Preparations for a children’s party usually give far more trouble to the organizers than anentertainment devised for those of adult years. Food of good quality and suitable alcoholicrefreshment—with lemonade on the side, that, to the right people, is quite enough to make a partygo. It may cost more but the trouble is infinitely1 less. So Ariadne Oliver and her friend JudithButler agreed together.
“What about teenage parties?” said Judith.
“I don’t know much about them,” said Mrs. Oliver.
“In one way,” said Judith, “I think they’re probably least trouble of all. I mean, they just throwall of us adults out. And say they’ll do it all themselves.”
“And do they?”
“Well, not in our sense of the word,” said Judith. “They forget to order some of the things, andorder a lot of other things that nobody likes. Having turfed us out, then they say there were thingswe ought to have provided for them to find. They break a lot of glasses, and other things, andthere’s always somebody undesirable2 or who brings an undesirable friend. You know the sort ofthing. Peculiar3 drugs and—what do they call it?—Flower Pot or Purple Hemp4 or L.S.D., which Ialways have thought just meant money; but apparently5 it doesn’t.”
“I suppose it costs it,” suggested Ariadne Oliver.
“It’s very unpleasant, and Hemp has a nasty smell.”
“It all sounds very depressing,” said Mrs. Oliver.
“Anyway, this party will go all right. Trust Rowena Drake for that. She’s a wonderful organizer.
You’ll see.”
“I don’t feel I even want to go to a party,” sighed Mrs. Oliver.
“You go up and lie down for an hour or so. You’ll see. You’ll enjoy it when you get there. Iwish Miranda hadn’t got a temperature—she’s so disappointed at not being able to go, poor child.”
The party came into being at half past seven. Ariadne Oliver had to admit that her friend wasright. Arrivals were punctual. Everything went splendidly. It was well-imagined, well-run and ranlike clockwork. There were red and blue lights on the stairs and yellow pumpkins6 in profusion7.
The girls and boys arrived holding decorated broomsticks for a competition. After greetings,Rowena Drake announced the programme for the evening. “First, judging of the broomstickcompetition,” she said, “three prizes, first, second and third. Then comes cutting the flour cake.
That’ll be in the small conservatory8. Then bobbing for apples—there’s a list pinned upon the wallover there of the partners for that event—then there’ll be dancing. Every time the lights go out youchange partners. Then girls to the small study where they’ll be given their mirrors. After that,supper, Snapdragon and then prize giving.”
Like all parties, it went slightly stickily at first. The brooms were admired, they were very smallminiature brooms, and on the whole the decorating of them had not reached a very high standardof merit, “which makes it easier,” said Mrs. Drake in an aside to one of her friends. “And it’s avery useful thing because I mean there are always one or two children one knows only too wellwon’t win a prize at anything else, so one can cheat a little over this.”
“So unscrupulous, Rowena.”
“I’m not really. I just arrange so that things should be fair and evenly divided. The whole pointis that everyone wants to win something.”
“What’s the Flour Game?” asked Ariadne Oliver.
“Oh yes, of course, you weren’t here when we were doing it. Well, you just fill a tumbler withflour, press it in well, then you turn it out in a tray and place a sixpence on top of it. Then everyoneslices a slice off it very carefully so as not to tumble the sixpence off. As soon as someone tumblesthe sixpence off, that person goes out. It’s a sort of elimination9. The last one left in gets thesixpence of course. Now then, away we go.”
And away they went. Squeals10 of excitement were heard coming from the library where bobbingfor apples went on, and competitors returned from there with wet locks and having disposed agood deal of water about their persons.
One of the most popular contests, at any rate among the girls, was the arrival of the Hallowe’enwitch played by Mrs. Goodbody, a local cleaning woman who, not only having the necessaryhooked nose and chin which almost met, was admirably proficient11 in producing a semi-cooingvoice which had definitely sinister12 undertones and also produced magical doggerel13 rhymes.
“Now then, come along, Beatrice, is it? Ah, Beatrice. A very interesting name. Now you want toknow what your husband is going to look like. Now, my dear, sit here. Yes, yes, under this lighthere. Sit here and hold this little mirror in your hand, and presently when the lights go out you’llsee him appear. You’ll see him looking over your shoulder. Now hold the mirror steady.
Abracadabra14, who shall see? The face of the man who will marry me. Beatrice, Beatrice, you shallfind, the face of the man who shall please your mind.”
A sudden shaft15 of light shot across the room from a step-ladder, placed behind a screen. It hitthe right spot in the room, which was reflected in the mirror grasped in Beatrice’s excited hand.
“Oh!” cried Beatrice. “I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him! I can see him in my mirror!”
The beam was shut off, the lights came on and a coloured photograph pasted on a card floateddown from the ceiling. Beatrice danced about excitedly.
“That was him! That was him! I saw him,” she cried. “Oh, he’s got a lovely ginger16 beard.”
She rushed to Mrs. Oliver, who was the nearest person.
“Do look, do look. Don’t you think he’s rather wonderful? He’s like Eddie Presweight, the popsinger. Don’t you think so?”
Mrs. Oliver did think he looked like one of the faces she daily deplored17 having to see in hermorning paper. The beard, she thought, had been an afterthought of genius.
“Where do all these things come from?” she asked.
“Oh, Rowena gets Nicky to make them. And his friend Desmond helps. He experiments a gooddeal with photography. He and a couple of pals18 of his made themselves up, with a great deal ofhair or sideburns or beards and things. And then with the light on him and everything, of course itsends the girls wild with delight.”
“I can’t help thinking,” said Ariadne Oliver, “that girls are really very silly nowadays.”
“Don’t you think they always were?” asked Rowena Drake.
Mrs. Oliver considered.
“I suppose you’re right,” she admitted.
“Now then,” cried Mrs. Drake—“supper.”
Supper went off well. Rich iced cakes, savouries, prawns19, cheese and nut confections. Theeleven-pluses stuffed themselves.
“And now,” said Rowena, “the last one for the evening. Snapdragon. Across there, through thepantry. That’s right. Now then. Prizes first.”
The prizes were presented, and then there was a wailing20, banshee call. The children rushedacross the hall back to the dining room.
The food had been cleared away. A green baize cloth was laid across the table and here wasborne a great dish of flaming raisins21. Everybody shrieked22, rushing forward, snatching the blazingraisins, with cries of “Ow, I’m burned! Isn’t it lovely?” Little by little the Snapdragon flickeredand died down. The lights went up. The party was over.
“It’s been a great success,” said Rowena.
“So it should be with all the trouble you’ve taken.”
“It was lovely,” said Judith quietly. “Lovely.”
“And now,” she added ruefully, “we’ll have to clear up a bit. We can’t leave everything forthose poor women tomorrow morning.”
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1
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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2
undesirable
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| adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子 | |
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3
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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4
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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5
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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6
pumpkins
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| n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊 | |
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7
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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8
conservatory
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| n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的 | |
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9
elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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10
squeals
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| n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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11
proficient
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| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
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12
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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13
doggerel
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| n.拙劣的诗，打油诗 | |
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14
abracadabra
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| n.咒语，胡言乱语 | |
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15
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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16
ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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17
deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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19
prawns
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| n.对虾，明虾( prawn的名词复数 ) | |
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20
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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21
raisins
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| n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 ) | |
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22
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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