Twenty（3）

III
She was about fifty, he thought, a heavy cumbrous woman who couldnever have been good- looking. She had nice eyes, though, brown andkindly.
“Well, really, Dr. Calgary—” She was doubtful, upset. “Well, really, I’msure I don’t know….”
He leaned forward, trying his utmost to dispel¹ her reluctance², to sootheher, to make her feel the full force of his sympathy.
“It’s so long ago now,” she said. “It’s—I really don’t want to be remindedof—of things.”
“I do understand that,” said Calgary, “and it’s not as though there wereany question of anything being made public. I do assure you of that.”
“You say you want to write a book about it, though?”
“Just a book to illustrate³ a certain type of character,” said Calgary. “In-teresting, you know, from a medical or psychological standpoint. Nonames. Just Mr. A., Mrs. B. That sort of thing.”
“You’ve been to the Antarctic, haven’t you?” she said suddenly.
He was surprised at the abruptness⁴ with which she had changed thesubject.
“Yes,” he said, “yes, I was with the Hayes Bentley Expedition.”
The colour came up in her face. She looked younger. Just for a momenthe could see the girl she had once been. “I used to read about it … I’ve al-ways been fascinated, you know, with anything to do with the Poles. ThatNorwegian, wasn’t it, Amundsen, who got there first? I think the Poles aremuch more exciting than Everest or any of these satellites, or going to theMoon or anything like that.”
He seized on his cue and began to talk to her about the Expedition. Oddthat her romantic interest should lie there, in Polar Explorations. She saidat last with a sigh:
“It’s wonderful hearing about it all from someone who’s actually beenthere.” She went on: “You want to know all about—about Jackie?”
“Yes.”
“You wouldn’t use my name or anything like that?”
“Of course not. I’ve told you so. You know how these things are done.
Mrs. M. Lady Y. That sort of thing.”
“Yes. Yes, I’ve read that kind of book—and I suppose it was, as you said,path—patho—”
“Pathological,” he said.
“Yes, Jackie was definitely a pathological case. He could be ever sosweet, you know,” she said. “Wonderful, he was. He’d say things and you’dbelieve every word of it.”
“He probably meant them,” said Calgary.
“‘I’m old enough to be your mother,’ I used to say to him, and he’d sayhe didn’t care for girls. Crude, he used to say girls were. He used to saywomen who were experienced and mature were what attracted him.”
“Was he very much in love with you?” said Calgary.
“He said he was. He seemed to be …” Her lips trembled. “And all thetime, I suppose, he was just after the money.”
“Not necessarily,” said Calgary, straining the truth as far as he could.
“He may have been genuinely attracted, you know, as well. Only—he justcouldn’t help being crooked⁵.”
The pathetic middle-aged⁶ face brightened a little.
“Yes,” she said, “it’s nice to think that. Well, there it was. We used tomake plans; how we’d go away together to France, or Italy, if this schemeof his came off. It just needed a bit of capital, he said.”
The usual approach, thought Calgary, and wondered how many patheticwomen fell for it.
“I don’t know what came over me,” she said. “I’d have done anything forhim—anything.”
“I’m sure you would,” said Calgary.
“I dare say,” she said bitterly, “I wasn’t the only one.”
Calgary rose.
“It’s been very good of you to tell me all this,” he said.
“He’s dead now … But I shall never forget him. That monkey-face of his!
The way he looked so sad and then laughed. Oh, he had a way with him.
He wasn’t all bad, I’m sure he wasn’t all bad.”
She looked at him wistfully.
But for that Calgary had no answer.

1 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

2 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

3 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

4 abruptness   

n. 突然，唐突

参考例句：

• He hid his feelings behind a gruff abruptness. 他把自己的感情隐藏在生硬鲁莽之中。
• Suddenly Vanamee returned to himself with the abruptness of a blow. 伐那米猛地清醒过来，象挨到了当头一拳似的。

5 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

6 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。