黑麦奇案8

时间：2025-10-10 08:13:01

（单词翻译:单击）

Chapter Seven
Inspector1 Neele was still holding the telegraph message in his hand when
he heard a car drive up to the front door and stop with a careless scrunch-
ing of brakes.
Mary Dove, “That will be Mrs. Fortescue now.”
Inspector Neele moved forwards to the front door. Out of the tail of his
eye, he saw Mary Dove melt unobtrusively into the background and disap-
pear. Clearly she intended to take no part in the forthcoming scene. A re-
markable display of tact2 and discretion—and also a rather remarkable3
lack of curiosity. Most women, Inspector Neele decided4, would have re-
mained… .
As he reached the front door he was aware of the butler, Crump, coming
forward from the back of the hall. So he had heard the car.
The car was a Rolls Bentley sports model coupé. Two people got out of it
and came towards the house. As they reached the door, it opened. Sur-
prised, Adele Fortescue stared at Inspector Neele.
He realized at once that she was a very beautiful woman, and he real-
ized too the force of Mary Dove’s comment which had so shocked him at
the time. Adele Fortescue was a sexy piece. In figure and type she re-
sembled the blonde Miss Grosvenor, but whereas Miss Grosvenor was all
glamour5 without and all respectability within, Adele Fortescue was glam-
our all through. Her appeal was obvious, not subtle. It said simply to every
man “Here am I. I’m a woman.” She spoke6 and moved and breathed sex—
and yet, within it all, her eyes had a shrewd appraising7 quality. Adele For-
tescue, he thought, liked men—but she would always like money even bet-
ter.
His eyes went on to the figure behind her who carried her golf clubs. He
knew the type very well. It was the type that specialized8 in the young
wives of rich and elderly men. Mr. Vivian Dubois, if this was he, had that
rather forced masculinity which is, in reality, nothing of the kind. He was
the type of man who “understands” women.
“Mrs. Fortescue?”
“Yes.” It was a wide blue-eyed gaze. “But I don’t know—”
“I am Inspector Neele. I’m afraid I have bad news for you.”
“Do you mean—a burglary—something of that kind?”
“No, nothing of that kind. It is about your husband. He was taken seri-
ously ill this morning.”
“Rex? Ill?”
“We have been trying to get in touch with you since half past eleven this
morning.”
“Where is he? Here? Or in hospital?”
“He was taken to St. Jude’s Hospital. I’m afraid you must prepare your-
self for a shock.”
“You don’t mean—he isn’t—dead.”
She lurched forward a little and clutched his arm. Gravely feeling like
someone playing a part in a stage performance, the inspector supported
her into the hall. Crump was hovering9 eagerly.
“Brandy she’ll be needing,” he said.
The deep voice of Mr. Dubois said:
“That’s right, Crump. Get the brandy.” To the inspector he said: “In
here.”
He opened a door on the left. The procession filed in. The inspector and
Adele Fortescue, Vivian Dubois, and Crump with a decanter and two
glasses.
Adele Fortescue sank onto an easy chair, her eyes covered with her
hand. She accepted the glass that the inspector offered and took a tiny sip10,
then pushed it away.
“I don’t want it,” she said. “I’m all right. But tell me, what was it? A
stroke, I suppose? Poor Rex.”
“It wasn’t a stroke, Mrs. Fortescue.”
“Did you say you were an inspector?” It was Mr. Dubois who made the
inquiry11.
Neele turned to him. “That’s right,” he said pleasantly. “Inspector Neele
of the CID.”
He saw the alarm grow in the dark eyes. Mr. Dubois did not like the ap-
pearance of an inspector of the CID. He didn’t like it at all.
“What’s up?” he said. “Something wrong—eh?”
Quite unconsciously he backed away a little towards the door. Inspector
Neele noted12 the movement.
“I’m afraid,” he said to Mrs. Fortescue, “that there will have to be an in-
quest.”
“An inquest? Do you mean—what do you mean?”
“I’m afraid this is all very distressing13 for you, Mrs. Fortescue.” The
words came smoothly14. “It seemed advisable to find out as soon as possible
exactly what Mr. Fortescue had to eat or drink before leaving for the office
this morning.”
“Do you mean he might have been poisoned?”
“Well, yes, it would seem so.”
“I can’t believe it. Oh—you mean food poisoning.”
Her voice dropped half an octave on the last words. His face wooden, his
voice still smooth, Inspector Neele said:
“Madam? What did you think I meant?”
She ignored that question, hurrying on.
“But we’ve been all right—all of us.”
“You can speak for all the members of the family?”
“Well—no—of course—I can’t really.”
Dubois said with a great show of consulting his watch:
“I’ll have to push off, Adele. Dreadfully sorry. You’ll be all right, won’t
you? I mean, there are the maids, and the little Dove and all that—”
“Oh, Vivian, don’t. Don’t go.”
It was quite a wail15, and it affected16 Mr. Dubois adversely17. His retreat
quickened.
“Awfully sorry, old girl. Important engagement. I’m putting up at the
Dormy House, by the way, Inspector. If you—er—want me for anything.”
Inspector Neele nodded. He had no wish to detain Mr. Dubois. But he re-
cognized Mr. Dubois’s departure for what it was. Mr. Dubois was running
away from trouble.
Adele Fortescue said, in an attempt to carry off the situation:
“It’s such a shock, to come back and find the police in the house.”
“I’m sure it must be. But you see, it was necessary to act promptly18 in or-
der to obtain the necessary specimens19 of foodstuffs20, coffee, tea, etc.”
“Tea and coffee? But they’re not poisonous? I expect it’s the awful bacon
we sometimes get. It’s quite uneatable sometimes.”
“We shall find out, Mrs. Fortescue. Don’t worry. You’d be surprised at
some of the things that can happen. We once had a case of digitalis poison-
ing. It turned out that foxglove leaves had been picked in mistake for
horseradish.”
“You think something like that could happen here?”
“We shall know better after the autopsy21, Mrs. Fortescue.”
“The autop—oh I see.” She shivered.
The inspector went on: “You’ve got a lot of yew22 round the house, haven’t
you, madam. There’s no possibility, I suppose, of the berries or leaves hav-
ing got—mixed-up in anything?”
He was watching her closely. She stared at him.
“Yew berries? Are they poisonous?”
The wonder seemed a little too wide-eyed and innocent.
“Children have been known to eat them with unfortunate results.”
Adele clasped her hands to her head.
“I can’t bear to talk about it anymore. Must I? I want to go and lie down.
I can’t stand anymore. Mr. Percival Fortescue will arrange everything—I
can’t—I can’t—it isn’t fair to ask me.”
“We are getting in touch with Mr. Percival Fortescue as soon as possible.
Unfortunately he is away in the North of England.”
“Oh yes, I forgot.”
“There’s just one thing, Mrs. Fortescue. There was a small quantity of
grain in your husband’s pocket. Could you give me some explanation of
that?”
She shook her head. She appeared quite bewildered.
“Would anyone have slipped it in there as a joke?”
“I don’t see why it would be a joke?”
Inspector Neele did not see either. He said:
“I won’t trouble you any further at present, Mrs. Fortescue. Shall I send
one of the maids to you? Or Miss Dove?”
“What?” The word came abstractedly. He wondered what she had been
thinking about.
She fumbled23 with her bag and pulled out a handkerchief. Her voice
trembled.
“It’s so awful,” she said unsteadily. “I’m only just beginning to take it in.
I’ve really been numbed24 up to now. Poor Rex. Poor dear Rex.”
She sobbed25 in a manner that was almost convincing.
Inspector Neele watched her respectfully for a moment or two.
“It’s been very sudden, I know,” he said. “I’ll send someone to you.”
He went towards the door, opened it and passed through. He paused for
a moment before looking back into the room.
Adele Fortescue still held the handkerchief to her eyes. The ends of it
hung down but did not quite obscure her mouth. On her lips was a very
faint smile.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 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。
2 tact vqgwc     
n.机敏，圆滑，得体
参考例句：
  • She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。
  • Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。
3 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的
参考例句：
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
4 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。
5 glamour Keizv     
n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住
参考例句：
  • Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
  • The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。
6 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。
7 appraising 3285bf735793610b563b00c395ce6cc6     
v.估价( appraise的现在分词 )；估计；估量；评价
参考例句：
  • At the appraising meeting, experts stated this method was superior to others. 鉴定会上，专家们指出这种方法优于其他方法。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The teacher is appraising the students' work. 老师正在评定学生的作业。 来自辞典例句
8 specialized Chuzwe     
adj.专门的，专业化的
参考例句：
  • There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
  • These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。
9 hovering 99fdb695db3c202536060470c79b067f     
鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫
参考例句：
  • The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
  • I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。
10 sip Oxawv     
v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量
参考例句：
  • She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
  • Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
11 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
12 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
13 distressing cuTz30     
a.使人痛苦的
参考例句：
  • All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
  • It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。
14 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地
参考例句：
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
15 wail XMhzs     
vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸
参考例句：
  • Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
  • One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。
16 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
17 adversely 6zEzi6     
ad.有害地
参考例句：
  • We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
  • Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。
18 promptly LRMxm     
adv.及时地，敏捷地
参考例句：
  • He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
  • She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。
19 specimens 91fc365099a256001af897127174fcce     
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人
参考例句：
  • Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
  • The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 foodstuffs 574623767492eb55a85c5be0d7d719e7     
食物，食品( foodstuff的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Imports of foodstuffs accounted for a small proportion of total imports. 食物进口仅占总进口额的一小部份。
  • Many basic foodstuffs, such as bread and milk, are tax-free. 许多基本食物如牛奶和面包是免税的。
21 autopsy xuVzm     
n.尸体解剖；尸检
参考例句：
  • They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
  • A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。
22 yew yew     
n.紫杉属树木
参考例句：
  • The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
  • All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。
23 fumbled 78441379bedbe3ea49c53fb90c34475f     
（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下
参考例句：
  • She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
  • He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。
24 numbed f49681fad452b31c559c5f54ee8220f4     
v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • His mind has been numbed. 他已麻木不仁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He was numbed with grief. 他因悲伤而昏迷了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
25 sobbed 4a153e2bbe39eef90bf6a4beb2dba759     
哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说
参考例句：
  • She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
  • She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

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