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14. Excursion into the Past
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Fourteen
E XCURSION INTO THE P AST
A fter a night in the train, Inspector1 Craddock alighted at a small station in the Highlands.
It struck him for a moment as strange that the wealthy Mrs. Goedler—an invalid2—with a choice of a London housein a fashionable square, an estate in Hampshire, and a villa3 in the South of France, should have selected this remoteScottish home as her residence. Surely she was cut off here from many friends and distractions4. It must be a lonely life—or was she too ill to notice or care about her surroundings?
A car was waiting to meet him. A big old-fashioned Daimler with an elderly chauffeur5 driving it. It was a sunnymorning and the Inspector enjoyed the twenty-mile drive, though he marvelled6 anew at this preference for isolation7. Atentative remark to the chauffeur brought partial enlightenment.
“It’s her own home as a girl. Ay, she’s the last of the family. And she and Mr. Goedler were always happier herethan anywhere, though it wasn’t often he could get away from London. But when he did they enjoyed themselves likea couple of bairns.”
When the grey walls of the old keep came in sight, Craddock felt that time was slipping backwards8. An elderlybutler received him, and after a wash and a shave he was shown into a room with a huge fire burning in the grate, andbreakfast was served to him.
After breakfast, a tall, middle-aged9 woman in nurse’s dress, with a pleasant and competent manner, came in andintroduced herself as Sister McClelland.
“I have my patient all ready for you, Mr. Craddock. She is, indeed, looking forward to seeing you.”
“I’ll do my best not to excite her,” Craddock promised.
“I had better warn you of what will happen. You will find Mrs. Goedler apparently10 quite normal. She will talk andenjoy talking and then—quite suddenly—her powers will fail. Come away at once, then, and send for me. She is, yousee, kept almost entirely11 under the influence of morphia. She drowses most of the time. In preparation for your visit, Ihave given her a strong stimulant12. As soon as the effect of the stimulant wears off, she will relapse intosemiconsciousness.”
“I quite understand, Miss McClelland. Would it be in order for you to tell me exactly what the state of Mrs.
Goedler’s health is?”
“Well, Mr. Craddock, she is a dying woman. Her life cannot be prolonged for more than a few weeks. To say thatshe should have been dead years ago would strike you as odd, yet it is the truth. What has kept Mrs. Goedler alive isher intense enjoyment13 and love of being alive. That sounds, perhaps, an odd thing to say of someone who has lived thelife of an invalid for many years and has not left her home here for fifteen years, but it is true. Mrs. Goedler has neverbeen a strong woman—but she has retained to an astonishing degree the will to live.” She added with a smile, “She isa very charming woman, too, as you will find.”
Craddock was shown into a large bedroom where a fire was burning and where an old lady lay in a large canopiedbed. Though she was only about seven or eight years older than Letitia Blacklock, her fragility made her seem olderthan her years.
Her white hair was carefully arranged, a froth of pale blue wool enveloped14 her neck and shoulders. There werelines of pain on the face, but lines of sweetness, too. And there was, strangely enough, what Craddock could onlydescribe as a roguish twinkle in her faded blue eyes.
“Well, this is interesting,” she said. “It’s not often I receive a visit from the police. I hear Letitia Blacklock wasn’tmuch hurt by this attempt on her? How is my dear Blackie?”
“She’s very well, Mrs. Goedler. She sent you her love.”
“It’s a long time since I’ve seen her … For many years now, it’s been just a card at Christmas. I asked her to comeup here when she came back to England after Charlotte’s death, but she said it would be painful after so long andperhaps she was right … Blackie always had a lot of sense. I had an old school friend to see me about a year ago, and,lor!”—she smiled—“we bored each other to death. After we’d finished all the ‘Do you remembers?’ there wasn’tanything to say. Most embarrassing.”
Craddock was content to let her talk before pressing his questions. He wanted, as it were, to get back into the past,to get the feel of the Goedler-Blacklock ménage.
“I suppose,” said Belle15 shrewdly, “that you want to ask about the money? Randall left it all to go to Blackie aftermy death. Really, of course, Randall never dreamed that I’d outlive him. He was a big strong man, never a day’sillness, and I was always a mass of aches and pains and complaints and doctors coming and pulling long faces overme.”
“I don’t think complaints would be the right word, Mrs. Goedler.”
The old lady chuckled16.
“I didn’t mean it in the complaining sense. I’ve never been too sorry for myself. But it was always taken forgranted that I, being the weakly one, would go first. It didn’t work out that way. No—it didn’t work out that way….”
“Why, exactly, did your husband leave his money the way he did?”
“You mean, why did he leave it to Blackie? Not for the reason you’ve probably been thinking.” The roguishtwinkle was very apparent. “What minds you policemen have! Randall was never in the least in love with her and shewasn’t with him. Letitia, you know, has really got a man’s mind. She hasn’t any feminine feelings or weaknesses. Idon’t believe she was ever in love with any man. She was never particularly pretty and she didn’t care for clothes. Sheused a little makeup17 in deference18 to prevailing19 custom, but not to make herself look prettier.” There was pity in the oldvoice as she went on: “She never knew any of the fun of being a woman.”
Craddock looked at the frail20 little figure in the big bed with interest. Belle Goedler, he realized, had enjoyed—stillenjoyed—being a woman. She twinkled at him.
“I’ve always thought,” she said, “it must be terribly dull to be a man.”
Then she said thoughtfully:
“I think Randall looked on Blackie very much as a kind of younger brother. He relied on her judgment21 which wasalways excellent. She kept him out of trouble more than once, you know.”
“She told me that she came to his rescue once with money?”
“That, yes, but I meant more than that. One can speak the truth after all these years. Randall couldn’t reallydistinguish between what was crooked23 and what wasn’t. His conscience wasn’t sensitive. The poor dear really didn’tknow what was just smart — and what was dishonest. Blackie kept him straight. That’s one thing about LetitiaBlacklock, she’s absolutely dead straight. She would never do anything that was dishonest. She’s a very fine character,you know. I’ve always admired her. They had a terrible girlhood, those girls. The father was an old country doctor—terrifically pig-headed and narrow-minded—the complete family tyrant24. Letitia broke away, came to London, andtrained herself as a chartered accountant. The other sister was an invalid, there was a deformity of kinds and she neversaw people or went out. That’s why when the old man died, Letitia gave up everything to go home and look after hersister. Randall was wild with her—but it made no difference. If Letitia thought a thing was her duty she’d do it. Andyou couldn’t move her.”
“How long was that before your husband died?”
“A couple of years, I think. Randall made his will before she left the firm, and he didn’t alter it. He said to me:
‘We’ve no one of our own.’ (Our little boy died, you know, when he was two years old.) ‘After you and I are gone,Blackie had better have the money. She’ll play the markets and make ’em sit up.’
“You see,” Belle went on, “Randall enjoyed the whole money-making game so much—it wasn’t just the money—it was the adventure, the risks, the excitement of it all. And Blackie liked it too. She had the same adventurous25 spiritand the same judgment. Poor darling, she’d never had any of the usual fun—being in love, and leading men on andteasing them—and having a home and children and all the real fun of life.”
Craddock thought it was odd, the real pity and indulgent contempt felt by this woman, a woman whose life hadbeen hampered26 by illness, whose only child had died, whose husband had died, leaving her to a lonely widowhood,and who had been a hopeless invalid for years.
She nodded her head at him.
“I know what you’re thinking. But I’ve had all the things that make life worth while—they may have been takenfrom me—but I have had them. I was pretty and gay as a girl, I married the man I loved, and he never stopped lovingme … My child died, but I had him for two precious years … I’ve had a lot of physical pain—but if you have pain,you know how to enjoy the exquisite27 pleasure of the times when pain stops. And everyone’s been kind to me, always… I’m a lucky woman, really.”
Craddock seized upon an opening in her former remarks.
“You said just now, Mrs. Goedler, that your husband left his fortune to Miss Blacklock because he had no one elseto leave it to. But that’s not strictly28 true, is it? He had a sister.”
“Oh, Sonia. But they quarrelled years ago and made a clean break of it.”
“He disapproved29 of her marriage?”
“Yes, she married a man called—now what was his name—?”
“Stamfordis.”
“That’s it. Dmitri Stamfordis. Randall always said he was a crook22. The two men didn’t like each other from thefirst. But Sonia was wildly in love with him and quite determined30 to marry him. And I really never saw why sheshouldn’t. Men have such odd ideas about these things. Sonia wasn’t a mere31 girl—she was twenty-five, and she knewexactly what she was doing. He was a crook, I dare say—I mean really a crook. I believe he had a criminal record—and Randall always suspected the name he was passing under here wasn’t his own. Sonia knew all that. The point was,which of course Randall couldn’t appreciate, that Dmitri was really a wildly attractive person to women. And he wasjust as much in love with Sonia as she was with him. Randall insisted that he was just marrying her for her money—but that wasn’t true. Sonia was very handsome, you know. And she had plenty of spirit. If the marriage had turned outbadly, if Dmitri had been unkind to her or unfaithful to her, she would just have cut her losses and walked out on him.
She was a rich woman and could do as she chose with her life.”
“The quarrel was never made up?”
“No. Randall and Sonia never had got on very well. She resented his trying to prevent the marriage. She said,‘Very well. You’re quite impossible! This is the last you hear of me!’”
“But it was not the last you heard of her?”
Belle smiled.
“No, I got a letter from her about eighteen months afterwards. She wrote from Budapest, I remember, but shedidn’t give an address. She told me to tell Randall that she was extremely happy and that she’d just had twins.”
“And she told you their names?”
Again Belle smiled. “She said they were born just after midday—and she intended to call them Pip and Emma.
That may have been just a joke, of course.”
“Didn’t you hear from her again?”
“No. She said she and her husband and the babies were going to America on a short stay. I never heard anymore….”
“You don’t happen, I suppose, to have kept that letter?”
“No, I’m afraid not … I read it to Randall and he just grunted32: ‘She’ll regret marrying that fellow one of thesedays.’ That’s all he ever said about it. We really forgot about her. She went right out of our lives….”
“Nevertheless Mr. Goedler left his estate to her children in the event of Miss Blacklock predeceasing you?”
“Oh, that was my doing. I said to him, when he told me about the will: ‘And suppose Blackie dies before I do?’ Hewas quite surprised. I said, ‘Oh, I know Blackie is as strong as a horse and I’m a delicate creature—but there’s such athing as accidents, you know, and there’s such a thing as creaking gates …’ And he said, ‘There’s no one—absolutelyno one.’ I said, ‘There’s Sonia.’ And he said at once, ‘And let that fellow get hold of my money? No—indeed!’ I said,‘Well, her children then. Pip and Emma, and there may be lots more by now’—and so he grumbled33, but he did put itin.”
“And from that day to this,” Craddock said slowly, “you’ve heard nothing of your sister-in-law or her children?”
“Nothing—they may be dead—they may be—anywhere.”
They may be in Chipping Cleghorn, thought Craddock.
As though she read his thoughts, a look of alarm came into Belle Goedler’s eyes. She said, “Don’t let them hurtBlackie. Blackie’s good—really good—you mustn’t let harm come to—”
Her voice trailed off suddenly. Craddock saw the sudden grey shadows round her mouth and eyes.
“You’re tired,” he said. “I’ll go.”
She nodded.
“Send Mac to me,” she whispered. “Yes, tired …” She made a feeble motion of her hand. “Look after Blackie …Nothing must happen to Blackie … look after her….”
“I’ll do my very best, Mrs. Goedler.” He rose and went to the door.
Her voice, a thin thread of sound, followed him….
“Not long now—until I’m dead—dangerous for her—Take care….”
Sister McClelland passed him as he went out. He said, uneasily:
“I hope I haven’t done her harm.”
“Oh, I don’t think so, Mr. Craddock. I told you she would tire quite suddenly.”
Later, he asked the nurse:
“The only thing I hadn’t time to ask Mrs. Goedler was whether she had any old photographs? If so, I wonder—”
She interrupted him.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing of that kind. All her personal papers and things were stored with their furniture from theLondon house at the beginning of the war. Mrs. Goedler was desperately34 ill at the time. Then the storage despositorywas blitzed. Mrs. Goedler was very upset at losing so many personal souvenirs and family papers. I’m afraid there’snothing of that kind.”
So that was that, Craddock thought.
Yet he felt his journey had not been in vain. Pip and Emma, those twin wraiths35, were not quite wraiths.
Craddock thought, “Here’s a brother and sister brought up somewhere in Europe. Sonia Goedler was a rich womanat the time of her marriage, but money in Europe hasn’t remained money. Queer things have happened to moneyduring these war years. And so there are two young people, the son and daughter of a man who had a criminal record.
Suppose they came to England, more or less penniless. What would they do? Find out about any rich relatives. Theiruncle, a man of vast fortune, is dead. Possibly the first thing they’d do would be to look up their uncle’s will. See if byany chance money had been left to them or to their mother. So they go to Somerset House and learn the contents of hiswill, and then, perhaps, they learn of the existence of Miss Letitia Blacklock. Then they make inquiries36 about RandallGoedler’s widow. She’s an invalid, living up in Scotland, and they find out she hasn’t long to live. If this LetitiaBlacklock dies before her, they will come into a vast fortune. What then?”
Craddock thought, “They wouldn’t go to Scotland. They’d find out where Letitia Blacklock is living now. Andthey’d go there—but not as themselves … They’d go together—or separately? Emma … I wonder?… Pip and Emma… I’ll eat my hat if Pip, or Emma, or both of them, aren’t in Chipping Cleghorn now….”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
2 invalid V4Oxh     
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的
参考例句:
  • He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
  • A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
3 villa xHayI     
n.别墅,城郊小屋
参考例句:
  • We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
  • We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。
4 distractions ff1d4018fe7ed703bc7b2e2e97ba2216     
n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 );娱乐,消遣;心烦意乱;精神错乱
参考例句:
  • I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难,因为使人分心的事太多。
  • There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多,使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 chauffeur HrGzL     
n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机;v.为…开车
参考例句:
  • The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
  • She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。
6 marvelled 11581b63f48d58076e19f7de58613f45     
v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • I marvelled that he suddenly left college. 我对他突然离开大学感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I marvelled at your boldness. 我对你的大胆感到惊奇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 isolation 7qMzTS     
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离
参考例句:
  • The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
  • He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
8 backwards BP9ya     
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地
参考例句:
  • He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
  • All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。
9 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
10 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
11 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
12 stimulant fFKy4     
n.刺激物,兴奋剂
参考例句:
  • It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
  • Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
13 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
14 enveloped 8006411f03656275ea778a3c3978ff7a     
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
  • Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 belle MQly5     
n.靓女
参考例句:
  • She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
  • She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。
16 chuckled 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8     
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
  • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
17 makeup 4AXxO     
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?
18 deference mmKzz     
n.尊重,顺从;敬意
参考例句:
  • Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗?
  • The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。
19 prevailing E1ozF     
adj.盛行的;占优势的;主要的
参考例句:
  • She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
  • This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。
20 frail yz3yD     
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的
参考例句:
  • Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了,身体虚弱,不便独居。
  • She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上,看上去特别虚弱。
21 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
22 crook NnuyV     
v.使弯曲;n.小偷,骗子,贼;弯曲(处)
参考例句:
  • He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子,他要我向他认错。
  • She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。
23 crooked xvazAv     
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的
参考例句:
  • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指,示意我们到他那儿去。
  • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
24 tyrant vK9z9     
n.暴君,专制的君主,残暴的人
参考例句:
  • The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
  • The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。
25 adventurous LKryn     
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 
参考例句:
  • I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
  • He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。
26 hampered 3c5fb339e8465f0b89285ad0a790a834     
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
  • So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。
27 exquisite zhez1     
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的
参考例句:
  • I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
  • I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。
28 strictly GtNwe     
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地
参考例句:
  • His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
  • The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。
29 disapproved 3ee9b7bf3f16130a59cb22aafdea92d0     
v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
30 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
31 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
32 grunted f18a3a8ced1d857427f2252db2abbeaf     
(猪等)作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 ); (指人)发出类似的哼声; 咕哝着说
参考例句:
  • She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声,继续看书,不屑抬起头来看一眼。
  • She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。
33 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
34 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
35 wraiths edd5cf88363f454b2a0dd9c416d0c3a8     
n.幽灵( wraith的名词复数 );(传说中人在将死或死后不久的)显形阴魂
参考例句:
  • And spat out army of soulless wraiths. 一群失魄的魂灵轰然涌出。 来自互联网
  • There are five or six others of all ages and sexes, like wraiths following her around. 还有另外五、六个不同年龄和性别的人象幽灵似的围着她转。 来自互联网
36 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》


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