顺水推舟20

时间：2025-01-30 17:25:21

（单词翻译:单击）

IV
Inside room No. 5, David Hunter paused inside the door and looked at the man who had signed
himself Enoch Arden.
Fortyish, knocked about a bit, a suggestion of having come down in the world—on the whole a
difficult customer. Such was David’s summing up. Apart from that, not easy to fathom1. A dark
horse.
Arden said:
“Hallo—you Hunter? Good. Sit down. What’ll you have? Whisky?”
He’d made himself comfortable, David noted2 that. A modest array of bottles—a fire burning
in the grate on this chilly3 spring evening. Clothes not English cut, but worn as an Englishman
wears clothes. The man was the right age, too….
“Thanks,” David said, “I’ll have a spot of whisky.”
“Say When.”
“When. Not too much soda4.”
They were a little like dogs, manoeuvring for position—circling round each other, backs stiff,
hackles up, ready to be friendly or ready to snarl5 and snap.
“Cheerio,” said Arden.
“Cheerio.”
They set their glasses down, relaxed a little. Round One was over.
The man who called himself Enoch Arden said:
“You were surprised to get my letter?”
“Frankly,” said David, “I don’t understand it at all.”
“N-no—n-no—well, perhaps not.”
David said:
“I understand you knew my sister’s first husband—Robert Underhay.”
“Yes, I knew Robert very well.” Arden was smiling, blowing clouds of smoke idly up in the
air. “As well, perhaps, as any one could know him. You never met him, did you, Hunter?”
“No.”
“Oh, perhaps that’s as well.”
“What do you mean by that?” David asked sharply.
Arden said easily:
“My dear fellow, it makes everything much simpler—that’s all. I apologize for asking you to
come here, but I did think it was best to keep”—he paused—“Rosaleen out of it all. No need to
give her unnecessary pain.”
“Do you mind coming to the point?”
“Of course, of course. Well now, did you ever suspect—how shall we say—that there was
anything—well—fishy—about Underhay’s death?”
“What on earth do you mean?”
“Well, Underhay had rather peculiar6 ideas, you know. It may have been chivalry—it may just
possibly have been for quite a different reason—but let’s say that, at a particular moment some
years ago, there were certain advantages to Underhay in being considered dead. He was good at
managing natives—always had been. No trouble to him to get a probable story circulated with any
amount of corroborative7 detail. All Underhay had to do was to turn up about a thousand miles
away—with a new name.”
“It seems a most fantastic supposition to me,” said David.
“Does it? Does it really?” Arden smiled. He leaned forward, tapped David on the knee.
“Suppose it’s true, Hunter? Eh? Suppose it’s true?”
“I should require very definite proof of it.”
“Would you? Well, of course, there’s no superdefinite proof. Underhay himself could turn up
here—in Warmsley Vale. How’d you like that for proof?”
“It would at least be conclusive8,” said David dryly.
“Oh, yes, conclusive — but just a little embarrassing — for Mrs. Gordon Cloade, I mean.
Because then, of course, she wouldn’t be Mrs. Gordon Cloade. Awkward. You must admit, just a
little bit awkward?”
“My sister,” said David, “remarried in perfectly9 good faith.”
“Of course she did, my dear fellow. Of course she did. I’m not disputing that for a second.
Any judge would say the same. No actual blame could attach to her.”
“Judge?” said David sharply.
The other said as though apologetically:
“I was thinking of bigamy.”
“Just what are you driving at?” asked David savagely10.
“Now don’t get excited, old boy. We just want to put our heads together and see what’s
best to be done—best for your sister, that’s to say. Nobody wants a lot of dirty publicity11.
Underhay—well, Underhay was always a chivalrous12 kind of chap.” Arden paused. “He still
is….”
“Is?” asked David sharply.
“That’s what I said.”
“You say Robert Underhay is alive. Where is he now?”
Arden leaned forward—his voice became confidential13.
“Do you really want to know, Hunter? Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t know? Put it that,
as far as you know, and as far as Rosaleen knows, Underhay died in Africa. Very good, and if
Underhay is alive, he doesn’t know his wife has married again, he hasn’t the least idea of it.
Because, of course, if he did know he would have come forward…Rosaleen, you see, has inherited
a good deal of money from her second husband—well, then, of course she isn’t entitled to any of
that money…Underhay is a man with a very sensitive sense of honour. He wouldn’t like her
inheriting money under false pretences14.” He paused. “But of course it’s possible that
Underhay doesn’t know anything about her second marriage. He’s in a bad way, poor fellow—
in a very bad way.”
“What do you mean by in a bad way?”
Arden shook his head solemnly.
“Broken down in health. He needs medical attention—special treatments—all unfortunately
rather expensive.”
The last word dropped delicately as though into a category of its own. It was the word for which
David Hunter had been unconsciously waiting.
He said:
“Expensive?”
“Yes—unfortunately everything costs money. Underhay, poor devil, is practically destitute15.”
He added: “He’s got practically nothing but what he stands up in….”
Just for a moment David’s eyes wandered round the room. He noted the pack slung16 on a chair.
There was no suitcase to be seen.
“I wonder,” said David, and his voice was not pleasant, “if Robert Underhay is quite the
chivalrous gentleman you make him out to be.”
“He was once,” the other assured him. “But life, you know, is inclined to make a fellow
cynical17.” He paused and added softly: “Gordon Cloade was really an incredibly wealthy fellow.
The spectacle of too much wealth arouses one’s baser instincts.”
David Hunter got up.
“I’ve got an answer for you. Go to the devil.”
Unperturbed, Arden said, smiling:
“Yes, I thought you’d say that.”
“You’re a damned blackmailer18, neither more nor less. I’ve a good mind to call your
bluff19.”
“Publish and be damned? An admirable sentiment. But you wouldn’t like it if I did
‘publish.’ Not that I shall. If you won’t buy, I’ve another market.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Cloades. Suppose I go to them. ‘Excuse me, but would you be interested to learn that
the late Robert Underhay is very much alive?’ Why, man, they’ll jump at it!”
David said scornfully:
“You won’t get anything out of them. They’re broke, every one of them.”
“Ah, but there’s such a thing as a working arrangement. So much in cash on the day it’s
proved that Underhay is alive, that Mrs. Gordon Cloade is still Mrs. Robert Underhay and that
consequently Gordon Cloade’s will, made before his marriage, is good in law….”
For some few minutes David sat silent, then he asked bluntly:
“How much?”
The answer came as bluntly:
“Twenty thousand.”
“Out of the question! My sister can’t touch the capital, she’s only got a life interest.”
“Ten thousand, then. She can raise that, easily. There’s jewellery, isn’t there?”
David sat silent, then he said unexpectedly:
“All right.”
For a moment the other man seemed at a loss. It was as though the ease of his victory surprised
him.
“No cheques,” he said. “To be paid in notes!”
“You’ll have to give us time—to get hold of the money.”
“I’ll give you forty-eight hours.”
“Make it next Tuesday.”
“All right. You’ll bring the money here.” He added before David could speak, “I’m not
meeting you at a lonely copse—or a deserted20 river bank, so don’t you think so. You’ll bring the
money here—to the Stag—at nine o’clock next Tuesday evening.”
“Suspicious sort of chap, aren’t you?”
“I know my way about. And I know your kind.”
“As you said, then.”
David went out of the room and down the stairs. His face was black with rage.
Beatrice Lippincott came out of the room marked No. 4. There was a communicating door
between 4 and 5, though the fact could hardly be noted by an occupant in 5 since a wardrobe stood
upright in front of it.
Miss Lippincott’s cheeks were pink and her eyes bright with pleasurable excitement. She
smoothed back her pompadour of hair with an agitated21 hand.
Ten
Shepherd’s Court, Mayfair, was a large block of luxury service flats. Unharmed by the ravages22
of enemy action, they had nevertheless been unable to keep up quite their prewar standard of ease.
There was service still, although not very good service. Where there had been two uniformed
porters there was now only one. The restaurant still served meals, but except for breakfast, meals
were not sent up to the apartments.
The flat rented by Mrs. Gordon Cloade was on the third floor. It consisted of a sitting room with
a built-in cocktail23 bar, two bedrooms with built-in cupboards, and a superbly appointed bathroom,
gleaming with tiles and chromium.
In the sitting room David Hunter was striding up and down whilst Rosaleen sat on a big square-
ended settee watching him. She looked pale and frightened.
“Blackmail!” he muttered. “Blackmail! My God, am I the kind of man to let myself be
blackmailed24?”
She shook her head, bewildered, troubled.
“If I knew,” David was saying. “If I only knew!”
From Rosaleen there came a small miserable25 sob26.
He went on:
“It’s this working in the dark—working blindfold—” He wheeled round suddenly. “You
took those emeralds round to Bond Street to old Greatorex?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Rosaleen’s voice was stricken as she said:
“Four thousand. Four thousand pounds. He said if I didn’t sell them they ought to be
reinsured.”
“Yes—precious stones have doubled in value. Oh well, we can raise the money. But if we do,
it’s only the beginning—it means being bled to death—bled, Rosaleen, bled white!”
She cried:
“Oh, let’s leave England—let’s get away—couldn’t we go to Ireland—America—
somewhere?”
He turned and looked at her.
“You’re not a fighter, are you, Rosaleen? Cut and run is your motto.”
She wailed27: “We’re wrong—all this has been wrong—very wicked.”
“Don’t turn pious28 on me just now! I can’t stand it. We were sitting pretty, Rosaleen. For
the first time in my life I was sitting pretty—and I’m not going to let it all go, do you hear? If
only it wasn’t this cursed fighting in the dark. You understand, don’t you, that the whole thing
may be bluff—nothing but bluff? Underhay’s probably safely buried in Africa as we’ve always
thought he was.”
She shivered.
“Don’t, David. You make me afraid.”
He looked at her, saw the panic in her face, and at once his manner changed. He came over to
her, sat down, took her cold hands in his.
“You’re not to worry,” he said. “Leave it all to me—and do as I tell you. You can manage
that, can’t you? Just do exactly as I tell you.”
“I always do, David.”
He laughed. “Yes, you always do. We’ll snap out of this, never you fear. I’ll find a way of
scotching29 Mr. Enoch Arden.”
“Wasn’t there a poem, David—something about a man coming back—”
“Yes.” He cut her short. “That’s just what worries me…But I’ll get to the bottom of
things, never you fear.”
She said:
“It’s Tuesday night you—take him the money?”
He nodded.
“Five thousand. I’ll tell him I can’t raise the rest all at once. But I must stop him going to
the Cloades. I think that was only a threat, but I can’t be sure.”
He stopped, his eyes became dreamy, far away. Behind them his mind worked, considering and
rejecting possibilities.
Then he laughed. It was a gay reckless laugh. There were men, now dead, who would have
recognized it….
It was the laugh of a man going into action on a hazardous30 and dangerous enterprise. There was
enjoyment31 in it and defiance32.
“I can trust you, Rosaleen,” he said. “Thank goodness I can trust you absolutely!”
“Trust me?” She raised her big inquiring eyes. “To do what?”
He smiled again.
“To do exactly as you are told. That’s the secret, Rosaleen, of a successful operation.”
He laughed:
“Operation Enoch Arden.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 fathom w7wy3     
v.领悟，彻底了解
参考例句：
  • I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
  • What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。
2 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。
3 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的，寒冷的
参考例句：
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。
4 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水；汽水
参考例句：
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
5 snarl 8FAzv     
v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮
参考例句：
  • At the seaside we could hear the snarl of the waves.在海边我们可以听见波涛的咆哮。
  • The traffic was all in a snarl near the accident.事故发生处附近交通一片混乱。
6 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的
参考例句：
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
7 corroborative bveze5     
adj.确证（性）的，确凿的
参考例句：
  • Is there any corroborative evidence for this theory? 是否有进一步说明问题的论据来支持这个理论？
  • They convicted the wrong man on the basis of a signed confession with no corroborative evidence. 凭一张有签名的认罪书而没有确凿的佐证，他们就错误地判了那人有罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 conclusive TYjyw     
adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的
参考例句：
  • They produced some fairly conclusive evidence.他们提供了一些相当确凿的证据。
  • Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的。
9 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
10 savagely 902f52b3c682f478ddd5202b40afefb9     
adv. 野蛮地，残酷地
参考例句：
  • The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
  • He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。
11 publicity ASmxx     
n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告
参考例句：
  • The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
  • He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。
12 chivalrous 0Xsz7     
adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的
参考例句：
  • Men are so little chivalrous now.现在的男人几乎没有什么骑士风度了。
  • Toward women he was nobly restrained and chivalrous.对于妇女，他表现得高尚拘谨，尊敬三分。
13 confidential MOKzA     
adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的
参考例句：
  • He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
  • We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。
14 pretences 0d462176df057e8e8154cd909f8d95a6     
n.假装( pretence的名词复数 )；作假；自命；自称
参考例句：
  • You've brought your old friends out here under false pretences. 你用虚假的名义把你的那些狐朋狗党带到这里来。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • There are no pretences about him. 他一点不虚伪。 来自辞典例句
15 destitute 4vOxu     
adj.缺乏的；穷困的
参考例句：
  • They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
  • They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。
16 slung slung     
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往
参考例句：
  • He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
  • He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。
17 cynical Dnbz9     
adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的
参考例句：
  • The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
  • He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。
18 blackmailer a031d47c9f342af0f87215f069fefc4d     
敲诈者，勒索者
参考例句：
  • The blackmailer had a hold over him. 勒索他的人控制着他。
  • The blackmailer will have to be bought off,or he'll ruin your good name. 得花些钱疏通那个敲诈者，否则他会毁坏你的声誉。
19 bluff ftZzB     
v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗
参考例句：
  • His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
  • John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。
20 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
参考例句：
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
21 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的，不安的
参考例句：
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。
22 ravages 5d742bcf18f0fd7c4bc295e4f8d458d8     
劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹
参考例句：
  • the ravages of war 战争造成的灾难
  • It is hard for anyone to escape from the ravages of time. 任何人都很难逃避时间的摧残。
23 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。
24 blackmailed 15a0127e6f31070c30f593701bdb74bc     
胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 )
参考例句：
  • He was blackmailed by an enemy agent (into passing on state secrets). 敌特威胁他（要他交出国家机密）。
  • The strikers refused to be blackmailed into returning to work. 罢工者拒绝了要挟复工的条件。
25 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的
参考例句：
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
26 sob HwMwx     
n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣
参考例句：
  • The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
  • The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。
27 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
28 pious KSCzd     
adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的
参考例句：
  • Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
  • Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。
29 scotching 9eba0c17781e51980a2ba3a0fea86281     
n.琢石，擦伤v.阻止( scotch的现在分词 )；制止（车轮）转动；弄伤；镇压
参考例句：
30 hazardous Iddxz     
adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的
参考例句：
  • These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
  • Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。
31 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣；享有；享用
参考例句：
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
32 defiance RmSzx     
n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗
参考例句：
  • He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
  • He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

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