Mrs. Church, Amy Gibbs’s aunt, was definitely an unpleasant woman. Hersharp nose, shifty eyes, and her voluble tongue all alike filled Luke withnausea.
He adopted a curt2 manner with her and found it unexpectedly success-ful.
“What you’ve got to do,” he told her, “is to answer my questions to thebest of your ability. If you hold back anything or tamper3 with the truth theconsequences may be extremely serious to you.”
“Yes, sir. I see. I’m sure I’m only too willing to tell you anything I can.
I’ve never been mixed up with the police—”
“And you don’t want to be,” finished Luke. “Well, if you do as I’ve toldyou there won’t be any question of that. I want to know all about your lateniece—who her friends were—what money she had—anything she saidthat might be out of the way. We’ll start with her friends. Who werethey?”
Mrs. Church leered at him slyly out of the corner of an unpleasant eye.
“You’ll be meaning gentlemen, sir?”
“Had she any girl friends?”
“Well—hardly—not to speak of, sir. Of course there was girls she’d beenin service with—but Amy didn’t keep up with them much. You see—”
“She preferred the sterner sex. Go on. Tell me about that.”
“It was Jim Harvey down at the garage she was actually going with, sir.
And a nice steady young fellow he was. ‘You couldn’t do better,’ I’ve saidto her many a time—”
Luke cut in:
“And the others?”
Again he got the sly look.
“I expect you’re thinking of the gentleman who keeps the curiosityshop? I didn’t like it myself, and I tell you that straight, sir! I’ve alwaysbeen respectable and I don’t hold with carrying on! But with what girlsare nowadays it’s no use speaking to them. They go their own way. And of-ten they live to regret it.”
“Did Amy live to regret it?” asked Luke bluntly.
“No, sir—that I do not think.”
“She went to consult Dr. Thomas on the day of her death. That wasn’tthe reason?”
“No, sir, I’m nearly sure it wasn’t. Oh! I’d take my oath on it! Amy hadbeen feeling ill and out of sorts, but it was just a bad cough and cold shehad. It wasn’t anything of the kind you suggest, I’m sure it wasn’t, sir.”
“I’ll take your word for that. How far had matters gone between her andEllsworthy?”
Mrs. Church leered.
“I couldn’t exactly say, sir. Amy wasn’t one for confiding4 in me.”
Luke said curtly5:
“But they’d gone pretty far?”
Mrs. Church said smoothly6:
“The gentleman hasn’t got at all a good reputation here, sir. All sorts ofgoings on. And friends down from town and many very queer happen-ings. Up in the Witches’ Meadow in the middle of the night.”
“Did Amy go?”
“She did go once, sir, I believe. Stayed out all night and his lordshipfound out about it (she was at the Manor7 then) and spoke8 to her prettysharp, and she sauced him back and he gave her notice for it, which wasonly to be expected.”
“Did she ever talk to you much about what went on in the places shewas in?”
Mrs. Church shook her head.
“Not very much, sir. More interested in her own doings, she was.”
“She was with Major and Mrs. Horton for a while, wasn’t she?”
“Nearly a year, sir.”
“Why did she leave?”
“Just to better herself. There was a place going at the Manor, and ofcourse the wages was better there.”
Luke nodded.
“She was with the Hortons at the time of Mrs. Horton’s death?” heasked.
“Yes, sir. She grumbled9 a lot about that—with two hospital nurses in thehouse, and all the extra work nurses make, and the trays and one thingand another.”
“She wasn’t with Mr. Abbot, the lawyer, at all?”
“No, sir. Mr. Abbot has a man and wife do for him. Amy did go to seehim once at his office, but I don’t know why.”
Luke stored away that small fact as possibly relevant. Since Mrs.
Church, however, clearly knew nothing more about it, he did not pursuethe subject.
“Any other gentlemen in the town who were friends of hers?”
“Nothing that I’d care to repeat.”
“Come now, Mrs. Church. I want the truth, remember.”
“It wasn’t a gentleman, sir, very far from it. Demeaning herself, that’swhat it was, and so I told her.”
“Do you mind speaking more plainly, Mrs. Church?”
“You’ll have heard of the Seven Stars, sir? Not a good-class house, andthe landlord, Harry10 Carter, a low-class fellow and half-seas over most ofthe time.”
“Amy was a friend of his?”
“She went a walk with him once or twice. I don’t believe there was morein it than that. I don’t indeed, sir.”
Luke nodded thoughtfully and changed the subject.
“Did you know a small boy, Tommy Pierce?”
“What? Mrs. Pierce’s son? Of course I did. Always up to mischief11.”
“He ever see much of Amy?”
“Oh, no, sir. Amy would soon send him off with a flea12 in his ear if hetried any of his tricks on her.”
“Was she happy in her place with Miss Waynflete?”
“She found it a bit dull, sir, and the pay wasn’t high. But of course aftershe’d been dismissed the way she was from Ashe Manor, it wasn’t so easyto get another good place.”
“She could have gone away, I suppose?”
“To London, you mean?”
“Or some other part of the country?”
Mrs. Church shook her head. She said slowly:
“Amy didn’t want to leave Wychwood—not as things were.”
“How do you mean, as things were?”
“What with Jim and the gentleman at the curio shop.”
Luke nodded thoughtfully. Mrs. Church went on:
“Miss Waynflete is a very nice lady, but very particular about brass13 andsilver and everything being dusted and the mattresses14 turned. Amywouldn’t have put up with the fussing if she hadn’t been enjoying herselfin other ways.”
“I can imagine that,” said Luke drily.
He turned things over in his mind. He could see no further questions toask. He was fairly certain that he had extracted all that Mrs. Church knew.
He decided15 on one last tentative attack.
“I dare say you can guess the reason of all these questions. The circum-stances of Amy’s death were rather mysterious. We’re not entirely16 satis-fied as to its being an accident. If not, you realize what it must have been.”
Mrs. Church said with a certain ghoulish relish17:
“Foul18 play!”
“Quite so. Now supposing your niece did meet with foul play, who doyou think is likely to be responsible for her death?”
Mrs. Church wiped her hands on her apron19.
“There’d be a reward, as likely as not, for setting the police on the righttrack,” she inquired meaningly.
“There might be,” said Luke.
“I wouldn’t like to say anything definite.” Mrs. Church passed a hungrytongue over her thin lips. “But the gentleman at the curio shop is a queerone. You’ll remember the Castor case, sir—and how they found little bitsof the poor girl pinned up all over Castor’s seaside bungalow20 and howthey found five or six other poor girls he’d served the same way. Maybethis Mr. Ellsworthy is one of that kind?”
“That’s your suggestion, is it?”
“Well, it might be that way, sir, mightn’t it?”
Luke admitted that it might. Then he said:
“Was Ellsworthy away from here on the afternoon of Derby Day? That’sa very important point.”
Mrs. Church stared.
“Derby Day?”
“Yes—a fortnight ago last Wednesday.”
She shook her head.
“Really, I couldn’t say as to that. He usually was away on Wednesdays—went up to town as often as not. It’s early closing Wednesday, you see.”
“Oh,” said Luke. “Early closing.”
He took his leave of Mrs. Church, disregarding her insinuations that hertime had been valuable and that she was therefore entitled to monetarycompensation. He found himself disliking Mrs. Church intensely. Never-theless the conversation he had had with her, though not strikingly illu-minative in any way, had provided several suggestive small points.
He went over things carefully in his mind.
Yes, it still boiled down to those four people. Thomas, Abbot, Horton andEllsworthy. The attitude of Miss Waynflete seemed to him to prove that.
Her distress21 and reluctance22 to mention a name. Surely that meant, thatmust mean, that the person in question was someone of standing23 in Wych-wood, someone whom a chance insinuation might definitely injure. It tal-lied, too, with Miss Pinkerton’s determination to take her suspicions toheadquarters. The local police would ridicule24 her theory.
It was not a case of the butcher, the baker25, the candlestick-maker. It wasnot a case of a mere26 garage mechanic. The person in question was oneagainst whom an accusation27 of murder was a fantastic and, moreover, aserious matter.
There were four possible candidates. It was up to him to go carefullyonce more into the case against each one and make up his own mind.
First to examine the reluctance of Miss Waynflete. She was a conscien-tious and scrupulous28 person. She believed that she knew the man whomMiss Pinkerton had suspected, but it was, she pointed29 out, only a belief onher part. It was possible that she was mistaken.
Who was the person in Miss Waynflete’s mind?
Miss Waynflete was distressed30 lest an accusation by her might injure aninnocent man. Therefore the object of her suspicions must be a man ofhigh standing, generally liked and respected by the community.
Therefore, Luke argued, that automatically barred out Ellsworthy. Hewas practically a stranger to Wychwood, his local reputation was bad, notgood. Luke did not believe that, if Ellsworthy was the person in MissWaynflete’s mind, she would have had any objection to mentioning him.
Therefore as far as Miss Waynflete was concerned, wash out Ellsworthy.
Now as to the others. Luke believed that he could also eliminate MajorHorton. Miss Waynflete had rebutted31 with some warmth the suggestionthat Horton might have poisoned his wife. If she had suspected him oflater crimes, she would hardly have been so positive about his innocenceof the death of Mrs. Horton.
That left Dr. Thomas and Mr. Abbot. Both of them fulfilled the necessaryrequirements. They were men of high professional standing against whomno word of scandal had ever been uttered. They were, on the whole, bothpopular and well liked, and were known as men of integrity and rectitude.
Luke proceeded to another aspect of the matter. Could he, himself, elim-inate Ellsworthy and Horton? Immediately he shook his head. It was notso simple. Miss Pinkerton had known—really known—who the man was.
That was proved, in the first case by her own death, and in the secondcase, by the death of Dr. Humbleby. But Miss Pinkerton had never actuallymentioned a name to Honoria Waynflete. Therefore, though Miss Waynf-lete thought she knew, she might quite easily be wrong. We often knowwhat other people are thinking—but sometimes we find out that we didnot know after all—and have, in fact, made an egregious32 mistake!
Therefore the four candidates were still in the field. Miss Pinkerton wasdead and could give no further assistance. It was up to Luke to do what hehad done before, on the day after he came to Wychwood, weigh up theevidence and consider the probabilities.
He began with Ellsworthy. On the face of it Ellsworthy was the likelieststarter. He was abnormal and had possibly a perverted33 personality. Hemight quite easily be a “lust killer34.”
“Let’s take it this way,” said Luke to himself. “Suspect everyone in turn.
Ellsworthy, for instance. Let’s say he’s the killer! For the moment, let’stake it quite definitely that I know that. Now we’ll take the possible vic-tims in chronological35 order. First, Mrs. Horton. Difficult to see whatmotive Ellsworthy could have had for doing away with Mrs. Horton. Butthere was a means. Horton spoke of some quack37 nostrum38 that she got fromhim and took. Some poison like arsenic39 could have been given that way.
The question is—Why?
“Now the others. Amy Gibbs. Why did Ellsworthy kill Amy Gibbs? Theobvious reason — she was being a nuisance! Threatened an action forbreach of promise, perhaps? Or had she assisted at a midnight orgy? Didshe threaten to talk? Lord Whitfield has a good deal of influence in Wych-wood and Lord Whitfield, according to Bridget, is a very moral man. Hemight have taken up the matter against Ellsworthy if the latter had beenup to anything particularly obscene. So—exit Amy. Not, I think, a sadisticmurder. The method employed is against that.
“Who’s next—Carter? Why Carter? Unlikely he would know about mid-night orgies (or did Amy tell him?). Was the pretty daughter mixed up init? Did Ellsworthy start making love to her? (Must have a look at LucyCarter.) Perhaps he was just abusive to Ellsworthy, and Ellsworthy in hiscatlike feline40 way, resented it. If he’d already committed one or twomurders he would be getting sufficiently41 callous42 to contemplate43 a killingfor a very slight reason.
“Now Tommy Pierce. Why did Ellsworthy kill Tommy Pierce? Easy.
Tommy had assisted at a midnight ritual of some kind. Tommy threatenedto talk about it. Perhaps Tommy was talking about it. Shut Tommy’smouth.
“Dr. Humbleby. Why did Ellsworthy kill Dr. Humbleby? That’s the easi-est of the lot! Humbleby was a doctor and he’d noticed that Ellsworthy’smental balance was none too good. Probably was getting ready to dosomething about it. So Humbleby was doomed45. There’s a stumbling blockthere in the method. How did Ellsworthy ensure that Humbleby shoulddie of blood poisoning? Or did Humbleby die of something else? Was thepoisoned finger a coincidence?
“Last of all, Miss Pinkerton. Wednesday’s early closing. Ellsworthymight have gone up to town that day. Has he a car, I wonder? Never seenhim in one, but that proves nothing. He knew she’d suspected him and hewas going to take no chances of Scotland Yard believing her story. Perhapsthey already knew something about him then?
“That’s the case against Ellsworthy! Now what is there for him? Well, forone thing, he’s certainly not the man Miss Waynflete thought Miss Pinker-ton meant. For another, he doesn’t fit—quite—with my own vague impres-sion. When she was talking I got a picture of a man—and it wasn’t a manlike Ellsworthy. The impression she gave me was of a very normal man—outwardly, that is—the kind of man nobody would suspect. Ellsworthy isthe kind of man you would suspect. No, I got more the impression of a manlike—Dr. Thomas.
“Thomas, now. What about Thomas? I wiped him clean off the list afterI’d had a chat with him. Nice unassuming fellow. But the whole point ofthis murderer—unless I’ve got the whole thing wrong—is that he would bea nice unassuming fellow. The last person you’d think ever would be amurderer! Which, of course, is exactly what one feels about Thomas.
“Now then, let’s go through it all again. Why did Dr. Thomas kill AmyGibbs? Really, it seems most unlikely that he did! But she did go to see himthat day, and he did give her that bottle of cough mixture. Suppose thatwas really oxalic acid. That would be very simple and clever! Who wascalled in, I wonder, when she was found poisoned — Humbleby orThomas? If it was Thomas he might just come along with an old bottle ofhat paint in his pocket, put it down unobtrusively on the table—and takeoff both bottles to be analysed as bold as brass! Something like that. Itcould be done if you were cool enough!
“Tommy Pierce? Again I can’t see a likely motive36. That’s the difficultywith our Dr. Thomas—motive. There’s not even a crazy motive! Same withCarter. Why should Dr. Thomas want to dispose of Carter? One can onlyassume that Amy, Tommy and the publican all knew something about Dr.
Thomas that it was unhealthy to know. Ah! Supposing now that that some-thing was the death of Mrs. Horton. Dr. Thomas attended her. And she diedof a rather unexpected relapse. He could have managed that easilyenough. And Amy Gibbs, remember, was in the house at the time. Shemight have seen or heard something. That would account for her. TommyPierce, we have it on good authority, was a particularly inquisitive46 smallboy. He may have got wise to something. Can’t get Carter in. Amy Gibbstold him something. He may have repeated it in his cups, and Thomas mayhave decided to silence him too. All this, of course, is pure conjecture47. Butwhat else can one do?
“Now Humbleby. Ah! At last we come to a perfectly48 plausible49 murder.
Adequate motive and ideal means! If Dr. Thomas couldn’t give his partnerblood poisoning, no one could! He could reinfect the wound every time hedressed it! I wish the earlier killings50 were a little more plausible.
“Miss Pinkerton? She’s more difficult, but there is one definite fact. Dr.
Thomas was not in Wychwood for at least a good part of the day. He gaveout that he was attending a confinement51. That may be. But the fact re-mains that he was away from Wychwood in a car.
“Is there anything else? Yes, just one thing. The look he gave me when Iwent away from the house the other day. Superior, condescending52, thesmile of a man who’d just led me up the garden path and knew it.”
Luke sighed, shook his head and went on with his reasoning.
“Abbot? He’s the right kind of man too. Normal, well-to-do, respected,last sort of man, etc., etc. He’s conceited53, too, and confident. Murderersusually are! They’ve got overweening conceit54! Always think they’ll getaway with it. Amy Gibbs paid him a visit once. Why? What did she want tosee him for? To get legal advice? Why? Or was it a personal matter?
There’s that mention of “a letter from a lady” that Tommy saw. Was thatletter from Amy Gibbs? Or was it a letter written by Mrs. Horton—a letter,perhaps, that Amy Gibbs had got hold of? What other lady could there bewriting to Mr. Abbot on a matter so private that he loses control when theoffice boy inadvertently sees it? What else can we think of re Amy Gibbs?
The hat paint? Yes, right kind of old-fashioned touch—men like Abbot areusually well behind the times where women are concerned. The old-worldstyle of philanderer55! Tommy Pierce? Obvious—on account of the letter(really, it must have been a very damning letter!). Carter? Well, there wastrouble about Carter’s daughter. Abbot wasn’t going to have a scandal—alow-down ruffianly half-wit like Carter dare to threaten him! He who hadgot away with two clever killings! Away with Mr. Carter! Dark night and awell-directed push. Really, this killing44 business is almost too easy.
“Have I got the Abbot mentality56? I think so. Nasty look in an old lady’seye. She’s thinking things about him… Then, row with Humbleby. OldHumbleby daring to set himself against Abbot, the clever solicitor57 andmurderer. The old fool—he little knows what’s in store for him! He’s for it!
Daring to browbeat58 me!
“And then—what? Turning to catch Lavinia Pinkerton’s eyes. And hisown eyes falter—show a consciousness of guilt59. He who was boasting ofbeing unsuspected has definitely aroused suspicion. Miss Pinkerton knowshis secret…She knows what he has done…Yes, but she can’t have proof. Butsuppose she goes about looking for it…Suppose she talks…Suppose…He’squite a shrewd judge of character. He guesses what she will finally do. Ifshe goes with this tale of hers to Scotland Yard they may believe her—theymay start making inquiries60. Something pretty desperate has got to bedone. Has Abbot got a car or did he hire one in London? Anyway, he wasaway from here on Derby Day….”
Again Luke paused. He was so entering into the spirit of the thing thathe found it hard to make a transition from one suspect to another. He hadto wait a minute before he could force himself into the mood where hecould visualize61 Major Horton as a successful murderer.
“Horton murdered his wife. Let’s start with that! He had ample provoca-tion and he gained considerably62 by her death. In order to carry it off suc-cessfully he had to make a good show of devotion. He’s had to keep thatup. Sometimes, shall we say, he overdoes63 it a bit?
“Very good, one murder successfully accomplished64. Who’s the next?
Amy Gibbs. Yes, perfectly credible65. Amy was in the house. She may haveseen something—the major administering a soothing66 cup of beef tea orgruel? She mayn’t have realized the point of what she saw till some timelater. The hat paint trick is the sort of thing that would occur to the majorquite naturally—a very masculine man with little knowledge of women’sfripperies.
“Amy Gibbs all serene67 and accounted for.
“The drunken Carter? Same suggestion as before. Amy told him some-thing. Another straightforward68 murder.
“Now Tommy Pierce. We’ve got to fall back on his inquisitive nature. Isuppose the letter in Abbot’s office couldn’t have been a complaint fromMrs. Horton that her husband was trying to poison her? That’s a wild sug-gestion, but it might be so. Anyway, the major becomes alive to the factthat Tommy is a menace, so Tommy joins Amy and Carter. All quite simpleand straightforward and according to Cocker. Easy to kill? My God, yes.
“But now we come to something rather more difficult. Humbleby!
Motive? Very obscure. Humbleby was attending Mrs. Horton originally.
Did he get puzzled by the illness, and did Horton influence his wife tochange to the younger, more unsuspicious doctor? But if so, what madeHumbleby a danger so long after? Difficult, that…The manner of his death,too. A poisoned finger. Doesn’t connect up with the major.
“Miss Pinkerton? That’s perfectly possible. He has a car. I saw it. And hewas away from Wychwood that day, supposedly gone to the Derby. Itmight be — yes. Is Horton a cold- blooded killer? Is he? Is he? I wish Iknew….”
Luke stared ahead of him. His brow was puckered69 with thought.
“It’s one of them…I don’t think it’s Ellsworthy—but it might be! He’s themost obvious one! Thomas is wildly unlikely—if it weren’t for the mannerof Humbleby’s death. That blood poisoning definitely points to a medicalmurderer! It could be Abbot—there’s not as much evidence against him asagainst the others—but I can see him in the part, somehow…Yes—he fits asthe others don’t. And it could be Horton! Bullied70 by his wife for years, feel-ing his insignificance—yes, it could be! But Miss Waynflete doesn’t think itis, and she’s no fool—and she knows the place and the people in it….
“Which does she suspect, Abbot or Thomas? It must be one of thesetwo…If I tackled her outright—‘Which of them is it?’—I’d get it out of herthen, perhaps.
“But even then she might be wrong. There’s no way of proving her right—like Miss Pinkerton proved herself. More evidence—that’s what I want.
If there were to be one more case—just one more—then I’d know—”
He stopped himself with a start.
“My God,” he said under his breath. “What I’m asking for is anothermurder….”
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meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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tamper
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| v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害 | |
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confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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flea
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| n.跳蚤 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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mattresses
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| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
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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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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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standing
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ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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rebutted
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| v.反驳，驳回( rebut的过去式和过去分词 )；击退 | |
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egregious
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| adj.非常的，过分的 | |
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perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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chronological
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| adj.按年月顺序排列的，年代学的 | |
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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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quack
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| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
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nostrum
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| n.秘方；妙策 | |
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arsenic
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| n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的 | |
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feline
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| adj.猫科的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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killings
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| 谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发 | |
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confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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conceited
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| adj.自负的，骄傲自满的 | |
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conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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philanderer
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| n.爱和女人调情的男人，玩弄女性的男人 | |
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mentality
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| n.心理，思想，脑力 | |
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solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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browbeat
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| v.欺侮；吓唬 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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visualize
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| vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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overdoes
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| v.做得过分( overdo的第三人称单数 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bullied
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| adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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