Fourteen
“Chère Madame,” Poirot bowed and presented Mrs. Oliver with a bouquet¹, very stylised, a posy inthe Victorian manner.
“M. Poirot! Well, really, that is very nice of you, and it’s very like you somehow. All myflowers are always so untidy.” She looked towards a vase of rather temperamental- lookingchrysanthemums, then back to the prim² circle of rosebuds³. “And how nice of you to come and seeme.”
“I come, Madame, to offer you my felicitations on your recovery.”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Oliver, “I suppose I am all right again.” She shook her head to and fro rathergingerly. “I get headaches, though,” she said. “Quite bad headaches.”
“You remember, Madame, that I warned you not to do anything dangerous.”
“Not to stick my neck out, in fact. That I suppose is just what I did do.” She added, “I feltsomething evil was about. I was frightened, too, and I told myself I was a fool to be frightened,because what was I frightened of? I mean, it was London. Right in the middle of London. Peopleall about. I mean—how could I be frightened? It wasn’t like a lonely wood or anything.”
Poirot looked at her thoughtfully. He wondered, had Mrs. Oliver really felt this nervous fear,had she really suspected the presence of evil, the sinister⁴ feeling that something or someonewished her ill, or had she read it into the whole thing afterwards? He knew only too well howeasily that could be done. Countless⁵ clients had spoken in much the same words that Mrs. Oliverhad just used. “I knew something was wrong. I could feel evil. I knew something was going tohappen,” and actually they had not felt anything of the kind. What kind of a person was Mrs.
Oliver?
He looked at her consideringly. Mrs. Oliver in her own opinion was famous for her intuition.
One intuition succeeded another with remarkable⁷ rapidity and Mrs. Oliver always claimed theright to justify

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1 bouquet
n.花束，酒香
参考例句：
This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。 Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

2 prim
adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地
参考例句：
She's too prim to enjoy rude jokes!她太古板，不喜欢听粗野的笑话！ He is prim and precise in manner.他的态度一本正经而严谨

3 rosebuds
蔷薇花蕾，妙龄少女，初入社交界的少女( rosebud的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 花开堪折直须折。 Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 有花堪折直须折，莫待花无空折枝。

4 sinister
adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的
参考例句：
There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。 Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

5 countless
adj.无数的，多得不计其数的
参考例句：
In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。 I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

6 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。

7 remarkable
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。 These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 justify
vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护
参考例句：
He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。 Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

9 vexed
adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论
参考例句：
The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。 He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 decorative
adj.装饰的，可作装饰的
参考例句：
This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。 The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

11 greasy
adj. 多脂的，油脂的
参考例句：
He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。 You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

12 smelt
v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼
参考例句：
Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。 Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。

13 acting
n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的
参考例句：
Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。 During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 exasperated
adj.恼怒的
参考例句：
We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。 Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

15 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。

16 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》

17 obstinately
ad.固执地，顽固地
参考例句：
He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。 Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。

18 arsenic
n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的
参考例句：
His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。 Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

19 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

20 maze
n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑
参考例句：
He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。 She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

21 poignant
adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的
参考例句：
His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。 It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

22 astute
adj.机敏的，精明的
参考例句：
A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。 The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。

23 rummaging
翻找，搜寻( rummage的现在分词 )； 海关检查
参考例句：
She was rummaging around in her bag for her keys. 她在自己的包里翻来翻去找钥匙。 Who's been rummaging through my papers? 谁乱翻我的文件来着？

24 aspirin
n.阿司匹林
参考例句：
The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。 She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

25 espionage
n.间谍行为，谍报活动
参考例句：
The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。 Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

26 repudiating
v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的现在分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务）
参考例句：
Instead of repudiating what he had done, he gloried in it. 他不但没有否定自己做过的事，反而引以为荣。 来自辞典例句 He accused the government of tearing up(ie repudiating)the negotiated agreement. 他控告政府撕毁（不履行）协议。 来自互联网

27 memoirs
n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)
参考例句：
Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。 I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 mansions
n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹 Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

30 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。