Chapter 3 Tommy and Tuppence Compare Notes（2）

II
Tuppence put down her empty coffee cup and settled back in her chair.
‘Anything hopeful?’ said Tommy.
‘No, not really,’ said Tuppence, ‘but it might be. Anyway, the old peopletalked about it and knew about it. Most of them had heard it from theirelderly relations or something. Stories of where they had put things orfound things. There was some story about a will that was hidden in aChinese vase. Something about Oxford¹ and Cambridge, though I don’t seehow anyone would know about things being hidden in Oxford or Cam-bridge. It seems very unlikely.’
‘Perhaps someone had a nephew undergraduate,’ said Tommy, ‘whotook something back with him to Oxford or Cambridge.’
‘Possible, I suppose, but not likely.’
‘Did anyone actually talk about Mary Jordan?’
‘Only in the way of hearsay–not of actually knowing definitely about herbeing a German spy, only from their grandmothers or great-aunts or sis-ters or mothers’ cousins or Uncle John’s naval² friend who knew all aboutit.’
‘Did they talk about how Mary died?’
‘They connected her death with the foxglove and spinach³ episode.
Everyone recovered, they said, except her.’
‘Interesting,’ said Tommy. ‘Same story different setting.’
‘Too many ideas perhaps,’ said Tuppence. ‘Someone called Bessie said,“Well. It was only my grandmother who talked about that and of course ithad all been years before her time and I expect she got some of the detailswrong. She usually did, I believe.” You know, Tommy, with everyone talk-ing at once it’s all muddled⁴ up. There was all the talk about spies andpoison on picnics and everything. I couldn’t get any exact dates because ofcourse nobody ever knows the exact date of anything your grandmothertells you. If she says, “I was only sixteen at the time and I was terriblythrilled,” you probably don’t know now how old your grandmother reallywas. She’d probably say she was ninety now because people like to saythey’re older than their age when they get to eighty, or if, of course, she’sonly about seventy, she says she’s only fifty-two.’
‘Mary Jordan,’ said Tommy thoughtfully, as he quoted the words, ‘didnot die naturally. He had his suspicions. Wonder if he ever talked to a po-liceman about them.’
‘You mean Alexander?’
‘Yes–And perhaps because of that he talked too much. He had to die.’
‘A lot depends on Alexander, doesn’t it?’
‘We do know when Alexander died, because of his grave here. But MaryJordan–we still don’t know when or why.’
‘We’ll find out in the end,’ said Tommy. ‘You make a few lists of namesyou’ve got and dates and things. You’ll be surprised. Surprised what onecan check up through an odd word or two here and there.’
‘You seem to have a lot of useful friends,’ said Tuppence enviously⁵.
‘So do you,’ said Tommy.
‘Well, I don’t really,’ said Tuppence.
‘Yes, you do, you set people in motion,’ said Tommy. ‘You go and see oneold lady with a birthday book. The next thing I know you’ve been allthrough masses of people in an old pensioners’ home or something, andyou know all about things that happened at the time of their great-aunts,great-grandmothers and Uncle Johns and godfathers, and perhaps an oldAdmiral at sea who told tales about espionage⁶ and all that. Once we canfigure a few dates down and get on with a few enquiries, we might–whoknows?–get something.’
‘I wonder who the undergraduates were who were mentioned–Oxfordand Cambridge, the ones who were said to have hidden something.’
‘They don’t sound very like espionage,’ said Tommy.
‘No, they don’t really,’ said Tuppence.
‘And doctors and old clergymen,’ said Tommy. ‘One could, I expect,check up on them, but I don’t see it would lead one anywhere. It’s all toofar away. We’re not near enough. We don’t know–Has anybody tried any-thing more funny on you, Tuppence?’
‘Do you mean has anyone attempted my life in the last two days? No,they haven’t. Nobody’s invited me to go on a picnic, the brakes of the carare all right, there’s a jar of weedkiller in the potting shed but it doesn’teven seem to be opened yet.’
‘Isaac keeps it there to be handy in case you come out with some sand-wiches one day.’
‘Oh, poor Isaac,’ said Tuppence. ‘You are not to say things against Isaac.
He is becoming one of my best friends. Now I wonder–that reminds me–’
‘What does that remind you of?’
‘I can’t remember,’ said Tuppence, blinking her eyes. ‘It reminded me ofsomething when you said that about Isaac.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Tommy and sighed.
‘One old lady,’ said Tuppence, ‘was said to have always put her things inher mittens⁷ every night. Earrings⁸, I think it was. That’s the one whothought everyone was poisoning her. And somebody else rememberedsomeone who put things in a missionary⁹ box or something. You know, thechina thing for the waifs and strays, there was a label stuck on to it. But itwasn’t for the waifs and strays at all, apparently¹⁰. She used to put fivepound notes in it so that she’d always have a nest egg, and when it got toofull she used to take it away and buy another box and break the first one.’
‘And spend the five pounds, I suppose,’ said Tommy.
‘I suppose that was the idea. My cousin Emlyn used to say,’ said Tup-pence, obviously quoting, ‘nobody’d rob the waifs and strays or missionar-ies, would they? If anyone smashed a box like that somebody’d notice,wouldn’t they?’
‘You haven’t found any books of rather dull-looking sermons, have you,in your book search in those rooms upstairs?’
‘No. Why?’ asked Tuppence.
‘Well, I just thought that’d be a very good place to hide things in. Youknow, something really boring written about theology. An old crabbedbook with the inside scooped¹¹ out.’
‘Hasn’t been anything like that,’ said Tuppence. ‘I should have noticed itif there was.’
‘Would you have read it?’
‘Oh, of course I wouldn’t,’ said Tuppence.
‘There you are then,’ said Tommy. ‘You wouldn’t have read it, you’dhave just thrown it away, I expect.’
‘The Crown of Success. That’s one book I remember,’ said Tuppence.
‘There were two copies of that. Well, let’s hope that success will crown ourefforts.’
‘It seems to me very unlikely. Who killed Mary Jordan? That’s the bookwe’ll have to write one day, I suppose?’
‘If we ever find out,’ said Tuppence gloomily.

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

4 muddled   

adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
• I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 enviously   

adv.满怀嫉妒地

参考例句：

• Yet again, they were looking for their way home blindly, enviously. 然而，它们又一次盲目地、忌妒地寻找着归途。 来自辞典例句
• Tanya thought enviously, he must go a long way south. 坦妮亚歆羡不置，心里在想，他准是去那遥远的南方的。 来自辞典例句

6 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

7 mittens   

不分指手套

参考例句：

• Cotton mittens will prevent the baby from scratching his own face. 棉的连指手套使婴儿不会抓伤自己的脸。
• I'd fisted my hands inside their mittens to keep the fingers warm. 我在手套中握拳头来保暖手指。

8 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》