命案目睹记50

时间：2025-10-20 07:32:13

（单词翻译:单击）

Twenty-one
“Nasty things, mushrooms,” said Mrs. Kidder.
Mrs. Kidder had made the same remark about ten times in the last few
days. Lucy did not reply.
“Never touch ’em myself,” said Mrs. Kidder, “much too dangerous. It’s a
merciful Providence1 as there’s only been one death. The whole lot might
have gone, and you, too, miss. A wonderful escape, you’ve had.”
“It wasn’t the mushrooms,” said Lucy. “They were perfectly2 all right.”
“Don’t you believe it,” said Mrs. Kidder. “Dangerous they are, mush-
rooms. One toadstool in among the lot and you’ve had it.”
“Funny,” went on Mrs. Kidder, among the rattle3 of plates and dishes in
the sink, “how things seem to come all together, as it were. My sister’s eld-
est had measles4 and our Ernie fell down and broke ’is arm, and my ’us-
band came out all over with boils. All in the same week! You’d hardly be-
lieve it, would you? It’s been the same thing here,” went on Mrs. Kidder,
“first that nasty murder and now Mr. Alfred dead with mushroom-poison-
ing. Who’ll be the next, I’d like to know?”
Lucy felt rather uncomfortably that she would like to know too.
“My husband, he doesn’t like me coming here now,” said Mrs. Kidder,
“thinks it’s unlucky, but what I say is I’ve known Miss Crackenthorpe a
long time now and she’s a nice lady and she depends on me. And I
couldn’t leave poor Miss Eyelesbarrow, I said, not to do everything herself
in the house. Pretty hard it is on you, miss, all these trays.”
Lucy was forced to agree that life did seem to consist very largely of
trays at the moment. She was at the moment arranging trays to take to the
various invalids5.
“As for them nurses, they never do a hand’s turn,” said Mrs. Kidder. “All
they want is pots and pots of tea made strong. And meals prepared. Wore
out, that’s what I am.” She spoke6 in a tone of great satisfaction, though ac-
tually she had done very little more than her normal morning’s work.
Lucy said solemnly, “You never spare yourself, Mrs. Kidder.”
Mrs. Kidder looked pleased. Lucy picked up the first of the trays and
started off up the stairs.
“What’s this?” said Mr. Crackenthorpe disapprovingly7.
“Beef tea and baked custard,” said Lucy.
“Take it away,” said Mr. Crackenthorpe. “I won’t touch that stuff. I told
that nurse I wanted a beef steak.”
“Dr. Quimper thinks you ought not to have beef steak just yet,” said
Lucy.
Mr. Crackenthorpe snorted. “I’m practically well again. I’m getting up
tomorrow. How are the others?”
“Mr. Harold’s much better,” said Lucy. “He’s going back to London to-
morrow.”
“Good riddance,” said Mr. Crackenthorpe. “What about Cedric — any
hope that he’s going back to his island tomorrow?”
“He won’t be going just yet.”
“Pity. What’s Emma doing? Why doesn’t she come and see me?”
“She’s still in bed, Mr. Crackenthorpe.”
“Women always coddle themselves,” said Mr. Crackenthorpe. “But
you’re a good strong girl,” he added approvingly. “Run about all day, don’t
you?”
“I get plenty of exercise,” said Lucy.
Old Mr. Crackenthorpe nodded his head approvingly. “You’re a good
strong girl,” he said, “and don’t think I’ve forgotten what I talked to you
about before. One of these days you’ll see what you’ll see. Emma isn’t al-
ways going to have things her own way. And don’t listen to the others
when they tell you I’m a mean old man. I’m careful of my money. I’ve got
a nice little packet put by and I know who I’m going to spend it on when
the time comes.” He leered at her affectionately.
Lucy went rather quickly out of the room, avoiding his clutching hand.
The next tray was taken in to Emma.
“Oh, thank you, Lucy. I’m really feeling quite myself again by now. I’m
hungry, and that’s a good sign, isn’t it? My dear,” went on Emma as Lucy
settled the tray on her knees, “I’m really feeling very upset about your
aunt. You haven’t had any time to go and see her, I suppose?”
“No, I haven’t, as a matter of fact.”
“I’m afraid she must be missing you.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Miss Crackenthorpe. She understands what a terrible
time we’ve been through.”
“Have you rung her up?”
“No, I haven’t just lately.”
“Well, do. Ring her up every day. It makes such a difference to old
people to get news.”
“You’re very kind,” said Lucy. Her conscience smote8 her a little as she
went down to fetch the next tray. The complications of illness in a house
had kept her thoroughly9 absorbed and she had had no time to think of
anything else. She decided10 that she would ring Miss Marple up as soon as
she had taken Cedric his meal.
There was only one nurse in the house now and she passed Lucy on the
landing, exchanging greetings.
Cedric, looking incredibly tidied up and neat, was sitting up in bed writ-
ing busily on sheets of paper.
“Hallo, Lucy,” he said, “what hell brew11 have you got for me today? I
wish you’d get rid of that god- awful nurse, she’s simply too arch for
words. Calls me ‘we’ for some reason. ‘And how are we this morning?
Have we slept well? Oh, dear, we’re very naughty, throwing off the bed-
clothes like that.’” He imitated the refined accents of the nurse in a high
falsetto voice.
“You seem very cheerful,” said Lucy. “What are you busy with?”
“Plans,” said Cedric. “Plans for what to do with this place when the old
man pops off. It’s a jolly good bit of land here, you know. I can’t make up
my mind whether I’d like to develop some of it myself, or whether I’ll sell
it in lots all in one go. Very valuable for industrial purposes. The house
will do for a nursing home or a school. I’m not sure I shan’t sell half the
land and use the money to do something rather outrageous12 with the other
half. What do you think?”
“You haven’t got it yet,” said Lucy, dryly.
“I shall have it, though,” said Cedric. “It’s not divided up like the other
stuff. I get it outright13. And if I sell it for a good fat price the money will be
capital, not income, so I shan’t have to pay taxes on it. Money to burn.
Think of it.”
“I always understood you rather despised money,” said Lucy.
“Of course I despise money when I haven’t got any,” said Cedric. “It’s the
only dignified14 thing to do. What a lovely girl you are, Lucy, or do I just
think so because I haven’t seen any good-looking women for such a long
time?”
“I expect that’s it,” said Lucy.
“Still busy tidying everyone and everything up?”
“Somebody seems to have been tidying you up,” said Lucy, looking at
him.
“That’s that damned nurse,” said Cedric with feeling. “Have you had the
inquest on Alfred yet? What happened?”
“It was adjourned,” said Lucy.
“Police being cagey. This mass poisoning does give one a bit of a turn,
doesn’t it? Mentally, I mean. I’m not referring to more obvious aspects.”
He added: “Better look after yourself, my girl.”
“I do,” said Lucy.
“Has young Alexander gone back to school yet?”
“I think he’s still with the Stoddart-Wests. I think it’s the day after to-
morrow that school begins.”
Before getting her own lunch Lucy went to the telephone and rang up
Miss Marple.
“I’m so terribly sorry I haven’t been able to come over, but I’ve been
really very busy.”
“Of course, my dear, of course. Besides, there’s nothing that can be done
just now. We just have to wait.”
“Yes, but what are we waiting for?”
“Elspeth McGillicuddy ought to be home very soon now,” said Miss
Marple. “I wrote to her to fly home at once. I said it was her duty. So don’t
worry too much, my dear.” Her voice was kindly15 and reassuring16.
“You don’t think…” Lucy began, but stopped.
“That there will be anymore deaths? Oh, I hope not, my dear. But one
never knows, does one? When anyone is really wicked, I mean. And I
think there is great wickedness here.”
“Or madness,” said Lucy.
“Of course I know that is the modern way of looking at things. I don’t
agree myself.”
Lucy rang off, went into the kitchen and picked up her tray of lunch.
Mrs. Kidder had divested17 herself of her apron18 and was about to leave.
“You’ll be all right, miss, I hope?” she asked solicitously19.
“Of course I shall be all right,” snapped Lucy.
She took her tray not into the big, gloomy dining room but into the small
study. She was just finishing her meal when the door opened and Bryan
Eastley came in.
“Hallo,” said Lucy, “this is very unexpected.”
“I suppose it is,” said Bryan. “How is everybody?”
“Oh, much better. Harold’s going back to London tomorrow.”
“What do you think about it all? Was it really arsenic20?”
“It was arsenic all right,” said Lucy.
“It hasn’t been in the papers yet.”
“No, I think the police are keeping it up their sleeves for the moment.”
“Somebody must have a pretty good down on the family,” said Bryan.
“Who’s likely to have sneaked21 in and tampered22 with the food?”
“I suppose I’m the most likely person really,” said Lucy.
Bryan looked at her anxiously. “But you didn’t, did you?” he asked. He
sounded slightly shocked.
“No. I didn’t,” said Lucy.
Nobody could have tampered with the curry23. She had made it—alone in
the kitchen, and brought it to table, and the only person who could have
tampered with it was one of the five people who sat down to the meal.
“I mean—why should you?” said Bryan. “They’re nothing to you, are
they? I say,” he added, “I hope you don’t mind my coming back here like
this?”
“No, no, of course I don’t. Have you come to stay?”
“Well, I’d like to, if it wouldn’t be an awful bore to you.”
“No. No, we can manage.”
“You see, I’m out of a job at the moment and I—well, I get rather fed up.
Are you really sure you don’t mind?”
“Oh, I’m not the person to mind, anyway. It’s Emma.”
“Oh, Emma’s all right,” said Bryan. “Emma’s always been very nice to
me. In her own way, you know. She keeps things to herself a lot, in fact,
she’s rather a dark horse, old Emma. This living here and looking after the
old man would get most people down. Pity she never married. Too late
now, I suppose.”
“I don’t think it’s too late, at all,” said Lucy.
“Well…” Bryan considered. “A clergyman perhaps,” he said hopefully.
“She’d be useful in the parish and tactful with the Mothers’ Union. I do
mean the Mothers’ Union, don’t I? Not that I know what it really is, but
you come across it sometimes in books. And she’d wear a hat in church on
Sundays,” he added.
“Doesn’t sound much of a prospect24 to me,” said Lucy, rising and picking
up the tray.
“I’ll do that,” said Bryan, taking the tray from her. They went into the
kitchen together. “Shall I help you wash up? I do like this kitchen,” he ad-
ded. “In fact, I know it isn’t the sort of thing that people do like nowadays,
but I like this whole house. Shocking taste, I suppose, but there it is. You
could land a plane quite easily in the park,” he added with enthusiasm.
He picked up a glass-cloth and began to wipe the spoons and forks.
“Seems a waste, its coming to Cedric,” he remarked. “First thing he’ll do
is to sell the whole thing and go breaking off abroad again. Can’t see, my-
self, why England isn’t good enough for anybody. Harold wouldn’t want
this house either, and of course it’s much too big for Emma. Now, if only it
came to Alexander, he and I would be as happy together here as a couple
of sand boys. Of course it would be nice to have a woman about the
house.” He looked thoughtfully at Lucy. “Oh, well, what’s the good of talk-
ing? If Alexander were to get this place it would mean the whole lot of
them would have to die first, and that’s not really likely, is it? Though from
what I’ve seen of the old boy he might easily live to be a hundred, just to
annoy them all. I don’t suppose he was much cut up by Alfred’s death, was
he?”
Lucy said shortly, “No, he wasn’t.”
“Cantankerous old devil,” said Bryan Eastley cheerfully.

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1 providence 8tdyh     
n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝
参考例句：
  • It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
  • To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。
2 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。
3 rattle 5Alzb     
v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓
参考例句：
  • The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
  • She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。
4 measles Bw8y9     
n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子
参考例句：
  • The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
  • The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。
5 invalids 9666855fd5f6325a21809edf4ef7233e     
病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The invention will confer a benefit on all invalids. 这项发明将有助于所有的残疾人。
  • H?tel National Des Invalids is a majestic building with a golden hemispherical housetop. 荣军院是有着半球形镀金屋顶的宏伟建筑。
6 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。
7 disapprovingly 6500b8d388ebb4d1b87ab0bd19005179     
adv.不以为然地，不赞成地，非难地
参考例句：
  • When I suggested a drink, she coughed disapprovingly. 我提议喝一杯时，她咳了一下表示反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He shook his head disapprovingly. 他摇了摇头，表示不赞成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 smote 61dce682dfcdd485f0f1155ed6e7dbcc     
v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 )
参考例句：
  • Figuratively, he could not kiss the hand that smote him. 打个比方说，他是不能认敌为友。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • \"Whom Pearl smote down and uprooted, most unmercifully.\" 珠儿会毫不留情地将这些\"儿童\"踩倒，再连根拔起。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
9 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地
参考例句：
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
10 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
11 brew kWezK     
v.酿造，调制
参考例句：
  • Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
  • The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。
12 outrageous MvFyH     
adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的
参考例句：
  • Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
  • Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。
13 outright Qj7yY     
adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的
参考例句：
  • If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
  • You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。
14 dignified NuZzfb     
a.可敬的，高贵的
参考例句：
  • Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
  • He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
15 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。
16 reassuring vkbzHi     
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的
参考例句：
  • He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
  • With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。
17 divested 2004b9edbfcab36d3ffca3edcd4aec4a     
v.剥夺( divest的过去式和过去分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服
参考例句：
  • He divested himself of his jacket. 他脱去了短上衣。
  • He swiftly divested himself of his clothes. 他迅速脱掉衣服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 apron Lvzzo     
n.围裙；工作裙
参考例句：
  • We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
  • She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。
19 solicitously 85625447fd9f0b4b512250998549b412     
adv.热心地，热切地
参考例句：
  • Eyeing Hung-chien he said solicitously, "Hung-chien, you've lost a lot of weight." 他看了鸿渐一眼，关切的说：“鸿渐兄，你瘦得多了。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
  • To their surprise Hung-chien merely asked Jou-chia solicitously, "Can the wine stains be washed out? 谁知道鸿渐只关切地问柔嘉：“酒渍洗得掉么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城
20 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。
21 sneaked fcb2f62c486b1c2ed19664da4b5204be     
v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状
参考例句：
  • I sneaked up the stairs. 我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
  • She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch. 她偷偷看了一眼手表。
22 tampered 07b218b924120d49a725c36b06556000     
v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄
参考例句：
  • The records of the meeting had been tampered with. 会议记录已被人擅自改动。 来自辞典例句
  • The old man's will has been tampered with. 老人的遗嘱已被窜改。 来自辞典例句
23 curry xnozh     
n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革
参考例句：
  • Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
  • Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。
24 prospect P01zn     
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
  • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
  • The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

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