FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, MAIDS IN THE KITCHEN 4

IV
He reached Mr. Barnes’ House at Ealing at 6:45. He remembered that Mr. Barnes had called that a
good time of day.
Mr. Barnes was at work in his garden.
He said by way of greeting:
“We need rain, M. Poirot—need it badly.”
He looked thoughtfully at his guest. He said:
“You don’t look very well, M. Poirot?”
“Sometimes,” said Hercule Poirot, “I do not like the things I have to do.”
Mr. Barnes nodded his head sympathetically.
He said:
“I know.”
Hercule Poirot looked vaguely¹ round at the neat arrangement of the small beds. He murmured:
“It is well-planned, this garden. Everything is to scale. It is small but exact.”
Mr. Barnes said:
“When you have only a small place you’ve got to make the most of it. You can’t afford to make
mistakes in the planning.”
Hercule Poirot nodded.
Barnes went on:
“I see you’ve got your man?”
“Frank Carter?”
“Yes. I’m rather surprised, really.”
“You did not think that it was, so to speak, a private murder?”
“No. Frankly² I didn’t. What with Amberiotis and Alistair Blunt—I made sure that it was one of
these Espionage³ or Counter-Espionage mix-ups.”
“That is the view you expounded⁴ to me at our first meeting.”
“I know. I was quite sure of it at the time.”
Poirot said slowly:
“But you were wrong.”
“Yes. Don’t rub it in. The trouble is, one goes by one’s own experience. I’ve been mixed-up in
that sort of thing so much I suppose I’m inclined to see it everywhere.”
Poirot said:
“You have observed in your time a conjurer offer a card, have you not? What is called—forcing
a card?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That is what was done here. Every time that one thinks of a private reason for Morley’s death,
hey presto—the card is forced on one. Amberiotis, Alistair Blunt, the unsettled state of politics—
of the country—” He shrugged⁵ his shoulders. “As for you, Mr. Barnes, you did more to mislead
me than anybody.”
“Oh, I say, Poirot, I’m sorry. I suppose that’s true.”
“You were in a position to know, you see. So your words carried weight.”
“Well—I believed what I said. That’s the only apology I can make.”
He paused and sighed.
“And all the time, it was a purely⁶ private motive⁷?”
“Exactly. It has taken me a long time to see the reason for the murder—although I had one very
definite piece of luck.”
“What was that?”
“A fragment of conversation. Really a very illuminating⁸ fragment if only I had had the sense to
realize its significance at the time.”
Mr. Barnes scratched his nose thoughtfully with the trowel. A small piece of earth adhered to
the side of his nose.
“Being rather cryptic⁹, aren’t you?” he asked genially¹⁰.
Hercule Poirot shrugged his shoulders. He said:
“I am, perhaps, aggrieved¹¹ that you were not more frank with me.”
“I?”
“Yes.”
“My dear fellow—I never had the least idea of Carter’s guilt¹². As far as I knew, he’d left the
house long before Morley was killed. I suppose now they’ve found he didn’t leave when he said
he did?”
Poirot said:
“Carter was in the house at twenty-six minutes past twelve. He actually saw the murderer.”
“Then Carter didn’t—”
“Carter saw the murderer, I tell you!”
Mr. Barnes said:
“Did he recognize him?”
Slowly Hercule Poirot shook his head.

1 vaguely   

adv.含糊地，暖昧地

参考例句：

• He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
• He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

2 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

3 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

4 expounded   

论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He expounded his views on the subject to me at great length. 他详细地向我阐述了他在这个问题上的观点。
• He warmed up as he expounded his views. 他在阐明自己的意见时激动起来了。

5 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

7 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

8 illuminating   

a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的

参考例句：

• We didn't find the examples he used particularly illuminating. 我们觉得他采用的那些例证启发性不是特别大。
• I found his talk most illuminating. 我觉得他的话很有启发性。

9 cryptic   

adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的

参考例句：

• She made a cryptic comment about how the film mirrored her life.她隐晦地表示说这部电影是她人生的写照。
• The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.新的保险单在编写时没有隐秘条款或秘密条款。

10 genially   

adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地

参考例句：

• The white church peeps out genially from behind the huts scattered on the river bank. 一座白色教堂从散布在岸上的那些小木房后面殷勤地探出头来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Well, It'seems strange to see you way up here,'said Mr. Kenny genially. “咳，真没想到会在这么远的地方见到你，"肯尼先生亲切地说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 aggrieved   

adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. 他因没被选到队里感到愤愤不平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is the aggrieved person whose fiance&1& did not show up for their wedding. 她很委屈，她的未婚夫未出现在他们的婚礼上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。