死亡约会 Part I Chapter 9（2）

 

Nadine Boynton was too young and inexperiencedat the time to appreciate the true position. She appreciates it now, but it is too late.’

‘Do you think she has given up hope?’

Dr Gerard shook his head doubtfully.

‘If she has plans no one would know about them. There are, you know, certain possibilitieswhere Cope is concerned. Man is a naturally jealous animal—and jealousy¹ is a strong force.

Lennox Boynton might still be roused from the inertia² in which he is sinking.’

‘And you think’—Sarah purposely made her tone very business-like and professional—‘thatthere’s a chance I might be able to do something about Raymond?’

‘I do.’

Sarah sighed.

‘I suppose I might have tried. Oh, well, it’s too late now, anyway. And—and I don’t like theidea.’

Gerard looked amused.

‘That is because you are English! The English have a complex about sex. They think it is “notquite nice”.’

Sarah’s indignant response failed to move him.

‘Yes, yes; I know you are very modern—that you use freely in public the most unpleasantwords you can find in the dictionary—that you are professional and entirely³ uninhibited! Tout⁴ demême, I repeat, you have the same facial characteristics as your mother and your grandmother.

You are still the blushing English Miss although you do not blush!’

‘I never heard such rubbish!’

Dr Gerard, a twinkle in his eye, and quite unperturbed, added: ‘And it makes you verycharming.’

This time Sarah was speechless.

Dr Gerard hastily raised his hat. ‘I take my leave,’ he said, ‘before you have time to begin to sayall that you think.’ He escaped into the hotel.

Sarah followed him more slowly.

There was a good deal of activity going on. Several cars loaded with luggage were in theprocess of departing. Lennox and Nadine Boynton and Mr Cope were standing⁵ by a big saloon carsuperintending arrangements. A fat dragoman was standing talking to Carol with quiteunintelligible fluency⁶.

Sarah passed them and went into the hotel.

Mrs Boynton, wrapped in a thick coat, was sitting in a chair, waiting to depart. Looking at her, aqueer revulsion of feeling swept over Sarah. She had felt that Mrs Boynton was a sinister⁷ figure,an incarnation of evil malignancy.

Now, suddenly, she saw the old woman as a pathetic ineffectual figure. To be born with such alust for power, such a desire for dominion—and to achieve only a petty domestic tyranny! If onlyher children could see her as Sarah saw her that minute—an object of pity—a stupid, malignant,pathetic, posturing⁸ old woman. On an impulse Sarah went up to her.

‘Goodbye, Mrs Boynton,’ she said. ‘I hope you’ll have a nice trip.’

The old lady looked at her. Malignancy struggled with outrage⁹ in those eyes.

‘You’ve wanted to be very rude to me,’ said Sarah.

(Was she crazy, she wondered, what on earth was urging her on to talk like this?)‘You’ve tried to prevent your son and daughter making friends with me. Don’t you think, really,that that is all very silly and childish? You like to make yourself out a kind of ogre, but really, youknow, you’re just pathetic and rather ludicrous. If I were you I’d give up all this silly play-acting. Iexpect you’ll hate me for saying this, but I mean it—and some of it may stick. You know youcould have a lot of fun still. It’s really much better to be—friendly—and kind. You could be if youtried.’

There was a pause.

Mrs Boynton had frozen into a deadly immobility. At last she passed her tongue over her drylips, her mouth opened…Still for a moment, no words came.

‘Go on,’ said Sarah encouragingly. ‘Say it! It doesn’t matter what you say to me. But think overwhat I’ve said to you.’

 

1 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

2 inertia   

adj.惰性，惯性，懒惰，迟钝

参考例句：

• We had a feeling of inertia in the afternoon.下午我们感觉很懒。
• Inertia carried the plane onto the ground.飞机靠惯性着陆。

3 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

4 tout   

v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱

参考例句：

• They say it will let them tout progress in the war.他们称这将有助于鼓吹他们在战争中的成果。
• If your case studies just tout results,don't bother requiring registration to view them.如果你的案例研究只是吹捧结果，就别烦扰别人来注册访问了。

5 standing   

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。

6 fluency   

n.流畅，雄辩，善辩

参考例句：

• More practice will make you speak with greater fluency.多练习就可以使你的口语更流利。
• Some young children achieve great fluency in their reading.一些孩子小小年纪阅读已经非常流畅。

7 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

8 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

9 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。