Bundle drove over to Wyvern Abbey just in time for tea on Friday after-noon. George Lomax came forward to welcome her with considerableempressement.
“My dear Eileen,” he said, “I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see youhere. You must forgive my not having invited you when I asked yourfather, but to tell the truth I never dreamed that a party of this kind wouldappeal to you. I was both—er—surprised and—er—delighted when LadyCaterham told me of your—er—interest in—er—politics.”
“I wanted to come so much,” said Bundle in a simple, ingenuous1 man-ner.
“Mrs. Macatta will not arrive till the later train,” explained George. “Shewas speaking at a meeting in Manchester last night. Do you knowThesiger? Quite a young fellow, but a remarkable3 grasp of foreign politics.
One would hardly suspect it from his appearance.”
“I know Mr. Thesiger,” said Bundle, and she shook hands solemnly withJimmy, who she observed had parted his hair in the middle in the endeav-our to add earnestness to his expression.
“Look here,” said Jimmy in a low hurried voice, as George temporarilywithdrew. “You mustn’t be angry, but I’ve told Bill about our little stunt4.”
“Bill?” said Bundle, annoyed.
“Well, after all,” said Jimmy, “Bill is one of the lads, you know. Ronnywas a pal5 of his and so was Gerry.”
“Oh! I know,” said Bundle.
“But you think it’s a pity? Sorry.”
“Bill’s all right, of course. It isn’t that,” said Bundle. “But he’s—well, Bill’sa born blunderer.”
“Not mentally very agile6?” suggested Jimmy. “But you forget one thing—Bill’s got a very hefty fist. And I’ve an idea that a hefty fist is going to comein handy.”
“Well, perhaps you’re right. How did he take it?” “Well, he clutched hishead a good bit, but—I mean the facts took some driving home. But by re-peating the thing patiently in words of one syllable7 I at last got it into histhick head. And, naturally, he’s with us to the death, as you might say.”
George reappeared suddenly.
“I must make some introductions, Eileen. This is Sir Stanley Digby —Lady Eileen Brent. Mr. O’Rourke.” The Air Minister was a little round manwith a cheerful smile. Mr. O’Rourke, a tall young man with laughing blueeyes and a typical Irish face, greeted Bundle with enthusiasm.
“And I thinking it was going to be a dull political party entirely8,” he mur-mured in an adroit9 whisper.
“Hush,” said Bundle. “I’m political—very political.”
“Sir Oswald and Lady Coote you know,” continued George.
“We’ve never actually met,” said Bundle, smiling.
She was mentally applauding her father’s descriptive powers.
Sir Oswald took her hand in an iron grip and she winced10 slightly.
Lady Coote, after a somewhat mournful greeting, had turned to JimmyThesiger, and appeared to be registering something closely akin2 to pleas-ure. Despite his reprehensible11 habit of being late for breakfast, Lady Cootehad a fondness for this amiable12, pink-faced young man. His air of irre-pressible good nature fascinated her. She had a motherly wish to cure himof his bad habits and form him into one of the world’s workers. Whether,once formed, he would be as attractive was a question she had neverasked herself. She began now to tell him of a very painful motor accidentwhich had happened to one of her friends.
“Mr. Bateman,” said George briefly13, as one who would pass on to betterthings.
A serious, palefaced young man bowed.
“And now,” continued George, “I must introduce you to CountessRadzky.”
Countess Radzky had been conversing14 with Mr. Bateman. Leaning veryfar back on a sofa, with her legs crossed in a daring manner, she wassmoking a cigarette in an incredibly long turquoise-studded holder15.
Bundle thought she was one of the most beautiful women she had everseen. Her eyes were very large and blue, her hair was coal black, she hada matte skin, the slightly flattened16 nose of the Slav, and a sinuous17, slenderbody. Her lips were reddened to a degree with which Bundle was sureWyvern Abbey was totally unacquainted.
She said eagerly: “This is Mrs. Macatta—yes?”
On George’s replying in the negative and introducing Bundle, the count-ess gave her a careless nod, and at once resumed her conversation withthe serious Mr. Bateman.
Bundle heard Jimmy’s voice in her ear:
“Pongo is absolutely fascinated by the lovely Slav,” he said. “Pathetic,isn’t it? Come and have some tea.”
They drifted once more into the neighbourhood of Sir Oswald Coote.
“That’s a fine place of yours, Chimneys,” remarked the great man.
“I’m glad you liked it,” said Bundle meekly18.
“Wants new plumbing19,” said Sir Oswald. “Bring it up to date, you know.”
He ruminated20 for a minute or two.
“I’m taking the Duke of Alton’s place. Three years. Just while I’m lookinground for a place of my own. Your father couldn’t sell if he wanted to, Isuppose?”
Bundle felt her breath taken away. She had a nightmare vision of Eng-land with innumerable Cootes in innumerable counterparts of Chimneys—all, be it understood, with an entirely new system of plumbing installed.
She felt a sudden violent resentment21 which, she told herself, was ab-surd. After all, contrasting Lord Caterham with Sir Oswald Coote, therewas no doubt as to who would go to the wall. Sir Oswald had one of thosepowerful personalities22 which make all those with whom they come in con-tact appear faded. He was, as Lord Caterham had said, a human steam-roller. And yet, undoubtedly23, in many ways, Sir Oswald was a stupid man.
Apart from his special line of knowledge and his terrific driving force, hewas probably intensely ignorant. A hundred delicate appreciations24 of lifewhich Lord Caterham could and did enjoy were a sealed book to Sir Os-wald.
Whilst indulging in these reflections Bundle continued to chat pleas-antly. Herr Eberhard, she heard, had arrived, but was lying down with anervous headache. This was told her by Mr. O’Rourke, who managed tofind a place by her side and keep it.
Altogether, Bundle went up to dress in a pleasant mood of expectation,with a slight nervous dread25 hovering26 in the background whenever shethought of the imminent27 arrival of Mrs. Macatta. Bundle felt that dalliancewith Mrs. Macatta was going to prove no primrose28 path.
Her first shock was when she came down, demurely29 attired30 in a blacklace frock, and passed along the hall. A footman was standing31 there—atleast a man dressed as a footman. But that square, burly figure lent itselfbadly to the deception32. Bundle stopped and stared.
“Superintendent33 Battle,” she breathed.
“That’s right, Lady Eileen.”
“Oh!” said Bundle uncertainly. “Are you here to—to—?”
“Keep an eye on things.”
“I see.”
“That warning letter, you know,” said the Superintendent, “fairly put thewind up Mr. Lomax. Nothing would do for him but that I should comedown myself.”
“But don’t you think—” began Bundle, and stopped. She hardly liked tosuggest to the Superintendent that his disguise was not a particularly effi-cient one. He seemed to have “police officer” written all over him, andBundle could hardly imagine the most unsuspecting criminal failing to beput on his guard.
“You think,” said the Superintendent stolidly34, “that I might be recog-nized?”
He gave the final word a distinct capital letter.
“I did think so—yes—” admitted Bundle.
Something that might conceivably have been intended for a smilecrossed the woodenness of Superintendent Battle’s features.
“Put them on their guard, eh? Well, Lady Eileen, why not?”
“Why not?” echoed Bundle—rather stupidly, she felt.
Superintendent Battle was nodding his head slowly.
“We don’t want any unpleasantness, do we?” he said. “Don’t want to betoo clever—just show any light-fingered gentry35 that may be about—well,just show them that there’s somebody on the spot, so to speak.”
Bundle gazed at him in some admiration36. She could imagine that thesudden appearance of so renowned37 a personage as Superintendent Battlemight have a depressing effect on any scheme and the hatchers of it.
“It’s a great mistake to be too clever,” Superintendent Battle was repeat-ing. “The great thing is not to have any unpleasantness this weekend.”
Bundle passed on, wondering how many of her fellow guests had recog-nized or would recognize the Scotland Yard detective. In the drawingroom George was standing with a puckered38 brow and an orange envelopein his hand.
“Most vexatious,” he said. “A telegram from Mrs. Macatta to say she willbe unable to be with us. Her children are suffering from mumps39.”
Bundle’s heart gave a throb40 of relief.
“I especially feel this on your account, Eileen,” said George kindly41. “Iknow how anxious you were to meet her. The Countess too will be sadlydisappointed.”
“Oh, never mind,” said Bundle. “I should hate it if she’d come and givenme mumps.”
“A very distressing42 complaint,” agreed George. “But I do not think thatinfection could be carried that way. Indeed, I am sure that Mrs. Macattawould have run no risk of that kind. She is a most highly principled wo-man, with a very real sense of her responsibilities to the community. Inthese days of national stress, we must all take into account—”
On the brink43 of embarking44 on a speech, George pulled himself up short.
“But it must be for another time,” he said. “Fortunately there is no hurryin your case. But the Countess, alas45, is only a visitor to our shores.”
“She’s a Hungarian, isn’t she?” said Bundle, who was curious about theCountess.
“Yes. You have heard, no doubt, of the Young Hungarian party. TheCountess is a leader of that party. A woman of great wealth, left a widowat an early age, she has devoted46 her money and her talents to the publicservice. She has especially devoted herself to the problem of infant mor-tality—a terrible one under present conditions in Hungary. I—Ah! here isHerr Eberhard.”
The German inventor was younger than Bundle had imagined him. Hewas probably not more than thirty-three or four. He was boorish47 and ill atease. And yet his personality was not an unpleasing one. His blue eyeswere more shy than furtive48, and his more unpleasant mannerisms, suchas the one that Bill had described of gnawing49 his fingernails, arose, shethought, more from nervousness than from any other cause. He was thinand weedy in appearance and looked anaemic and delicate.
He conversed50 rather awkwardly with Bundle in stilted51 English and theyboth welcomed the interruption of the joyous52 Mr. O’Rourke. Presently Billbustled in—there is no other word for it: in the same such way does a fa-voured Newfoundland make his entrance — and at once came over toBundle. He was looking perplexed53 and harassed54.
“Hullo, Bundle. Heard you’d got here. Been kept with my nose to thegrindstone all the blessed afternoon or I’d have seen you before.”
“Cares of State heavy tonight?” suggested O’Rourke sympathetically.
Bill groaned55.
“I don’t know what your fellow’s like,” he complained. “Looks a good-natured, tubby little chap. But Codders is absolutely impossible. Drive,drive, drive, from morning to night. Everything you do is wrong, andeverything you haven’t done you ought to have done.”
“Quite like a quotation56 from the prayer book,” remarked Jimmy, whohad just strolled up.
Bill glanced at him reproachfully.
“Nobody knows,” he said pathetically, “what I have to put up with.”
“Entertaining the Countess, eh?” suggested Jimmy. “Poor Bill, that musthave been a sad strain to a woman hater like yourself.”
“What’s this?” asked Bundle.
“After tea,” said Jimmy with a grin, “the Countess asked Bill to show herround the interesting old place.”
“Well, I couldn’t refuse, could I?” said Bill, his countenance57 assuming abrick-red tint58.
Bundle felt faintly uneasy. She knew, only too well, the susceptibility ofMr. William Eversleigh to female charms. In the hand of a woman like theCountess, Bill would be as wax. She wondered once more whether JimmyThesiger had been wise to take Bill into their confidence.
“The Countess,” said Bill, “is a very charming woman. And no end intel-ligent. You should have seen her going round the house. All sorts of ques-tions she asked.”
“What kind of questions?” asked Bundle suddenly.
Bill was vague.
“Oh! I don’t know. About the history of it. And old furniture. And—oh!
all sorts of things.”
At that moment the Countess swept into the room. She seemed a shadebreathless. She was looking magnificent in a close- fitting black velvetgown. Bundle noticed how Bill gravitated at once to her immediate59 neigh-bourhood. The serious spectacled young man joined him.
“Bill and Pongo have both got it badly,” observed Jimmy Thesiger with alaugh.
Bundle was by no means so sure that it was a laughing matter.
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收听单词发音
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1
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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8
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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adroit
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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reprehensible
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| adj.该受责备的 | |
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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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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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holder
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| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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sinuous
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| adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的 | |
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meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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plumbing
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| n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究 | |
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ruminated
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| v.沉思( ruminate的过去式和过去分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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personalities
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| n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 ) | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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appreciations
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| n.欣赏( appreciation的名词复数 )；感激；评定；（尤指土地或财产的）增值 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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primrose
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| n.樱草，最佳部分， | |
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demurely
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| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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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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mumps
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| n.腮腺炎 | |
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throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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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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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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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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boorish
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| adj.粗野的，乡巴佬的 | |
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48
furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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49
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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50
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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51
stilted
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| adj.虚饰的；夸张的 | |
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52
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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53
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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54
harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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55
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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56
quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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57
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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59
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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