Mrs. Oliver entered the premises1 of Williams & Barnet, a well-appointed chemist’s shop alsodealing with various cosmetics3. She paused by a kind of dumbwaiter containing various types ofcorn remedies, hesitated by a mountain of rubber sponges, wandered vaguely4 towards theprescription desk and then came down past the well-displayed aids to beauty as imagined byElizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, Max Factor and other benefit providers for women’s lives.
She stopped finally near a rather plump girl and enquired5 for certain lipsticks7, then uttered ashort cry of surprise.
“Why, Marlene—it is Marlene, isn’t it?”
“Well, I never. It’s Mrs. Oliver. I am pleased to see you. It’s wonderful, isn’t it? All the girlswill be very excited when I tell them that you’ve been in to buy things here.”
“No need to tell them,” said Mrs. Oliver.
“Oh, now I’m sure they’ll be bringing out their autograph books!”
“I’d rather they didn’t,” said Mrs. Oliver. “And how are you, Marlene?”
“Oh, getting along, getting along,” said Marlene.
“I didn’t know whether you’d be working here still.”
“Well, it’s as good as any other place, I think, and they treat you very well here, you know. Ihad a rise in salary last year and I’m more or less in charge of this cosmetic2 counter now.”
“And your mother? Is she well?”
“Oh yes. Mum will be pleased to hear I’ve met you.”
“Is she still living in her same house down the—the road past the hospital?”
“Oh yes, we’re still there. Dad’s not been so well. He’s been in hospital for a while, but Mumkeeps along very well indeed. Oh, she will be pleased to hear I’ve seen you. Are you staying hereby any chance?”
“Not really,” said Mrs. Oliver. “I’m just passing through, as a matter of fact. I’ve been to see anold friend and I wonder now—” she looked at her wristwatch. “Would your mother be at homenow, Marlene? I could just call in and see her. Have a few words before I have to get on.”
“Oh, do do that,” said Marlene. “She’d be ever so pleased. I’m sorry I can’t leave here andcome with you, but I don’t think—well, it wouldn’t be viewed very well. You know I can’t get offfor another hour and a half.”
“Oh well, some other time,” said Mrs. Oliver. “Anyway, I can’t quite remember — was itnumber 17 or has it got a name?”
“It’s called Laurel Cottage.”
“Oh yes, of course. How stupid of me. Well, nice to have seen you.”
She hurried out plus one unwanted lipstick6 in her bag, and drove her car down the main street ofChipping Bartram and turned, after passing a garage and a hospital building, down a rather narrowroad which had quite pleasant small houses on either side of it.
She left the car outside Laurel Cottage and went in. A thin, energetic woman with grey hair, ofabout fifty years of age, opened the door and displayed instant signs of recognition.
“Why, so it’s you, Mrs. Oliver. Ah well, now. Not seen you for years and years, I haven’t.”
“Oh, it’s a very long time.”
“Well, come in then, come in. Can I make you a nice cup of tea?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Mrs. Oliver, “because I’ve had tea already with a friend, and I’ve got toget back to London. As it happened, I went into the chemist for something I wanted and I sawMarlene there.”
“Yes, she’s got a very good job there. They think a lot of her in that place. They say she’s got alot of enterprise.”
“Well, that’s very nice. And how are you, Mrs. Buckle8? You look very well. Hardly older thanwhen I saw you last.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t like to say that. Grey hairs, and I’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“This seems to be a day when I meet a lot of friends I knew formerly,” said Mrs. Oliver, goinginto the house and being led into a small, rather over-cluttered sitting room. “I don’t know if youremember Mrs. Carstairs—Mrs. Julia Carstairs.”
“Oh, of course I do. Yes, rather. She must be getting on.”
“Oh yes, she is, really. But we talked over a few old days, you know. In fact, we went as far astalking about that tragedy that occurred. I was in America at the time so I didn’t know much aboutit. People called Ravenscroft.”
“Oh, I remember that well.”
“You worked for them, didn’t you, at one time, Mrs. Buckle?”
“Yes. I used to go in three mornings a week. Very nice people they were. You know, realmilitary lady and gentleman, as you might say. The old school.”
“It was a very tragic9 thing to happen.”
“Yes, it was, indeed.”
“Were you still working for them at that time?”
“No. As a matter of fact, I’d given up going there. I had my old Aunt Emma come to live withme and she was rather blind and not very well, and I couldn’t really spare the time anymore to goout doing things for people. But I’d been with them up to about a month or two before that.”
“It seemed such a terrible thing to happen,” said Mrs. Oliver. “I understand that they thought itwas a suicide pact10.”
“I don’t believe that,” said Mrs. Buckle. “I’m sure they’d never have committed suicidetogether. Not people like that. And living so pleasantly together as they did. Of course, they hadn’tlived there very long.”
“No, I suppose they hadn’t,” said Mrs. Oliver. “They lived somewhere near Bournemouth,didn’t they, when they first came to England?”
“Yes, but they found it was a bit too far for getting to London from there, and so that’s whythey came to Chipping Bartram. Very nice house it was, and a nice garden.”
“Were they both in good health when you were working for them last?”
“Well, he felt his age a bit as most people do. The General, he’d had some kind of heart troubleor a slight stroke. Something of that kind, you know. They’d take pills, you know, and lie up a bitfrom time to time.”
“And Lady Ravenscroft?”
“Well, I think she missed the life she’d had abroad, you know. They didn’t know so very manypeople there, although they got to know a good many families, of course, being the sort of classthey were. But I suppose it wasn’t like Malaya or those places. You know, where you have a lot ofservants. I suppose gay parties and that sort of thing.”
“You think she missed her gay parties?”
“Well, I don’t know that exactly.”
“Somebody told me she’d taken to wearing a wig11.”
“Oh, she’d got several wigs12,” said Mrs. Buckle, smiling slightly. “Very smart ones and veryexpensive. You know, from time to time she’d send one back to the place she’d got it from inLondon, and they’d re-dress it for her again and send it. There were all kinds. You know, therewas one with auburn hair, and one with little grey curls all over her head. Really, she looked verynice in that one. And two—well, not so attractive really but useful for—you know—windy dayswhen you wanted something to put on when it might be raining. Thought a lot about herappearance, you know and spent a lot of her money on clothes.”
“What do you think was the cause of the tragedy?” said Mrs. Oliver. “You see, not beinganywhere near here and not seeing any of my friends at that time because I was in America, Imissed hearing anything about it and, well, one doesn’t like to ask questions or write letters aboutthings of that kind. I suppose there must have been some cause. I mean, it was GeneralRavenscroft’s own revolver that was used, I understand.”
“Oh yes, he had two of those in the house because he said that no house was safe without.
Perhaps he was right there, you know. Not that they’d had any trouble beforehand as far as Iknow. One afternoon a rather nasty sort of fellow came along to the door. Didn’t like the look ofhim, I didn’t. Wanted to see the General. Said he’d been in the General’s regiment13 when he was ayoung fellow. The General asked him a few questions and I think thought as how he didn’t—well,thought he wasn’t very reliable. So he sent him off.”
“You think then that it was someone outside that did it?”
“Well, I think it must have been because I can’t see any other thing. Mind you, I didn’t like theman who came and did the gardening for them very much. He hadn’t got a very good reputationand I gather he’d had a few jail sentences earlier in his life. But of course the General took up hisreferences and he wanted to give him a chance.”
“So you think the gardener might have killed them?”
“Well, I—I always thought that. But then I’m probably wrong. But it doesn’t seem to me—Imean, the people who said there was some scandalous story or something about either her or himand that either he’d shot her or she’d shot him, that’s all nonsense, I’d say. No, it was someoutsider. One of these people that—well, it’s not as bad as it is nowadays because that, you mustremember, was before people began getting all this violence idea. But look at what you read in thepapers every day now. Young men, practically only boys still, taking a lot of drugs and going wildand rushing about, shooting a lot of people for nothing at all, asking a girl in a pub to have a drinkwith them and then they see her home and next day her body’s found in a ditch. Stealing childrenout of prams14 from their mothers, taking a girl to a dance and murdering her or strangling her onthe way back. If anything, you feel as anyone can do anything. And anyway, there’s that nicecouple, the General and his wife, out for a nice walk in the evening, and there they were, both shotthrough the head.”
“Was it through the head?”
“Well, I don’t remember exactly now and of course I never saw anything myself. But anyway,just went for a walk as they often did.”
“And they’d not been on bad terms with each other?”
“Well, they had words now and again, but who doesn’t?”
“No boyfriend or girlfriend?”
“Well, if you can use that term of people of that age, oh, I mean there was a bit of talk here andthere, but it was all nonsense. Nothing to it at all. People always want to say something of thatkind.”
“Perhaps one of them was—ill.”
“Well, Lady Ravenscroft had been up to London once or twice consulting a doctor aboutsomething and I rather think she was going into hospital, or planning to go into hospital for anoperation of some kind though she never told me exactly what it was. But I think they managed toput her right—she was in this hospital for a short time. No operation, I think. And when she cameback she looked very much younger. Altogether, she’d had a lot of face treatment and you know,she looked so pretty in these wigs with curls on them. Rather as though she’d got a new lease oflife.”
“And General Ravenscroft?”
“He was a very nice gentleman and I never heard or knew of any scandal about him and I don’tthink there was any. People say things, but then they want to say something when there’s been atragedy of any kind. It seems to me perhaps as he might have had a blow on the head in Malaya orsomething like that. I had an uncle or a great-uncle, you know, who fell off his horse there once.
Hit it on a cannon15 or something and he was very queer afterwards. All right for about six monthsand then they had to put him into an asylum16 because he wanted to take his wife’s life the wholetime. He said she was persecuting17 him and following him and that she was a spy for anothernation. Ah, there’s no saying what things happen or can happen in families.”
“Anyway, you don’t think there was any truth in some of the stories about them that I havehappened to hear of, bad feeling between them so that one of them shot the other and then shothimself or herself.”
“Oh no, I don’t.”
“Were her children at home at the time?”
“No. Miss—er—oh what was her name now, Rosie? No. Penelope?”
“Celia,” said Mrs. Oliver. “She’s my goddaughter.”
“Oh, of course she is. Yes, I know that now. I remember you coming and taking her out once.
She was a high-spirited girl, rather bad-tempered18 in some ways, but she was very fond of herfather and mother, I think. No, she was away at a school in Switzerland when it happened, I’mglad to say, because it would have been a terrible shock to her if she’d been at home and the onewho saw them.”
“And there was a boy, too, wasn’t there?”
“Oh yes. Master Edward. His father was a bit worried about him, I think. He looked as thoughhe disliked his father.”
“Oh, there’s nothing in that. Boys go through that stage. Was he very devoted19 to his mother?”
“Well, she fussed over him a bit too much, I think, which he found tiresome20. You know, theydon’t like a mother fussing over them, telling them to wear thicker vests or put an extra pulloveron. His father, he didn’t like the way he wore his hair. It was—well they weren’t wearing hair likethe way they are nowadays, but they were beginning to, if you know what I mean.”
“But the boy wasn’t at home at the time of the tragedy?”
“No.”
“I suppose it was a shock to him?”
“Well, it must have been. Of course, I wasn’t going to the house anymore at that time so I didn’thear so much. If you ask me, I didn’t like that gardener. What was his name now—Fred, I think.
Fred Wizell. Some name like that. Seems to me if he’d done a bit of—well, a bit of cheating orsomething like that and the General had found him out and was going to sack him, I wouldn’t putit past him.”
“To shoot the husband and wife?”
“Well, I’d have thought it more likely he’d just have shot the General. If he shot the Generaland the wife came along, then he’d have had to shoot her too. You read things like that in books.”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Oliver thoughtfully, “one does read all sorts of things in books.”
“There was the tutor. I didn’t like him much.”
“What tutor?”
“Well, there was a tutor for the boy earlier. You know, he couldn’t pass an exam and things atthe earlier school he was at—prep school or something. So they had a tutor for him. He was therefor about a year, I think. Lady Ravenscroft liked him very much. She was musical, you know, andso was this tutor. Mr. Edmunds, I think his name was. Rather a namby-pamby sort of young man, Ithought myself, and it’s my opinion that General Ravenscroft didn’t care for him much.”
“But Lady Ravenscroft did.”
“Oh, they had a lot in common, I think. And I think she was the one really that chose him rathermore than the General. Mind you, he had very nice manners and spoke21 to everyone nicely and allthat—”
“And did—what’s-his-name?”
“Edward? Oh yes, he liked him all right, I think. Almost a bit of hero worship. Anyway, don’tyou believe any stories you hear about scandals in the family or her having an affair with anyoneor General Ravenscroft with that rather po-faced girl who did filing work for him and all that sortof thing. No. Whoever that wicked murderer was, it’s one who came from outside. The policenever got on to anyone, a car was seen near there but there was nothing to it and they never gotany further. But all the same I think one ought to look about for somebody perhaps who’d knownthem in Malaya or abroad or somewhere else, or even when they were first living at Bournemouth.
One never knows.”
“What did your husband think about it?” said Mrs. Oliver. “He wouldn’t have known as muchabout them as you would, of course, but still he might have heard a lot.”
“Oh, he heard a lot of talk, of course. In the George and Flag, of an evening, you know. Peoplesaying all sorts of things. Said as she drank and that cases of empty bottles had been taken out ofthe house. Absolutely untrue, that was, I know for a fact. And there was a nephew as used to comeand see them sometimes. Got into trouble with the police in some way, he did, but I don’t thinkthere was anything in that. The police didn’t, either. Anyway, it wasn’t at that time.”
“There was no one else really living in the house, was there, except the General and LadyRavenscroft?”
“Well, she had a sister as used to come sometimes, Lady Ravenscroft did. She was a half sister,I think. Something like that. Looked rather like Lady Ravenscroft. She made a bit of troublebetween them, I always used to think, when she came for a visit. She was one of those who likesstirring things up, if you know what I mean. Just said things to annoy people.”
“Was Lady Ravenscroft fond of her?”
“Well, if you ask me, I don’t think she was really. I think the sister more or less wished herselfon to them sometimes and she didn’t like not to have her, but I think she found it pretty trying tohave her there. The General quite liked her because she played cards well. Played chess and thingswith him and he enjoyed that. And she was an amusing woman in a way. Mrs. Jerryboy orsomething like that, her name was. She was a widow, I think. Used to borrow money from them, Ithink, too.”
“Did you like her?”
“Well, if you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am, no, I didn’t like her. I disliked her very much. Ithought she was one of those troublemakers22, you know. But she hadn’t been down for some timebefore the tragedy happened. I don’t really remember very much what she was like. She had a sonas came with her once or twice. Didn’t like him very much. Shifty, I thought.”
“Well,” said Mrs. Oliver. “I suppose nobody will really ever know the truth. Not now. Not afterall this time. I saw my goddaughter the other day.”
“Did you now, ma’am. I’d be interested to hear about Miss Celia. How is she? All right?”
“Yes. She seems quite all right. I think she’s thinking perhaps of getting married. At any rateshe’s got a—”
“Got a steady boyfriend, has she?” said Mrs. Buckle. “Ah well, we’ve all got that. Not that weall marry the first one we settle on. Just as well if you don’t, nine times out of ten.”
“You don’t know a Mrs. Burton-Cox, do you?” asked Mrs. Oliver.
“Burton-Cox? I seem to know that name. No, I don’t think so. Wasn’t living down here or cometo stay with them or anything? No, not that I remember. Yet I did hear something. Some old friendof General Ravenscroft, I think, which he’d known in Malaya. But I don’t know.” She shook herhead.
“Well,” said Mrs. Oliver, “I mustn’t stay gossiping with you any longer. It’s been so nice to seeyou and Marlene.”
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收听单词发音
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1
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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cosmetic
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| n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的 | |
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3
cosmetics
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| n.化妆品 | |
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4
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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5
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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6
lipstick
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| n.口红，唇膏 | |
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lipsticks
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| n.口红，唇膏( lipstick的名词复数 ) | |
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buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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9
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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pact
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| n.合同，条约，公约，协定 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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prams
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| n.（手推的）婴儿车( pram的名词复数 ) | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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16
asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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persecuting
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的现在分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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18
bad-tempered
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| adj.脾气坏的 | |
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19
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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20
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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21
spoke
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| 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 | |
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troublemakers
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| n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 ) | |
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