Hercule Poirot was sitting at the breakfast table. At his right hand was a steaming cup ofchocolate. He had always had a sweet tooth. To accompany the chocolate was a brioche. It wentagreeably with chocolate. He nodded his approval. This was from the fourth shop he had tried. Itwas a Danish p?tisserie but infinitely1 superior to the so-called French one nearby. That had beennothing less than a fraud.
He was satisfied gastronomically2. His stomach was at peace. His mind also was at peace,perhaps somewhat too much so. He had finished his Magnum Opus, an analysis of great writers ofdetective fiction. He had dared to speak scathingly of Edgar Allen Poe, he had complained of thelack of method or order in the romantic outpourings of Wilkie Collins, had lauded3 to the skies twoAmerican authors who were practically unknown, and had in various other ways given honourwhere honour was due and sternly withheld4 it where he considered it was not. He had seen thevolume through the press, had looked upon the results and, apart from a really incredible numberof printer’s errors, pronounced that it was good. He had enjoyed this literary achievement andenjoyed the vast amount of reading he had had to do, had enjoyed snorting with disgust as he flunga book across the floor (though always remembering to rise, pick it up and dispose of it tidily inthe wastepaper basket) and had enjoyed appreciatively nodding his head on the rare occasionswhen such approval was justified5.
And now? He had had a pleasant interlude of relaxation6, very necessary after his intellectuallabour. But one could not relax forever, one had to go on to the next thing. Unfortunately he hadno idea what the next thing might be. Some further literary accomplishment7? He thought not. Do athing well then leave it alone. That was his maxim8. The truth of the matter was, he was bored. Allthis strenuous9 mental activity in which he had been indulging—there had been too much of it. Ithad got him into bad habits, it had made him restless….
Vexatious! He shook his head and took another sip10 of chocolate.
The door opened and his well-trained servant, George, entered. His manner was deferential11 andslightly apologetic. He coughed and murmured, “A—” he paused, “—a—young lady has called.”
Poirot looked at him with surprise and mild distaste.
“I do not see people at this hour,” he said reprovingly.
“No, sir,” agreed George.
Master and servant looked at each other. Communication was sometimes fraught12 withdifficulties for them. By inflexion or innuendo13 or a certain choice of words George would signifythat there was something that might be elicited14 if the right question was asked. Poirot consideredwhat the right question in this case might be.
“She is good-looking, this young lady?” he inquired carefully.
“In my view—no, sir, but there is no accounting15 for tastes.”
Poirot considered his reply. He remembered the slight pause that George had made before thephrase—young lady. George was a delicate social recorder. He had been uncertain of the visitor’sstatus but had given her the benefit of the doubt.
“You are of the opinion that she is a young lady rather than, let us say, a young person?”
“I think so, sir, though it is not always easy to tell nowadays.” George spoke16 with genuineregret.
“Did she give a reason for wishing to see me?”
“She said—” George pronounced the words with some reluctance17, apologising for them inadvance as it were, “that she wanted to consult you about a murder she might have committed.”
Hercule Poirot stared. His eyebrows18 rose. “Might have committed? Does she not know?”
“That is what she said, sir.”
“Unsatisfactory, but possibly interesting,” said Poirot.
“It might—have been a joke, sir,” said George, dubiously19.
“Anything is possible, I suppose,” conceded Poirot, “but one would hardly think—” He liftedhis cup. “Show her in after five minutes.”
“Yes, sir.” George withdrew.
Poirot finished the last sip of chocolate. He pushed aside his cup and rose to his feet. He walkedto the fireplace and adjusted his moustaches carefully in the mirror over the chimneypiece.
Satisfied, he returned to his chair and awaited the arrival of his visitor. He did not know exactlywhat to expect….
He had hoped perhaps for something nearer to his own estimate of female attraction. Theoutworn phrase “beauty in distress20” had occurred to him. He was disappointed when Georgereturned ushering21 in the visitor; inwardly he shook his head and sighed. Here was no beauty—andno noticeable distress either. Mild perplexity would seem nearer the mark.
“Pha!” thought Poirot disgustedly. “These girls! Do they not even try to make something ofthemselves? Well made-up, attractively dressed, hair that has been arranged by a good hairdresser,then perhaps she might pass. But now!”
His visitor was a girl of perhaps twenty-odd. Long straggly hair of indeterminate colour strayedover her shoulders. Her eyes, which were large, bore a vacant expression and were of a greenishblue. She wore what were presumably the chosen clothes of her generation. Black high leatherboots, white openwork woollen stockings of doubtful cleanliness, a skimpy skirt, and a long andsloppy pullover of heavy wool. Anyone of Poirot’s age and generation would have had only onedesire. To drop the girl into a bath as soon as possible. He had often felt this same reactionwalking along the streets. There were hundreds of girls looking exactly the same. They all lookeddirty. And yet—a contradiction in terms—this one had the look of having been recently drownedand pulled out of a river. Such girls, he reflected, were not perhaps really dirty. They merely tookenormous care and pains to look so.
He rose with his usual politeness, shook hands, drew out a chair.
“You demanded to see me, mademoiselle? Sit down, I pray of you.”
“Oh,” said the girl, in a slightly breathless voice. She stared at him.
“Eh bien?” said Poirot.
She hesitated. “I think I’d—rather stand.” The large eyes continued to stare doubtfully.
“As you please.” Poirot resumed his seat and looked at her. He waited. The girl shuffled22 herfeet. She looked down on them then up again at Poirot.
“You—you are Hercule Poirot?”
“Assuredly. In what way can I be of use to you?”
“Oh, well, it’s rather difficult. I mean—”
Poirot felt that she might need perhaps a little assistance. He said helpfully, “My manservanttold me that you wanted to consult me because you thought you ‘might have committed a murder.’
Is that correct?”
The girl nodded. “That’s right.”
“Surely that is not a matter that admits of any doubt. You must know yourself whether you havecommitted a murder or not.”
“Well, I don’t know quite how to put it. I mean—”
“Come now,” said Poirot kindly23. “Sit down. Relax the muscles. Tell me all about it.”
“I don’t think—oh dear, I don’t know how to—You see, it’s all so difficult. I’ve—I’ve changedmy mind. I don’t want to be rude but—well, I think I’d better go.”
“Come now. Courage.”
“No, I can’t. I thought I could come and—and ask you, ask you what I ought to do—but I can’t,you see. It’s all so different from—”
“From what?”
“I’m awfully24 sorry and I really don’t want to be rude, but—”
She breathed an enormous sigh, looked at Poirot, looked away, and suddenly blurted25 out,“You’re too old. Nobody told me you were so old. I really don’t want to be rude but—there it is.
You’re too old. I’m really very sorry.”
She turned abruptly26 and blundered out of the room, rather like a desperate moth27 in lamplight.
Poirot, his mouth open, heard the bang of the front door.
He ejaculated: “Nom d’un nom d’un nom….”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
infinitely
|
|
| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
gastronomically
|
|
| adj.美食法的，美食学的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
3
lauded
|
|
| v.称赞，赞美( laud的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
withheld
|
|
| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
justified
|
|
| a.正当的，有理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
relaxation
|
|
| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
accomplishment
|
|
| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
maxim
|
|
| n.格言，箴言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
strenuous
|
|
| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
sip
|
|
| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
deferential
|
|
| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
fraught
|
|
| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
innuendo
|
|
| n.暗指，讽刺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
elicited
|
|
| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
accounting
|
|
| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
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： |
|
|
|
|
17
reluctance
|
|
| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
dubiously
|
|
| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
ushering
|
|
| v.引，领，陪同( usher的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
shuffled
|
|
| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
awfully
|
|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
moth
|
|
| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |