Eight（3）

III
There was a car standing¹ outside Sans Souci bearing the word Police onit.
Absorbed in her own thoughts Tuppence took little notice of that. Sheturned in at the drive, and entering the front door went straight upstairsto her own room.
She stopped, taken aback, on the threshold, as a tall figure turned awayfrom the window.
“Dear me,” said Tuppence. “Sheila?”
The girl came straight towards her. Now Tuppence saw her moreclearly, saw the blazing eyes deep set in the white tragic² face.
Sheila said:
“I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“What’s the matter?”
The girl’s voice was quiet and devoid³ of emotion. She said:
“They have arrested Carl!”
“The police?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, dear,” said Tuppence. She felt inadequate⁴ to the situation. Quiet asSheila’s voice had been, Tuppence was under no apprehension⁵ as to whatlay behind it.
Whether they were fellow conspirators⁶ or not, this girl loved Carl vonDeinim, and Tuppence felt her heart aching in sympathy with this tragicyoung creature.
Sheila asked:
“What shall I do?”
The simple forlorn question made Tuppence wince⁷. She said helplessly:
“Oh, my dear.”
Sheila said, and her voice was like a mourning harp⁸:
“They’ve taken him away. I shall never see him again.”
She cried out:
“What shall I do? What shall I do?” And flinging herself down on herknees by the bed she wept her heart out.
Tuppence stroked the dark head. She said presently, in a weak voice:
“It—it may not be true. Perhaps they are only going to intern⁹ him. Afterall, he is an enemy alien, you know.”
“That’s not what they said. They’re searching his room now.”
Tuppence said slowly, “Well, if they find nothing—”
“They will find nothing, of course! What should they find?”
“I don’t know. I thought perhaps you might?”
“I?”
Her scorn, her amazement¹⁰ were too real to be feigned¹¹. Any suspicionsTuppence had had that Sheila Perenna was involved died at this moment.
The girl knew nothing, had never known anything.
Tuppence said:
“If he is innocent—”
Sheila interrupted her.
“What does it matter? The police will make a case against him.”
Tuppence said sharply:
“Nonsense, my dear child, that really isn’t true.”
“The English police will do anything. My mother says so.”
“Your mother may say so, but she’s wrong. I assure you that it isn’t so.”
Sheila looked at her doubtfully for a minute or two. Then she said:
“Very well. If you say so. I trust you.”
Tuppence felt very uncomfortable. She said sharply:
“You trust too much, Sheila. You may have been unwise to trust Carl.”
“Are you against him too? I thought you liked him. He thinks so too.”
Touching¹² young things—with their faith in one’s liking¹³ for them. And itwas true—she had liked Carl—she did like him.
Rather wearily she said:
“Listen, Sheila, liking or not liking has nothing to do with facts. Thiscountry and Germany are at war. There are many ways of serving one’scountry. One of them is to get information—and to work behind the lines.
It is a brave thing to do, for when you are caught, it is”—her voice broke alittle—“the end.”
Sheila said:
“You think Carl—”
“Might be working for his country that way? It is a possibility, isn’t it?”
“No,” said Sheila.
“It would be his job, you see, to come over here as a refugee, to appearto be violently anti-Nazi and then to gather information.”
Sheila said quietly:
“It’s not true. I know Carl. I know his heart and his mind. He cares mostfor science—for his work—for the truth and the knowledge in it. He isgrateful to England for letting him work here. Sometimes, when peoplesay cruel things, he feels German and bitter. But he hates the Nazis¹⁴ al-ways, and what they stand for—their denial of freedom.”
Tuppence said: “He would say so, of course.”
Sheila turned reproachful eyes upon her.
“So you believe he is a spy?”
“I think it is”—Tuppence hesitated—“a possibility.”
Sheila walked to the door.
“I see. I’m sorry I came to ask you to help us.”
“But what did you think I could do, dear child?”
“You know people. Your sons are in the Army and Navy, and I’ve heardyou say more than once that they knew influential¹⁵ people. I thought per-haps you could get them to—to do—something?”
Tuppence thought of those mythical¹⁶ creatures, Douglas and Raymondand Cyril.
“I’m afraid,” she said, “that they couldn’t do anything.”
Sheila flung her head up. She said passionately¹⁷:
“Then there’s no hope for us. They’ll take him away and shut him up,and one day, early in the morning, they’ll stand him against a wall andshoot him—and that will be the end.”
She went out, shutting the door behind her.
“Oh, damn, damn, damn the Irish!” thought Tuppence in a fury of mixedfeelings. “Why have they got that terrible power of twisting things untilyou don’t know where you are? If Carl von Deinim’s a spy, he deserves tobe shot. I must hang on to that, not let this girl with her Irish voice bewitchme into thinking it’s the tragedy of a hero and a martyr¹⁸!”
She recalled the voice of a famous actress speaking a line from Riders tothe Sea:
“It’s the fine quiet time they’ll be having. .?.?.”
Poignant¹⁹ .?.?. carrying you away on a tide of feeling. .?.?.
She thought: “If it weren’t true. Oh, if only it weren’t true. .?.?.”
Yet, knowing what she did, how could she doubt?

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

3 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

4 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

5 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

6 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

7 wince   

n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避

参考例句：

• The barb of his wit made us wince.他那锋芒毕露的机智使我们退避三舍。
• His smile soon modified to a wince.他的微笑很快就成了脸部肌肉的抽搐。

8 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

9 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

10 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

11 feigned   

a.假装的，不真诚的

参考例句：

• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work. 他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
• He accepted the invitation with feigned enthusiasm. 他假装热情地接受了邀请。

12 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

13 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

14 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

16 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

17 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

18 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

19 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。