We stayed in the garden a long time. By a kind of tacit consent, we did notdiscuss the horror that was weighing upon us. Instead Sophia talked affec-tionately of the dead woman, of things they had done, and games they hadplayed as children with Nannie—and tales that the old woman used to tellthem about Roger and their father and the other brothers and sisters.
“They were her real children, you see. She only came back to us to helpduring the war when Josephine was a baby and Eustace was a funny littleboy.”
There was a certain balm for Sophia in these memories and I encour-aged her to talk.
I wondered what Taverner was doing. Questioning the household, I sup-posed. A car drove away with the police photographer and two other men,and presently an ambulance drove up.
Sophia shivered a little. Presently the ambulance left and we knew thatNannie’s body had been taken away in preparation for an autopsy1.
And still we sat or walked in the garden and talked—our words becom-ing more and more of a cloak for our real thoughts.
Finally, with a shiver, Sophia said:
“It must be very late—it’s almost dark. We’ve got to go in. Aunt Edithand Josephine haven’t come back … Surely they ought to be back by now?”
A vague eneasiness woke in me. What had happened? Was Edith delib-erately keeping the child away from the Crooked2 House?
We went in. Sophia drew all the curtains. The fire was lit and the bigdrawing room looked harmonious3 with an unreal air of bygone luxury.
Great bowls of bronze chrysanthemums4 stood on the tables.
Sophia rang and a maid whom I recognized as having been formerly5 up-stairs brought in tea. She had red eyes and sniffed6 continuously. Also I no-ticed that she had a frightened way of glancing quickly over her shoulder.
Magda joined us, but Philip’s tea was sent in to him in the library.
Magda’s role was a stiff frozen image of grief. She spoke7 little or not at all.
She said once:
“Where are Edith and Josephine? They’re out very late.”
But she said it in a preoccupied8 kind of way.
But I myself was becoming increasingly uneasy. I asked if Tavernerwere still in the house and Magda replied that she thought so. I went insearch of him. I told him that I was worried about Miss de Haviland andthe child.
He went immediately to the telephone and gave certain instructions.
“I’ll let you know when I have news,” he said.
I thanked him and went back to the drawing room. Sophia was therewith Eustace. Magda had gone.
“He’ll let us know if he hears anything,” I said to Sophia.
She said in a low voice:
“Something’s happened, Charles, something must have happened.”
“My dear Sophia, it’s not really late yet.”
“What are you bothering about?” said Eustace. “They’ve probably goneto the cinema.”
He lounged out of the room. I said to Sophia: “She may have takenJosephine to a hotel—or up to London. I think she really realized that thechild was in danger—perhaps she realized it better than we did.”
Sophia replied with a sombre look that I could not quite fathom9.
“She kissed me goodbye….”
I did not see quite what she meant by that disconnected remark, or whatit was supposed to show. I asked if Magda was worried.
“Mother? No, she’s all right. She’s no sense of time. She’s reading a newplay of Vavasour Jones called The Woman Disposes. It’s a funny play aboutmurder—a female Bluebeard—cribbed from Arsenic10 and Old Lace if youask me, but it’s got a good woman’s part, a woman who’s got a mania11 forbeing a widow.”
I said no more. We sat, pretending to read.
It was half past six when Taverner opened the door and came in. Hisface prepared us for what he had to say.
Sophia got up.
“Yes?” she said.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got bad news for you. I sent out a general alarm for thecar. A motorist reported having seen a Ford12 car with a number somethinglike that turning off the main road at Flackspur Heath — through thewoods.”
“Not—the track to the Flackspur Quarry14?”
“Yes, Miss Leonides.” He paused and went on. “The car’s been found inthe quarry. Both the occupants were dead. You’ll be glad to know theywere killed outright15.”
“Josephine!” It was Magda standing16 in the doorway17. Her voice rose in awail. “Josephine … My baby.”
Sophia went to her and put her arms round her. I said: “Wait a minute.”
I had remembered something! Edith de Haviland writing a couple of let-ters at the desk, going out into the hall with them in her hand.
But they had not been in her hand when she got into the car.
I dashed out into the hall and went to the long oak chest. I found the let-ters—pushed inconspicuously to the back behind a brass18 tea urn13.
The uppermost was addressed to Chief-Inspector Taverner.
Taverner had followed me. I handed the letter to him and he tore itopen. Standing beside him I read its brief contents.
My expectation is that this will be opened after my death. Iwish to enter into no details, but I accept full responsibilityfor the deaths of my brother-in-law, Aristide Leonides andJanet Rowe (Nannie). I hereby solemnly declare thatBrenda Leonides and Laurence Brown are innocent of themurder of Aristide Leonides. Inquiry19 of Dr. MichaelChavasse, 783 Harley Street, will confirm that my lifecould only have been prolonged for a few months. I preferto take this way out and to spare two innocent people theordeal of being charged with a murder they did not com-mit. I am of sound mind and fully20 conscious of what Iwrite.
Edith Elfrida de Haviland.
As I finished the letter I was aware that Sophia, too, had read it —whether with Taverner’s concurrence21 or not, I don’t know.
“Aunt Edith …” murmured Sophia.
I remembered Edith de Haviland’s ruthless foot grinding bindweed intothe earth. I remembered my early, almost fanciful, suspicions of her. Butwhy—
Sophia spoke the thought in my mind before I came to it.
“But why Josephine? Why did she take Josephine with her?”
“Why did she do it at all?” I demanded. “What was her motive22?”
But even as I said that, I knew the truth. I saw the whole thing clearly. Irealized that I was still holding her second letter in my hand. I lookeddown and saw my own name on it.
It was thicker and harder than the other one. I think I knew what was init before I opened it. I tore the envelope along and Josephine’s little blacknotebook fell out. I picked it up off the floor—it came open in my handand I saw the entry on the first page….
Sounding from a long way away, I heard Sophia’s voice, clear and self-controlled.
“We’ve got it all wrong,” she said. “Edith didn’t do it.”
“No,” I said.
Sophia came closer to me—she whispered:
“It was—Josephine—wasn’t it? That was it, Josephine.”
Together we looked down on the first entry in the little black book, writ-ten in an unformed childish hand:
“Today I killed grandfather.”

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收听单词发音

1
autopsy
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n.尸体解剖;尸检 | |
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2
crooked
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adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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3
harmonious
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adj.和睦的,调和的,和谐的,协调的 | |
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4
chrysanthemums
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n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 ) | |
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5
formerly
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adv.从前,以前 | |
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6
sniffed
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v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说 | |
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7
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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8
preoccupied
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adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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9
fathom
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v.领悟,彻底了解 | |
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10
arsenic
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n.砒霜,砷;adj.砷的 | |
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11
mania
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n.疯狂;躁狂症,狂热,癖好 | |
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12
Ford
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n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过 | |
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13
urn
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n.(有座脚的)瓮;坟墓;骨灰瓮 | |
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14
quarry
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n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找 | |
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15
outright
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adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的 | |
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16
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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17
doorway
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n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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18
brass
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n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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19
inquiry
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n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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20
fully
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adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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21
concurrence
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n.同意;并发 | |
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22
motive
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n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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