The moment Audrey became certain of the name of the person accused by her lover, she recalled what Mrs. Mellop had said about Sir Joseph. As the thought came into her mind she turned very white, and leaning back in the chair closed her eyes, feeling deadly sick. It really seemed as though Ralph had spoken the truth, and that her father, of all people, was guilty. No wonder the diamonds had not been stolen. Sir Joseph had not crept into the Pink Shop to steal jewels, but to rid himself of an
undesirable1 wife. A nervous shiver shook the girl from head to foot, and she almost lost consciousness. But the touch of a cold glass
rim2 on her lips made her open her eyes, and she saw that Shawe was offering her some wine.
"Drink this, darling, and you will feel better," he said anxiously.
This time Audrey did not refuse, as she felt that she needed to be sustained at the moment. Without a word she drank half the wine, and then motioned Ralph to remove the glass. In a minute or so the colour came back to her face, and she sat up with renewed strength.
"I am all right now," she declared firmly. "Ralph, sit down and explain."
"What is there to explain?" said Shawe, replacing the wine-glass on the table and resuming his former seat. "You know that I suspect Sir Joseph, and why I suspect him."
"And for this reason you wrote the
anonymous3 letter?"
"Yes," said the barrister,
frankly4. "After Perry Toat told me what Parizade had said, and after what you mentioned about your father going out at night--ostensibly to help the poor--I suspected him. You mentioned your father's prowling before our Kensington Gardens conversation. I knew if I told you face to face that you would either be indignant with me or you would go straight to your father and make trouble. It was my desire to keep my suspicions quiet, since they are difficult to verify. For this reason I wrote you
anonymously5, and advised you to stop the search. I knew what grief it would cause you."
Audrey leant back and looked at her lover. "I have no reason to love my father, as you know," she said dully. "He has always been unkind to me, and he was unkind to my poor mother; but I can't think that he killed her."
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收听单词发音
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1
undesirable
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| adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子 |
参考例句： |
- They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
- Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。
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2
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 |
参考例句： |
- The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
- She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。
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3
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 |
参考例句： |
- Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
- The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。
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4
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 |
参考例句： |
- To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
- Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。
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5
anonymously
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| ad.用匿名的方式 |
参考例句： |
- The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
- Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。
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6
olfactory
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| adj.嗅觉的 |
参考例句： |
- He is to develop a sensor to substitute for the olfactory abilities of dogs.克罗克将研制一种传感器用以代替狗的嗅觉功能。
- Based on these findings, Keller suspects that each person has an olfactory blind spot.根据这些发现，凯勒推断，每个人都有一个嗅觉盲区。
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7
lurking
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| 潜在 |
参考例句： |
- Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
- There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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8
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 |
参考例句： |
- She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
- She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
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9
pointed
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| 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。
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10
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
- "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！
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lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 |
参考例句： |
- 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。
- The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。
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12
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 |
参考例句： |
- The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
- I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
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13
exonerate
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| v.免除责任，确定无罪 |
参考例句： |
- Nothing can exonerate her from that.任何解释都难辞其咎。
- There is no reason to exonerate him from the ordinary duties of a citizen.没有理由免除他做公民应尽的义务。
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 |
参考例句： |
- They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
- He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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15
clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- I'll never get used to them, she thought, clenching her fists. 我永远也看不惯这些家伙，她握紧双拳，心里想。 来自飘（部分）
- Clenching her lips, she nodded. 她紧闭着嘴唇，点点头。 来自辞典例句
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jade
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| n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠 |
参考例句： |
- The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
- He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。
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ranger
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| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 |
参考例句： |
- He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
- He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 |
参考例句： |
- He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
- The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
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defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 |
参考例句： |
- Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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21
doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 |
参考例句： |
- He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
- He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着，一直走回了公寓。
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swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- She swerved sharply to avoid a cyclist. 她猛地急转弯，以躲开一个骑自行车的人。
- The driver has swerved on a sudden to avoid a file of geese. 为了躲避一队鹅，司机突然来个急转弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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23
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 |
参考例句： |
- She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
- People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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smelt
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| 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。
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 |
参考例句： |
- The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
- The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
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motive
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| 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。
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
- He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。
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lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） |
参考例句： |
- The murderers lurked behind the trees. 谋杀者埋伏在树后。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Treachery lurked behind his smooth manners. 他圆滑姿态的后面潜伏着奸计。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 |
参考例句： |
- He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
- He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。
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