IA few minutes later Lucy, rather pale, left the barn, locked the door and put the key back on the nail.
She went rapidly to the stables, got out her car and drove down the back drive. She stopped at the post office at theend of the road. She went into the telephone box, put in the money and dialled.
“I want to speak to Miss Marple.”
“She’s resting, miss. It’s Miss Eyelesbarrow, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going to disturb her and that’s that, miss. She’s an old lady and she needs her rest.”
“You must disturb her. It’s urgent.”
“I’m not—”
“Please do what I say at once.”
When she chose, Lucy’s voice could be as incisive1 as steel. Florence knew authority when she heard it.
Presently Miss Marple’s voice spoke2.
“Yes, Lucy?”
Lucy drew a deep breath.
“You were quite right,” she said. “I’ve found it.”
“A woman’s body?”
“Yes. A woman in a fur coat. It’s a stone sarcophagus in a kind of barn-cum-museum near the house. What do youwant me to do? I ought to inform the police, I think.”
“Yes. You must inform the police. At once.”
“But what about the rest of it? About you? The first thing they’ll want to know is why I was prying3 up a lid thatweighs tons for apparently4 no reason. Do you want me to invent a reason? I can.”
“No. I think, you know,” said Miss Marple in her gentle serious voice, “that the only thing to do is to tell the exacttruth.”
“About you?”
“About everything.”
A sudden grin split the whiteness of Lucy’s face.
“That will be quite simple for me,” she said. “But I imagine they’ll find it quite hard to believe!”
She rang off, waited a moment, and then rang and got the police station.
“I have just discovered a dead body in a sarcophagus in the Long Barn at Rutherford Hall.”
“What’s that?”
Lucy repeated her statement and anticipating the next question gave her name.
She drove back, put the car away and entered the house.
She paused in the hall for a moment, thinking.
Then she gave a brief sharp nod of the head and went to the library where Miss Crackenthorpe was sitting helpingher father to do The Times crossword5.
“Can I speak to you a moment Miss Crackenthorpe?”
Emma looked up, a shade of apprehension6 on her face. The apprehension was, Lucy thought, purely7 domestic. Insuch words do useful household staff announce their imminent8 departure.
“Well, speak up, girl, speak up,” said old Mr. Crackenthorpe irritably9.
Lucy said to Emma:
“I’d like to speak to you alone, please.”
“Nonsense,” said Mr. Crackenthorpe. “You say straight out here what you’ve got to say.”
“Just a moment, Father.” Emma rose and went towards the door.
“All nonsense. It can wait,” said the old man angrily.
“I’m afraid it can’t wait,” said Lucy.
Mr. Crackenthorpe said, “What impertinence!”
Emma came out into the hall. Lucy followed her and shut the door behind them.
“Yes?” said Emma. “What is it? If you think there’s too much to do with the boys here, I can help you and—”
“It’s not that at all,” said Lucy. “I didn’t want to speak before your father because I understand he is an invalid10 andit might give him a shock. You see, I’ve just discovered the body of a murdered woman in that big sarcophagus in theLong Barn.”
Emma Crackenthorpe stared at her.
“In the sarcophagus? A murdered woman? It’s impossible!”
“I’m afraid it’s quite true. I’ve rung up the police. They will be here at any minute.”
A slight flush came into Emma’s cheeks.
“You should have told me first—before notifying the police.”
“I’m sorry,” said Lucy.
“I didn’t hear you ring up—” Emma’s glance went to the telephone on the hall table.
“I rang up from the post office just down the road.”
“But how extraordinary. Why not from here?”
Lucy thought quickly.
“I was afraid the boys might be about—might hear—if I rang up from the hall here.”
“I see… Yes… I see… They are coming—the police, I mean?”
“They’re here now,” said Lucy, as with a squeal11 of brakes a car drew up at the front door and the front doorbellpealed through the house.
II
“I’m sorry, very sorry—to have asked this of you,” said Inspector12 Bacon.
His hand under her arm, he led Emma Crackenthorpe out of the barn. Emma’s face was very pale, she looked sick,but she walked firmly erect13.
“I’m quite sure that I’ve never seen the woman before in my life.”
“We’re very grateful to you, Miss Crackenthorpe. That’s all I wanted to know. Perhaps you’d like to lie down?”
“I must go to my father. I telephoned Dr. Quimper as soon as I heard about this and the doctor is with him now.”
Dr. Quimper came out of the library as they crossed the hall. He was a tall genial14 man, with a casual offhandcynical manner that his patients found very stimulating15.
He and the inspector nodded to each other.
“Miss Crackenthorpe has performed an unpleasant task very bravely,” said Bacon.
“Well done, Emma,” said the doctor, patting her on the shoulder. “You can take things. I’ve always known that.
Your father’s all right. Just go in and have a word with him, and then go into the dining room and get yourself a glassof brandy. That’s a prescription16.”
Emma smiled at him gratefully and went into the library.
“That woman’s the salt of the earth,” said the doctor, looking after her. “A thousand pities she’s never married. Thepenalty of being the only female in a family of men. The other sister got clear, married at seventeen, I believe. Thisone’s quite a handsome woman really. She’d have been a success as a wife and mother.”
“Too devoted17 to her father, I suppose,” said Inspector Bacon.
“She’s not really as devoted as all that—but she’s got the instinct some women have to make their menfolk happy.
She sees that her father likes being an invalid, so she lets him be an invalid. She’s the same with her brothers. Cedricfeels he’s a good painter, what’s his name—Harold—knows how much she relies on his sound judgment—she letsAlfred shock her with his stories of his clever deals. Oh, yes, she’s a clever woman—no fool. Well, do you want mefor anything? Want me to have a look at your corpse18 now Johnstone has done with it” (Johnstone was the policesurgeon) “and see if it happens to be one of my medical mistakes?”
“I’d like you to have a look, yes, Doctor. We want to get her identified. I suppose it’s impossible for old Mr.
Crackenthorpe? Too much of a strain?”
“Strain? Fiddlesticks. He’d never forgive you or me if you didn’t let him have a peep. He’s all agog19. Most excitingthing that’s happened to him for fifteen years or so—and it won’t cost him anything!”
“There’s nothing really much wrong with him then?”
“He’s seventy-two,” said the doctor. “That’s all, really, that’s the matter with him. He has odd rheumatic twinges—who doesn’t? So he calls it arthritis20. He has palpitations after meals—as well he may—he puts them down to ‘heart.’
But he can always do anything he wants to do! I’ve plenty of patients like that. The ones who are really ill usuallyinsist desperately21 that they’re perfectly22 well. Come on, let’s go and see this body of yours. Unpleasant, I suppose?”
“Johnstone estimates she’s been dead between a fortnight and three weeks.”
“Quite unpleasant, then.”
The doctor stood by the sarcophagus and looked down with frank curiosity, professionally unmoved by what hehad named the “unpleasantness.”
“Never seen her before. No patient of mine. I don’t remember ever seeing her about in Brackhampton. She musthave been quite good-looking once—hm—somebody had it in for her all right.”
They went out again into the air. Doctor Quimper glanced up at the building.
“Found in the what—what do they call it?—the Long Barn—in a sarcophagus! Fantastic! Who found her?”
“Miss Lucy Eyelesbarrow.”
“Oh, the latest lady help? What was she doing, poking23 about in sarcophagi?”
“That,” said Inspector Bacon grimly, “is just what I am going to ask her. Now, about Mr. Crackenthorpe. Will you—?”
“I’ll bring him along.”
Mr. Crackenthorpe, muffled24 in scarves, came walking at a brisk pace, the doctor beside him.
“Disgraceful,” he said. “Absolutely disgraceful! I brought back that sarcophagus from Florence in—let me see—itmust have been in 1908—or was it 1909?”
“Steady now,” the doctor warned him. “This isn’t going to be nice, you know.”
“No matter how ill I am, I’ve got to do my duty, haven’t I?”
A very brief visit inside the Long Barn was, however, quite long enough. Mr. Crackenthorpe shuffled25 out into theair again with remarkable26 speed.
“Never saw her before in my life!” he said. “What’s it mean? Absolutely disgraceful. It wasn’t Florence—Iremember now—it was Naples. A very fine specimen27. And some fool of a woman has to come and get herself killed init!”
He clutched at the folds of his overcoat on the left side.
“Too much for me… My heart… Where’s Emma? Doctor….”
Doctor Quimper took his arm.
“You’ll be all right,” he said. “I prescribe a little stimulant28. Brandy.”
They went back together towards the house.
“Sir. Please, sir.”
Inspector Bacon turned. Two boys had arrived, breathless, on bicycles. Their faces were full of eager pleading.
“Please, sir, can we see the body?”
“No, you can’t,” said Inspector Bacon.
“Oh, sir, please, sir. You never know. We might know who she was. Oh, please, sir, do be a sport. It’s not fair.
Here’s a murder, right in our own barn. It’s the sort of chance that might never happen again. Do be a sport, sir.”
“Who are you two?”
“I’m Alexander Eastley, and this is my friend James Stoddart-West.”
“Have you ever seen a blonde woman wearing a light-coloured dyed squirrel coat anywhere about the place?”
“Well, I can’t remember exactly,” said Alexander astutely29. “If I were to have a look—”
“Take ’em in, Sanders,” said Inspector Bacon to the constable30 who was standing31 by the barn door. “One’s onlyyoung once!”
“Oh, sir, thank you, sir.” Both boys were vociferous32. “It’s very kind of you, sir.”
Bacon turned away towards the house.
“And now,” he said to himself grimly, “for Miss Lucy Eyelesbarrow!”
III
After leading the police to the Long Barn, and giving a brief account of her actions, Lucy had retired33 into thebackground, but she was under no illusion that the police had finished with her.
She had just finished preparing potatoes for chips that evening when word was brought to her that Inspector Baconrequired her presence. Putting aside the large bowl of cold water and salt in which the chips were reposing34, Lucyfollowed the policeman to where the inspector awaited her. She sat down and awaited his questions composedly.
She gave her name—and her address in London, and added of her own accord:
“I will give you some names and addresses of references if you want to know all about me.”
The names were very good ones. An Admiral of the Fleet, the Provost of an Oxford35 College, and a Dame36 of theBritish Empire. In spite of himself Inspector Bacon was impressed.
“Now, Miss Eyelesbarrow, you went into the Long Barn to find some paint. Is that right? And after having foundthe paint you got a crowbar, forced up the lid of this sarcophagus and found the body. What were you looking for inthe sarcophagus?”
“I was looking for a body,” said Lucy.
“You were looking for a body—and you found one! Doesn’t that seem to you a very extraordinary story?”
“Oh, yes, it is an extraordinary story. Perhaps you will let me explain it to you.”
“I certainly think you had better do so.”
Lucy gave him a precise recital37 of the events which had led up to her sensational38 discovery.
The inspector summed it up in an outraged39 voice.
“You were engaged by an elderly lady to obtain a post here and to search the house and grounds for a dead body?
Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Who is this elderly lady?”
“Miss Jane Marple. She is at present living at 4 Madison Road.”
The inspector wrote it down.
“You expect me to believe this story?”
Lucy said gently:
“Not, perhaps, until after you have interviewed Miss Marple and got her confirmation40 of it.”
“I shall interview her all right. She must be cracked.”
Lucy forbore to point out that to be proved right is not really a proof of mental incapacity. Instead she said:
“What are you proposing to tell Miss Crackenthorpe? About me, I mean?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, as far as Miss Marple is concerned I’ve done my job, I’ve found the body she wanted found. But I’m stillengaged by Miss Crackenthorpe, and there are two hungry boys in the house and probably some more of the familywill soon be coming down after all this upset. She needs domestic help. If you go and tell her that I only took this postin order to hunt for dead bodies she’ll probably throw me out. Otherwise I can get on with my job and be useful.”
The inspector looked hard at her.
“I’m not saying anything to anyone at present,” he said. “I haven’t verified your statement yet. For all I know youmay be making the whole thing up.”
Lucy rose.
“Thank you. Then I’ll go back to the kitchen and get on with things.”
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收听单词发音
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1
incisive
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| adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的 | |
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2
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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3
prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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4
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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crossword
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| n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏 | |
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6
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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7
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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9
irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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12
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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13
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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stimulating
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| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
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16
prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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17
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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18
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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agog
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| adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地 | |
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arthritis
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| n.关节炎 | |
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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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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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24
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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25
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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stimulant
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| n.刺激物，兴奋剂 | |
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astutely
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| adv.敏锐地；精明地；敏捷地；伶俐地 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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vociferous
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| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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reposing
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的现在分词 ) | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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40
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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