Twenty-four

Twenty-four
IMrs. Oliver had ensconced herself at a table in the window of The Black Boy. It was still fairlyearly, so the dining room was not very full. Presently, Judith Butler returned from powdering hernose and sat down opposite her and examined the menu.
“What does Miranda like?” asked Mrs. Oliver. “We might as well order for her as well. Isuppose she’ll be back in a minute.”
“She likes roast chicken.”
“Well, that’s easy then. What about you?”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Three roast chickens,” Mrs. Oliver ordered.
She leaned back, studying her friend.
“Why are you staring at me in that way?”
“I was thinking,” said Mrs. Oliver.
“Thinking what?”
“Thinking really how very little I knew about you.”
“Well, that’s the same with everybody, isn’t it?”
“You mean, one never knows all about anyone.”
“I shouldn’t think so.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” said Mrs. Oliver.
Both women were silent for some time.
“They’re rather slow serving things here.”
“It’s coming now, I think,” said Mrs. Oliver.
A waitress arrived with a tray full of dishes.
“Miranda’s a long time. Does she know where the dining room is?”
“Yes, of course she does. We looked in on the way.” Judith got up impatiently. “I’ll have to goand fetch her.”
“I wonder if perhaps she gets car sick.”
“She used to when she was younger.”
She returned some four or five minutes later.
“She’s not in the Ladies’,” she said. “There’s a door outside it into the garden. Perhaps she wentout that way to look at a bird or something. She’s like that.”
“No time to look at birds today,” said Mrs. Oliver. “Go and call her or something. We want toget on.”
II
Elspeth McKay pricked¹ some sausages with a fork, laid them on a baking dish, put it in theFrigidair and started to peel potatoes.
The telephone rang.
“Mrs. McKay? Sergeant² Goodwin here. Is your brother there?”
“No. He’s in London today.”
“I’ve rung him there—he’s left. When he gets back, tell him we’ve had a positive result.”
“You mean you’ve found a body in the well?”
“Not much use clamming³ up about it. The word’s got around already.”
“Who is it? The au pair girl?”
“Seems like it.”
“Poor girl,” said Elspeth. “Did she throw herself in—or what?”
“It wasn’t suicide—she was knifed. It was murder all right.”
III
After her mother had left the Ladies’ Room, Miranda waited for a minute or two. Then she openedthe door, cautiously peered out, opened the side door to the garden which was close at hand andran down the garden path that led round to the back yard of what had once been a coaching innand was now a garage. She went out at a small door that enabled pedestrians⁴ to get into a laneoutside. A little farther down the lane a car was parked. A man with beetling⁵ grey eyebrows⁶ and agrey beard was sitting in it reading a newspaper. Miranda opened the door and climbed in besidethe driving seat. She laughed.
“You do look funny.”
“Have a hearty⁷ laugh, there’s nothing to stop you.”
The car started, went down the lane, turned right, turned left, turned right again and came out ona secondary road.
“We’re all right for time,” said the grey-bearded man. “At the right moment you’ll see thedouble axe⁸ as it ought to be seen. And Kilterbury Down, too. Wonderful view.”
A car dashed past them so closely that they were almost forced into the hedge.
“Young idiots,” said the grey-bearded man.
One of the young men had long hair reaching over his shoulders and large, owlish spectacles.
The other one affected⁹ a more Spanish appearance with sideburns.
“You don’t think Mummy will worry about me?” asked Miranda.
“She won’t have time to worry about you. By the time she worries about you, you’ll have gotwhere you want to be.”
IV
In London, Hercule Poirot picked up the telephone. Mrs. Oliver’s voice came over.
“We’ve lost Miranda.”
“What do you mean, lost her?”
“We had lunch at The Black Boy. She went to the loo. She didn’t come back. Somebody saidthey saw her driving away with an elderly man. But it mightn’t have been her. It might have beensomeone else. It—”
“Someone should have stayed with her. Neither of you ought to have let her out of your sight. Itold you there was danger. Is Mrs. Butler very worried?”
“Of course she’s worried. What do you think? She’s frantic¹⁰. She insists on ringing the police.”
“Yes, that would be the natural thing to do. I will ring them also.”
“But why should Miranda be in danger?”
“Don’t you know? You ought to by now.” He added, “The body’s been found. I’ve just heard—”
“What body?”
“A body in a well.”

1 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 clamming   

v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They go clamming every weekend in the summer. 他们夏天每个周末都去挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句
• Go clamming is also a dangerous work with a willy-willy(typhoon) . 在台风天的拾蛤蜊也是份危险的工作。 来自互联网

4 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 beetling   

adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I last saw him beetling off down the road. 我上次见到他时，他正快步沿路而去。
• I saw you beetling off early at the party. 我见到你早早从宴会中离开。 来自辞典例句

6 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

7 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

8 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。