A Fine Italian Hand（14）

　　XIV
　　After dinner he strolled out of the hotel and down the road to the ferry. It was a clear night, but cold, with a sharp foretaste of winter. Summer was over.
　　MacWhirter crossed in the ferry to the Saltcreek side. It was the second time that he was revisiting Stark¹ Head. The place had a fascination² for him. He walked slowly up the hill, passing the Balmoral Court Hotel and then a big house set on the point of a cliff. Gull's Point - he read the name on the painted door. Of course, that was where the old lady had been murdered. There had been a lot of talk in the hotel about it; his chambermaid had insisted on telling him all about it, and the newspapers had given it a prominence³ which had annoyed MacWhirter, who preferred to read world-wide affairs and who was not interested in crime.
　　He went on downhill again to skirt a small beach and some old-fashioned fishing cottages that had been modernised. Then up again till the road ended and petered out into the track that led on up Stark Head.
　　It was grim and forbidding on Stark Head. MacWhirter stood on the cliff edge looking down to the sea. So he had stood on that other night. He tried to recapture some of the feeling he had had then - the desperation, anger, weariness - the longing⁴ to be out of it all. But there was nothing to recapture. All that had gone. There was, instead, a cold anger. Caught on that tree, rescued by coast-guards, fussed over like a naughty child in hospital, a series of indignities⁵ and affronts⁶. Why couldn't he have been let alone? He would rather, a thousand times rather, be out of it all. He still felt that. The only thing he had lost was the necessary impetus⁷.
　　How it had hurt him then to think of Mona! He could think of her quite calmly now. She had always been rather a fool. Easily taken in by anyone who flattered her or played up to her idea of herself. Very pretty. Yes, very pretty - but no mind; not the kind of woman he had once dreamed about.
　　But that was beauty, of course - Some vague, fancied picture of a woman flying through the night with white draperies streaming out behind her ... Something like the figure-head of a ship - only not so solid ... not nearly so solid ...
　　And then, with dramatic suddenness, the incredible happened! Out of the night came a flying figure. One minute she was not there, the next minute she was - a white figure running - running - to the cliff's edge. A figure, beautiful and desperate, driven to destruction by pursuing Furies! Running with a terrible desperation ... He knew that desperation. He knew what it meant ...
　　He came with a rush out of the shadows and caught her just as she was about to go over the edge!
　　He said fiercely: "No, you don't ..."
　　It was just like holding a bird. She struggled - struggled silently, and then, again like a bird, was suddenly still.
　　He said urgently: "Don't throw yourself over! Nothing's worth it. Nothing. Even if you are desperately⁸ unhappy -"She made a sound. It was, perhaps, a far-off ghost of a laugh.
　　He said sharply: "You're not unhappy? What is it then?"She answered him at once with the low, softly-breathed word: "Afraid.""Afraid?" He was so astonished that he let her go, standing⁹ back a pace to see her better.
　　He realised then the truth of her words. It. was fear that had lent that urgency to her footsteps. It was fear that made her small, white, intelligent face blank and stupid. Fear that dilated¹⁰ those wide-apart eyes.
　　He said incredulously: "What are you afraid of?"She replied so low that he hardly heard it: "I'm afraid of being hanged ..."Yes, she had said just that. He stared and stared. He looked from her to the cliff's edge.
　　"So that's why?"
　　"Yes. A quick death instead of -"
　　She closed her eyes and shivered. She went on shivering.
　　MacWhirter was piecing things together logically in his mind.
　　He said at last: "Lady Tressilian? The old lady who was murdered." Then, accusingly: "You'll be Mrs. Strange - the first Mrs. Strange."Still shivering, she nodded her head.
　　MacWhirter went on in his slow, careful voice, trying to remember all that he had heard. Rumour¹¹ had been incorporated with fact.
　　"They detained your husband - that's right, isn't it? A lot of evidence against him - and then they found that the evidence had been faked by someone ..."He stopped and looked at her. She wasn't shivering any longer. She was just standing looking at him like a docile¹² child. He found her attitude unendurably affecting.
　　His voice went on: "I see ... Yes, I see how it was ... He left you for another woman, didn't he? And you loved him ... That's why -" He broke off. He said, "I understand. My wife left me for another man ..."She flung out her arms. She began stammering¹³ wildly, hopelessly: "It's n-n-not -it's n-n-not l-like that. N-not at all -"He cut her short. His voice was stern and commanding: "Go home. You needn't be afraid any longer. D'you hear? I'll see that you're not hanged!"

1 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

2 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

3 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

4 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

5 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

6 affronts   

n.（当众）侮辱，（故意）冒犯( affront的名词复数 )v.勇敢地面对( affront的第三人称单数 )；相遇

参考例句：

• How can you stomach their affronts ? 你怎么能够忍受他们的侮辱？ 来自辞典例句
• It was true, acknowledgment in most cases of affronts was counted reparation sufficient. 的确，大部分的无理举动，只要认罪就时以算做足够的赔偿了。 来自辞典例句

7 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

8 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 dilated   

adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes dilated with fear. 她吓得瞪大了眼睛。
• The cat dilated its eyes. 猫瞪大了双眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 rumour   

n.谣言，谣传，传闻

参考例句：

• I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
• There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

12 docile   

adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的

参考例句：

• Circus monkeys are trained to be very docile and obedient.马戏团的猴子训练得服服贴贴的。
• He is a docile and well-behaved child.他是个温顺且彬彬有礼的孩子。

13 stammering   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He betrayed nervousness by stammering. 他说话结结巴巴说明他胆子小。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Why,\" he said, actually stammering, \"how do you do?\" “哎呀，\"他说，真的有些结结巴巴，\"你好啊？” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹