Chapter Five

Chapter Five
T he girl who entered the room with obvious unwillingness¹ was an unattractive, frightened-looking girl, who managedto look faintly sluttish in spite of being tall and smartly dressed in a claret-coloured uniform.
She said at once, fixing imploring² eyes upon him:
“I didn’t do anything. I didn’t really. I don’t know anything about it.”
“That’s all right,” said Neele heartily³. His voice had changed slightly. It sounded more cheerful and a good dealcommoner in intonation⁴. He wanted to put the frightened rabbit Gladys at her ease.
“Sit down here,” he went on. “I just want to know about breakfast this morning.”
“I didn’t do anything at all.”
“Well, you laid the breakfast, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did that.” Even that admission came unwillingly⁵. She looked both guilty and terrified, but Inspector⁶ Neelewas used to witnesses who looked like that. He went on cheerfully, trying to put her at her ease, asking questions: whohad come down first? And who next?
Elaine Fortescue had been the first down to breakfast. She’d come in just as Crump was bringing in the coffee pot.
Mrs. Fortescue was down next, and then Mrs. Val, and the master last. They waited on themselves. The tea and coffeeand the hot dishes were all on hot plates on the sideboard.
He learnt little of importance from her that he did not know already. The food and drink was as Mary Dove haddescribed it. The master and Mrs. Fortescue and Miss Elaine took coffee and Mrs. Val took tea. Everything had beenquite as usual.
Neele questioned her about herself and here she answered more readily. She’d been in private service first and afterthat in various cafés. Then she thought she’d like to go back to private service and had come to Yewtree Lodge⁷ lastSeptember. She’d been there two months.
“And you like it?”
“Well, it’s all right, I suppose.” She added: “It’s not so hard on your feet—but you don’t get so much freedom. . . .”
“Tell me about Mr. Fortescue’s clothes—his suits. Who looked after them? Brushed them and all that?”
Gladys looked faintly resentful.
“Mr. Crump’s supposed to. But half the time he makes me do it.”
“Who brushed and pressed the suit Mr. Fortescue had on today?”
“I don’t remember which one he wore. He’s got ever so many.”
“Have you ever found grain in the pocket of one of his suits?”
“Grain?” She looked puzzled.
“Rye, to be exact.”
“Rye? That’s bread, isn’t it? A sort of black bread—got a nasty taste, I always think.”
“That’s bread made from rye. Rye is the grain itself. There was some found in the pocket of your master’s coat.”
“In his coat pocket?”
“Yes. Do you know how it got there?”
“I couldn’t say I’m sure. I never saw any.”
He could get no more from her. For a moment or two he wondered if she knew more about the matter than she waswilling to admit. She certainly seemed embarrassed and on the defensive—but on the whole he put it down to a naturalfear of the police.
When he finally dismissed her, she asked:
“It’s really true, is it. He’s dead?”
“Yes, he’s dead.”
“Very sudden, wasn’t it? They said when they rang up from the office that he’d had a kind of fit.”
“Yes—it was a kind of fit.”
Gladys said: “A girl I used to know had fits. Come on anytime, they did. Used to scare me.”
For the moment this reminiscence seemed to overcome her suspicions.
Inspector Neele made his way to the kitchen.
His reception was immediate⁸ and alarming. A woman of vast proportions, with a red face armed with a rolling pinstepped towards him in a menacing fashion.
“Police, indeed,” she said. “Coming here and saying things like that! Nothing of the kind, I’d have you know.
Anything I’ve sent in the dining room has been just what it should be. Coming here and saying I poisoned the master.
I’ll have the law on you, police or no police. No bad food’s ever been served in this house.”
It was sometime before Inspector Neele could appease⁹ the irate¹⁰ artist. Sergeant¹¹ Hay looked in grinning from thepantry and Inspector Neele gathered that he had already run the gauntlet of Mrs. Crump’s wrath¹².
The scene was terminated by the ringing of the telephone.
Neele went out into the hall to find Mary Dove taking the call. She was writing down a message on a pad. Turningher head over her shoulder she said: “It’s a telegram.”
The call concluded, she replaced the receiver and handed the pad on which she had been writing to the inspector.
The place of origin was Paris and the message ran as follows:
Fortescue Yewtree Lodge Baydon Heath Surrey. Sorry your letter delayed. Will be with you tomorrow aboutteatime. Shall expect roast veal¹³ for dinner. Lance.
Inspector Neele raised his eyebrows¹⁴.
“So the Prodigal¹⁵ Son had been summoned home,” he said.

1 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

2 imploring   

恳求的，哀求的

参考例句：

• Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的，没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。
• She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。

3 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

4 intonation   

n.语调，声调；发声

参考例句：

• The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
• Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。

5 unwillingly   

adv.不情愿地

参考例句：

• He submitted unwillingly to his mother. 他不情愿地屈服于他母亲。
• Even when I call, he receives unwillingly. 即使我登门拜访，他也是很不情愿地接待我。

6 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。

7 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

10 irate   

adj.发怒的，生气

参考例句：

• The irate animal made for us,coming at a full jump.那头发怒的动物以最快的速度向我们冲过来。
• We have received some irate phone calls from customers.我们接到顾客打来的一些愤怒的电话

11 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

12 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

13 veal   

n.小牛肉

参考例句：

• She sauteed veal and peppers,preparing a mixed salad while the pan simmered.她先做的一道菜是青椒煎小牛肉，趁着锅还在火上偎着的机会，又做了一道拼盘。
• Marinate the veal in white wine for two hours.把小牛肉用白葡萄酒浸泡两小时。

14 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

15 prodigal   

adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的

参考例句：

• He has been prodigal of the money left by his parents.他已挥霍掉他父母留下的钱。
• The country has been prodigal of its forests.这个国家的森林正受过度的采伐。