THE CASE OF THE PERFECT MAID
“ O h, if you please, madam, could I speak to you a moment?”
It might be thought that this request was in the nature of an absurdity1, since Edna, Miss Marple’s little maid, wasactually speaking to her mistress at the moment.
Recognizing the idiom, however, Miss Marple said promptly2, “Certainly, Edna, come in and shut the door. What isit?”
Obediently shutting the door, Edna advanced into the room, pleated the corner of her apron3 between her fingers,and swallowed once or twice.
“Yes, Edna?” said Miss Marple encouragingly.
“Oh, please, ma’am, it’s my cousin, Gladdie.”
“Dear me,” said Miss Marple, her mind leaping to the worst—and, alas4, the most usual conclusion. “Not—not introuble?”
Edna hastened to reassure5 her. “Oh, no, ma’am, nothing of that kind. Gladdie’s not that kind of girl. It’s just thatshe’s upset. You see, she’s lost her place.”
“Dear me, I am sorry to hear that. She was at Old Hall, wasn’t she, with the Miss—Misses—Skinner?”
“Yes, ma’am, that’s right, ma’am. And Gladdie’s very upset about it—very upset indeed.”
“Gladys has changed places rather often before, though, hasn’t she?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. She’s always one for a change, Gladdie is. She never seems to get really settled, if you knowwhat I mean. But she’s always been the one to give the notice, you see!”
“And this time it’s the other way round?” asked Miss Marple dryly.
“Yes, ma’am, and it’s upset Gladdie something awful.”
Miss Marple looked slightly surprised. Her recollection of Gladys, who had occasionally come to drink tea in thekitchen on her “days out,” was a stout6, giggling7 girl of unshakably equable temperament8.
Edna went on. “You see, ma’am, it’s the way it happened—the way Miss Skinner looked.”
“How,” enquired9 Miss Marple patiently, “did Miss Skinner look?”
This time Edna got well away with her news bulletin.
“Oh, ma’am, it was ever such a shock to Gladdie. You see, one of Miss Emily’s brooches was missing, and such ahue and cry for it as never was, and of course nobody likes a thing like that to happen; it’s upsetting, ma’am, if youknow what I mean. And Gladdie’s helped search everywhere, and there was Miss Lavinia saying she was going to thepolice about it, and then it turned up again, pushed right to the back of a drawer in the dressing11 table, and verythankful Gladdie was.
“And the very next day as ever was a plate got broken, and Miss Lavinia she bounced out right away and toldGladdie to take a month’s notice. And what Gladdie feels is it couldn’t have been the plate and that Miss Lavinia wasjust making an excuse of that, and that it must be because of the brooch and they think as she took it and put it backwhen the police was mentioned, and Gladdie wouldn’t do such a thing, not never she wouldn’t, and what she feels isas it will get round and tell against her and it’s a very serious thing for a girl, as you know, ma’am.”
Miss Marple nodded. Though having no particular liking12 for the bouncing, self-opinionated Gladys, she was quitesure of the girl’s intrinsic honesty and could well imagine that the affair must have upset her.
Edna said wistfully, “I suppose, ma’am, there isn’t anything you could do about it? Gladdie’s in ever such ataking.”
“Tell her not to be silly,” said Miss Marple crisply. “If she didn’t take the brooch—which I’m sure she didn’t—then she has no cause to be upset.”
“It’ll get about,” said Edna dismally13.
Miss Marple said, “I—er—am going up that way this afternoon. I’ll have a word with the Misses Skinner.”
“Oh, thank you, madam,” said Edna.
Old Hall was a big Victorian house surrounded by woods and park land. Since it had been proved unlettable andunsaleable as it was, an enterprising speculator had divided it into four flats with a central hot-water system, and theuse of “the grounds” to be held in common by the tenants14. The experiment had been satisfactory. A rich and eccentricold lady and her maid occupied one flat. The old lady had a passion for birds and entertained a feathered gathering15 tomeals every day. A retired16 Indian judge and his wife rented a second. A very young couple, recently married, occupiedthe third, and the fourth had been taken only two months ago by two maiden17 ladies of the name of Skinner. The foursets of tenants were only on the most distant terms with each other, since none of them had anything in common. Thelandlord had been heard to say that this was an excellent thing. What he dreaded18 were friendships followed byestrangements and subsequent complaints to him.
Miss Marple was acquainted with all the tenants, though she knew none of them well. The elder Miss Skinner,Miss Lavinia, was what might be termed the working member of the firm, Miss Emily, the younger, spent most of hertime in bed suffering from various complaints which, in the opinion of St. Mary Mead19, were largely imaginary. OnlyMiss Lavinia believed devoutly20 in her sister’s martyrdom and patience under affliction, and willingly ran errands andtrotted up and down to the village for things that “my sister had suddenly fancied.”
It was the view of St. Mary Mead that if Miss Emily suffered half as much as she said she did, she would have sentfor Doctor Haydock long ago. But Miss Emily, when this was hinted to her, shut her eyes in a superior way andmurmured that her case was not a simple one—the best specialists in London had been baffled by it—and that awonderful new man had put her on a most revolutionary course of treatment and that she really hoped her healthwould improve under it. No humdrum21 GP could possibly understand her case.
“And it’s my opinion,” said the outspoken22 Miss Hartnell, “that she’s very wise not to send for him. Dear DoctorHaydock, in that breezy manner of his, would tell her that there was nothing the matter with her and to get up and notmake a fuss! Do her a lot of good!”
Failing such arbitrary treatment, however, Miss Emily continued to lie on sofas, to surround herself with strangelittle pill boxes, and to reject nearly everything that had been cooked for her and ask for something else—usuallysomething difficult and inconvenient23 to get.
The door was opened to Miss Marple by “Gladdie,” looking more depressed24 than Miss Marple had ever thoughtpossible. In the sitting room (a quarter of the late drawing room, which had been partitioned into a dining room,drawing room, bathroom, and housemaid’s cupboard), Miss Lavinia rose to greet Miss Marple.
Lavinia Skinner was a tall, gaunt, bony female of fifty. She had a gruff voice and an abrupt25 manner.
“Nice to see you,” she said. “Emily’s lying down—feeling low today, poor dear. Hope she’ll see you, it wouldcheer her up, but there are times when she doesn’t feel up to seeing anybody. Poor dear, she’s wonderfully patient.”
Miss Marple responded politely. Servants were the main topic of conversation in St. Mary Mead, so it was notdifficult to lead the conversation in that direction. Miss Marple said she had heard that that nice girl, Gladys Holmes,was leaving.
Miss Lavinia nodded. “Wednesday week. Broke things, you know. Can’t have that.”
Miss Marple sighed and said we all had to put up with things nowadays. It was so difficult to get girls to come tothe country. Did Miss Skinner really think it was wise to part with Gladys?
“Know it’s difficult to get servants,” admitted Miss Lavinia. “The Devereuxs haven’t got anybody—but then, Idon’t wonder—always quarrelling, jazz on all night—meals anytime—that girl knows nothing of housekeeping. I pityher husband! Then the Larkins have just lost their maid. Of course, what with the judge’s Indian temper and hiswanting chota hazri, as he calls it, at six in the morning and Mrs. Larkin always fussing, I don’t wonder at that, either.
Mrs. Carmichael’s Janet is a fixture26 of course—though in my opinion she’s the most disagreeable woman, andabsolutely bullies27 the old lady.”
“Then don’t you think you might reconsider your decision about Gladys? She really is a nice girl. I know all herfamily; very honest and superior.”
Miss Lavinia shook her head.
“I’ve got my reasons,” she said importantly.
Miss Marple murmured, “You missed a brooch, I understand—”
“Now, who has been talking? I suppose the girl has. Quite frankly28, I’m almost certain she took it. And then gotfrightened and put it back—but, of course, one can’t say anything unless one is sure.” She changed the subject. “Docome and see Emily, Miss Marple. I’m sure it would do her good.”
Miss Marple followed meekly30 to where Miss Lavinia knocked on a door, was bidden enter, and ushered31 her guestinto the best room in the flat, most of the light of which was excluded by half-drawn blinds. Miss Emily was lying inbed, apparently32 enjoying the half gloom and her own indefinite sufferings.
The dim light showed her to be a thin, indecisive-looking creature, with a good deal of greyish-yellow hair untidilywound around her head and erupting into curls, the whole thing looking like a bird’s nest of which no self-respectingbird could be proud. There was a smell in the room of Eau de Cologne, stale biscuits, and camphor.
With half-closed eyes and a thin, weak voice, Emily Skinner explained that this was “one of her bad days.”
“The worst of ill health is,” said Miss Emily in a melancholy33 tone, “that one knows what a burden one is toeveryone around one.
“Lavinia is very good to me. Lavvie dear, I do so hate giving trouble but if my hot-water bottle could only be filledin the way I like it—too full it weighs on me so—on the other hand, if it is not sufficiently34 filled, it gets coldimmediately!”
“I’m sorry, dear. Give it to me. I will empty a little out.”
“Perhaps, if you’re doing that, it might be refilled. There are no rusks in the house, I suppose—no, no, it doesn’tmatter. I can do without. Some weak tea and a slice of lemon—no lemons? No, really, I couldn’t drink tea withoutlemon. I think the milk was slightly turned this morning. It has put me against milk in my tea. It doesn’t matter. I cando without my tea. Only I do feel so weak. Oysters35, they say, are nourishing. I wonder if I could fancy a few? No, no,too much bother to get hold of them so late in the day. I can fast until tomorrow.”
Lavinia left the room murmuring something incoherent about bicycling down to the village.
Miss Emily smiled feebly at her guest and remarked that she did hate giving anyone any trouble.
Miss Marple told Edna that evening that she was afraid her embassy had met with no success.
She was rather troubled to find that rumours36 as to Gladys’s dishonesty were already going around the village.
In the post office, Miss Wetherby tackled her. “My dear Jane, they gave her a written reference saying she waswilling and sober and respectable, but saying nothing about honesty. That seems to me most significant! I hear therewas some trouble about a brooch. I think there must be something in it, you know, because one doesn’t let a servant gonowadays unless it’s something rather grave. They’ll find it most difficult to get anyone else. Girls simply will not goto Old Hall. They’re nervous coming home on their days out. You’ll see, the Skinners won’t find anyone else, andthen, perhaps, that dreadful hypochondriac sister will have to get up and do something!”
Great was the chagrin37 of the village when it was made known that the Misses Skinner had engaged, from anagency, a new maid who, by all accounts, was a perfect paragon38.
“A three-years” reference recommending her most warmly, she prefers the country, and actually asks less wagesthan Gladys. I really feel we have been most fortunate.”
“Well, really,” said Miss Marple, to whom these details were imparted by Miss Lavinia in the fishmonger’s shop.
“It does seem too good to be true.”
It then became the opinion of St. Mary Mead that the paragon would cry off at the last minute and fail to arrive.
None of these prognostications came true, however, and the village was able to observe the domestic treasure, byname, Mary Higgins, driving through the village in Reed’s taxi to Old Hall. It had to be admitted that her appearancewas good. A most respectable-looking woman, very neatly39 dressed.
When Miss Marple next visited Old Hall, on the occasion of recruiting stall-holders for the vicarage fete, MaryHiggins opened the door. She was certainly a most superior-looking maid, at a guess forty years of age, with neatblack hair, rosy40 cheeks, a plump figure discreetly41 arrayed in black with a white apron and cap—“quite the good, old-fashioned type of servant,” as Miss Marple explained afterwards, and with the proper, inaudible respectful voice, sodifferent from the loud but adenoidal accents of Gladys.
Miss Lavinia was looking far less harassed42 than usual and, although she regretted that she could not take a stallowing to her preoccupation with her sister, she nevertheless tendered a handsome monetary43 contribution, andpromised to produce a consignment44 of pen-wipers and babies’ socks.
Miss Marple commented on her air of well-being45.
“I really feel I owe a great deal to Mary, I am so thankful I had the resolution to get rid of that other girl. Mary isreally invaluable46. Cooks nicely and waits beautifully and keeps our little flat scrupulously47 clean—mattresses turnedover every day. And she is really wonderful with Emily!”
Miss Marple hastily enquired after Emily.
“Oh, poor dear, she has been very much under the weather lately. She can’t help it, of course, but it really makesthings a little difficult sometimes. Wanting certain things cooked and then, when they come, saying she can’t eat now—and then wanting them again half an hour later and everything spoiled and having to be done again. It makes, ofcourse, a lot of work—but fortunately Mary does not seem to mind at all. She’s used to waiting on invalids48, she says,and understands them. It is such a comfort.”
“Dear me,” said Miss Marple. “You are fortunate.”
“Yes, indeed. I really feel Mary has been sent to us as an answer to prayer.”
“She sounds to me,” said Miss Marple, “almost too good to be true. I should—well, I should be a little careful if Iwere you.”
Lavinia Skinner failed to perceive the point of this remark. She said, “Oh! I assure you I do all I can to make hercomfortable. I don’t know what I should do if she left.”
“I don’t expect she’ll leave until she’s ready to leave,” said Miss Marple and stared very hard at her hostess.
Miss Lavinia said, “If one has no domestic worries, it takes such a load off one’s mind, doesn’t it? How is yourlittle Edna shaping?”
“She’s doing quite nicely. Not much head, of course. Not like your Mary. Still, I do know all about Edna becauseshe’s a village girl.”
As she went out into the hall she heard the invalid’s voice fretfully raised. “This compress has been allowed to getquite dry—Doctor Allerton particularly said moisture continually renewed. There, there, leave it. I want a cup of teaand a boiled egg—boiled only three minutes and a half, remember, and send Miss Lavinia to me.”
The efficient Mary emerged from the bedroom and, saying to Lavinia, “Miss Emily is asking for you, madam,”
proceeded to open the door for Miss Marple, helping49 her into her coat and handing her her umbrella in the mostirreproachable fashion.
Miss Marple took the umbrella, dropped it, tried to pick it up, and dropped her bag, which flew open. Marypolitely retrieved51 various odds52 and ends—a handkerchief, an engagement book, an old-fashioned leather purse, twoshillings, three pennies, and a striped piece of peppermint53 rock.
Miss Marple received the last with some signs of confusion.
“Oh, dear, that must have been Mrs. Clement’s little boy. He was sucking it, I remember, and he took my bag toplay with. He must have put it inside. It’s terribly sticky, isn’t it?”
“Shall I take it, madam?”
“Oh, would you? Thank you so much.”
Mary stooped to retrieve50 the last item, a small mirror, upon recovering which Miss Marple exclaimed fervently,“How lucky, now, that that isn’t broken.”
She thereupon departed, Mary standing54 politely by the door holding a piece of striped rock with a completelyexpressionless face.
For ten days longer St. Mary Mead had to endure hearing of the excellencies of Miss Lavinia’s and Miss Emily’streasure.
On the eleventh day, the village awoke to its big thrill.
Mary, the paragon, was missing! Her bed had not been slept in, and the front door was found ajar. She had slippedout quietly during the night.
And not Mary alone was missing! Two brooches and five rings of Miss Lavinia’s; three rings, a pendant, abracelet, and four brooches of Miss Emily’s were missing, also!
It was the beginning of a chapter of catastrophe55.
Young Mrs. Devereux had lost her diamonds which she kept in an unlocked drawer and also some valuable fursgiven to her as a wedding present. The judge and his wife also had had jewellery taken and a certain amount of money.
Mrs. Carmichael was the greatest sufferer. Not only had she some very valuable jewels but she also kept in the flat alarge sum of money which had gone. It had been Janet’s evening out, and her mistress was in the habit of walkinground the gardens at dusk calling to the birds and scattering56 crumbs57. It seemed clear that Mary, the perfect maid, hadhad keys to fit all the flats!
There was, it must be confessed, a certain amount of ill-natured pleasure in St. Mary Mead. Miss Lavinia hadboasted so much of her marvellous Mary.
“And all the time, my dear, just a common thief!”
Interesting revelations followed. Not only had Mary disappeared into the blue, but the agency who had providedher and vouched58 for her credentials59 was alarmed to find that the Mary Higgins who had applied60 to them and whosereferences they had taken up had, to all intents and purposes, never existed. It was the name of a bona fide servant whohad lived with the bona fide sister of a dean, but the real Mary Higgins was existing peacefully in a place in Cornwall.
“Damned clever, the whole thing,” Inspector61 Slack was forced to admit. “And, if you ask me, that woman workswith a gang. There was a case of much the same kind in Northumberland a year ago. Stuff was never traced, and theynever caught her. However, we’ll do better than that in Much Benham!”
Inspector Slack was always a confident man.
Nevertheless, weeks passed, and Mary Higgins remained triumphantly62 at large. In vain Inspector Slack redoubledthat energy that so belied63 his name.
Miss Lavinia remained tearful. Miss Emily was so upset, and felt so alarmed by her condition that she actually sentfor Doctor Haydock.
The whole of the village was terribly anxious to know what he thought of Miss Emily’s claims to ill health, butnaturally could not ask him. Satisfactory data came to hand on the subject, however, through Mr. Meek29, the chemist’sassistant, who was walking out with Clara, Mrs. Price-Ridley’s maid. It was then known that Doctor Haydock hadprescribed a mixture of asafoetida and valerian which, according to Mr. Meek, was the stock remedy for malingerersin the army!
Soon afterwards it was learned that Miss Emily, not relishing64 the medical attention she had had, was declaring thatin the state of her health she felt it her duty to be near the specialist in London who understood her case. It was, shesaid, only fair to Lavinia.
The flat was put up for subletting65.
It was a few days after that that Miss Marple, rather pink and flustered66, called at the police station in Much Benhamand asked for Inspector Slack.
Inspector Slack did not like Miss Marple. But he was aware that the Chief Constable67, Colonel Melchett, did notshare that opinion. Rather grudgingly68, therefore, he received her.
“Good afternoon, Miss Marple, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, dear,” said Miss Marple, “I’m afraid you’re in a hurry.”
“Lots of work on,” said Inspector Slack, “but I can spare a few moments.”
“Oh dear,” said Miss Marple. “I hope I shall be able to put what I say properly. So difficult, you know, to explainoneself, don’t you think? No, perhaps you don’t. But you see, not having been educated in the modern style—just agoverness, you know, who taught one the dates of the kings of England and general knowledge—Doctor Brewer—three kinds of diseases of wheat—blight, mildew—now what was the third—was it smut?”
“Do you want to talk about smut?” asked Inspector Slack and then blushed.
“Oh, no, no.” Miss Marple hastily disclaimed69 any wish to talk about smut. “Just an illustration, you know. Andhow needles are made, and all that. Discursive70, you know, but not teaching one to keep to the point. Which is what Iwant to do. It’s about Miss Skinner’s maid, Gladys, you know.”
“Mary Higgins,” said Inspector Slack.
“Oh, yes, the second maid. But it’s Gladys Holmes I mean—rather an impertinent girl and far too pleased withherself but really strictly71 honest, and it’s so important that that should be recognized.”
“No charge against her so far as I know,” said the inspector.
“No, I know there isn’t a charge—but that makes it worse. Because, you see, people go on thinking things. Oh,dear—I knew I should explain things badly. What I really mean is that the important thing is to find Mary Higgins.”
“Certainly,” said Inspector Slack. “Have you any ideas on the subject?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I have,” said Miss Marple. “May I ask you a question? Are fingerprints72 of no use toyou?”
“Ah,” said Inspector Slack, “that’s where she was a bit too artful for us. Did most of her work in rubber gloves orhousemaid’s gloves, it seems. And she’d been careful—wiped off everything in her bedroom and on the sink. Couldn’tfind a single fingerprint73 in the place!”
“If you did have fingerprints, would it help?”
“It might, madam. They may be known at the Yard. This isn’t her first job, I’d say!”
Miss Marple nodded brightly. She opened her bag and extracted a small cardboard box. Inside it, wedged in cottonwool, was a small mirror.
“From my handbag,” said Miss Marple. “The maid’s prints are on it. I think they should be satisfactory—shetouched an extremely sticky substance a moment previously74.”
Inspector Slack stared. “Did you get her fingerprints on purpose?”
“Of course.”
“You suspected her then?”
“Well, you know, it did strike me that she was a little too good to be true. I practically told Miss Lavinia so. Butshe simply wouldn’t take the hint! I’m afraid, you know, Inspector, that I don’t believe in paragons75. Most of us haveour faults—and domestic service shows them up very quickly!”
“Well,” said Inspector Slack, recovering his balance, “I’m obliged to you, I’m sure. We’ll send these up to theYard and see what they have to say.”
He stopped. Miss Marple had put her head a little on one side and was regarding him with a good deal of meaning.
“You wouldn’t consider, I suppose, Inspector, looking a little nearer home?”
“What do you mean, Miss Marple?”
“It’s very difficult to explain, but when you come across a peculiar76 thing you notice it. Although, often, peculiarthings may be the merest trifles. I’ve felt that all along, you know; I mean about Gladys and the brooch. She’s anhonest girl; she didn’t take that brooch. Then why did Miss Skinner think she did? Miss Skinner’s not a fool; far fromit! Why was she so anxious to let a girl go who was a good servant when servants are hard to get? It was peculiar, youknow. So I wondered. I wondered a good deal. And I noticed another peculiar thing! Miss Emily’s a hypochondriac,but she’s the first hypochondriac who hasn’t sent for some doctor or other at once. Hypochondriacs love doctors, MissEmily didn’t!”
“What are you suggesting, Miss Marple?”
“Well, I’m suggesting, you know, that Miss Lavinia and Miss Emily are peculiar people. Miss Emily spendsnearly all her time in a dark room. And if that hair of hers isn’t a wig77 I—I’ll eat my own back switch! And what I sayis this—it’s perfectly78 possible for a thin, pale, grey-haired, whining79 woman to be the same as a black-haired, rosy-cheeked, plump woman. And nobody that I can find ever saw Miss Emily and Mary Higgins at one and the same time.
“Plenty of time to get impressions of all the keys, plenty of time to find out all about the other tenants, and then—get rid of the local girl. Miss Emily takes a brisk walk across country one night and arrives at the station as MaryHiggins next day. And then, at the right moment, Mary Higgins disappears, and off goes the hue10 and cry after her. I’lltell you where you’ll find her, Inspector. On Miss Emily Skinner’s sofa! Get her fingerprints if you don’t believe me,but you’ll find I’m right! A couple of clever thieves, that’s what the Skinners are—and no doubt in league with aclever post and rails or fence or whatever you call it. But they won’t get away with it this time! I’m not going to haveone of our village girls’ character for honesty taken away like that! Gladys Holmes is as honest as the day, andeverybody’s going to know it! Good afternoon!”
Miss Marple had stalked out before Inspector Slack had recovered.
“Whew?” he muttered. “I wonder if she’s right?”
He soon found out that Miss Marple was right again.
Colonel Melchett congratulated Slack on his efficiency, and Miss Marple had Gladys come to tea with Edna andspoke to her seriously on settling down in a good situation when she got one.
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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dismally
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| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
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tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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mead
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devoutly
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humdrum
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outspoken
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| adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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fixture
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| n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款 | |
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bullies
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| n.欺凌弱小者, 开球 vt.恐吓, 威胁, 欺负 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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paragon
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| n.模范，典型 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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monetary
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| adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的 | |
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consignment
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| n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物 | |
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well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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scrupulously
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| adv.一丝不苟地；小心翼翼地，多顾虑地 | |
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invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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peppermint
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| n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖 | |
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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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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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vouched
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| v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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belied
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| v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎 | |
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relishing
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| v.欣赏( relish的现在分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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subletting
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| v.转租( sublet的现在分词 ) | |
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flustered
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| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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grudgingly
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disclaimed
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| v.否认( disclaim的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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discursive
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| adj.离题的，无层次的 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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fingerprints
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| n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 ) | |
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73
fingerprint
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| n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹 | |
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74
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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75
paragons
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| n.模范( paragon的名词复数 )；典型；十全十美的人；完美无缺的人 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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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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whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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