命案目睹记24

时间：2025-10-20 07:24:09

（单词翻译:单击）

Eleven
I
“I simply can’t make you out,” said Cedric Crackenthorpe.
He eased himself down on the decaying wall of a long derelict pigsty1
and stared at Lucy Eyelesbarrow.
“What can’t you make out?”
“What you’re doing here?”
“I’m earning my living.”
“As a skivvy?” he spoke2 disparagingly3.
“You’re out of date,” said Lucy. “Skivvy, indeed! I’m a Household Help, a
Professional Domestician, or an Answer to Prayer, mainly the latter.”
“You can’t like all the things you have to do—cooking and making beds
and whirring about with a hoopla or whatever you call it, and sinking
your arms up to the elbows in greasy4 water.”
Lucy laughed.
“Not the details, perhaps, but cooking satisfies my creative instincts, and
there’s something in me that really revels5 in clearing up mess.”
“I live in a permanent mess,” said Cedric. “I like it,” he added defiantly6.
“You look as though you did.”
“My cottage in Ibiza is run on simple straightforward7 lines. Three plates,
two cups and saucers, a bed, a table and a couple of chairs. There’s dust
everywhere and smears8 of paint and chips of stone—I sculpt9 as well as
paint—and nobody’s allowed to touch a thing. I won’t have a woman near
the place.”
“Not in any capacity?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I was assuming that a man of such artistic10 tastes presumably had some
kind of love life.”
“My love life, as you call it, is my own business,” said Cedric with dig-
nity. “What I won’t have is woman in her tidying-up interfering11 bossing ca-
pacity.”
“How I’d love to have a go at your cottage,” said Lucy. “It would be a
challenge!”
“You won’t get the opportunity.”
“I suppose not.”
Some bricks fell out of the pigsty. Cedric turned his head and looked into
its nettle-ridden depths.
“Dear old Madge,” he said. “I remember her well. A sow of most endear-
ing disposition12 and prolific13 mother. Seventeen in the last litter, I remem-
ber. We used to come here on fine afternoons and scratch Madge’s back
with a stick. She loved it.”
“Why has this whole place been allowed to get into the state it’s in? It
can’t only be the war?”
“You’d like to tidy this up, too, I suppose? What an interfering female
you are. I quite see now why you would be the person to discover a body!
You couldn’t even leave a Greco-Roman sarcophagus alone.” He paused
and then went on. “No, it’s not only the war. It’s my father. What do you
think of him, by the way?”
“I haven’t had much time for thinking.”
“Don’t evade14 the issue. He’s as mean as hell, and in my opinion a bit
crazy as well. Of course he hates all of us—except perhaps Emma. That’s
because of my grandfather’s will.”
Lucy looked inquiring.
“My grandfather was the man who madea- da- monitch. With the
Crunchies and the Cracker15 Jacks16 and the Cosy17 Crisps. All the afternoon tea
delicacies18 and then, being far-sighted, he switched on very early to Chees-
ies and Canapés so that now we cash in on cocktail19 parties in a big way.
Well, the time came when father intimated that he had a soul above
Crunchies. He travelled in Italy and the Balkans and Greece and dabbled20
in art. My grandfather was peeved21. He decided22 my father was no man of
business and a rather poor judge of art (quite right in both cases), so left
all his money in trust for his grandchildren. Father had the income for
life, but he couldn’t touch the capital. Do you know what he did? He
stopped spending money. He came here and began to save. I’d say that by
now he’s accumulated nearly as big a fortune as my grandfather left. And
in the meantime all of us, Harold, myself, Alfred and Emma haven’t got a
penny of grandfather’s money. I’m a stony-broke painter. Harold went
into business and is now a prominent man in the City—he’s the one with
the money-making touch, though I’ve heard rumours23 that he’s in Queer
Street lately. Alfred—well, Alfred is usually known in the privacy of the
family as Flash Alf—”
“Why?”
“What a lot of things you want to know! The answer is that Alf is the
black sheep of the family. He’s not actually been to prison yet, but he’s
been very near it. He was in the Ministry24 of Supply during the war, but
left it rather abruptly25 under questionable26 circumstances. And after that
there were some dubious27 deals in tinned fruits—and trouble over eggs.
Nothing in a big way—just a few doubtful deals on the side.”
“Isn’t it rather unwise to tell strangers all these things?”
“Why? Are you a police spy?”
“I might be.”
“I don’t think so. You were here slaving away before the police began to
take an interest in us. I should say—”
He broke off as his sister Emma came through the door of the kitchen
garden.
“Hallo, Em? You’re looking very perturbed28 about something?”
“I am. I want to talk to you, Cedric.”
“I must get back to the house,” said Lucy, tactfully.
“Don’t go,” said Cedric. “Murder has made you practically one of the
family.”
“I’ve got a lot to do,” said Lucy. “I only came out to get some parsley.”
She beat a rapid retreat to the kitchen garden. Cedric’s eyes followed
her.
“Good-looking girl,” he said. “Who is she really?”
“Oh, she’s quite well known,” said Emma. “She’s made a speciality of
this kind of thing. But never mind Lucy Eyelesbarrow, Cedric, I’m terribly
worried. Apparently29 the police think that the dead woman was a for-
eigner, perhaps French. Cedric, you don’t think that she could possibly be
— Martine?”

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1 pigsty ruEy2     
n.猪圈，脏房间
参考例句：
  • How can you live in this pigsty?你怎能这住在这样肮脏的屋里呢？
  • We need to build a new pigsty for the pigs.我们需修建一个新猪圈。
2 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。
3 disparagingly b42f6539a4881e0982d0f4b448940378     
adv.以贬抑的口吻，以轻视的态度
参考例句：
  • These mythological figures are described disparagingly as belonging only to a story. 这些神话人物被轻蔑地描述为“仅在传说中出现”的人物。 来自互联网
  • In his memoirs he often speaks disparagingly about the private sector. 在他的回忆录里面他经常轻蔑的谈及私营（商业）部门。 来自互联网
4 greasy a64yV     
adj. 多脂的，油脂的
参考例句：
  • He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
  • You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。
5 revels a11b91521eaa5ae9692b19b125143aa9     
n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉
参考例句：
  • Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句
6 defiantly defiantly     
adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地
参考例句：
  • Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 straightforward fFfyA     
adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的
参考例句：
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
8 smears ff795c29bb653b3db2c08e7c1b20f633     
污迹( smear的名词复数 )； 污斑； （显微镜的）涂片； 诽谤
参考例句：
  • His evidence was a blend of smears, half truths and downright lies. 他的证词里掺杂着诽谤、部份的事实和彻头彻尾的谎言。
  • Anything written with a soft pencil smears easily. 用软铅笔写成的东西容易污成一片。
9 sculpt TZux2     
n.雕刻，雕塑，雕刻品，雕塑品
参考例句：
  • When I sculpt,my style is expressionistic.我的雕刻风格是表现主义。
  • Then,sculpt the remaining fringe parting.然后雕刻剩余的边缘部分。
10 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的
参考例句：
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
11 interfering interfering     
adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词
参考例句：
  • He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
  • I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。
12 disposition GljzO     
n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署
参考例句：
  • He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
  • He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。
13 prolific fiUyF     
adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的
参考例句：
  • She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
  • The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。
14 evade evade     
vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避
参考例句：
  • He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
  • You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？
15 cracker svCz5a     
n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干
参考例句：
  • Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
  • There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。
16 jacks 2b0facb0ce94beb5f627e3c22cc18d34     
n.抓子游戏；千斤顶( jack的名词复数 )；（电）插孔；[电子学]插座；放弃
参考例句：
  • Hydraulic jacks under the machine produce the movement. 是机器下面的液压千斤顶造成的移动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The front end is equipped with hydraulic jacks used for grade adjustment. 前瑞安装有液压千斤顶用来调整坡度。 来自辞典例句
17 cosy dvnzc5     
adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的
参考例句：
  • We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
  • It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。
18 delicacies 0a6e87ce402f44558508deee2deb0287     
n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到
参考例句：
  • Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
19 cocktail Jw8zNt     
n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物
参考例句：
  • We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
  • At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。
20 dabbled 55999aeda1ff87034ef046ec73004cbf     
v.涉猎( dabble的过去式和过去分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资
参考例句：
  • He dabbled in business. 他搞过一点生意。 来自辞典例句
  • His vesture was dabbled in blood. 他穿的衣服上溅满了鲜血。 来自辞典例句
21 peeved peeved     
adj.恼怒的，不高兴的v.（使）气恼，（使）焦躁，（使）愤怒( peeve的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He sounded peeved about not being told. 没人通知他，为此他气哼哼的。
  • She was very peeved about being left out. 她为被遗漏而恼怒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
22 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。
23 rumours ba6e2decd2e28dec9a80f28cb99e131d     
n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传
参考例句：
  • The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
  • Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。
24 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部；牧师
参考例句：
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
25 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
26 questionable oScxK     
adj.可疑的，有问题的
参考例句：
  • There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
  • Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。
27 dubious Akqz1     
adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的
参考例句：
  • What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
  • He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。
28 perturbed 7lnzsL     
adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • I am deeply perturbed by the alarming way the situation developing. 我对形势令人忧虑的发展深感不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Mother was much perturbed by my illness. 母亲为我的病甚感烦恼不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
29 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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