空幻之屋32

时间：2024-12-31 10:10:44

（单词翻译:单击）

Twenty-two
The latch1 of the gate clicked and Poirot looked out of the window in time to see the visitor who
was coming up the path to the front door. He knew at once who she was. He wondered very much
what brought Veronica Cray to see him.
She brought a delicious faint scent2 into the room with her, a scent that Poirot recognized. She
wore tweeds and brogues as Henrietta had done—but she was, he decided3, very different from
Henrietta.
“M. Poirot.” Her tone was delightful4, a little thrilled. “I’ve only just discovered who my
neighbour is. And I’ve always wanted to know you so much.”
He took her outstretched hands, bowed over them.
“Enchanted, Madame.”
She accepted the homage5 smilingly, refused his offer of tea, coffee or cocktail6.
“No, I’ve just come to talk to you. To talk seriously. I’m worried.”
“You are worried? I am sorry to hear that.”
Veronica sat down and sighed.
“It’s about John Christow’s death. The inquest’s tomorrow. You know that?”
“Yes, yes, I know.”
“And the whole thing has really been so extraordinary—”
She broke off.
“Most people really wouldn’t believe it. But you would, I think, because you know something
about human nature.”
“I know a little about human nature,” admitted Poirot.
“Inspector7 Grange came to see me. He’d got it into his head that I’d quarrelled with John—
which is true in a way though not in the way he meant. I told him that I hadn’t seen John for
fifteen years—and he simply didn’t believe me. But it’s true, M. Poirot.”
Poirot said: “Since it is true, it can easily be proved, so why worry?”
She returned his smile in the friendliest fashion.
“The real truth is that I simply haven’t dared to tell the inspector what actually happened on
Saturday evening. It’s so absolutely fantastic that he certainly wouldn’t believe it. But I felt I must
tell someone. That’s why I have come to you.”
Poirot said quietly: “I am flattered.”
That fact, he noted8, she took for granted. She was a woman, he thought, who was very sure of
the effect she was producing. So sure that she might, occasionally, make a mistake.
“John and I were engaged to be married fifteen years ago. He was very much in love with me—
so much so that it rather alarmed me sometimes. He wanted me to give up acting—to give up
having any mind or life of my own. He was so possessive and masterful that I felt I couldn’t go
through with it, and I broke off the engagement. I’m afraid he took that very hard.”
Poirot clicked a discreet9 and sympathetic tongue.
“I didn’t see him again until last Saturday night. He walked home with me. I told the inspector
that we talked about old times—that’s true in a way. But there was far more than that.”
“Yes?”
“John went mad—quite mad. He wanted to leave his wife and children, he wanted me to get a
divorce from my husband and marry him. He said he’d never forgotten me—that the moment he
saw me time stood still.”
She closed her eyes, she swallowed. Under her makeup10 her face was very pale.
She opened her eyes again and smiled almost timidly at Poirot.
“Can you believe that a—a feeling like that is possible?” she asked.
“I think it is possible, yes,” said Poirot.
“Never to forget—to go on waiting—planning—hoping. To determine with all one’s heart and
mind to get what one wants in the end. There are men like that, M. Poirot.”
“Yes—and women.”
She gave him a hard stare.
“I’m talking about men—about John Christow. Well, that’s how it was. I protested at first,
laughed, refused to take him seriously. Then I told him he was mad. It was quite late when he went
back to the house. We’d argued and argued. He was still—just as determined11.”
She swallowed again.
“That’s why I sent him a note the next morning. I couldn’t leave things like that. I had to make
him realize that what he wanted was—impossible.”
“It was impossible?”
“Of course it was impossible! He came over. He wouldn’t listen to what I had to say. He was
just as insistent12. I told him that it was no good, that I didn’t love him, that I hated him…” She
paused, breathing hard. “I had to be brutal13 about it. So we parted in anger…And now—he’s dead.”
He saw her hands creep together, saw the twisted fingers and the knuckles14 stand out. They were
large, rather cruel hands.
The strong emotion that she was feeling communicated itself to him. It was not sorrow, not grief
—no, it was anger. The anger, he thought, of a baffled egoist.
“Well, M. Poirot?” Her voice was controlled and smooth again. “What am I to do? Tell the
story, or keep it to myself? It’s what happened—but it takes a bit of believing.”
Poirot looked at her, a long, considering gaze.
He did not think that Veronica Cray was telling the truth, and yet there was an undeniable
undercurrent of sincerity15. It happened, he thought, but it did not happen like that.
And suddenly he got it. It was a true story, inverted16. It was she who had been unable to forget
John Christow. It was she who had been baffled and repulsed17. And now, unable to bear in silence
the furious anger of a tigress deprived of what she considered her legitimate18 prey19, she had
invented a version of the truth that should satisfy her wounded pride and feed a little the aching
hunger for a man who had gone beyond the reach of her clutching hands. Impossible to admit that
she, Veronica Cray, could not have what she wanted! So she had changed it all round.
Poirot drew a deep breath and spoke20.
“If all this had any bearing on John Christow’s death, you would have to speak out, but if it has
not—and I cannot see why it should have—then I think you are quite justified21 in keeping it to
yourself.”
He wondered if she was disappointed. He had a fancy that in her present mood she would like to
hurl22 her story into the printed page of a newspaper. She had come to him—why? To try out her
story? To test his reactions? Or to use him—to induce him to pass the story on?
If his mild response disappointed her, she did not show it. She got up and gave him one of those
long, well-manicured hands.
“Thank you, M. Poirot. What you say seems eminently23 sensible. I’m so glad I came to you. I—I
felt I wanted somebody to know.”
“I shall respect your confidence, Madame.”
When she had gone, he opened the windows a little. Scents24 affected25 him. He did not like
Veronica’s scent. It was expensive but cloying26, overpowering like her personality.
He wondered, as he flapped the curtains, whether Veronica Cray had killed John Christow.
She would have been willing to kill him—he believed that. She would have enjoyed pressing
the trigger—would have enjoyed seeing him stagger and fall.
But behind that vindictive27 anger was something cold and shrewd, something that appraised28
chances, a cool, calculating intelligence. However much Veronica Cray wished to kill John
Christow, he doubted whether she would have taken the risk.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁
参考例句：
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
2 scent WThzs     
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。
3 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。
4 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的
参考例句：
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
5 homage eQZzK     
n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬
参考例句：
  • We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
  • The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。
6 cocktail Jw8zNt     
n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物
参考例句：
  • We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
  • At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。
7 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。
8 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
9 discreet xZezn     
adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的
参考例句：
  • He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
  • It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
10 makeup 4AXxO     
n.组织；性格；化装品
参考例句：
  • Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
  • Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？
11 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
12 insistent s6ZxC     
adj.迫切的，坚持的
参考例句：
  • There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
  • He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。
13 brutal bSFyb     
adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的
参考例句：
  • She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
  • They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。
14 knuckles c726698620762d88f738be4a294fae79     
n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝
参考例句：
  • He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
  • Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 sincerity zyZwY     
n.真诚，诚意；真实
参考例句：
  • His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
  • He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。
16 inverted 184401f335d6b8661e04dfea47b9dcd5     
adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
  • Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 repulsed 80c11efb71fea581c6fe3c4634a448e1     
v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝
参考例句：
  • I was repulsed by the horrible smell. 这种可怕的气味让我恶心。
  • At the first brush,the enemy was repulsed. 敌人在第一次交火时就被击退了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 legitimate L9ZzJ     
adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法
参考例句：
  • Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
  • That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。
19 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨
参考例句：
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
20 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。
21 justified 7pSzrk     
a.正当的，有理的
参考例句：
  • She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
  • The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
22 hurl Yc4zy     
vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂
参考例句：
  • The best cure for unhappiness is to hurl yourself into your work.医治愁苦的最好办法就是全身心地投入工作。
  • To hurl abuse is no way to fight.谩骂决不是战斗。
23 eminently c442c1e3a4b0ad4160feece6feb0aabf     
adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地
参考例句：
  • She seems eminently suitable for the job. 她看来非常适合这个工作。
  • It was an eminently respectable boarding school. 这是所非常好的寄宿学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 scents 9d41e056b814c700bf06c9870b09a332     
n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉
参考例句：
  • The air was fragrant with scents from the sea and the hills. 空气中荡漾着山和海的芬芳气息。
  • The winds came down with scents of the grass and wild flowers. 微风送来阵阵青草和野花的香气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
26 cloying cloying     
adj.甜得发腻的
参考例句：
  • Her cheap,cloying scent enveloped him.她那廉价香水甜腻熏人的气味一下子包围了他。
  • His particular trademark is a cute and cloying sentimentality.他独特的标志是做作的、让人反感的多愁善感。
27 vindictive FL3zG     
adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的
参考例句：
  • I have no vindictive feelings about it.我对此没有恶意。
  • The vindictive little girl tore up her sister's papers.那个充满报复心的小女孩撕破了她姐姐的作业。
28 appraised 4753e1eab3b5ffb6d1b577ff890499b9     
v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；估量；评价
参考例句：
  • The teacher appraised the pupil's drawing. 老师评价了那个学生的画。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He appraised the necklace at ￡1000. 据他估计，项链价值1000英镑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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