黑麦奇案31

时间：2025-10-10 08:32:40

（单词翻译:单击）

Chapter Eighteen
I
“Just wait a minute,” said Miss Ramsbottom. “This patience is going to
come out.”
She transferred a king and his various impedimenta into an empty
space, put a red seven on a black eight, built up the four, five and six of
spades on her foundation heap, made a few more rapid transfers of cards
and then leaned back with a sign of satisfaction.
“That’s the Double Jester,” she said. “It doesn’t often come out.”
She leaned back in a satisfied fashion, then raised her eyes at the girl
standing1 by the fireplace.
“So you’re Lance’s wife,” she said.
Pat, who had been summoned upstairs to Miss Ramsbottom’s presence,
nodded her head.
“Yes,” she said.
“You’re a tall girl,” said Miss Ramsbottom, “and you look healthy.”
“I’m very healthy.”
Miss Ramsbottom nodded in a satisfied manner.
“Percival’s wife is pasty,” she said. “Eats too many sweets and doesn’t
take enough exercise. Well, sit down, child, sit down. Where did you meet
my nephew?”
“I met him out in Kenya when I was staying there with some friends.”
“You’ve been married before, I understand.”
“Yes. Twice.”
Miss Ramsbottom gave a profound sniff2.
“Divorce, I suppose.”
“No,” said Pat. Her voice trembled a little. “They both—died. My first
husband was a fighter pilot. He was killed in the war.”
“And your second husband? Let me see—somebody told me. Shot him-
self, didn’t he?”
Pat nodded.
“Your fault?”
“No,” said Pat. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Racing man, wasn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never been on a race course in my life,” said Miss Ramsbottom.
“Betting and card playing—all devices of the devil!”
Pat did not reply.
“I wouldn’t go inside a theatre or a cinema,” said Miss Ramsbottom. “Ah,
well, it’s a wicked world nowadays. A lot of wickedness was going on in
this house, but the Lord struck them down.”
Pat still found it difficult to say anything. She wondered if Lance’s Aunt
Effie was really quite all there. She was, however, a trifle disconcerted by
the old lady’s shrewd glance at her.
“How much,” demanded Aunt Effie, “do you know about the family
you’ve married into?”
“I suppose,” said Pat, “as much as one ever knows of the family one mar-
ries into.”
“H’m, something in that, something in that. Well, I’ll tell you this. My sis-
ter was a fool, my brother-in-law was a rogue3, Percival is a sneak4, and
your Lance was always the bad boy of the family.”
“I think that’s all nonsense,” said Pat robustly5.
“Maybe you’re right,” said Miss Ramsbottom, unexpectedly. “You can’t
just stick labels on people. But don’t underestimate Percival. There’s a
tendency to believe that those who are labelled good are also stupid. Per-
cival isn’t the least bit stupid. He’s quite clever in a sanctimonious6 kind of
way. I’ve never cared for him. Mind you, I don’t trust Lance and I don’t ap-
prove of him, but I can’t help being fond of him … He’s a reckless sort of
fellow—always has been. You’ve got to look after him and see he doesn’t
go too far. Tell him not to underestimate Percival, my dear. Tell him not to
believe everything that Percival says. They’re all liars7 in this house.” The
old lady added with satisfaction: “Fire and brimstone shall be their por-
tion.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
2 sniff PF7zs     
vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视
参考例句：
  • The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
  • When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。
3 rogue qCfzo     
n.流氓；v.游手好闲
参考例句：
  • The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
  • They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。
4 sneak vr2yk     
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行
参考例句：
  • He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
  • I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。
5 robustly 507ac3bec7e7c48e608da00e709f9006     
adv.要用体力地，粗鲁地
参考例句：
  • These three hormones also robustly stimulated thymidine incorporation and inhibited drug-induced apoptosis. 并且这三种激素有利于胸（腺嘧啶脱氧核）苷掺入和抑制药物诱导的细胞凋亡。 来自互联网
  • The economy is still growing robustly, but inflation, It'seems, is back. 经济依然强劲增长，但是通胀似乎有所抬头。 来自互联网
6 sanctimonious asCy4     
adj.假装神圣的，假装虔诚的，假装诚实的
参考例句：
  • It's that sanctimonious air that people can't stand.人们所不能容忍的就是那副假正经的样子。
  • You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.您不必如此伪善。
7 liars ba6a2311efe2dc9a6d844c9711cd0fff     
说谎者( liar的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • The greatest liars talk most of themselves. 最爱自吹自擂的人是最大的说谎者。
  • Honest boys despise lies and liars. 诚实的孩子鄙视谎言和说谎者。

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