Thirty-five NEWS FROM THE VICARAGE

Thirty-five NEWS FROM THE VICARAGE
Bobby handed back the letter and with a sigh Frankie took it.
“He’s really a very remarkable¹ person,” she said.
“You always had a fancy for him,” said Bobby coldly.
“He had charm,” said Frankie. “So had Moira,” she added.
Bobby blushed.
“It was very queer that all the time the clue to the whole thing shouldhave been in the Vicarage,” he said. “You do know, don’t you, Frankie, thatCarstairs had actually written to Evans—to Mrs. Roberts, that is?”
Frankie nodded.
“Telling her that he was coming to see her and that he wanted informa-tion about Mrs. Templeton whom he had reason to believe was a danger-ous international crook² wanted by the police.
“And then when he’s pushed over the cliff she doesn’t put two and twotogether,” said Bobby bitterly.
“That’s because the man who went over the cliff was Pritchard,” saidFrankie. “That identification was a very clever bit of work. If a man calledPritchard is pushed over, how could it be a man called Carstairs? That’show the ordinary mind works.”
“The funny thing is that she recognized Cayman,” went on Bobby. “Atleast she caught a glimpse of him when Roberts was letting him in andasked him who it was. And he said it was Mr. Cayman and she said,‘Funny, he’s the dead spit of a gentleman I used to be in service with.’ ”
“Can you beat it?” said Frankie.
“Even Bassington-ffrench gave himself away once or twice,” she contin-ued. “But like an idiot I never spotted³ it.”
“Did he?”
“Yes, when Sylvia said that the picture in the paper was very likeCarstairs he said there wasn’t much likeness⁴ really—showing he’d seenthe dead man. And then later he said to me that he never saw the deadman’s face.”
“How on earth did you spot Moira, Frankie?”
“I think it was the description of Mrs. Templeton,” said Frankie dream-ily. “Everyone said she was ‘such a nice lady.’ Now that didn’t seem to fitwith the Cayman woman. No servant would describe her a ‘nice lady.’ Andthen we got to the Vicarage and Moira was there and it suddenly came tome—Suppose Moira was Mrs. Templeton?”
“Very bright of you.”
“I’m very sorry for Sylvia,” said Frankie. “With Moira dragging Rogerinto it, it’s been a terrible lot of publicity⁵ for her. But Dr. Nicholson hasstuck by her and I shouldn’t be at all surprised if they ended by making amatch of it.”
“Everything seems to have ended very fortunately,” said Bobby.
“Badger’s doing well at the garage—thanks to your father, and also thanksto your father, I’ve got this perfectly⁶ marvellous job.”
“Is it a marvellous job?”
“Managing a coffee estate out in Kenya on a whacking⁷ big screw? Ishould think so. It’s just the sort of thing I used to dream about.”
He paused.
“People come out to Kenya a good deal on trips,” he said with intention.
“Quite a lot of people live out there,” said Frankie demurely⁸.
“Oh! Frankie, you wouldn’t?” He blushed, stammered⁹, recovered him-self. “W-w-would you?”
“I would,” said Frankie. “I mean, I will.”
“I’ve been keen about you always,” said Bobby in a stifled¹⁰ voice. “I usedto be miserable—knowing, I mean, that it was no good.”
“I suppose that’s what made you so rude that day on the golf links?”
“Yes, I was feeling pretty grim.”
“H’m,” said Frankie. “What about Moira?”
Bobby looked uncomfortable.
“Her face did sort of get me,” he admitted.
“It’s a better face than mine,” said Frankie generously.
“It isn’t—but it sort of ‘haunted’ me. And then, when we were up in theattic and you were so plucky¹¹ about things—well, Moira just faded out. Iwas hardly interested in what happened to her. It was you—only you. Youwere simply splendid! So frightfully plucky.”
“I wasn’t feeling plucky inside,” said Frankie. “I was all shaking. But Iwanted you to admire me.”
“I did, darling. I do. I always have. I always shall. Are you sure youwon’t hate it out in Kenya?”
“I shall adore it. I was fed up with England.”
“Frankie.”
“Bobby.”
“If you will come in here,” said the Vicar, opening the door and usheringin the advance guard of the Dorcas Society.
He shut the door precipitately¹² and apologized.
“My—er—one of my sons. He is—er—engaged.”
A member of the Dorcas Society said archly that it looked like it.
“A good boy,” said the Vicar. “Inclined at one time not to take life seri-ously. But he has improved very much of late. He is going out to manage acoffee estate in Kenya.”
Said one member of the Dorcas Society to another in a whisper:
“Did you see? It was Lady Frances Derwent he was kissing?”
In an hour’s time the news was all over Marchbolt.

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 crook   

v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处)

参考例句：

• He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子，他要我向他认错。
• She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

5 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 whacking   

adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• a whacking great hole in the roof 房顶上一个巨大的窟窿
• His father found him a cushy job in the office, with almost nothing to do and a whacking great salary. 他父亲给他在事务所找到了一份轻松舒适的工作，几乎什么都不用做，工资还极高。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 demurely   

adv.装成端庄地，认真地

参考例句：

• "On the forehead, like a good brother,'she answered demurely. "吻前额，像个好哥哥那样，"她故作正经地回答说。 来自飘（部分）
• Punctuation is the way one bats one's eyes, lowers one's voice or blushes demurely. 标点就像人眨眨眼睛，低声细语，或伍犯作态。 来自名作英译部分

9 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

10 stifled   

（使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵

参考例句：

• The gas stifled them. 煤气使他们窒息。
• The rebellion was stifled. 叛乱被镇压了。

11 plucky   

adj.勇敢的

参考例句：

• The plucky schoolgirl amazed doctors by hanging on to life for nearly two months.这名勇敢的女生坚持不放弃生命近两个月的精神令医生感到震惊。
• This story featured a plucky heroine.这个故事描述了一个勇敢的女英雄。

12 precipitately   

adv.猛进地

参考例句：

• The number of civil wars continued to rise until about 1990 and then fell precipitately. 而国内战争的数量在1990年以前都有增加，1990年后则锐减。 来自互联网
• His wife and mistress, until an hour ago and inviolate were slipping precipitately from his control. 他的妻子和情妇，直到一小时前还是安安稳稳、不可侵犯的，现在却猛不防正从他的控制下溜走。 来自互联网