赫尔克里·波洛的丰功伟绩50

时间：2024-12-31 11:25:36

（单词翻译:单击）

Ten
THE FLOCK OF GERYON
“I really do apologize for intruding1 like this, M. Poirot.”
Miss Carnaby clasped her hands fervently2 round her handbag and leaned forward, peering
anxiously into Poirot’s face. As usual, she sounded breathless.
Hercule Poirot’s eyebrows3 rose.
She said anxiously:
“You do remember me, don’t you?”
Hercule Poirot’s eyes twinkled. He said:
“I remember you as one of the most successful criminals I have ever encountered!”
“Oh dear me, M. Poirot, must you really say such things? You were so kind to me. Emily and
I often talk about you, and if we see anything about you in the paper we cut it out at once and
paste it in a book. As for Augustus, we have taught him a new trick. We say, ‘Die for Sherlock
Holmes, die for Mr. Fortune, die for Sir Henry Merrivale, and then die for M. Hercule Poirot’ and
he goes down and lies like a log—lies absolutely still without moving until we say the word!”
“I am gratified,” said Poirot. “And how is ce cher Auguste?”
Miss Carnaby clasped her hands and became eloquent4 in praise of her Pekinese.
“Oh, M. Poirot, he’s cleverer than ever. He knows everything. Do you know, the other day I
was just admiring a baby in a pram5 and suddenly I felt a tug6 and there was Augustus trying his
hardest to bite through his lead. Wasn’t that clever?”
Poirot’s eyes twinkled. He said:
“It looks to me as though Augustus shared these criminal tendencies we were speaking of just
now!”
Miss Carnaby did not laugh. Instead, her nice plump face grew worried and sad. She said in a
kind of gasp7:
“Oh, M. Poirot, I’m so worried.”
Poirot said kindly8:
“What is it?”
“Do you know, M. Poirot, I’m afraid—I really am afraid—that I must be a hardened criminal
—if I may use such a term. Ideas come to me!”
“What kind of ideas?”
“The most extraordinary ideas! For instance, yesterday, a really most practical scheme for
robbing a post office came into my head. I wasn’t thinking about it—it just came! And another
very ingenious way for evading9 custom duties . . . I feel convinced—quite convinced—that it
would work.”
“It probably would,” said Poirot drily. “That is the danger of your ideas.”
“It has worried me, M. Poirot, very much. Having been brought up with strict principles, as I
have been, it is most disturbing that such lawless—such really wicked—ideas should come to me.
The trouble is partly, I think, that I have a good deal of leisure time now. I have left Lady Hoggin
and I am engaged by an old lady to read to her and write her letters every day. The letters are soon
done and the moment I begin reading she goes to sleep, so I am left just sitting there—with an idle
mind—and we all know the use the devil has for idleness.”
“Tcha, tcha,” said Poirot.
“Recently I have read a book—a very modern book, translated from the German. It throws a
most interesting light on criminal tendencies. One must, so I understand, sublimate10 one’s
impulses! That, really, is why I came to you.”
“Yes?” said Poirot.
“You see, M. Poirot. I think that it is really not so much wickedness as a craving11 for
excitement! My life has unfortunately been very humdrum12. The—er—campaign of the Pekinese
dogs, I sometimes feel, was the only time I really lived. Very reprehensible13, of course, but, as my
book says, one must not turn one’s back on the truth. I came to you, M. Poirot, because I hoped it
might be possible to—to sublimate that craving for excitement by employing it, if I may put it that
way, on the side of the angels.”
“Aha,” said Poirot. “It is then as a colleague that you present yourself?”
Miss Carnaby blushed.
“It is very presumptuous14 of me, I know. But you were so kind—”
She stopped. Her eyes, faded blue eyes, had something in them of the pleading of a dog who
hopes against hope that you will take him for a walk.
“It is an idea,” said Hercule Poirot slowly.
“I am, of course, not at all clever,” explained Miss Carnaby. “But my powers of—of
dissimulation15 are good. They have to be—otherwise one would be discharged from the post of
companion immediately. And I have always found that to appear even stupider than one is,
occasionally has good results.”
Hercule Poirot laughed. He said:
“You enchant16 me, Mademoiselle.”
“Oh dear, M. Poirot, what a very kind man you are. Then you do encourage me to hope? As
it happens, I have just received a small legacy17—a very small one, but it enables my sister and
myself to keep and feed ourselves in a frugal18 manner so that I am not absolutely dependent on
what I earn.”
“I must consider,” said Poirot, “where your talents may best be employed. You have no idea
yourself, I suppose?”
“You know, you must really be a thought reader, M. Poirot. I have been anxious lately about
a friend of mine. I was going to consult you. Of course you may say it is all an old maid’s fancy—
just imagination. One is prone19, perhaps, to exaggerate, and to see design where there may be only
coincidence.”
“I do not think you would exaggerate, Miss Carnaby. Tell me what is on your mind.”
“Well, I have a friend, a very dear friend, though I have not seen very much of her of late
years. Her name is Emmeline Clegg. She married a man in the North of England and he died a few
years ago leaving her very comfortably off. She was unhappy and lonely after his death and I am
afraid she is in some ways a rather foolish and perhaps credulous20 woman. Religion, M. Poirot, can
be a great help and sustenance—but by that I mean orthodox religion.”
“You refer to the Greek Church?” asked Poirot.
Miss Carnaby looked shocked.
“Oh no, indeed. Church of England. And though I do not approve of Roman Catholics, they
are at least recognized. And the Wesleyans and Congregationalists—they are all well-known
respectable bodies. What I am talking about are these odd sects21. They just spring up. They have a
kind of emotional appeal but sometimes I have very grave doubts as to whether there is any true
religious feeling behind them at all.”
“You think your friend is being victimized by a sect22 of this kind?”
“I do. Oh! I certainly do. The Flock of the Shepherd, they call themselves. Their headquarters
is in Devonshire—a very lovely estate by the sea. The adherents23 go there for what they term a
Retreat. That is a period of a fortnight—with religious services and rituals. And there are three big
Festivals in the year, the Coming of the Pasture, the Full Pasture, and the Reaping of the Pasture.”
“Which last is stupid,” said Poirot. “Because one does not reap pasture.”
“The whole thing is stupid,” said Miss Carnaby with warmth. “The whole sect centres round
the head of the movement, the Great Shepherd, he is called. A Dr. Andersen. A very handsome-
looking man, I believe, with a presence.”
“Which is attractive to the women, yes?”
“I am afraid so,” Miss Carnaby sighed. “My father was a very handsome man. Sometimes, it
was most awkward in the parish. The rivalry24 in embroidering25 vestments—and the division of
church work. . . .”
She shook her head reminiscently.
“Are the members of the Great Flock mostly women?”
“At least three quarters of them, I gather. What men there are, are mostly cranks! It is upon
the women that the success of the movement depends and—and on the funds they supply.”
“Ah,” said Poirot. “Now we come to it. Frankly26, you think the whole thing is a ramp27?”
“Frankly, M. Poirot, I do. And another thing worries me. I happen to know that my poor
friend is so bound up in this religion that she has recently made a will leaving all her property to
the movement.”
Poirot said sharply:
“Was that—suggested to her?”
“In all fairness, no. It was entirely28 her own idea. The Great Shepherd had shown her a new
way of life—so all that she had was to go on her death to the Great Cause. What really worries
me is—”
“Yes—go on—”
“Several wealthy women have been among the devotees. In the last year three of them, no
less, have died.”
“Leaving all their money to this sect?”
“Yes.”
“Their relations have made no protest? I should have thought it likely that there might have
been litigation.”
“You see, M. Poirot, it is usually lonely women who belong to this gathering29. People who
have no very near relations or friends.”
Poirot nodded thoughtfully. Miss Carnaby hurried on:
“Of course I’ve no right to suggest anything at all. From what I have been able to find out,
there was nothing wrong about any of these deaths. One, I believe, was pneumonia30 following
influenza31 and another was attributed to gastric32 ulcer33. There were absolutely no suspicious
circumstances, if you know what I mean, and the deaths did not take place at Green Hills
Sanctuary34, but at their own homes. I’ve no doubt it is quite all right, but all the same I—well—I
shouldn’t like anything to happen to Emmie.”
She clasped her hands, her eyes appealed to Poirot.
Poirot himself was silent for some minutes. When he spoke35 there was a change in his voice. It
was grave and deep.
He said:
“Will you give me, or will you find out for me, the names and addresses of these members of
the sect who have recently died?”
“Yes indeed, M. Poirot.”
Poirot said slowly:
“Mademoiselle, I think you are a woman of great courage and determination. You have good
histrionic powers. Would you be willing to undertake a piece of work that may be attended with
considerable danger?”
“I should like nothing better,” said the adventurous36 Miss Carnaby.
Poirot said warningly:
“If there is a risk at all, it will be a grave one. You comprehend—either this is a mare’s nest
or it is serious. To find out which it is, it will be necessary for you yourself to become a member
of the Great Flock. I would suggest that you exaggerate the amount of the legacy that you recently
inherited. You are now a well-to-do woman with no very definite aim in life. You argue with your
friend Emmeline about this religion she has adopted—assure her that it is all nonsense. She is
eager to convert you. You allow yourself to be persuaded to go down to Green Hills Sanctuary.
And there you fall a victim to the persuasive37 powers and magnetic influence of Dr. Andersen. I
think I can safely leave that part to you?”
Miss Carnaby smiled modestly. She murmured:
“I think I can manage that all right!”

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1 intruding b3cc8c3083aff94e34af3912721bddd7     
v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于
参考例句：
  • Does he find his new celebrity intruding on his private life? 他是否感觉到他最近的成名侵扰了他的私生活？
  • After a few hours of fierce fighting,we saw the intruding bandits off. 经过几小时的激烈战斗，我们赶走了入侵的匪徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 fervently 8tmzPw     
adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地
参考例句：
  • "Oh, I am glad!'she said fervently. “哦，我真高兴！”她热烈地说道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • O my dear, my dear, will you bless me as fervently to-morrow?' 啊，我亲爱的，亲爱的，你明天也愿这样热烈地为我祝福么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
3 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
4 eloquent ymLyN     
adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的
参考例句：
  • He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
  • These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。
5 pram nlZzSg     
n.婴儿车，童车
参考例句：
  • She sat the baby up in the pram. 她把孩子放在婴儿车里坐着。
  • She ran in chase of the pram. 她跑着追那婴儿车。
6 tug 5KBzo     
v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船
参考例句：
  • We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
  • The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
7 gasp UfxzL     
n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说
参考例句：
  • She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
  • The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。
8 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地
参考例句：
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
9 evading 6af7bd759f5505efaee3e9c7803918e5     
逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出
参考例句：
  • Segmentation of a project is one means of evading NEPA. 把某一工程进行分割，是回避《国家环境政策法》的一种手段。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
  • Too many companies, she says, are evading the issue. 她说太多公司都在回避这个问题。
10 sublimate Lh7yU     
v.(使)升华，净化
参考例句：
  • We need sublimate water for our experiment.我们的实验需要纯净化的水。
  • Her sublimate future husband will be tall,dark,and handsome.她理想化的未来丈夫将是身材高大，皮肤浅黑，相貌英俊。
11 craving zvlz3e     
n.渴望,热望
参考例句：
  • a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
  • She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。
12 humdrum ic4xU     
adj.单调的，乏味的
参考例句：
  • Their lives consist of the humdrum activities of everyday existence.他们的生活由日常生存的平凡活动所构成。
  • The accountant said it was the most humdrum day that she had ever passed.会计师说这是她所度过的最无聊的一天。
13 reprehensible 7VpxT     
adj.该受责备的
参考例句：
  • Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。
  • It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。
14 presumptuous 6Q3xk     
adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的
参考例句：
  • It would be presumptuous for anybody to offer such a view.任何人提出这种观点都是太放肆了。
  • It was presumptuous of him to take charge.他自拿主张，太放肆了。
15 dissimulation XtrxX     
n.掩饰，虚伪，装糊涂
参考例句：
  • A habit of dissimulation is a hindrance, and a poorness to him. 在他这样的一个人，一种掩饰的习惯是一种阻挠，一个弱点。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Still we have our limits beyond which we call dissimulation treachery. 不过我们仍然有自己的限度，超过这个界限，就是虚伪与背信弃义。 来自辞典例句
16 enchant FmhyR     
vt.使陶醉，使入迷；使着魔，用妖术迷惑
参考例句：
  • The spectacle of the aurora may appear to dazzle and enchant the observer's eyes.极光的壮丽景色的出现,会使观察者为之眩目和迷惑。
  • Her paintings possess the power to enchant one if one is fortunate enough to see her work and hear her music.如果你有幸能欣赏她的作品，“聆听”她的音乐，她的作品将深深地迷住你。
17 legacy 59YzD     
n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西
参考例句：
  • They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
  • He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
18 frugal af0zf     
adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的
参考例句：
  • He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
  • The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。
19 prone 50bzu     
adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的
参考例句：
  • Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
  • He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。
20 credulous Oacy2     
adj.轻信的，易信的
参考例句：
  • You must be credulous if she fooled you with that story.连她那种话都能把你骗倒，你一定是太容易相信别人了。
  • Credulous attitude will only make you take anything for granted.轻信的态度只会使你想当然。
21 sects a3161a77f8f90b4820a636c283bfe4bf     
n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He had subdued the religious sects, cleaned up Saigon. 他压服了宗教派别，刷新了西贡的面貌。 来自辞典例句
22 sect 1ZkxK     
n.派别，宗教，学派，派系
参考例句：
  • When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
  • Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。
23 adherents a7d1f4a0ad662df68ab1a5f1828bd8d9     
n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙
参考例句：
  • He is a leader with many adherents. 他是个有众多追随者的领袖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The proposal is gaining more and more adherents. 该建议得到越来越多的支持者。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 rivalry tXExd     
n.竞争，竞赛，对抗
参考例句：
  • The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
  • He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。
25 embroidering fdc8bed218777bd98c3fde7c261249b6     
v.（在织物上）绣花( embroider的现在分词 )；刺绣；对…加以渲染（或修饰）；给…添枝加叶
参考例句：
  • He always had a way of embroidering. 他总爱添油加醋。 来自辞典例句
  • Zhao Junxin learned the craft of embroidering from his grandmother. 赵俊信从奶奶那里学到了刺绣的手艺。 来自互联网
26 frankly fsXzcf     
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。
27 ramp QTgxf     
n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速
参考例句：
  • That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
  • The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。
28 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。
29 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会，聚会，聚集
参考例句：
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
30 pneumonia s2HzQ     
n.肺炎
参考例句：
  • Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
  • Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。
31 influenza J4NyD     
n.流行性感冒，流感
参考例句：
  • They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
  • Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。
32 gastric MhnxW     
adj.胃的
参考例句：
  • Miners are a high risk group for certain types of gastric cancer.矿工是极易患某几种胃癌的高风险人群。
  • That was how I got my gastric trouble.我的胃病就是这么得的。
33 ulcer AHmyp     
n.溃疡，腐坏物
参考例句：
  • She had an ulcer in her mouth.她口腔出现溃疡。
  • A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。
34 sanctuary iCrzE     
n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区
参考例句：
  • There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
  • Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
35 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。
36 adventurous LKryn     
adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　
参考例句：
  • I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
  • He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。
37 persuasive 0MZxR     
adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的
参考例句：
  • His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
  • The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

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