On arriving back at the Vicarage about half an hour later, Bobby foundthat his connection with the death of Alex Pritchard was not yet quiteover. He was informed that Mr. and Mrs. Cayman had called to see himand were in the study with his father. Bobby made his way there andfound his father bravely making suitable conversation without, appar-ently, much enjoying his task.
“Ah!” he said with some slight relief. “Here is Bobby.”
Mr. Cayman rose and advanced towards the young man with out-stretched hand. Mr. Cayman was a big florid man with a would-be heartymanner and a cold and somewhat shifty eye that rather belied1 the man-ner. As for Mrs. Cayman, though she might be considered attractive in abold, coarse fashion, she had little now in common with that early photo-graph of herself, and no trace of that wistful expression remained. In fact,Bobby reflected, if she had not recognized her own photograph, it seemeddoubtful if anyone else would have done so.
“I came down with the wife,” said Mr. Cayman, enclosing Bobby’s handin a firm and painful grip. “Had to stand by, you know; Amelia’s naturallyupset.”
Mrs. Cayman sniffed2.
“We came round to see you,” continued Mr. Cayman. “You see, my poorwife’s brother died, practically speaking, in your arms. Naturally, shewanted to know all you could tell her of his last moments.”
“Absolutely,” said Bobby unhappily. “Oh, absolutely.”
He grinned nervously3 and was immediately aware of his father’s sigh—a sigh of Christian4 resignation.
“Poor Alex,” said Mrs. Cayman, dabbing5 her eyes. “Poor, poor Alex.”
“I know,” said Bobby. “Absolutely grim.”
He wriggled6 uncomfortably.
“You see,” said Mrs. Cayman, looking hopefully at Bobby, “if he left anylast words or messages, naturally I want to know.”
“Oh, rather,” said Bobby. “But as a matter of fact he didn’t.”
“Nothing at all?”
Mrs. Cayman looked disappointed and incredulous. Bobby felt apolo-getic.
“No—well—as a matter of fact, nothing at all.”
“It was best so,” said Mr. Cayman solemnly. “To pass away unconscious—without pain—why, you must think of it as a mercy, Amelia.”
“I suppose I must,” said Mrs. Cayman. “You don’t think he felt anypain?”
“I’m sure he didn’t,” said Bobby.
Mrs. Cayman sighed deeply.
“Well, that’s something to be thankful for. Perhaps I did hope he’d left alast message, but I can see that it’s best as it is. Poor Alex. Such a fine out-of-door man.”
“Yes, wasn’t he?” said Bobby. He recalled the bronze face, the deep blueeyes. An attractive personality, that of Alex Pritchard, attractive even sonear death. Strange that he should be the brother of Mrs. Cayman and thebrother-in-law of Mr. Cayman. He had been worthy7, Bobby felt, of betterthings.
“Well, we’re very much indebted to you, I’m sure,” said Mrs. Cayman.
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Bobby. “I mean—well, couldn’t do anythingelse—I mean—”
He floundered hopelessly.
“We shan’t forget it,” said Mr. Cayman. Bobby suffered once more thatpainful grip. He received a flabby hand from Mrs. Cayman. His fathermade further adieus. Bobby accompanied the Caymans to the front door.
“And what do you do with yourself, young man?” inquired Cayman.
“Home on leave—something of that kind?”
“I spend most of my time looking for a job,” said Bobby. He paused. “Iwas in the Navy.”
“Hard times — hard times nowadays,” said Mr. Cayman, shaking hishead. “Well, I wish you luck, I’m sure.”
“Thank you very much,” said Bobby politely.
He watched them down the weed-grown drive.
Standing8 there, he fell into a brown study. Various ideas flashed chaotic-ally through his mind—confused reflections—the photograph—that girl’sface with the wide-apart eyes and the misty9 hair—and ten or fifteen yearslater Mrs. Cayman with her heavy makeup10, her plucked eyebrows11, thosewide-apart eyes sunk in between folds of flesh till they looked like pig’seyes, and her violent henna-tinted hair. All traces of youth and innocencehad vanished. The pity of things! It all came, perhaps, of marrying ahearty bounder like Mr. Cayman. If she had married someone else shemight possibly have grown older gracefully12. A touch of grey in her hair,eyes still wide apart looking out from a smooth pale face. But perhaps any-way—
Bobby sighed and shook his head.
“That’s the worst of marriage,” he said gloomily.
“What did you say?”
Bobby awoke from meditation13 to become aware of Frankie, whose ap-proach he had not heard.
“Hullo,” he said.
“Hullo. Why marriage? And whose?”
“I was making a reflection of a general nature,” said Bobby.
“Namely—?”
“On the devasting effects of marriage.”
“Who is devastated14?”
Bobby explained. He found Frankie unsympathetic.
“Nonsense. The woman’s exactly like her photograph.”
“When did you see her? Were you at the inquest?”
“Of course I was at the inquest. What do you think? There’s little enoughto do down here. An inquest is a perfect godsend. I’ve never been to onebefore. I was thrilled to the teeth. Of course, it would have been better if ithad been a mysterious poisoning case, with the analyst’s reports and allthat sort of thing; but one mustn’t be too exacting15 when these simplepleasures come one’s way. I hoped up to the end for a suspicion of foulplay, but it all seemed most regrettably straightforward16.”
“What bloodthirsty instincts you have, Frankie.”
“I know. It’s probably atavism (however do you pronounce it? — I’venever been sure). Don’t you think so? I’m sure I’m atavistic. My nicknameat school was Monkey Face.”
“Do monkeys like murder?” queried17 Bobby.
“You sound like a correspondence in a Sunday paper,” said Frankie.
“Our correspondents’ views on this subject are solicited18.”
“You know,” said Bobby, reverting19 to the original topic, “I don’t agreewith you about the female Cayman. Her photograph was lovely.”
“Touched up—that’s all,” interrupted Frankie.
“Well, then, it was so much touched up that you wouldn’t have knownthem for the same person.”
“You’re blind,” said Frankie. “The photographer had done all that the artof photography could do, but it was still a nasty bit of work.”
“I absolutely disagree with you,” said Bobby coldly. “Anyway, where didyou see it?”
“In the local Evening Echo.”
“It probably reproduced badly.”
“It seems to me you’re absolutely batty,” said Frankie crossly, “over apainted-up raddled bitch—yes, I said bitch—like the Cayman.”
“Frankie,” said Bobby, “I’m surprised at you. In the Vicarage drive, too.
Semi-holy ground, so to speak.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have been so ridiculous.”
There was a pause, then Frankie’s sudden fit of temper abated20.
“What is ridiculous,” she said, “is to quarrel about the damned woman. Icame to suggest a round of golf. What about it?”
“OK, chief,” said Bobby happily.
They set off amicably21 together and their conversation was of such thingsas slicing and pulling and how to perfect a chip shot on to the green.
The recent tragedy passed quite out of mind until Bobby, holing a longputt at the eleventh to halve22 the hole, suddenly gave an exclamation23.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. I’ve just remembered something.”
“What?”
“Well, these people, the Caymans—they came round and asked if the fel-low had said anything before he died—and I told them he hadn’t.”
“Well?”
“And now I’ve just remembered that he did.”
“Not one of your brightest mornings, in fact.”
“Well, you see, it wasn’t the sort of thing they meant. That’s why, I sup-pose, I didn’t think of it.”
“What did he say?” asked Frankie curiously24.
“He said: ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’ ”
“What a funny thing to say. Nothing else?”
“No. He just opened his eyes and said that—quite suddenly—and thendied, poor chap.”
“Oh, well,” said Frankie, turning it over in her mind. “I don’t see thatyou need worry. It wasn’t important.”
“No, of course not. Still, I wish I’d just mentioned it. You see, I said he’dsaid nothing at all.”
“Well, it amounts to the same thing,” said Frankie. “I mean, it isn’t like—‘Tell Gladys I always loved her,’ or ‘The will is in the walnut25 bureau,’ orany of the proper romantic Last Words there are in books.”
“You don’t think it’s worth writing about it to them?”
“I shouldn’t bother. It couldn’t be important.”
“I expect you’re right,” said Bobby and turned his attention with re-newed vigour26 to the game.
But the matter did not really dismiss itself from his mind. It was a smallpoint but it fretted27 him. He felt very faintly uncomfortable about it.
Frankie’s point of view was, he felt sure, the right and sensible one. Thething was of no importance—let it go. But his conscience continued to re-proach him faintly. He had said that the dead man had said nothing. Thatwasn’t true. It was all very trivial and silly but he couldn’t feel quite com-fortable about it.
Finally, that evening, on an impulse, he sat down and wrote to Mr. Cay-man.
Dear Mr. Cayman, I have just remembered that yourbrother-in-law did actually say something before he died. Ithink the exact words were, “Why didn’t they ask Evans?”
I apologize for not mentioning this this morning, but I at-tached no importance to the words at the time and so, Isuppose, they slipped my memory.
Yours truly,
Robert Jones.
On the next day but one he received a reply:
Dear Mr. Jones (wrote Mr. Cayman), Your letter of 6th in-stant to hand. Many thanks for repeating my poorbrother- in- law’s last words so punctiliously28 in spite oftheir trivial character. What my wife hoped was that herbrother might have left her some last message. Still, thankyou for being so conscientious29.
Yours faithfully,
Leo Cayman.
Bobby felt snubbed.
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收听单词发音
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1
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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2
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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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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5
dabbing
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| 石面凿毛，灰泥抛毛 | |
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6
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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7
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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8
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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9
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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makeup
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| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
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11
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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12
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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13
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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14
devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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15
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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16
straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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17
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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solicited
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| v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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reverting
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| 恢复( revert的现在分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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20
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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amicably
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| adv.友善地 | |
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halve
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| vt.分成两半，平分；减少到一半 | |
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23
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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24
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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25
walnut
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| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
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26
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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27
fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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28
punctiliously
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29
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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