命案目睹记20

时间：2025-10-20 07:22:25

（单词翻译:单击）

II
“I don’t suppose you want to see me,” said Bryan Eastley apologetically,
coming into the room and hesitating by the door. “I don’t exactly belong to
the family—”
“Let me see, you are Mr. Bryan Eastley, the husband of Miss Edith Crack-
enthorpe, who died five years ago?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, it’s very kind of you, Mr. Eastley, especially if you know some-
thing that you think could assist us in some way?”
“But I don’t. Wish I did. Whole thing seems so ruddy peculiar1, doesn’t it?
Coming along and meeting some fellow in that draughty old barn, in the
middle of winter. Wouldn’t be my cup of tea!”
“It is certainly very perplexing,” Inspector2 Craddock agreed.
“Is it true that she was a foreigner? Word seems to have got round to
that effect.”
“Does that fact suggest anything to you?” The inspector looked at him
sharply, but Bryan seemed amiably3 vacuous4.
“No, it doesn’t, as a matter of fact.”
“Maybe she was French,” said Inspector Bacon, with dark suspicion.
Bryan was roused to slight animation5. A look of interest came into his
blue eyes, and he tugged6 at his big fair moustache.
“Really? Gay Paree?” He shook his head. “On the whole it seems to make
it even more unlikely, doesn’t it? Messing about in the barn, I mean. You
haven’t had any other sarcophagus murders, have you? One of these fel-
lows with an urge—or a complex? Thinks he’s Caligula or someone like
that?”
Inspector Craddock did not even trouble to reject this speculation7. In-
stead he asked in a casual manner:
“Nobody in the family got any French connections, or—or—relation-
ships that you know of?”
Bryan said that the Crackenthorpes weren’t a very gay lot.
“Harold’s respectably married,” he said. “Fish-faced woman, some im-
poverished peer’s daughter. Don’t think Alfred cares about women much
—spends his life going in for shady deals which usually go wrong in the
end. I dare say Cedric’s got a few Spanish señoritas jumping through
hoops8 for him in Ibiza. Women rather fall for Cedric. Doesn’t always
shave and looks as though he never washes. Don’t see why that should be
attractive to women, but apparently9 it is—I say, I’m not being very helpful,
am I?”
He grinned at them.
“Better get young Alexander on the job. He and James Stoddart- West
are out hunting for clues in a big way. Bet you they turn up something.”
Inspector Craddock said he hoped they would. Then he thanked Bryan
Eastley and said he would like to speak to Miss Emma Crackenthorpe.

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1 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。
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 amiably amiably     
adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地
参考例句：
  • She grinned amiably at us. 她咧着嘴向我们亲切地微笑。
  • Atheists and theists live together peacefully and amiably in this country. 无神论者和有神论者在该国和睦相处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 vacuous Kiuwt     
adj.空的，漫散的，无聊的，愚蠢的
参考例句：
  • Male models are not always so vacuous as they are made out to be.男模特儿并不总像人们说的那样愚蠢。
  • His eyes looked dull,almost vacuous.他看上去目光呆滞，茫然若失。
5 animation UMdyv     
n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作
参考例句：
  • They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
  • The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。
6 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 speculation 9vGwe     
n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机
参考例句：
  • Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
  • There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。
8 hoops 528662bd801600a928e199785550b059     
n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓
参考例句：
  • a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
  • Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）
9 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

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