Chapter Two

Two
II t was an idea that was being at that moment discussed by Colonel Melchett and Colonel Bantry.
The Chief Constable¹, after viewing the body and seeing his subordinates set to work on their routine tasks, hadadjourned with the master of the house to the study in the other wing of the house.
Colonel Melchett was an irascible-looking man with a habit of tugging² at his short red moustache. He did so now,shooting a perplexed³ sideways glance at the other man. Finally, he rapped out:
“Look here, Bantry, got to get this off my chest. Is it a fact that you don’t know from Adam who this girl is?”
The other’s answer was explosive, but the Chief Constable interrupted him.
“Yes, yes, old man, but look at it like this. Might be deuced awkward for you. Married man—fond of your missusand all that. But just between ourselves—if you were tied up with this girl in any way, better say so now. Quite naturalto want to suppress the fact—should feel the same myself. But it won’t do. Murder case. Facts bound to come out.
Dash it all, I’m not suggesting you strangled the girl—not the sort of thing you’d do—I know that. But, after all, shecame here—to this house. Put it she broke in and was waiting to see you, and some bloke or other followed her downand did her in. Possible, you know. See what I mean?”
“Damn it all, Melchett, I tell you I’ve never set eyes on that girl in my life! I’m not that sort of man.”
“That’s all right, then. Shouldn’t blame you, you know. Man of the world. Still, if you say so—Question is, whatwas she doing down here? She doesn’t come from these parts—that’s quite certain.”
“The whole thing’s a nightmare,” fumed⁴ the angry master of the house.
“The point is, old man, what was she doing in your library?”
“How should I know? I didn’t ask her here.”
“No, no. But she came here, all the same. Looks as though she wanted to see you. You haven’t had any odd lettersor anything?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Colonel Melchett inquired delicately:
“What were you doing yourself last night?”
“I went to the meeting of the Conservative Association. Nine o’clock, at Much Benham.”
“And you got home when?”
“I left Much Benham just after ten—had a bit of trouble on the way home, had to change a wheel. I got back at aquarter to twelve.”
“You didn’t go into the library?”
“No.”
“Pity.”
“I was tired. I went straight up to bed.”
“Anyone waiting up for you?”
“No. I always take the latchkey. Lorrimer goes to bed at eleven unless I give orders to the contrary.”
“Who shuts up the library?”
“Lorrimer. Usually about seven-thirty this time of year.”
“Would he go in there again during the evening?”
“Not with my being out. He left the tray with whisky and glasses in the hall.”
“I see. What about your wife?”
“I don’t know. She was in bed when I got home and fast asleep. She may have sat in the library yesterday eveningor in the drawing room. I forgot to ask her.”
“Oh well, we shall soon know all the details. Of course, it’s possible one of the servants may be concerned, eh?”
Colonel Bantry shook his head.
“I don’t believe it. They’re all a most respectable lot. We’ve had ’em for years.”
Melchett agreed.
“Yes, it doesn’t seem likely that they’re mixed up in it. Looks more as though the girl came down from town—perhaps with some young fellow. Though why they wanted to break into this house—”
Bantry interrupted.
“London. That’s more like it. We don’t have goings on down here—at least—”
“Well, what is it?”
“Upon my word!” exploded Colonel Bantry. “Basil Blake!”
“Who’s he?”
“Young fellow connected with the film industry. Poisonous young brute⁵. My wife sticks up for him because shewas at school with his mother, but of all the decadent⁶ useless young jackanapes! Wants his behind kicked! He’s takenthat cottage on the Lansham Road—you know—ghastly modern bit of building. He has parties there, shrieking⁷, noisycrowds, and he has girls down for the weekend.”
“Girls?”
“Yes, there was one last week—one of these platinum⁸ blondes—”
The Colonel’s jaw⁹ dropped.
“A platinum blonde, eh?” said Melchett reflectively.
“Yes. I say, Melchett, you don’t think—”
The Chief Constable said briskly:
“It’s a possibility. It accounts for a girl of this type being in St. Mary Mead¹⁰. I think I’ll run along and have a wordwith this young fellow—Braid—Blake—what did you say his name was?”
“Blake. Basil Blake.”
“Will he be at home, do you know?”
“Let me see. What’s today—Saturday? Usually gets here sometime Saturday morning.”
Melchett said grimly:
“We’ll see if we can find him.”
II
Basil Blake’s cottage, which consisted of all modern conveniences enclosed in a hideous¹¹ shell of half timbering andsham Tudor, was known to the postal¹² authorities, and to William Booker, builder, as “Chatsworth”; to Basil and hisfriends as “The Period Piece,” and to the village of St. Mary Mead at large as “Mr. Booker’s new house.”
It was little more than a quarter of a mile from the village proper, being situated¹³ on a new building estate that hadbeen bought by the enterprising Mr. Booker just beyond the Blue Boar, with frontage on what had been a particularlyunspoilt country lane. Gossington Hall was about a mile farther on along the same road.
Lively interest had been aroused in St. Mary Mead when news went round that “Mr. Booker’s new house” hadbeen bought by a film star. Eager watch was kept for the first appearance of the legendary¹⁴ creature in the village, and itmay be said that as far as appearances went Basil Blake was all that could be asked for. Little by little, however, thereal facts leaked out. Basil Blake was not a film star—not even a film actor. He was a very junior person, rejoicing inthe title of about fifteenth in the list of those responsible for Set Decorations at Lemville Studios, headquarters ofBritish New Era Films. The village maidens¹⁵ lost interest, and the ruling class of censorious spinsters took exception toBasil Blake’s way of life. Only the landlord of the Blue Boar continued to be enthusiastic about Basil and Basil’sfriends. The revenues of the Blue Boar had increased since the young man’s arrival in the place.
The police car stopped outside the distorted rustic¹⁶ gate of Mr. Booker’s fancy, and Colonel Melchett, with a glanceof distaste at the excessive half timbering of Chatsworth, strode up to the front door and attacked it briskly with theknocker.
It was opened much more promptly¹⁷ than he had expected. A young man with straight, somewhat long, black hair,wearing orange corduroy trousers and a royal-blue shirt, snapped out: “Well, what do you want?”
“Are you Mr. Basil Blake?”
“Of course I am.”
“I should be glad to have a few words with you, if I may, Mr. Blake?”
“Who are you?”
“I am Colonel Melchett, the Chief Constable of the County.”
Mr. Blake said insolently¹⁸:
“You don’t say so; how amusing!”
And Colonel Melchett, following the other in, understood what Colonel Bantry’s reactions had been. The toe of hisown boot itched¹⁹.
Containing himself, however, he said with an attempt to speak pleasantly:
“You’re an early riser, Mr. Blake.”
“Not at all. I haven’t been to bed yet.”
“Indeed.”
“But I don’t suppose you’ve come here to inquire into my hours of bedgoing—or if you have it’s rather a waste ofthe county’s time and money. What is it you want to speak to me about?”
Colonel Melchett cleared his throat.
“I understand, Mr. Blake, that last weekend you had a visitor—a—er—fair-haired young lady.”
Basil Blake stared, threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“Have the old cats been on to you from the village? About my morals? Damn it all, morals aren’t a police matter.
You know that.”
“As you say,” said Melchett dryly, “your morals are no concern of mine. I have come to you because the body of afair-haired young woman of slightly—er—exotic appearance has been found—murdered.”
“Strewth!” Blake stared at him. “Where?”
“In the library at Gossington Hall.”
“At Gossington? At old Bantry’s? I say, that’s pretty rich. Old Bantry! The dirty old man!”
Colonel Melchett went very red in the face. He said sharply through the renewed mirth of the young man oppositehim: “Kindly control your tongue, sir. I came to ask you if you can throw any light on this business.”
“You’ve come round to ask me if I’ve missed a blonde? Is that it? Why should—hallo, ’allo, ’allo, what’s this?”
A car had drawn²⁰ up outside with a scream of brakes. Out of it tumbled a young woman dressed in flapping black-and-white pyjamas²¹. She had scarlet²² lips, blackened eyelashes, and a platinum-blonde head. She strode up to the door,flung it open, and exclaimed angrily:
“Why did you run out on me, you brute?”
Basil Blake had risen.
“So there you are! Why shouldn’t I leave you? I told you to clear out and you wouldn’t.”
“Why the hell should I because you told me to? I was enjoying myself.”
“Yes—with that filthy²³ brute Rosenberg. You know what he’s like.”
“You were jealous, that’s all.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I hate to see a girl I like who can’t hold her drink and lets a disgusting Central Europeanpaw her about.”
“That’s a damned lie. You were drinking pretty hard yourself—and going on with the black-haired Spanish bitch.”
“If I take you to a party I expect you to be able to behave yourself.”
“And I refuse to be dictated²⁴ to, and that’s that. You said we’d go to the party and come on down here afterwards.
I’m not going to leave a party before I’m ready to leave it.”
“No—and that’s why I left you flat. I was ready to come down here and I came. I don’t hang round waiting for anyfool of a woman.”
“Sweet, polite person you are!”
“You seem to have followed me down all right!”
“I wanted to tell you what I thought of you!”
“If you think you can boss me, my girl, you’re wrong!”
“And if you think you can order me about, you can think again!”
They glared at each other.
It was at this moment that Colonel Melchett seized his opportunity, and cleared his throat loudly.
Basil Blake swung round on him.
“Hallo, I forgot you were here. About time you took yourself off, isn’t it? Let me introduce you—Dinah Lee—Colonel Blimp of the County Police. And now, Colonel, that you’ve seen my blonde is alive and in good condition,perhaps you’ll get on with the good work concerning old Bantry’s little bit of fluff. Good morning!”
Colonel Melchett said:
“I advise you to keep a civil tongue in your head, young man, or you’ll let yourself in for trouble,” and stumpedout, his face red and wrathful.

1 constable   

n.(英国)警察，警官

参考例句：

• The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
• The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

2 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

3 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

4 fumed   

愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• He fumed with rage because she did not appear. 因为她没出现，所以他大发雷霆。
• He fumed and fretted and did not know what was the matter. 他烦躁，气恼，不知是怎么回事。

5 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

6 decadent   

adj.颓废的，衰落的，堕落的

参考例句：

• Don't let decadent ideas eat into yourselves.别让颓废的思想侵蚀你们。
• This song was once banned, because it was regarded as decadent.这首歌曾经被认定为是靡靡之音而被禁止播放。

7 shrieking   

v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were all shrieking with laughter. 他们都发出了尖锐的笑声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

9 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

10 mead   

n.蜂蜜酒

参考例句：

• He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
• He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。

11 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

12 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

13 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

14 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

15 maidens   

处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功，少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

16 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

17 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

18 insolently   

adv.自豪地，自傲地

参考例句：

• No does not respect, speak insolently,satire, etc for TT management team member. 不得发表对TT管理层人员不尊重、出言不逊、讽刺等等的帖子。 来自互联网
• He had replied insolently to his superiors. 他傲慢地回答了他上司的问题。 来自互联网

19 itched   

v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Seeing the children playing ping-pong, he itched to have a go. 他看到孩子们打乒乓，不觉技痒。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He could hardly sIt'still and itched to have a go. 他再也坐不住了，心里跃跃欲试。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

21 pyjamas   

n.（宽大的）睡衣裤

参考例句：

• This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。
• Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。

22 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

23 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

24 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》