死亡约会 Part II Chapter 6（1）

 

Chapter 6

Lennox Boynton came into the room with a quick, resolute¹ step. Had he been there, Dr Gerardwould have been surprised at the change in the man. The apathy² was gone. His bearing was alert—although he was plainly nervous. His eyes had a tendency to shift rapidly from point to pointabout the room.

‘Good morning, M. Boynton.’ Poirot rose and bowed ceremoniously. Lennox respondedsomewhat awkwardly. ‘I much appreciate your giving me this interview.’

Lennox Boynton said rather uncertainly: ‘Er—Colonel Carbury said it would be a good thing—advised it—some formalities—he said.’

‘Please sit down, M. Boynton.’

Lennox sat down on the chair lately vacated by Lady Westholme. Poirot went onconversationally:

‘This has been a great shock to you, I am afraid?’

‘Yes, of course. Well, no, perhaps not…We always knew that my mother’s heart was notstrong.’

‘Was it wise, under those circumstances, to allow her to undertake such an arduous³ expedition?’

Lennox Boynton raised his head. He spoke⁴ not without a certain sad dignity.

‘My mother, M.—er—Poirot, made her own decisions. If she made up her mind to anything itwas no good our opposing her.’

He drew in his breath sharply as he said the last words. His face suddenly went rather white.

‘I know well,’ admitted Poirot, ‘that elderly ladies are sometimes headstrong.’

Lennox said irritably⁵:

‘What is the purpose of all this? That is what I want to know. Why have all these formalitiesarisen?’

‘Perhaps you do not realize, Mr Boynton, that in cases of sudden and unexplained deaths,formalities must necessarily arise.’

Lennox said sharply: ‘What do you mean by “unexplained”?’

Poirot shrugged⁶ his shoulders.

‘There is always the question to be considered: Is a death natural—or might it perhaps besuicide?’

‘Suicide?’ Lennox Boynton stared.

Poirot said lightly:

‘You, of course, would know best about such possibilities. Colonel Carbury, naturally, is in thedark. It is necessary for him to decide whether to order an inquiry—an autopsy—all the rest of it.

As I was on the spot and as I have much experience of these matters, he suggested that I shouldmake a few inquiries⁷ and advise him upon the matter. Naturally he does not wish to cause youinconvenience if it can be helped.’

Lennox Boynton said angrily: ‘I shall wire to our Consul⁸ in Jerusalem.’

Poirot said non-committally: ‘You are quite within your rights in doing so, of course.’

There was a pause. Then Poirot said, spreading out his hands:

‘If you object to answering my questions—’

Lennox Boynton said quickly: ‘Not at all. Only—it seems—all so unnecessary.’

‘I comprehend. I comprehend perfectly⁹. But it is all very simple, really. A matter, as they say, ofroutine. 

 

1 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

2 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

3 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

4 spoke   

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。

5 irritably   

ad.易生气地

参考例句：

• He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
• On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

9 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。