One COLIN LAMB’S NARRATIVE II

II
An unemotional voice said, “Crowdean Police Station.”
“Can I speak to Detective Inspector¹ Hardcastle?”
The voice said cautiously:
“I don’t know whether he is here. Who is speaking?”
“Tell him it’s Colin Lamb.”
“Just a moment, please.”
I waited. Then Dick Hardcastle’s voice spoke².
“Colin? I didn’t expect you yet awhile. Where are you?”
“Crowdean. I’m actually in Wilbraham Crescent. There’s a man lying dead on the floor ofNumber 19, stabbed I should think. He’s been dead approximately half an hour or so.”
“Who found him. You?”
“No, I was an innocent passerby³. Suddenly a girl came flying out of the house like a bat out ofhell. Nearly knocked me down. She said there was a dead man on the floor and a blind woman wastrampling on him.”
“You’re not having me on, are you?” Dick’s voice asked suspiciously.
“It does sound fantastic, I admit. But the facts seem to be as stated. The blind woman is MissMillicent Pebmarsh who owns the house.”
“And was she trampling⁴ on the dead man?”
“Not in the sense you mean it. It seems that being blind she just didn’t know he was there.”
“I’ll set the machinery⁵ in motion. Wait for me there. What have you done with the girl?”
“Miss Pebmarsh is making her a cup of tea.”
Dick’s comment was that it all sounded very cosy⁶.

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 passerby   

n.过路人，行人

参考例句：

• We had our photo taken by a passerby.我们请了一个路人为我们照相。
• A passerby heard her screams and rushed to her aid.一个过路人听见她的尖叫，便冲过去帮助她。

4 trampling   

踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• Diplomats denounced the leaders for trampling their citizens' civil rights. 外交官谴责这些领导人践踏其公民的公民权。
• They don't want people trampling the grass, pitching tents or building fires. 他们不希望人们踩踏草坪、支帐篷或生火。

5 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

6 cosy   

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：

• We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
• It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。