At half past two Dr. Warren received a call from Emily. He took an imme-diate fancy to this businesslike and attractive girl. Her questions wereblunt and to the point.
“Yes, Miss Trefusis, I see exactly what you mean. You’ll understand thatcontrary to the popular belief in novels it is extremely difficult to fix thetime of death accurately1. I saw the body at eight o’clock. I can say de-cidedly that Captain Trevelyan had been dead at least two hours. Howmuch longer than that would be difficult to say. If you were to tell me thathe was killed at four o’clock, I should say that it was possible, though myown opinion inclines to a later time. On the other hand he could certainlynot have been dead for much longer than that. Four and a half hourswould be the outside limit.”
“Thank you,” said Emily, “that’s all I wanted to know.”
She caught the three ten train at the station and drove straight to thehotel where Mr. Dacres was staying.
Their interview was businesslike and unemotional. Mr. Dacres hadknown Emily since she was a small child and had managed her affairs forher since she came of age.
“You must prepare yourself for a shock, Emily,” he said. “Things aremuch worse for Jim Pearson than we imagined.”
“Worse?”
“Yes. It’s no good beating about the bush. Certain facts have come tolight which are bound to show him up in a most unfavourable light. It isthose facts which led the police actually to charge him with the crime. Ishould not be acting2 in your interests if I withheld3 these facts from you.”
“Please tell me,” said Emily.
Her voice was perfectly4 calm and composed. Whatever the inwardshock she might have felt, she had no intention of making an outward dis-play of her feelings. It was not feelings that were going to help Jim Pear-son, it was brains. She must keep all her wits about her.
“There is no doubt that he was in urgent and immediate5 need of money.
I am not going to enter into the ethics6 of the situation at the moment. Pear-son had apparently7 before now occasionally borrowed money—to use aeuphemism—from his firm—I may say without their knowledge. He wasfond of speculating in shares, and on one occasion previously8, knowingthat certain dividends9 were to be paid into his account in a week’s time, heanticipated them by using the firm’s money to buy certain shares whichhe had pretty certain knowledge were bound to go up. The transactionwas quite satisfactory, the money was replaced and Pearson really doesn’tseem to have had any doubts as to the honesty of the transaction. Appar-ently he repeated this just over a week ago. This time an unforeseen thingoccurred. The books of the firm were examined at certain stated times, butfor some reason or other this date was advanced, and Pearson was facedwith a very unpleasant dilemma10. He was quite aware of the constructionthat would be put on his action and he was quite unable to raise the sumof money involved. He admits himself that he had tried in various quar-ters and failed when as a last resource he rushed down to Devonshire tolay the matter before his uncle and persuade him to help him. This Cap-tain Trevelyan absolutely refused to do.
“Now, my dear Emily, we shall be quite unable to prevent these factsfrom being brought to light. The police have already unearthed11 the mat-ter. And you see, don’t you, that we have here a very pressing and urgentmotive for the crime? The moment Captain Trevelyan was dead Pearsoncould easily have obtained the necessary sum as an advance from Mr.
Kirkwood and saved himself from disaster and possibly criminal prosecu-tion.”
“Oh, the idiot,” said Emily helplessly.
“Quite so,” said Mr. Dacres dryly. “It seems to me that our only chancelies in proving that Jim Pearson was quite unaware12 of the provisions of hisuncle’s will.”
There was a pause while Emily considered the matter. Then she saidquietly:
“I’m afraid that’s impossible. All three of them knew—Sylvia, Jim andBrian. They often discussed it and laughed and joked about the rich unclein Devonshire.”
“Dear, dear,” said Mr. Dacres. “That’s unfortunate.”
“You don’t think him guilty, Mr. Dacres?” asked Emily.
“Curiously enough I do not,” replied the lawyer. “In some ways Jim Pear-son is a most transparent13 young man. He hasn’t, if you will allow me tosay so, Emily, a very high standard of commercial honesty, but I do not be-lieve for one minute that his hand sandbagged his uncle.”
“Well, that’s a good thing,” said Emily. “I wish the police thought thesame.”
“Quite so. Our own impressions and ideas are of no practical use. Thecase against him is unfortunately strong. I am not going to disguise fromyou, my dear child, that the outlook is bad. I should suggest Lorimer, K.C.,as the defence. Forlorn hope man they call him,” he added cheerfully.
“There is one thing I should like to know,” said Emily. “You have, ofcourse, seen Jim?”
“Certainly.”
“I want you to tell me honestly if you think he has told the truth in otherrespects.” She outlined to him the idea that Enderby had suggested to her.
The lawyer considered the matter carefully before replying.
“It’s my impression,” he said, “that he is speaking the truth when he de-scribes his interview with his uncle. But there is little doubt that he has gotthe wind up badly, and if he went round to the window, entered that wayand came across his uncle’s dead body — he might just possibly be tooscared to admit the fact and have concocted14 this other story.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Emily. “Next time you see him, Mr. Dacres,will you urge him to speak the truth? It may make the most tremendousdifference.”
“I will do so. All the same,” he said after a moment or two’s pause, “Ithink you are mistaken in this idea. The news of Captain Trevelyan’s deathwas bandied around in Exhampton about eight thirty. At that time the lasttrain had left for Exeter, but Jim Pearson got the first train available in themorning—a thoroughly15 unwise proceeding16, by the way, as it called atten-tion to his movements which otherwise would not have been aroused if hehad left by a train at a more conventional hour. Now if, as you suggest, hediscovered his uncle’s dead body some time after half past four, I think hewould have left Exhampton straight away. There’s a train which leavesshortly after six and another at a quarter to eight.”
“That’s a point,” admitted Emily, “I didn’t think of that.”
“I have questioned him narrowly about his method of entering hisuncle’s house,” went on Mr. Dacres. “He says that Captain Trevelyan madehim remove his boots, and leave them on the doorstep. That accounts forno wet marks being discovered in the hall.”
“He doesn’t speak of having heard any sound—anything at all—thatgives him the idea that there might have been someone else in the house?”
“He didn’t mention it to me. But I will ask him.”
“Thank you,” said Emily. “If I write a note can you take it to him?”
“Subject to its being read, of course.”
“Oh, it will be a very discreet17 one.”
She crossed to the writing table and scribbled18 a few words.
“Dearest Jim,—Everything’s going to be all right, so cheerup. I am working like the worst kind of slave to find out thetruth. What an idiot you’ve been, darling.
Love from
Emily.”
“There,” she said.
Mr. Dacres read it but made no comment.
“I have taken pains with my handwriting,” said Emily, “so that theprison authorities can read it easily. Now, I must be off.”
“You will allow me to offer you a cup of tea.”
“No, thank you, Mr. Dacres. I have no time to lose. I am going to seeJim’s Aunt Jennifer.”
At The Laurels19, Emily was informed that Mrs. Gardner was out butwould be home shortly.
Emily smiled upon the parlourmaid.
“I’ll come in and wait then.”
“Would you like to see Nurse Davis?”
Emily was always ready to see anybody. “Yes,” she said promptly20.
A few minutes later Nurse Davis, starched21 and curious, arrived.
“How do you do,” said Emily. “I am Emily Trefusis—a kind of niece ofMrs. Gardner’s. That is, I am going to be a niece, but my fiancé, Jim Pear-son, has been arrested, as I expect you know.”
“Oh, it’s been too dreadful,” said Nurse Davis. “We saw it all in the pa-pers this morning. What a terrible business. You seem to be bearing upwonderfully, Miss Trefusis—really wonderfully.”
There was a faint note of disapproval22 in the nurse’s voice. Hospitalnurses, she implied, were able to bear up owing to their force of character,but lesser23 mortals were expected to give way.
“Well, one mustn’t sag24 at the knees,” said Emily. “I hope you don’t mindvery much. I mean, it must be awkward for you to be associated with afamily that has got a murder in it.”
“It’s very unpleasant, of course,” said Nurse Davis, unbending at thisproof of consideration. “But one’s duty to one’s patient comes beforeeverything.”
“How splendid,” said Emily. “It must be wonderful for Aunt Jennifer tofeel she has somebody upon whom she can rely.”
“Oh, really,” said the nurse simpering, “you are too kind. But, of course, Ihave had curious experiences before this. Why, at the last case I attended—” Emily listened patiently to a long and scandalous anecdote25 comprisingcomplicated divorce and paternity questions. After complimenting NurseDavis on her tact26, discretion27 and savoir faire, Emily slid back to the topic ofthe Gardners.
“I don’t know Aunt Jennifer’s husband at all,” she said. “I’ve never methim. He never goes away from home, does he?”
“No, poor fellow.”
“What exactly is the matter with him?”
Nurse Davis embarked28 on the subject with professional gusto.
“So, really he might get well again any minute,” Emily murmuredthoughtfully.
“He would be terribly weak,” said the nurse.
“Oh, of course. But it makes it seem more hopeful, doesn’t it?”
The nurse shook her head with firm professional despondency.
“I don’t suppose there will be any cure in his case.”
Emily had copied down in her little notebook the timetable of what shecalled Aunt Jennifer’s alibi30. She now murmured tentatively:
“How queer it seems to think that Aunt Jennifer was actually at the Pic-tures when her brother was being killed.”
“Very sad, isn’t it?” said Nurse Davis. “Of course, she couldn’t tell—but itgives one such a shock afterwards.”
Emily cast about in her mind to find out what she wanted to knowwithout asking a direct question.
“Didn’t she have some queer kind of vision or premonition?” she in-quired. “Wasn’t it you who met her in the hall when she came in and ex-claimed that she looked quite queer?”
“Oh, no,” said the nurse. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t see her until we were sit-ting down to dinner together, and she seemed quite her ordinary self then.
How very interesting.”
“I expect I am mixing it up with something else,” said Emily.
“Perhaps it was some other relation,” suggested Nurse Davis. “I came inrather late myself. I felt rather guilty about leaving my patient so long, buthe himself had urged me to go.”
She suddenly looked at her watch.
“Oh, dear. He asked me for another hot water bottle. I must see about itat once. Will you excuse me, Miss Trefusis?”
Emily excused her and going over to the fireplace she put her finger onthe bell.
The slipshod maid came with rather a frightened face.
“What’s your name?” said Emily.
“Beatrice, Miss.”
“Oh, Beatrice, I may not be able to wait to see my aunt, Mrs. Gardner,after all—I wanted to ask her about some shopping she did on Friday. Doyou know if she brought a big parcel back with her?”
“No, Miss, I didn’t see her come in.”
“I thought you said she came in at six o’clock.”
“Yes, Miss, she did. I didn’t see her come in, but when I went to takesome hot water to her room at seven o’clock it gave me a shock to find herlying in the dark on the bed. ‘Well, ma’am,’ I said to her, ‘You gave mequite a shock.’ ‘I came in quite a long time ago. At six o’clock,’ she said. Ididn’t see a big parcel anywhere,” said Beatrice trying her hardest to behelpful.
“It’s all very difficult,” thought Emily. “One has to invent so many things.
I’ve already invented a premonition and a big parcel, but so far as I cansee one has to invent something if one doesn’t want to sound suspicious.”
She smiled sweetly and said:
“That’s all right, Beatrice, it doesn’t matter.”
Beatrice left the room. Emily took a small local timetable out of herhandbag and consulted it.
“Leave Exeter, St. David’s, three ten,” she murmured, “Arrive Exhamp-ton, three forty-two. Time allowed for going to brother’s house and mur-dering him—how beastly and cold-blooded it sounds—and such nonsensetoo—say half an hour to three quarters. What are the trains back? There’sone at four twenty-five and there’s one Mr. Dacres mentioned at six ten,that gets in at twenty-three minutes to seven. Yes, it’s actually possibleeither way. It’s a pity there’s nothing to suspect the nurse for. She was outall the afternoon and nobody knows where she was. Of course, I don’treally believe anybody in this house murdered Captain Trevelyan, but in away it’s comforting to know that they could have. Hello—there’s the frontdoor.”
There was a murmur29 of voices in the hall and the door opened and Jen-nifer Gardner came into the room.
“I’m Emily Trefusis,” said Emily. “You know—the one who is engaged toJim Pearson.”
“So you are Emily,” said Mrs. Gardner shaking hands. “Well, this is asurprise.”
Suddenly Emily felt very weak and small. Rather like a little girl in theact of doing something very silly. An extraordinary person, Aunt Jennifer.
Character—that was what it was. Aunt Jennifer had about enough charac-ter for two and three-quarter people instead of one.
“Have you had tea, my dear? No? Then we’ll have it here. Just a moment—I must go up and see Robert first.”
A strange expression flitted over her face as she mentioned her hus-band’s name. The hard, beautiful voice softened31. It was like a light overdark ripples32 of water.
“She adores him,” thought Emily, left alone in the drawing room. “Allthe same there’s something frightening about Aunt Jennifer. I wonder ifUncle Robert likes being adored quite as much as that.”
When Jennifer Gardner returned, she had taken off her hat. Emily ad-mired the smooth sweep of the hair back from her forehead.
“Do you want to talk about things, Emily, or don’t you? If you don’t Ishall quite understand.”
“It isn’t much good talking about them, is it?”
“We can only hope,” said Mrs. Gardner, “that they will find the real mur-derer quickly. Just press the bell, will you, Emily? I’ll send nurse’s tea up toher. I don’t want her chattering33 down here. How I hate hospital nurses.”
“Is she a good one?”
“I suppose she is. Robert says she is anyway. I dislike her intensely andalways have. But Robert says she’s far and away the best nurse we’vehad.”
“She’s rather good-looking,” said Emily.
“Nonsense. With her ugly beefy hands?”
Emily watched her aunt’s long white fingers as they touched the milkjug and the sugar tongs34.
Beatrice came, took the cup of tea and a plate of eatables and left theroom.
“Robert has been very upset over all this,” said Mrs. Gardner. “He workshimself into such curious states. I suppose it’s all part of his illness really.”
“He didn’t know Captain Trevelyan well, did he?”
Jennifer Gardner shook her head.
“He neither knew him nor cared about him. To be honest, I myself can’tpretend any great sorrow over his death. He was a cruel grasping man,Emily. He knew the struggle we have had. The poverty! He knew that aloan of money at the right time might have given Robert special treatmentthat would have made all the difference. Well, retribution has overtakenhim.”
She spoke35 in a deep brooding voice.
“What a strange woman she is,” thought Emily. “Beautiful and terrible,like something out of a Greek play.”
“It may still not be too late,” said Mrs. Gardner. “I wrote to the lawyersat Exhampton today, to ask them if I could have a certain sum of money inadvance. The treatment I am speaking of is in some respects what theywould call a quack36 remedy, but it has been successful in a large number ofcases. Emily—how wonderful it will be if Robert is able to walk again.”
Her face was glowing, lit up as though by a lamp.
Emily was tired. She had had a long day, little or nothing to eat, and shewas worn out by suppressed emotion. The room kept going away andcoming back again.
“Aren’t you feeling well, dear?”
“It’s all right,” gasped37 Emily, and to her own surprise, annoyance38 andhumiliation burst into tears.
Mrs. Gardner did not attempt to rise and console her, for which Emilywas grateful. She just sat silently until Emily’s tears should subside39. Shemurmured in a thoughtful voice:
“Poor child. It’s very unlucky that Jim Pearson should have been arres-ted—very unlucky. I wish—something could be done about it.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
accurately
|
|
| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
withheld
|
|
| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
ethics
|
|
| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
previously
|
|
| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
dividends
|
|
| 红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
dilemma
|
|
| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
unearthed
|
|
| 出土的（考古） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
unaware
|
|
| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
transparent
|
|
| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
concocted
|
|
| v.将（尤指通常不相配合的）成分混合成某物( concoct的过去式和过去分词 )；调制；编造；捏造 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
proceeding
|
|
| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
discreet
|
|
| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
scribbled
|
|
| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
laurels
|
|
| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
starched
|
|
| adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
disapproval
|
|
| n.反对，不赞成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
lesser
|
|
| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
sag
|
|
| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
anecdote
|
|
| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
tact
|
|
| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
discretion
|
|
| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
embarked
|
|
| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
alibi
|
|
| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
softened
|
|
| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
ripples
|
|
| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
chattering
|
|
| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
tongs
|
|
| n.钳；夹子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
quack
|
|
| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
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： |
|
|
|
|
38
annoyance
|
|
| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
subside
|
|
| vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |