命案目睹记28
时间：2025-10-20 07:24:17
（单词翻译:单击）
Thirteen
I
“It’s so very kind of you to have asked me to take tea with you,” said Miss
Marple to Emma Crackenthorpe.
Miss Marple was looking particularly woolly and fluffy—a picture of a
sweet old lady. She beamed as she looked round her—at Harold Cracken-
thorpe in his well-cut dark suit, at Alfred handing her sandwiches with a
“We are very pleased that you could come,” said Emma politely.
There was no hint of the scene which had taken place after lunch that
day when Emma had exclaimed: “Dear me, I quite forgot. I told Miss Eye-
lesbarrow that she could bring her old aunt to tea today.”
“Put her off,” said Harold brusquely. “We’ve still got a lot to talk about.
We don’t want strangers here.”
“Let her have tea in the kitchen or somewhere with the girl,” said Al-
fred.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that,” said Emma firmly. “That would be very
rude.”
“Oh, let her come,” said Cedric. “We can draw her out a little about the
wonderful Lucy. I should like to know more about that girl, I must say. I’m
not sure that I trust her. Too smart by half.”
“She’s very well connected and quite genuine,” said Harold. “I’ve made
ing the body the way she did.”
“If we only knew who this damned woman was,” said Alfred.
Harold added angrily:
“I must say, Emma, that I think you were out of your senses, going and
suggesting to the police that the dead woman might be Edmund’s French
girl friend. It will make them convinced that she came here, and that prob-
ably one or other of us killed her.”
“Oh, no, Harold. Don’t exaggerate.”
know. I’ve a feeling I’m being followed everywhere I go by plainclothes-
men.”
“I told her not to do it,” said Cedric. “Then Quimper backed her up.”
“It’s no business of his,” said Harold angrily. “Let him stick to pills and
powders and National Health.”
“Oh, do stop quarrelling,” said Emma wearily. “I’m really glad this old
Miss Whatshername is coming to tea. It will do us all good to have a
stranger here and be prevented from going over and over the same things
again and again. I must go and tidy myself up a little.”
She left the room.
“This Lucy Eyelesbarrow,” said Harold, and stopped. “As Cedric says, it
is odd that she should nose about in the barn and go opening up a sarco-
phagus—really a Herculean task. Perhaps we ought to take steps. Her atti-
tude, I thought, was rather antagonistic6 at lunch—”
“Leave her to me,” said Alfred. “I’ll soon find out if she’s up to anything.”
“I mean, why open up that sarcophagus?”
“Perhaps she isn’t really Lucy Eyelesbarrow at all,” suggested Cedric.
“But what would be the point—?” Harold looked thoroughly7 upset. “Oh,
damn!”
They looked at each other with worried faces.
“And here’s this pestilential old woman coming to tea. Just when we
want to think.”
“We’ll talk things over this evening,” said Alfred. “In the meantime, we’ll
pump the old aunt about Lucy.”
So Miss Marple had duly been fetched by Lucy and installed by the fire
and she was now smiling up at Alfred as he handed her sandwiches with
the approval she always showed towards a good-looking man.
very nice. I’m afraid I’m always rather greedy over my tea. As one gets on,
you know… And, of course, at night only a very light meal… I have to be
careful.” She turned to her hostess once more. “What a beautiful house
you have. And so many beautiful things in it. Those bronzes, now, they re-
mind me of some my father bought—at the Paris Exhibition. Really, your
grandfather did? In the classical style, aren’t they? Very handsome. How
delightful9 for you having your brothers with you? So often families are
scattered—India, though I suppose that is all done with now—and Africa—
the west coast, such a bad climate.”
“Two of my brothers live in London.”
“That is very nice for you.”
“But my brother Cedric is a painter and lives in Ibiza, one of the Balearic
Islands.”
“Painters are so fond of islands, are they not?” said Miss Marple.
“Chopin — that was Majorca, was it not? But he was a musician. It is
Gauguin I am thinking of. A sad life—misspent, one feels. I myself never
really care for paintings of native women—and although I know he is very
She eyed Cedric with a slightly disapproving12 air.
“Tell us about Lucy as a child, Miss Marple,” said Cedric.
She smiled up at him delightedly.
“Lucy was always so clever,” she said. “Yes, you were, dear—now don’t
interrupt. Quite remarkable13 at arithmetic. Why, I remember when the
butcher overcharged me for top side of beef….”
Miss Marple launched full steam ahead into reminiscences of Lucy’s
childhood and from there to experiences of her own in village life.
The stream of reminiscence was interrupted by the entry of Bryan and
the boys rather wet and dirty as a result of an enthusiastic search for
clues. Tea was brought in and with it came Dr. Quimper who raised his
tion to the old lady.
“Hope your father’s not under the weather, Emma?”
“Oh, no—that is, he was just a little tired this afternoon—”
“Avoiding visitors, I expect,” said Miss Marple with a roguish smile.
ing?’ he would say to my mother. ‘Send my tea into the study.’ Very
naughty about it, he was.”
“Please don’t think—” began Emma, but Cedric cut in.
“It’s always tea in the study when his dear sons come down. Psycholo-
gically to be expected, eh, Doctor?”
frank appreciation17 of a man who has usually too little time to spend on his
meals, said:
“Psychology’s all right if it’s left to the psychologists. Trouble is, every-
one is an amateur psychologist nowadays. My patients tell me exactly
what complexes and neuroses they’re suffering from, without giving me a
chance to tell them. Thanks, Emma, I will have another cup. No time for
lunch today.”
“A doctor’s life, I always think, is so noble and self-sacrificing,” said Miss
Marple.
be called, and leeches they often are! At any rate, we do get paid
nowadays, the State sees to that. No sending in of bills that you know
won’t ever be met. Trouble is that all one’s patients are determined19 to get
everything they can ‘out of the Government,’ and as a result, if little Jenny
coughs twice in the night, or little Tommy eats a couple of green apples,
out the poor doctor has to come in the middle of the night. Oh, well! Glori-
ous cake, Emma. What a cook you are!”
“Not mine. Miss Eyelesbarrow’s.”
“You make ’em just as good,” said Quimper loyally.
“Will you come and see Father?”
She rose and the doctor followed her. Miss Marple watched them leave
the room.
Cedric.
“She has a very comfortable home here, and father is very much at-
tached to her,” said Harold quickly.
“Em’s all right,” said Cedric. “Born to be an old maid.”
There was a faint twinkle in Miss Marple’s eye as she said:
“Oh, do you think so?”
Harold said quickly:
“My brother didn’t use the term old maid in any derogatory sense, Miss
Marple.”
“Oh, I wasn’t offended,” said Miss Marple. “I just wondered if he was
right. I shouldn’t say myself that Miss Crackenthorpe would be an old
maid. She’s the type, I think, that’s quite likely to marry late in life—and
make a success of it.”
“Not very likely living here,” said Cedric. “Never sees anybody she could
marry.”
Miss Marple’s twinkle became more pronounced than ever.
“There are always clergymen—and doctors.”
Her eyes, gentle and mischievous22, went from one to another.
It was clear that she had suggested to them something that they had
never thought of and which they did not find overpleasing.
Miss Marple rose to her feet, dropping as she did so, several little woolly
scarves and her bag.
Yes—as I say—so kind to ask me here. I’ve been picturing, you know, just
here.”
“Perfect home conditions—with murder thrown in,” said Cedric.
“Cedric!” Harold’s voice was angry.
Miss Marple smiled up at Cedric.
“Do you know who you remind me of? Young Thomas Eade, our bank
of course, so he went to the West Indies… He came home when his father
died and inherited quite a lot of money. So nice for him. He was always
better at spending money than making it.”
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1
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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2
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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3
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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4
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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5
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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6
antagonistic
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| adj.敌对的 | |
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7
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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8
sardine
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| n.[C]沙丁鱼 | |
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9
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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10
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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11
bilious
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| adj.胆汁过多的；易怒的 | |
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12
disapproving
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| adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 ) | |
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13
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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14
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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15
pussies
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| n.（粗俚） 女阴( pussy的名词复数 )；（总称）（作为性对象的）女人；（主要北美使用，非正式）软弱的；小猫咪 | |
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16
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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17
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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18
leeches
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| n.水蛭( leech的名词复数 )；蚂蟥；榨取他人脂膏者；医生 | |
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19
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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20
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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21
outspoken
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| adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的 | |
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22
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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23
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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24
fluted
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| a.有凹槽的 | |
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25
visualize
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| vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想 | |
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26
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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