赫尔克里·波洛的丰功伟绩56

时间：2024-12-31 11:28:18

（单词翻译:单击）

IV
It was three months later that Hercule Poirot stood on a rocky point and surveyed the Atlantic
Ocean. Gulls1 rose and swooped2 down again with long melancholy3 cries. The air was soft and
damp.
Hercule Poirot had the feeling, not uncommon4 in those who come to Inishgowlen for the first
time, that he had reached the end of the world. He had never in his life imagined anything so
remote, so desolate5, so abandoned. It had beauty, a melancholy, haunted beauty, the beauty of a
remote and incredible past. Here, in the west of Ireland, the Romans had never marched, tramp,
tramp, tramp: had never fortified6 a camp: had never built a well-ordered, sensible, useful road. It
was a land where common sense and an orderly way of life were unknown.
Hercule Poirot looked down at the tips of his patent-leather shoes and sighed. He felt forlorn
and very much alone. The standards by which he lived were here not appreciated.
His eyes swept slowly up and down the desolate coast line, then once more out to sea.
Somewhere out there, so tradition had it, were the Isles7 of the Blest, the Land of Youth. . . .
He murmured to himself:
“The Apple Tree, the Singing and the Gold . . .”
And suddenly, Hercule Poirot was himself again—the spell was broken, he was once more in
harmony with his patent-leather shoes and natty8, dark grey gent’s suiting.
Not very far away he had heard the toll9 of a bell. He understood that bell. It was a sound he
had been familiar with from early youth.
He set off briskly along the cliff. In about ten minutes he came in sight of the building on the
cliff. A high wall surrounded it and a great wooden door studded with nails was set in the wall.
Hercule Poirot came to this door and knocked. There was a vast iron knocker. Then he cautiously
pulled at a rusty10 chain and a shrill11 little bell tinkled12 briskly inside the door.
A small panel in the door was pushed aside and showed a face. It was a suspicious face,
framed in starched13 white. There was a distinct moustache on the upper lip, but the voice was the
voice of a woman, it was the voice of what Hercule Poirot called a femme formidable.
It demanded his business.
“Is this the Convent of St. Mary and All Angels?”
The formidable woman said with asperity14:
“And what else would it be?”
Hercule Poirot did not attempt to answer that. He said to the dragon:
“I would like to see the Mother Superior.”
The dragon was unwilling15, but in the end she yielded. Bars were drawn16 back, the door opened
and Hercule Poirot was conducted to a small bare room where visitors to the Convent were
received.
Presently a nun17 glided18 in, her rosary swinging at her waist.
Hercule Poirot was a Catholic by birth. He understood the atmosphere in which he found
himself.
“I apologize for troubling you, ma mère,” he said, “but you have here, I think, a religieuse
who was, in the world, Kate Casey.”
The Mother Superior bowed her head. She said:
“That is so. Sister Mary Ursula in religion.”
Hercule Poirot said: “There is a certain wrong that needs righting. I believe that Sister Mary
Ursula could help me. She has information that might be invaluable19.”
The Mother Superior shook her head. Her face was placid20, her voice calm and remote. She
said:
“Sister Mary Ursula cannot help you.”
“But I assure you—”
He broke off. The Mother Superior said:
“Sister Mary Ursula died two months ago.”
V
In the saloon bar of Jimmy Donovan’s Hotel, Hercule Poirot sat uncomfortably against the wall.
The hotel did not come up to his ideas of what a hotel should be. His bed was broken—so were
two of the window panes21 in his room—thereby admitting that night air which Hercule Poirot
distrusted so much. The hot water brought him had been tepid22 and the meal he had eaten was
producing curious and painful sensations in his inside.
There were five men in the bar and they were all talking politics. For the most part Hercule
Poirot could not understand what they said. In any case, he did not much care.
Presently he found one of the men sitting beside him. This was a man of slightly different
class to the others. He had the stamp of the seedy townsman upon him.
He said with immense dignity:
“I tell you, sir. I tell you—Pegeen’s Pride hasn’t got a chance, not a chance . . . bound to
finish right down the course—right down the course. You take my tip . . . everybody ought to take
my tip. Know who I am, shir, do you know, I shay? Atlas23, thatsh who I am—Atlas of the Dublin
Sun . . . been tipping winnersh all the season . . . Didn’t I give Larry’s Girl? Twenty-five to one—
twenty-five to one. Follow Atlas and you can’t go wrong.”
Hercule Poirot regarded him with a strange reverence24. He said, and his voice trembled:
“Mon Dieu, it is an omen25!”
VI
It was some hours later. The moon showed from time to time, peeping out coquettishly from
behind the clouds. Poirot and his new friend had walked some miles. The former was limping. The
idea crossed his mind that there were, after all, other shoes—more suitable to country walking
than patent leather. Actually George had respectfully conveyed as much. “A nice pair of brogues,”
was what George had said.
Hercule Poirot had not cared for the idea. He liked his feet to look neat and well-shod. But
now, tramping along this stony26 path, he realized that there were other shoes. . . .
His companion said suddenly:
“Is it the way the Priest would be after me for this? I’ll not have a mortal sin upon my
conscience.”
Hercule Poirot said: “You are only restoring to Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s.”
They had come to the wall of the Convent. Atlas prepared to do his part.
A groan27 burst from him and he exclaimed in low, poignant28 tones that he was destroyed
entirely29!
Hercule Poirot spoke30 with authority.
“Be quiet. It is not the weight of the world that you have to support—only the weight of
Hercule Poirot.”

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1 gulls 6fb3fed3efaafee48092b1fa6f548167     
n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
  • A flock of sea gulls are hovering over the deck. 一群海鸥在甲板上空飞翔。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The gulls which haunted the outlying rocks in a prodigious number. 数不清的海鸥在遥远的岩石上栖息。 来自辞典例句
2 swooped 33b84cab2ba3813062b6e35dccf6ee5b     
俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The aircraft swooped down over the buildings. 飞机俯冲到那些建筑物上方。
  • The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it. 鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来，并把它杀死。
3 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的
参考例句：
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。
4 uncommon AlPwO     
adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的
参考例句：
  • Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
  • Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
5 desolate vmizO     
adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂
参考例句：
  • The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
  • We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。
6 fortified fortified     
adj. 加强的
参考例句：
  • He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
  • The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。
7 isles 4c841d3b2d643e7e26f4a3932a4a886a     
岛( isle的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
  • The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。
8 natty YF1xY     
adj.整洁的，漂亮的
参考例句：
  • Cliff was a natty dresser.克利夫是讲究衣着整洁美观的人。
  • Please keep this office natty and use the binaries provided.请保持办公室整洁，使用所提供的垃圾箱。
9 toll LJpzo     
n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)
参考例句：
  • The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
  • The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
10 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的
参考例句：
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。
11 shrill EEize     
adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫
参考例句：
  • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
  • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。
12 tinkled a75bf1120cb6e885f8214e330dbfc6b7     
（使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出
参考例句：
  • The sheep's bell tinkled through the hills. 羊的铃铛叮当叮当地响彻整个山区。
  • A piano tinkled gently in the background. 背景音是悠扬的钢琴声。
13 starched 1adcdf50723145c17c3fb6015bbe818c     
adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • My clothes are not starched enough. 我的衣服浆得不够硬。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The ruffles on his white shirt were starched and clean. 白衬衫的褶边浆过了，很干净。 来自辞典例句
14 asperity rN6yY     
n.粗鲁，艰苦
参考例句：
  • He spoke to the boy with asperity.他严厉地对那男孩讲话。
  • The asperity of the winter had everybody yearning for spring.严冬之苦让每个人都渴望春天。
15 unwilling CjpwB     
adj.不情愿的
参考例句：
  • The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
  • His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。
16 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
17 nun THhxK     
n.修女，尼姑
参考例句：
  • I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
  • She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。
18 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔
参考例句：
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 invaluable s4qxe     
adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的
参考例句：
  • A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
  • This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。
20 placid 7A1yV     
adj.安静的，平和的
参考例句：
  • He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
  • You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。
21 panes c8bd1ed369fcd03fe15520d551ab1d48     
窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上，又反射到他身上。
  • The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。
22 tepid Ggkyl     
adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的
参考例句：
  • She bent her mouth to the tap and drank the tepid water.她把嘴伸到水龙头底下去喝那微温的水。
  • Her feet firmly planted on the tepid rough brick of the floor.她一双脚稳固地立在微温而粗糙的砖地上。
23 atlas vOCy5     
n.地图册，图表集
参考例句：
  • He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
  • The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。
24 reverence BByzT     
n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬
参考例句：
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。
25 omen N5jzY     
n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示
参考例句：
  • The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
  • Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？
26 stony qu1wX     
adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的
参考例句：
  • The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干，而且布满了石头。
  • He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。
27 groan LfXxU     
vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音
参考例句：
  • The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
  • The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。
28 poignant FB1yu     
adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的
参考例句：
  • His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
  • It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。
29 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。
30 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。

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