Sixteen
M ISS M ARPLE S EEKS A SSISTANCE
I f anybody had been there to observe the gentle-looking elderly lady who stood meditatively¹ on the loggia outside herbungalow, they would have thought she had nothing more on her mind than deliberation on how to arrange her timethat day—An expedition, perhaps, to Castle Cliff—a visit to Jamestown—a nice drive and lunch at Pelican³ Point—orjust a quiet morning on the beach—
But the gentle old lady was deliberating quite other matters—she was in militant⁴ mood.
“Something has got to be done,” said Miss Marple to herself.
Moreover, she was convinced that there was no time to be lost—There was urgency.
But who was there that she could convince of that fact? Given time, she thought she could find out the truth byherself.
She had found out a good deal. But not enough—not nearly enough. And time was short.
She realized, bitterly, that here on this Paradise of an island, she had none of her usual allies.
She thought regretfully of her friends in England—Sir Henry Clithering—always willing to listen indulgently—hisgodson Dermot, who in spite of his increased status at Scotland Yard was still ready to believe that when Miss Marplevoiced an opinion there was usually something behind it.
But would that soft-voiced native police officer pay any attention to an old lady’s urgency? Dr. Graham? But Dr.
Graham was not what she needed—too gentle and hesitant, certainly not a man of quick decisions and rapid actions.
Miss Marple, feeling rather like a humble⁵ deputy of the Almighty⁶, almost cried aloud her need in Biblical phrasing.
Who will go for me?
Whom shall I send?
The sound that reached her ears a moment later was not instantly recognized by her as an answer to prayer—farfrom it—At the back of her mind it registered only as a man possibly calling his dog.
“Hi!”
Miss Marple, lost in perplexity, paid no attention.
“Hi!” The volume thus increased, Miss Marple looked vaguely

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1 meditatively
adv.冥想地
参考例句：
The old man looked meditatively at the darts board. 老头儿沉思不语，看着那投镖板。 来自英汉文学 "Well,'said the foreman, scratching his ear meditatively, "we do need a stitcher. “这--"工头沉思地搔了搔耳朵。 "我们确实需要一个缝纫工。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

2 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。

3 pelican
n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟
参考例句：
The pelican has a very useful beak.鹈鹕有一张非常有用的嘴。 This pelican is expected to fully recover.这只鹈鹕不久就能痊愈。

4 militant
adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士
参考例句：
Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 humble
adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低
参考例句：
In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。 Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

6 almighty
adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的
参考例句：
Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。 It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

7 vaguely
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。 He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

8 beckoned
v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。 The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 pointed
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。 She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 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。

11 meekness
n.温顺，柔和
参考例句：
Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk. 阿密阳奉阴违地一直缝到黄昏。 来自辞典例句 'I am pretty well, I thank you,' answered Mr. Lorry, with meekness; 'how are you?' “很好，谢谢，”罗瑞先生回答，态度温驯，“你好么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

12 informative
adj.提供资料的，增进知识的
参考例句：
The adverts are not very informative.这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。 This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又富知识性。

13 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》

14 rumours
n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传
参考例句：
The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。 Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

15 rumour
n.谣言，谣传，传闻
参考例句：
I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。 There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

16 administrator
n.经营管理者，行政官员
参考例句：
The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。 He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

17 fishy
adj. 值得怀疑的
参考例句：
It all sounds very fishy to me.所有这些在我听起来都很可疑。 There was definitely something fishy going on.肯定当时有可疑的事情在进行中。

18 lethal
adj.致死的；毁灭性的
参考例句：
A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。 She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

19 syrup
n.糖浆，糖水
参考例句：
I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。 Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

20 laymen
门外汉，外行人( layman的名词复数 )； 普通教徒（有别于神职人员）
参考例句：
a book written for professionals and laymen alike 一本内行外行都可以读的书 Avoid computer jargon when you write for laymen. 写东西给一般人看时，应避免使用电脑术语。

21 aggravated
使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火
参考例句：
If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。 Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

22 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。

23 murmur
n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言
参考例句：
They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。 There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

24 blackmail
n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓
参考例句：
She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。 The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

25 brutally
adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地
参考例句：
The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。 A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

26 creek
n.小溪，小河，小湾
参考例句：
He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。 People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

27 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。

28 casually
adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地
参考例句：
She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。 I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

29 likeness
n.相像，相似（之处）
参考例句：
I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。 She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

30 motive
n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的
参考例句：
The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。 He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

31 inadequate
adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的
参考例句：
The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。 She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

32 radius
n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限
参考例句：
He has visited every shop within a radius of two miles.周围两英里以内的店铺他都去过。 We are measuring the radius of the circle.我们正在测量圆的半径。

33 hearsay
n.谣传，风闻
参考例句：
They started to piece the story together from hearsay.他们开始根据传闻把事情的经过一点点拼湊起来。 You are only supposing this on hearsay.You have no proof.你只是根据传闻想像而已，并没有证据。

34 accusation
n.控告，指责，谴责
参考例句：
I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。 She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

35 entirely
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。 His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

36 lapse
n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效
参考例句：
The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。 I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

37 alas
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句：
Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！ Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

38 dictatorial
adj. 独裁的，专断的
参考例句：
Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。 For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

39 egregious
adj.非常的，过分的
参考例句：
When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。 What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

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