15 THE EVIDENCE OF THE PASSENGERS’ LUGGAGE
Having delivered himself of various polite insincerities, and having told Mrs. Hubbard that he would order coffee to be brought to her, Poirot was able to take his leave accompanied by his two friends.
“Well, we have made a start and
drawn1, a blank,” observed M. Bouc. “Whom shall we attack next?”
“It would be simplest, I think, just to proceed along the train, carriage by carriage. That means that we start with No. 16—the
amiable2 Mr. Hardman.”
Mr. Hardman, who was smoking a cigar, welcomed them affably.
“Come right in, gentlemen. That is, if it’s humanly possible. It’s just a
mite3 cramped4 in here for a party.”
M. Bouc explained the object of their visit, and the big detective nodded comprehendingly.
“That’s O.K. To tell the truth I’ve been wondering you didn’t get down to it sooner. Here are my keys, gentlemen, and if you like to search my pockets too, why, you’re welcome. Shall I reach the grips down for you?”
“The conductor will do that. Michel!”
The contents of Mr. Hardman’s two “grips” were soon examined and passed. They contained, perhaps, an
undue5 proportion of spirituous liquor. Mr. Hardman
winked6.
“It’s not often they search your grips at the frontiers—not if you fix the conductor. I handed out a wad of Turkish notes right away, and there’s been no trouble so far.”
“And at Paris?”
Mr. Hardman winked again. “By the time I get to Paris,” he said, “what’s left over of this little lot will go into a bottle labelled hairwash.”
“You are not a believer in
Prohibition7, Monsieur Hardman,” said M. Bouc with a smile.
“Well,” said Hardman, “I can’t say Prohibition has ever worried me any.”
“Ah!” said M. Bouc. “The speakeasy.” He pronounced the word with care, savouring it. “Your American terms are so
点击
收听单词发音
1
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。
|
2
amiable
|
|
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 |
参考例句: |
- She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
- We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
|
3
mite
|
|
n.极小的东西;小铜币 |
参考例句: |
- The poor mite was so ill.可怜的孩子病得这么重。
- He is a mite taller than I.他比我高一点点。
|
4
cramped
|
|
a.狭窄的 |
参考例句: |
- The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤,但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
- working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作
|
5
undue
|
|
adj.过分的;不适当的;未到期的 |
参考例句: |
- Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
- It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。
|
6
winked
|
|
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 |
参考例句: |
- He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
- He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
|
7
prohibition
|
|
n.禁止;禁令,禁律 |
参考例句: |
- The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
- They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。
|
8
quaint
|
|
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的 |
参考例句: |
- There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里,有很多小巷。
- They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。
|
9
killing
|
|
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 |
参考例句: |
- Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
- Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
|
10
compartment
|
|
n.卧车包房,隔间;分隔的空间 |
参考例句: |
- We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴,整个客车隔间由我们独享。
- The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。
|
11
demur
|
|
v.表示异议,反对 |
参考例句: |
- Without demur, they joined the party in my rooms. 他们没有推辞就到我的屋里一起聚餐了。
- He accepted the criticism without demur. 他毫无异议地接受了批评。
|
12
kit
|
|
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物 |
参考例句: |
- The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
- The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
|
13
noted
|
|
adj.著名的,知名的 |
参考例句: |
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
|
14
spoke
|
|
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 |
参考例句: |
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
|
15
deferential
|
|
adj. 敬意的,恭敬的 |
参考例句: |
- They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
- I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。
|
16
dame
|
|
n.女士 |
参考例句: |
- The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
- If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会,你就要跟那个夫人结婚。
|
17
shrugged
|
|
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) |
参考例句: |
- Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
- She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
18
implicitly
|
|
adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 |
参考例句: |
- Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。
- I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想,我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧?
|
19
homely
|
|
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 |
参考例句: |
- We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
- Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭,好吗?
|
20
chic
|
|
n./adj.别致(的),时髦(的),讲究的 |
参考例句: |
- She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
- The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。
|
21
devoted
|
|
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 |
参考例句: |
- He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
- We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
|
22
attentively
|
|
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神 |
参考例句: |
- She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时,她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着,把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
23
abruptly
|
|
adv.突然地,出其不意地 |
参考例句: |
- He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
- I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
|
24
exempt
|
|
adj.免除的;v.使免除;n.免税者,被免除义务者 |
参考例句: |
- These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
- He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。
|
25
distress
|
|
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 |
参考例句: |
- Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
- Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。
|
26
truculent
|
|
adj.野蛮的,粗野的 |
参考例句: |
- He was seen as truculent,temperamental,too unwilling to tolerate others.他们认为他为人蛮横无理,性情暴躁,不大能容人。
- He was in no truculent state of mind now.这会儿他心肠一点也不狠毒了。
|
27
disposition
|
|
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 |
参考例句: |
- He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
- He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
|
28
mere
|
|
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 |
参考例句: |
- That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
- It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
|
29
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。
|
30
embarrassment
|
|
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫 |
参考例句: |
- She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
- Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。
|
31
proceeding
|
|
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 |
参考例句: |
- This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
- The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
|
32
agitated
|
|
adj.被鼓动的,不安的 |
参考例句: |
- His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
- She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
|
33
bustled
|
|
闹哄哄地忙乱,奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 ); 催促 |
参考例句: |
- She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
- The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。
|
34
pretext
|
|
n.借口,托词 |
参考例句: |
- He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
- He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口,没参加那个会议。
|
35
sordid
|
|
adj.肮脏的,不干净的,卑鄙的,暗淡的 |
参考例句: |
- He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively.他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
- They lived in a sordid apartment.他们住在肮脏的公寓房子里。
|
36
annoyance
|
|
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 |
参考例句: |
- Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气?
- I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。
|
37
impatience
|
|
n.不耐烦,急躁 |
参考例句: |
- He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢,他显得不耐烦。
- He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。
|
38
philosophical
|
|
adj.哲学家的,哲学上的,达观的 |
参考例句: |
- The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
- She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。
|
39
theatrical
|
|
adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的 |
参考例句: |
- The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果,叫人失望。
- She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。
|
40
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。
|
41
Undid
|
|
v. 解开, 复原 |
参考例句: |
- The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. 军官打开枪套盖拔出了手枪。
- He did wrong, and in the end his wrongs undid him. 行恶者终以其恶毁其身。
|
42
wagon
|
|
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车 |
参考例句: |
- We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
- The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
|
43
stolidity
|
|
n.迟钝,感觉麻木 |
参考例句: |
- That contrast between flashy inspiration and stolidity may now apply to the world's big central banks. 而今这种创意的灵感和反应上的迟钝的对照也适用于世界上的各大中央银行。 来自互联网
|
44
soothed
|
|
v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦 |
参考例句: |
- The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿。
- The soft modulation of her voice soothed the infant. 她柔和的声调使婴儿安静了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
|
45
compartments
|
|
n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 );(列车车厢的)隔间;(家具或设备等的)分隔间;隔层 |
参考例句: |
- Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
46
tunic
|
|
n.束腰外衣 |
参考例句: |
- The light loose mantle was thrown over his tunic.一件轻质宽大的斗蓬披在上衣外面。
- Your tunic and hose match ill with that jewel,young man.你的外套和裤子跟你那首饰可不相称呢,年轻人。
|
47
scarlet
|
|
n.深红色,绯红色,红衣;adj.绯红色的 |
参考例句: |
- The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
- The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了,深红的颜色变成了绯红,绯红又变为浅红。
|
48
acquiesced
|
|
v.默认,默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- Senior government figures must have acquiesced in the cover-up. 政府高级官员必然已经默许掩盖真相。
- After a lot of persuasion,he finally acquiesced. 经过多次劝说,他最终默许了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
|
49
bent
|
|
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 |
参考例句: |
- He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
- We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
|
50
linguist
|
|
n.语言学家;精通数种外国语言者 |
参考例句: |
- I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家,后来成了作家。
- Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。
|
51
bequest
|
|
n.遗赠;遗产,遗物 |
参考例句: |
- In his will he made a substantial bequest to his wife.在遗嘱里他给妻子留下了一大笔遗产。
- The library has received a generous bequest from a local businessman.图书馆从当地一位商人那里得到了一大笔遗赠。
|
52
neatly
|
|
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 |
参考例句: |
- Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
- The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
|
53
embroidered
|
|
adj.绣花的 |
参考例句: |
- She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
- She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。
|
54
defiance
|
|
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 |
参考例句: |
- He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
- He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。
|