BOOK 3 Two

Two
Giuseppe Bolsano was a middle-aged¹ man, slight with a rather monkey-
like intelligent face. He was nervous, but not unduly² so. His English was
fluent since he had, he explained, been in the country since he was sixteen
and had married an English wife.
Kemp treated him sympathetically.
“Now then, Giuseppe, let’s hear whether anything more has occurred to
you about this.”
“It is for me very unpleasant. It is I who serve that table. I who pour out
the wine. People will say that I am off my head, that I put poison into the
wine glasses. It is not so, but that is what people will say. Already, Mr.
Goldstein says it is better that I take a week away from work—so that
people do not ask me questions there and point me out. He is a fair man,
and just, and he knows it is not my fault, and that I have been there for
many years, so he does not dismiss me as some restaurant owners would
do. M. Charles, too, he has been kind, but all the same it is a great misfor-
tune³ for me—and it makes me afraid. Have I an enemy, I ask myself?”
“Well,” said Kemp at his most wooden, “have you?”
The sad monkeyface twitched⁴ into laughter. Giuseppe stretched out his
arms.
“I? I have not an enemy in the world. Many good friends but no en-
emies.”
Kemp grunted⁵.
“Now about last night. Tell me about the champagne⁶.”
“It was Clicquot, 1928—very good and expensive wine. Mr. Barton was
like that—he liked good food and drink—the best.”
“Had he ordered the wine beforehand?”
“Yes. He had arranged everything with Charles.”
“What about the vacant place at the table?”
“That, too, he had arranged for. He told Charles and he told me. A young
lady would occupy it later in the evening.”
“A young lady?” Race and Kemp looked at each other. “Do you know
who the young lady was?”
Giuseppe shook his head.
“No, I know nothing about that. She was to come later, that is all I
heard.”
“Go on about the wine. How many bottles?”
“Two bottles and a third to be ready if needed. The first bottle was fin-
ished quite quickly. The second I open not long before the cabaret. I fill up
the glasses and put the bottle in the ice bucket.”
“When did you last notice Mr. Barton drinking from his glass?”
“Let me see, when the cabaret was over, they drink the young lady’s
health. It is her birthday so I understand. Then they go and dance. It is
after that, when they come back, that Mr. Barton drinks and in a minute,
like that! he is dead.”
“Had you filled up the glasses during the time they were dancing?”
“No, monsieur. They were full when they drank to mademoiselle and
they did not drink much, only a few mouthfuls. There was plenty left in
the glasses.”
“Did anyone—anyone at all—come near the table whilst they were dan-
cing?”
“No one at all, sir. I am sure of that.”
“Did they all go to dance at the same time?”
“Yes.”
“And came back at the same time?”
Giuseppe screwed up his eyes in an effort of memory.
“Mr. Barton he came back first—with the young lady. He was stouter⁷
than the rest — he did not dance quite so long, you comprehend. Then
came the fair gentleman, Mr. Farraday, and the young lady in black. Lady
Alexandra Farraday and the dark gentleman came last.”
“You know Mr. Farraday and Lady Alexandra?”
“Yes, sir. I have seen them in the Luxembourg often. They are very dis-
tinguished.”
“Now, Giuseppe, would you have seen if one of those people had put
something in Mr. Barton’s glass?”
“That I cannot say, sir. I have my service, the other two tables in the al-
cove⁸, and two more in the main restaurant. There are dishes to serve. I do
not watch at Mr. Barton’s table. After the cabaret everyone nearly gets up
and dances, so at that time I am standing⁹ still—and that is why I can be
sure that no one approached the table then. But as soon as people sit
down, I am at once very busy.”
Kemp nodded.
“But I think,” Giuseppe continued, “that it would be very difficult to do
without being observed. It seems to me that only Mr. Barton himself could
do it. But you do not think so, no?”
He looked inquiringly at the police officer.
“So that’s your idea, is it?”
“Naturally I know nothing—but I wonder. Just a year ago that beautiful
lady, Mrs. Barton, she kills herself. Could it not be that Mr. Barton he
grieves so much that he too decides to kill himself the same way? It would
be poetic¹⁰. Of course it is not good for the restaurant—but a gentleman who
is going to kill himself would not think of that.”
He looked eagerly from one to the other of the two men.
Kemp shook his head.
“I doubt if it’s as easy as that,” he said.
He asked a few more questions, then Giuseppe was dismissed.
As the door closed behind Giuseppe, Race said:
“I wonder if that’s what we are meant to think?”
“Grieving husband kills himself on anniversary of wife’s death? Not that
it was the anniversary—but near enough.”
“It was All Soul’s Day,” said Race.
“True. Yes, it’s possible that was the idea—but if so, whoever it was can’t
have known about those letters being kept and that Mr. Barton had con-
sulted you and shown them to Iris¹¹ Marle.”
He glanced at his watch.
“I’m due at Kidderminster House at 12:30. We’ve time before that to go
and see those people at the other two tables—some of them at any rate.
Come with me, won’t you, colonel?”

1 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

2 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 twitched   

vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
• The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

6 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

7 stouter   

粗壮的( stout的比较级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的

参考例句：

• Freddie was much stouter, more benevolent-looking, cheerful, and far more dandified. 弗烈特显得更魁伟，更善良、更快活，尤其更像花花公子。 来自教父部分
• Why hadn't she thought of putting on stouter shoes last night? 她昨天晚上怎么没想起换上一双硬些的鞋呢？

8 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

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 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

11 iris   

n.虹膜，彩虹

参考例句：

• The opening of the iris is called the pupil.虹膜的开口处叫做瞳孔。
• This incredible human eye,complete with retina and iris,can be found in the Maldives.又是在马尔代夫，有这样一只难以置信的眼睛，连视网膜和虹膜都刻画齐全了。