命案目睹记49

时间：2025-10-20 07:32:14

（单词翻译:单击）

III
“Don’t see why you want to come to me,” said Dr. Morris, irritably1.
“You’ve known the Crackenthorpe family a long time,” said Inspector2
Craddock.
“Yes, yes, I knew all the Crackenthorpes. I remember old Josiah Cracken-
thorpe. He was a hard nut—shrewd man, though. Made a lot of money,”
he shifted his aged3 form in his chair and peered under bushy eyebrows4 at
Inspector Craddock. “So you’ve been listening to that young fool, Quim-
per,” he said. “These zealous5 young doctors! Always getting ideas in their
heads. Got it into his head that somebody was trying to poison Luther
Crackenthorpe. Nonsense! Melodrama6! Of course, he had gastric7 attacks. I
treated him for them. Didn’t happen very often—nothing peculiar8 about
them.”
“Dr. Quimper,” said Craddock, “seemed to think there was.”
“Doesn’t do for a doctor to go thinking. After all, I should hope I could
recognize arsenical poisoning when I saw it.”
“Quite a lot of well-known doctors haven’t noticed it,” Craddock pointed10
out. “There was”—he drew upon his memory—“the Greenbarrow case,
Mrs. Teney, Charles Leeds, three people in the Westbury family, all buried
nicely and tidily without the doctors who attended them having the least
suspicion. Those doctors were all good, reputable men.”
“All right, all right,” said Doctor Morris, “you’re saying that I could have
made a mistake. Well, I don’t think I did.” He paused a minute and then
said, “Who did Quimper think was doing it—if it was being done?”
“He didn’t know,” said Craddock. “He was worried. After all, you know,”
he added, “there’s a great deal of money there.”
“Yes, yes, I know, which they’ll get when Luther Crackenthorpe dies.
And they want it pretty badly. That is true enough, but it doesn’t follow
that they’d kill the old man to get it.”
“Not necessarily,” agreed Inspector Craddock.
“Anyway,” said Dr. Morris, “my principle is not to go about suspecting
things without due cause. Due cause,” he repeated. “I’ll admit that what
you’ve just told me has shaken me up a bit. Arsenic9 on a big scale, appar-
ently—but I still don’t see why you come to me. All I can tell you is that I
didn’t suspect it. Maybe I should have. Maybe I should have taken those
gastric attacks of Luther Crackenthorpe’s much more seriously. But you’ve
got a long way beyond that now.”
Craddock agreed. “What I really need,” he said, “is to know a little more
about the Crackenthorpe family. Is there any queer mental strain in them
—a kink of any kind?”
The eyes under the bushy eyebrows looked at him sharply. “Yes, I can
see your thoughts might run that way. Well, old Josiah was sane11 enough.
Hard as nails, very much all there. His wife was neurotic12, had a tendency
to melancholia. Came of an inbred family. She died soon after her second
son was born. I’d say, you know, that Luther inherited a certain—well, in-
stability, from her. He was commonplace enough as a young man, but he
was always at loggerheads with his father. His father was disappointed in
him and I think he resented that and brooded on it, and in the end got a
kind of obsession13 about it. He carried that on into his married life. You’ll
notice, if you talk to him at all, that he’s got a hearty14 dislike for all his own
sons. His daughters he was fond of. Both Emma and Edie—the one who
died.”
“Why does he dislike the sons so much?” asked Craddock.
“You’ll have to go to one of these new-fashioned psychiatrists15 to find
that out. I’d just say that Luther has never felt very adequate as a man
himself, and that he bitterly resents his financial position. He has posses-
sion of an income but no power of appointment of capital. If he had the
power to disinherit his sons he probably wouldn’t dislike them as much.
Being powerless in that respect gives him a feeling of humiliation16.”
“That’s why he’s so pleased at the idea of outliving them all?” said In-
spector Craddock.
“Possibly. It is the root, too, of his parsimony17, I think. I should say that
he’s managed to save a considerable sum out of his large income—mostly,
of course, before taxation18 rose to its present giddy heights.”
A new idea struck Inspector Craddock. “I suppose he’s left his savings19 by
will to someone? That he can do.”
“Oh, yes, though God knows who he has left it to. Maybe to Emma, but I
should rather doubt it. She’ll get her share of the old man’s property.
Maybe to Alexander, the grandson.”
“He’s fond of him, is he?” said Craddock.
“Used to be. Of course he was his daughter’s child, not a son’s child. That
may have made a difference. And he had quite an affection for Bryan
Eastley, Edie’s husband. Of course I don’t know Bryan well, it’s some years
since I’ve seen any of the family. But it struck me that he was going to be
very much at a loose end after the war. He’s got those qualities that you
need in wartime; courage, dash, and a tendency to let the future take care
of itself. But I don’t think he’s got any stability. He’ll probably turn into a
drifter.”
“As far as you know there’s no peculiar kink in any of the younger gen-
eration?”
“Cedric’s an eccentric type, one of those natural rebels. I wouldn’t say he
was perfectly20 normal, but you might say, who is? Harold’s fairly orthodox,
not what I call a very pleasant character, coldhearted, eye to the main
chance. Alfred’s got a touch of the delinquent21 about him. He’s a wrong ’un,
always was. Saw him taking money out of a missionary22 box once that they
used to keep in the hall. That type of thing. Ah, well, the poor fellow’s
dead, I suppose I shouldn’t be talking against him.”
“What about…” Craddock hesitated. “Emma Crackenthorpe?”
“Nice girl, quiet, one doesn’t always know what she’s thinking. Has her
own plans and her own ideas, but she keeps them to herself. She’s more
character than you might think from her general appearance.”
“You knew Edmund, I suppose, the son who was killed in France?”
“Yes. He was the best of the bunch I’d say. Goodhearted, gay, a nice
boy.”
“Did you ever hear that he was going to marry, or had married, a French
girl just before he was killed?”
Dr. Morris frowned. “It seems as though I remember something about
it,” he said, “but it’s a long time ago.”
“Quite early on in the war, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Ah, well, I dare say he’d have lived to regret it if he had married a
foreign wife.”
“There’s some reason to believe that he did do just that,” said Craddock.
In a few brief sentences he gave an account of recent happenings.
“I remember seeing something in the papers about a woman found in a
sarcophagus. So it was at Rutherford Hall.”
“And there’s reason to believe that the woman was Edmund Cracken-
thorpe’s widow.”
“Well, well, that seems extraordinary. More like a novel than real life.
But who’d want to kill the poor thing—I mean, how does it tie up with ar-
senical poisoning in the Crackenthorpe family?”
“In one of two ways,” said Craddock; “but they are both very farfetched.
Somebody perhaps is greedy and wants the whole of Josiah Cracken-
thorpe’s fortune.”
“Damn fool if he does,” said Dr. Morris. “He’ll only have to pay the most
stupendous taxes on the income from it.”

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1 irritably e3uxw     
ad.易生气地
参考例句：
  • He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
  • On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
2 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。
3 aged 6zWzdI     
adj.年老的，陈年的
参考例句：
  • He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
  • He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。
4 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。
5 zealous 0MOzS     
adj.狂热的，热心的
参考例句：
  • She made zealous efforts to clean up the classroom.她非常热心地努力清扫教室。
  • She is a zealous supporter of our cause.她是我们事业的热心支持者。
6 melodrama UCaxb     
n.音乐剧；情节剧
参考例句：
  • We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演！
  • White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧，但也有不少插科打诨。
7 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。
8 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。
9 arsenic 2vSz4     
n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的
参考例句：
  • His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
  • Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。
10 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的，直截了当的
参考例句：
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
11 sane 9YZxB     
adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的
参考例句：
  • He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
  • He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。
12 neurotic lGSxB     
adj.神经病的，神经过敏的；n.神经过敏者，神经病患者
参考例句：
  • Nothing is more distracting than a neurotic boss. 没有什么比神经过敏的老板更恼人的了。
  • There are also unpleasant brain effects such as anxiety and neurotic behaviour.也会对大脑产生不良影响，如焦虑和神经质的行为。
13 obsession eIdxt     
n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)
参考例句：
  • I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
  • She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。
14 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的
参考例句：
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
15 psychiatrists 45b6a81e510da4f31f5b0fecd7b77261     
n.精神病专家，精神病医生( psychiatrist的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • They are psychiatrists in good standing. 他们是合格的精神病医生。 来自辞典例句
  • Some psychiatrists have patients who grow almost alarmed at how congenial they suddenly feel. 有些精神分析学家发现，他们的某些病人在突然感到惬意的时候几乎会兴奋起来。 来自名作英译部分
16 humiliation Jd3zW     
n.羞辱
参考例句：
  • He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
  • He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。
17 parsimony 6Lzxo     
n.过度节俭，吝啬
参考例句：
  • A classic example comes from comedian Jack Benny, famous for his parsimony.有个经典例子出自以吝啬著称的喜剧演员杰克?班尼。
  • Due to official parsimony only the one machine was built.由于官方过于吝啬，仅制造了那一台机器。
18 taxation tqVwP     
n.征税，税收，税金
参考例句：
  • He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
  • The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
19 savings ZjbzGu     
n.存款，储蓄
参考例句：
  • I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
  • By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。
20 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。
21 delinquent BmLzk     
adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者
参考例句：
  • Most delinquent children have deprived backgrounds.多数少年犯都有未受教育的背景。
  • He is delinquent in paying his rent.他拖欠房租。
22 missionary ID8xX     
adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士
参考例句：
  • She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
  • I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

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