Chapter 12 Oxford, Cambridge and Lohengrin

Chapter 12 Oxford¹, Cambridge and Lohengrin

‘Good man,’ said Colonel Pikeaway, puffing² out smoke. ‘Sorry to send foryou so urgently but I thought I’d better see you.’
‘As I expect you know,’ said Tommy, ‘we’ve been having something alittle unexpected lately.’
‘Ah! Why should you think I know?’
‘Because you always know everything here.’
Colonel Pikeaway laughed.
‘Hah! Quoting me to myself, aren’t you? Yes, that’s what I say. We knoweverything. That’s what we’re here for. Did she have a very narrow es-cape? Your wife, I’m talking about, as you know.’
‘She didn’t have a narrow escape, but there might have been somethingserious. I expect you know most of the details, or do you want me to tellyou?’
‘You can run over it quickly if you like. There’s a bit I didn’t hear,’ saidColonel Pikeaway, ‘the bit about Lohengrin. Grin-hen-lo. She’s sharp, youknow, your wife is. She saw the point of that. It seems idiotic³, but there itwas.’
‘I’ve brought you the results today,’ said Tommy. ‘We hid them in theflour-bin until I could get up to see you. I didn’t like to send them by post.’
‘No. Quite right–’
‘In a kind of tin–not tin but a better metal than that–box and hanging inLohengrin. Pale blue Lohengrin. Cambridge, Victorian china outdoorgarden stool.’
‘Remember them myself in the old days. Had an aunt in the countrywho used to have a pair.’
‘It was very well preserved, sewn up in tarpaulin⁴. Inside it are letters.
They are somewhat perished and that, but I expect with expert treat-ment–’
‘Yes, we can manage that sort of thing all right.’
‘Here they are then,’ said Tommy, ‘and I’ve got a list for you of thingsthat we’ve noted⁵ down, Tuppence and I. Things that have been mentionedor told us.’
‘Names?’
‘Yes. Three or four. The Oxford and Cambridge clue and the mention ofOxford and Cambridge graduates staying there–I don’t think there wasanything in that, because really it referred simply to the Lohengrin porcel-ain stools, I suppose.’
‘Yes–yes–yes, there are one or two other things here that are quite inter-esting.’
‘After we were fired at,’ said Tommy, ‘I reported it at once to the police.’
‘Quite right.’
‘Then I was asked to go down to the police station the next day and I sawInspector Norris there. I haven’t come in contact with him before. I thinkhe must be rather a new officer.’
‘Yes. Probably on a special assignment,’ said Colonel Pikeaway. Hepuffed out more smoke.
Tommy coughed.
‘I expect you know all about him.’
‘I know about him,’ said Colonel Pikeaway. ‘We know everything here.
He’s all right. He’s in charge of this enquiry. Local people will perhaps beable to spot who it was who’s been following you about, finding out thingsabout you. You don’t think, do you, Beresford, that it would be well if youleft the place for a while and brought your wife along?’
‘I don’t think I could do that,’ said Tommy.
‘You mean she wouldn’t come?’ said Colonel Pikeaway.
‘Again,’ said Tommy, ‘if I may mention it, you seem to know everything.
I don’t think you could draw Tuppence away. Mind you, she’s not badlyhurt, she’s not ill and she’s got a feeling now that–well, that we’re on tosomething. We don’t know what it is and we don’t know what we shallfind or do.’
‘Nose around,’ said Colonel Pikeaway, ‘that’s all you can do in a case ofthis kind.’ He tapped a nail on the metal box. ‘This little box is going to tellus something, though, and it’s going to tell us something we’ve alwayswanted to know. Who was involved a great many years ago in settingthings going and doing a lot of dirty work behind the scenes.’
‘But surely–’
‘I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say whoever it was isnow dead. That’s true. But it tells us nevertheless what was going on, howit was set in motion, who helped, who inspired it and who has inherited orcarried on with something of the same business ever since. People whodon’t seem to amount to much but possibly they amount to more thanwe’ve ever thought. And people who’ve been in touch with the samegroup, as one calls it– one calls anything a group nowadays– the samegroup which may have different people in it now but who have the sameideas, the same love of violence and evil and the same people to commu-nicate with elsewhere and other groups. Some groups are all right butsome groups are worse because they are groups. It’s a kind of technique,you know. We’ve taught it to ourselves in the last, oh, say fifty to a hun-dred years. Taught that if people cohere⁷ together and make a tight littlemob of themselves, it’s amazing what they are able to accomplish andwhat they are able to inspire other people to accomplish for them.’
‘May I ask you something?’
‘Anyone can always ask,’ said Colonel Pikeaway. ‘We know everythinghere but we don’t always tell, I have to warn you of that.’
‘Does the name of Solomon mean anything to you?’
‘Ah,’ said Colonel Pikeaway. ‘Mr Solomon. And where did you get thatname from?’
‘It was mentioned by Inspector⁶ Norris.’
‘I see. Well, if you’re going by what Norris said, you’re going right. I cantell you that. You won’t see Solomon personally, I don’t mind telling you.
He’s dead.’
‘Oh,’ said Tommy, ‘I see.’
‘At least you don’t quite see,’ said Colonel Pikeaway. ‘We use his namesometimes. It’s useful, you know, to have a name you can use. The nameof a real person, a person who isn’t there any longer but although dead isstill highly regarded in the neighbourhood. It’s sheer chance you evercame to live in The Laurels⁸ at all and we’ve got hopes that it may lead to apiece of luck for us. But I don’t want it to be a cause of disaster to you or toyour missus. Suspect everyone and everything. It’s the best way.’
‘I only trust two people there,’ said Tommy. ‘One’s Albert, who’s workedfor us for years–’
‘Yes, I remember Albert. Red-haired boy, wasn’t he?’
‘Not a boy any longer–’
‘Who’s the other one?’
‘My dog Hannibal.’
‘Hm. Yes–you may have something there. Who was it–Dr Watts⁹ whowrote a hymn¹⁰ beginning, “Dogs delight to bark and bite, It is their natureto.”–What is he, an Alsatian?’
‘No, he’s a Manchester Terrier.’
‘Ah, an old English Black and Tan, not as big as a Dobermann pinscherbut the kind of dog that knows his stuff.’

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 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 idiotic   

adj.白痴的

参考例句：

• It is idiotic to go shopping with no money.去买东西而不带钱是很蠢的。
• The child's idiotic deeds caused his family much trouble.那小孩愚蠢的行为给家庭带来许多麻烦。

4 tarpaulin   

n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽

参考例句：

• The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来，堆在那里，还盖上了防水布。
• The pool furniture was folded,stacked,and covered with a tarpaulin.游泳池的设备都已经折叠起来，堆在那里，还盖上了防水布。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

7 cohere   

vt.附着，连贯，一致

参考例句：

• The adornments do not cohere with the basic design.装饰物与设计的基调不协调。
• When you squeeze a handful of snow,the flakes cohere to make a snowball.你把一团雪捏紧，雪就黏合成雪球。

8 laurels   

n.桂冠，荣誉

参考例句：

• The path was lined with laurels.小路两旁都种有月桂树。
• He reaped the laurels in the finals.他在决赛中荣膺冠军。

9 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

10 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。