C anon Pennyfather looked at Chief-Inspector1 Davy and Inspector Campbell, and Chief-Inspector Davy and InspectorCampbell looked at him. Canon Pennyfather was at home again. Sitting in the big armchair in his library, a pillowbehind his head and his feet up on a pouffe, with a rug over his knees to emphasize his invalid2 status.
“I’m afraid,” he was saying politely, “that I simply cannot remember anything at all.”
“You can’t remember the accident when the car hit you?”
“I’m really afraid not.”
“Then how did you know a car did hit you?” demanded Inspector Campbell acutely.
“The woman there, Mrs—Mrs—was her name Wheeling?—told me about it.”
“And how did she know?”
Canon Pennyfather looked puzzled.
“Dear me, you are quite right. She couldn’t have known, could she? I suppose she thought it was what must havehappened.”
“And you really cannot remember anything? How did you come to be in Milton St. John?”
“I’ve no idea,” said Canon Pennyfather. “Even the name is quite unfamiliar3 to me.”
Inspector Campbell’s exasperation4 was mounting, but Chief-Inspector Davy said in his soothing5, homely6 voice:
“Just tell us again the last thing you do remember, sir.”
Canon Pennyfather turned to him with relief. The inspector’s dry scepticism had made him uncomfortable.
“I was going to Lucerne to a congress. I took a taxi to the airport—at least to Kensington Air Station.”
“Yes. And then?”
“That’s all. I can’t remember anymore. The next thing I remember is the wardrobe.”
“What wardrobe?” demanded Inspector Campbell.
“It was in the wrong place.”
Inspector Campbell was tempted7 to go into this question of a wardrobe in the wrong place. Chief-Inspector Davycut in.
“Do you remember arriving at the air station, sir?”
“I suppose so,” said Canon Pennyfather, with the air of one who has a great deal of doubt on the matter.
“And you duly flew to Lucerne.”
“Did I? I don’t remember anything about it if so.”
“Do you remember arriving back at Bertram’s Hotel that night?”
“No.”
“You do remember Bertram’s Hotel?”
“Of course. I was staying there. Very comfortable. I kept my room on.”
“Do you remember travelling in a train?”
“A train? No, I can’t recall a train.”
“There was a holdup. The train was robbed. Surely, Canon Pennyfather, you can remember that.”
“I ought to, oughtn’t I?” said Canon Pennyfather. “But somehow—” he spoke8 apologetically—“I don’t.” Helooked from one to the other of the officers with a bland9 gentle smile.
“Then your story is that you remember nothing after going in a taxi to the air station until you woke up in theWheelings’ cottage at Milton St. John.”
“There is nothing unusual in that,” the Canon assured him. “It happens quite often in cases of concussion10.”
“What did you think had happened to you when you woke up?”
“I had such a headache I really couldn’t think. Then of course I began to wonder where I was and Mrs. Wheelingexplained and brought me some excellent soup. She called me ‘love’ and ‘dearie’ and ‘ducks,’” said the Canon withslight distaste, “but she was very kind. Very kind indeed.”
“She ought to have reported the accident to the police. Then you would have been taken to hospital and properlylooked after,” said Campbell.
“She looked after me very well,” the Canon protested, with spirit, “and I understand that with concussion there isvery little you can do except keep the patient quiet.”
“If you should remember anything more, Canon Pennyfather—”
The Canon interrupted him.
“Four whole days I seem to have lost out of my life,” he said. “Very curious. Really very curious indeed. I wonderso much where I was and what I was doing. The doctor tells me it may all come back to me. On the other hand it maynot. Possibly I shall never know what happened to me during those days.” His eyelids11 flickered12. “You’ll excuse me. Ithink I am rather tired.”
“That’s quite enough now,” said Mrs. McCrae, who had been hovering13 by the door, ready to intervene if shethought it necessary. She advanced upon them. “Doctor says he wasn’t to be worried,” she said firmly.
The policemen rose and moved towards the door. Mrs. McCrae shepherded them out into the hall rather in themanner of a conscientious14 sheepdog. The Canon murmured something and Chief-Inspector Davy, who was the last topass through the door, wheeled round at once.
“What was that?” he asked, but the Canon’s eyes were now closed.
“What did you think he said?” said Campbell as they left the house after refusing Mrs. McCrae’s lukewarm offer ofrefreshment.
Father said thoughtfully:
“I thought he said ‘the Walls of Jericho.’”
“What could he mean by that?”
“It sounds biblical,” said Father.
“Do you think we’ll ever know,” asked Campbell, “how that old boy got from the Cromwell Road to Milton St.
John?”
“It doesn’t seem as if we shall get much help from him,” agreed Davy.
“That woman who says she saw him on the train after the holdup. Can she possibly be right? Can he be mixed-upin some way with these robberies? It seems impossible. He’s such a thoroughly15 respectable old boy. Can’t very wellsuspect a Canon of Chadminster Cathedral of being mixed-up with a train robbery, can one?”
“No,” said Father thoughtfully, “no. No more than one can imagine Mr. Justice Ludgrove being mixed-up with abank holdup.”
Inspector Campbell looked at his superior officer curiously16.
The expedition to Chadminster concluded with a short and unprofitable interview with Dr. Stokes.
Dr. Stokes was aggressive, uncooperative and rude.
“I’ve known the Wheelings quite a while. They’re by way of being neighbours of mine. They’d picked some oldchap off the road. Didn’t know whether he was dead drunk, or ill. Asked me in to have a look. I told them he wasn’tdrunk—that it was concussion—”
“And you treated him after that.”
“Not at all. I didn’t treat him, or prescribe for him or attend him. I’m not a doctor—I was once, but I’m not now—Itold them what they ought to do was ring up the police. Whether they did or not I don’t know. Not my business.
They’re a bit dumb, both of them—but kindly17 folk.”
“You didn’t think of ringing up the police yourself?”
“No, I did not. I’m not a doctor. Nothing to do with me. As a human being I told them not to pour whisky down histhroat and keep him quiet and flat until the police came.”
He glared at them and, reluctantly, they had to leave it at that.
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收听单词发音
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1
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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2
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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3
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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5
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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6
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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7
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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8
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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9
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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10
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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11
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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12
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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14
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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15
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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16
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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17
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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