借镜杀人33

时间：2025-10-10 07:11:41

（单词翻译:单击）

2
Miss Marple came down the stairs and into the Great Hall to find Alex Re-
starick standing1 near the large, arched entrance door with his hand flung
out in a somewhat flamboyant2 gesture.
“Come in, come in,” said Alex happily and as though he were the owner
of the Great Hall. “I’m just thinking about last night.”
Lewis Serrocold, who had followed Miss Marple down from Carrie
Louise’s sitting room, crossed the Great Hall to his study and went in and
shut the door.
“Are you trying to reconstruct the crime?” asked Miss Marple with sub-
dued eagerness.
“Eh?” Alex looked at her with a frown. Then his brow cleared.
“Oh, that,” he said. “No, not exactly. I was looking at the whole thing
from an entirely3 different point of view. I was thinking of this place in the
terms of the theatre. Not reality, but artificiality! Just come over here.
Think of it in the terms of a stage set. Lighting4, entrances, exits. Dramatis
Personae. Noises off. All very interesting. Not all my own idea. The In-
spector gave it to me. I think he’s rather a cruel man. He did his best to
frighten me this morning.”
“And did he frighten you?”
“I’m not sure.”
Alex described the Inspector5’s experiment and the timing6 of the per-
formance of the puffing7 Constable8 Dodgett.
“Time,” he said, “is so very misleading. One thinks things take such a
long time, but really, of course, they don’t.”
“No,” said Miss Marple.
Representing the audience, she moved to a different position. The stage
set now consisted of a vast, tapestry-covered wall going up to dimness,
with a grand piano up L. and a window and window seat up R. Very near
the window seat was the door into the library. The piano stool was only
about eight feet from the door into the square lobby, which led to the cor-
ridor. Two very convenient exits! The audience, of course, had an excel-
lent view of both of them….
But last night there had been no audience. Nobody, that is to say, had
been facing the stage set that Miss Marple was now facing. The audience,
last night, had been sitting with their backs to that particular stage.
How long, Miss Marple wondered, would it have taken to slip out of the
room, run along the corridor, shoot Gulbrandsen and come back? Not
nearly so long as one would think. Measured in minutes and seconds, a
very short time indeed….
What had Carrie Louise meant when she had said to her husband: “So
that’s what you believe—but you’re wrong, Lewis!”
“I must say that that was a very penetrating9 remark of the Inspector’s,”
Alex’s voice cut in on her meditations10. “About a stage set being real. Made
of wood and cardboard and stuck together with glue and as real on the un-
painted as on the painted side. ‘The illusion,’ he pointed11 out, ‘is in the eyes
of the audience.’”
“Like conjurers,” Miss Marple murmured vaguely13. “They do it with mir-
rors is, I believe, the slang phrase.”
Stephen Restarick came in, slightly out of breath.
“Hullo, Alex,” he said. “That little rat, Ernie Gregg—I don’t know if you
remember him?”
“The one who played Feste when you did Twelfth Night? Quite a bit of
talent there I thought.”
“Yes, he’s got talent of a sort. Very good with his hands, too. Does a lot of
our carpentry. However, that’s neither here nor there. He’s been boasting
to Gina that he gets out at night and wanders about the grounds. Says he
was wandering round last night and boasts he saw something.”
Alex spun14 round.
“Saw what?”
“Says he’s not going to tell! Actually, I’m pretty certain he’s only trying
to show off and get into the limelight. He’s an awful liar15, but I thought per-
haps16 he ought to be questioned.”
Alex said sharply, “I should leave him for a bit. Don’t let him think we’re
too interested.”
“Perhaps—yes I think you may be right there. This evening, perhaps.”
Stephen went on into the library.
Miss Marple, moving gently round the Hall in her character of mobile
audience, collided with Alex Restarick as he stepped back suddenly.
Miss Marple said, “I’m so sorry.”
Alex frowned at her, said in an absent sort of way,
“I beg your pardon,” and then added in a surprised voice, “Oh, it’s you.”
It seemed to Miss Marple an odd remark for someone with whom she
had been conversing17 for some considerable time.
“I was thinking of something else,” said Alex Restarick. “That boy Ernie
—” He made vague motions with both hands.
Then, with a sudden change of manner, he crossed the Hall and went
through the library door shutting it behind him.
The murmur12 of voices came from behind the closed door, but Miss
Marple hardly noticed them. She was uninterested in the versatile18 Ernie
and what he had seen or pretended to see. She had a shrewd suspicion
that Ernie had seen nothing at all. She did not believe for a moment that
on a cold raw foggy night like last night, Ernie would have troubled to use
his picklocking activities and wander about in the park. In all probability,
he never had got out at night. Boasting, that was all it had been.
“Like Johnnie Backhouse,” thought Miss Marple who always had a good
storehouse of parallels to draw upon, selected from inhabitants of St.
Mary Mead19.
“I seen you last night,” had been Johnnie Backhouse’s unpleasant taunt20
to all he thought it might affect.
It had been a surprisingly successful remark. So many people, Miss
Marple reflected, have been in places where they are anxious not to be
seen!
She dismissed Johnnie from her mind and concentrated on a vague
something which Alex’s account of Inspector Curry’s remarks had stirred
to life. Those remarks had given Alex an idea. She was not sure that they
had not given her an idea, too. The same idea? Or a different one?
She stood where Alex Restarick had stood. She thought to herself, “This
is not a real hall. This is only cardboard and canvas and wood. This is a
stage scene….” Scrappy phrases flashed across her mind. “Illusion—” “In
the eyes of the audience.” “They do it with mirrors….” Bowls of goldfish …
yards of coloured ribbon … vanishing ladies … All the panoply21 and misdir-
ection of the conjurer’s art….
Something stirred in her consciousness—a picture—something that Alex
had said … something that he had described to her … Constable Dodgett
puffing and panting … panting … something shifted in her mind—came
into sudden focus….
“Why of course!” said Miss Marple. “That must be it….”

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1 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
2 flamboyant QjKxl     
adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的
参考例句：
  • His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
  • The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。
3 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。
4 lighting CpszPL     
n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光
参考例句：
  • The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
  • The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。
5 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。
6 timing rgUzGC     
n.时间安排，时间选择
参考例句：
  • The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
  • The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。
7 puffing b3a737211571a681caa80669a39d25d3     
v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧
参考例句：
  • He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 constable wppzG     
n.(英国)警察，警官
参考例句：
  • The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
  • The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。
9 penetrating ImTzZS     
adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的
参考例句：
  • He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。
  • He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。
10 meditations f4b300324e129a004479aa8f4c41e44a     
默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想
参考例句：
  • Each sentence seems a quarry of rich meditations. 每一句话似乎都给人以许多冥思默想。
  • I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations. 我很抱歉，打断你思考问题了。
11 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。
12 murmur EjtyD     
n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言
参考例句：
  • They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
  • There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。
13 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。
14 spun kvjwT     
v.纺，杜撰，急转身
参考例句：
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
15 liar V1ixD     
n.说谎的人
参考例句：
  • I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
  • She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。
16 haps 7226286636a9a1dc4226df0e47f52e59     
n.粗厚毛披巾；偶然，机会，运气( hap的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • He recorded all the little haps and mishaps of his life. 他记录了下他生命中的所有小祸小福。 来自互联网
  • Per haps he's never run up against any walls. 这家伙大概没有碰过钉子吧？ 来自互联网
17 conversing 20d0ea6fb9188abfa59f3db682925246     
v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • I find that conversing with her is quite difficult. 和她交谈实在很困难。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They were conversing in the parlor. 他们正在客厅谈话。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
18 versatile 4Lbzl     
adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的
参考例句：
  • A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
  • He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。
19 mead BotzAK     
n.蜂蜜酒
参考例句：
  • He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
  • He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。
20 taunt nIJzj     
n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄
参考例句：
  • He became a taunt to his neighbours.他成了邻居们嘲讽的对象。
  • Why do the other children taunt him with having red hair?为什么别的小孩子讥笑他有红头发？
21 panoply kKcxM     
n.全副甲胄，礼服
参考例句：
  • But all they had added was the trappings and panoply of applied science.但是他们所增添的一切,不过是实用科学的装饰和甲胄罢了。
  • The lakes were surrounded By a panoply of mountains.群湖为壮丽的群山所环抱。

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