Inspector1 Badgworthy in his office. Time, 8:30 a.m. A tall portly man, In-spector Badgworthy, with a heavy regulation tread. Inclined to breathehard in moments of professional strain. In attendance Constable2 Johnson,very new to the Force, with a downy unfledged look about him, like a hu-man chicken.
The telephone on the table rang sharply, and the inspector took it upwith his usual portentous3 gravity of action.
“Yes. Police station Market Basing. Inspector Badgworthy speaking.
What?”
Slight alteration4 in the inspector’s manner. As he is greater than John-son, so others are greater than Inspector Badgworthy.
“Speaking, my lord. I beg your pardon, my lord? I didn’t quite hear whatyou said?”
Long pause, during which the inspector listens, quite a variety of ex-pressions passing over his usually impassive countenance6. Finally he laysdown the receiver, after a brief “At once, my lord.”
He turned to Johnson, seeming visibly swelled7 with importance.
“From his lordship—at Chimneys—murder.”
“Murder,” echoed Johnson, suitably impressed.
“Murder it is,” said the inspector, with great satisfaction.
“Why, there’s never been a murder here—not that I’ve ever heard of—except the time that Tom Pearse shot his sweetheart.”
“And that, in a manner of speaking, wasn’t murder at all, but drink,”
said the inspector, deprecatingly.
“He weren’t hanged for it,” agreed Johnson gloomily. “But this is the realthing, is it, sir?”
“It is, Johnson. One of his lordship’s guests, a foreign gentleman, dis-covered shot. Open window, and footprints outside.”
“I’m sorry it were a foreigner,” said Johnson, with some regret.
It made the murder seem less real. Foreigners, Johnson felt, were liableto be shot.
“His lordship’s in a rare taking,” continued the inspector. “We’ll get holdof Dr. Cartwright and take him up with us right away. I hope to goodnessno one will get messing with those footprints.”
Badgworthy was in a seventh heaven. A murder! At Chimneys! In-spector Badgworthy in charge of the case. The police have a clue. Sensa-tional arrest. Promotion8 and kudos9 for the aforementioned inspector.
“That is,” said Inspector Badgworthy to himself, “if Scotland Yarddoesn’t come butting10 in.”
The thought damped him momentarily. It seemed so extremely likely tohappen under the circumstances.
They stopped at Dr. Cartwright’s, and the doctor, who was a comparat-ively young man, displayed a keen interest. His attitude was almost ex-actly that of Johnson.
“Why, bless my soul,” he exclaimed. “We haven’t had a murder heresince the time of Tom Pearse.”
All three of them got into the doctor’s little car, and started off brisklyfor Chimneys. As they passed the local inn, the Jolly Cricketers, the doctornoticed a man standing11 in the doorway12.
“Stranger,” he remarked. “Rather a nice-looking fellow. Wonder howlong he’s been here, and what he’s doing staying at the Cricketers? Ihaven’t seen him about at all. He must have arrived last night.”
“He didn’t come by train,” said Johnson.
Johnson’s brother was the local railway porter, and Johnson was there-fore always well up in arrivals and departures.
“Who was here for Chimneys yesterday?” asked the inspector.
“Lady Eileen, she come down by the 3:40, and two gentlemen with her,an American gent and a young Army chap—neither of them with valets.
His lordship come down with a foreign gentleman, the one that’s beenshot as likely as not, by the 5:40, and the foreign gentleman’s valet. Mr.
Eversleigh come by the same train. Mrs. Revel13 came by the 7:25, and an-other foreign-looking gentleman came by it too, one with a bald head anda hook nose. Mrs. Revel’s maid came by the 8:56.”
Johnson paused, out of breath.
“And there was no one for the Cricketers?”
Johnson shook his head.
“He must have come by car then,” said the inspector. “Johnson, make anote to institute inquiries14 at the Cricketers on your way back. We want toknow all about any strangers. He was very sunburnt, that gentleman.
Likely as not, he’s come from foreign parts too.”
The inspector nodded his head with great sagacity, as though to implythat that was the sort of wide-awake man he was—not to be caught nap-ping under any consideration.
The car passed in through the park gates of Chimneys. Descriptions ofthat historic place can be found in any guidebook. It is also No. 3 in His-toric Homes of England, price 21s. On Thursday, coaches come over fromMiddlingham and view those portions of it which are open to the public.
In view of all these facilities, to describe Chimneys would be superfluous15.
They were received at the door by a white- headed butler whose de-meanour was perfect.
“We are not accustomed,” it seemed to say, “to having murder commit-ted within these walls. But these are evil days. Let us meet disaster withperfect calm, and pretend with our dying breath that nothing out of theusual has occurred.”
“His lordship,” said the butler, “is expecting you. This way, if youplease.”
He led them to a small cosy16 room which was Lord Caterham’s refugefrom the magnificence elsewhere, and announced them.
“The police, my lord, and Dr. Cartwright.”
Lord Caterham was pacing up and down in a visibly agitated17 state.
“Ha! Inspector, you’ve turned up at last. I’m thankful for that. How areyou, Cartwright? This is the very devil of a business, you know. The verydevil of a business.”
And Lord Caterham, running his hands through his hair in a frenziedfashion until it stood upright in little tufts, looked even less like a peer ofthe realm than usual.
“Where’s the body?” asked the doctor, in curt18 businesslike fashion.
Lord Caterham turned to him as though relieved at being asked a directquestion.
“In the Council Chamber19—just where it was found—I wouldn’t have ittouched. I believed—er—that that was the correct thing to do.”
“Quite right, my lord,” said the inspector approvingly.
He produced a notebook and pencil.
“And who discovered the body? Did you?”
“Good Lord, no,” said Lord Caterham. “You don’t think I usually get upat this unearthly hour in the morning, do you? No, a housemaid found it.
She screamed a good deal, I believe. I didn’t hear her myself. Then theycame to me about it, and of course I got up and came down—and there itwas, you know.”
“You recognized the body as that of one of your guests?”
“That’s right, Inspector.”
“By name?”
This perfectly20 simple question seemed to upset Lord Caterham. Heopened his mouth once or twice, and then shut it again. Finally he askedfeebly:
“Do you mean—do you mean—what was his name?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Well,” said Lord Caterham, looking slowly round the room, as thoughhoping to gain inspiration. “His name was—I should say it was—yes, de-cidedly so—Count Stanislaus.”
There was something so odd about Lord Caterham’s manner, that the in-spector ceased using his pencil and stared at him instead. But at that mo-ment a diversion occurred which seemed highly welcome to the embar-rassed peer.
The door opened and a girl came into the room. She was tall, slim anddark, with an attractive boyish face, and a very determined21 manner. Thiswas Lady Eileen Brent, commonly known as Bundle, Lord Caterham’s eld-est daughter. She nodded to the others, and addressed her father directly.
“I’ve got him,” she announced.
For a moment the inspector was on the point of starting forward underthe impression that the young lady had captured the murderer red-handed, but almost immediately he realized that her meaning was quitedifferent.
Lord Caterham uttered a sigh of relief.
“That’s a good job. What did he say?”
“He’s coming over at once. We are to ‘use the utmost discretion22.’ ”
Her father made a sound of annoyance23.
“That’s just the sort of idiotic24 thing George Lomax would say. However,once he comes, I shall wash my hands of the whole affair.”
He appeared to cheer up a little at the prospect25.
“And the name of the murdered man was Count Stanislaus?” queriedthe doctor.
A lightning glance passed between father and daughter, and then theformer said with some dignity:
“Certainly. I said so just now.”
“I asked because you didn’t seem quite sure about it before,” explainedCartwright.
There was a faint twinkle in his eye, and Lord Caterham looked at himreproachfully.
“I’ll take you to the Council Chamber,” he said more briskly.
They followed him, the inspector bringing up the rear, and dartingsharp glances all around him as he went, much as though he expected tofind a clue in a picture frame, or behind a door.
Lord Caterham took a key from his pocket and unlocked a door, flingingit open. They all passed into a big room panelled in oak, with three Frenchwindows giving on the terrace. There was a long refectory table and agood many oak chests, and some beautiful old chairs. On the walls werevarious paintings of dead and gone Caterhams and others.
Near the left-hand wall, about halfway26 between the door and the win-dow, a man was lying on his back, his arms flung wide.
Dr. Cartwright went over and knelt down by the body. The inspectorstrode across to the windows, and examined them in turn. The centre onewas closed, but not fastened. On the steps outside were footprints leadingup to the window, and a second set going away again.
“Clear enough,” said the inspector, with a nod. “But there ought to befootprints on the inside as well. They’d show up plain on this parquetfloor.”
“I think I can explain that,” interposed Bundle. “The housemaid had pol-ished half the floor this morning before she saw the body. You see, it wasdark when she came in here. She went straight across to the windows,drew the curtains, and began on the floor, and naturally didn’t see thebody which is hidden from that side of the room by the table. She didn’tsee it until she came right on top of it.”
The inspector nodded.
“Well,” said Lord Caterham, eager to escape. “I’ll leave you here, In-spector. You’ll be able to find me if you—er—want me. But Mr. George Lo-max is coming over from Wyvern Abbey shortly, and he’ll be able to tellyou far more than I could. It’s his business really. I can’t explain, but hewill when he comes.”
Lord Caterham beat a precipitate27 retreat without waiting for a reply.
“Too bad of Lomax,” he complained. “Letting me in for this. What’s thematter, Tredwell?”
The white-haired butler was hovering28 deferentially29 at his elbow.
“I have taken the liberty, my lord, of advancing the breakfast hour as faras you are concerned. Everything is ready in the dining room.”
“I don’t suppose for a minute I can eat anything,” said Lord Caterhamgloomily, turning his footsteps in that direction. “Not for a moment.”
Bundle slipped her hand through his arm, and they entered the diningroom together. On the sideboard were half a score of heavy silver dishes,ingeniously kept hot by patent arrangements.
“Omelet,” said Lord Caterham, lifting each lid in turn. “Eggs and bacon,kidneys, devilled bird, haddock, cold ham, cold pheasant. I don’t like anyof these things, Tredwell. Ask the cook to poach me an egg, will you?”
“Very good, my lord.”
Tredwell withdrew. Lord Caterham, in an absentminded fashion, helpedhimself plentifully30 to kidneys and bacon, poured himself out a cup of cof-fee, and sat down at the long table. Bundle was already busy with a plate-ful of eggs and bacon.
“I’m damned hungry,” said Bundle with her mouth full. “It must be theexcitement.”
“It’s all very well for you,” complained her father. “You young peoplelike excitement. But I’m in a very delicate state of health. Avoid all worry,that’s what Sir Abner Willis said—avoid all worry. So easy for a man sit-ting in his consulting room in Harley Street to say that. How can I avoidworry when that ass5 Lomax lands me with a thing like this? I ought tohave been firm at the time. I ought to have put my foot down.”
With a sad shake of the head, Lord Caterham rose and carved himself aplate of ham.
“Codders has certainly done it this time,” observed Bundle cheerfully.
“He was almost incoherent over the telephone. He’ll be here in a minuteor two, spluttering nineteen to the dozen about discretion and hushing itup.”
Lord Caterham groaned31 at the prospect.
“Was he up?” he asked.
“He told me,” replied Bundle, “that he had been up and dictating32 lettersand memoranda33 ever since seven o’clock.”
“Proud of it, too,” remarked her father. “Extraordinarily selfish, thesepublic men. They make their wretched secretaries get up at the most un-earthly hours in order to dictate34 rubbish to them. If a law was passed com-pelling them to stop in bed until eleven, what a benefit it would be to thenation! I wouldn’t mind so much if they didn’t talk such balderdash. Lo-max is always talking to me of my ‘position.’ As if I had any. Who wants tobe a peer nowadays?”
“Nobody,” said Bundle. “They’d much rather keep a prosperous publichouse.”
Tredwell reappeared silently with two poached eggs in a little silver dishwhich he placed on the table in front of Lord Caterham.
“What’s that, Tredwell?” said the latter, looking at them with faint dis-taste.
“Poached eggs, my lord.”
“I hate poached eggs,” said Lord Caterham peevishly35. “They’re so in-sipid. I don’t like to look at them even. Take them away, will you, Tred-well?”
“Very good, my lord.”
Tredwell and the poached eggs withdrew as silently as they came.
“Thank God no one gets up early in this house,” remarked Lord Cater-ham devoutly36. “We shall have to break this to them when they do, I sup-pose.”
He sighed.
“I wonder who murdered him,” said Bundle. “And why?”
“That’s not our business, thank goodness,” said Lord Caterham. “That’sfor the police to find out. Not that Badgworthy will ever find anything. Onthe whole I rather hope it was Nosystein.”
“Meaning—”
“The all-British syndicate.”
“Why should Mr. Isaacstein murder him when he’d come down here onpurpose to meet him?”
“High finance,” said Lord Caterham vaguely37. “And that reminds me, Ishouldn’t be at all surprised if Isaacstein wasn’t an early riser. He mayblow in upon us at any minute. It’s a habit in the city. I believe that, how-ever rich you are, you always catch the 9:17.”
The sound of a motor being driven at great speed was heard through theopen window.
“Codders,” cried Bundle.
Father and daughter leaned out of the window and hailed the occupantof the car as it drew up before the entrance.
“In here, my dear fellow, in here,” cried Lord Caterham, hastily swallow-ing his mouthful of ham.
George had no intention of climbing in through the window. He disap-peared through the front door, and reappeared ushered38 in by Tredwell,who withdrew at once.
“Have some breakfast,” said Lord Caterham, shaking him by the hand.
“What about a kidney?”
George waved the kidney aside impatiently.
“This is a terrible calamity39, terrible, terrible.”
“It is indeed. Some haddock?”
“No, no. It must be hushed up—at all costs it must be hushed up.”
As Bundle had prophesied40, George began to splutter.
“I understand your feelings,” said Lord Caterham sympathetically. “Tryan egg and bacon, or some haddock.”
“A totally unforeseen contingency41 — national calamity — concessionsjeopardized—”
“Take time,” said Lord Caterham. “And take some food. What you needis some food, to pull you together. Poached eggs now? There were somepoached eggs here a minute or two ago.”
“I don’t want any food,” said George. “I’ve had breakfast, and even if Ihadn’t had any I shouldn’t want it. We must think what is to be done. Youhave told no one as yet?”
“Well, there’s Bundle and myself. And the local police. And Cartwright.
And all the servants of course.”
George groaned.
“Pull yourself together, my dear fellow,” said Lord Caterham kindly42. “(Iwish you’d have some breakfast.) You don’t seem to realize that you can’thush up a dead body. It’s got to be buried and all that sort of thing. Veryunfortunate, but there it is.”
George became suddenly calm.
“You are right, Caterham. You have called in the local police, you say?
That will not do. We must have Battle.”
“Battle, murder and sudden death,” inquired Lord Caterham, with apuzzled face.
“No, no, you misunderstand me. I referred to Superintendent43 Battle ofScotland Yard. A man of the utmost discretion. He worked with us in thatdeplorable business of the Party funds.”
“What was that?” asked Lord Caterham, with some interest.
But George’s eye had fallen upon Bundle, as she sat half in and half outof the window, and he remembered discretion just in time. He rose.
“We must waste no time. I must send off some wires at once.”
“If you write them out, Bundle will send them through the telephone.”
George pulled out a fountain pen and began to write with incrediblerapidity. He handed the first one to Bundle, who read it with a great dealof interest.
“God! what a name,” she remarked. “Baron How Much?”
“Baron Lolopretjzyl.”
Bundle blinked.
“I’ve got it, but it will take some conveying to the post office.”
George continued to write. Then he handed his labours to Bundle andaddressed the master of the house:
“The best thing that you can do, Caterham—”
“Yes,” said Lord Caterham apprehensively44.
“Is to leave everything in my hands.”
“Certainly,” said Lord Caterham, with alacrity45. “Just what I was thinkingmyself. You’ll find the police and Dr. Cartwright in the Council Chamber.
With the—er—with the body, you know. My dear Lomax, I place Chim-neys unreservedly at your disposal. Do anything you like.”
“Thank you,” said George. “If I should want to consult you—”
But Lord Caterham had faded unobtrusively through the farther door.
Bundle had observed his retreat with a grim smile.
“I’ll send off those telegrams at once,” she said. “You know your way tothe Council Chamber?”
“Thank you, Lady Eileen.”
George hurried from the room.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
inspector
|
|
| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
constable
|
|
| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
portentous
|
|
| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
alteration
|
|
| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
ass
|
|
| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
swelled
|
|
| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
promotion
|
|
| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
kudos
|
|
| n.荣誉，名声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
butting
|
|
| 用头撞人（犯规动作） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
revel
|
|
| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
superfluous
|
|
| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
cosy
|
|
| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
agitated
|
|
| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
curt
|
|
| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
discretion
|
|
| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
annoyance
|
|
| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
idiotic
|
|
| adj.白痴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
prospect
|
|
| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
halfway
|
|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
precipitate
|
|
| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
deferentially
|
|
| adv.表示敬意地，谦恭地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
plentifully
|
|
| adv. 许多地，丰饶地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
dictating
|
|
| v.大声讲或读( dictate的现在分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
memoranda
|
|
| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
dictate
|
|
| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
peevishly
|
|
| adv．暴躁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
devoutly
|
|
| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
ushered
|
|
| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
calamity
|
|
| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
prophesied
|
|
| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
contingency
|
|
| n.意外事件，可能性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
superintendent
|
|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
apprehensively
|
|
| adv.担心地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
alacrity
|
|
| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |