Twenty（2）

II
I rang up Lejeune.
“Miss Corrigan’s ill,” I said.
“What?”
“You heard me. She’s ill. She’s called her own doctor. He says perhaps’flu. It may be. But it may not. I don’t know what you can do. The only ideathat occurs to me is to get some kind of specialist onto it.”
“What kind of specialist?”
“A psychiatrist—or psychoanalyst, or psychologist. A psycho something.
A man who knows about suggestion and hypnotism and brainwashingand all that kind of thing. There are people who deal with that kind ofthing?”
“Of course there are. Yes. There are one or two Home Office men whospecialise in it. I think you’re dead right. It may be just ’flu—but it may besome kind of psycho business about which nothing much is known. Lord,Easterbrook, this may be just what we’ve been hoping for!”
I slammed down the receiver. We might be learning something aboutpsychological weapons—but all that I cared about was Ginger¹, gallant² andfrightened. We hadn’t really believed, either of us—or had we? No, ofcourse we hadn’t. It had been a game—a cops and robbers game. But itwasn’t a game.
The Pale Horse was proving itself a reality.
I dropped my head into my hands and groaned³.

1 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

2 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

3 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》