Chapter Twenty

Twenty
“I ’ve brought you a cup of strong soup, Carrie Louise,” said Miss Marple. “Now please drink it.”
Mrs. Serrocold sat up in the big carved oak four poster bed. She looked very small and childlike. Her cheeks hadlost their rose pink flush, and her eyes had a curiously¹ absent look. She took the soup obediently from Miss Marple. Asshe sipped² it, Miss Marple sat down in a chair beside the bed.
“First, Christian,” said Carrie Louise, “and now Alex—and poor, sharp, silly little Ernie. Did he really—knowanything?”
“I don’t think so,” said Miss Marple. “He was just telling lies—making himself important by hinting that he hadseen or knew something. The tragedy is that somebody believed his lies….”
Carrie Louise shivered. Her eyes went back to their faraway look.
“We meant to do so much for these boys … we did do something. Some of them have done wonderfully well.
Several of them are in really responsible positions. A few slid back—that can’t be helped. Modern civilised conditionsare so complex—too complex for some simple and undeveloped natures. You know Lewis’ great scheme? He alwaysfelt that transportation was a thing that had saved many a potential criminal in the past. They were shipped overseas—and they made new lives in simpler surroundings. He wants to start a modern scheme on that basis. To buy up a greattract of territory—or a group of islands. Finance it for some years, make it a cooperative self-supporting community—with everyone having a stake in it. But cut off so that the early temptation to go back to cities and the bad old ways canbe neutralised. It’s his dream. But it will take a lot of money, of course, and there aren’t many philanthropists withvision now. We want another Eric. Eric would have been enthusiastic.”
Miss Marple picked up a little pair of scissors and looked at them curiously.
“What an odd pair of scissors,” she said. “They’ve got two finger holes on one side and one on the other.”
Carrie Louise’s eyes came back from that frightening far distance.
“Alex gave them to me this morning,” she said. “They’re supposed to make it easier to cut your right-hand nails.
Dear boy, he was so enthusiastic. He made me try them then and there.”
“And I suppose he gathered up the nail clippings and took them tidily away,” said Miss Marple.
“Yes,” said Carrie Louise. “He—” she broke off. “Why did you say that?”
“I was thinking about Alex. He had brains. Yes, he had brains.”
“You mean—that’s why he died?”
“I think so—yes.”
“He and Ernie—it doesn’t bear thinking about. When do they think it happened?”
“Late this evening. Between six and seven o’clock probably….”
“After they’d knocked off work for the day?”
“Yes.”
Gina had been down there that evening—and Wally Hudd. Stephen, too, said he had been down to look for Gina….
But as far as that went, anybody could have—Miss Marple’s train of thought was interrupted.
Carrie Louise said quietly and unexpectedly:
“How much do you know, Jane?”
Miss Marple looked up sharply. The eyes of the two women met.
Miss Marple said slowly, “If I was quite sure….”
“I think you are sure, Jane.”
Jane Marple said slowly, “What do you want me to do?”
Carrie leaned back against her pillows.
“It is in your hands, Jane. You’ll do what you think right.”
She closed her eyes.
“Tomorrow”—Miss Marple hesitated—“I shall have to try and talk to Inspector³ Curry—if he’ll listen….”

1 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

2 sipped   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sipped his coffee pleasurably. 他怡然地品味着咖啡。
• I sipped the hot chocolate she had made. 我小口喝着她调制的巧克力热饮。 来自辞典例句

3 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。