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Chapter 22 The End of the Story 尾声
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Chapter 22 – The End of the Story
'You want me to explain?'
Poirot looked round with a gratified smile and the air of mock humility1 I knew so well.
We had moved into the drawing-room and our numbers had lessened2. The domestics had withdrawn3 tactfully, and the Crofts had been asked to accompany the police. Frederica, Lazarus, Challenger, Vyse and I remained.
'Eh bien-I confess it-I was fooled-fooled completely and absolutely. The little Nick, she had me where she wanted me, as your idiom so well expresses it. Ah! Madame, when you said that your friend was a clever little liar-how right you were! How right!'
'Nick always told lies,' said Frederica, composedly. 'That's why I didn't really believe in these marvellous escapes of hers.'
'And I-imbecile that I was-did!'
'Didn't they really happen?' I asked. I was, I admit, still hopelessly confused. 'They were invented-very cleverly-to give just the impression they did.' 'What was that?'
'They gave the impression that Mademoiselle Nick's life was in danger. But I will begin earlier than that. I will tell you the story as I have pieced it out-not as it came to me imperfectly and in flashes.'
'At the beginning of the business then, we have this girl, this Nick Buckley, young and beautiful, unscrupulous, and passionately4 and fanatically devoted5 to her home.'
Charles Vyse nodded.
'I told you that.'
'And you were right. Mademoiselle Nick loved End House. But she had no money. The house was mortgaged. She wanted money-she wanted it feverishly-and she could not get it. She meets this young Seton at Le Touquet, he is attracted by her. She knows that in all probability he is his uncle's heir and that that uncle is worth millions. Good, her star is in the ascendant, she thinks. But he is not really seriously attracted. He thinks her good fun, that is all. They meet at Scarborough, he takes her up in his machine and then-the catastrophe6 occurs. He meets Maggie and falls in love with her at first sight.'
'Mademoiselle Nick is dumbfounded. Her cousin Maggie whom she has never considered pretty! But to young Seton she is "different". The one girl in the world for him. They become secretly engaged. Only one person knows-has to know. That person is Mademoiselle Nick. The poor Maggie-she is glad that there is one person she can talk to. Doubtless she reads to her cousin parts of her fiance's letters. So it is that Mademoiselle gets to hear of the will. She pays no attention to it at the time. But it
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1 humility | |
n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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2 lessened | |
减少的,减弱的 | |
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3 withdrawn | |
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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4 passionately | |
ad.热烈地,激烈地 | |
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5 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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6 catastrophe | |
n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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7 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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8 rumours | |
n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 );风闻;谣言;谣传 | |
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9 outrageous | |
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的 | |
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10 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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11 coup | |
n.政变;突然而成功的行动 | |
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12 tampers | |
n.捣棒( tamper的名词复数 );打夯机;夯具;填塞者v.窜改( tamper的第三人称单数 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄 | |
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13 underneath | |
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 | |
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14 audacity | |
n.大胆,卤莽,无礼 | |
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15 accomplice | |
n.从犯,帮凶,同谋 | |
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16 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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17 wireless | |
adj.无线的;n.无线电 | |
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18 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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19 cocaine | |
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂) | |
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20 modesty | |
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素 | |
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21 sagely | |
adv. 贤能地,贤明地 | |
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22 liking | |
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢 | |
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23 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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24 knack | |
n.诀窍,做事情的灵巧的,便利的方法 | |
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25 fathomed | |
理解…的真意( fathom的过去式和过去分词 ); 彻底了解; 弄清真相 | |
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26 discrepancies | |
n.差异,不符合(之处),不一致(之处)( discrepancy的名词复数 ) | |
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27 tout | |
v.推销,招徕;兜售;吹捧,劝诱 | |
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28 peculiarity | |
n.独特性,特色;特殊的东西;怪癖 | |
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29 endearment | |
n.表示亲爱的行为 | |
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30 appendicitis | |
n.阑尾炎,盲肠炎 | |
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31 isolated | |
adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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32 scarlet | |
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 | |
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33 vehement | |
adj.感情强烈的;热烈的;(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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34 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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35 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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36 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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37 placidly | |
adv.平稳地,平静地 | |
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38 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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39 addict | |
v.使沉溺;使上瘾;n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人 | |
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40 gasped | |
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 | |
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41 disapproval | |
n.反对,不赞成 | |
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42 dealer | |
n.商人,贩子 | |
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