NINETEEN, TWENTY, MY PLATE’S EMPTY

NINETEEN, TWENTY, MY PLATE’S EMPTY
Hercule Poirot walked home along the deserted¹ streets.
An unobtrusive figure joined him.
“Well?” said Mr. Barnes.
Hercule Poirot shrugged² his shoulders and spread out his hands.
Barnes said:
“What line did he take?”
“He admitted everything and pleaded justification³. He said that this country needed him.”
“So it does,” said Mr. Barnes.
He added after a minute or two:
“Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, then—”
“We may be wrong,” said Hercule Poirot.
“I never thought of that,” said Mr. Barnes. “So we may.”
They walked on for a little way, then Barnes asked curiously⁴:
“What are you thinking about?”
Hercule Poirot quoted:
“Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
“Hm—I see—” said Mr. Barnes. “Saul—after the Amalekites. Yes, you could think of it that
way.”
They walked on a little farther, then Barnes said:
“I take the tube here. Good night, Poirot.” He paused, then said awkwardly: “You know—
there’s something I’d like to tell you.”
“Yes, mon ami?”
“Feel I owe it to you. Led you astray unintentionally. Fact of the matter is, Albert Chapman,
Q.X.912.”
“Yes?”
“I’m Albert Chapman. That’s partly why I was interested. I knew, you see, that I’d never had a
wife.”
He hurried away, chuckling⁵.
Poirot stood stock still. Then his eyes opened, his eyebrows⁶ rose.
He said to himself:
“Nineteen, twenty, my plate’s empty—”
And went home.

1 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

2 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》

3 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

4 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

5 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

6 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。