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CHAPTER IV. The Brother from Australia
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 Guests at the Red House were allowed to do what they liked within reason—the reasonableness or otherwise of it being decided1 by Mark. But when once they (or Mark) had made up their minds as to what they wanted to do, the plan had to be kept. Mrs. Calladine, who knew this little weakness of their host’s, resisted, therefore, the suggestion of Bill that they should have a second round in the afternoon, and drive home comfortably after tea. The other golfers were willing enough, but Mrs. Calladine, without actually saying that Mr. Ablett wouldn’t like it, was firm on the point that, having arranged to be back by four, they should be back by four.
 
“I really don’t think Mark wants us, you know,” said the Major. Having played badly in the morning, he wanted to prove to himself in the afternoon that he was really better than that. “With this brother of his coming, he’ll be only too glad to have us out of the way.”
 
“Of course he will, Major.” This from Bill. “You’d like to play, wouldn’t you, Miss Norris?”
 
Miss Norris looked doubtfully at the hostess.
 
“Of course, if you want to get back, dear, we mustn’t keep you here. Besides, it’s so dull for you, not playing.”
 
“Just nine holes, mother,” pleaded2 Betty.
 
“The car could take you back, and you could tell them that we were having another round, and then it could come back for us,” said Bill brilliantly.
 
“It’s certainly much cooler here than I expected,” put in the Major.
 
Mrs. Calladine fell. It was very pleasantly cool outside the golf-house, and of course Mark would be rather glad to have them out of the way. So she consented to nine holes; and the match having ended all-square, and everybody having played much better than in the morning, they drove back to the Red House, very well pleased with themselves.
 
“Hallo,” said Bill to himself, as they approached the house, “isn’t that old Tony?”
 
Antony was standing3 in front of the house, waiting for them. Bill waved, and he waved back. Then as the car drew up, Bill, who was in front with the chauffeur4, jumped down and greeted him eagerly.
 
“Hallo, you madman, have you come to stay, or what?” He had a sudden idea. “Don’t say you’re Mark Ablett’s long-lost brother from Australia, though I could quite believe it of you.” He laughed boyishly.
 
“Hallo, Bill,” said Antony quietly. “Will you introduce me? I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”
 
Bill, rather sobered5 by this, introduced him. The Major and Mrs. Calladine were on the near side of the car, and Antony spoke6 to them in a low voice.
 
“I’m afraid I’m going to give you rather a shock,” he said. “Robert Ablett, Mr. Mark Ablett’s brother, has been killed.” He jerked7 a thumb over his shoulder. “In the house.”
 
“Good God!” said the Major.
 
“Do you mean that he has killed himself?” asked Mrs. Calladine. “Just now?”
 
“It was about two hours ago. I happened to come here,”—he half-turned to Beverley and explained—“I was coming to see you, Bill, and I arrived just after the—the death. Mr. Cayley and I found the body. Mr. Cayley being busy just now—there are police and doctors and so on in the house—he asked me to tell you. He says that no doubt you would prefer, the house-party having been broken up in this tragic8 way, to leave as soon as possible.” He gave a pleasant apologetic little smile and went on, “I am putting it badly, but what he means, of course, is that you must consult your own feelings in the matter entirely9, and please make your own arrangements about ordering the car for whatever train you wish to catch. There is one this evening, I understand, which you could go by if you wished it.”
 
Bill gazed with open mouth at Antony. He had no words in his vocabulary to express what he wanted to say, other than those the Major had already used. Betty was leaning across to Miss Norris and saying, “Who’s killed?” in an awe-struck voice, and Miss Norris, who was instinctively10 looking as tragic as she looked on the stage when a messenger announced the death of one of the cast, stopped for a moment in order to explain. Mrs. Calladine was quietly mistress11 of herself.
 
“We shall be in the way, yes, I quite understand,” she said; “but we can’t just shake the dust of the place off our shoes because something terrible has happened there. I must see Mark, and we can arrange later what to do. He must know how very deeply we feel for him. Perhaps we—” she hesitated.
 
“The Major and I might be useful anyway,” said Bill. “Isn’t that what you mean, Mrs. Calladine?”
 
“Where is Mark?” said the Major suddenly, looking hard at Antony.
 
Antony looked back unwaveringly—and said nothing.
 
“I think,” said the Major gently, leaning over to Mrs. Calladine, “that it would be better if you took Betty back to London to-night.”
 
“Very well,” she agreed quietly. “You will come with us, Ruth?”
 
“I’ll see you safely there,” said Bill in a meek12 voice. He didn’t quite know what was happening, and, having expected to stay at the Red House for another week, he had nowhere to go to in London, but London seemed to be the place that everyone was going to, and when he could get Tony alone for a moment, Tony no doubt would explain.
 
“Cayley wants you to stay, Bill. You have to go anyhow, to-morrow, Major Rumbold?”
 
“Yes. I’ll come with you, Mrs. Calladine.”
 
“Mr. Cayley would wish me to say again that you will please not hesitate to give your own orders, both as regard the car and as regard any telephoning or telegraphing that you want done.” He smiled again and added, “Please forgive me if I seem to have taken a good deal upon myself, but I just happened to be handy as a mouthpiece for Cayley.” He bowed to them and went into the house.
 
“Well!” said Miss Norris dramatically.
 
As Antony re-entered the hall, the Inspector13 from Middleston was just crossing into the library with Cayley. The latter stopped and nodded to Antony.
 
“Wait a moment, Inspector. Here’s Mr. Gillingham. He’d better come with us.” And then to Antony, “This is Inspector Birch.”
 
Birch looked inquiringly from one to the other.
 
“Mr. Gillingham and I found the body together,” explained Cayley.
 
“Oh! Well, come along, and let’s get the facts sorted out a bit. I like to know where I am, Mr. Gillingham.”
 
“We all do.”
 
“Oh!” He looked at Antony with interest. “D’you know where you are in this case?”
 
“I know where I’m going to be.”
 
“Where’s that?”
 
“Put through it by Inspector Birch,” said Antony with a smile.
 
The inspector laughed genially14.
 
“Well, I’ll spare you as much as I can. Come along.”
 
They went into the library. The inspector seated himself at a writing-table, and Cayley sat in a chair by the side of it. Antony made himself comfortable in an armchair and prepared to be interested.
 
“We’ll start with the dead man,” said the Inspector. “Robert Ablett, didn’t you say?” He took out his notebook.
 
“Yes. Brother of Mark Ablett, who lives here.”
 
“Ah!” He began to sharpen a pencil. “Staying in the house?”
 
“Oh, no!”
 
Antony listened attentively15 while Cayley explained all that he knew about Robert. This was news to him. “I see. Sent out of the country in disgrace16. What had he done?”
 
“I hardly know. I was only about twelve at the time. The sort of age when you’re told not to ask questions.”
 
“Inconvenient questions?”
 
“Exactly.”
 
“So you don’t really know whether he had been merely wild or—or wicked?”
 
“No. Old Mr. Ablett was a clergyman,” added Cayley. “Perhaps what might seem wicked to a clergyman might seem only wild to a man of the world.”
 
“I daresay, Mr. Cayley,” smiled the Inspector. “Anyhow, it was more convenient to have him in Australia?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“Mark Ablett never talked about him?”
 
“Hardly ever. He was very much ashamed of him, and—well, very glad he was in Australia.”
 
“Did he write Mark sometimes?”
 
“Occasionally. Perhaps three or four times in the last five years.”
 
“Asking for money?”
 
“Something of the sort. I don’t think Mark always answered them. As far as I know, he never sent any money.”
 
“Now your own private opinion, Mr. Cayley. Do you think that Mark was unfair to his brother? Unduly17 hard on him?”
 
“They’d never liked each other as boys. There was never any affection between them. I don’t know whose fault it was in the first place—if anybody’s.”
 
“Still, Mark might have given him a hand?”
 
“I understand,” said Cayley, “that Robert spent his whole life asking for hands.”
 
The inspector nodded.
 
“I know that sort. Well, now, we’ll go on to this morning. This letter that Mark got—did you see it?”
 
“Not at the time. He showed it to me afterwards.”
 
“Any address?”
 
“No. A half-sheet of rather dirty paper.”
 
“Where is it now?”
 
“I don’t know. In Mark’s pocket, I expect.”
 
“Ah!” He pulled at his beard. “Well, we’ll come to that. Can you remember what it said?”
 
“As far as I remember, something like this: ‘Mark, your loving brother is coming to see you to-morrow, all the way from Australia. I give you warning so that you will be able to conceal18 your surprise, but not I hope, your pleasure. Expect him at three, or thereabouts.’”
 
“Ah!” The inspector copied it down carefully. “Did you notice the postmark?”
 
“London.”
 
“And what was Mark’s attitude?”
 
“Annoyance, disgust—” Cayley hesitated.
 
Apprehension19?”
 
“N-no, not exactly. Or, rather, apprehension of an unpleasant interview, not of any unpleasant outcome20 for himself.”
 
“You mean that he wasn’t afraid of violence, or blackmail21, or anything of that sort?”
 
“He didn’t appear to be.”
 
“Right.... Now then, he arrived, you say, about three o’clock?”
 
“Yes, about that.”
 
“Who was in the house then?”
 
“Mark and myself, and some of the servants. I don’t know which. Of course, you will ask them directly, no doubt.”
 
“With your permission. No guests?”
 
“They were out all day playing golf,” explained Cayley. “Oh, by the way,” he put in, “if I may interrupt a moment, will you want to see them at all? It isn’t very pleasant for them now, naturally, and I suggested—” he turned to Antony, who nodded back to him. “I understand that they want to go back to London this evening. There’s no objection to that, I suppose?”
 
“You will let me have their names and addresses in case I want to communicate with them?”
 
“Of course. One of them is staying on, if you would like to see him later, but they only came back from their golf as we crossed the hall.”
 
“That’s all right, Mr. Cayley. Well, now then, let’s go back to three o’clock. Where were you when Robert arrived?”
 
Cayley explained how he had been sitting in the hall, how Audrey had asked him where the master was, and how he had said that he had last seen him going up to the Temple.
 
“She went away, and I went on with my book. There was a step on the stairs, and I looked up to see Mark coming down. He went into the office, and I went on with my book again. I went into the library for a moment, to refer to another book, and when I was in there I heard a shot. At least, it was a loud bang, I wasn’t sure if it was a shot. I stood and listened. Then I came slowly to the door and looked out. Then I went back again, hesitated a bit, you know, and finally decided to go across to the office, and make sure that it was all right. I turned the handle of the door and found it was locked. Then I got frightened, and I banged at the door, and shouted, and—well, that was when Mr. Gillingham arrived.” He went on to explain how they had found the body.
 
The inspector looked at him with a smile.
 
“Yes, well, we shall have to go over some of that again, Mr. Cayley. Mr. Mark, now. You thought he was in the Temple. Could he have come in, and gone up to his room, without your seeing him?”
 
“There are back stairs. He wouldn’t have used them in the ordinary way, of course. But I wasn’t in the hall all the afternoon. He might easily have gone upstairs without my knowing anything about it.”
 
“So that you weren’t surprised when you saw him coming down?”
 
“Oh, not a bit.”
 
“Well, did he say anything?”
 
“He said, ‘Robert’s here?’ or something of the sort. I suppose he’d heard the bell, or the voices in the hall.”
 
“Which way does his bedroom face? Could he have seen him coming down the drive?”
 
“He might have, yes.”
 
“Well?”
 
“Well, then, I said ‘Yes,’ and he gave a sort of shrug22, and said, ‘Don’t go too far away, I might want you’; and then went in.”
 
“What did you think he meant by that?”
 
“Well, he consults me a good deal, you know. I’m his sort of unofficial solicitor23 in a kind of way.”
 
“This was a business meeting rather than a brotherly one?”
 
“Oh, yes. That’s how he regarded it, I’m sure.”
 
“Yes. How long was it before you heard the shot?”
 
“Very soon. Two minutes, perhaps.”
 
The inspector finished his writing, and then regarded Cayley thoughtfully. Suddenly he said:
 
“What is your theory of Robert’s death?”
 
Cayley shrugged24 his shoulders.
 
“You’ve probably seen more than I’ve seen,” he answered. “It’s your job. I can only speak as a layman—and Mark’s friend.”
 
“Well?”
 
“Then I should say that Robert came here meaning trouble, and bringing a revolver with him. He produced it almost at once, Mark tried to get it from him, there was a little struggle perhaps, and it went off. Mark lost his head, finding himself there with a revolver in his hand and a dead man at his feet. His one idea was to escape. He locked the door almost instinctively, and then, when he heard me hammering at it, went out of the window.”
 
“Y-yes. Well, that sounds reasonable enough. What do you say, Mr. Gillingham?”
 
“I should hardly call it ‘reasonable’ to lose your head,” said Antony, getting up from his chair and coming towards them.
 
“Well, you know what I mean. It explains things.”
 
“Oh, yes. Any other explanation would make them much more complicated.”
 
“Have you any other explanation?”
 
“Not I.”
 
“Are there any points on which you would like to correct Mr. Cayley?—anything that he left out after you arrived here?”
 
“No, thanks. He described it all very accurately25.”
 
“Ah! Well now, about yourself. You’re not staying in the house, I gather?”
 
Antony explained his previous movements.
 
“Yes. Did you hear the shot?”
 
Antony put his head on one side, as if listening. “Yes. Just as I came in sight of the house. It didn’t make any impression at the time, but I remember it now.”
 
“Where were you then?”
 
“Coming up the drive. I was just in sight of the house.”
 
“Nobody left the house by the front door after the shot?”
 
Antony closed his eyes and considered.
 
“Nobody,” he said. “No.”
 
“You’re certain of that?”
 
“Absolutely,” said Antony, as though rather surprised that he could be suspected of a mistake.
 
“Thank you. You’re at ‘The George,’ if I want you?”
 
“Mr. Gillingham is staying here until after the inquest,” explained Cayley.
 
“Good. Well now, about these servants?”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
2 pleaded 1180b0c3eadb43bd3420016b36aaf0a9     
恳求,请求( plead的过去式和过去分词 ); 提出…为借口[理由]; (向法庭)陈述案情; (在法庭)申辩,认罪,辩护
参考例句:
  • She pleaded with him not to go. 她恳求他不要离开。
  • She wept and pleaded until he agreed to do as she wished. 她哭着恳求他,一直到他答应按她的愿望去做。
3 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
4 chauffeur HrGzL     
n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机;v.为…开车
参考例句:
  • The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
  • She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。
5 sobered cfc45f47a497c136e91ea5fa2a84a578     
(使)冷静, (使)清醒( sober的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The news sobered all of them. 那消息使他们全都冷静下来。
  • The offender apologized when he sobered up. 冒犯者醒酒后道了歉。
6 spoke XryyC     
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 jerked 0d2c5c8d25148069397b82ae34bff230     
猛拉( jerk的过去式和过去分词 ); (使…)猝然一动[颤动]
参考例句:
  • He jerked the phone away from her. 他猛然一下从她那儿把电话抢走。
  • When she heard the news, she jerked upright in surprise. 当听到这则消息时,她惊讶得跳了起来。
8 tragic inaw2     
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的
参考例句:
  • The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
  • Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。
9 entirely 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。
10 instinctively 2qezD2     
adv.本能地
参考例句:
  • As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近,她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 mistress YDYxZ     
n.(文学用语)使男子为之倾倒的女人,女主人
参考例句:
  • Does his wife know he has a mistress?他的妻子知道他有一个情妇吗?
  • Is your mistress at home?你家女主人在家吗?
12 meek x7qz9     
adj.温顺的,逆来顺受的
参考例句:
  • He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
  • The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。
13 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
14 genially 0de02d6e0c84f16556e90c0852555eab     
adv.亲切地,和蔼地;快活地
参考例句:
  • The white church peeps out genially from behind the huts scattered on the river bank. 一座白色教堂从散布在岸上的那些小木房后面殷勤地探出头来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • "Well, It'seems strange to see you way up here,'said Mr. Kenny genially. “咳,真没想到会在这么远的地方见到你,"肯尼先生亲切地说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
15 attentively AyQzjz     
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》
16 disgrace klFzD     
n.耻辱,不光彩,丢脸的人(或事);vt.使丢脸
参考例句:
  • You will bring disgrace on yourself by doing this.你这样做会给自己带来耻辱。
  • He is a disgrace to our school.他是我们学校的耻辱。
17 unduly Mp4ya     
adv.过度地,不适当地
参考例句:
  • He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
  • He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。
18 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
19 apprehension bNayw     
n.理解,领悟;逮捕,拘捕;忧虑
参考例句:
  • There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑,于是她越来越担心。
  • She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。
20 outcome 60ryR     
n.结果,出口,演变
参考例句:
  • The outcome of the experiment is in the lap of the gods.实验结果尚难预料。
  • The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。
21 blackmail rRXyl     
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。
22 shrug Ry3w5     
v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)
参考例句:
  • With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩,走出了房间。
  • I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
23 solicitor vFBzb     
n.初级律师,事务律师
参考例句:
  • The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
  • The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。
24 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
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》
25 accurately oJHyf     
adv.准确地,精确地
参考例句:
  • It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
  • Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。


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