• He snorted with exasperation.他愤怒地哼了一声。
• She rolled her eyes in sheer exasperation.她气急败坏地转动着眼珠。

11 hem   

n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制

参考例句：

• The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
• The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。

12 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

13 deferentially   

adv.表示敬意地，谦恭地

参考例句：

• "Now, let me see,'said Hurstwood, looking over Carrie's shoulder very deferentially. “来，让我瞧瞧你的牌。”赫斯渥说着，彬彬有礼地从嘉莉背后看过去。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• He always acts so deferentially around his supervisor. 他总是毕恭毕敬地围着他的上司转。 来自互联网

14 agitatedly   

动摇，兴奋； 勃然

参考例句：

• "Where's she waiting for me?" he asked agitatedly. 他慌忙问道：“在哪里等我？” 来自子夜部分
• His agitatedly ground goes accusatorial accountant. 他勃然大怒地去责问会计。

15 agitate   

vi.(for,against)煽动，鼓动；vt.搅动

参考例句：

• They sent agents to agitate the local people.他们派遣情报人员煽动当地的民众。
• All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush.你只需要用手指或刷子轻轻地搅动水。

16 precipitately   

adv.猛进地

参考例句：

• The number of civil wars continued to rise until about 1990 and then fell precipitately. 而国内战争的数量在1990年以前都有增加，1990年后则锐减。 来自互联网
• His wife and mistress, until an hour ago and inviolate were slipping precipitately from his control. 他的妻子和情妇，直到一小时前还是安安稳稳、不可侵犯的，现在却猛不防正从他的控制下溜走。 来自互联网

17 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

18 trumped   

v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• That woman trumped up various baseless charges against him. 那个女人捏造种种毫无根据的罪名指控他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several of his colleagues trumped up a complaint to get him removed from the job. 他的几位同事诬告他，使他丟掉了工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

20 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

21 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

22 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

23 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

24 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

25 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。