1“’E re, Miss. Is it true as there’s an ’ideous poisoner at work?”
Gina pushed the hair back from her forehead, and jumped as the hoarse1 whisper reached her. There was paint onher cheek and paint on her slacks. She and her selected helpers had been busy on the backcloth of the Nile at sunset fortheir next theatrical2 production.
It was one of these helpers who was now asking the question. Ernie, the boy who had given her such valuablelessons in the manipulations of locks. Ernie’s fingers were equally dextrous at stage carpentry, and he was one of themost enthusiastic theatrical assistants.
His eyes now were bright and beady with pleasurable anticipation3.
“Where on earth did you get that idea?” asked Gina indignantly.
Ernie shut one eye.
“It’s all round the dorms,” he said. “But look ’ere, Miss, it wasn’t one of us. Not a thing like that. And nobodywouldn’t do a thing to Mrs. Serrocold. Even Jenkins wouldn’t cosh her. ’Tisn’t as though it was the old bitch.
Wouldn’t ’alf like to poison ’er, I wouldn’t.”
“Don’t talk like that about Miss Bellever.”
“Sorry, Miss. It slipped out. What poison was it, Miss? Strickline, was it? Makes you arch your back and die inagonies, that does. Or was it Prussian acid?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ernie.”
Ernie winked4 again.
“Not ’alf you don’t. Mr. Alex it was done it, so they say. Brought them chocs down from London. But that’s a lie.
Mr. Alex wouldn’t do a thing like that, would he, Miss?”
“Of course he wouldn’t,” said Gina.
“Much more likely to be Mr. Birnbaum. When he’s giving us P.T. he makes the most awful faces and Don and Ithink as he’s batty.”
“Just move that turpentine out of the way.”
Ernie obeyed, murmuring to himself:
“Don’t ’arf see life ’ere! Old Gulbrandsen done in yesterday and now a secret poisoner. D’you think it’s the sameperson doing both? What ud you say, Miss, if I told you as I know oo it was done ’im in?”
“You can’t possibly know anything about it.”
“Coo, carn’t I neither? Supposin’ I was outside last night and saw something.”
“How could you have been out? The College is locked up after roll call at seven.”
“Roll call … I can get out whenever I likes, Miss. Locks don’t mean nothing to me. Get out and walk round thegrounds just for the fun of it, I do.”
Gina said:
“I wish you’d stop telling lies, Ernie.”
“Who’s telling lies?”
“You are. You tell lies and you boast about things that you’ve never done at all.”
“That’s what you say, Miss. You wait till the coppers5 come round and arsk me all about what I saw last night.”
“Well, what did you see?”
“Ah,” said Ernie, “wouldn’t you like to know?”
Gina made a rush at him and he beat a strategic retreat. Stephen came over from the other side of the theatre andjoined Gina. They discussed various technical matters and then, side by side, they walked back towards the house.
“They all seem to know about Grandam and the chocs,” said Gina. “The boys, I mean. How do they get to know?”
“Local grapevine of some kind.”
“And they knew about Alex’s card. Stephen, surely it was very stupid to put Alex’s card in the box when he wasactually coming down here.”
“Yes, but who knew he was coming down here? He decided6 to come on the spur of the moment and sent atelegram. Probably the box was posted by then. And if he hadn’t come down, putting his card in would have beenquite a good idea. Because he does send Caroline chocolates sometimes.”
He went on slowly:
“What I simply can’t understand is—”
“Is why anyone should want to poison Grandam,” Gina cut in. “I know. It’s inconceivable! She’s so adorable—andabsolutely everyone does adore her.”
Stephen did not answer. Gina looked at him sharply.
“I know what you’re thinking, Steve!”
“I wonder.”
“You’re thinking that Wally—doesn’t adore her. But Wally would never poison anyone. The idea’s laughable.”
“The loyal wife!”
“Don’t say that in that sneering8 tone of voice.”
“I didn’t mean to sneer7. I think you are loyal. I admire you for it. But, darling Gina, you can’t keep it up, youknow.”
“What do you mean, Steve?”
“You know quite well what I mean. You and Wally don’t belong together. It’s just one of those things that doesn’twork. He knows it, too. The split is going to come any day now. And you’ll both be much happier when it has come.”
Gina said:
“Don’t be idiotic9.”
Stephen laughed.
“Come now, you can’t pretend that you’re suited to each other or that Wally’s happy here.”
“Oh, I don’t know what’s the matter with him,” cried Gina. “He sulks the whole time. He hardly speaks. I—I don’tknow what to do about him. Why can’t he enjoy himself here? We had such fun together once—everything was fun—and now he might be a different person. Why do people have to change so?”
“Do I change?”
“No, Steve darling. You’re always Steve. Do you remember how I used to tag round after you in the holidays?”
“And what a nuisance I used to think you—that miserable10 little kid Gina. Well, the tables are turned now. You’vegot me where you want me, haven’t you, Gina?”
Gina said quickly:
“Idiot.” She went on hurriedly, “Do you think Ernie was lying? He was pretending he was roaming about in the foglast night, and hinting that he could tell things about the murder. Do you think that might be true?”
“True? Of course not. You know how he boasts. Anything to make himself important.”
“Oh I know. I only wondered—”
They walked along side by side without speaking.
2The setting sun illumined the west fa?ade of the house. Inspector11 Curry12 looked towards it.
“Is this about the place where you stopped your car last night?” he asked.
Alex Restarick stood back a little as though considering.
“Near enough,” he said. “It’s difficult to tell exactly because of the fog. Yes, I should say this was the place.”
Inspector Curry stood looking round with an appraising13 eye.
The gravelled sweep of drive swept round in a slow curve, and at this point, emerging from a screen ofrhododendrons, the west fa?ade of the house came suddenly into view with its terrace and yew15 hedges and stepsleading down to the lawns. Thereafter the drive continued in its curving progress, sweeping16 through a belt of trees andround between the lake and the house until it ended in the big gravel14 sweep at the east side of the house.
“Dodgett,” said Inspector Curry.
Police Constable17 Dodgett, who had been holding himself at the ready, started spasmodically into motion. He hurledhimself across the intervening space of lawn in a diagonal line towards the house, reached the terrace, and went in bythe side door. A few moments later, the curtains of one of the windows were violently agitated18. Then ConstableDodgett reappeared out of the garden door, and ran back to rejoin them, breathing like a steam engine.
“Two minutes and forty-two seconds,” said Inspector Curry, clicking the stop watch with which he had been timinghim. “They don’t take long, these things, do they?”
His tone was pleasantly conversational20.
“I don’t run as fast as your constable,” said Alex. “I presume it is my supposed movements you have been timing19?”
“I’m just pointing out that you had the opportunity to do murder. That’s all, Mr. Restarick. I’m not making anyaccusations—as yet.”
Alex Restarick said kindly21 to Constable Dodgett who was still panting:
“I can’t run as fast as you can, but I believe I’m in better training.”
“It’s since ’aving the bronchitis last winter,” said Dodgett.
Alex turned back to the Inspector.
“Seriously, though, in spite of trying to make me uncomfortable and observing my reactions—and you mustremember that we artistic22 folk are oh! so sensitive, such tender plants!”—his voice took on a mocking note—“youcan’t really believe I had anything to do with all this? I’d hardly send a box of poisoned chocolates to Mrs. Serrocoldand put my card inside, would I?”
“That might be what we are meant to think. There’s such a thing as a double bluff23, Mr. Restarick.”
“Oh, I see. How ingenious you are. By the way, those chocolates were poisoned?”
“The six chocolates containing Kirsch flavouring in the top layer were poisoned, yes. They contained aconitine.”
“Not one of my favourite poisons, Inspector. Personally, I have a weakness for curare.”
“Curare has to be introduced into the bloodstream, Mr. Restarick, not into the stomach.”
“How wonderfully knowledgeable24 the police force are,” said Alex admiringly.
Inspector Curry cast a quiet sideways glance at the young man. He noted25 the slightly pointed26 ears, the un-EnglishMongolian type of face. The eyes that danced with mischievous27 mockery. It would have been hard at any time toknow what Alex Restarick was thinking. A satyr—or did he mean a faun? An overfed faun, Inspector Curry thoughtsuddenly, and somehow there was an unpleasantness about that idea.
A twister with brains—that’s how he would sum up Alex Restarick. Cleverer than his brother. Mother had been aRussian or so he had heard. “Russians” to Inspector Curry were what “Bony” had been in the early days of thenineteenth century and what “the Huns” had been in the early twentieth century. Anything to do with Russia was badin Inspector Curry’s opinion, and if Alex Restarick had murdered Gulbrandsen he would be a very satisfactorycriminal. But unfortunately Curry was by no means convinced that he had.
Constable Dodgett, having recovered his breath, now spoke28.
“I moved the curtains as you told me, sir,” he said. “And counted thirty. I noticed that the curtains have a hook tornoff at the top. Means that there’s a gap. You’d see the light in the room from outside.”
Inspector Curry said to Alex:
“Did you notice light streaming out from that window last night?”
“I couldn’t see the house at all because of the fog. I told you so.”
“Fog’s patchy, though. Sometimes it clears for a minute here and there.”
“It never cleared so that I could see the house—the main part, that is. The gymnasium building close at handloomed up out of the mist in a deliciously unsubstantial way. It gave a perfect illusion of dock warehouses29. As I toldyou, I am putting on a Limehouse Ballet and—”
“You told me,” agreed Inspector Curry.
“One gets in the habit, you know, of looking at things from the point of view of a stage set, rather than from thepoint of view of reality.”
“I daresay. And yet a stage set’s real enough, isn’t it, Mr. Restarick?”
“I don’t see exactly what you mean, Inspector.”
“Well, it’s made of real materials—canvas and wood and paint and cardboard. The illusion is in the eye of thebeholder, not in the set itself. That, as I say, is real enough, as real behind the scenes as it is in front.”
Alex stared at him.
“Now that, you know, is a very penetrating30 remark, Inspector. It’s given me an idea.”
“For another ballet?”
“No, not for another ballet … Dear me, I wonder if we’ve all been rather stupid?”
3The Inspector and Dodgett went back to the house across the lawn. (Looking for footprints, Alex said to himself. Buthere he was wrong. They had looked for footprints very early that morning and had been unsuccessful because it hadrained heavily at 2 A.M. ) Alex walked slowly up the drive, turning over in his mind the possibilities of his new idea.
He was diverted from this however by the sight of Gina walking on the path by the lake. The house was on a slighteminence, and the ground sloped gently down from the front sweeps of gravel to the lake, which was bordered byrhododendrons and other shrubs31. Alex ran down the gravel and found Gina.
“If you could black out that absurd Victorian monstrosity,” he said, screwing up his eyes, “this would make a verygood Swan Lake, with you, Gina, as the Swan Maiden32. You are more like the Snow Queen though, when I come tothink of it. Ruthless, determined33 to have your own way, quite without pity or kindliness34 or the rudiments35 ofcompassion. You are very very feminine, Gina dear.”
“How malicious36 you are, Alex dear!”
“Because I refuse to be taken in by you? You’re very pleased with yourself, aren’t you, Gina? You’ve got us allwhere you want us. Myself, Stephen, and that large, simple husband of yours.”
“You’re talking nonsense.”
“Oh no, I’m not. Stephen’s in love with you, I’m in love with you, and Wally’s desperately37 miserable. What morecould a woman want?”
Gina looked at him and laughed.
Alex nodded his head vigorously.
“You have the rudiments of honesty, I’m glad to see. That’s the Latin in you. You don’t go to the trouble ofpretending that you’re not attractive to men—and that you’re terribly sorry about it if they are attracted to you. Youlike having men in love with you, don’t you, cruel Gina? Even miserable little Edgar Lawson!”
Gina looked at him steadily38.
She said in a quiet serious tone:
“It doesn’t last very long, you know. Women have a much worse time of it in the world than men do. They’re morevulnerable. They have children, and they mind—terribly—about their children. As soon as they lose their looks, themen they love don’t love them anymore. They’re betrayed and deserted39 and pushed aside. I don’t blame men. I’d bethe same myself. I don’t like people who are old or ugly or ill, or who whine40 about their troubles, or who areridiculous like Edgar, strutting41 about and pretending he’s important and worthwhile. You say I’m cruel? It’s a cruelworld! Sooner or later it will be cruel to me! But now I’m young and I’m nice looking and people find me attractive.”
Her teeth flashed out in her peculiar42, warm sunny smile. “Yes, I enjoy it, Alex. Why shouldn’t I?”
“Why indeed?” said Alex. “What I want to know is what you are going to do about it. Are you going to marryStephen or are you going to marry me?”
“I’m married to Wally.”
“Temporarily. Every woman should make one mistake matrimonially—but there’s no need to dwell on it. Havingtried out the show in the provinces, the time has come to bring it to the West End.”
“And you’re the West End?”
“Indubitably.”
“Do you really want to marry me? I can’t imagine you married.”
“I insist on marriage. Affaires, I always think, are so very old-fashioned. Difficulties with passports and hotels andall that. I shall never have a mistress unless I can’t get her any other way!”
Gina’s laugh rang out fresh and clear.
“You do amuse me, Alex.”
“It is my principal asset. Stephen is much better looking than I am. He’s extremely handsome and very intensewhich, of course, women adore. But intensity43 is fatiguing44 in the home. With me, Gina, you will find life entertaining.”
“Aren’t you going to say you love me madly?”
“However true that may be, I shall certainly not say it. It would be one up to you and one down to me if I did. No,all I am prepared to do is to make you a businesslike offer of marriage.”
“I shall have to think about it,” said Gina, smiling.
“Naturally. Besides, you’ve got to put Wally out of his misery45 first. I’ve a lot of sympathy with Wally. It must beabsolute hell for him to be married to you and trailed along at your chariot wheels into this heavy, family atmosphereof philanthropy.”
“What a beast you are, Alex!”
“A perceptive46 beast.”
“Sometimes,” said Gina, “I don’t think Wally cares for me one little bit. He just doesn’t notice me anymore.”
“You’ve stirred him up with a stick and he doesn’t respond? Most annoying.”
Like a flash, Gina swung her palm and delivered a ringing slap on Alex’s smooth cheek.
“Touché!” cried Alex.
With a quick, deft47 movement, he gathered her into his arms and before she could resist, his lips fastened on hers ina long ardent48 kiss. She struggled a moment and then relaxed….
“Gina!”
They sprang apart. Mildred Strete, her face red, her lips quivering, glared at them balefully. For a moment, theeagerness of her words choked their utterance49.
“Disgusting … disgusting … you abandoned beastly girl … you’re just like your mother … You’re a bad lot … Ialways knew you were a bad lot … utterly50 depraved … and you’re not only an adulteress—you’re a murderess too. Ohyes, you are. I know what I know!”
“And what do you know? Don’t be ridiculous, Aunt Mildred.”
“I’m no aunt of yours, thank goodness. No blood relation to you. Why you don’t even know who your mother wasor where she came from! But you know well enough what my father was like and my mother. What sort of a child doyou think they would adopt? A criminal’s child or a prostitute’s probably! That’s the sort of people they were. Theyought to have remembered that bad blood will tell. Though I daresay that it’s the Italian in you that makes you turn topoison.”
“How dare you say that?”
“I shall say what I like. You can’t deny now, can you, that somebody tried to poison Mother? And who’s the mostlikely person to do that? Who comes into an enormous fortune if Mother dies? You do, Gina, and you may be sure thatthe police have not overlooked that fact.”
Still trembling, Mildred moved rapidly away.
“Pathological,” said Alex. “Definitely pathological. Really most interesting. It makes one wonder about the lateCanon Strete … religious scruples51, perhaps?… Or would you say impotent?”
“Don’t be disgusting, Alex. Oh I hate her, I hate her, I hate her.”
Gina clenched52 her hands and shook with fury.
“Lucky you hadn’t got a knife in your stocking,” said Alex. “If you had, dear Mrs. Strete might have knownsomething about murder from the point of view of the victim. Calm down, Gina. Don’t look so melodramatic and likeItalian Opera.”
“How dare she say I tried to poison Grandam?”
“Well, darling, somebody tried to poison her. And from the point of view of motive53 you’re well in the picture,aren’t you?”
“Alex!” Gina stared at him, dismayed. “Do the police think so?”
“It’s extremely difficult to know what the police think … They keep their own counsel remarkably54 well. They’re byno means fools, you know. That reminds me—”
“Where are you going?”
“To work out an idea of mine.”
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1
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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coppers
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| 铜( copper的名词复数 )； 铜币 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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idiotic
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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curry
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| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
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appraising
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| v.估价( appraise的现在分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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yew
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sweeping
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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agitated
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timing
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conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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kindly
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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knowledgeable
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| adj.知识渊博的；有见识的 | |
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noted
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pointed
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mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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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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warehouses
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| 仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 ) | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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shrubs
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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rudiments
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| n.基础知识，入门 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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steadily
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deserted
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whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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strutting
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| 加固，支撑物 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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54
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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