空幻之屋33
时间：2024-12-31 10:10:59
（单词翻译:单击）
Twenty-three
The inquest was over. It had been the merest formality of an affair, and though warned of this
beforehand, yet nearly everyone had a resentful sense of anticlimax1.
Gerda had driven down with Mrs. Patterson from London in a hired Daimler. She had on a
black dress and an unbecoming hat, and looked nervous and bewildered.
Preparatory to stepping back into the Daimler, she paused as Lady Angkatell came up to her.
“How are you, Gerda dear? Not sleeping too badly, I hope. I think it went off as well as we
could hope for, don’t you? So sorry we haven’t got you with us at The Hollow, but I quite
understand how distressing3 that would be.”
Mrs. Patterson said in her bright voice, glancing reproachfully at her sister for not introducing
her properly:
“This was Miss Collins’s idea—to drive straight down and back. Expensive, of course, but we
thought it was worth it.”
“Oh, I do so agree with you.”
Mrs. Patterson lowered her voice.
“I am taking Gerda and the children straight down to Bexhill. What she needs is rest and quiet.
A young man snapped off a camera, and Elsie Patterson pushed her sister into the car and they
drove off.
vacant, lost—she looked for the moment like a half-witted child.
Midge Hardcastle muttered under her breath: “Poor devil.”
“What did everybody see in Christow? That wretched woman looks completely heartbroken.”
“She was absolutely wrapped up in him,” said Midge.
“But why? He was a selfish sort of fellow, good company in a way, but—” He broke off. Then
he asked: “What did you think of him, Midge?”
“I?” Midge reflected. She said at last, rather surprised at her own words: “I think I respected
him.”
“Respected him? For what?”
“Well, he knew his job.”
“You’re thinking of him as a doctor?”
“Yes.”
There was no time for more.
Henrietta was driving Midge back to London in her car. Edward was returning to lunch at The
come out and lunch one day,” and Midge said that that would be very nice but that she couldn’t
take more than an hour off. Edward gave her his charming smile and said:
“Oh, it’s a special occasion. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Then he moved towards Henrietta. “I’ll ring you up, Henrietta.”
“Yes, do, Edward. But I may be out a good deal.”
“Out?”
She gave him a quick, mocking smile.
“Drowning my sorrow. You don’t expect me to sit at home and mope, do you?”
He said slowly: “I don’t understand you nowadays, Henrietta. You are quite different.”
Then she turned to Lucy Angkatell. “I can come back if I want to, can’t I, Lucy?”
Lady Angkatell said: “Of course, darling. And anyway there will be the inquest again in a
fortnight.”
Henrietta went to where she had parked the car in the market square. Her suitcases and Midge’s
were already inside.
They got in and drove off.
and golden leaves shivered a little in the chill of a grey autumn day.
Midge said suddenly: “I’m glad to get away—even from Lucy. Darling as she is, she gives me
the creeps sometimes.”
Henrietta was looking intently into the small driving mirror.
She said rather inattentively:
“Lucy has to give the coloratura touch—even to murder.”
“You know, I’d never thought about murder before.”
pleasant entertainment between the covers of a book. But the real thing—”
She paused. Midge finished:
“Is real. That is what startles one.”
Henrietta said:
“It needn’t be startling to you. You are outside it. Perhaps the only one of us who is.”
Midge said:
“We’re all outside it now. We’ve got away.”
Henrietta murmured: “Have we?”
She was looking in the driving mirror again. Suddenly she put her foot down on the accelerator.
The car responded. She glanced at the speedometer. They were doing over fifty. Presently the
needle reached sixty.
Midge looked sideways at Henrietta’s profile. It was not like Henrietta to drive recklessly. She
She said: “Look over your shoulder, Midge. See that car way back there?”
“Yes?”
“It’s a Ventnor 10.”
“Is it?” Midge was not particularly interested.
“They’re useful little cars, low petrol consumption, keep the road well, but they’re not fast.”
“No?”
Curious, thought Midge, how fascinated Henrietta always was by cars and their performance.
“As I say, they’re not fast—but that car, Midge, has managed to keep its distance although
we’ve been going over sixty.”
Midge turned a startled face to her.
“Do you mean that—”
Henrietta nodded. “The police, I believe, have special engines in very ordinary-looking cars.”
Midge said:
“You mean they’re still keeping an eye on us all?”
“It seems rather obvious.”
Midge shivered.
“Henrietta, can you understand the meaning of this second gun business?”
“No, it lets Gerda out. But beyond that it just doesn’t seem to add up to anything.”
“But, if it was one of Henry’s guns—”
“We don’t know that it was. It hasn’t been found yet, remember.”
“No, that’s true. It could be someone outside altogether. Do you know who I’d like to think
killed John, Henrietta? That woman.”
“Veronica Cray?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think it’s possible?” persisted Midge.
“Possible, yes,” said Henrietta slowly.
“Then you don’t think—”
“It’s no good thinking a thing because you want to think it. It’s the perfect solution—letting all
of us out!”
“Us? But—”
“We’re in it—all of us. Even you, Midge darling—though they’d be hard put to it to find a
better than to see her giving a lovely performance, as Lucy would put it, in the dock!”
Midge shot a quick look at her.
“Tell me, Henrietta, does it all make you feel vindictive16?”
“You mean”—Henrietta paused a moment—“because I loved John?”
“Yes.”
fact had been put into words. It had been accepted by them all, by Lucy and Henry, by Midge, by
Edward even, that Henrietta loved John Christow, but nobody had ever so much as hinted at the
fact in words before.
There was a pause whilst Henrietta seemed to be thinking. Then she said in a thoughtful voice:
“I can’t explain to you what I feel. Perhaps I don’t know myself.”
They were driving now over Albert Bridge.
Henrietta said:
“You’d better come to the studio, Midge. We’ll have tea, and I’ll drive you to your digs
afterwards.”
Here in London the short afternoon light was already fading. They drew up at the studio door
and Henrietta put her key into the door. She went in and switched on the light.
“It’s chilly,” she said. “We’d better light the gas fire. Oh, bother—I meant to get some matches
on the way.”
“Mine’s no good, and anyway it’s difficult to light a gas fire with one. Make yourself at home.
There’s an old blind man stands on the corner. I usually get my matches off him. I shan’t be a
minute or two.”
feeling to be sharing the empty studio with these creations of wood and bronze.
There was a bronze head with high cheekbones and a tin hat, possibly a Red Army soldier, and
there was an airy structure of twisted ribbonlike aluminium20 which intrigued21 her a good deal. There
was a vast static frog in pinkish granite22, and at the end of the studio she came to an almost life-
sized wooden figure.
She was staring at it when Henrietta’s key turned in the door and Henrietta herself came in
slightly breathless.
Midge turned.
“What’s this, Henrietta? It’s rather frightening.”
“That? That’s The Worshipper. It’s going to the International Group.”
Midge repeated, staring at it:
“It’s frightening.”
Kneeling to light the gas fire, Henrietta said over her shoulder:
“It’s interesting your saying that. Why do you find it frightening?”
“I think—because it hasn’t any face.”
“How right you are, Midge.”
“It’s very good, Henrietta.”
Henrietta said lightly:
“It’s a nice bit of pearwood.”
down a couple of boxes of matches on the table.
“Now for tea,” said Henrietta, and in her voice was the same warm jubilation27 that Midge had
already glimpsed in her face.
It struck an almost jarring note—but Midge forgot it in a train of thought aroused by the sight of
the two boxes of matches.
“You remember those matches Veronica Cray took away with her?”
“Did anyone ever find out whether she had matches in her cottage all the time?”
“I expect the police did. They’re very thorough.”
A faintly triumphant29 smile was curving Henrietta’s lips. Midge felt puzzled and almost repelled30.
She thought: “Can Henrietta really have cared for John? Can she? Surely not.”
“Edward will not have to wait very long….”
Ungenerous of her not to let that thought bring warmth. She wanted Edward to be happy, didn’t
she? It wasn’t as though she could have Edward herself. To Edward she would be always “little
Midge.” Never more than that. Never a woman to be loved.
Edward, unfortunately, was the faithful kind. Well, the faithful kind usually got what they
wanted in the end.
Edward and Henrietta at Ainswick… that was the proper ending to the story. Edward and
Henrietta living happy ever afterwards.
She could see it all very clearly.
“Cheer up, Midge,” said Henrietta. “You mustn’t let murder get you down. Shall we go out later
and have a spot of dinner together?”
But Midge said quickly that she must get back to her rooms. She had things to do—letters to
write. In fact, she’d better go as soon as she’d finished her cup of tea.
“All right. I’ll drive you there.”
“I could get a taxi.”
“Nonsense. Let’s use the car, as it’s there.”
“A Ventnor 10. Our shadow. You’ll see. He’ll follow us.”
“How beastly it all is!”
“Do you think so? I don’t really mind.”
Henrietta dropped Midge at her rooms and came back to the Mews and put her car away in the
garage.
Then she let herself into the studio once more.
For some minutes she stood abstractedly drumming with her fingers on the mantelpiece. Then
she sighed and murmured to herself:
“Well—to work. Better not waste time.”
She threw off her tweeds and got into her overall.
on her cheek and her hair was dishevelled, but she nodded approval at the model on the stand.
It was the rough similitude of a horse. The clay had been slapped on in great irregular lumps. It
was the kind of horse that would have given the colonel of a cavalry35 regiment36 apoplexy, so unlike
was it to any flesh and blood horse that had ever been foaled. It would also have distressed37
Henrietta’s Irish hunting forebears. Nevertheless it was a horse—a horse conceived in the abstract.
widened a little in amusement as she pictured his face.
点击
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1
anticlimax
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| n.令人扫兴的结局；突降法 | |
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2
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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4
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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5
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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6
irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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7
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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8
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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9
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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10
crossword
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| n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏 | |
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11
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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12
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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13
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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14
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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15
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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16
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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17
spoke
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| 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 | |
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18
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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19
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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20
aluminium
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| n.铝 (=aluminum) | |
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21
intrigued
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| adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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22
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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23
satchel
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| n.(皮或帆布的)书包 | |
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24
divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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25
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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26
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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27
jubilation
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| n.欢庆，喜悦 | |
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28
foisting
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| 强迫接受，把…强加于( foist的现在分词 ) | |
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29
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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30
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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31
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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32
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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33
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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34
dabs
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| 少许( dab的名词复数 )； 是…能手； 做某事很在行； 在某方面技术熟练 | |
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35
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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36
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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37
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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38
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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