高英3版第3课blackmail课文全文

1、BlackmaiIArthur Hai ley(T) The chief house officer, Ogi Ivie, who had dec I ared he wou I d appear at the Croydo ns suite an hour after h i s cryp tic t e I eph one caI I actual Iy took twice that time. As a resuIt the nerves of both the Duke and Duchess were excess i ve I y frayed when the muted bu

2、zzer of the outer door eventually sounded The Duchess went to the door herse I f. Ear I i er she had d i spa tched her maid on an in ven ted errand and, crue I I y, i nstrueted the moon-faced ma I e secretary - who was terr ified of dogs - t o exercise the Bed 丨 ingtont err iers Her ow n ten si on w

3、as not lessened by the kno w ledge that both mi gh t ret urn at any moment(3) A wave of cigar smoke accompanied Ogi Ivie in. When he had foI I owed her to the I iving room, the Duchess looked pointedIy at the ha I f-burned cigar i n the fat man' s mouth. “My husband and I find st rong smoke offe

4、ns i ve. Wou I d you kin d I y put that out. The house detective* s piggy eyes surveyed her sardonical Iy from his gross jowled face. His gaze moved on to sweep the spacious, we I I一appointed room, encompass i ng the Duke who faced them uncertainly, his back to a window. "Pretty neat set-up you

5、 folks got.” Taking his time, Ogi Ivie removed the offending cigar, knocked off the ash and fIipped the butt toward an ornamental fi replace on his r ight He missed, and the butt felI upon the carpet where he ignored i t. The Duchess * s I i ps tightened. She sa i d sharp I y, imag ine you d i d not

6、 come here to d i scuss d e cor H.(7) The obese body shook i n an apprec i at i ve chuck I e . "No, ma1 am, can * t say I d i d I like nice t h i ngs, t hough. " He I owe red theI eve I of hi s i neon gruous fa I setto vo i ce. ” Like that car of yours. The one you keep here in the hotel.

7、Jaguar, ain't it"(8) nAah!n It was not a spoken word, but an emission of breath from the Duke of Croydon. His wife shot him a swift, warning gl a nee.(9) "In what conceivabIe way does our car concern youv (Tp As if the question from the Duchess had been a signal, the house detective1s

8、manner changed He inquired abruptly, "Who e I se i s i n th i s pI ace"O It was the Duke who answered, HNo one. We sent them out."03 ' There's things it pays to check"Moving with surpr ising speed, the fat man wa Iked around the suite, opening doors and inspecting the spa

9、ce behind them. ObviousIy he knew the room arrangement well. After reopening and cI os ing the outer door, he returned, apparently satisfied, to the Iiving room.Q The Duchess had sea ted herse I f in a st ra igh t 一 backed Og i Ivie remained standing.0 nNow then," he said. "You two was in

10、the hit-'n-run0 She met h i s eyes d i rectly.” What are you ta Ik i ng about”0 "Don't play games, Iady. This is for reaI. ” He took out a fresh cigar and bit off the end, "You saw the papers There1 s been pIenty on radio, too. ”0 Two high points of co I or appeared i n the pa Iene

11、ss of the Duchess of Croydos cheeks"What you are suggesting is the most d i sgusting, r i d i cuIous ® " I to Id you - Cut it out!” The words spa t forth wit h sudde n savagery , a I I pretense of blandness gone Ignoring the Duke, OgiIvie waved the unIighted cigar under his adversary

12、1 s adversary 'sn ose "You I i s tent o me, your high-an'-migh tin ess. This city's burnin' mad - cops, mayor, everybody eIse When they f ind who done that last night, who killed that kid aits mot her, then high - tailed it, t hey1 I I t hrow the book, and n ever mind who it hit

13、s, or whether they got fancy titles neither. Now I know what I know, and if I do whatby rights I shouId, there1 I I be a squad of cops in here so fas t you' I I hard I y see 'em But I come to you f i rst, in fai rness, so's you couId tel I your side of it to me. " The piggy eyes bI

14、inked, then hardened H 1 f you want it the other way, just say so."$5 The Duchess of Croydon - three centuries and a ha I f of inb red arrogance beh ind her - d i d not yield eas i I y. Spr i nging to her feet, her face wrathful, gray-green eyes bI az i ng, she faced the grossness of the house

15、detective square I y. Her tone wouId have withered anyone who knew her well. “You unspeakabIe bI ackguard! How dare you!" Even the se If-assurance of Ogi I vie f I ickered for an instant.But it was the Duke of Croydon who interjected, "It's no go,old girl. I'm afraid. It was a good

16、 try. " Facing Ogilvie, he sa i d, "What you accuse us of i s true. I am tobi ame I was driving the car and killed the little girl." nTha t' s more I i ke itOgi I v i e sa i d He lit the fresh cigar."Now we're getting somewhere." tremb Iing, she asked"What is it

17、 you know” Wear i ly,in a gesture of surrender,the Duchess of Croydonsank back into her chai r.Clasping herhands to concea I thei r "Wei I now, I'll speI I it out. H The house detective took his ti me, I e i sure I y putt ing a cloud of b I ue cigar smoke, h i s eyes sardonicaI Iy on the Du

18、chess as i f chaI I enging her objection. But beyond wr ink I ing her nose in di staste, she made no comment ® Ogi Ivie po i nted to the Duke"Last n ight, ear I y on, you went to Lindy's Place in Irish Bayou. You drove there in your fancy Jaguar, and you took a Iady fr iend Leastways,

19、I guess you1 d caI I her that if you're not too fussy" As Ogi Ivie glanced, gr i n ning, at the Duchess, the Duke said sharp Iy, "Get on with it!" "Well" - the smug fat face swung back - "the way I hearit, you won a hundred at the t ab I es, t hen I os t it at the b

20、ar. You were into a second hundred - with a rea I swinging party- when your wife here got there in a taxi. H "How do you know a I I this" HI 1 I It e I I you, Duke - I 1 ve bee n in t h i s town and th i s hote I a long ti me. I got friends a I I over I oblige t hem; t hey do the same for

21、me, I ike letting me know what gives, an' where There ain't much, out of the way, which people who stay in this hotel do, I don't get to hear about Most of ' em never know I know, or know me. They th i nk they got the i r little secret tueked away 、 and so they have - except like now

22、. u The Duke said coldly, "I see."59 "One thing I'd I i ke to know I got a cur i ous nat ure, ma' am. How'd you figure where he was" The Duchess said, nYou know so much. I suppose it does n't matter. My husband has a habit of making notes while he is teI ephoning

23、Afterward he often forgets to destroy them.Iook at the mess it The house detective cIucked his tongue reprovingly . "A little care I ess hab it like that, Duke gets you in. Well, here's what I figure about the rest. You an1 your wife took off home, you dr ivinf, though the way things turned

24、 out it might have been better if she'd have drove" 53 "My wife doesn11 dr i ve.0 Ogilvie no dded unders tandingly. "Exp I a i ns that o ne. Any way,I reckon you were I ickered (二 I iquored ) up, but good. ”The Duchess interrupted."Then you don't know! You don'tcan

25、9;t possibIy proveknow anything for sure! You "Lady, I can prove a I I I need to.爲 The Duke cautioned,Better let him finish, old girl.55 "That's r i ght," OgiIvie said. MJust sit an1 Ii sten. Last night I seen you come in - through the basement, so* s not to use the I obby. Looked

26、 r i ght shaken, too, the pa i r of you Just come in myseIf, an1 I got to wonder ing why. Like I said, I got a cur i ous nature."观 The Duchess breathed, "Go on. n"La te I as t nigh t the word was out abo ut the hit - F-run. On a hunch I went over the garage and took a quiet look-see a

27、t your car. You maybe don't know - it's away in a corner, behind a pillar where the jockeys don't see it whe n t hey* re com in' by. n0 The Duke Iicked his I ips. nI suppose that doesn11 matter now. n尅 "You mi gh t have some thing t here, " Ogi Ivie con ceded "Any way,

28、 what I found made me do some scouting -一 across at pol ice headquarters where they know me too. n He paused to puff aga i n at the cigar as his I isteners waited si lently. When the cigar tip was gIowing he inspected it, then continued. n0ver there they got three thi ngs to go on. They got a head I

29、 ight tr im r ing which musta come off when the kid an' the woman was hit. They got some head Iight glass, and lookin' at the kid1s clothin', they reckon there1I I be a brush trace" nA what 0 "You rub c I ot hes aga inst some th ing hard, Duchess, spec i a I ly if it1 s shiny l

30、ike a car fender, say, an' it leaves a mark the same way as f inger pr ints. The pol ice lab kin pick it up I ike they do pr ints - dust it, an' it shows” "That's interesting,” the Duke said, as if speaking of something unconnected with himself nI didn11 know that. "Not many do

31、. In this case, though, I reckon it don't make a lot o' d i ffere nee. On your car you got a bus ted head I igh t, and the tr im ring's gone. Ain11 any doubt they1 d match up, even without the brush trace an' the blood. Oh yeah, I shouId a told you. There' s p I e nty of b I ood,

32、 t hough it don't show too much on the bI ack pa i nt." "Oh, my God!M A hand to her face, the Duchess turned away.® Her husband asked, uWhat do you propose to douThe fat man rubbed hi s hands together, Iooking down at hi s t hick, f I eshy fin gers "Like I said, I come to hea

33、r your s i de of it. nThe Duke sa i d despa i r i ngly, "What can I poss i b I y say You know what happened. ” He made an attempt to square h i s shou I ders which did not succeed. "You'd better caI I the police and get it over n0 “Well now, t here1 s no ca I I for be i ng has ty ” The

34、 incongruous fa Isetto voice took on a musing note. “What's done's been done. Rush ing any p I ace ain't gonna br i ng back the k i d nor its mother neither. Besides, what they* d do to you across at the headquarters, Duke, you wouIdn't like No sir,you wouIdn't like it at all.”Q

35、The other two slowly ra i sed the i r eyes.53 “I was hoping, OgiIvie said, “that you folks could suggest something. v0 The Duke said uncertainly, “I don't understand. ”§5 "I understand, v the Duchess of Croydon said “You want money, don11 you You came here to bIackma iI us. ”0 If she e

36、xpected her words to shock, they did not succeed The house detect ive shrugged. “Whatever names you ca I I things, ma' am, don11 matter to me. Al I I come for was to he I p you peop Ie out of troubIe But I got to live too. ”0 n You1d accept money to keep siIent about what you know”55 I reckon I

37、might.芳 ” But from what you say, ” the Duchess po i nted out, her po i se for the moment recovered, “it would do no good. The car wouId be discovered in any case. ”® v I guess you1 d have to take that chance. But there1 s some reasons it mi gh t not be. Some thing I a in* t told you yet.0 “Tell

38、 us now, please.0 Ogi Ivie said, "I a i n' t f i gured th i s out myse I f comp I ete I y.But when you hit that kid you was going away from town, not to it. ”Q We1 d made a mistake in the route, ” the Duchess saiduSomehow we'd become turned around It's easiIy done in New Or Ieans, w

39、ith the street wi nd ing as they do. Afterward, using s i de streets, we went back.密 “I thought it might be that, Ogi Ivie nodded understand i ng Iy. “But the police a i n* t figured it that way. They' re Iooking for somebody who was headed out. That's why, r ight now, they1 re work in1 on t

40、he suburbs and the outs ide towns They may get aro und to search in' dow ntown, but it won't be yet.a "How long before they do"® "Maybe t hree, four days They got a lot of ot her p I aces to Iook fi rst. ”0 “ How couId that he Ip usthe de I ay 4 v® “It migh t, ” Ogi

41、Ivie said "Providino body tw igs the car- an' see in1 where it is, you migh t be I uck yt here An' if you can get it away.0 "You mean out of the state "I mean out o， the South. nO "That wouldn1t be easy pay we I I 0 The house detective shook his head emphaticaI Iy. “You t

42、ry that, you might as we I I wa I k over to headquarters r ight now an1 give up. Every repa i r shop in Louis iana1 s been told to hoi ler 1 cops' the minute a car need i ng fix in' Ii ke yours comes in. They1d do it, too. You people are hot. ” The Duchess of Croydon kept firm, tight rein on

43、 her racing mind. Itwas essential, she knew, that her thinking remain calm and reas on ed. In the I as t few mi nu tes the con versa tion had become as seemingly casuaI as if the discussion were of some minor domes tic matter and not survi va I it se I f. She int ended to keep it that way. Once more

44、, she was aware, the role of leadership had fa I Ien to her, her husband now a tense but pass i ve spec tator of the excha nge bet wee n the evi I tat man and herseIf No matter. What was inevitabIe must be accepted. The important thi ng was to consider a I I eventualities. A thought occurred to her.

45、"No, ma'am. Every state around- Texas,Arkansas,Mississippi, Alabama,al Ithe resI Ibe watch i ng fora cardamaged the way yours is. ”© The Duchess considered.there any possibi I ity of havingrepa i rs made f i rstI f thework were done discreetly we couId0 "The piece from our car whi

46、ch you say the poI ice have What is it called”Q “A trim ring. ”© u Is it traceabIev OgiIvie nodded affi rmatively. "They can f igure what kind o* car it's frommake, mode I, an' maybe the year, or c I oseto it. Same thing withthe glass But with your car being foreign,it I I IikeIy t

47、ake a few days”"But after that, ”she persi sted,“the police wi I I know"I reckon that 's so.athey1 re looking for a Jaguar v Today was Tuesday. From a I I that thi s man said, they had until Fr iday or Sat urday at bes t. With ca I cu I a ted coo In ess the Duchess reasoned: the situat

48、ion came down to one essential. Assuming the hotel man was bought off, thei r only chanee -一 a slim one -一 lay in removing the car quickly, If it couId be got north, to one of the big cities where the New Or Ieans tragedy and search wou I d be unknown, repa i rs cou I d be made qu i e11 y, the i ncr

49、 imi nating ev i denee removed Then, even i f suspicion settled on the Croydo ns I at er, nothing cou I d be proved But how to get the car awayQ Undoubtedly what this oafish detective said was true: As we I I as Lou i s iana, the other states through which the car wou Id have to pass would be a I er

50、 t and wat chfu I. Every highway pat rol wouId be on the lookout for a damaged head-1 ight with a missing tr im r ing There wouId probabIy be road-blocks. It would be hard not to fall victim to some sharpeyed pol iceman.0 But it might be done. If the car couId be dr i ven at night and conceaIed by d

51、ay. There were pienty of pI aces to puI I off the highway and be unobserved. It wouId be hazardous, but no more than waiting here for certain detection. There wouId be back roads They couId choose an uniikely route to avoidattent i on.55 But there wou I d be other comp I ications and now was the tim

52、e to cons i der them. Trave Ii ng by secondary roads wouId be diff icul tunl ess k no wing the t er ra i n. The Croyd on s d i d not. Nor was either of them adept at using maps And when they stopped for petro I, as they wou I d have to, the i r speech and manner wou I d bet ray t hem, mak ing t hem

53、con spicuous And yet t hese were r isks which had to be taken. Or had they The Duchess faced OgiIvie. "How much do you want” The abrup tn ess took him by surpr i se "Wei 丨 I figure you peopIe are pretty we I I fixed. ”边 She said coldly, “I asked how much. ” The p i ggy eyes bIi nked Ten th

54、ousand do I Iars. ”辺 Though it was twice what she had expected, her expression did not change. "Assuming we paid this grotesque amount, what wouId we receive in return”管 The fat man seemed puzz led< "Like I said, I keep quiet aboutwhat I know. ” © "And the alternative ”超 He shrugged “I go down the Iobby. I pick up a phone.5 “No, v The stat emen t was un equi voca I uWe wi I I not pay