Twenty-five MR. SPRAGGE TALKS

Twenty-five MR. SPRAGGE TALKS
At last she stammered¹:
“How did you find out?”
It was not at all what she meant to say. She could, in fact, have bitten outher tongue for stupidity a moment later, but the words had been said, andMr. Spragge would have been no lawyer had he failed to perceive thatthey contained an admission.
“So you know something of this business, Lady Frances?”
“Yes,” said Frankie.
She paused, drew a deep breath and said:
“The whole thing is really my doing, Mr. Spragge.”
“I am amazed,” said Mr. Spragge.
There was a struggle in his voice, the outraged³ lawyer was at war withthe fatherly family solicitor⁴.
“How did this come about?” he asked.
“It was just a joke,” said Frankie weakly. “We—we wanted something todo.”
“And who,” demanded Mr. Spragge, “had the idea of passing himself offas Me?”
Frankie looked at him, her wits working once more, made a rapid de-cision.
“It was the young Duke of No—” She broke off: “I really mustn’t mentionnames. It isn’t fair.”
But she knew that the tide had turned in her favour. It was doubtful ifMr. Spragge could have forgiven a mere² vicar’s son such audacity⁵, but hisweakness for noble names led him to look softly on the impertinences of aduke. His benign⁶ manner returned.
“Oh! you Bright Young People — You Bright Young People,” he mur-mured, wagging a forefinger⁷. “What trouble you land yourselves in. Youwould be surprised, Lady Frances, at the amount of legal complicationthat may ensue from an apparently⁸ harmless practical joke determinedupon on the spur of the moment. Just high spirits—but sometimes ex-tremely difficult to settle out of court.”
“I think you’re too marvellous, Mr. Spragge,” said Frankie earnestly. “Ido, really. Not one person in a thousand would have taken it as you havedone. I feel really terribly ashamed.”
“No, no, Lady Frances,” said Mr. Spragge paternally⁹.
“Oh, but I do. I suppose it was the Rivington woman—what exactly didshe tell you?”
“I think I have the letter here. I opened it only half an hour ago.”
Frankie held out a hand and Mr. Spragge put the letter into it with theair of one saying: “There, see for yourself what your foolishness has ledyou into.”
Dear Mr. Spragge (Mrs. Rivington had written), It’sreally too stupid of me, but I’ve just remembered some-thing that might have helped you the day you called onme. Alan Carstairs mentioned that he was going to a placecalled Chipping Somerton. I don’t know whether this willbe any help to you.
I was so interested in what you told me about the Maltra-vers case. With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Edith Rivington.
“You can see that the matter might have been very grave,” said Mr.
Spragge severely¹⁰, but with a severity tempered by benevolence¹¹. “I took itthat some extremely questionable¹² business was afoot. Whether connectedwith the Maltravers case or with my client, Mr. Carstairs—”
Frankie interrupted him.
“Was Alan Carstairs a client of yours?” she inquired excitedly.
“He was. He consulted me when he was last in England a month ago.
You know Mr. Carstairs, Lady Frances?”
“I think I may say I do,” said Frankie.
“A most attractive personality,” said Mr. Spragge. “He brought quite abreath of the—er—wide open spaces into my office.”
“He came to consult you about Mr. Savage¹³’s will, didn’t he?” saidFrankie.
“Ah!” said Mr. Spragge. “So it was you who advised him to come to me?
He couldn’t remember just who it was. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more forhim.”
“Just what did you advise him to do?” asked Frankie. “Or would it be un-professional to tell me?”
“Not in this case,” said Mr. Spragge smiling. “My opinion was that therewas nothing to be done—nothing, that is, unless Mr. Savage’s relativeswere prepared to spend a lot of money on fighting the case — which Igather they were not prepared, or indeed in a position, to do. I never ad-vise bringing a case into court unless there is every hope of success. Thelaw, Lady Frances, is an uncertain animal. It has twists and turns that sur-prise the nonlegal mind. Settle out of court has always been my motto.”
“The whole thing was very curious,” said Frankie thoughtfully.
She had a little of the sensation of walking barefoot over a floor coveredwith tin tacks¹⁴. At any minute she might step on one—and the game wouldbe up.
“Such cases are less uncommon¹⁵ than you might think,” said Mr.
Spragge.
“Cases of suicide?” inquired Frankie.
“No, no, I meant cases of undue¹⁶ influence. Mr. Savage was a hardheadedbusiness man, and yet he was clearly as wax in this woman’s hands. I’veno doubt she knew her business thoroughly¹⁷.”
“I wish you’d tell me the whole story properly,” said Frankie boldly.
“Mr. Carstairs was—well, was so heated, that I never seemed to get thething clearly.”
“The case was extremely simple,” said Mr. Spragge. “I can run over thefacts to you—they are accessible to everyone—so there is no objection tomy doing so.”
“Then tell me all about it,” said Frankie.
“Mr. Savage happened to be travelling back from the United States toEngland in November of last year. He was, as you know, an extremelywealthy man with no near relations. On this voyage he made the acquaint-ance of a certain lady—a—er—Mrs. Templeton. Nothing much is knownabout Mrs. Templeton except that she was a very good-looking womanand had a husband somewhere conveniently in the background.”
“The Caymans,” thought Frankie.
“These ocean trips are dangerous,” went on Mr. Spragge, smiling andshaking his head. “Mr. Savage was clearly very much attracted. He accep-ted the lady’s invitation to come down and stay at her little cottage at Chip-ping Somerton. Exactly how often he went there I have not been able toascertain, but there is no doubt that he came more and more under thisMrs. Templeton’s influence.
“Then came the tragedy. Mr. Savage had for some time been uneasyabout his state of health. He feared that he might be suffering from a cer-tain disease—”
“Cancer?” said Frankie.
“Well, yes, as a matter of fact, cancer. The subject became quite an ob-session with him. He was staying with the Templetons at the time. Theypersuaded him to go up to London and consult a specialist. He did so. Nowhere, Lady Frances, I preserve an open mind. That specialist—a very dis-tinguished man who has been at the top of his profession for many years—swore at the inquest that Mr. Savage was not suffering from cancer andthat he had told him so, but that Mr. Savage was so obsessed¹⁸ by his ownbelief that he could not accept the truth when he was told it. Now, strictlywithout prejudice, Lady Frances, and knowing the medical profession, Ithink things may have gone a little differently.
“If Mr. Savage’s symptoms puzzled the doctor he may have spoken seri-ously, pulled a long face, spoken of certain expensive treatments andwhile reassuring¹⁹ him as to cancer yet have conveyed the impression thatsomething was seriously wrong. Mr. Savage, having heard that doctorsusually conceal²⁰ from a patient the fact that he is suffering from that dis-ease, would interpret this according to his own lights. The doctor’s reas-suring words were not true—he had got the disease he thought he had.
“Anyway, Mr. Savage came back to Chipping Somerton in a state ofgreat mental distress²¹. He saw ahead of him a painful and lingering death.
I understand some members of his family had died of cancer and he de-termined not to go through what he had seen them suffer. He sent for a so-licitor—a very reputable member of an eminently²² respectable firm—andthe latter drew up a will there and then which Mr. Savage signed andwhich he then delivered over to the solicitor for safekeeping. On that sameevening Mr. Savage took a large overdose of chloral, leaving a letter be-hind in which he explained that he preferred a quick and painless deathto a long and painful one.
“By his will Mr. Savage left the sum of seven hundred thousand poundsfree of legacy²³ duty to Mrs. Templeton and the remainder to certain speci-fied charities.”
Mr. Spragge leaned back in his chair. He was now enjoying himself.
“The jury brought in the usual sympathetic verdict of Suicide while ofUnsound Mind, but I do not think that we can argue from that that he wasnecessarily of unsound mind when he made the will. I do not think thatany jury would take it so. The will was made in the presence of a solicitorin whose opinion the deceased was undoubtedly²⁴ sane²⁵ and in possession ofhis senses. Nor do I think we can prove undue influence. Mr. Savage didnot disinherit anyone near and dear to him—his only relatives were dis-tant cousins whom he seldom saw. They actually lived in Australia, I be-lieve.”
Mr. Spragge paused.
“Mr. Carstairs’ contention²⁶ was that such a will was completely unchar-acteristic of Mr. Savage. Mr. Savage had no liking²⁷ for organized charitiesand had always held very strong opinions as to money passing by bloodrelationship. However, Mr. Carstairs had no documentary proof of theseassertions and, as I pointed²⁸ out to him, men change their opinions. In con-testing such a will, there would be the charitable organizations to dealwith as well as Mrs. Templeton. Also, the will had been admitted to pro-bate.”
“There was no fuss made at the time?” asked Frankie.
“As I say, Mr. Savage’s relatives were not living in this country and theyknew very little about the matter. It was Mr. Carstairs who took the matterup. He returned from a trip into the interior of Africa, gradually learnt thedetails of this business and came over to this country to see if somethingcould be done about it. I was forced to tell him that in my view there wasnothing to be done. Possession is nine points of the law, and Mrs. Tem-pleton was in possession. Moreover, she had left the country and gone, Ibelieve, to the South of France to live. She refused to enter into any com-munication on the matter. I suggested getting counsel’s opinion but Mr.
Carstairs decided²⁹ that it was not necessary and took my view that therewas nothing to be done—or, alternatively, that whatever might have beendone at the time, and in my opinion that was exceedingly doubtful, it wasnow too late to do it.”
“I see,” said Frankie. “And nobody knows anything about this Mrs. Tem-pleton?”
Mr. Spragge shook his head and pursed his lips.
“A man like Mr. Savage, with his knowledge of life, ought to have beenless easily taken in—but—” Mr. Spragge shook his head sadly as a vision ofinnumerable clients who ought to have known better and who had cometo him to have their cases settled out of court passed across his mind.
Frankie rose.
“Men are extraordinary creatures,” she said.
She held out a hand.
“Good- bye, Mr. Spragge,” she said. “You’ve been wonderful — simplywonderful. I feel too ashamed.”
“You Bright Young People must be more careful,” said Mr. Spragge,shaking his head at her.
“You’ve been an angel,” said Frankie.
She squeezed his hand fervently³⁰ and departed.
Mr. Spragge sat down again before his table.
He was thinking.
“The young Duke of—”
There were only two dukes who could be so described.
Which was it?
He picked up a Peerage.

1 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

2 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

3 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

4 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

5 audacity   

n.大胆，卤莽，无礼

参考例句：

• He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。
• He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

6 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

7 forefinger   

n.食指

参考例句：

• He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。
• He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger.他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 paternally   

adv.父亲似地；父亲一般地

参考例句：

• He behaves very paternally toward his young bride. 他像父亲一样对待自己年轻的新娘。 来自互联网
• The resulting fetuses consisted of either mostly paternally or mostly maternally expressed genes. 这样产生的胎儿要么主要是父方的基因表达，要么主要是母方的基因表达。 来自互联网

10 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

11 benevolence   

n.慈悲，捐助

参考例句：

• We definitely do not apply a policy of benevolence to the reactionaries.我们对反动派决不施仁政。
• He did it out of pure benevolence. 他做那件事完全出于善意。

12 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

13 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

14 tacks   

大头钉( tack的名词复数 )； 平头钉； 航向； 方法

参考例句：

• Never mind the side issues, let's get down to brass tacks and thrash out a basic agreement. 别管枝节问题，让我们讨论问题的实质，以求得基本一致。
• Get down to the brass tacks,and quit talking round the subject. 谈实质问题吧，别兜圈子了。

15 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

16 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

17 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

18 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

19 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

20 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

21 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

22 eminently   

adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地

参考例句：

• She seems eminently suitable for the job. 她看来非常适合这个工作。
• It was an eminently respectable boarding school. 这是所非常好的寄宿学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

24 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

25 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

26 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

27 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。

28 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

29 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

30 fervently   

adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地

参考例句：

• "Oh, I am glad!'she said fervently. “哦，我真高兴！”她热烈地说道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• O my dear, my dear, will you bless me as fervently to-morrow?' 啊，我亲爱的，亲爱的，你明天也愿这样热烈地为我祝福么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记