The rendezvous2 for the great accident party was fixed3 at a spot about amile from Staverley village where the road to Staverley branched off fromthe main road to Andover.
All three arrived there safely, though Frankie’s Standard had shown un-mistakable signs of decrepitude4 at every hill.
The time fixed had been one o’clock.
“We don’t want to be interrupted when we’re staging the thing,” Frankiehad said. “Hardly anything ever goes down this road, I should imagine,but at lunch time we ought to be perfectly5 safe.”
They proceeded for half a mile on the side road and then Frankie poin-ted out the place she had selected for the accident to take place.
“It couldn’t be better in my opinion,” she said. “Straight down this hilland then, as you see, the road gives a sudden very sharp turn round thatbulging bit of wall. The wall is actually the wall of Merroway Court. If westart the car and let it run down the hill it will crash straight into the walland something pretty drastic ought to happen to it.”
“I should say so,” Bobby agreed. “But someone ought to be on thelookout at the corner to be sure someone isn’t coming round it in the op-posite direction.”
“Quite right,” said Frankie. “We don’t want to involve anybody else in amess and perhaps maim6 them for life. George can take his car down thereand turn it as though he were coming from the other direction. Thenwhen he waves a handkerchief it will show that all is clear.”
“You’re looking very pale, Frankie,” said Bobby anxiously. “Are you sureyou’re all right?”
“I’m made up pale,” explained Frankie. “Ready for the concussion7. Youdon’t want me to be carried into the house blooming with health.”
“How wonderful women are,” said Bobby appreciatively. “You look ex-actly like a sick monkey.”
“I think you’re very rude,” said Frankie. “Now, then, I shall go and pro-spect at the gate into Merroway Court. It’s just this side of the bulge8.
There’s no lodge9, fortunately. When George waves his handkerchief and Iwave mine, you start her off.”
“Right,” said Bobby. “I’ll stay on the running board to guide her until thepace gets too hot and then I’ll jump off.”
“Don’t hurt yourself,” said Frankie.
“I shall be extremely careful not to. It would complicate10 matters to havea real accident on the spot of the faked one.”
“Well, start off, George,” said Frankie.
George nodded, jumped into the second car and ran slowly down thehill. Bobby and Frankie stood looking after him.
“You’ll—look after yourself, won’t you, Frankie?” said Bobby with a sud-den gruffness. “I mean—don’t go doing anything foolish.”
“I shall be all right. Most circumspect11. By the way, I don’t think I’d betterwrite to you direct. I’ll write to George or my maid or someone or other topass on to you.”
“I wonder if George is going to be a success in his profession.”
“Why shouldn’t he?”
“Well, he doesn’t seem to have acquired a chatty bedside manner yet.”
“I expect that will come,” said Frankie. “I’d better be going now. I’ll letyou know when I want you to come down with the Bentley.”
“I’ll get busy with the moustache. So long, Frankie.”
“They looked at each other for a moment, and then Frankie nodded andbegan to walk down the hill.
George had turned the car and then backed it round the bulge.
Frankie disappeared for a moment then reappeared in the road, wavinga handkerchief. A second handkerchief waved from the bottom of theroad at the turn.
Bobby put the car into third gear, then, standing12 on the footboard, he re-leased the brake. The car moved grudgingly13 forward, impeded14 by being ingear. The slope, however, was sufficiently15 steep. The engine started. Thecar gathered way. Bobby steadied the steering16 wheel. At the last possiblemoment he jumped off.
The car went on down the hill and crashed into the wall with consider-able force. All was well—the accident had taken place successfully.
Bobby saw Frankie run quickly to the scene of the crime and plop downamid the wreckage17. George in his car came round the corner and pulledup.
With a sigh Bobby mounted his motorcycle and rode away in the direc-tion of London.
At the scene of the accident things were busy.
“Shall I roll about in the road a bit,” asked Frankie, “to get myselfdusty?”
“You might as well,” said George. “Here, give me your hat.”
He took it and inflicted18 a terrific dent1 on it. Frankie gave a faint an-guished cry.
“That’s the concussion,” explained George. “Now, then, lie doggo justwhere you are. I think I heard a bicycle bell.”
Sure enough, at that moment, a boy of about seventeen came whistlinground the corner. He stopped at once, delighted with the pleasurable spec-tacle that met his eyes.
“Ooer!” he ejaculated, “ ’as there been an accident?”
“No,” said George sarcastically19. “The young lady ran her car into thewall on purpose.”
Accepting, as he was meant to do, this remark as irony20 rather than thesimple truth which it was, the boy said with relish21:
“Looks bad, don’t she? Is she dead?”
“Not yet,” said George. “She must be taken somewhere at once. I’m adoctor. What’s this place in here?”
“Merroway Court. Belongs to Mr. Bassington-ffrench. He’s a JP, he is.”
“She must be carried there at once,” said George authoritatively22. “Here,leave your bicycle and lend me a hand.”
Only too willing, the boy propped23 his bicycle against the wall and cameto assist. Between them George and the boy carried Frankie up the driveto a pleasant old-fashioned-looking manor24 house.
Their approach had been observed, for an elderly butler came out tomeet them.
“There’s been an accident,” said George curtly25. “Is there a room I cancarry this lady into? She must be attended to at once.”
The butler went back into the hall in a flustered26 way. George and theboy followed him up closely, still carrying the limp body of Frankie. Thebutler had gone into a room on the left and from there a woman emerged.
She was tall, with red hair, and about thirty years of age. Her eyes were alight clear blue.
She dealt with the situation quickly.
“There is a spare bedroom on the ground floor,” she said. “Will youbring her in there? Ought I to telephone for a doctor?”
“I am a doctor,” explained George. “I was passing in my car and saw theaccident occur.”
“Oh! how very fortunate. Come this way, will you?”
She showed them the way into a pleasant bedroom with windows givingon the garden.
“Is she badly hurt?” she inquired.
“I can’t tell yet.”
Mrs. Bassington-ffrench took the hint and retired27. The boy accompaniedher and launched out into a description of the accident as though he hadbeen an actual witness of it.
“Run smack28 into the wall she did. Car’s all smashed up. There she waslying on the ground with her hat all dinted in. The gentleman, he waspassing in his car—”
He proceeded ad lib till got rid of with a half crown.
Meanwhile Frankie and George were conversing29 in careful whispers.
“George, darling, this won’t blight30 your career, will it? They won’t strikeyou off the register, or whatever it is, will they?”
“Probably,” said George gloomily. “That is, if it ever comes out.”
“It won’t,” said Frankie. “Don’t worry, George. I shan’t let you down.”
She added thoughtfully: “You did it very well. I’ve never heard you talk somuch before.”
George sighed. He looked at his watch.
“I shall give my examination another three minutes,” he said.
“What about the car?”
“I’ll arrange with a garage to have that cleared up.”
“Good.”
George continued to study his watch. Finally he said with an air of re-lief:
“Time.”
“George,” said Frankie, “you’ve been an angel. I don’t know why you didit.”
“No more do I,” said George. “Damn fool thing to do.”
He nodded to her.
“Bye bye. Enjoy yourself.”
“I wonder if I shall,” said Frankie.
She was thinking of that cool impersonal31 voice with the slight Americanaccent.
George went in search of the owner of it, whom he found waiting forhim in the drawing room.
“Well,” he said abruptly32. “I’m glad to say it’s not so bad as I feared. Con-cussion very slight and already passing off. She ought to stay quietlywhere she is for a day or so, though.” He paused. “She seems to be a LadyFrances Derwent.”
“Oh, fancy!” said Mrs. Bassington-ffrench. “Then I know some cousins ofhers—the Draycotts—quite well.”
“I don’t know if it’s inconvenient33 for you to have her here,” said George.
“But if she could stay where she is for a day or two .?.?.” Here Georgepaused.
“Oh, of course. That will be all right, Dr.—?”
“Arbuthnot. By the way, I’ll see to the car business. I shall be passing agarage.”
“Thank you very much, Dr. Arbuthnot. How very lucky you happened tobe passing. I suppose a doctor ought to see her tomorrow just to see she’sgetting on all right.”
“Don’t think it’s necessary,” said George. “All she needs is quiet.”
“But I should feel happier. And her people ought to know.”
“I’ll attend to that,” said George. “And as to the doctoring business—well,it seems she’s a Christian34 Scientist and won’t have doctors at any price.
She wasn’t too pleased at finding me in attendance.”
“Oh, dear!” said Mrs. Bassington-ffrench.
“But she’ll be quite all right,” said George reassuringly35. “You can takemy word for it.”
“If you really think so, Dr. Arbuthnot,” said Mrs. Bassington- ffrenchrather doubtfully.
“I do,” said George. “Goodbye. Dear me. I left one of my instruments inthe bedroom.”
He came rapidly into the room and up to the bedside.
“Frankie,” he said in a quick whisper. “You’re a Christian Scientist. Don’tforget.”
“But why?”
“I had to do it. Only way.”
“All right,” said Frankie. “I won’t forget.”
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1
dent
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| n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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decrepitude
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| n.衰老；破旧 | |
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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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maim
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| v.使残废，使不能工作，使伤残 | |
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7
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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complicate
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| vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂 | |
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circumspect
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| adj.慎重的，谨慎的 | |
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12
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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grudgingly
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impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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wreckage
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| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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authoritatively
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| 命令式地，有权威地，可信地 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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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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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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blight
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| n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残 | |
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impersonal
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| adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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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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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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