Inside the house, Tina met Mary in the hall. Mary looked startled at seeingher.
“Tina! Have you come over from Redmyn?”
“Yes,” said Tina. “Didn’t you know I was coming?”
“I’d forgotten,” said Mary. “I believe Philip did mention it.”
She turned away.
“I’m going into the kitchen,” she said, “to see if the Ovaltine has come.
Philip likes it last thing at night. Kirsten is just taking him up some coffee.
He likes coffee better than tea. He says tea gives him indigestion.”
“Why do you treat him like an invalid1, Mary?” said Tina. “He’s not reallyan invalid.”
There was a touch of cold anger in Mary’s eyes.
“When you’ve got a husband of your own, Tina,” she said, “you’ll knowbetter how husbands like to be treated.”
Tina said gently:
“I’m sorry.”
“If only we could get out of this house,” said Mary. “It’s so bad for Philipbeing here. And Hester’s coming back today,” she added.
“Hester?” Tina sounded surprised. “Is she? Why?”
“How should I know? She rang up last night and said so. I don’t knowwhat train she’s coming by. I suppose it’ll be the express, as usual.
Someone will have to go into Drymouth to meet her.”
Mary disappeared along the passage to the kitchen. Tina hesitated a mo-ment, then she walked up the stairs. On the landing the first door to theright opened and Hester came through it. She looked startled at seeingTina.
“Hester! I heard you were coming back but I’d no idea you’d arrived.”
“Dr. Calgary drove me down,” said Hester. “I came straight up to myroom—I don’t think anyone knows I’ve arrived.”
“Is Dr. Calgary here now?”
“No. He just dropped me and went on into Drymouth. He wanted to seesomeone there.”
“Mary didn’t know you’d arrived.”
“Mary never knows anything,” said Hester. “She and Philip isolate2 them-selves from everything that goes on. I suppose Father and Gwenda are inthe library. Everything seems to be going on just the same as usual.”
“Why shouldn’t it?”
“I don’t really know,” said Hester vaguely3. “I just suspected that it wouldall be different somehow.”
She moved past Tina and down the stairs. Tina went on past the libraryand along the passage to the suite4 at the end which the Durrants occupied.
Kirsten Lindstrom, standing5 just outside Philip’s door with a tray in herhand, turned her head sharply.
“Why, Tina, you made me jump,” she said. “I was just taking Philip somecoffee and biscuits.” She raised a hand to knock. Tina joined her.
After knocking, Kirsten opened the door and passed in. She was a littleahead of Tina and her tall angular frame blocked Tina’s view, but Tinaheard Kirsten’s gasp6. Her arms gave way and the tray crashed to theground, cup and plates smashing against the fender.
“Oh, no,” cried Kirsten, “oh, no!”
Tina said:
“Philip?”
She passed the other woman and came forward to where Philip Dur-rant’s chair had been brought up to the desk. He had, she supposed, beenwriting. There was a ballpoint pen lying close to his right hand, but hishead was dropped forward in a curious twisted attitude. And at the baseof his skull7 she saw something that looked like a bright red lozenge stain-ing the whiteness of his collar.
“He has been killed,” said Kirsten. “He has been killed—stabbed. There,through the bottom of the brain. One little stab and it is fatal.”
She added, her voice rising:
“I warned him. I did all I could. But he was like a child—enjoying him-self playing with tools that were dangerous—not seeing where he was go-ing.”
It was like a bad dream, Tina thought. She stood there softly at Philip’selbow, looking down at him whilst Kirsten raised his limp hand and feltthe wrist for the pulse that was not there. What had he wanted to ask her?
Whatever he wanted, he would never ask it now. Without really thinkingobjectively, Tina’s mind was taking in and registering various details. Hehad been writing, yes. The pen was there, but there was no paper in frontof him. Nothing written. Whoever had killed him had taken away whathe’d written. She said, speaking quietly and mechanically:
“We must tell the others.”
“Yes, yes, we must go down to them. We must tell your father.”
Side by side the two women went to the door. Kirsten’s arm round Tina.
Tina’s eyes went to the dropped tray and the broken crockery.
“That does not matter,” said Kirsten. “All that can be cleared up later.”
Tina half stumbled and Kirsten’s arm restrained her.
“Be careful. You will fall.”
They went along the passage. The door of the library opened. Leo andGwenda came out. Tina said in her clear, low voice:
“Philip has been killed. Stabbed.”
It was like a dream, Tina thought. The shocked exclamations8 of herfather, and Gwenda flowing past her, going to Philip … To Philip, who wasdead. Kirsten left her and hurried down the stairs.
“I must tell Mary. It must be broken to her gently. Poor Mary. It will be aterrible shock.”
Tina followed her slowly. More than ever she felt dazed and dreamlike,a strange pain catching9 at her heart. Where was she going? She did notknow. Nothing was real. She came to the open front door and passedthrough it. It was then she saw Micky coming round the corner of thehouse. Automatically as though this was where her footsteps had beenleading her all the time, she went straight to him.
“Micky,” she said. “Oh, Micky!”
His arms were open. She went straight into them.
“It’s all right,” said Micky. “I’ve got you.”
Tina crumpled10 slightly in his arms. She dropped to the ground, a smallhuddled heap, just as Hester came running from the house.
“She’s fainted,” Micky said helplessly. “I’ve never known Tina to faintbefore.”
“It’s the shock,” said Hester.
“What do you mean—the shock?”
“Philip has been killed,” said Hester. “Didn’t you know?”
“How could I know? When? How?”
“Just now.”
He stared at her. Then he picked up Tina in his arms. With Hester ac-companying him, he took her into Mrs. Argyle’s sitting room and laid heron the sofa.
“Ring up Dr. Craig,” he said.
“That’s his car now,” said Hester, looking out of the window. “Fatherwas calling him on the telephone about Philip. I—” She looked round. “Idon’t want to meet him.”
She ran out of the room and up the stairs.
Donald Craig got out of his car and in through the open front door.
Kirsten came from the kitchen to meet him.
“Good afternoon, Miss Lindstrom. What’s this I hear? Mr. Argyle tellsme that Philip Durrant has been killed. Killed?”
“It is quite true,” said Kirsten.
“Has Mr. Argyle rung up the police?”
“I do not know.”
“Any chance that he’s just wounded?” said Don. He turned to take hismedical bag out of the car.
“No,” said Kirsten. Her voice was flat and tired. “He is dead. I am quitesure of that. He has been stabbed—here.”
She put her hand to the back of her own head.
Micky came out into the hall.
“Hallo, Don, you had better have a look at Tina,” he said. “She’s fainted.”
“Tina? Oh yes, that’s the—the one from Redmyn, isn’t it? Where is she?”
“She is in there.”
“I’ll just have a look at her before I go upstairs.” As he went into theroom he spoke11 over his shoulder to Kirsten. “Keep her warm,” he said,“get some hot tea or coffee for her as soon as she comes round. But youknow the drill—”
Kirsten nodded.
“Kirsty!” Mary Durrant came slowly along the hall from the kitchen—Kirsten went to her—Micky stared at her helplessly.
“It’s not true.” Mary spoke in a loud harsh voice. “It’s not true! It’s a lieyou’ve made up. He was all right when I left him just now. He was quiteall right. He was writing. I told him not to write. I told him not to. Whatmade him do it? Why should he be so pig-headed. Why wouldn’t he leavethis house when I wanted him to?”
Coaxing12 her, soothing13 her, Kirsten did her best to make her relax.
Donald Craig strode out of the sitting room.
“Who said that girl had fainted?” he demanded.
Micky stared at him.
“But she did faint,” he said.
“Where was she when she fainted?”
“She was with me … She came out of the house and walked to meet me.
Then—she just collapsed14.”
“Collapsed, did she? Yes, she collapsed all right,” said Donald Craiggrimly. He moved quickly towards the telephone “I must get hold of anambulance,” he said, “at once.”
“An ambulance?” Both Kirsten and Micky stared at him. Mary did notseem to have heard.
“Yes.” Donald was dialling angrily. “That girl didn’t faint,” he said. “Shewas stabbed. Do you hear? Stabbed in the back. We’ve got to get her tohospital at once.”
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收听单词发音
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1
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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2
isolate
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| vt.使孤立，隔离 | |
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3
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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4
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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5
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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6
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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7
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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8
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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9
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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10
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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11
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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12
coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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13
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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14
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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