On the following morning Luke came to a decision. He had, he felt, pro-ceeded as far as he could with indirect inquiries1. It was inevitable2 thatsooner or later he would be forced into the open. He felt that the time hadcome to drop the book-writing camouflage3 and reveal that he had come toWychwood with a definite aim in view.
In pursuance of this plan of campaign he decided4 to call upon HonoriaWaynflete. Not only had he been favourably5 impressed by that middle-aged6 spinster’s air of discretion7 and a certain shrewdness of outlook—buthe fancied that she might have information that would help him. He be-lieved that she had told him what she knew. He wanted to induce her totell him what she might have guessed. He had a shrewd idea that MissWaynflete’s guesses might be fairly near the truth.
He called immediately after church.
Miss Waynflete received him in a matter-of-fact manner, showing nosurprise at his call. As she sat down near him, her prim8 hands folded andher intelligent eyes—so like an amiable9 goat’s—fixed on his face, he foundlittle difficulty in coming to the object of his visit.
He said: “I dare say you have guessed, Miss Waynflete, that the reason ofmy coming here is not merely to write a book on local customs?”
Miss Waynflete inclined her head and continued to listen.
Luke was not minded as yet to go into the full story. Miss Waynfletemight be discreet—she certainly gave him the impression of being so—butwhere an elderly spinster was concerned Luke felt he could hardly rely onher resisting the temptation to confide10 an exciting story to one or two trus-ted cronies. He thereupon proposed to adopt a middle course.
“I am down here to inquire into the circumstances of the death of thatpoor girl, Amy Gibbs.”
Miss Waynflete said:
“You mean you have been sent down by the police?”
“Oh, no—I’m not a plainclothes dick.” He added with a slightly humor-ous inflection, “I’m afraid I’m that well-known character in fiction, theprivate investigator11.”
“I see. Then it was Bridget Conway who brought you down here?”
Luke hesitated a moment. Then he decided to let it go at that. Withoutgoing into the whole Pinkerton story, it was difficult to account for hispresence. Miss Waynflete was continuing, a note of gentle admiration12 inher voice.
“Bridget is so practical—so efficient! I’m afraid, if it had been left to me, Ishould have distrusted my own judgement—I mean, that if you are not ab-solutely sure of a thing, it is so difficult to commit yourself to a definitecourse of action.”
“But you are sure, aren’t you?”
Miss Waynflete said gravely:
“No, indeed, Mr. Fitzwilliam. It is not a thing one can be sure about! Imean, it might all be imagination. Living alone, with no one to consult orto talk to, one might easily become melodramatic and imagine thingswhich had no foundation in fact.”
Luke assented13 readily to this statement, recognizing its inherent truth,but he added gently:
“But you are sure in your own mind?”
Even here Miss Waynflete showed a little reluctance14.
“We are not talking at cross-purposes, I hope?” she demurred15.
Luke smiled.
“You would like me to put it in plain words? Very well. You do think thatAmy Gibbs was murdered?”
Honoria Waynflete flinched16 a little at the crudity17 of the language. Shesaid:
“I don’t feel at all happy about her death. Not at all happy. The wholething is profoundly unsatisfactory in my opinion.”
Luke said patiently:
“But you don’t think her death was a natural one?”
“No.”
“You don’t believe it was an accident?”
“It seems to me most improbable. There are so many—”
Luke cut her short.
“You don’t think it was suicide?”
“Emphatically not.”
“Then,” said Luke gently, “you do think that it was murder?”
Miss Waynflete hesitated, gulped19, and bravely took the plunge20.
“Yes,” she said. “I do!”
“Good. Now we can get on with things.”
“But I have really no evidence on which to base that belief,” Miss Waynf-lete explained anxiously. “It is entirely21 an idea!”
“Quite so. This is a private conversation. We are merely speaking aboutwhat we think and suspect. We suspect Amy Gibbs was murdered. Who dowe think murdered her?”
Miss Waynflete shook her head. She was looking very troubled.
Luke said, watching her:
“Who had reason to murder her?”
Miss Waynflete said slowly:
“She had had a quarrel, I believe, with her young man at the garage, JimHarvey—a most steady, superior young man. I know one reads in the pa-pers of young men attacking their sweethearts and dreadful things likethat, but I really can’t believe that Jim would do such a thing.”
Luke nodded.
Miss Waynflete went on.
“Besides, I can’t believe that he would do it that way. Climb up to herwindow and substitute a bottle of poison for the other one with the coughmixture. I mean, that doesn’t seem—”
Luke came to the rescue as she hesitated.
“It’s not the act of an angry lover? I agree. In my opinion we can washJim Harvey right out. Amy was killed (we’re agreeing she was killed) bysomeone who wanted to get her out of the way and who planned thecrime carefully so that it should appear to be an accident. Now have youany idea—any hunch—shall we put it like that?—who that person couldbe?”
Miss Waynflete said:
“No—really—no, I haven’t the least idea!”
“Sure?”
“N-no—no, indeed.”
Luke looked at her thoughtfully. The denial, he felt, had not rung quitetrue. He went on:
“You know of no motive22?”
“No motive whatever.”
That was more emphatic18.
“Had she been in many places in Wychwood?”
“She was with the Hortons for a year before going to Lord Whitfield.”
Luke summed up rapidly.
“It’s like this, then. Somebody wanted that girl out of the way. From thegiven facts we assume that—first—it was a man and a man of moderatelyold-fashioned outlook (as shown by the hat paint touch), and secondly23 thatit must have been a reasonably athletic24 man since it is clear he must haveclimbed up over the outhouse to the girl’s window. You agree on thosepoints?”
“Absolutely,” said Miss Waynflete.
“Do you mind if I go round and have a try myself?”
“Not at all. I think it is a very good idea.”
She led him out by a side door and round to the backyard. Luke man-aged to reach the outhouse roof without much trouble. From there hecould easily raise the sash of the girl’s window and with a slight efforthoist himself into the room. A few minutes later he rejoined Miss Waynf-lete on the path below, wiping his hands on his handkerchief.
“Actually it’s easier than it looks,” he said. “You want a certain amountof muscle, that’s all. There were no signs on the sill or outside?”
Miss Waynflete shook her head.
“I don’t think so. Of course the constable25 climbed up this way.”
“So that if there were any traces they would be taken to be his. How thepolice force assists the criminal! Well, that’s that!”
Miss Waynflete led the way back to the house.
“Was Amy Gibbs a heavy sleeper26?” he asked.
Miss Waynflete replied acidly:
“It was extremely difficult to get her up in the morning. Sometimes Iwould knock again and again, and call out to her before she answered. Butthen, you know, Mr. Fitzwilliam, there’s a saying there are none so deaf asthose who will not hear!”
“That’s true,” acknowledged Luke. “Well, now, Miss Waynflete, we cometo the question of motive. Starting with the most obvious one, do you thinkthere was anything between that fellow Ellsworthy and the girl?” He ad-ded hastily, “This is just your opinion I’m asking. Only that.”
“If it’s a matter of opinion, I would say yes.”
Luke nodded.
“In your opinion, would the girl Amy have stuck at a spot of blackmail27?”
“Again as a matter of opinion, I should say that that was quite possible.”
“Do you happen to know if she had much money in her possession at thetime of her death?”
Miss Waynflete reflected.
“I do not think so. If she had had any unusual amount I think I shouldhave heard about it.”
“And she hadn’t launched into any unusual extravagance before shedied?”
“I don’t think so.”
“That rather militates against the blackmail theory. The victim usuallypays once before he decides to proceed to extremes. There’s another the-ory. The girl might know something.”
“What kind of thing?”
“She might have knowledge that was dangerous to someone here inWychwood. We’ll take a strictly28 hypothetical case. She’d been in service ina good many houses here. Supposing she came to know of something thatwould damage say, someone like Mr. Abbot, professionally.”
“Mr. Abbot?”
Luke said quickly:
“Or possibly some negligence29 or unprofessional conduct on the part ofDr. Thomas.”
Miss Waynflete began, “But surely—” and then stopped.
Luke went on:
“Amy Gibbs was housemaid, you said, in the Hortons’ house at the timewhen Mrs. Horton died.”
There was a moment’s pause, then Miss Waynflete said:
“Will you tell me, Mr. Fitzwilliam, why you bring the Hortons into this?
Mrs. Horton died over a year ago.”
“Yes, and the girl Amy was there at the time.”
“I see. What have the Hortons to do with it?”
“I don’t know. I—just wondered. Mrs. Horton died of acute gastritis,didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“Was her death at all unexpected?”
Miss Waynflete said slowly:
“It was to me. You see, she had been getting much better—seemed wellon the road to recovery—and then she had a sudden relapse and died.”
“Was Dr. Thomas surprised?”
“I don’t know. I believe he was.”
“And the nurses, what did they say?”
“In my experience,” said Miss Waynflete, “hospital nurses are never sur-prised at any case taking a turn for the worse! It is recovery that surprisesthem.”
“But her death surprised you?” Luke persisted.
“Yes. I had been with her only the day before, and she had seemed verymuch better, talked and seemed quite cheerful.”
“What did she think about her own illness?”
“She complained that the nurses were poisoning her. She had had onenurse sent away, but she said these two were just as bad!”
“I suppose you didn’t pay much attention to that?”
“Well, no, I thought it was all part of the illness. And she was a very sus-picious woman and—it may be unkind to say so—but she liked to makeherself important. No doctor ever understood her case—and it was neveranything simple — it must either be some very obscure disease or elsesomebody was ‘trying to get her out of the way.’”
Luke tried to make his voice casual.
“She didn’t suspect her husband of trying to do her in?”
“Oh, no, that idea never occurred to her!”
Miss Waynflete paused a minute, then she asked quietly:
“Is that what you think?”
Luke said slowly:
“Husbands have done that before and got away with it. Mrs. Hortonfrom all accounts was a woman any man might have longed to be rid of!
And I understand that he came into a good deal of money on her death.”
“Yes, he did.”
“What do you think, Miss Waynflete?”
“You want my opinion?”
“Yes, just your opinion.”
Miss Waynflete said quietly and deliberately30:
“In my opinion, Major Horton was quite devoted31 to his wife and wouldnever have dreamed of doing such a thing.”
Luke looked at her and received the mild amber32 glance in reply. It didnot waver.
“Well,” he said, “I expect you’re right. You’d probably know if it was theother way round.”
Miss Waynflete permitted herself a smile.
“We women are good observers, you think?”
“Absolutely first class. Would Miss Pinkerton have agreed with you, doyou think?”
“I don’t think I ever heard Lavinia express an opinion.”
“What did she think about Amy Gibbs?”
Miss Waynflete frowned a little as though thinking.
“It’s difficult to say. Lavinia had a very curious idea.”
“What idea?”
“She thought that there was something odd going on here in Wych-wood.”
“She thought, for instance, that somebody pushed Tommy Pierce out ofthat window?”
Miss Waynflete stared at him in astonishment33.
“How did you know that, Mr. Fitzwilliam?”
“She told me so. Not in these words, but she gave me the general idea.”
Miss Waynflete leant forward, pink with excitement.
“When was this, Mr. Fitzwilliam?”
Luke said quietly, “The day she was killed. We travelled together to Lon-don.”
“What did she tell you exactly?”
“She told me that there had been too many deaths in Wychwood. Shementioned Amy Gibbs, and Tommy Pierce and that man Carter. She alsosaid that Dr. Humbleby would be the next to go.”
Miss Waynflete nodded slowly.
“Did she tell you who was responsible?”
“A man with a certain look in his eyes,” said Luke grimly. “A look youcouldn’t mistake, according to her. She’d seen that look in his eye when hewas talking to Humbleby. That’s why she said Humbleby would be thenext to go.”
“And he was,” whispered Miss Waynflete. “Oh, dear. Oh, dear.”
She leaned back. Her eyes had a stricken look in them.
“Who was the man?” said Luke. “Come now, Miss Waynflete, you know,you must know!”
“I don’t. She didn’t tell me.”
“But you can guess,” said Luke keenly. “You’ve a very shrewd idea ofwho was in her mind.”
Reluctantly Miss Waynflete bowed her head.
“Then tell me.”
But Miss Waynflete shook her head energetically.
“No, indeed. You’re asking me to do something that is highly improper34!
You’re asking me to guess at what may—only may, mind you—have beenin the mind of a friend who is now dead. I couldn’t make an accusation35 ofthat kind!”
“It wouldn’t be an accusation—only an opinion.”
But Miss Waynflete was unexpectedly firm.
“I’ve nothing to go on—nothing whatever,” she said. “Lavinia never ac-tually said anything to me. I may think she had a certain idea—but you seeI might be entirely wrong. And then I should have misled you and perhapsserious consequences might ensue. It would be very wicked and unfair ofme to mention a name. And I may be quite, quite wrong! In fact, I prob-ably am wrong!”
And Miss Waynflete set her lips firmly and glared at Luke with a grimdetermination.
Luke knew how to accept defeat when he met it.
He realized that Miss Waynflete’s sense of rectitude and something elsemore nebulous that he could not quite place were both against him.
He accepted defeat with a good grace and rose to say good-bye. He hadevery intention of returning to the charge later, but he allowed no hint ofthat to escape into his manner.
“You must do as you think right, of course,” he said. “Thank you for thehelp you have given me.”
Miss Waynflete seemed to become a little less sure of herself as she ac-companied him to the door.
“I hope you don’t think,” she began, then changed the form of the sen-tence. “If there is anything else I can do to help you, please, please let meknow.”
“I will. You won’t repeat this conversation, will you?”
“Of course not. I shan’t say a word to anybody.”
Luke hoped that that was true.
“Give my love to Bridget,” said Miss Waynflete. “She’s such a handsomegirl, isn’t she? And clever too. I—I hope she will be happy.”
And as Luke looked a question, she added:
“Married to Lord Whitfield, I mean. Such a great difference in age.”
“Yes, there is.”
Miss Waynflete sighed.
“You know that I was engaged to him once,” she said unexpectedly.
Luke stared in astonishment. She was nodding her head and smilingrather sadly.
“A long time ago. He was such a promising36 boy. I had helped him, youknow, to educate himself. And I was so proud of his—his spirit and theway he was determined37 to succeed.”
She sighed again.
“My people, of course, were scandalized. Class distinctions in those dayswere very strong.” She added after a minute or two, “I’ve always followedhis career with great interest. My people, I think, were wrong.”
Then, with a smile, she nodded a farewell and went back into the house.
Luke tried to collect his thoughts. He had placed Miss Waynflete as def-initely “old.” He realized now that she was probably still under sixty. LordWhitfield must be well over fifty. She might, perhaps, be a year or twoolder than he, no more.
And he was going to marry Bridget. Bridget, who was twenty-eight. Brid-get, who was young and alive….
“Oh, damn,” said Luke. “Don’t let me go on thinking of it. The job. Get onwith the job.”
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收听单词发音
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1
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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camouflage
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| n./v.掩饰，伪装 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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favourably
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| adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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prim
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| adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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investigator
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| n.研究者，调查者，审查者 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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crudity
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| n.粗糙，生硬；adj.粗略的 | |
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emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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negligence
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| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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improper
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| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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