Two THE MESSAGE

Two THE MESSAGE
After tea, Mrs. Willett suggested bridge.
“There are six of us. Two can cut in.”
Ronnie’s eyes brightened.
“You four start,” he suggested. “Miss Willett and I will cut in.”
But Mr. Duke said that he did not play bridge.
Ronnie’s face fell.
“We might play a round game,” said Mrs. Willett.
“Or table-turning,” suggested Ronnie. “It’s a spooky evening. We spokeabout it the other day, you remember. Mr. Rycroft and I were talkingabout it this evening as we came along here.”
“I am a member of the Psychical¹ Research Society,” explained Mr.
Rycroft in his precise way. “I was able to put my young friend right on oneor two points.”
“Tommy rot,” said Major Burnaby very distinctly.
“Oh! but it’s great fun, don’t you think?” said Violet Willett. “I mean, onedoesn’t believe in it or anything. It’s just an amusement. What do you say,Mr. Duke?”
“Anything you like, Miss Willett.”
“We must turn the lights out, and we must find a suitable table. No—notthat one, Mother. I’m sure it’s much too heavy.”
Things were settled at last to everyone’s satisfaction. A small roundtable with a polished top was brought from an adjoining room. It was setin front of the fire and everyone took his place round it with the lightsswitched off.
Major Burnaby was between his hostess and Violet. On the other side ofthe girl was Ronnie Garfield. A cynical² smile creased³ the Major’s lips. Hethought to himself:
“In my young days it was Up Jenkins.” And he tried to recall the name ofa girl with fluffy⁴ hair whose hand he had held beneath the table at consid-erable length. A long time ago that was. But Up Jenkins had been a goodgame.
There were all the usual laughs, whispers, stereotyped⁵ remarks.
“The spirits are a long time.”
“Got a long way to come.”
“Hush—nothing will happen unless we are serious.”
“Oh! do be quiet—everyone.”
“Nothing’s happening.”
“Of course not—it never does at first.”
“If only you’d all be quiet.”
At last, after some time, the murmur⁶ of talk died away.
A silence.
“This table’s dead as mutton,” murmured Ronnie Garfield disgustedly.
“Hush.”
A tremor⁷ ran through the polished surface. The table began to rock.
“Ask it questions. Who shall ask? You, Ronnie.”
“Oh—er—I say—what do I ask it?”
“Is a spirit present?” prompted Violet.
“Oh! Hullo—is a spirit present?”
A sharp rock.
“That means yes,” said Violet.
“Oh! er—who are you?”
No response.
“Ask it to spell its name.”
The table started rocking violently.
“A B C D E F G H I—I say, was that I or J?”
“Ask it. Was that I?”
One rock.
“Yes. Next letter, please.”
The spirit’s name was Ida.
“Have you a message for anyone here?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it for? Miss Willett?”
“No.”
“Mrs. Willett?”
“No.”
“Mr. Rycroft?”
“No.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“It’s for you, Ronnie. Go on. Make it spell it out.”
The table spelt “Diana.”
“Who’s Diana? Do you know anyone called Diana?”
“No, I don’t. At least—”
“There you are. He does.”
“Ask her if she’s a widow?”
The fun went on. Mr. Rycroft smiled indulgently. Young people musthave their jokes. He caught one glance of his hostess’s face in a suddenflicker of the firelight. It looked worried and abstracted. Her thoughtswere somewhere faraway.
Major Burnaby was thinking of the snow. It was going to snow againthis evening. Hardest winter he ever remembered.
Mr. Duke was playing very seriously. The spirits, alas⁸, paid very little at-tention to him. All the messages seemed to be for Violet and Ronnie.
Violet was told she was going to Italy. Someone was going with her. Nota woman. A man. His name was Leonard.
More laughter. The table spelt the name of the town. A Russian jumbleof letters—not in the least Italian.
The usual accusations⁹ were levelled.
“Look here, Violet,” (“Miss Willett” had been dropped) “you are shov-ing.”
“I’m not. Look, I take my hands right off the table and it rocks just thesame.”
“I like raps. I’m going to ask it to rap. Loud ones.”
“There should be raps.” Ronnie turned to Mr. Rycroft. “There ought tobe raps, oughtn’t there, sir?”
“Under the circumstances, I should hardly think it likely,” said Mr.
Rycroft drily.
There was a pause. The table was inert¹⁰. It returned no answer to ques-tions.
“Has Ida gone away?”
One languid rock.
“Will another spirit come, please?”
Nothing. Suddenly the table began to quiver and rock violently.
“Hurrah. Are you a new spirit?”
“Yes.”
“Have you a message for someone?”
“Yes.”
“For me?”
“No.”
“For Violet?”
“No.”
“For Major Burnaby?”
“Yes.”
“It’s for you, Major Burnaby. Will you spell it out, please?”
The table started rocking slowly.
“T R E V—are you sure it’s V? It can’t be. T R E V—it doesn’t make sense.”
“Trevelyan, of course,” said Mrs. Willett. “Captain Trevelyan.”
“Do you mean Captain Trevelyan?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve got a message for Captain Trevelyan?”
“No.”
“Well, what is it then?”
The table began to rock—slowly, rhythmically¹¹. So slowly that it was easyto count the letters.
“D—” a pause. “E—A D.”
“Dead.”
“Somebody is dead?”
Instead of Yes or No, the table began to rock again till it reached the let-ter T.
“T—do you mean Trevelyan?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t mean Trevelyan is dead?”
“Yes.”
A very sharp rock. “Yes.”
Somebody gasped¹². There was a faint stir all round the table.
Ronnie’s voice as he resumed his questions held a different note—anawed uneasy note.
“You mean—that Captain Trevelyan is dead?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause. It was as though no one knew what to ask next, orhow to take this unexpected development.
And in the pause, the table started rocking again.
Rhythmically and slowly, Ronnie spelled out the letters aloud. .?.?.
M-U-R-D-E-R. .?.?.
Mrs. Willett gave a cry and took her hands off the table.
“I won’t go on with this. It’s horrible. I don’t like it.”
Mr. Duke’s voice rang out, resonant¹³ and clear. He was questioning thetable.
“Do you mean—that Captain Trevelyan has been murdered?”
The last word had hardly left his lips when the answer came. The tablerocked so violently and assertively¹⁴ that it nearly fell over. One rock only.
“Yes. .?.?.”
“Look here,” said Ronnie. He took his hands from the table. “I call this arotten joke.” His voice trembled.
“Turn up the lights,” said Mr. Rycroft.
Major Burnaby rose and did so. The sudden glare revealed a company ofpale uneasy faces.
Everyone looked at each other. Somehow—nobody quite knew what tosay.
“All rot, of course,” said Ronnie with an uneasy laugh.
“Silly nonsense,” said Mrs. Willett. “Nobody ought to—to make jokes likethat.”
“Not about people dying,” said Violet. “It’s—oh! I don’t like it.”
“I wasn’t shoving,” said Ronnie, feeling unspoken criticism levelled athim. “I swear I wasn’t.”
“I can say the same,” said Mr. Duke. “And you, Mr. Rycroft?”
“Certainly not,” said Mr. Rycroft warmly.
“You don’t think I’d make a joke of that kind, do you?” growled¹⁵ MajorBurnaby. “Rotten bad taste.”
“Violet dear—”
“I didn’t, Mother. Indeed, I didn’t. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
The girl was almost tearful.
Everyone was embarrassed. A sudden blight¹⁶ had come over the cheerfulparty.
Major Burnaby pushed back his chair, went to the window and pulledaside the curtain. He stood there looking out with his back to the room.
“Twenty- five minutes past five,” said Mr. Rycroft glancing up at theclock. He compared it with his own watch and somehow everyone felt theaction was significant in some way.
“Let me see,” said Mrs. Willett with forced cheerfulness. “I think we’dbetter have cocktails¹⁷. Will you ring the bell, Mr. Garfield?”
Ronnie obeyed.
Ingredients for cocktails were brought and Ronnie was appointedmixer. The situation grew a little easier.
“Well,” said Ronnie, raising his glass. “Here’s how.”
The others responded—all but the silent figure by the window.
“Major Burnaby. Here’s your cocktail¹⁸.”
The Major roused himself with a start. He turned slowly.
“Thank you, Mrs. Willett. Not for me.” He looked once more out into thenight, then came slowly back to the group by the fire. “Many thanks for avery pleasant time. Good night.”
“You’re not going?”
“Afraid I must.”
“Not so soon. And on a night like this.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Willett—but it’s got to be done. If there were only a tele-phone.”
“A telephone?”
“Yes—to tell you the truth—I’m—well. I’d like to be sure that Joe Trev-elyan’s all right. Silly superstition¹⁹ and all that—but there it is. Naturally, Idon’t believe in this tommy rot—but—”
“But you can’t telephone from anywhere. There’s not such a thing in Sit-taford.”
“That’s just it. As I can’t telephone, I’ll have to go.”
“Go—but you couldn’t get a car down that road! Elmer wouldn’t take hiscar out on such a night.”
Elmer was the proprietor²¹ of the sole car in the place, an aged²² Ford²⁰, hiredat a handsome price by those who wished to go into Exhampton.
“No, no—car’s out of the question. My two legs will take me there, Mrs.
Willett.”
There was a chorus of protest.
“Oh! Major Burnaby—it’s impossible. You said yourself it was going tosnow.”
“Not for an hour—perhaps longer. I’ll get there, never fear.”
“Oh! you can’t. We can’t allow it.”
She was seriously disturbed and upset.
But argument and entreaty²³ had no more effect on Major Burnaby thanif he were a rock. He was an obstinate²⁴ man. Once his mind was made upon any point, no power on earth could move him.
He had determined²⁵ to walk to Exhampton and see for himself that allwas well with his old friend, and he repeated that simple statement half adozen times.
In the end they were brought to realize that he meant it. He wrappedhimself up in his overcoat, lighted the hurricane lantern, and stepped outinto the night.
“I’ll just drop in to my place for a flask,” he said cheerily, “and then pushstraight on. Trevelyan will put me up for the night when I get there. Ri-diculous fuss, I know. Everything sure to be all right. Don’t worry, Mrs.
Willett. Snow or no snow—I’ll get there in a couple of hours. Good night.”
He strode away. The others returned to the fire.
Rycroft had looked up at the sky.
“It is going to snow,” he murmured to Mr. Duke. “And it will begin longbefore he gets to Exhampton. I—I hope he gets there all right.”
Duke frowned.
“I know. I feel I ought to have gone with him. One of us ought to havedone so.”
“Most distressing²⁶,” Mrs. Willett was saying, “most distressing. Violet, Iwill not have that silly game ever played again. Poor Major Burnaby willprobably plunge²⁷ into a snowdrift—or if he doesn’t he’ll die of the cold andexposure. At his age, too. Very foolish of him to go off like that. Of course,Captain Trevelyan is perfectly²⁸ all right.”
Everyone echoed:
“Of course.”
But even now they did not feel really too comfortable.
Supposing something had happened to Captain Trevelyan. .?.?.
Supposing. .?.?.

1 psychical   

adj.有关特异功能现象的；有关特异功能官能的；灵魂的；心灵的

参考例句：

• Conclusion: The Liuhe-lottery does harm to people, s psychical health and should be for bidden. 结论：“六合彩”赌博有害人们心理卫生，应予以严禁。 来自互联网

2 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

3 creased   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴

参考例句：

• You've creased my newspaper. 你把我的报纸弄皱了。
• The bullet merely creased his shoulder. 子弹只不过擦破了他肩部的皮肤。

4 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

5 stereotyped   

adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的

参考例句：

• There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子，左不过是些才子佳人，最没趣儿。
• He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物，并且与我们的祖先有着明显的（虽然可能没有科学的）联系。

6 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

7 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

8 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

9 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

10 inert   

adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• Inert gas studies are providing valuable information about other planets,too.对惰性气体的研究，也提供了有关其它行星的有价值的资料。
• Elemental nitrogen is a very unreactive and inert material.元素氮是一个十分不活跃的惰性物质。

11 rhythmically   

adv.有节奏地

参考例句：

• A pigeon strutted along the roof, cooing rhythmically. 一只鸽子沿着屋顶大摇大摆地走，有节奏地咕咕叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Exposures of rhythmically banded protore are common in the workings. 在工作面中常见有韵律条带“原矿石”。 来自辞典例句

12 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

14 assertively   

断言地，独断地

参考例句：

• Using the right body language helps you communicate more assertively. 使用正确的肢体语言会帮助你更有主张力的交流。
• Learning to communicate assertively involves learning to be honest, open and direct. 果敢自信的交往方式的学习包括做到为人诚实、坦率和直言不讳。

15 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

17 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

18 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

19 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

20 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

21 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

22 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

23 entreaty   

n.恳求，哀求

参考例句：

• Mrs. Quilp durst only make a gesture of entreaty.奎尔普太太仅做出一种哀求的姿势。
• Her gaze clung to him in entreaty.她的眼光带着恳求的神色停留在他身上。

24 obstinate   

adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的

参考例句：

• She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。
• The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。

25 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

26 distressing   

a.使人痛苦的

参考例句：

• All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
• It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。

27 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

28 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。