Mrs. Thomas Betterton had left the hospital that afternoon five days afterthe accident. An ambulance had driven her to the H?tel St. Louis.
Looking pale and ill, her face strapped1 and bandaged, Mrs. Bettertonwas shown at once to the room reserved for her, a sympathetic managerhovering in attendance.
“What emotions you must have experienced, Madame!” he said, after in-quiring tenderly as to whether the room reserved suited her, and turningon all the electric lights quite unnecessarily. “But what an escape! What amiracle! What good fortune! Only three survivors2, I understand, and oneof them in a critical condition still.”
Hilary sank down on a chair wearily.
“Yes, indeed,” she murmured. “I can hardly believe it myself. Even nowI can remember so little. The last twenty-four hours before the crash arestill quite vague to me.”
The manager nodded sympathetically.
“Ah, yes. That is the result of the concussion5. That happens once to a sis-ter of mine. She was in London in the war. A bomb came, she wasknocked unconscious. But presently she gets up, she walks about Londonand she takes a train from the station of Euston and, figurez- vous, shewakes up at Liverpool and she cannot remember anything of the bomb, ofgoing across London, of the train or of getting there! The last thing she re-members is hanging up her skirt in the wardrobe in London. Very curiousthese things, are they not?”
Hilary agreed that they were, indeed. The manager bowed and depar-ted. Hilary got up and looked at herself in the glass. So imbued6 was shenow with her new personality that she positively7 felt the weakness in herlimbs which would be natural to one who had just come out of hospitalafter a severe ordeal8.
She had already inquired at the desk, but there had been no messages orletters for her there. The first steps in her new role had to be taken verymuch in the dark. Olive Betterton might perhaps have been told to ring acertain number or to contact a certain person at Casablanca. As to thatthere was no clue. All the knowledge she had to go on was Olive Better-ton’s passport, her Letter of Credit, and her book of Cooks’ tickets and re-servations. These provided for two days in Casablanca, six days in Fez andfive days in Marrakesh. These reservations were now, of course, out ofdate, and would have to be dealt with accordingly. The passport, the Letterof Credit and the accompanying Letter of Identification had been suitablydealt with. The photograph on the passport was now that of Hilary, thesignature on the Letter of Credit was Olive Betterton in Hilary’s handwrit-ing. Her credentials9 were all in order. Her task was to play her part ad-equately and to wait. Her master card must be the plane accident, and itsresultant loss of memory and general haziness10.
It had been a genuine accident and Olive Betterton had been genuinelyon board the plane. The fact of concussion would adequately cover herfailure to adopt any measures in which she might have been instructed.
Bewildered, dazed, weak, Olive Betterton would await orders.
The natural thing to do would be to rest. Accordingly she lay down onthe bed. For two hours she went over in her mind all that she had beentaught. Olive’s luggage had been destroyed in the plane. Hilary had a fewthings with her supplied at the hospital. She passed a comb through herhair, touched her lips with a lipstick11 and went down to the hotel diningroom for dinner.
She was looked at, she noticed, with a certain amount of interest. Therewere several tables occupied by business men and these hardly vouch-safed a glance at her. But at other tables, clearly occupied by tourists, shewas conscious of a murmur4 and a whisper going on.
“That woman over there—the one with the red hair—she’s a survivor3 ofthe plane crash, my dear. Yes, came from hospital in an ambulance. I sawher arrive. She looks terribly ill still. I wonder if they ought to have let herout so soon. What a frightful12 experience. What a merciful escape!”
After dinner Hilary sat for a short while in the small formal salon13. Shewondered if anyone would approach her in any way. There were one ortwo other women scattered14 about the room, and presently a small, plump,middle-aged15 woman with well-blued white hair, moved to a chair nearhers. She opened proceedings16 in a brisk, pleasant American voice.
“I do hope you’ll excuse me, but I just felt I had to say a word. It’s you,isn’t it, who had the wonderful escape from that air crash the other day?”
Hilary put down the magazine she was reading.
“Yes,” she said.
“My! Isn’t that terrible. The crash I mean. Only three survivors, they say.
Is that right?”
“Only two,” said Hilary. “One of the three died in hospital.”
“My! You don’t say! Now, if you don’t mind my asking, Miss—Mrs. .?.?.”
“Betterton.”
“Well, if you don’t mind my asking, just where were you sitting in thatplane? Were you up at the front or near the tail?”
Hilary knew the answer to that one and gave it promptly17.
“Near the tail.”
“They always say, don’t they, that’s the safest place. I just insist on al-ways having a place near the rear doors. Did you hear that, Miss Hether-ington?” She turned her head to include another middle-aged lady. Thisone was uncompromisingly British with a long, sad, horse-like face. “It’sjust as I was saying the other day. Whenever you go into an aeroplane,don’t you let those air hostesses take you right up to the front.”
“I suppose someone has to sit at the front,” said Hilary.
“Well, it won’t be me,” said her new American friend promptly. “Myname’s Baker18, by the way, Mrs. Calvin Baker.”
Hilary acknowledged the introduction and Mrs. Baker plunged19 on,monopolizing the conversation easily.
“I’ve just come here from Mogador and Miss Hetherington has comefrom Tangier. We became acquainted here. Are you going to visit Mar-rakesh, Mrs. Betterton?”
“I’d arranged to do so,” said Hilary. “Of course, this accident has thrownout all my time schedule.”
“Why, naturally, I can see that. But you really mustn’t miss Marrakesh,wouldn’t you say so, Miss Hetherington?”
“Marrakesh is terribly expensive,” said Miss Hetherington. “This miser-able travel allowance makes everything so difficult.”
“There’s a wonderful hotel, the Mamounia,” continued Mrs. Baker.
“Wickedly expensive,” said Miss Hetherington. “Out of the question forme. Of course, it’s different for you, Mrs. Baker — dollars, I mean. Butsomeone gave me the name of a small hotel there, really very nice andclean, and the food, they say, is not at all bad.”
“Where else do you plan to go, Mrs. Betterton?” asked Mrs. CalvinBaker.
“I would like to see Fez,” said Hilary, cautiously. “I shall have to getfresh reservations, of course.”
“Oh, yes, you certainly oughtn’t to miss Fez or Rabat.”
“You’ve been there?”
“Not yet. I’m planning to go there shortly, and so is Miss Hetherington.”
“I believe the old city is quite unspoilt,” said Miss Hetherington.
The conversation continued in desultory20 fashion for some time further.
Then Hilary pleaded fatigue21 from her first time out of hospital and wentup to her bedroom.
The evening so far had been quite indecisive. The two women who hadtalked to her had been such well-known travelling types that she couldhardly believe that they were other than they seemed. Tomorrow, she de-cided, if she had received no word or communication of any kind, shewould go to Cooks, and raise the question of fresh reservations at Fez andMarrakesh.
There were no letters, messages or telephone calls the following morn-ing and about eleven o’clock she made her way to the travel agency. Therewas somewhat of a queue, but when she at last reached the counter andbegan talking to the clerk, an interruption occurred. A somewhat moresenior clerk with glasses elbowed the young man aside. He beamed at Hil-ary through his glasses.
“It is Madame Betterton, is it not? I have all your reservations made.”
“I am afraid,” said Hilary, “that they will be out of date. I have been inhospital and. .?.?.”
“Ah, mais oui, I know all that. Let me congratulate you on your escape,Madame. But I got your telephone message about fresh reservations, andwe have them here ready for you.”
Hilary felt a faint quickening of her pulse. As far as she knew no onehad phoned the travel agency. Here then were definite signs that OliveBetterton’s travelling arrangements were being supervised. She said:
“I wasn’t sure if they had telephoned or not.”
“But yes, Madame. Here, I will show you.”
He produced railway tickets, and vouchers22 for hotel accommodation,and a few minutes later the transactions were completed. Hilary was toleave for Fez on the following day.
Mrs. Calvin Baker was not in the restaurant either for lunch or dinner.
Miss Hetherington was. She acknowledged Hilary’s bow as the latterpassed to her table, but made no attempt to get into conversation with her.
On the following day after making some necessary purchases of clothesand underclothing, Hilary left by train for Fez.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
strapped
|
|
| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
survivors
|
|
| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
survivor
|
|
| n.生存者，残存者，幸存者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
concussion
|
|
| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
imbued
|
|
| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
ordeal
|
|
| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
credentials
|
|
| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
haziness
|
|
| 有薄雾，模糊； 朦胧之性质或状态； 零能见度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
lipstick
|
|
| n.口红，唇膏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
frightful
|
|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
salon
|
|
| n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
middle-aged
|
|
| adj.中年的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
proceedings
|
|
| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
baker
|
|
| n.面包师 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
desultory
|
|
| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
fatigue
|
|
| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
vouchers
|
|
| n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |