黑麦奇案13
时间：2025-10-10 08:13:10
（单词翻译:单击）
II
“It’s fantastic,” said Lance. “Quite fantastic.” He stared across the table
Inspector Neele nodded his head sympathetically.
“Taxine—yewberries—the whole thing seems like some kind of melo-
drama. I dare say this sort of thing seems ordinary enough to you, In-
spector. All in the day’s work. But poisoning, in our family, seems wildly
far-fetched.”
“You’ve no idea then at all,” asked Inspector Neele, “who might have
poisoned your father?”
“Good lord, no. I expect the old man’s made a lot of enemies in business,
lots of people who’d like to skin him alive, do him down financially—all
that sort of thing. But poisoning? Anyway I wouldn’t be in the know. I’ve
been abroad for a good many years and have known very little of what’s
going on at home.”
“That’s really what I wanted to ask you about, Mr. Fortescue. I under-
stand from your brother that there was an estrangement3 between you and
your father which had lasted for many years. Would you like to tell me the
circumstances that led to your coming home at this time?”
“Certainly, Inspector. I heard from my father, let me see it must be
about—yes, six months ago now. It was soon after my marriage. My father
wrote and hinted that he would like to let bygones be bygones. He sugges-
his terms and I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to do what he asked. Any-
way, the upshot was that I came over to England last—yes, last August, just
made me, I must say, a very advantageous5 offer. I told him that I’d have to
think about it and I’d have to consult my wife. He quite understood that. I
flew back to East Africa, talked it over with Pat. The upshot was that I de-
cided to accept the old boy’s offer. I had to wind up my affairs there, but I
agreed to do so before the end of last month. I told him I would wire to
him the date of my actual arrival in England.”
Inspector Neele coughed.
“Your arrival back seems to have caused your brother some surprise.”
Lance gave a sudden grin. His rather attractive face lit up with the spirit
“Don’t believe old Percy knew a thing about it,” he said. “He was away
on his holiday in Norway at the time. If you ask me, the old man picked
that particular time on purpose. He was going behind Percy’s back. In fact
I’ve a very shrewd suspicion that my father’s offer to me was actuated by
the fact that he had a blazing row with poor old Percy — or Val as he
prefers to be called. Val, I think, had been more or less trying to run the
old man. Well, the old man would never stand for anything of that kind.
What the exact row was about I don’t know, but he was furious. And I
poor old Val’s guns. For one thing he never liked Percy’s wife much and he
his idea of a good joke to get me home and suddenly confront Percy with
the accomplished10 fact.”
“How long were you at Yewtree Lodge on this occasion?”
“Oh, not more than an hour or two. He didn’t ask me to stay the night.
The whole idea, I’m sure, was a kind of secret offensive behind Percy’s
back. I don’t think he even wanted the servants to report upon it. As I say,
things were left that I’d think it over, talk about it to Pat and then write
him my decision, which I did. I wrote giving him the approximate date of
my arrival, and I finally sent him a telegram yesterday from Paris.”
Inspector Neele nodded.
“A telegram which surprised your brother very much.”
“I bet it did. However, as usual, Percy wins. I’ve arrived too late.”
“Yes,” said Inspector Neele thoughtfully, “you’ve arrived too late.” He
went on briskly: “On the occasion of your visit last August, did you meet
any other members of the family?”
“My stepmother was there at tea.”
“You had not met her previously11?”
“No.” He grinned suddenly. “The old boy certainly knew how to pick
them. She must be thirty years younger than him at least.”
“You will excuse my asking, but did you resent your father’s remarriage,
or did your brother do so?”
Lance looked surprised.
“I certainly didn’t, and I shouldn’t think Percy did either. After all, our
own mother died when we were about—oh, ten, twelve years old. What
I’m really surprised at is that the old man didn’t marry again before.”
Inspector Neele murmured:
“It may be considered taking rather a risk to marry a woman very much
younger than yourself.”
“Did my dear brother say that to you? It sounds rather like him. Percy is
a great master of the art of insinuation. Is that the setup, Inspector? Is my
stepmother suspected of poisoning my father?”
Inspector Neele’s face became blank.
“It’s early days to have any definite ideas about anything, Mr. Fortes-
cue,” he said pleasantly. “Now, may I ask you what your plans are?”
“Plans?” Lance considered. “I shall have to make new plans, I suppose.
Where is the family? All down at Yewtree Lodge?”
“Yes.”
“I’d better go down there straight away.” He turned to his wife. “You’d
better go to an hotel, Pat.”
She protested quickly. “No, no, Lance, I’ll come with you.”
“No, darling.”
“But I want to.”
“Really, I’d rather you didn’t. Go and stay at the—oh it’s so long since I
stayed in London—Barnes’s. Barnes’s Hotel used to be a nice, quiet sort of
place. That’s still going, I suppose?”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Fortescue.”
“Right, Pat. I’ll settle you in there if they’ve got a room, then I’ll go on
down to Yewtree Lodge.”
“But why can’t I come with you, Lance?”
Lance’s face took suddenly a rather grim line.
“Frankly, Pat, I’m not sure of my welcome. It was Father who invited me
there, but Father’s dead. I don’t know who the place belongs to now.
Percy, I suppose, or perhaps Adele. Anyway, I’d like to see what reception
I get before I bring you there. Besides—”
“Besides what?”
“I don’t want to take you to a house where there’s a poisoner at large.”
“Oh, what nonsense.”
Lance said firmly:
“Where you’re concerned, Pat, I’m taking no risks.”
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1
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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ted
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| vt.翻晒，撒，撒开 | |
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3
estrangement
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| n.疏远，失和，不和 | |
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4
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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5
advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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7
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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8
spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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9
snobbish
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| adj.势利的，谄上欺下的 | |
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10
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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11
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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