The inquest was well attended by the general public. Thrilled by a murder in their midst,Crowdean turned out with eager hopes of sensational1 disclosures. The proceedings2, however, wereas dry as they could be. Sheila Webb need not have dreaded3 her ordeal4, it was over in a couple ofminutes.
There had been a telephone message to the Cavendish Bureau directing her to go to 19,Wilbraham Crescent. She had gone, acting5 as told to do, by entering the sitting room. She hadfound the dead man there and had screamed and rushed out of the house to summon assistance.
There were no questions or elaborations. Miss Martindale, who also gave evidence, wasquestioned for an even shorter time. She had received a message purporting6 to be from MissPebmarsh asking her to send a shorthand typist, preferably Miss Sheila Webb, to 19, WilbrahamCrescent, and giving certain directions. She had noted7 down the exact time of the telephone call as1:49. That disposed of Miss Martindale.
Miss Pebmarsh, called next, denied categorically that she had asked for any typist to be sent toher that day from the Cavendish Bureau. Detective Inspector8 Hardcastle made a short emotionlessstatement. On receipt of a telephone call, he had gone to 19, Wilbraham Crescent where he hadfound the body of a dead man. The coroner then asked him:
“Have you been able to identify the dead man?”
“Not as yet, sir. For that reason, I would ask for this inquest to be adjourned9.”
“Quite so.”
Then came the medical evidence. Doctor Rigg, the police surgeon, having described himselfand his qualifications, told of his arrival at 19, Wilbraham Crescent, and of his examination of thedead man.
“Can you give us an approximate idea of the time of death, Doctor?”
“I examined him at half past three. I should put the time of death as between half past one andhalf past two.”
“You cannot put it nearer than that?”
“I should prefer not to do so. At a guess, the most likely time would be two o’clock or ratherearlier, but there are many factors which have to be taken into account. Age, state of health, and soon.”
“You performed an autopsy10?”
“I did.”
“The cause of death?”
“The man had been stabbed with a thin, sharp knife. Something in the nature, perhaps, of aFrench cooking knife with a tapering11 blade. The point of the knife entered … ” Here the doctorbecame technical as he explained the exact position where the knife had entered the heart.
“Would death have been instantaneous?”
“It would have occurred within a very few minutes.”
“The man would not have cried out or struggled?”
“Not under the circumstances in which he was stabbed.”
“Will you explain to us, Doctor, what you mean by that phrase?”
“I made an examination of certain organs and made certain tests. I would say that when he waskilled he was in a state of coma12 due to the administration of a drug.”
“Can you tell us what this drug was, Doctor?”
“Yes. It was chloral hydrate.”
“Can you tell how this was adminstered?”
“I should say presumably in alcohol of some kind. The effect of chloral hydrate is very rapid.”
“Known in certain quarters as a Mickey Finn, I believe,” murmured the coroner.
“That is quite correct,” said Doctor Rigg. “He would drink the liquid unsuspectingly, and a fewmoments later he would reel over and fall unconscious.”
“And he was stabbed, in your opinion, while unconscious?”
“That is my belief. It would account for there being no sign of a struggle and for his peacefulappearance.”
“How long after becoming unconscious was he killed?”
“That I cannot say with any accuracy. There again it depends on the personal idiosyncrasy ofthe victim. He would certainly not come round under half an hour and it might be a good dealmore than that.”
“Thank you, Doctor Rigg. Have you any evidence as to when this man last had a meal?”
“He had not lunched if that is what you mean. He had eaten no solid food for at least fourhours.”
“Thank you, Doctor Rigg. I think that is all.”
The coroner then looked round and said:
“The inquest will be adjourned for a fortnight, until September 28th.”
The inquest concluded, people began to move out of the court. Edna Brent who, with most ofthe other girls at the Cavendish Bureau, had been present, hesitated as she got outside the door.
The Cavendish Secretarial Bureau had been closed for the morning. Maureen West, one of theother girls, spoke13 to her.
“What about it, Edna? Shall we go to the Bluebird for lunch? We’ve got heaps of time. At anyrate, you have.”
“I haven’t got any more time than you have,” said Edna in an injured voice. “Sandy Cat told meI’d better take the first interval14 for lunch. Mean of her. I thought I’d get a good extra hour forshopping and things.”
“Just like Sandy Cat,” said Maureen. “Mean as hell, isn’t she? We open up again at two andwe’ve all got to be there. Are you looking for anyone?”
“Only Sheila. I didn’t see her come out.”
“She went away earlier,” said Maureen, “after she’d finished giving her evidence. She went offwith a young man—but I didn’t see who he was. Are you coming?”
Edna still hovered15 uncertainly, and said, “You go on—I’ve got shopping to do anyway.”
Maureen and another girl went off together. Edna lingered. Finally she nerved herself to speakto the fair-haired young policeman who stood at the entrance.
“Could I go in again?” she murmured timidly, “and speak to—to the one who came to the office—Inspector something.”
“Inspector Hardcastle?”
“That’s right. The one who was giving evidence this morning.”
“Well —” the young policeman looked into the court and observed the inspector in deepconsultation with the coroner and with the chief constable16 of the county.
“He looks busy at the moment, miss,” he said. “If you called round at the station later, or ifyou’d like to give me a message … Is it anything important?”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter really,” said Edna. “It’s—well—just that I don’t see how what she saidcould have been true because I mean … ” She turned away, still frowning perplexedly.
She wandered away from the Cornmarket and along the High Street. She was still frowningperplexedly and trying to think. Thinking had never been Edna’s strong point. The more she triedto get things clear in her mind, the more muddled17 her mind became.
Once she said aloud:
“But it couldn’t have been like that … It couldn’t have been like she said….”
Suddenly, with an air of one making a resolution, she turned off from the High Street and alongAlbany Road in the direction of Wilbraham Crescent.
Since the day that the Press had announced that a murder had been committed at 19, WilbrahamCrescent, large numbers of people had gathered in front of the house every day to have a goodlook at it. The fascination18 mere19 bricks and mortar20 can have for the general public under certaincircumstances is a truly mysterious thing. For the first twenty-four hours a policeman had beenstationed there to pass people along in an authoritative21 manner. Since then interest had lessened;but had still not ceased entirely22. Tradesmen’s delivery vans would slacken speed a little as theypassed, women wheeling prams23 would come to a four or five minute stop on the oppositepavement and stare their eyes out as they contemplated24 Miss Pebmarsh’s neat residence. Shoppingwomen with baskets would pause with avid25 eyes and exchange pleasurable gossip with friends.
“That’s the house—that one there….”
“The body was in the sitting room … No, I think the sitting room’s the room at the front, theone on the left….”
“The grocer’s man told me it was the one on the right.”
“Well, of course it might be, I’ve been into Number 10 once and there, I distinctly rememberthe dining room was on the right, and the sitting room was on the left….”
“It doesn’t look a bit as though there had been a murder done there, does it … ?”
“The girl, I believe, came out of the gate screaming her head off….”
“They say she’s not been right in her head since … Terrible shock, of course….”
“He broke in by a back window, so they say. He was putting the silver in a bag when this girlcame in and found him there….”
“The poor woman who owns the house, she’s blind, poor soul. So, of course, she couldn’t knowwhat was going on.”
“Oh, but she wasn’t there at the time….”
“Oh, I thought she was. I thought she was upstairs and heard him. Oh, dear, I must get on to theshops.”
These and similar conversations went on most of the time. Drawn26 as though by a magnet, themost unlikely people arrived in Wilbraham Crescent, paused, stared, and then passed on, someinner need satisfied.
Here, still puzzling in her mind, Edna Brent found herself jostling a small group of five or sixpeople who were engaged in the favourite pastime of looking at the murder house.
Edna, always suggestible, stared also.
So that was the house where it happened! Net curtains in the windows. Looked ever so nice.
And yet a man had been killed there. Killed with a kitchen knife. An ordinary kitchen knife.
Nearly everybody had got a kitchen knife….
Mesmerized27 by the behaviour of the people round her, Edna, too, stared and ceased to think….
She had almost forgotten what had brought her here….
She started when a voice spoke in her ear.
She turned her head in surprised recognition.
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收听单词发音
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1
sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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6
purporting
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| v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 ) | |
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7
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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8
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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9
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
autopsy
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| n.尸体解剖；尸检 | |
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11
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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coma
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| n.昏迷，昏迷状态 | |
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13
spoke
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| 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 | |
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14
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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15
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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16
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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17
muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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18
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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19
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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authoritative
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| adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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prams
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| n.（手推的）婴儿车( pram的名词复数 ) | |
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24
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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avid
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| adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的 | |
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26
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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27
mesmerized
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| v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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