Chapter 21 Project Benvo

Chapter 21 Project Benvo

Professor John Gottlieb sat in his chair looking very steadfastly¹ at thehandsome young woman sitting opposite him. He scratched his ear with arather monkey-like gesture which was characteristic of him. He lookedrather like a monkey anyway. A prognathous jaw², a high mathematicalhead which make a slight contrast in terms, and a small wizened³ frame.
‘It’s not every day,’ said Professor Gottlieb, ‘that a young lady brings mea letter from the President of the United States. However,’ he said cheer-fully, ‘Presidents don’t always know exactly what they’re doing. What’sthis all about? I gather you’re vouched⁴ for on the highest authority.’
‘I’ve come to ask you what you know or what you can tell me aboutsomething called Project Benvo.’
‘Are you really Countess Renata Zerkowski?’
‘Technically, possibly, I am. I’m more often known as Mary Ann.’
‘Yes, that’s what they wrote me under separate cover. And you want toknow about Project Benvo. Well, there was such a thing. Now it’s dead andburied and the man who thought of it also, I expect.’
‘You mean Professor Shoreham.’
‘That’s right. Robert Shoreham. One of the greatest geniuses of our age.
Einstein, Niels Bohr and some others. But Robert Shoreham didn’t last aslong as he should. A great loss to science–what is it Shakespeare says ofLady Macbeth: “She should have died hereafter.”’
‘He’s not dead,’ said Mary Ann.
‘Oh. Sure of that? Nothing’s been heard of him for a long time.’
‘He’s an invalid⁵. He lives in the north of Scotland. He is paralysed, can’tspeak very well, can’t walk very well. He sits most of the time listening tomusic.’
‘Yes, I can imagine that. Well, I’m glad about that. If he can do that hewon’t be too unhappy. Otherwise it’s a pretty fair hell for a brilliant manwho isn’t brilliant any more. Who’s, as it were, dead in an invalid chair.’
‘There was such a thing as Project Benvo?’
‘Yes, he was very keen about it.’
‘He talked to you about it?’
‘He talked to some of us about it in the early days. You’re not a scientistyourself, young woman, I suppose?’
‘No, I’m–’
‘You’re just an agent, I suppose. I hope you’re on the right side. We stillhave to hope for miracles these days, but I don’t think you’ll get anythingout of Project Benvo.’
‘Why not? You said he worked on it. It would have been a very great in-vention, wouldn’t it? Or discovery, or whatever you call these things?’
‘Yes, it would have been one of the greatest discoveries of the age. Idon’t know just what went wrong. It’s happened before now. A thing goesalong all right but in the last stages somehow, it doesn’t click. Breaksdown. Doesn’t do what’s expected of it and you give up in despair. Or elseyou do what Shoreham did.’
‘What was that?’
‘He destroyed it. Every damn bit of it. He told me so himself. Burnt allthe formulas, all the papers concerning it, all the data. Three weeks laterhe had his stroke. I’m sorry. You see, I can’t help you. I never knew anydetails about it, nothing but its main idea. I don’t even remember thatnow, except for one thing. Benvo stood for Benevolence⁶.’

1 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

2 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

3 wizened   

adj.凋谢的；枯槁的

参考例句：

• That wizened and grotesque little old man is a notorious miser.那个干瘪难看的小老头是个臭名远扬的吝啬鬼。
• Mr solomon was a wizened little man with frizzy gray hair.所罗门先生是一个干瘪矮小的人，头发鬈曲灰白。

4 vouched   

v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说

参考例句：

• He vouched his words by his deeds. 他用自己的行动证明了自己的言辞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Have all those present been vouched for? 那些到场的人都有担保吗？ 来自互联网

5 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

6 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。