Three

Three
Mrs. Oliver drove into the inner court of Borodene Mansions¹. There were six cars filling theparking space. As Mrs. Oliver hesitated, one of the cars reversed out and drove away. Mrs. Oliverhurried neatly² into the vacant space.
She descended³, banged the door and stood looking up to the sky. It was a recent block,occupying a space left by the havoc⁵ of a land mine in the last war. It might, Mrs. Oliver thought,have been lifted en bloc⁴ from the Great West Road and, first deprived of some such legend asSKYLARK’S FEATHER RAZOR BLADES, have been deposited as a block of flats in situ. Itlooked extremely functional⁶ and whoever had built it had obviously scorned any ornamentaladditions.
It was a busy time. Cars and people were going in and out of the courtyard as the day’s workcame to a close.
Mrs. Oliver glanced down at her wrist. Ten minutes to seven. About the right time, as far as shecould judge. The kind of time when girls in jobs might be presumed to have returned, either torenew their makeup⁷, change their clothes to tight exotic pants or whatever their particularaddiction was, and go out again, or else to settle down to home life and wash their smalls and theirstockings. Anyway, quite a sensible time to try. The block was exactly the same on the east andthe west, with big swing doors set in the centre. Mrs. Oliver chose the left- hand side butimmediately found that she was wrong. All this side was numbers from 100 to 200. She crossedover to the other side.
No. 67 was on the sixth floor. Mrs. Oliver pressed the button of the lift. The doors opened like ayawning mouth with a menacing clash. Mrs. Oliver hurried into the yawning cavern⁸. She wasalways afraid of modern lifts.
Crash. The doors came to again. The lift went up. It stopped almost immediately (that wasfrightening too!). Mrs. Oliver scuttled⁹ out like a frightened rabbit.
She looked up at the wall and went along the right-hand passage. She came to a door marked 67in metal numbers affixed¹⁰ to the centre of the door. The numeral 7 detached itself and fell on herfeet as she arrived.
“This place doesn’t like me,” said Mrs. Oliver to herself as she winced¹¹ with pain and picked thenumber up gingerly and affixed it by its spike¹² to the door again.
She pressed the bell. Perhaps everyone was out.
However, the door opened almost at once. A tall handsome girl stood in the doorway¹³. She waswearing a dark well-cut suit with a very short skirt, a white silk shirt, and was very well shod. Shehad swept-up dark hair, good but discreet¹⁴ makeup, and for some reason was slightly alarming toMrs. Oliver.
“Oh,” said Mrs. Oliver, galvanizing herself to say the right thing. “Is Miss Restarick in, by anychance?”
“No, I’m sorry, she’s out. Can I give her a message?”
Mrs. Oliver said, “Oh” again—before proceeding¹⁵. She made a play of action by producing aparcel rather untidily done up in brown paper. “I promised her a book,” she explained. “One ofmine that she hadn’t read. I hope I’ve remembered actually which it was. She won’t be in soon, Isuppose?”
“I really couldn’t say. I don’t know what she is doing tonight.”
“Oh. Are you Miss Reece-Holland?”
The girl looked slightly surprised.
“Yes, I am.”
“I’ve met your father,” said Mrs. Oliver. She went on, “I’m Mrs. Oliver. I write books,” sheadded in the usual guilty style in which she invariably made such an announcement.
“Won’t you come in?”
Mrs. Oliver accepted the invitation, and Claudia Reece-Holland led her into a sitting room. Allthe rooms of the flats were papered the same with an artificial raw wood pattern. Tenants¹⁶ couldthen display their modern pictures or apply any forms of decoration they fancied. There was afoundation of modern built-in furniture, cupboard, bookshelves and so on, a large settee and apullout type of table. Personal bits and pieces could be added by the tenants. There were also signsof individuality displayed here by a gigantic Harlequin pasted on one wall, and a stencil¹⁷ of amonkey swinging from branches of palm fronds¹⁸ on another wall.
“I’m sure Norma will be thrilled to get your book, Mrs. Oliver. Won’t you have a drink?
Sherry? Gin?”
This girl had the brisk manner of a really good secretary. Mrs. Oliver refused.
“You’ve got a splendid view up here,” she said, looking out of the window and blinking a littleas she got the setting sun straight in her eyes.
“Yes. Not so funny when the lift goes out of order.”
“I shouldn’t have thought that lift would dare to go out of order. It’s so—so—robot-like.”
“Recently installed, but none the better for that,” said Claudia. “It needs frequent adjusting andall that.”
Another girl came in, talking as she entered.
“Claudia, have you any idea where I put—”
She stopped, looking at Mrs. Oliver.
Claudia made a quick introduction.
“Frances Cary—Mrs. Oliver. Mrs. Ariadne Oliver.”
“Oh, how exciting,” said Frances.
She was a tall willowy girl, with long black hair, a heavily made up dead-white face, andeyebrows and eyelashes slightly slanted¹⁹ upwards—the effect heightened by mascara. She woretight velvet²⁰ pants and a heavy sweater. She was a complete contrast to the brisk and efficientClaudia.
“I brought a book I’d promised Norma Restarick,” said Mrs. Oliver.
“Oh!—what a pity she’s still in the country.”
“Hasn’t she come back?”
There was quite definitely a pause. Mrs. Oliver thought the two girls exchanged a glance.
“I thought she had a job in London,” said Mrs. Oliver, endeavouring to convey innocentsurprise.
“Oh yes,” said Claudia. “She’s in an interior decorating place. She’s sent down with patternsoccasionally to places in the country.” She smiled. “We live rather separate lives here,” sheexplained. “Come and go as we like—and don’t usually bother to leave messages. But I won’tforget to give her your book when she does get back.”
Nothing could have been easier than the casual explanation.
Mrs. Oliver rose. “Well, thank you very much.”
Claudia accompanied her to the door. “I shall tell my father I’ve met you,” she said. “He’s agreat reader of detective stories.”
Closing the door she went back into the sitting room.
The girl Frances was leaning against the window.
“Sorry,” she said. “Did I boob?”
“I’d just said that Norma was out.”
Frances shrugged²¹ her shoulders.
“I couldn’t tell. Claudia, where is that girl? Why didn’t she come back on Monday? Where hasshe gone?”
“I can’t imagine.”
“She didn’t stay on down with her people? That’s where she went for the weekend.”
“No. I rang up, actually, to find out.”
“I suppose it doesn’t really matter…All the same, she is—well, there’s something queer abouther.”
“She’s not really queerer than anyone else.” But the opinion sounded uncertain.
“Oh yes, she is,” said Frances. “Sometimes she gives me the shivers. She’s not normal, youknow.”
She laughed suddenly.
“Norma isn’t normal! You know she isn’t, Claudia, although you won’t admit it. Loyalty²² toyour employer, I suppose.”

1 mansions   

n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

2 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

3 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

4 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

5 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

6 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

7 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

8 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

9 scuttled   

v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• She scuttled off when she heard the sound of his voice. 听到他的说话声，她赶紧跑开了。
• The thief scuttled off when he saw the policeman. 小偷看见警察来了便急忙跑掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 affixed   

adj.[医]附着的，附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章）

参考例句：

• The label should be firmly affixed to the package. 这张标签应该牢牢地贴在包裹上。
• He affixed the sign to the wall. 他将标记贴到墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

12 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

13 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

14 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

15 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

16 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

17 stencil   

v.用模版印刷；n.模版；复写纸，蜡纸

参考例句：

• He then stencilled the ceiling with a moon and stars motif.他随后用模版在天花板上印上了月亮和繁星图案。
• Serveral of commonly used methods are photoprinting,photoengraving,mechnical engraving,and stencil.通常所采用的几种储存方法是：影印法、照相蚀刻、机械雕刻和模板。

18 fronds   

n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You can pleat palm fronds to make huts, umbrellas and baskets. 人们可以把棕榈叶折叠起来盖棚屋，制伞，编篮子。 来自百科语句
• When these breezes reached the platform the palm-fronds would whisper. 微风吹到平台时，棕榈叶片发出簌簌的低吟。 来自辞典例句

19 slanted   

有偏见的； 倾斜的

参考例句：

• The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。
• She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

20 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

21 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》

22 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。