Three

Three
IThe Savoy Hotel welcomed Miss Anna Scheele with the empressement dueto an old and valued client—they inquired after the health of Mr. Mor-ganthal—and assured her that if her suite¹ was not to her liking² she hadonly to say so—for Anna Scheele represented DOLLARS.
Miss Scheele bathed, dressed, made a telephone call to a Kensingtonnumber and then went down in the lift. She passed through the revolvingdoors and asked for a taxi. It drew up and she got in and directed it toCartier’s in Bond Street.
As the taxi turned out of the Savoy approach into the Strand³ a little darkman who had been standing⁴ looking into a shop window suddenlyglanced at his watch and hailed a taxi that was conveniently cruising pastand which had been singularly blind to the hails of an agitated⁵ womanwith parcels a moment or two previously⁶.
The taxi followed along the Strand keeping the first taxi in sight. As theywere both held up by the lights in going round Trafalgar Square, the manin the second taxi looked out of the left-hand window and made a slightgesture with his hand. A private car, which had been standing in the sidestreet by the Admiralty Arch started its engine and swung into the streamof traffic behind the second taxi.
The traffic had started on again. As Anna Scheele’s taxi followed thestream of traffic going to the left into Pall⁷ Mall, the taxi containing thelittle dark man swung away to the right, continuing round TrafalgarSquare. The private car, a grey Standard, was now close behind AnnaScheele. It contained two passengers, a fair rather vacant-looking youngman at the wheel and a smartly dressed young woman beside him. TheStandard followed Anna Scheele’s taxi along Piccadilly and up BondStreet. Here for a moment it paused by the kerb, and the young womangot out.
She called brightly and conventionally.
“Thanks so much.”
The car went on. The young woman walked along glancing every nowand again into a window. A block held up the traffic. The young womanpassed both the Standard and Anna Scheele’s taxi. She arrived at Cartier’sand went inside.
Anna Scheele paid off her taxi and went into the jeweller’s. She spentsome time looking at various pieces of jewellery. In the end she selected asapphire and diamond ring. She wrote a cheque for it on a London bank.
At the sight of the name on it, a little extra empressement came into the as-sistant’s manner.
“Glad to see you in London again, Miss Scheele. Is Mr. Morganthalover?”
“No.”
“I wondered. We have a very fine star sapphire⁸ here—I know he is in-terested in star sapphires⁹. If you would care to see it?”
Miss Scheele expressed her willingness to see it, duly admired it andpromised to mention it to Mr. Morganthal.
She went out again into Bond Street, and the young woman who hadbeen looking at clip earrings¹⁰ expressed herself as unable to make up hermind and emerged also.
The grey Standard car having turned to the left in Grafton Street andgone down to Piccadilly was just coming up Bond Street again. The youngwoman showed no signs of recognition.
Anna Scheele had turned into the Arcade¹¹. She entered a florist’s. Sheordered three dozen long stemmed roses, a bowl full of sweet big purpleviolets, a dozen sprays of white lilac, and a jar of mimosa. She gave an ad-dress for them to be sent.
“That will be twelve pounds, eighteen shillings, madam.”
Anna Scheele paid and went out. The young woman who had just comein asked the price of a bunch of primroses¹² but did not buy them.
Anna Scheele crossed Bond Street and went along Burlington Street andturned into Savile Row. Here she entered the establishment of one of thosetailors who, whilst catering¹³ essentially¹⁴ for men, occasionally condescendto cut a suit for certain favoured members of the feminine sex.
Mr. Bolford received Miss Scheele with the greeting accorded to a val-ued client, and the materials for a suit were considered.
“Fortunately, I can give you our own export quality. When will you bereturning to New York, Miss Scheele?”
“On the twenty-third.”
“We can manage that nicely. By the clipper, I presume?”
“Yes.”
“And how are things in America? They are very sadly here—very sadlyindeed.” Mr. Bolford shook his head like a doctor describing a patient. “Noheart in things, if you know what I mean. And no one coming along whotakes any pride in a good job of work. D’you know who will cut your suit,Miss Scheele? Mr. Lantwick—seventy-two years of age he is and he’s theonly man I’ve got I can really trust to cut for our best people. All the others—”
Mr. Bolford’s plump hands waved them away.
“Quality,” he said. “That’s what this country used to be renowned¹⁵ for.
Quality! Nothing cheap, nothing flashy. When we try mass productionwe’re no good at it, and that’s a fact. That’s your country’s speciality, MissScheele. What we ought to stand for, and I say it again, is quality. Taketime over things, and trouble, and turn out an article that no one in theworld can beat. Now what day shall we say for the first fitting. This dayweek? At 11:30? Thank you very much.”
Making her way through the archaic¹⁶ gloom round bales of material,Anna Scheele emerged into daylight again. She hailed a taxi and returnedto the Savoy. A taxi that was drawn¹⁷ up on the opposite side of the streetand which contained a little dark man, took the same route but did notturn into the Savoy. It drove round to the Embankment and there pickedup a short plump woman who had recently emerged from the service en-trance of the Savoy.
“What about it, Louisa? Been through her room?”
“Yes. Nothing.”
Anna Scheele had lunch in the restaurant. A table had been kept for herby the window. The Ma?tre d’H?tel inquired affectionately after the healthof Otto Morganthal.
After lunch Anna Scheele took her key and went up to her suite. The bedhad been made, fresh towels were in the bathroom and everything wasspick and span. Anna crossed to the two light aircases that constituted herluggage, one was open, the other locked. She cast an eye over the contentsof the unlocked one, then taking her keys from her purse she unlocked theother. All was neat, folded, as she had folded things, nothing had appar-ently been touched or disturbed. A briefcase¹⁸ of leather lay on top. A smallLeica camera and two rolls of films were in one corner. The films werestill sealed and unopened. Anna ran her nail across the flap and pulled itup. Then she smiled, very gently. The single almost invisible blonde hairthat had been there was there no longer. Deftly¹⁹ she scattered²⁰ a littlepowder over the shiny leather of the briefcase and blew it off. Thebriefcase remained clear and shiny. There were no fingerprints²¹. But thatmorning after patting a little brilliantine on to the smooth flaxen cap ofher hair, she had handled the briefcase. There should have been finger-prints on it, her own.
She smiled again.
“Good work,” she said to herself. “But not quite good enough….”
Deftly, she packed a small overnight case and went downstairs again. Ataxi was called and she directed the driver to 17 Elmsleigh Gardens.
Elmsleigh Gardens was a quiet, rather dingy²² Kensington Square. Annapaid off the taxi and ran up the steps to the peeling front door. Shepressed the bell. After a few minutes an elderly woman opened the doorwith a suspicious face which immediately changed to a beam of welcome.
“Won’t Miss Elsie be pleased to see you! She’s in the study at the back.
It’s only the thought of your coming that’s been keeping her spirits up.”
Anna went quickly along the dark hallway and opened the door at thefar end. It was a small shabby, comfortable room with large worn leatherarmchairs. The woman sitting in one of them jumped up.
“Anna, darling.”
“Elsie.”
The two women kissed each other affectionately.
“It’s all arranged,” said Elsie. “I go in tonight. I do hope—”
“Cheer up,” said Anna. “Everything is going to be quite all right.”
II
The small dark man in the raincoat entered a public callbox at HighStreet Kensington Station, and dialled a number.
“Valhalla Gramophone Company?”
“Yes.”
“Sanders here.”
“Sanders of the River? What river?”
“River Tigris. Reporting on A. S. Arrived this morning from New York.
Went to Cartier’s. Bought sapphire and diamond ring costing one hundredand twenty pounds. Went to florist’s, Jane Kent—twelve pounds eighteenshillings’ worth of flowers to be delivered at a nursing home in PortlandPlace. Ordered coat and skirt at Bolford and Avory’s. None of these firmsknown to have any suspicious contacts, but particular attention will bepaid to them in future. A. S.’s room at Savoy gone through. Nothing suspi-cious found. Briefcase in suitcase containing papers relating to Paper Mer-ger with Wolfensteins. All aboveboard. Camera and two rolls of appar-ently unexposed films. Possibility of films being photostatic records, sub-stituted other films for them, but original films reported upon as beingstraightforward unexposed films. A. S. took small overnight case and wentto sister at 17 Elmsleigh Gardens. Sister entering nursing home in PortlandPlace this evening for internal operation. This confirmed from nursinghome and also appointment book of surgeon. Visit of A. S. seems perfectlyaboveboard. Showed no uneasiness or consciousness of being followed.
Understand she is spending tonight at nursing home. Has kept on herroom at the Savoy. Return passage to New York by clipper booked fortwenty-third.”
The man who called himself Sanders of the River paused and added apostscript off the record as it were.
“And if you ask what I think it’s all a mare’s nest! Throwing moneyabout, that’s all she’s doing. Twelve pounds eighteen on flowers! I askyou!”

1 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

2 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

3 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

4 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。

5 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

8 sapphire   

n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的

参考例句：

• Now let us consider crystals such as diamond or sapphire.现在让我们考虑象钻石和蓝宝石这样的晶体。
• He left a sapphire ring to her.他留给她一枚蓝宝石戒指。

9 sapphires   

n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色

参考例句：

• Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩，接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来，双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
• She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句

10 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

12 primroses   

n.报春花( primrose的名词复数 )；淡黄色；追求享乐（招至恶果）

参考例句：

• Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The primroses were bollming; spring was in evidence. 迎春花开了，春天显然已经到了。 来自互联网

13 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

16 archaic   

adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的

参考例句：

• The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。
• Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

17 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

18 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

19 deftly   

adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

20 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

21 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。