“Now where shall we put them?”
Dinner was over. Lady Coote had been once more detailed1 for duty. SirOswald had unexpectedly come to the rescue by suggesting bridge—notthat suggesting is the right word. Sir Oswald, as became one of “Our Cap-tains of Industry” (No 7 of Series I), merely expressed a preference andthose around him hastened to accommodate themselves to the great man’swishes.
Rupert Bateman and Sir Oswald were partners against Lady Coote andGerald Wade2, which was a very happy arrangement. Sir Oswald playedbridge, like he did everything else, extremely well, and liked a partner tocorrespond. Bateman was as efficient a bridge player as he was a secret-ary. Both of them confined themselves strictly3 to the matter in hand,merely uttering in curt4, short barks, “Two no trumps,” “Double,” “Threespades.” Lady Coote and Gerald Wade were amiable5 and discursive6, andthe young man never failed to say at the conclusion of each hand, “I say,partner, you played that simply splendidly,” in tones of simple admirationwhich Lady Coote found both novel and extremely soothing7. They alsoheld very good cards.
The others were supposed to be dancing to the wireless8 in the big ball-room. In reality they were grouped around the door of Gerald Wade’s bed-room, and the air was full of subdued9 giggles10 and the loud ticking ofclocks.
“Under the bed in a row,” suggested Jimmy in answer to Bill’s question.
“And what shall we set them at? What time, I mean? All together so thatthere’s one glorious whatnot, or at intervals12?”
The point was hotly disputed. One party argued that for a championsleeper like Gerry Wade the combined ringing of eight alarum clocks wasnecessary. The other party argued in favour of steady and sustained ef-fort.
In the end the latter won the day. The clocks were set to go off one afterthe other, starting at 6:30 am.
“And I hope,” said Bill virtuously13, “that this will be a lesson to him.”
“Hear, hear,” said Socks.
The business of hiding the clocks was just being begun when there wasa sudden alarm.
“Hist,” cried Jimmy. “Somebody’s coming up the stairs.”
There was a panic.
“It’s all right,” said Jimmy. “It’s only Pongo.”
Taking advantage of being dummy14, Mr. Bateman was going to his roomfor a handkerchief. He paused on his way and took in the situation at aglance. He then made a comment, a simple and practical one.
“He will hear them ticking when he goes to bed.”
The conspirators15 looked at each other.
“What did I tell you?” said Jimmy in a reverent16 voice. “Pongo always didhave brains!”
The brainy one passed on.
“It’s true,” admitted Ronny Devereux, his head on one side. “Eight clocksall ticking at once do make a devil of a row. Even old Gerry, ass17 as he is,couldn’t miss it. He’ll guess something’s up.”
“I wonder if he is,” said Jimmy Thesiger.
“Is what?”
“Such an ass as we all think.”
Ronny stared at him.
“We all know old Gerald.”
“Do we?” said Jimmy. “I’ve sometimes thought that—well, that it isn’tpossible for anyone to be quite the ass old Gerry makes himself out to be.”
They all stared at him. There was a serious look on Ronny’s face.
“Jimmy,” he said, “you’ve got brains.”
“A second Pongo,” said Bill encouragingly.
“Well, it just occurred to me, that’s all,” said Jimmy, defending himself.
“Oh! don’t let’s all be subtle,” cried Socks. “What are we to do aboutthese clocks?”
“Here’s Pongo coming back again. Let’s ask him,” suggested Jimmy.
Pongo, urged to bring his great brain to bear upon the matter, gave hisdecision.
“Wait till he’s gone to bed and got to sleep. Then enter the room veryquietly and put the clocks down on the floor.”
“Little Pongo’s right again,” said Jimmy. “On the word one all parkclocks, and then we’ll go downstairs and disarm18 suspicion.”
Bridge was still proceeding—with a slight difference. Sir Oswald wasnow playing with his wife and was conscientiously19 pointing out to her themistakes she had made during the play of each hand. Lady Coote acceptedreproof good-humouredly, and with a complete lack of any real interest.
She reiterated20, not once, but many times:
“I see, dear. It’s so kind of you to tell me.”
And she continued to make exactly the same errors.
At intervals, Gerald Wade said to Pongo:
“Well-played, partner, jolly well-played.”
Bill Eversleigh was making calculations with Ronny Devereux.
“Say he goes to bed about twelve—what do you think we ought to givehim—about an hour?”
He yawned.
“Curious thing—three in the morning is my usual time for bye-bye, buttonight, just because I know we’ve got to sit up a bit, I’d give anything tobe a mother’s boy and turn in right away.”
Everyone agreed that they felt the same.
“My dear Maria,” rose the voice of Sir Oswald in mild irritation21. “I havetold you over and over again not to hesitate when you are wonderingwhether to finesse22 or not. You give the whole table information.”
Lady Coote had a very good answer to this—namely that as Sir Oswaldwas dummy, he had no right to comment on the play of the hand. But shedid not make it. Instead she smiled kindly23, leaned her ample chest wellforward over the table, and gazed firmly into Gerald Wade’s hand wherehe sat on her right.
Her anxieties lulled24 to rest by perceiving the queen, she played theknave and took the trick and proceeded to lay down her cards.
“Four tricks and the rubber,” she announced. “I think I was very luckyto get four tricks there.”
“Lucky,” murmured Gerald Wade, as he pushed back his chair and cameover to the fireside to join the others. “Lucky, she calls it. That womanwants watching.”
Lady Coote was gathering25 up notes and silver.
“I know I’m not a good player,” she announced in a mournful tonewhich nevertheless held an undercurrent of pleasure in it. “But I’m reallyvery lucky at the game.”
“You’ll never be a bridge player, Maria,” said Sir Oswald.
“No, dear,” said Lady Coote. “I know I shan’t. You’re always telling meso. And I do try so hard.”
“She does,” said Gerald Wade sotto voce. “There’s no subterfuge26 about it.
She’d put her head right down on your shoulder if she couldn’t see intoyour hand any other way.”
“I know you try,” said Sir Oswald. “It’s just that you haven’t any cardsense.”
“I know, dear,” said Lady Coote. “That’s what you’re always telling me.
And you owe me another ten shillings, Oswald.”
“Do I?” Sir Oswald looked surprised.
“Yes. Seventeen hundred—eight pounds ten. You’ve only given me eightpounds.”
“Dear me,” said Sir Oswald. “My mistake.”
Lady Coote smiled at him sadly and took up the extra ten shilling note.
She was very fond of her husband, but she had no intention of allowinghim to cheat her out of ten shillings.
Sir Oswald moved over to a side table and became hospitable27 withwhisky and soda28. It was half past twelve when general good nights weresaid.
Ronny Devereux, who had the room next door to Gerald Wade’s, wastold off to report progress. At a quarter to two he crept round tapping atdoors. The party, pyjamaed and dressing29 gowned, assembled with variousscuffles and giggles and low whispers.
“His light went out twenty minutes ago,” reported Ronny in a hoarsewhisper. “I thought he’d never put it out. I opened the door just now andpeeped in, and he seems sound off. What about it?”
Once more the clocks were solemnly assembled. Then another difficultyarose.
“We can’t all go barging in. Make no end of a row. One person’s got to doit and the others can hand him the whatnots from the door.”
Hot discussion then arose as to the proper person to be selected.
The three girls were rejected on the grounds that they would giggle11. BillEversleigh was rejected on the grounds of his height, weight and heavytread, also for his general clumsiness, which latter clause he fiercelydenied. Jimmy Thesiger and Ronny Devereux were considered possibles,but in the end an overwhelming majority decided30 in favour of RupertBateman.
“Pongo’s the lad,” agreed Jimmy. “Anyway, he walks like a cat—alwaysdid. And then, if Gerry should waken up, Pongo will be able to think ofsome rotten silly thing to say to him. You know, something plausible31 that’llcalm him down and not rouse his suspicions.”
“Something subtle,” suggested the girl Socks thoughtfully.
“Exactly,” said Jimmy.
Pongo performed his job neatly32 and efficiently33. Cautiously opening thebedroom door, he disappeared into the darkness inside bearing the twolargest clocks. In a minute or two he reappeared on the threshold and twomore were handed to him and then again twice more. Finally he emerged.
Everyone held their breath and listened. The rhythmical34 breathing of Ger-ald Wade could still be heard, but drowned, smothered35 and buried be-neath the triumphant36, impassioned ticking of Mr. Murgatroyd’s eightalarum clocks.
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收听单词发音
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1
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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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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6
discursive
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| adj.离题的，无层次的 | |
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7
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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8
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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9
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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10
giggles
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| n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 )；傻笑；玩笑；the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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12
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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13
virtuously
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| 合乎道德地，善良地 | |
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dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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15
conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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reverent
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| adj.恭敬的，虔诚的 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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18
disarm
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| v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和 | |
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conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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finesse
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| n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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25
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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subterfuge
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| n.诡计；藉口 | |
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27
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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30
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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31
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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32
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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33
efficiently
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| adv.高效率地，有能力地 | |
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34
rhythmical
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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35
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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