Twenty-eight SUSPICIONS

Twenty-eight SUSPICIONS

It was just on the appointed hour of twelve o’clock that Bundle and Lo-raine entered the park gates, having left the Hispano at an adjacent gar-age.
Lady Coote greeted the two girls with surprise, but distinct pleasure, andimmediately pressed them to stay to lunch.
O’Rourke, who had been reclining in an immense armchair, began atonce to talk with great animation¹ to Loraine, who was listening with halfan ear to Bundle’s highly technical explanation of the mechanical troublewhich had affected² the Hispano.
“And we said,” ended Bundle, “how marvellous that the brute³ shouldhave broken down just here! Last time it happened was on a Sunday at aplace called Little Speddlington under the Hill. And it lived up to its name,I can tell you.”
“That would be a grand name on the films,” remarked O’Rourke.
“Birthplace of the simple country maiden,” suggested Socks.
“I wonder now,” said Lady Coote, “where Mr. Thesiger is?”
“He’s in the billiard room, I think,” said Socks. “I’ll fetch him.”
She went off, but had hardly gone a minute when Rupert Bateman ap-peared upon the scene, with the harassed⁴ and serious air usual to him.
“Yes, Lady Coote? Thesiger said you were asking for me. How do you do,Lady Eileen—”
He broke off to greet the two girls, and Loraine immediately took thefield.
“Oh, Mr. Bateman! I’ve been wanting to see you. Wasn’t it you who wastelling me what to do for a dog when he is continually getting sore paws?”
The secretary shook his head.
“It must have been someone else, Miss Wade⁶. Though, as a matter offact, I do happen to know—”
“What a wonderful man you are,” interrupted Loraine. “You knowabout everything.”
“One should keep abreast⁷ of modern knowledge,” said Mr. Bateman ser-iously. “Now about your dog’s paws—”
Terence O’Rourke murmured sotto voce to Bundle:
“ ’Tis a man like that writes all those little paragraphs in the weekly pa-pers. ‘It is not generally known that to keep a brass⁸ fender uniformlybright, etc;’ ‘The dorper beetle⁹ is one of the most interesting characters inthe insect world;’ ‘The marriage customs of the Fingalese Indian;’ and soon.”
“General information, in fact.”
“And what more horrible two words could you have?” said Mr.
O’Rourke, and added piously¹⁰: “Thank the heavens above I’m an educatedman and know nothing whatever upon any subject at all.”
“I see you’ve got clock golf here,” said Bundle to Lady Coote.
“I’ll take you on it, Lady Eileen,” said O’Rourke.
“Let’s challenge those two,” said Bundle. “Loraine, Mr. O’Rourke and Iwant to take you and Mr. Bateman on at clock golf.”
“Do play, Mr. Bateman,” said Lady Coote, as the secretary showed a mo-mentary hesitation¹¹. “I’m sure Sir Oswald doesn’t want you.”
The four went out on the lawn.
“Very cleverly managed, what?” whispered Bundle to Loraine. “Congrat-ulations on our girlish tact¹².”
The round ended just before one o’clock, victory going to Bateman andLoraine.
“But I think you’ll agree with me, partner,” said Mr. O’Rourke, “that weplayed a more sporting game.”
He lagged a little behind with Bundle.
“Old Pongo’s a cautious player—and takes no risks. Now, with me it’sneck or nothing. And a fine motto through life, don’t you agree, LadyEileen?”
“Hasn’t it ever landed you in trouble?” asked Bundle laughing.
“To be sure it has. Millions of times. But I’m still going strong. Sure, it’lltake the hangman’s noose¹³ to defeat Terence O’Rourke.”
Just then Jimmy Thesiger strolled round the corner of the house.
“Bundle, by all that’s wonderful!” he exclaimed.
“You’ve missed competing in the Autumn Meeting,” said O’Rourke.
“I’d gone for a stroll,” said Jimmy. “Where did these girls drop from?”
“We came on our flat feet,” said Bundle. “The Hispano let us down.”
And she narrated¹⁴ the circumstances of the breakdown¹⁵.
Jimmy listened with sympathetic attention.
“Hard luck,” he vouchsafed¹⁶. “If it’s going to take some time, I’ll run youback in my car after lunch.”
A gong sounded at that moment and they all went in. Bundle observedJimmy covertly¹⁷. She thought she had noticed an unusual note of exultancein his voice. She had the feeling that things had gone well.
After lunch they took a polite leave of Lady Coote, and Jimmy volun-teered to run them down to the garage in his car. As soon as they had star-ted the same words burst simultaneously¹⁸ from both girls’ lips:
“Well?”
Jimmy chose to be provoking.
“Well?”
“Oh, pretty hearty¹⁹, thanks. Slight indigestion owing to overindulgence indry biscuits.”
“But what has happened?”
“I tell you. Devotion to the cause made me eat too many dry biscuits. Butdid our hero flinch²⁰? No, he did not.”
“Oh, Jimmy,” said Loraine reproachfully, and he softened²¹.
“What do you really want to know?”
“Oh, everything. Didn’t we do it well? I mean, the way we kept Pongoand Terence O’Rourke in play.”
“I congratulate you on the handling of Pongo. O’Rourke was probably asitter—but Pongo is made of other stuff. There’s only one word for that lad—it was in the Sunday Newsbag crossword²² last week. Word of ten lettersmeaning everywhere at once. Ubiquitous. That described Pongo down tothe ground. You can’t go anywhere without running into him—and theworst of it is you never hear him coming.”
“You think he’s dangerous?”
“Dangerous? Of course he’s not dangerous. Fancy Pongo being danger-ous. He’s an ass⁵. But, as I said just now, he’s an ubiquitous ass. He doesn’teven seem to need sleep like ordinary mortals. In fact, to put it bluntly, thefellow’s a damned nuisance.”
And, in a somewhat aggrieved²³ manner, Jimmy described the events ofthe previous evening.
Bundle was not very sympathetic.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing anyway, mooching aroundhere.”
“No 7,” said Jimmy crisply. “That’s what I’m after. No 7.”
“And you think you’ll find him in this house?”
“I thought I might find a clue.”
“And you didn’t?”
“Not last night—no.”
“But this morning,” said Loraine, breaking in suddenly. “Jimmy, you didfind something this morning. I can see it by your face.”
“Well, I don’t know if it is anything. But during the course of my stroll—”
“Which stroll didn’t take you far from the house, I imagine.”
“Strangely enough, it didn’t. Round trip of the interior, we might call it.
Well, as I say, I don’t know whether there’s anything in it or not. But Ifound this.”
With the celerity of a conjurer he produced a small bottle and tossed itover to the girls. It was half full of a white powder.
“What do you think it is?” asked Bundle.
“A white crystalline powder, that’s what it is,” said Jimmy. “And to anyreader of detective fiction those words are both familiar and suggestive.
Of course, if it turns out to be a new kind of patent tooth powder, I shall bechagrined and annoyed.”
“Where did you find it?” asked Bundle sharply.
“Ah!” said Jimmy, “that’s my secret.”
And from that point he would not budge²⁴ in spite of cajolery and insult.
“Here we are at the garage,” he said. “Let’s hope the high-mettled His-pano has not been subjected to any indignities²⁵.”
The gentleman at the garage presented a bill for five shillings and madea few vague remarks about loose nuts. Bundle paid him with a sweetsmile.
“It’s nice to know we all get money for nothing sometimes,” she mur-mured to Jimmy.
The three stood together in the road, silent for the moment as they eachpondered the situation.
“I know,” said Bundle suddenly.
“Know what?”
“Something I meant to ask you—and nearly forgot. Do you rememberthat glove Superintendent²⁶ Battle found—the half-burnt one?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you say that he tried it on your hand?”
“Yes—it was a shade big. That fits in with the idea of its being a big,hefty man who wore it.”
“That’s not at all what I’m bothering about. Never mind the size of it.
George and Sir Oswald were both there too, weren’t they?”
“Yes.”
“He could have given it to either of them to fit on?”
“Yes, of course—”
“But he didn’t. He chose you. Jimmy, don’t you see what that means?”
Mr. Thesiger stared at her.
“I’m sorry, Bundle. Possibly the jolly old brain isn’t functioning as wellas usual, but I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you see, Loraine?”
Loraine looked at her curiously²⁷, but shook her head.
“Does it mean anything in particular?”
“Of course it does. Don’t you see—Jimmy had his right hand in a sling²⁸.”
“By Jove, Bundle,” said Jimmy slowly. “It was rather odd now I come tothink of it; it’s being a left-hand glove, I mean. Battle never said anything.”
“He wasn’t going to draw attention to it. By trying it on you it might passwithout notice being drawn²⁹ to it, and he talked about the size just to puteverybody off. But surely it must mean that the man who shot at you heldthe pistol in his left hand.”
“So we’ve got to look for a left-handed man,” said Loraine thoughtfully.
“Yes, and I’ll tell you another thing. That was what Battle was doinglooking through the golf clubs. He was looking for a left-handed man’s.”
“By Jove,” said Jimmy suddenly.
“What is it?”
“Well, I don’t suppose there’s anything in it, but it’s rather curious.”
He retailed³⁰ the conversation at tea the day before.
“So Sir Oswald Coote is ambidexterous?” said Bundle.
“Yes. And I remember now on that night at Chimneys—you know, thenight Gerry Wade died—I was watching the bridge and thinking idly howawkwardly someone was dealing³¹—and then realizing that it was becausethey were dealing with the left hand. Of course, it must have been Sir Os-wald.”
They all three looked at each other. Loraine shook her head.
“A man like Sir Oswald Coote! It’s impossible. What could he have togain by it?”
“It seems absurd,” said Jimmy. “And yet—”
“No 7 has his own ways of working,” quoted Bundle softly. “Supposingthis is the way Sir Oswald has really made his fortune?”
“But why stage all that comedy at the Abbey when he’d had the formulaat his own works?”
“There might be ways of explaining that,” said Loraine. “The same lineof argument you used about Mr. O’Rourke. Suspicion had to be divertedfrom him and placed in another quarter.”
Bundle nodded eagerly.
“It all fits in. Suspicion is to fall on Bauer and the Countess. Who onearth would ever dream of suspecting Sir Oswald Coote?”
“I wonder if Battle does,” said Jimmy slowly.
Some chord of memory vibrated in Bundle’s mind. Superintendent Battleplucking an ivy³² leaf off the millionaire’s coat.
Had Battle suspected all the time?

1 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

4 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

5 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

6 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

7 abreast   

adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地

参考例句：

• She kept abreast with the flood of communications that had poured in.她及时回复如雪片般飞来的大批信件。
• We can't keep abreast of the developing situation unless we study harder.我们如果不加强学习，就会跟不上形势。

8 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

9 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

10 piously   

adv.虔诚地

参考例句：

• Many pilgrims knelt piously at the shrine.许多朝圣者心虔意诚地在神殿跪拜。
• The priests piously consecrated the robbery with a hymn.教士们虔诚地唱了一首赞美诗，把这劫夺行为神圣化了。

11 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

12 tact   

n.机敏，圆滑，得体

参考例句：

• She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。
• Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。

13 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

14 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

16 vouchsafed   

v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺

参考例句：

• He vouchsafed to me certain family secrets. 他让我知道了某些家庭秘密。
• The significance of the event does, indeed, seem vouchsafed. 这个事件看起来确实具有重大意义。 来自辞典例句

17 covertly   

adv.偷偷摸摸地

参考例句：

• Naval organizations were covertly incorporated into civil ministries. 各种海军组织秘密地混合在各民政机关之中。 来自辞典例句
• Modern terrorism is noteworthy today in that it is being done covertly. 现代的恐怖活动在今天是值得注意的，由于它是秘密进行的。 来自互联网

18 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

19 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

20 flinch   

v.畏缩，退缩

参考例句：

• She won't flinch from speaking her mind.她不会讳言自己的想法。
• We will never flinch from difficulties.我们面对困难决不退缩。

21 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

22 crossword   

n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏

参考例句：

• He shows a great interest in crossword puzzles.他对填字游戏表现出很大兴趣。
• Don't chuck yesterday's paper out.I still haven't done the crossword.别扔了昨天的报纸，我还没做字谜游戏呢。

23 aggrieved   

adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. 他因没被选到队里感到愤愤不平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is the aggrieved person whose fiance&1& did not show up for their wedding. 她很委屈，她的未婚夫未出现在他们的婚礼上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

25 indignities   

n.侮辱，轻蔑( indignity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The soldiers who were captured suffered many indignities at the hands of the enemy. 被俘的士兵在敌人手中受尽侮辱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• What sort of indignities would he be forced to endure? 他会被迫忍受什么样的侮辱呢？ 来自辞典例句

26 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

27 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

28 sling   

vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓

参考例句：

• The boy discharged a stone from a sling.这个男孩用弹弓射石头。
• By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。

29 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

30 retailed   

vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She retailed the neighbours' activities with relish. 她饶有兴趣地对邻居们的活动说三道四。
• The industrial secrets were retailed to a rival concern. 工业秘密被泄露给一家对立的公司。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

32 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。