Glancing at his watch, the Inspector1 realized he could just catch the trainfor Exeter if he hurried off. He was anxious to interview the late CaptainTrevelyan’s sister as soon as possible and obtain from her the addresses ofthe other members of the family. So, with a hurried word of farewell toMajor Burnaby, he raced off to the station. The Major retraced2 his steps tothe Three Crowns. He had hardly put a foot across the doorstep when hewas accosted3 by a bright young man with a very shiny head and a round,boyish face.
“Major Burnaby?” said the young man.
“Yes.”
“Of No. 1 Sittaford Cottages?”
“Yes,” said Major Burnaby.
“I represent the Daily Wire,” said the young man, “and I—”
He got no further. In true military fashion of the old school, the Majorexploded.
“Not another word,” he roared. “I know you and your kind. No decency4.
No reticence5. Clustering round a murder like vultures round a carcass, butI can tell you, young man, you will get no information from me. Not aword. No story for your damned paper. If you want to know anything, goand ask the police, and have the decency to leave the friends of the deadman alone.”
The young man seemed not a whit6 taken aback. He smiled more encour-agingly than ever.
“I say, sir, you know you have got hold of the wrong end of the stick. Iknow nothing about this murder business.”
This was not, strictly7 speaking, the truth. No one in Exhampton couldpretend ignorance of the event that had shaken the quiet moorland townto its core.
“I am empowered on behalf of the Daily Wire,” went on the young man,“to hand you this cheque for ?5,000 and congratulate you on sending inthe only correct solution of our football competition.”
Major Burnaby was completely taken aback.
“I have no doubt,” continued the young man, “that you have already re-ceived our letter yesterday morning informing you of the good news.”
“Letter?” said Major Burnaby. “Do you realize, young man, that Sittafordis about ten feet deep in snow? What chance do you think we have had inthe last few days of a regular delivery of letters?”
“But doubtless you saw your name announced as winner in the DailyWire, this morning?”
“No,” said Major Burnaby. “I haven’t glanced at the paper this morning.”
“Ah! of course not,” said the young man. “This sad business. Themurdered man was a friend of yours, I understand.”
“My best friend,” said the Major.
“Hard lines,” said the young man tactfully averting9 his eyes. Then hedrew from his pocket a small folded piece of mauve paper and handed itto Major Burnaby with a bow.
“With the compliments of the Daily Wire,” he said.
Major Burnaby took it and said the only thing possible under the cir-cumstances.
“Have a drink, Mr.—er—?”
“Enderby, Charles Enderby my name is. I got here last night,” he ex-plained. “Made inquiries10 about getting to Sittaford. We make it a point tohand cheques to winners personally. Always publish a little interview. In-terests our readers. Well, everyone told me it was out of the question—thesnow was falling and it simply couldn’t be done, and then with thegreatest good luck I find you are actually here, staying at the ThreeCrowns.” He smiled. “No difficulty about identification. Everybody seemsto know everybody else in this part of the world.”
“What will you have?” said the Major.
“Beer for me,” said Enderby.
The Major ordered two beers.
“The whole place seems off its head with this murder,” remarked En-derby. “Rather a mysterious business by all accounts.”
The Major grunted11. He was in something of a quandary12. His sentimentstowards journalists remained unchanged, but a man who has just handedyou a cheque for ?5,000 is in a privileged position. You cannot very welltell him to go to the devil.
“No enemies, had he?” asked the young man.
“No,” said the Major.
“But I hear the police don’t think it is robbery,” went on Enderby.
“How do you know that?” asked the Major.
Mr. Enderby, however, did not reveal the source of his information.
“I hear it was you who actually discovered the body, sir,” said the youngman.
“Yes.”
“It must have been an awful shock.”
The conversation proceeded. Major Burnaby was still determined13 togive no information, but he was no match for the adroitness14 of Mr. En-derby. The latter made statements with which the Major was forced toagree or disagree, thereby15 providing the information the young manwanted. So pleasant was his manner, however, that the process was reallynot painful at all and the Major found himself taking quite a liking16 to theingenuous young man.
Presently, Mr. Enderby rose and observed that he must go along to thepost office.
“If you will just give me a receipt for that cheque, sir.”
The Major went across to the writing table, wrote a receipt and handedit to him.
“Splendid,” said the young man and slipped it into his pocket.
“I suppose,” said Major Burnaby, “that you are off back to Londontoday?”
“Oh! no,” said the young man. “I want to take a few photographs, youknow, of your cottage at Sittaford, and of you feeding the pigs, or hoeingup the dandelions, or doing anything characteristic that you fancy. Youhave no idea how our readers appreciate that sort of thing. Then I wouldlike to have a few words from you on ‘What I intend to do with the ?5,000.’
” Something snappy. You have no idea how disappointed our readerswould be if they didn’t get that sort of thing.”
“Yes, but look here—it’s impossible to get to Sittaford in this weather.
The fall of snow was exceptionally heavy. No vehicle has been able to takethe road for three days anyway, and it may be another three before thethaw sets in properly.”
“I know,” said the young man, “it is awkward. Well, well, one will justhave to resign oneself to kicking up one’s heels in Exhampton. They doyou pretty well at the Three Crowns. So long, sir, see you later.”
He emerged into the main street of Exhampton and made his way to thepost office and wired his paper that by the greatest of good luck he wouldbe able to supply them with tasty and exclusive information on the Ex-hampton Murder Case.
He reflected on his next course of action and decided19 on interviewingthe late Captain Trevelyan’s servant, Evans, whose name Major Burnabyhad incautiously let slip during their conversation.
A few inquiries brought him to 85 Fore18 Street. The servant of themurdered man was a person of importance today. Everyone was willingand anxious to point out where he lived.
Enderby beat a smart rat-tat on the door. It was opened by a man so typ-ically an ex-sailor that Enderby had no doubt of his identity.
“Evans, isn’t it?” said Enderby cheerfully. “I have just come along fromMajor Burnaby.”
“Oh—” Evans hesitated a moment. “Will you come in, sir.”
Enderby accepted the invitation. A buxom20 young woman with dark hairand red cheeks hovered21 in the background. Enderby judged her as thenewlywed Mrs. Evans.
“Bad thing about your late master,” said Enderby.
“It’s shocking, sir, that’s what it is.”
“Who do you think did it?” demanded Enderby with an ingenuous17 air ofseeking information.
“One of those low-down tramps, I suppose,” said Evans.
“Oh! no, my dear man. That theory is quite exploded.”
“Eh?”
“That’s all a put-up job. The police saw through that at once.”
“Who told you that, sir?”
Enderby’s real informant had been the housemaid at the Three Crownswhose sister was the legal spouse22 of Constable23 Graves, but he replied:
“Had a tip from headquarters. Yes, the burglary idea was all a put-upjob.”
“Who do they think did it then?” demanded Mrs. Evans, coming for-ward. Her eyes looked frightened and eager.
“Now, Rebecca, don’t you take on so,” said her husband.
“Cruel stupid the police are,” said Mrs. Evans. “Don’t mind who theytake up as long as they get hold of someone.” She cast a quick glance at En-derby.
“Are you connected with the police, sir?”
“Me? Oh! no. I am from a newspaper, the Daily Wire. I came down to seeMajor Burnaby. He has just won our Free Football Competition for?5,000.”
“What?” cried Evans. “Damn it all, then those things are square afterall.”
“Didn’t you think they were?” asked Enderby.
“Well, it’s a wicked world, sir.” Evans was a little confused, feeling thathis exclamation24 had been wanting in tact8. “I have heard there’s a lot oftrickery concerned. The late Capting used to say that a prize never went toa good address. That’s why he used mine time and again.”
With a certain n?iveté he described the Captain’s winning of three newnovels.
Enderby encouraged him to talk. He saw a very good story being madeout of Evans. The faithful servant—old sea dog touch. He wondered just alittle why Mrs. Evans seemed so nervous, he put it down to the suspiciousignorance of her class.
“You find the skunk25 that done it,” said Evans. “Newspapers can do a lot,they say, in hunting down criminals.”
“It was a burglar,” said Mrs. Evans. “That’s what it was.”
“Of course, it was a burglar,” said Evans. “Why, there’s no one in Ex-hampton would want to harm the Capting.”
Enderby rose.
“Well,” he said. “I must be going. I will run in now and then and have alittle chat if I may. If the Captain won three new novels in a Daily WireCompetition, the Daily Wire ought to make it a personal matter to huntdown his murderer.”
“You can’t say fairer than that, sir. No, you can’t say fairer than that.”
Wishing them a cheery good day, Charles Enderby took his leave.
“I wonder who really did the beggar in?” he murmured to himself. “Idon’t think our friend Evans. Perhaps it was a burglar! Very disappointing,if so. Doesn’t seem any woman in the case, which is a pity. We’ve got tohave some sensational26 development soon or the case will fade into insigni-ficance. Just my luck, if so. First time I have ever been on the spot in a mat-ter of this kind. I must make good. Charles, my boy, your chance in life hascome. Make the most of it. Our military friend will, I see, soon be eatingout of my hand if I remember to be sufficiently27 respectful and call him ‘sir’
often enough. Wonder if he was in the Indian Mutiny. No, of course not,not old enough for that. The South African War, that’s it. Ask him aboutthe South African War, that will tame him.”
And pondering these resolutions in his mind Mr. Enderby saunteredback to the Three Crowns.
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收听单词发音
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1
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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averting
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| 防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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quandary
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| n.困惑，进迟两难之境 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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adroitness
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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buxom
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| adj.（妇女）丰满的，有健康美的 | |
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hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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