借镜杀人21

时间：2025-10-10 07:08:40

（单词翻译:单击）

2
“I was at the piano,” said Stephen Restarick. “I’d been strumming softly
when the row blew up. Between Lewis and Edgar.”
“What did you think of it?”
“Well—to tell the truth I didn’t really take it seriously. The poor beggar
has these fits of venom1. He’s not really loopy, you know. All this nonsense
is a kind of blowing off steam. The truth is, we all get under his skin—par-
ticularly Gina, of course.”
“Gina? You mean Mrs. Hudd? Why does she get under his skin?”
“Because she’s a woman — and a beautiful woman, and because she
thinks he’s funny! She’s half Italian, you know, and the Italians have that
unconscious vein2 of cruelty. They’ve no compassion3 for anyone who’s old
or ugly, or peculiar4 in any way. They point with their fingers and jeer5.
That’s what Gina did, metaphorically6 speaking. She’d no use for young
Edgar. He was ridiculous, pompous7, and, at bottom, fundamentally unsure
of himself. He wanted to impress, and he only succeeded in looking silly. It
wouldn’t mean anything to her that the poor fellow suffered a lot.”
“Are you suggesting that Edgar Lawson is in love with Mrs. Hudd?”
asked Inspector8 Curry9.
Stephen replied cheerfully:
“Oh yes. As a matter of fact we all are, more or less! She likes us that
way.”
“Does her husband like it?”
“He takes a dim view. He suffers, too, poor fellow. The thing can’t last,
you know. Their marriage, I mean. It will break up before long. It was just
one of these war affairs.”
“This is all very interesting,” said the Inspector. “But we’re getting away
from our subject, which is the murder of Christian10 Gulbrandsen.”
“Quite,” said Stephen. “But I can’t tell you anything about it. I sat at the
piano, and I didn’t leave the piano until dear Jolly came in with some rusty11
old keys and tried to fit one to the lock of the study door.”
“You stayed at the piano. Did you continue to play the piano?”
“A gentle obbligato to the life and death struggle in Lewis’ study? No, I
stopped playing when the tempo12 rose. Not that I had any doubts as to the
outcome. Lewis has what I can only describe as a dynamic eye. He could
easily break up Edgar just by looking at him.”
“Yet Edgar Lawson fired two shots at him.”
Stephen shook his head gently.
“Just putting on an act, that was. Enjoying himself. My dear mother used
to do it. She died or ran away with someone when I was four, but I re-
member her blazing off with a pistol if anything upset her. She did it at a
nightclub once. Made a pattern on the wall. She was an excellent shot.
Quite a bit of trouble she caused. She was a Russian dancer, you know.”
“Indeed. Can you tell me, Mr. Restarick, who left the Hall yesterday
evening whilst you were there—during the relevant time?”
“Wally—to fix the lights. Juliet Bellever to find a key to fit the study
door. Nobody else, as far as I know.”
“Would you have noticed if somebody did?”
Stephen considered.
“Probably not. That is, if they just tiptoed out and back again. It was so
dark in the Hall—and there was the fight to which we were all listening
avidly13.”
“Is there anyone you are sure was there the whole time?”
“Mrs. Serrocold—yes, and Gina. I’d swear to them.”
“Thank you, Mr. Restarick.”
Stephen went towards the door. Then he hesitated and came back.
“What’s all this,” he said, “about arsenic14?”
“Who mentioned arsenic to you?”
“My brother.”
“Ah—yes.”
Stephen said:
“Has somebody been giving Mrs. Serrocold arsenic?”
“Why should you mention Mrs. Serrocold?”
“I’ve read of the symptoms of arsenic poisoning. Peripheral15 neuritis,
isn’t it? It would square more or less with what she’s been suffering from
lately. And then Lewis snatching away her tonic16 last night. Is that what’s
been going on here?”
“The matter is under investigation,” said Inspector Curry in his most of-
ficial manner.
“Does she know about it herself?”
“Mr. Serrocold was particularly anxious that she should not be —
alarmed.”
“Alarmed isn’t the right word, Inspector. Mrs. Serrocold is never
alarmed … Is that what lies behind Christian Gulbrandsen’s death? Did he
find out she was being poisoned—but how could he find out? Anyway, the
whole thing seems most improbable. It doesn’t make sense.”
“It surprises you very much, does it, Mr. Restarick?”
“Yes, indeed. When Alex spoke17 to me, I could hardly believe it.”
“Who, in your opinion, would be likely to administer arsenic to Mrs. Ser-
rocold?”
For a moment, a grin appeared upon Stephen Restarick’s handsome
face.
“Not the usual person. You can wash out the husband. Lewis Serrocold’s
got nothing to gain. And also he worships that woman. He can’t bear her
to have an ache in her little finger.”
“Who then? Have you any idea?”
“Oh yes. I’d say it was a certainty.”
“Explain please.”
Stephen shook his head.
“It’s a certainty psychologically speaking. Not in any other way. No evid-
ence of any kind. And you probably wouldn’t agree.”
Stephen Restarick went out nonchalantly, and Inspector Curry drew cats
on the sheet of paper in front of him.
He was thinking three things. A, that Stephen Restarick thought a good
deal of himself, B, that Stephen Restarick and his brother presented a
united front; and C, that Stephen Restarick was a handsome man where
Walter Hudd was a plain one.
He wondered about two other things—what Stephen meant by “psycho-
logically speaking” and whether Stephen could possibly have seen Gina
from his seat at the piano. He rather thought not.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 venom qLqzr     
n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨
参考例句：
  • The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
  • In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。
2 vein fi9w0     
n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络
参考例句：
  • The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
  • The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。
3 compassion 3q2zZ     
n.同情，怜悯
参考例句：
  • He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
  • Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
4 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。
5 jeer caXz5     
vi.嘲弄，揶揄；vt.奚落；n.嘲笑，讥评
参考例句：
  • Do not jeer at the mistakes or misfortunes of others.不要嘲笑别人的错误或不幸。
  • The children liked to jeer at the awkward students.孩子们喜欢嘲笑笨拙的学生。
6 metaphorically metaphorically     
adv. 用比喻地
参考例句：
  • It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. 对一个词的理解是按字面意思还是隐喻的意思要视乎上下文和习惯。
  • Metaphorically it implied a sort of admirable energy. 从比喻来讲，它含有一种令人赞许的能量的意思。
7 pompous 416zv     
adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的
参考例句：
  • He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities.他有点自大，自视甚高。
  • He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢，其实是个好人。
8 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。
9 curry xnozh     
n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革
参考例句：
  • Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
  • Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。
10 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
参考例句：
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
11 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的
参考例句：
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。
12 tempo TqEy3     
n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度
参考例句：
  • The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
  • They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。
13 avidly 5d4ad001ea2cae78e80b3d088e2ca387     
adv.渴望地，热心地
参考例句：
  • She read avidly from an early age—books, magazines, anything. 她从小就酷爱阅读——书籍、杂志，无不涉猎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Her melancholy eyes avidly scanned his smiling face. 她说话时两只忧郁的眼睛呆呆地望着他的带笑的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
14 arsenic 2vSz4     
n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的
参考例句：
  • His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
  • Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。
15 peripheral t3Oz5     
adj.周边的，外围的
参考例句：
  • We dealt with the peripheral aspects of a cost reduction program.我们谈到了降低成本计划的一些外围问题。
  • The hotel provides the clerk the service and the peripheral traveling consultation.旅舍提供票务服务和周边旅游咨询。
16 tonic tnYwt     
n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的
参考例句：
  • It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly.这将作为老年人滋补品在市场上销售。
  • Sea air is Nature's best tonic for mind and body.海上的空气是大自然赋予的对人们身心的最佳补品。
17 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。

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