Thirty-one

Thirty-one
(From the diary of Sir Eustace Pedler)
Johannesburg, March 7th.
Pagett has arrived. He is in a blue funk, of course. Suggested at once that weshould go off to Pretoria. Then, when I had told him kindly¹ but firmly that wewere going to remain here, he went to the other extreme, wished he had hisrifle here, and began bucking² about some bridge he guarded during the GreatWar. A railway bridge at Little Puddecombe junction³, or something of thatsort.
I soon cut that short by telling him to unpack⁴ the big typewriter. I thoughtthat that would keep him employed for some time, because the typewriter wassure to have gone wrong—it always does—and he would have to take it some-where to be mended. But I had forgotten Pagett’s powers of being in the right.
“I’ve already unpacked⁵ all the cases, Sir Eustace. The typewriter is in per-fect condition.”
“What do you mean—all the cases?”
“The two small cases as well.”
“I wish you wouldn’t be so officious, Pagett. Those small cases were no busi-ness of yours. They belong to Mrs. Blair.”
Pagett looked crestfallen⁶. He hates to make a mistake.
“So you can just pack them up again neatly,” I continued. “After that youcan go out and look around you. Jo’burg will probably be a heap of smokingruins by tomorrow, so it may be your last chance.”
I thought that that would get rid of him successfully for the morning, at anyrate.
“There is something I want to say to you when you have the leisure, Sir Eu-stace.”
“I haven’t got it now,” I said hastily. “At this minute I have absolutely noleisure whatsoever⁷.”
Pagett retired⁸.
“By the way,” I called after him, “what was there in those cases of Mrs.
Blair’s?”
“Some fur rugs, and a couple of fur—hats, I think.”
“That’s right,” I assented⁹. “She bought them on the train. They are hats—ofa kind—though I hardly wonder at your not recognizing them. I dare say she’sgoing to wear one of them at Ascot. What else was there?”
“Some rolls of films, and some baskets—a lot of baskets—”
“There would be,” I assured him. “Mrs. Blair is the kind of woman whonever buys less than a dozen or so of anything.”
“I think that’s all, Sir Eustace, except some miscellaneous odds¹⁰ and ends, amotor veil and some odd gloves—that sort of thing.”
“If you hadn’t been a born idiot, Pagett, you would have seen from the startthat those couldn’t possibly be my belongings¹¹.”
“I thought some of them might belong to Miss Pettigrew.”
“Ah, that reminds me—what do you mean by picking me out such a doubt-ful character as a secretary?”
And I told him about the searching cross- examination I had been putthrough. Immediately I was sorry, I saw a glint in his eye that I know only toowell. I changed the conversation hurriedly. But it was too late. Pagett was onthe warpath.
He next proceeded to bore me with a long pointless story about the Kilmor-den. It was about a roll of films and a wager¹². The roll of films being thrownthrough a porthole in the middle of the night by some steward¹³ who ought tohave known better. I hate horseplay. I told Pagett so, and he began to tell methe story all over again. He tells a story extremely badly, anyway. It was a longtime before I could make head or tail of this one.
I did not see him again until lunchtime. Then he came in brimming overwith excitement, like a bloodhound on the scent¹⁴. I never have cared for blood-hounds. The upshot of it all was that he had seen Rayburn.
“What?” I cried, startled.
Yes, he had caught sight of someone whom he was sure was Rayburn cross-ing the street. Pagett had followed him.
“And who do you think I saw him stop and speak to? Miss Pettigrew!”
“What?”
“Yes, Sir Eustace. And that’s not all. I’ve been making inquiries¹⁵ about her—”
“Wait a bit. What happened to Rayburn?”
“He and Miss Pettigrew went into that corner curioshop—”
I uttered an involuntary exclamation¹⁶. Pagett stopped inquiringly.
“Nothing,” I said. “Go on.”
“I waited outside for ages—but they didn’t come out. At last I went in. SirEustace, there was no one in the shop! There must be another way out.”
I stared at him.
“As I was saying, I came back to the hotel and made some inquiries aboutMiss Pettigrew.” Pagett lowered his voice and breathed hard as he always doeswhen he wants to be confidential¹⁷. “Sir Eustace, a man was seen coming out ofher room last night.”
I raised my eyebrows¹⁸.
“And I always regarded her as a lady of such eminent¹⁹ respectability,” Imurmured.
Pagett went on without heeding²⁰.
“I went straight up and searched her room. What do you think I found?”
I shook my head.
“This!”
Pagett held up a safety razor and a stick of shaving soap.
“What should a woman want with these?”
I don’t suppose Pagett ever reads the advertisements in the high- classladies’ papers. I do. Whilst not proposing to argue with him on the subject, Irefused to accept the presence of the razor as proof positive of Miss Pettigrew’ssex. Pagett is so hopelessly behind the times. I should not have been at all sur-prised if he had produced a cigarette case to support his theory. However,even Pagett has his limits.
“You’re not convinced, Sir Eustace. What do you say to this?”
I inspected the article which he dangled²¹ aloft triumphantly²².
“It looks like hair,” I remarked distastefully.
“It is hair. I think it’s what they call a toupee²³.”
“Indeed,” I commented.
“Now are you convinced that that Pettigrew woman is a man in disguise?”
“Really, my dear Pagett, I think I am. I might have known it by her feet.”
“Then that’s that. And now, Sir Eustace, I want to speak to you about myprivate affairs. I cannot doubt, from your hints and your continual allusionsto the time I was in Florence, that you have found me out.”
At last the mystery of what Pagett did in Florence is going to be revealed!
“Make a clean breast of it, my dear fellow,” I said kindly. “Much the bestway.”
“Thank you, Sir Eustace.”
“Is it her husband? Annoying fellows, husbands. Always turning up whenthey’re least expected.”
“I fail to follow you, Sir Eustace. Whose husband?”
“The lady’s husband.”
“What lady?”
“God bless my soul, Pagett, the lady you met in Florence. There must havebeen a lady. Don’t tell me that you merely robbed a church or stabbed anItalian in the back because you didn’t like his face.”
“I am quite at a loss to understand you, Sir Eustace. I suppose you are jok-ing.”
“I am an amusing fellow sometimes, when I take the trouble, but I can as-sure you that I am not trying to be funny this minute.”
“I hoped that as I was a good way off you had not recognized me, Sir Eu-stace.”
“Recognized you where?”
“At Marlow, Sir Eustace?”
“At Marlow? What the devil were you doing at Marlow?”
“I thought you understood that—”
“I’m beginning to understand less and less. Go back to the beginning of thestory and start again. You went to Florence—”
“Then you don’t know after all—and you didn’t recognize me!”
“As far as I can judge, you seem to have given yourself away needlessly—made a coward of by your conscience. But I shall be able to tell better whenI’ve heard the whole story. Now, then, take a deep breath and start again. Youwent to Florence—”
“But I didn’t go to Florence. That is just it.”
“Well, where did you go, then?”
“I went home—to Marlow.”
“What the devil did you want to go to Marlow for?”
“I wanted to see my wife. She was in delicate health and expecting—”
“Your wife? But I didn’t know you were married!”
“No, Sir Eustace, that is just what I am telling you. I deceived you in thismatter.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Just over eight years. I had been married just six months when I becameyour secretary. I did not want to lose the post. A resident secretary is not sup-posed to have a wife, so I suppressed the fact.”
“You take my breath away,” I remarked. “Where has she been all theseyears?”
“We have had a small bungalow²⁴ on the river at Marlow, quite close to theMill House, for over five years.”
“God bless my soul,” I muttered. “Any children?”
“Four children, Sir Eustace.”
I gazed at him in a kind of stupor²⁵. I might have known, all along, that aman like Pagett couldn’t have a guilty secret. The respectability of Pagett hasalways been my bane. That’s just the kind of secret he would have—a wife andfour children.
“Have you told this to anyone else?” I demanded at last, when I had gazedat him in fascinated interest for quite a long while.
“Only Miss Beddingfeld. She came to the station at Kimberley.”
I continued to stare at him. He fidgeted under my glance.
“I hope, Sir Eustace, that you are not seriously annoyed?”
“My dear fellow,” I said, “I don’t mind telling you here and now that you’veblinking well torn it!”
I went out seriously ruffled²⁶. As I passed the corner curioshop, I was assailedby a sudden irresistible²⁷ temptation and went in. The proprietor²⁸ came forwardobsequiously, rubbing his hands.
“Can I show you something? Furs, curios?”
“I want something quite out of the ordinary,” I said. “It’s for a special occa-sion. Will you show me what you’ve got?”
“Perhaps you will come into my back room? We have many specialitiesthere.”
That is where I made a mistake. And I thought I was going to be so clever. Ifollowed him through the swinging portières.

1 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

2 bucking   

v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• a bucking bronco in the rodeo 牛仔竞技表演中一匹弓背跳跃的野马
• That means we'll be bucking grain bags, bustin's gut. 那就是说咱们要背这一袋袋的谷子，得把五脏都累坏。 来自辞典例句

3 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

4 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

5 unpacked   

v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李，整理衣物。
• Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒，并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句

6 crestfallen   

adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的

参考例句：

• He gathered himself up and sneaked off,crushed and crestfallen.他爬起来，偷偷地溜了，一副垂头丧气、被斗败的样子。
• The youth looked exceedingly crestfallen.那青年看上去垂头丧气极了。

7 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

8 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

9 assented   

同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
• "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

10 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

11 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

12 wager   

n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌

参考例句：

• They laid a wager on the result of the race.他们以竞赛的结果打赌。
• I made a wager that our team would win.我打赌我们的队会赢。

13 steward   

n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员

参考例句：

• He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
• He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员，到过世界各地。

14 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

15 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

17 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

18 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

19 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

20 heeding   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This come of heeding people who say one thing and mean another! 有些人嘴里一回事，心里又是一回事，今天这个下场都是听信了这种人的话的结果。 来自辞典例句
• Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。 来自辞典例句

21 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

22 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

23 toupee   

n.假发

参考例句：

• When he grew bald he bought a toupee.头发掉了后，他买了一顶假发。
• While I was writing that last paragraph,the nurse straightened my toupee.我写最后一段的时候，护士正了正我的假发。

24 bungalow   

n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房

参考例句：

• A bungalow does not have an upstairs.平房没有上层。
• The old couple sold that large house and moved into a small bungalow.老两口卖掉了那幢大房子，搬进了小平房。

25 stupor   

v.昏迷；不省人事

参考例句：

• As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor.随着威士忌酒力发作，他逐渐醉得不省人事。
• The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stupor.梆梆的敲门声把她从昏迷中唤醒了。

26 ruffled   

adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
• All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。

27 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

28 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。