命案目睹记18

时间：2025-10-20 07:22:23

（单词翻译:单击）

II
Lucy had gone straight to the kitchen on getting back from the inquest,
and was busy with preparations for lunch when Bryan Eastley put his
head in.
“Can I give you a hand in any way?” he asked. “I’m handy about the
house.”
Lucy gave him a quick, slightly preoccupied1 glance. Bryan had arrived
at the inquest direct in his small M.G. car, and she had not as yet had
much time to size him up.
What she saw was likeable enough. Eastley was an amiable- looking
young man of thirty-odd with brown hair, rather plaintive2 blue eyes and
an enormous fair moustache.
“The boys aren’t back yet,” he said, coming in and sitting on the end of
the kitchen table. “It will take ’em another twenty minutes on their bikes.”
Lucy smiled.
“They were certainly determined3 not to miss anything.”
“Can’t blame them. I mean to say—first inquest in their young lives and
right in the family so to speak.”
“Do you mind getting off the table, Mr. Eastley? I want to put the baking
dish down there.”
Bryan obeyed.
“I say, that fat’s corking4 hot. What are you going to put in it?”
“Yorkshire pudding.”
“Good old Yorkshire. Roast beef of old England, is that the menu for
today?”
“Yes.”
“The funeral baked meats, in fact. Smells good.” He sniffed5 appreciat-
ively. “Do you mind my gassing away?”
“If you came in to help I’d rather you helped.” She drew another pan
from the oven. “Here—turn all these potatoes over so that they brown on
the other side….”
Bryan obeyed with alacrity6.
“Have all these things been fizzling away in here while we’ve been at
the inquest? Supposing they’d been all burnt up.”
“Most improbable. There’s a regulating number on the oven.”
“Kind of electric brain, eh, what? Is that right?”
Lucy threw a swift look in his direction.
“Quite right. Now put the pan in the oven. Here, take the cloth. On the
second shelf— I want the top for the Yorkshire pudding.”
Bryan obeyed, but not without uttering a shrill7 yelp8.
“Burnt yourself?”
“Just a bit. It doesn’t matter. What a dangerous game cooking is!”
“I suppose you never do your own cooking?”
“As a matter of fact I do—quite often. But not this sort of thing. I can boil
an egg—if I don’t forget to look at the clock. And I can do eggs and bacon.
And I can put a steak under the grill9 or open a tin of soup. I’ve got one of
those little electric whatnots in my flat.”
“You live in London?”
“If you call it living—yes.”
His tone was despondent10. He watched Lucy shoot in the dish with the
Yorkshire pudding mixture.
“This is awfully11 jolly,” he said and sighed.
Her immediate12 preoccupations over, Lucy looked at him with more at-
tention.
“What is—this kitchen?”
“Yes. Reminds me of our kitchen at home—when I was a boy.”
It struck Lucy that there was something strangely forlorn about Bryan
Eastley. Looking closely at him, she realized that he was older than she
had at first thought. He must be close on forty. It seemed difficult to think
of him as Alexander’s father. He reminded her of innumerable young pi-
lots she had known during the war when she had been at the impression-
able age of fourteen. She had gone on and grown up into a post-war world
—but she felt as though Bryan had not gone on, but had been passed by in
the passage of years. His next words confirmed this. He had subsided13 on
to the kitchen table again.
“It’s a difficult sort of world,” he said, “isn’t it? To get your bearings in, I
mean. You see, one hasn’t been trained for it.”
Lucy recalled what she had heard from Emma.
“You were a fighter pilot, weren’t you?” she said. “You’ve got a D.F.C.”
“That’s the sort of thing that puts you wrong. You’ve got a gong and so
people try to make it easy for you. Give you a job and all that. Very decent
of them. But they’re all admin. jobs, and one simply isn’t any good at that
sort of thing. Sitting at a desk getting tangled14 up in figures. I’ve had ideas
of my own, you know, tried out a wheeze15 or two. But you can’t get the
backing. Can’t get the chaps to come in and put down the money. If I had a
bit of capital—”
He brooded.
“You didn’t know Edie, did you? My wife. No, of course you didn’t. She
was quite different from all this lot. Younger, for one thing. She was in the
W.A.A.F. She always said her old man was crackers16. He is, you know.
Mean as hell over money. And it’s not as though he could take it with him.
It’s got to be divided up when he dies. Edie’s share will go to Alexander, of
course. He won’t be able to touch the capital until he’s twenty- one,
though.”
“I’m sorry, but will you get off the table again? I want to dish up and
make gravy17.”
At that moment Alexander and Stoddart-West arrived with rosy18 faces
and very much out of breath.
“Hallo, Bryan,” said Alexander kindly19 to his father. “So this is where
you’ve got to. I say, what a smashing piece of beef. Is there Yorkshire pud-
ding?”
“Yes, there is.”
“We have awful Yorkshire pudding at school—all damp and limp.”
“Get out of my way,” said Lucy. “I want to make the gravy.”
“Make lots of gravy. Can we have two sauce-boats full?”
“Yes.”
“Good-oh!” said Stoddart-West, pronouncing the word carefully.
“I don’t like it pale,” said Alexander anxiously.
“It won’t be pale.”
“She’s a smashing cook,” said Alexander to his father.
Lucy had a momentary20 impression that their roles were reversed. Alex-
ander spoke21 like a kindly father to his son.
“Can we help you, Miss Eyelesbarrow?” asked Stoddart-West politely.
“Yes, you can. Alexander, go and sound the gong. James, will you carry
this tray into the dining room? And will you take the joint22 in, Mr. Eastley?
I’ll bring the potatoes and the Yorkshire pudding.”
“There’s a Scotland Yard man here,” said Alexander. “Do you think he
will have lunch with us?”
“That depends on what your aunt arranged.”
“I don’t suppose Aunt Emma would mind… She’s very hospitable23. But I
suppose Uncle Harold wouldn’t like it. He’s being very sticky over this
murder.” Alexander went out through the door with the tray, adding a
little additional information over his shoulder. “Mr. Wimborne’s in the lib-
rary with the Scotland Yard man now. But he isn’t staying to lunch. He
said he had to get back to London. Come on, Stodders. Oh, he’s gone to do
the gong.”
At that moment the gong took charge. Stoddart-West was an artist. He
gave it everything he had, and all further conversation was inhibited24.
Bryan carried in the joint, Lucy followed with vegetables—returning to
the kitchen to get the two brimming sauce-boats of gravy.
Mr. Wimborne was standing25 in the hall putting on his gloves as Emma
came quickly down the stairs.
“Are you really sure you won’t stop for lunch, Mr. Wimborne? It’s all
ready.”
“No, I’ve an important appointment in London. There is a restaurant car
on the train.”
“It was very good of you to come down,” said Emma gratefully.
The two police officers emerged from the library.
Mr. Wimborne took Emma’s hand in his.
“There’s nothing to worry about, my dear,” he said. “This is Detective-In-
spector Craddock from New Scotland Yard who has come to take charge of
the case. He is coming back at two-fifteen to ask you for any facts that may
assist him in his inquiry26. But, as I say, you have nothing to worry about.”
He looked towards Craddock. “I may repeat to Miss Crackenthorpe what
you have told me?”
“Certainly, sir.”
“Inspector Craddock has just told me that this almost certainly was not a
local crime. The murdered woman is thought to have come from London
and was probably a foreigner.”
Emma Crackenthorpe said sharply:
“A foreigner. Was she French?”
Mr. Wimborne had clearly meant his statement to be consoling. He
looked slightly taken aback. Dermot Craddock’s glance went quickly from
him to Emma’s face.
He wondered why she had leaped to the conclusion that the murdered
woman was French, and why that thought disturbed her so much?

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1 preoccupied TPBxZ     
adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)
参考例句：
  • He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
  • The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 plaintive z2Xz1     
adj.可怜的，伤心的
参考例句：
  • Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。
  • Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
3 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
4 corking 52c7280052fb25cd65020d1bce4c315a     
adj.很好的adv.非常地v.用瓶塞塞住( cork的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • I've often thought you'd make a corking good actress." 我经常在想你会成为很了不起的女演员。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
5 sniffed ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72     
v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说
参考例句：
  • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 alacrity MfFyL     
n.敏捷，轻快，乐意
参考例句：
  • Although the man was very old,he still moved with alacrity.他虽然很老，动作仍很敏捷。
  • He accepted my invitation with alacrity.他欣然接受我的邀请。
7 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。
8 yelp zosym     
vi.狗吠
参考例句：
  • The dog gave a yelp of pain.狗疼得叫了一声。
  • The puppy a yelp when John stepped on her tail.当约翰踩到小狗的尾巴，小狗发出尖叫。
9 grill wQ8zb     
n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问
参考例句：
  • Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
  • I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。
10 despondent 4Pwzw     
adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的
参考例句：
  • He was up for a time and then，without warning,despondent again.他一度兴高采烈，但忽然又情绪低落下来。
  • I feel despondent when my work is rejected.作品被拒后我感到很沮丧。
11 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地
参考例句：
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
12 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的
参考例句：
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
13 subsided 1bda21cef31764468020a8c83598cc0d     
v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上
参考例句：
  • After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
14 tangled e487ee1bc1477d6c2828d91e94c01c6e     
adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
  • Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
  • A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。
15 wheeze Ep5yX     
n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说
参考例句：
  • The old man managed to wheeze out a few words.老人勉强地喘息着说出了几句话。
  • He has a slight wheeze in his chest.他呼吸时胸部发出轻微的响声。
16 crackers nvvz5e     
adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘
参考例句：
  • That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
  • We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 gravy Przzt1     
n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快
参考例句：
  • You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
  • The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。
18 rosy kDAy9     
adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的
参考例句：
  • She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
  • She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
19 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。
20 momentary hj3ya     
adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的
参考例句：
  • We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
  • I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。
21 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。
22 joint m3lx4     
adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合
参考例句：
  • I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
  • We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。
23 hospitable CcHxA     
adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的
参考例句：
  • The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
  • The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。
24 inhibited Fqvz0I     
a.拘谨的，拘束的
参考例句：
  • Boys are often more inhibited than girls about discussing their problems. 男孩子往往不如女孩子敢于谈论自己的问题。
  • Having been laughed at for his lameness,the boy became shy and inhibited. 那男孩因跛脚被人讥笑，变得羞怯而压抑。
25 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。
26 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

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