Twenty-seven COLIN LAMB’S NARRATIVE I

Twenty-seven COLIN LAMB’S NARRATIVE¹ I

“You don’t seem to have got much out of that Ramsay woman?” complained Colonel Beck.
“There wasn’t much to get.”
“Sure of that?”
“Yes.”
“She’s not an active party?”
“No.”
Beck gave me a searching glance.
“Satisfied?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“You hoped for more?”
“It doesn’t fill the gap.”
“Well—we’ll have to look elsewhere … give up crescents—eh?”
“Yes.”
“You’re very monosyllabic. Got a hangover?”
“I’m no good at this job,” I said slowly.
“Want me to pat you on the head and say ‘There, there?’”
In spite of myself I laughed.
“That’s better,” said Beck. “Now then, what’s it all about? Girl trouble, I suppose.”
I shook my head. “It’s been coming on for some time.”
“As a matter of fact I’ve noticed it,” said Beck unexpectedly. “The world’s in a confusing statenowadays. The issues aren’t clear as they used to be. When discouragement sets in, it’s like dryrot. Whacking² great mushrooms bursting through the walls! If that’s so, your usefulness to us isover. You’ve done some first-class work, boy. Be content with that. Go back to those damnedseaweeds of yours.”
He paused and said: “You really like the beastly things, don’t you?”
“I find the whole subject passionately³ interesting.”
“I should find it repulsive⁴. Splendid variation in nature, isn’t there? Tastes, I mean. How’s thatpatent murder of yours? I bet you the girl did it.”
“You’re wrong,” I said.
Beck shook his finger at me in an admonitory and avuncular⁵ manner.
“What I say to you is: ‘Be prepared.’ And I don’t mean it in the Boy Scout⁶ sense.”
I walked down Charing⁷ Cross Road deep in thought.
At the tube station I bought a paper.
I read that a woman, supposed to have collapsed⁸ in the rush hour at Victoria Station yesterday,had been taken to hospital. On arrival there she was found to have been stabbed. She had diedwithout recovering consciousness.
Her name was Mrs. Merlina Rival.

1 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

2 whacking   

adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a whacking great hole in the roof 房顶上一个巨大的窟窿
• His father found him a cushy job in the office, with almost nothing to do and a whacking great salary. 他父亲给他在事务所找到了一份轻松舒适的工作，几乎什么都不用做，工资还极高。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

4 repulsive   

adj.排斥的，使人反感的

参考例句：

• She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。
• The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。

5 avuncular   

adj.叔伯般的，慈祥的

参考例句：

• He began to talk in his most gentle and avuncular manner.他开始讲话了，态度极其和蔼而慈祥。
• He was now playing the role of disinterested host and avuncular mentor.他现在正扮演着慷慨的主人和伯父似的指导人的角色。

6 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

7 charing   

n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣

参考例句：

• We married in the chapel of Charing Cross Hospital in London. 我们是在伦敦查令十字医院的小教堂里结的婚。 来自辞典例句
• No additional charge for children under12 charing room with parents. ☆十二岁以下小童与父母同房不另收费。 来自互联网

8 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。