顺水推舟40

时间：2025-01-30 17:36:01

（单词翻译:单击）

Eleven
Superintendent1 Spence, the following morning, used almost Frances’ words:
“So we’re back where we started,” he said with a sigh. “We’ve got to find who this
fellow Enoch Arden really was.”
“I can tell you that, Superintendent,” said Poirot. “His name was Charles Trenton.”
“Charles Trenton!” The Superintendent whistled. “H’m! One of the Trentons—I suppose
she put him up to it—Mrs. Jeremy, I mean…However, we shan’t be able to prove her connection
with it. Charles Trenton? I seem to remember—”
Poirot nodded.
“Yes. He has a record.”
“Thought so. Swindling hotels if I remember rightly. Used to arrive at the Ritz, go out and buy
a Rolls, subject to a morning’s trial, go round in the Rolls to all the most expensive shops and
buy stuff—and I can tell you a man who’s got his Rolls outside waiting to take his purchases
back to the Ritz doesn’t get his cheques queried3! Besides, he had the manner and the breeding.
He’d stay a week or so and then, just when suspicions began to arise, he’d quietly disappear,
selling the various items cheap to the pals4 he’d picked up. Charles Trenton. H’m—” He
looked at Poirot. “You find out things, don’t you?”
“How does your case progress against David Hunter?”
“We shall have to let him go. There was a woman there that night with Arden. It doesn’t
only depend on that old tartar’s word. Jimmy Pierce was going home, got pushed out of the Load
of Hay—he gets quarrelsome after a glass or two. He saw a woman come out of the Stag and go
into the telephone box outside the post office—that was just after ten. Said it wasn’t any one he
knew, thought it was someone staying at the Stag. ‘A tart2 from London,’ is what he called
her.”
“He was not very near her?”
“No, right across the street. Who the devil was she, M. Poirot?”
“Did he say how she was dressed?”
“Tweed coat, he said, orange scarf round her head. Trousers and a lot of makeup5. Fits with the
old lady’s description.”
“Yes, it fits.” Poirot was frowning.
Spence asked:
“Well, who was she, where did she come from, where did she go? You know our train service.
The 9:20’s the last train up to London—and the 10:03 the other way. Did that woman hang about
all night and go up on the 6:18 in the morning? Had she got a car? Did she hitch-hike? We’ve
sent out all over the place—but no results.”
“What about the 6:18?”
“It’s always crowded—mostly men, though. I think they’d have noticed a woman—that
type of woman, that’s to say. I suppose she might have come and left by car, but a car’s noticed
in Warmsley Vale nowadays. We’re off the main road, you see.”
“No cars noticed out that night?”
“Only Dr. Cloade’s. He was out on a case—over Middlingham way. You’d think someone
would have noticed a strange woman in a car.”
“It need not have been a stranger,” Poirot said slowly. “A man slightly drunk and a hundred
yards away might not recognize a local person whom he did not know very well. Someone,
perhaps, dressed in a different way from their usual way.”
Spence looked at him questioningly.
“Would this young Pierce recognize, for instance, Lynn Marchmont? She has been away for
some years.”
“Lynn Marchmont was at the White House with her mother at that time,” said Spence.
“Are you sure?”
“Mrs. Lionel Cloade—that’s the scatty one, the doctor’s wife—says she telephoned to her
there at ten minutes past ten. Rosaleen Cloade was in London. Mrs. Jeremy—well, I’ve never
seen her in slacks and she doesn’t use much makeup. Anyway, she isn’t young.”
“Oh, mon cher. Poirot leaned forward. “On a dim night, with feeble street lights, can one tell
youth or age under a mask of makeup?”
“Look here, Poirot,” said Spence, “what are you getting at?”
Poirot leaned back and half-closed his eyes.
“Slacks, a tweed coat, an orange scarf enveloping6 the head, a great deal of makeup, a dropped
lipstick7. It is suggestive.”
“Think you’re the oracle8 at Delphi,” growled9 the Superintendent. “Not that I know what
the oracle at Delphi was—sort of thing young Graves gives himself airs about knowing—doesn’t
help his police work any. Any more cryptic10 pronnouncements, M. Poirot?”
“I told you,” said Poirot, “that this case was the wrong shape. As an instance I said to you
that the dead man was all wrong. So he was, as Underhay. Underhay was clearly an eccentric,
chivalrous11 individual, old-fashioned and reactionary12. The man at the Stag was a blackmailer13; he
was neither chivalrous, old- fashioned, nor reactionary, nor was he particularly eccentric —
therefore he was not Underhay. He could not be Underhay, for people do not change. The
interesting thing was that Porter said he was Underhay.”
“Leading you to Mrs. Jeremy?”
“The likeness14 led me to Mrs. Jeremy. A very distinctive15 cast of countenance16, the Trenton
profile. To permit myself a little play on words, as Charles Trenton the dead man is the right
shape. But there are still questions to which we require answers. Why did David Hunter permit
himself to be blackmailed17 so readily? Is he the kind of man who lets himself be blackmailed? One
would say very decidedly, no. So he too acts out of character. Then there is Rosaleen Cloade. Her
whole behaviour is incomprehensible—but there is one thing I should like to know very much.
Why is she afraid? Why does she think that something will happen to her now that her brother is
no longer there to protect her? Someone—or something has given her that fear. And it is not that
she fears losing her fortune—no, it is more than that. It is for her life that she is afraid….”
“Good Lord, M. Poirot, you don’t think—”
“Let us remember, Spence, that as you said just now, we are back where we started. That is to
say, the Cloade family are back where they started. Robert Underhay died in Africa. And Rosaleen
Cloade’s life stands between them and the enjoyment18 of Gordon Cloade’s money—”
“Do you honestly think that one of them would do that?”
“I think this. Rosaleen Cloade is twenty- six, and though mentally somewhat unstable19,
physically20 she is strong and healthy. She may live to be seventy, she may live longer still. Forty-
four years, let us say. Don’t you think, Superintendent, that forty-four years may be too long for
someone to contemplate21?”

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1 superintendent vsTwV     
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。
2 tart 0qIwH     
adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇
参考例句：
  • She was learning how to make a fruit tart in class.她正在课上学习如何制作水果馅饼。
  • She replied in her usual tart and offhand way.她开口回答了，用她平常那种尖酸刻薄的声调随口说道。
3 queried 5c2c5662d89da782d75e74125d6f6932     
v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问
参考例句：
  • She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
4 pals 51a8824fc053bfaf8746439dc2b2d6d0     
n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙
参考例句：
  • We've been pals for years. 我们是多年的哥们儿了。
  • CD 8 positive cells remarkably increased in PALS and RP(P CD8+细胞在再生脾PALS和RP内均明显增加(P 来自互联网
5 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？
6 enveloping 5a761040aff524df1fe0cf8895ed619d     
v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. 那眼睛总是死死盯着你，那声音总是紧紧围着你。 来自英汉文学
  • The only barrier was a mosquito net, enveloping the entire bed. 唯一的障碍是那顶蚊帐罩住整个床。 来自辞典例句
7 lipstick o0zxg     
n.口红，唇膏
参考例句：
  • Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
  • Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
8 oracle jJuxy     
n.神谕，神谕处，预言
参考例句：
  • In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
  • It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。
9 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说
参考例句：
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 cryptic yyDxu     
adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的
参考例句：
  • She made a cryptic comment about how the film mirrored her life.她隐晦地表示说这部电影是她人生的写照。
  • The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.新的保险单在编写时没有隐秘条款或秘密条款。
11 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。
12 reactionary 4TWxJ     
n.反动者，反动主义者；adj.反动的，反动主义的，反对改革的
参考例句：
  • They forced thousands of peasants into their reactionary armies.他们迫使成千上万的农民参加他们的反动军队。
  • The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。
13 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。
14 likeness P1txX     
n.相像，相似（之处）
参考例句：
  • I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
  • She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。
15 distinctive Es5xr     
adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的
参考例句：
  • She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
  • This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
16 countenance iztxc     
n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同
参考例句：
  • At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
  • I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。
17 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。
18 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。
19 unstable Ijgwa     
adj.不稳定的，易变的
参考例句：
  • This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
  • The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。
20 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律
参考例句：
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
21 contemplate PaXyl     
vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视
参考例句：
  • The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
  • The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

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