Five
“I don’t know, I’m sure,” said Mrs. Burch.
She had said that three times already. Her natural distrust of foreign-looking gentlemen withblack moustaches, wearing large fur-lined coats was not to be easily overcome.
“Very unpleasant, it’s been,” she went on. “Having poor auntie murdered and the police andall that. Tramping round everywhere, and ferreting about, and asking questions. With theneighbours all agog¹. I didn’t feel at first we’d ever live it down. And my husband’s mother’s beendownright nasty about it. Nothing of that kind ever happened in her family, she kept saying. And‘poor Joe’ and all that. What about poor me? She was my aunt, wasn’t she? But really I did think itwas all over now.”
“And supposing that James Bentley is innocent, after all?”
“Nonsense,” snapped Mrs. Burch. “Of course he isn’t innocent. He did it all right. I never didlike the looks of him. Wandering about muttering to himself. Said to auntie, I did: ‘You oughtn’tto have a man like that in the house. Might go off his head,’ I said. But she said he was quiet andobliging and didn’t give trouble. No drinking, she said, and he didn’t even smoke. Well, sheknows better now, poor soul.”
Poirot looked thoughtfully at her. She was a big, plump woman with a healthy colour and agood-humoured mouth. The small house was neat and clean and smelt² of furniture polish andBrasso. A faint appetizing smell came from the direction of the kitchen.
A good wife who kept her house clean and took the trouble to cook for her man. Heapproved. She was prejudiced and obstinate⁴ but, after all, why not? Most decidedly, she was notthe kind of woman one could imagine using a meat chopper on her aunt, or conniving⁵ at herhusband’s doing so. Spence had not thought her that kind of woman, and rather reluctantly,Hercule Poirot agreed with him. Spence had gone into the financial background of the Burchesand had found no motive⁶ there for murder, and Spence was a very thorough man.
He sighed, and persevered

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1 agog
adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地
参考例句：
The children were all agog to hear the story.孩子们都渴望着要听这个故事。 The city was agog with rumors last night that the two had been executed.那两人已被处决的传言昨晚搞得全城沸沸扬扬。

2 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。

3 brass
n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器
参考例句：
Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。 Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

4 obstinate
adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的
参考例句：
She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了，不会让任何人帮她的。 The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。

5 conniving
v.密谋 ( connive的现在分词 )；搞阴谋；默许；纵容
参考例句：
She knew that if she said nothing she would be conniving in an injustice. 她知道她如果什么也不说就是在纵容不公正的行为。 The general is accused of conniving in a plot to topple the government. 将军被指控纵容一个颠覆政府的阴谋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 persevered
v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。 Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句

8 irrelevant
adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的
参考例句：
That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。 A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

9 intimacy
n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行
参考例句：
His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。 I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

10 ginger
n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气
参考例句：
There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。 Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

11 pandemonium
n.喧嚣，大混乱
参考例句：
The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。 I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。

12 disposition
n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署
参考例句：
He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。 He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

13 superintendent
n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长
参考例句：
He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。 He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

14 hostility
n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争
参考例句：
There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。 His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

15 placate
v.抚慰，平息(愤怒)
参考例句：
He never attempts to placate his enemy.他从不企图与敌人和解。 Even a written apology failed to placate the indignant hostess.甚至一纸书面道歉都没能安抚这个怒气冲冲的女主人。

16 importunate
adj.强求的；纠缠不休的
参考例句：
I would not have our gratitude become indiscreet or importunate.我不愿意让我们的感激变成失礼或勉强。 The importunate memory was kept before her by its ironic contrast to her present situation.萦绕在心头的这个回忆对当前的情景来说，是个具有讽刺性的对照。

17 alibi
n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口
参考例句：
Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi? 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗？ The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑，因为他已有前科。

18 ransack
v.彻底搜索，洗劫
参考例句：
He began to ransack his mother's workbox for a piece of thread.他要找一根线,开始翻腾妈妈的针线盒。 She ransack my apartment for the bankbook.她在我公寓里到处搜索寻找存折。

19 savings
n.存款，储蓄
参考例句：
I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。 By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

20 moron
n.极蠢之人，低能儿
参考例句：
I used to think that Gordon was a moron.我曾以为戈登是个白痴。 He's an absolute moron!他纯粹是个傻子！

21 fingerprints
n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。 They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 implement
n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行
参考例句：
Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。 The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。