选择字号:【大】【中】【小】 | 关灯
护眼
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CHAPTER 15 Curtain
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27
Hercule Poirot sat in a big armchair. The wall lights had been turned out. Only a rose-shaded lamp shed its glow on the figure in the armchair. There seemed something symbolic1 about it - he alone in the light - and the other three, Sir Charles, Mr. Satterthwaite and Egg Lytton Gore2 - Poirot’s audience - sitting in the outer darkness. Hercule Poirot’s voice was dreamy. He seemed to be addressing himself to space rather than his listeners.
“To reconstruct the crime - that is the aim of the detective. To reconstruct a crime you must place one fact upon another just as you place one card on another in building a house of cards. And if the facts will not fit - if the card will not balance - well - you must start your house again, or else it will fall ...
“As I said the other day there are three different types of mind: There is the dramatic mind - the producer’s mind, which sees the effect of reality that can be produced by mechanical appliances - there is also the mind that reacts easily to dramatic appearances - and there is the young romantic mind - and finally, my friends, there is the prosaic3 mind - the mind that sees not blue sea and mimosa tree, but the painted backcloth of stage scenery.
“So I come, mes amis, to the murder of Stephen Babbington in August last. On that evening Sir Charles Cartwright advanced the theory that Stephen Babbington had been murdered. I did not agree with that theory. I could not believe (a) that such a man as Stephen Babbington was likely to have been murdered, and (b) that it was possible to administer poison to a particular person under the circumstances that had obtained that evening.
“Now here I admit that Sir Charles was right and I was wrong. I was wrong because I was looking at the crime from an entirely4 false angle. It is only twenty-four hours ago that I suddenly perceived the proper angle of vision - and let me say that from that angle of vision the murder of Stephen Babbington is both reasonable and possible. But I will pass from that point for the moment and take you step by step along the path I myself have trodden. The death of Stephen Babbington I may call the first act of our drama. The curtain fell on that act when we all departed from Crow’s Nest.
“What I might call the second act of the drama began in Monte Carlo when Mr. Satterthwaite showed me the newspaper account of Sir Bartholomew’s death. It was at once clear that I had been wrong and Sir Charles had been right. Both Stephen Babbington and Sir Bartholomew Strange had been murdered and the two murders formed part of one and the same crime. Later a third murder completed the series - the murder of Mrs. de Rushbridger. What we need, therefore, is a reasonable common-sense theory which will link those three deaths together - in other words those three crimes were committed by one and the same person, and were to the advantage and benefit of that particular person.
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收听单词发音

1
symbolic
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adj.象征性的,符号的,象征主义的 | |
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2
gore
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n.凝血,血污;v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破;缝以补裆;顶 | |
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3
prosaic
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adj.单调的,无趣的 | |
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4
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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pointed
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adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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intimacy
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n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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cocktail
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n.鸡尾酒;餐前开胃小吃;混合物 | |
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investigation
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n.调查,调查研究 | |
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adroit
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adj.熟练的,灵巧的 | |
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deliberately
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adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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cocktails
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n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 );餐前开胃菜;混合物 | |
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tampering
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v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄 | |
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absconding
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v.(尤指逃避逮捕)潜逃,逃跑( abscond的现在分词 ) | |
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risky
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adj.有风险的,冒险的 | |
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nicotine
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n.(化)尼古丁,烟碱 | |
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drawn
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v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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motives
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n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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motive
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n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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whatsoever
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adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 | |
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fixed
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adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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sane
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adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的 | |
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apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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applied
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adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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confirmation
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n.证实,确认,批准 | |
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pounced
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v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 );猛扑;一眼看出;抓住机会(进行抨击) | |
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proceedings
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n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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facetious
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adj.轻浮的,好开玩笑的 | |
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perfectly
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adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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undoubtedly
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adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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wager
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n.赌注;vt.押注,打赌 | |
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culmination
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n.顶点;最高潮 | |
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spotted
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adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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middle-aged
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adj.中年的 | |
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aged
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adj.年老的,陈年的 | |
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blackmailing
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胁迫,尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的现在分词 ) | |
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utterance
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n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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witty
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adj.机智的,风趣的 | |
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poke
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n.刺,戳,袋;vt.拨开,刺,戳;vi.戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢 | |
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pry
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vi.窥(刺)探,打听;vt.撬动(开,起) | |
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reassured
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adj.使消除疑虑的;使放心的v.再保证,恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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catastrophe
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n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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vaguely
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adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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noted
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adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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pretext
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n.借口,托词 | |
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peculiar
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adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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malice
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n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋 | |
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astonishment
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n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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deductions
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扣除( deduction的名词复数 ); 结论; 扣除的量; 推演 | |
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colossal
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adj.异常的,庞大的 | |
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hip
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n.臀部,髋;屋脊 | |
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rascally
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adj. 无赖的,恶棍的 adv. 无赖地,卑鄙地 | |
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rascal
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n.流氓;不诚实的人 | |
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solicitor
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n.初级律师,事务律师 | |
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accusation
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n.控告,指责,谴责 | |
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aristocrat
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n.贵族,有贵族气派的人,上层人物 | |
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ignoble
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adj.不光彩的,卑鄙的;可耻的 | |
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bourgeois
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adj./n.追求物质享受的(人);中产阶级分子 | |
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spoke
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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 | |
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dense
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a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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disapproved
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v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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asylum
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n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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honourable
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adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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liaison
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n.联系,(未婚男女间的)暖昧关系,私通 | |
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rehearsal
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n.排练,排演;练习 | |
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foul
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adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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hitch
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v.免费搭(车旅行);系住;急提;n.故障;急拉 | |
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watchfulness
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警惕,留心; 警觉(性) | |
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dabbled
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v.涉猎( dabble的过去式和过去分词 );涉足;浅尝;少量投资 | |
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devotedly
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专心地; 恩爱地; 忠实地; 一心一意地 | |
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apparatus
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n.装置,器械;器具,设备 | |
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reassurance
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n.使放心,使消除疑虑 | |
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kindly
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adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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sobs
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啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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acting
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n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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sobbing
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<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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sneering
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嘲笑的,轻蔑的 | |
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bent
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n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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cane
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n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的 | |
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cynical
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adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的,不信世道向善的 | |
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idiomatic
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adj.成语的,符合语言习惯的 | |
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ridicule
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v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄 | |
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astute
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adj.机敏的,精明的 | |
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jaw
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n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训 | |
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