借镜杀人8

时间：2025-10-10 07:05:18

（单词翻译:单击）

2
“I see you’ve been victimised by that terrible young man,” said Mrs. Strete,
rather breathlessly, as she sank down on the seat. “What a tragedy that
is.”
“A tragedy?”
“Gina’s marriage. It all came about from sending her off to America. I
told Mother at the time it was most unwise. After all, this is quite a quiet
district. We had hardly any raids here. I do so dislike the way many
people gave way to panic about their families—and themselves, too, very
often.”
“It must have been difficult to decide what was right to do,” said Miss
Marple thoughtfully. “Where children were concerned, I mean. With the
prospect1 of possible invasion, it might have meant their being brought up
under a German regime—as well as the danger of bombs.”
“All nonsense,” said Mrs. Strete. “I never had the least doubt that we
should win. But Mother has always been quite unreasonable2 where Gina
is concerned. The child was always spoilt and indulged in every way.
There was absolutely no need to take her away from Italy in the first
place.”
“Her father raised no objection, I understand?”
“Oh San Severiano! You know what Italians are. Nothing matters to
them but money. He married Pippa for her money, of course.”
“Dear me. I always understood he was very devoted3 to her and was
quite inconsolable at her death.”
“He pretended to be, no doubt. Why Mother ever countenanced4 her
marrying a foreigner, I can’t imagine. Just the usual American pleasure in
a title, I suppose.”
Miss Marple said mildly:
“I have always thought that dear Carrie Louise was almost too un-
worldly in her attitude to life.”
“Oh I know. I’ve no patience with it. Mother’s fads5 and whims6 and ideal-
istic projects. You’ve no idea, Aunt Jane, of all that it has meant. I can
speak with knowledge, of course. I was brought up in the middle of it all.”
It was with a very faint shock that Miss Marple heard herself addressed
as Aunt Jane. And yet that had been the convention of those times. Her
Christmas presents to Carrie Louise’s children were always labelled “With
love from Aunt Jane” and as “Aunt Jane” they thought of her, when they
thought of her at all. Which was not, Miss Marple supposed, very often.
She looked thoughtfully at the middle-aged7 woman sitting beside her. At
the pursed tight mouth, the deep lines from the nose down, the hands
tightly pressed together.
She said gently:
“You must have had—a difficult childhood.”
Mildred Strete turned eager grateful eyes to her.
“Oh I’m so glad that somebody appreciates that. People don’t really
know what children go through. Pippa, you see, was the pretty one. She
was older than I was, too. It was always she who got all the attention. Both
Father and Mother encouraged her to push herself forward—not that she
needed any encouragement—to show off. I was always the quiet one. I
was shy—Pippa didn’t know what shyness was. A child can suffer a great
deal, Aunt Jane.”
“I know that,” said Miss Marple.
“‘Mildred’s so stupid’—that’s what Pippa used to say. But I was younger
than she was. Naturally I couldn’t be expected to keep up with her in les-
sons. And it’s very unfair on a child when her sister is always put in front
of her.
“‘What a lovely little girl,’ people used to say to Mamma. They never no-
ticed me. And it was Pippa that Papa used to joke and play with. Someone
ought to have seen how hard it was on me. All the notice and attention go-
ing to her. I wasn’t old enough to realise that it’s character that matters.”
Her lips trembled, then hardened again.
“And it was unfair—really unfair—I was their own child. Pippa was only
adopted. I was the daughter of the house. She was—nobody.”
“Probably they were extra indulgent to her on that account,” said Miss
Marple.
“They liked her best,” said Mildred Strete. And added: “A child whose
own parents didn’t want her—or more probably illegitimate.”
She went on:
“It’s come out in Gina. There’s bad blood there. Blood will tell. Lewis can
have what theories he likes about environment. Bad blood does tell. Look
at Gina.”
“Gina is a very lovely girl,” said Miss Marple.
“Hardly in behaviour,” said Mrs. Strete. “Everyone but Mother notices
how she is carrying on with Stephen Restarick. Quite disgusting, I call it.
Admittedly she made a very unfortunate marriage, but marriage is mar-
riage and one should be prepared to abide8 by it. After all, she chose to
marry that dreadful young man.”
“Is he so dreadful?”
“Oh dear, Aunt Jane! He really looks to me quite like a gangster9. And so
surly and rude. He hardly opens his mouth. And he always looks so dirty
and uncouth10.”
“He is unhappy, I think,” said Miss Marple mildly.
“I really don’t know why he should be—apart from Gina’s behaviour, I
mean. Everything has been done for him here. Lewis has suggested sev-
eral ways in which he could try to make himself useful—but he prefers to
skulk11 about doing nothing.” She burst out, “Oh this whole place is impos-
sible—quite impossible. Lewis thinks of nothing but these horrible young
criminals. And Mother thinks of nothing but him. Everything Lewis does is
right. Look at the state of the garden—the weeds—the overgrowth. And
the house—nothing properly done. Oh, I know a domestic staff is difficult
nowadays, but it can be got. It’s not as though there were any shortage of
money. It’s just that nobody cares. If it were my house—” She stopped.
“I’m afraid,” said Miss Marple, “that we have all to face the fact that con-
ditions are different. These large establishments are a great problem. It
must be sad for you, in a way, to come back here and find everything so
different. Do you really prefer living here to—well—somewhere of your
own?”
Mildred Strete flushed.
“After all, it’s my home,” she said. “It was my father’s house. Nothing
can alter that. I’ve a right to be here if I choose. And I do choose. If only
Mother were not so impossible! She won’t even buy herself proper clothes.
It worries Jolly a lot.”
“I was going to ask you about Miss Bellever.”
“Such a comfort having her here. She adores Mother. She’s been with
her a long time now—she came in John Restarick’s time. And was wonder-
ful, I believe, during the whole sad business. I expect you heard that he
ran away with a dreadful Yugoslavian woman — a most abandoned
creature. She’s had any amount of lovers, I believe. Mother was very fine
and dignified12 about it all. Divorced him as quietly as possible. Even went
so far as to have the Restarick boys for their holidays—quite unnecessary,
really, other arrangements could have been made. It would have been un-
thinkable, of course, to have let them go to their father and that woman.
Anyway, Mother had them here … And Miss Bellever stood by all through
things and was a tower of strength. I sometimes think she makes Mother
even more vague than she need be, by doing all the practical things her-
self. But I really don’t know what Mother would do without her.”
She paused and then remarked in a tone of surprise:
“Here is Lewis. How odd. He seldom comes out in the garden.”
Mr. Serrocold came towards them in the same single-minded way that
he did everything. He appeared not to notice Mildred, because it was only
Miss Marple who was in his mind.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I wanted to take you round our institution and
show you everything. Caroline asked me to. Unfortunately I have to go off
to Liverpool. The case of that boy and the railways parcels office. But Mav-
erick will take you. He’ll be here in a few minutes. I shan’t be back until
the day after tomorrow. It will be splendid if we can get them not to pro-
secute.”
Mildred Strete got up and walked away. Lewis Serrocold did not notice
her go. His earnest eyes gazed at Miss Marple through thick glasses.
“You see,” he said, “the Magistrates13 nearly always take the wrong view.
Sometimes they’re too severe, but sometimes they’re too lenient14. If these
boys get a sentence of a few months it’s no deterrent—they get a kind of a
kick out of it, even. Boast about it to their girlfriends. But a severe sen-
tence often sobers them. They realise that the game isn’t worth it. Or else
it’s better not to serve a prison sentence at all. Corrective training—con-
structional training like we have here.”
Miss Marple burst firmly into speech.
“Mr. Serrocold,” she said. “Are you quite satisfied about young Mr.
Lawson? Is he—is he quite normal?”
A disturbed expression appeared on Lewis Serrocold’s face.
“I do hope he’s not relapsing. What has he been saying?”
“He told me that he was Winston Churchill’s son—”
“Of course—of course. The usual statements. He’s illegitimate, as you’ve
probably guessed, poor lad, and of very humble15 beginnings. He was a case
recommended to me by a society in London. He’d assaulted a man in the
street who he said was spying on him. All very typical—Dr. Maverick16 will
tell you. I went into his case history. Mother was of a poor class but a re-
spectable family in Plymouth. Father a sailor—she didn’t even know his
name … child brought up in difficult circumstances. Started romancing
about his father and later about himself. Wore uniform and decorations
he wasn’t entitled to—all quite typical. But Maverick considers the pro-
gnosis hopeful. If we can give him confidence in himself. I’ve given him
responsibility here, tried to make him appreciate that it’s not a man’s birth
that matters, but what he is. I’ve tried to give him confidence in his own
ability. The improvement was marked. I was very happy about him. And
now you say—”
He shook his head.
“Mightn’t he be dangerous, Mr. Serrocold?”
“Dangerous? I don’t think he has shown any suicidal tendencies.”
“I wasn’t thinking of suicide. He talked to me of enemies—of persecu-
tion. Isn’t that, forgive me—a dangerous sign?”
“I don’t really think it has reached such a pitch. But I’ll speak to Maver-
ick. So far, he has been hopeful—very hopeful.”
He looked at his watch.
“I must go. Ah, here is our dear Jolly. She will take charge of you.”
Miss Bellever, arriving briskly, said, “The car is at the door, Mr. Serro-
cold. Dr. Maverick rang through from the Institute. I said I would bring
Miss Marple over. He will meet us at the gates.”
“Thank you. I must go. My briefcase17?”
“In the car, Mr. Serrocold.”
Lewis Serrocold hurried away. Looking after him, Miss Bellever said:
“Someday that man will drop down dead in his tracks. It’s against hu-
man nature never to relax or rest. He only sleeps four hours a night.”
“He is very devoted to this cause,” said Miss Marple.
“Never thinks of anything else,” said Miss Bellever grimly. “Never
dreams of looking after his wife or considering her in any way. She’s a
sweet creature, as you know, Miss Marple, and she ought to have love and
attention. But nothing’s thought of or considered here except a lot of whin-
ing boys and young men who want to live easily and dishonestly and don’t
care about the idea of doing a little hard work. What about the decent
boys from decent homes? Why isn’t something done for them? Honesty
just isn’t interesting to cranks like Mr. Serrocold and Dr. Maverick and all
the bunch of half-baked sentimentalists we’ve got here. I and my brothers
were brought up the hard way, Miss Marple, and we weren’t encouraged
to whine18. Soft, that’s what the world is nowadays!”
They had crossed the garden and passed through a palisaded gate and
had come to the entrance gate which Eric Gulbrandsen had erected19 as an
entrance to his College, a sturdily built, hideous20, red brick building.
Dr. Maverick, looking, Miss Marple decided21, distinctly abnormal him-
self, came out to meet them.
“Thank you, Miss Bellever,” he said. “Now, Miss — er — oh yes, Miss
Marple—I’m sure you’re going to be interested in what we’re doing here.
In our splendid approach to this great problem. Mr. Serrocold is a man of
great insight—great vision. And we’ve got Sir John Stillwell behind us—my
old chief. He was at the Home Office until he retired22, and his influence
turned the scales in getting this started. It’s a medical problem — that’s
what we’ve got to get the legal authorities to understand. Psychiatry23 came
into its own in the war. The one positive good that did come out of it—
Now first of all I want you to see our initial approach to the problem. Look
up—”
Miss Marple looked up at the words carved over the large arched door-
way.
RECOVER HOPE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE
“Isn’t that splendid? Isn’t that just the right note to strike? You don’t want
to scold these lads—or punish them. That’s what they’re hankering after
half the time, punishment. We want to make them feel what fine fellows
they are.”
“Like Edgar Lawson?” said Miss Marple.
“Interesting case, that. Have you been talking to him?”
“He has been talking to me,” said Miss Marple. She added apologetically,
“I wondered if, perhaps, he isn’t a little mad?”
Dr. Maverick laughed cheerfully.
“We’re all mad, dear lady,” he said as he ushered24 her in through the
door. “That’s the secret of existence. We’re all a little mad.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 prospect P01zn     
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
  • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
  • The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
2 unreasonable tjLwm     
adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的
参考例句：
  • I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
  • They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。
3 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
4 countenanced 44f0fe602a9688c358e938f9da83a807     
v.支持，赞同，批准( countenance的过去式 )
参考例句：
5 fads abecffaa52f529a2b83b6612a7964b02     
n.一时的流行，一时的风尚( fad的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • It was one of the many fads that sweep through mathematics regularly. 它是常见的贯穿在数学中的许多流行一时的风尚之一。 来自辞典例句
  • Lady Busshe is nothing without her flights, fads, and fancies. 除浮躁、时髦和幻想外，巴歇夫人一无所有。 来自辞典例句
6 WHIMS ecf1f9fe569e0760fc10bec24b97c043     
虚妄，禅病
参考例句：
  • The mate observed regretfully that he could not account for that young fellow's whims. 那位伙伴很遗憾地说他不能说出那年轻人产生怪念头的原因。
  • The rest she had for food and her own whims. 剩下的钱她用来吃饭和买一些自己喜欢的东西。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
7 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句：
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
8 abide UfVyk     
vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受
参考例句：
  • You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
  • If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。
9 gangster FfDzH     
n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒
参考例句：
  • The gangster's friends bought off the police witness.那匪徒的朋友买通了警察方面的证人。
  • He is obviously a gangster,but he pretends to be a saint.分明是强盗，却要装圣贤。
10 uncouth DHryn     
adj.无教养的，粗鲁的
参考例句：
  • She may embarrass you with her uncouth behavior.她的粗野行为可能会让你尴尬。
  • His nephew is an uncouth young man.他的侄子是一个粗野的年轻人。
11 skulk AEuzD     
v.藏匿；潜行
参考例句：
  • It's a hard thing to skulk and starve in the heather.躲在树林里的挨饿不是一件好受的事。
  • Harry skulked off.哈里偷偷地溜走了。
12 dignified NuZzfb     
a.可敬的，高贵的
参考例句：
  • Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
  • He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
13 magistrates bbe4eeb7cda0f8fbf52949bebe84eb3e     
地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
  • He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。
14 lenient h9pzN     
adj.宽大的，仁慈的
参考例句：
  • The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
  • It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。
15 humble ddjzU     
adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低
参考例句：
  • In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
  • Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
16 maverick 47Ozg     
adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者
参考例句：
  • He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
  • You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。
17 briefcase lxdz6A     
n.手提箱，公事皮包
参考例句：
  • He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
  • He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。
18 whine VMNzc     
v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣
参考例句：
  • You are getting paid to think,not to whine.支付给你工资是让你思考而不是哀怨的。
  • The bullet hit a rock and rocketed with a sharp whine.子弹打在一块岩石上，一声尖厉的呼啸，跳飞开去。
19 ERECTED ERECTED     
adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立
参考例句：
  • A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
  • A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。
20 hideous 65KyC     
adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的
参考例句：
  • The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
  • They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。
21 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。
22 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的
参考例句：
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
23 psychiatry g0Jze     
n.精神病学，精神病疗法
参考例句：
  • The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
  • A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。
24 ushered d337b3442ea0cc4312a5950ae8911282     
v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
  • A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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