The inquest on the body of Captain Trevelyan was held on Monday morn-ing. From the point of view of sensation it was a tame affair, for it was al-most immediately adjourned1 for a week, thus disappointing large num-bers of people. Between Saturday and Monday Exhampton had sprunginto fame. The knowledge that the dead man’s nephew had been detainedin connection with the murder made the whole affair spring from a mereparagraph in the back pages of the newspapers to gigantic headlines. Onthe Monday, reporters had arrived at Exhampton in large numbers. Mr.
Charles Enderby had reason once more to congratulate himself on the su-perior position he had obtained from the purely2 fortuitous chance of thefootball competition prize.
It was the journalist’s intention to stick to Major Burnaby like a leech,and under the pretext3 of photographing the latter’s cottage, to obtain ex-clusive information of the inhabitants of Sittaford and their relationshipwith the dead man.
It did not escape Mr. Enderby’s notice that at lunchtime a small tablenear the door was occupied by a very attractive girl. Mr. Enderbywondered what she was doing in Exhampton. She was well dressed in ademure and provocative4 style, and did not appear to be a relation of thedeceased, and still less could be labelled as one of the idle curious.
“I wonder how long she’s staying?” thought Mr. Enderby. “Rather a pityI am going up to Sittaford this afternoon. Just my luck. Well, you can’thave it both ways, I suppose.”
But shortly after lunch, Mr. Enderby received an agreeable surprise. Hewas standing5 on the steps of the Three Crowns observing the fast-meltingsnow, and enjoying the sluggish6 rays of wintry sunshine, when he wasaware of a voice, an extremely charming voice, addressing him.
“I beg your pardon—but could you tell me—if there is anything to see inExhampton?”
Charles Enderby rose to the occasion promptly7.
“There’s a castle, I believe,” he said. “Not much to it—but there it is. Per-haps you would allow me to show you the way to it.”
“That would be frightfully kind of you,” said the girl. “If you are sureyou are not too busy—”
Charles Enderby disclaimed8 immediately the notion of being busy.
They set out together.
“You are Mr. Enderby, aren’t you?” said the girl.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Mrs. Belling pointed9 you out to me.”
“Oh, I see.”
“My name is Emily Trefusis. Mr. Enderby—I want you to help me.”
“To help you?” said Enderby. “Why, certainly—but—”
“You see, I am engaged to Jim Pearson.”
“Oh!” said Mr. Enderby, journalistic possibilities rising before his mind.
“And the police are going to arrest him. I know they are. Mr. Enderby, Iknow that Jim didn’t do this thing. I am down here to prove he didn’t. But Imust have someone to help me. One can’t do anything without a man.
Men know so much, and are able to get information in so many ways thatare simply impossible to women.”
“Well—I—yes, I suppose that is true,” said Mr. Enderby complacently10.
“I was looking at all these journalists this morning,” said Emily. “Such alot of them I thought had such stupid faces. I picked you out as the onereally clever one among them.”
“Oh! I say. I don’t think that’s true, you know,” said Mr. Enderby stillmore complacently.
“What I want to propose,” said Emily Trefusis, “is a kind of partnership11.
There would, I think, be advantages on both sides. There are certainthings I want to investigate—to find out about. There you in your charac-ter of journalist can help me. I want—”
Emily paused. What she really wanted was to engage Mr. Enderby as akind of private sleuth of her own. To go where she told him, to ask thequestions she wanted asked, and in general to be a kind of bond slave. Butshe was aware of the necessity of couching these proposals in terms atonce flattering and agreeable. The whole point was that she was to be theboss, but the matter needed managing tactfully.
“I want,” said Emily, “to feel that I can depend upon you.”
She had a lovely voice, liquid and alluring12. As she uttered the last sen-tence a feeling rose in Mr. Enderby’s bosom13 that this lovely helpless girlcould depend upon him to the last ditch.
“It must be ghastly,” said Mr. Enderby, and taking her hand he squeezedit with fervour.
“But you know,” he went on with a journalistic reaction, “my time is notentirely my own. I mean, I have got to go where I am sent, and all that.”
“Yes,” said Emily. “I have thought of that, and that you see is where Icome in. Surely I am what you call a ‘scoop14,’ aren’t I? You can do an inter-view with me every day, you can make me say anything that you thinkyour readers will like. Jim Pearson’s fiancée. Girl who believes passionatelyin his innocence15. Reminiscences of his childhood which she supplies. I don’treally know about his childhood, you know,” she added, “but that doesn’tmatter.”
“I think,” said Mr. Enderby, “that you are marvellous. You really aremarvellous.”
“And then,” said Emily pursuing her advantage, “I have access naturallyto Jim’s relations. I can get you in there as a friend of mine, where quitepossibly you might have the door shut in your face any other way.”
“Don’t I know that only too well,” said Mr. Enderby with feeling, recall-ing various rebuffs of the past.
A glorious prospect16 opened out before him. He had been in luck overthis affair all round. First the lucky chance of the football competition, andnow this.
“It’s a deal,” he said fervently17.
“Good,” said Emily becoming brisk and businesslike. “Now, what’s thefirst move?”
“I’m going up to Sittaford this afternoon.”
He explained the fortunate circumstance which had put him in such anadvantageous position with regard to Major Burnaby. “Because, mind you,he is the kind of old buffer18 that hates newspaper men like poison. But youcan’t exactly push a chap in the face who has just handed you ?5,000, canyou?”
“It would be awkward,” said Emily. “Well, if you are going to Sittaford, Iam coming with you.”
“Splendid,” said Mr. Enderby. “I don’t know, though, if there’s anywhereto stay up there. As far as I know there’s only Sittaford House and a fewold cottages belonging to people like Burnaby.”
“We shall find something,” said Emily. “I always find something.”
Mr. Enderby could well believe that. Emily had the kind of personalitythat soars triumphantly19 over all obstacles.
They had arrived by now at the ruined castle, but paying no attention toit, they sat down on a piece of wall in the so-called sunshine and Emilyproceeded to develop her ideas.
“I am looking at this, Mr. Enderby, in an absolutely unsentimental andbusinesslike way. You’ve got to take it from me to begin with that Jimdidn’t do the murder. I’m not saying that simply because I am in love withhim, or believe in his beautiful character or anything like that. It’s justwell—knowledge. You see I have been on my own pretty well since I wassixteen. I have never come into contact with many women and I knowvery little about them, but I know a lot about men. And unless a girl cansize up a man pretty accurately20, and know what she’s got to deal with, shewill never get on. I have got on. I work as a mannequin at Lucie’s, and Ican tell you, Mr. Enderby, that to arrive there is a Feat21.
“Well, as I was saying, I can size up men pretty accurately. Jim is rathera weak character in many ways. I am not sure,” said Emily, forgetting fora moment her r?le of admirer of strong men, “that that’s not why I likehim. The feeling that I can run him and make something of him. There arequite a lot of—well—even criminal things that I can imagine him doing ifpushed to it—but not murder. He simply couldn’t pick up a sandbag andhit an old man on the back of the neck with it. He would make a bosh shotand hit him in the wrong place if he did. He is a—he is a gentle creature,Mr. Enderby. He doesn’t even like killing22 wasps23. He always tries to putthem out of a window without hurting them and usually gets stung. How-ever, it’s no good my going on like this. You’ve got to take my word for itand start on the assumption that Jim is innocent.”
“Do you think that somebody is deliberately24 trying to fasten the crimeon him?” asked Charles Enderby in his best journalistic manner.
“I don’t think so. You see nobody knew about Jim coming down to seehis uncle. Of course, one can’t be certain, but I should put that down asjust a coincidence and bad luck. What we have to find is someone elsewith a motive25 for killing Captain Trevelyan. The police are quite certainthat this is not what they call an ‘outside job’—I mean, it wasn’t a burglar.
The broken open window was faked.”
“Did the police tell you all this?”
“Practically,” said Emily.
“What do you mean by practically?”
“The chambermaid told me, and her sister is married to ConstableGraves, so, of course, she knows everything the police think.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Enderby, “it wasn’t an outside job. It was an insideone.”
“Exactly,” said Emily. “The police—that is Inspector26 Narracott, who, bythe way, I should think is an awfully27 sound man, have started investigat-ing to find who benefits by Captain Trevelyan’s death, and with Jim stick-ing out a mile, so to speak, they won’t bother to go on with other investiga-tions much. Well, that’s got to be our job.”
“What a scoop it would be,” said Mr. Enderby, “if you and I discoveredthe real murderer. The crime expert of the Daily Wire—that’s the way Ishould be described. But it’s too good to be true,” he added despondently28.
“That sort of thing only happens in books.”
“Nonsense,” said Emily, “it happens with me.”
“You’re simply marvellous,” said Enderby again.
Emily brought out a little notebook.
“Now let’s put things down methodically. Jim himself, his brother andsister, and his Aunt Jennifer benefit equally by Captain Trevelyan’s death.
Of course Sylvia—that’s Jim’s sister—wouldn’t hurt a fly, but I wouldn’tput it past her husband, he’s what I call a nasty kind of brute29. You know—the artistic30 nasty kind, has affairs with women—all that sort of thing. Verylikely to be in a hole financially. The money they’d come into would actu-ally be Sylvia’s, but that wouldn’t matter to him. He would soon manage toget it out of her.”
“He sounds a most unpleasant person,” said Mr. Enderby.
“Oh! yes. Good-looking in a bold sort of way. Women talk about sex withhim in corners. Real men hate him.”
“Well, that’s suspect No. 1,” said Mr. Enderby, also writing in a littlebook. “Investigate his movements on Friday—easily done under the guiseof interview with popular novelist connected with the crime. Is that allright?”
“Splendid,” said Emily. “Then there’s Brian, Jim’s younger brother. He’ssupposed to be in Australia, but he might quite easily have come back. Imean, people do sometimes without saying.”
“We could send him a cable.”
“We will. I suppose Aunt Jennifer is out of it. From all I’ve heard she’s arather wonderful person. She’s got character. Still, after all, she wasn’tvery far away, she was only at Exeter. She might have come over to seeher brother, and he might have said something nasty about her husbandwhom she adores, and she might have seen red and snatched up a sand-bag and biffed him one.”
“Do you really think so?” said Mr. Enderby dubiously31.
“No, not really. But one never knows. Then, of course, there’s the bat-man. He only gets ?100 under the will and he seems all right. But thereagain, one never knows. His wife is Mrs. Belling’s niece. You know Mrs.
Belling who keeps the Three Crowns. I think I shall weep on her shoulderwhen I get back. She looks rather a motherly and romantic soul. I thinkshe would be terribly sorry for me with my young man probably going toprison, and she might let slip something useful. And then, of course,there’s Sittaford House. Do you know what struck me as queer?”
“No, what?”
“These people, the Willetts. The ones that took Captain Trevelyan’shouse furnished in the middle of winter. It’s an awfully queer thing to do.”
“Yes, it is odd,” agreed Mr. Enderby. “There might be something at thebottom of that—something to do with Captain Trevelyan’s past life.
“That séance business was queer too,” he added. “I’m thinking of writingthat up for the paper. Get opinions from Sir Oliver Lodge32 and Sir ArthurConan Doyle and a few actresses and people about it.”
“What séance business?”
Mr. Enderby recounted it with gusto. There was nothing connected withthe murder that he had not managed somehow or other to hear.
“Bit odd, isn’t it?” he finished. “I mean, it makes you think and all that.
May be something in these things. First time I’ve really ever come acrossanything authentic33.”
Emily gave a slight shiver. “I hate supernatural things,” she said. “Justfor once, as you say, it does look as though there was something in it. Buthow—how gruesome!”
“This séance business never seems very practical, does it? If the old boycould get through and say he was dead, why couldn’t he say whomurdered him? It ought to be all so simple.”
“I feel there may be a clue in Sittaford,” said Emily thoughtfully.
“Yes, I think we ought to investigate there thoroughly,” said Enderby.
“I’ve hired a car and I’m starting there in about half an hour’s time. Youhad better come along with me.”
“I will,” said Emily. “What about Major Burnaby?”
“He’s going to tramp it,” said Enderby. “Started immediately after the in-quest. If you ask me, he wanted to get out of having my company on theway there. Nobody could like trudging34 there through all this slush.”
“Will the car be able to get up all right?”
“Oh! yes. First day a car has been able to get through though.”
“Well,” said Emily rising to her feet. “It’s about time we went back to theThree Crowns, and I will pack my suitcase and do a short weeping act onMrs. Belling’s shoulder.”
“Don’t you worry,” said Mr. Enderby rather fatuously35. “You leaveeverything to me.”
“That’s just what I mean to do,” said Emily with a complete lack of truth.
“It’s so wonderful to have someone you can really rely on.”
Emily Trefusis was really a very accomplished36 young woman.
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收听单词发音
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1
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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provocative
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| adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的 | |
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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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sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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disclaimed
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| v.否认( disclaim的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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buffer
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| n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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wasps
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| 黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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despondently
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| adv.沮丧地，意志消沉地 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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trudging
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式） | |
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fatuously
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| adv.愚昧地，昏庸地，蠢地 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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