A CASE HISTORY

Ten
A CASE HISTORY
IS altmarsh House was set pleasantly about six miles inland from the coast. It had a good train service to London fromthe five-miles-distant town of South Benham.
Giles and Gwenda were shown into a large airy sitting room with cretonne covers patterned with flowers. A verycharming-looking old lady with white hair came into the room holding a glass of milk. She nodded to them and satdown near the fireplace. Her eyes rested thoughtfully on Gwenda and presently she leaned forward towards her andspoke in what was almost a whisper.
“Is it your poor child, my dear?”
Gwenda looked slightly taken aback. She said doubtfully: “No—no. It isn’t.”
“Ah, I wondered.” The old lady nodded her head and sipped¹ her milk. Then she said conversationally², “Half pastten—that’s the time. It’s always at half past ten. Most remarkable³.” She lowered her voice and leaned forward again.
“Behind the fireplace,” she breathed. “But don’t say I told you.”
At this moment, a white uniformed maid came into the room and requested Giles and Gwenda to follow her.
They were shown into Dr. Penrose’s study, and Dr. Penrose rose to greet them.
Dr. Penrose, Gwenda could not help thinking, looked a little mad himself. He looked, for instance, much madderthan the nice old lady in the drawing room—but perhaps psychiatrists⁴ always looked a little mad.
“I had your letter, and Dr. Kennedy’s,” said Dr. Penrose. “And I’ve been looking up your father’s case history,Mrs. Reed. I remembered his case quite well, of course, but I wanted to refresh my memory so that I should be in aposition to tell you everything you wanted to know. I understand that you have only recently become aware of thefacts?”
Gwenda explained that she had been brought up in New Zealand by her mother’s relations and that all she hadknown about her father was that he had died in a nursing home in England.
Dr. Penrose nodded. “Quite so. Your father’s case, Mrs. Reed, presented certain rather peculiar⁵ features.”
“Such as?” Giles asked.
“Well, the obsession⁶—or delusion—was very strong. Major Halliday, though clearly in a very nervous state, wasmost emphatic⁷ and categorical in his assertion that he had strangled his second wife in a fit of jealous rage. A greatmany of the usual signs in these cases were absent, and I don’t mind telling you frankly⁸, Mrs. Reed, that had it notbeen for Dr. Kennedy’s assurance that Mrs. Halliday was actually alive, I should have been prepared, at that time, totake your father’s assertion at its face value.”
“You formed the impression that he had actually killed her?” Giles asked.
“I said ‘at that time.’ Later, I had cause to revise my opinion, as Major Halliday’s character and mental makeupbecame more familiar to me. Your father, Mrs. Reed, was most definitely not a paranoiac⁹ type. He had no delusions¹⁰ ofpersecution, no impulses of violence. He was a gentle, kindly¹¹, and well-controlled individual. He was neither what theworld calls mad, nor was he dangerous to others. But he did have this obstinate¹² fixation about Mrs. Halliday’s deathand to account for its origin I am quite convinced we have to go back a long way—to some childish experience. But Iadmit that all methods of analysis failed to give us the right clue. Breaking down a patient’s resistance to analysis issometimes a very long business. It may take several years. In your father’s case, the time was insufficient¹³.”
He paused, and then, looking up sharply, said: “You know, I presume, that Major Halliday committed suicide.”
“Oh no!” cried Gwenda.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Reed. I thought you knew that. You are entitled, perhaps, to attach some blame to us on thataccount. I admit that proper vigilance would have prevented it. But frankly I saw no sign of Major Halliday’s being asuicidal type. He showed no tendency to melancholia—no brooding or despondency. He complained of sleeplessnessand my colleague allowed him a certain amount of sleeping tablets. Whilst pretending to take them, he actually keptthem until he had accumulated a sufficient amount and—”
He spread out his hands.
“Was he so dreadfully unhappy?”
“No. I do not think so. It was more, I should judge, a guilt¹⁴ complex, a desire for a penalty to be exacted. He hadinsisted at first, you know, on calling in the police, and though persuaded out of that, and assured that he had actuallycommitted no crime at all, he obstinately¹⁵ refused to be wholly convinced. Yet it was proved to him over and overagain, and he had to admit, that he had no recollection of committing the actual act.” Dr. Penrose ruffled¹⁶ over thepapers in front of him. “His account of the evening in question never varied¹⁷. He came into the house, he said, and itwas dark. The servants were out. He went into the dining room, as he usually did, poured himself out a drink anddrank it, then went through the connecting door into the drawing room. After that he remembered nothing—nothing atall, until he was standing¹⁸ in his bedroom looking down at his wife who was dead—strangled. He knew he had done it—”
Giles interrupted. “Excuse me, Dr. Penrose, but why did he know he had done it?”
“There was no doubt in his mind. For some months past he had found himself entertaining wild and melodramaticsuspicions. He told me, for instance, that he had been convinced his wife was administering drugs to him. He had, ofcourse, lived in India, and the practice of wives driving their husbands insane by datura poisoning often comes upthere in the native courts. He had suffered fairly often from hallucinations, with confusion of time and place. Hedenied strenuously¹⁹ that he suspected his wife of infidelity, but nevertheless I think that that was the motivating power.
It seems that what actually occurred was that he went into the drawing room, read the note his wife left saying she wasleaving him, and that his way of eluding²⁰ this fact was to prefer to ‘kill’ her. Hence the hallucination.”
“You mean he cared for her very much?” asked Gwenda.
“Obviously, Mrs. Reed.”
“And he never—recognized—that it was a hallucination?”
“He had to acknowledge that it must be—but his inner belief remained unshaken. The obsession was too strong toyield to reason. If we could have uncovered the underlying²¹ childish fixation—”
Gwenda interrupted. She was uninterested in childish fixations.
“But you’re quite sure, you say, that he—that he didn’t do it?”
“Oh, if that is what is worrying you, Mrs. Reed, you can put it right out of your head. Kelvin Halliday, howeverjealous he may have been of his wife, was emphatically not a killer²².”
Dr. Penrose coughed and picked up a small shabby black book.
“If you would like this, Mrs. Reed, you are the proper person to have it. It contains various jottings set down byyour father during the time he was here. When we turned over his effects to his executor (actually a firm of solicitors),Dr. McGuire, who was then Superintendent²³, retained this as part of the case history. Your father’s case, you know,appears in Dr. McGuire’s book—only under initials, of course. Mr. K.H. If you would like this diary—”
Gwenda stretched out her hand eagerly.
“Thank you,” she said. “I should like it very much.”
II
In the train on the way back to London, Gwenda took out the shabby little black book and began to read.
She opened it at random²⁴.
Kelvin Halliday had written:
I suppose these doctor wallahs know their business … It all sounds such poppycock. Was I in love with mymother? Did I hate my father? I don’t believe a word of it … I can’t help feeling this is a simple police case—criminal court—not a crazy loonybin matter. And yet—some of these people here—so natural, so reasonable—just like everyone else—except when you suddenly come across the kink. Very well, then, it seems that I, too,have a kink….
I’ve written to James … urged him to communicate with Helen … Let her come and see me in the flesh ifshe’s alive … He says he doesn’t know where she is … that’s because he knows that she’s dead and that I killedher … he’s a good fellow, but I’m not deceived … Helen is dead….
When did I begin to suspect her? A long time ago … Soon after we came to Dillmouth … Her mannerchanged … She was concealing²⁵ something … I used to watch her … Yes, and she used to watch me….
Did she give me drugs in my food? Those queer awful nightmares. Not ordinary dreams … livingnightmares … I know it was drugs … Only she could have done that … Why?… There’s some man … Someman she was afraid of….
Let me be honest. I suspected, didn’t I, that she had a lover? There was someone—I know there wassomeone—She said as much to me on the boat … Someone she loved and couldn’t marry … It was the same forboth of us … I couldn’t forget Megan … How like Megan little Gwennie looks sometimes. Helen played withGwennie so sweetly on the boat … Helen … You are so lovely, Helen….
Is Helen alive? Or did I put my hands round her throat and choke the life out of her? I went through thedining room door and I saw the note—propped up on the desk, and then—and then—all black—just blackness.
But there’s no doubt about it … I killed her … Thank God Gwennie’s all right in New Zealand. They’re goodpeople. They’ll love her for Megan’s sake. Megan—Megan, how I wish you were here….
It’s the best way … No scandal … The best way for the child. I can’t go on. Not year after year. I must takethe short way out. Gwennie will never know anything about all this. She’ll never know her father was amurderer….
Tears blinded Gwenda’s eyes. She looked across at Giles, sitting opposite her. But Giles’s eyes were riveted²⁶ on theopposite corner.
Aware of Gwenda’s scrutiny²⁷, he motioned faintly with his head.
Their fellow passenger was reading an evening paper. On the outside of it, clearly presented to their view was amelodramatic caption²⁸: Who were the men in her life?
Slowly, Gwenda nodded her head. She looked down at the diary.
There was someone—I know there was someone….

1 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

2 conversationally   

adv.会话地

参考例句：

• I am at an unfavourable position in being conversationally unacquainted with English. 我由于不熟悉英语会话而处于不利地位。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The findings suggest that happy lives are social and conversationally deep, rather than solitary and superficial. 结论显示，快乐的生活具有社会层面的意义并与日常交谈有关，而并不仅仅是个体差异和表面现象。 来自互联网

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 psychiatrists   

n.精神病专家，精神病医生( psychiatrist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They are psychiatrists in good standing. 他们是合格的精神病医生。 来自辞典例句
• Some psychiatrists have patients who grow almost alarmed at how congenial they suddenly feel. 有些精神分析学家发现，他们的某些病人在突然感到惬意的时候几乎会兴奋起来。 来自名作英译部分

5 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

6 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

7 emphatic   

adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的

参考例句：

• Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
• He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

8 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

9 paranoiac   

n.偏执狂患者

参考例句：

10 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句

11 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

12 obstinate   

adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的

参考例句：

• She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。
• The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。

13 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

14 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

15 obstinately   

ad.固执地，顽固地

参考例句：

• He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
• Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。

16 ruffled   

adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
• All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。

17 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

18 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。

19 strenuously   

adv.奋发地，费力地

参考例句：

• The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. 公司竭力为其裁员的决定辩护。
• She denied the accusation with some warmth, ie strenuously, forcefully. 她有些激动，竭力否认这一指责。

20 eluding   

v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到

参考例句：

• He saw no way of eluding Featherstone's stupid demand. 费瑟斯通的愚蠢要求使他走投无路。 来自辞典例句
• The fox succeeded in eluding the hunters. 这狐狸成功地避过了猎手。 来自辞典例句

21 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

22 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

23 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

24 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

25 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

26 riveted   

铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意

参考例句：

• I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。
• My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

27 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

28 caption   

n.说明，字幕，标题；v.加上标题，加上说明

参考例句：

• I didn't understand the drawing until I read the caption.直到我看到这幅画的说明才弄懂其意思。
• There is a caption under the picture.图片下边附有说明。