“Tuppence,” said Tommy. “We shall have to move into a much larger of-fice.”
“Nonsense,” said Tuppence. “You mustn’t get swollen-headed and thinkyou are a millionaire just because you solved two or three twopenny half-penny cases with the aid of the most amazing luck.”
“What some call luck, others call skill.”
“Of course, if you really think you are Sherlock Holmes, Thorndyke, Mc-Carty and the Brothers Okewood all rolled into one, there is no more to besaid. Personally I would much rather have luck on my side than all theskill in the world.”
“Perhaps there is something in that,” conceded Tommy. “All the same,Tuppence, we do need a larger office.”
“Why?”
“The classics,” said Tommy. “We need several hundreds of yards of ex-tra bookshelf if Edgar Wallace is to be properly represented.”
“We haven’t had an Edgar Wallace case yet.”
“I’m afraid we never shall,” said Tommy. “If you notice he never doesgive the amateur sleuth much of a chance. It is all stern Scotland Yardkind of stuff—the real thing and no base counterfeit1.”
Albert, the office boy, appeared at the door.
“Inspector2 Marriot to see you,” he announced.
“The mystery man of Scotland Yard,” murmured Tommy.
“The busiest of the Busies,” said Tuppence. “Or is it ‘Noses?’ I always getmixed between Busies and Noses.”
The Inspector advanced upon them with a beaming smile of welcome.
“Well, and how are things?” he asked breezily. “None the worse for ourlittle adventure the other day?”
“Oh, rather not,” said Tuppence. “Too, too marvellous, wasn’t it?”
“Well, I don’t know that I would describe it exactly that way myself,”
said Marriot cautiously.
“What has brought you here today, Marriot?” asked Tommy. “Not justsolicitude for our nervous systems, is it?”
“No,” said the Inspector. “It is work for the brilliant Mr. Blunt.”
“Ha!” said Tommy. “Let me put my brilliant expression on.”
“I have come to make you a proposition, Mr. Beresford. What would yousay to rounding up a really big gang?”
“Is there such a thing?” asked Tommy.
“What do you mean, is there such a thing?”
“I always thought that gangs were confined to fiction — like mastercrooks and super criminals.”
“The master crook3 isn’t very common,” agreed the Inspector. “But Lordbless you, sir, there’s any amount of gangs knocking about.”
“I don’t know that I should be at my best dealing4 with a gang,” saidTommy. “The amateur crime, the crime of quiet family life—that is whereI flatter myself that I shine. Drama of strong domestic interest. That’s thething—with Tuppence at hand to supply all those little feminine detailswhich are so important, and so apt to be ignored by the denser5 male.”
His eloquence6 was arrested abruptly7 as Tuppence threw a cushion athim and requested him not to talk nonsense.
“Will have your little bit of fun, won’t you, sir?” said Inspector Marriot,smiling paternally8 at them both. “If you’ll not take offence at my saying so,it’s a pleasure to see two young people enjoying life as much as you twodo.”
“Do we enjoy life?” said Tuppence, opening her eyes very wide. “I sup-pose we do. I’ve never thought about it before.”
“To return to that gang you were talking about,” said Tommy. “In spiteof my extensive private practice—duchesses, millionaires, and all the bestcharwomen—I might, perhaps, condescend9 to look into the matter for you.
I don’t like to see Scotland Yard at fault. You’ll have the Daily Mail afteryou before you know where you are.”
“As I said before, you must have your bit of fun. Well, it’s like this.”
Again he hitched10 his chair forward. “There’s any amount of forged notesgoing about just now—hundreds of ’em! The amount of counterfeit Treas-ury notes in circulation would surprise you. Most artistic11 bit of work it is.
Here’s one of ’em.”
He took a one pound note from his pocket and handed it to Tommy.
“Looks all right, doesn’t it?”
Tommy examined the note with great interest.
“By Jove, I’d never spot there was anything wrong with that.”
“No more would most people. Now here’s a genuine one. I’ll show youthe differences—very slight they are, but you’ll soon learn to tell themapart. Take this magnifying glass.”
At the end of five minutes’ coaching both Tommy and Tuppence werefairly expert.
“What do you want us to do, Inspector Marriot?” asked Tuppence. “Justkeep our eyes open for these things?”
“A great deal more than that, Mrs. Beresford. I’m pinning my faith onyou to get to the bottom of the matter. You see, we’ve discovered that thenotes are being circulated from the West End. Somebody pretty high up inthe social scale is doing the distributing. They’re passing them the otherside of the Channel as well. Now there’s a certain person who is interest-ing us very much. A Major Laidlaw—perhaps you’ve heard the name?”
“I think I have,” said Tommy. “Connected with racing12, isn’t that it?”
“Yes. Major Laidlaw is pretty well-known in connection with the Turf.
There’s nothing actually against him, but there’s a general impression thathe’s been a bit too smart over one or two rather shady transactions. Menin the know look queer when he’s mentioned. Nobody knows much of hispast or where he came from. He’s got a very attractive French wife who’sseen about everywhere with a train of admirers. They must spend a lot ofmoney, the Laidlaws, and I’d like to know where it comes from.”
“Possibly from the train of admirers,” suggested Tommy.
“That’s the general idea. But I’m not so sure. It may be coincidence, buta lot of notes have been forthcoming from a certain very smart littlegambling club which is much frequented by the Laidlaws and their set.
This racing, gambling13 set get rid of a lot of loose money in notes. Therecouldn’t be a better way of getting it into circulation.”
“And where do we come in?”
“This way. Young St. Vincent and his wife are friends of yours, I under-stand? They’re pretty thick with the Laidlaw set—though not as thick asthey were. Through them it will be easy for you to get a footing in thesame set in a way that none of our people could attempt. There’s no likeli-hood of their spotting you. You’ll have an ideal opportunity.”
“What have we got to find out exactly?”
“Where they get the stuff from, if they are passing it.”
“Quite so,” said Tommy. “Major Laidlaw goes out with an empty suit-case. When he returns it is crammed14 to the bursting point with Treasurynotes. How is it done? I sleuth him and find out. Is that the idea?”
“More or less. But don’t neglect the lady, and her father, M. Heroulade.
Remember the notes are being passed on both sides of the Channel.”
“My dear Marriot,” exclaimed Tommy reproachfully, “Blunt’s BrilliantDetectives do not know the meaning of the word neglect.”
The Inspector rose.
“Well, good luck to you,” he said, and departed.
“Slush,” said Tuppence enthusiastically.
“Eh?” said Tommy, perplexed15.
“Counterfeit money,” explained Tuppence. “It is always called slush. Iknow I’m right. Oh, Tommy, we have got an Edgar Wallace case. At last weare Busies.”
“We are,” said Tommy. “And we are out to get the Crackler, and we willget him good.”
“Did you say the Cackler or the Crackler?”
“The Crackler.”
“Oh, what is a Crackler?”
“A new word that I have coined,” said Tommy. “Descriptive of one whopasses false notes into circulation. Banknotes crackle, therefore he iscalled a crackler. Nothing could be more simple.”
“That is rather a good idea,” said Tuppence. “It makes it seem more real.
I like the Rustler16 myself. Much more descriptive and sinister17.”
“No,” said Tommy, “I said the Crackler first, and I stick to it.”
“I shall enjoy this case,” said Tuppence. “Lots of night clubs and cock-tails in it. I shall buy some eyelash-black tomorrow.”
“Your eyelashes are black already,” objected her husband.
“I could make them blacker,” said Tuppence. “And cherry lipstick18 wouldbe useful too. That ultrabright kind.”
“Tuppence,” said Tommy, “you’re a real rake at heart. What a goodthing it is that you are married to a sober steady middle-aged19 man like my-self.”
“You wait,” said Tuppence. “When you have been to the Python Club abit, you won’t be so sober yourself.”
Tommy produced from a cupboard various bottles, two glasses, and acocktail shaker.
“Let’s start now,” he said. “We are after you, Crackler, and we mean toget you.”
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收听单词发音
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1
counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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2
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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3
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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4
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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6
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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7
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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8
paternally
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| adv.父亲似地；父亲一般地 | |
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9
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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10
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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11
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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12
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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13
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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14
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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15
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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16
rustler
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| n.[美口]偷牛贼 | |
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17
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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18
lipstick
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| n.口红，唇膏 | |
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19
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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