Chapter Eighteen

Eighteen
1“O h, Wally, how you startled me!”
Gina, emerging from the shadows by the theatre, jumped back a little, as the figure of Wally Hudd materialised outof the gloom. It was not yet quite dark, but had that eerie¹ half light when objects lose their reality and take on thefantastic shapes of nightmare.
“What are you doing down here? You never come near the theatre as a rule.”
“Maybe I was looking for you, Gina. It’s usually the best place to find you, isn’t it?”
Wally’s soft, faintly drawling voice held no special insinuation and yet Gina flinched² a little.
“It’s a job and I’m keen on it. I like the atmosphere of paint and canvas, and backstage generally.”
“Yes. It means a lot to you. I’ve seen that. Tell me, Gina, how long do you think it will be before this business is allcleared up?”
“The inquest’s tomorrow. It will just be adjourned³ for a fortnight or something like that. At least, that’s whatInspector Curry⁵ gave us to understand.”
“A fortnight,” said Wally thoughtfully. “I see. Say three weeks, perhaps. And after that—we’re free. I’m goingback to the States then.”
“Oh! but I can’t run off like that,” cried Gina. “I couldn’t leave Grandam. And we’ve got these two newproductions we’re working on”—
“I didn’t say ‘we.’ I said I was going.”
Gina stopped and looked up at her husband. Something in the effect of the shadows made him seem very big. Abig, quiet figure—and in some way, or so it seemed to her, faintly menacing … standing⁶ over her. Threatening—what?
“Do you mean”—she hesitated—“you don’t want me to come?”
“Why, no—I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t care if I come or not? Is that it?”
She was suddenly angry.
“See here, Gina. This is where we’ve got to have a showdown. We didn’t know much about each other when wemarried—not much about each other’s backgrounds, not much about the other one’s folks. We thought it didn’tmatter. We thought nothing mattered except having a swell⁷ time together. Well, stage one is over. Your folks didn’t—and don’t—think much of me. Maybe they’re right. I’m not their kind. But if you think I’m staying on here, kickingmy heels, and doing odd jobs in what I consider is just a crazy setup—well, think again! I want to live in my owncountry, doing the kind of job I want to do, and can do. My idea of a wife is the kind of wife who used to go alongwith the old pioneers, ready for anything, hardship, unfamiliar⁸ country, danger, strange surroundings … Perhaps that’stoo much to ask of you, but it’s that or nothing! Maybe I hustled⁹ you into marriage. If so, you’d better get free of meand start again. It’s up to you. If you prefer one of these arty boys—it’s your life and you’ve got to choose. But I’mgoing home.”
“I think you’re an absolute pig,” said Gina. “I’m enjoying myself here.”
“Is that so? Well, I’m not. You even enjoy murder, I suppose?”
Gina drew in her breath sharply.
“That’s a cruel, wicked thing to say. I was very fond of Uncle Christian¹⁰. And don’t you realise that someone hasbeen quietly poisoning Grandam for months? It’s horrible!”
“I told you I didn’t like it here. I don’t like the kind of things that go on. I’m quitting.”
“If you’re allowed to! Don’t you realise you’ll probably be arrested for Uncle Christian’s murder? I hate the wayInspector Curry looks at you. He’s just like a cat watching a mouse with a nasty sharp-clawed paw all ready to pounce¹¹.
Just because you were out of the Hall fixing those lights, and because you’re not English, I’m sure they’ll go fasteningit on you.”
“They’ll need some evidence first.”
Gina wailed¹²:
“I’m frightened for you, Wally. I’ve been frightened all along.”
“No good being scared. I tell you, they’ve got nothing on me!”
They walked in silence towards the house.
Gina said:
“I don’t believe you really want me to come back to America with you….”
Walter Hudd did not answer.
Gina Hudd turned on him and stamped her foot.
“I hate you. I hate you. You are horrible—a beast—a cruel, unfeeling beast. After all I’ve tried to do for you! Youwant to be rid of me. You don’t care if you never see me again. Well, I don’t care if I never see you again! I was astupid little fool ever to marry you, and I shall get a divorce as soon as possible, and I shall marry Stephen or Alexisand be much happier than I ever could be with you. And I hope you go back to the States and marry some horrible girlwho makes you really miserable¹³!”
“Fine!” said Wally. “Now we know where we are!”
2Miss Marple saw Gina and Wally go into the house together.
She was standing at the spot where Inspector⁴ Curry had made his experiment with Constable¹⁴ Dodgett earlier in theafternoon.
Miss Bellever’s voice behind her made her jump.
“You’ll get a chill, Miss Marple, standing about like that after the sun’s gone down.”
Miss Marple fell meekly¹⁵ into step with her and they walked briskly through the house.
“I was thinking about conjuring¹⁶ tricks,” said Miss Marple. “So difficult when you’re watching them to see howthey’re done, and yet, once they are explained, so absurdly simple. (Although, even now, I can’t imagine howconjurers produce bowls of goldfish!) Did you ever see the Lady who is Sawn in Half?—such a thrilling trick. Itfascinated me when I was eleven years old, I remember. And I never could think how it was done. But the other daythere was an article in some paper giving the whole thing away. I don’t think a newspaper should do that, do you? Itseems it’s not one girl—but two. The head of the one and the feet of the other. You think it’s one girl and it’s reallytwo—and the other way round would work equally well, wouldn’t it?”
Miss Bellever looked at her with faint surprise. Miss Marple was not often so fluffy¹⁷ and incoherent as this. “It’sbeen too much for the old lady, all this,” she thought.
“When you only look at one side of a thing, you only see one side,” continued Miss Marple. “But everything fits inperfectly well if you can only make up your mind what is reality and what is illusion.” She added abruptly¹⁹, “Is CarrieLouise—all right?”
“Yes,” said Miss Bellever. “She’s all right. But it must have been a shock, you know—finding out that someonewanted to kill her. I mean particularly a shock to her, because she doesn’t understand violence.”
“Carrie Louise understands some things that we don’t,” said Miss Marple thoughtfully. “She always has.”
“I know what you mean—but she doesn’t live in the real world.”
“Doesn’t she?”
Miss Bellever looked at her in surprise.
“There never was a more unworldly person than Cara—”
“You don’t think that perhaps—” Miss Marple broke off, as Edgar Lawson passed them, swinging along at a greatpace. He gave a kind of shamefaced nod, but averted²¹ his face as he passed.
“I’ve remembered now who he reminds me of,” said Miss Marple. “It came to me suddenly, just a few momentsago. He reminds me of a young man called Leonard Wylie. His father was a dentist, but he got old and blind and hishand used to shake, and so people preferred to go to the son. But the old man was very miserable about it, and moped,said he was no good for anything anymore, and Leonard, who was very softhearted and rather foolish, began topretend he drank more than he should. He always smelt²² of whisky, and he used to sham²⁰ being rather fuddled when hispatients came. His idea was that they’d go back to the father again and say the younger man was no good.”
“And did they?”
“Of course not,” said Miss Marple. “What happened was what anybody with any sense could have told him wouldhappen! The patients went to Mr. Reilly, the rival dentist. So many people with good hearts have no sense. Besides,Leonard Wylie was so unconvincing … His idea of drunkenness wasn’t in the least like real drunkenness, and heoverdid the whisky—spilling it on his clothes, you know, to a perfectly¹⁸ impossible extent.”
They went into the house by the side door.

1 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

2 flinched   

v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He flinched at the sight of the blood. 他一见到血就往后退。
• This tough Corsican never flinched or failed. 这个刚毅的科西嘉人从来没有任何畏缩或沮丧。 来自辞典例句

3 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

4 inspector   

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。

5 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

8 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

9 hustled   

催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。
• The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 pounce   

n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意

参考例句：

• Why do you pounce on every single thing I say?干吗我说的每句话你都要找麻烦？
• We saw the tiger about to pounce on the goat.我们看见老虎要向那只山羊扑过去。

12 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

13 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

14 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。

15 meekly   

adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地

参考例句：

• He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 conjuring   

n.魔术

参考例句：

• Paul's very good at conjuring. 保罗很会变戏法。
• The entertainer didn't fool us with his conjuring. 那个艺人变的戏法没有骗到我们。

17 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

18 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

19 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

20 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

21 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

22 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。