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京权图字01-2010-3360

Originally published by Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford. © 2010

This edition is licensed for sale in the People's Republic of China only and not for export therefrom.

'Oxford' is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.

只限中华人民共和国境内销售，不得出口。

图书在版编目（CIP）数据

没有秘密的斯芬克斯：美绘版：英汉对照／（爱尔兰）王尔德（Wilde, O. ）著；（英）鲍勒（Bowler, B. ）改写；周晶译．—北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2010.6（2013.4 重印）

（书虫·牛津英汉双语读物）

书名原文：The Sphinx without a Secret

ISBN 978-7-5600-9688-9

Ⅰ．①没…　Ⅱ．①王…　②鲍…　③周…　Ⅲ．①英语—汉语—对照读物②故事—作品集—爱尔兰—近代　Ⅳ．①H319.4：I

中国版本图书馆CIP数据核字（2010）第103765号

出版人：　蔡剑峰

责任编辑：米晓瑞

封面设计：覃一彪　平　原

版式设计：赵　欣

出版发行：外语教学与研究出版社

社　　址：北京市西三环北路19号（100089）

网　　址：http://www.fltrp.com

版　　次：2010年6月第1版

书　　号：ISBN 978-7-5600-9688-9

*　　*　　*

制售盗版必究　举报查实奖励

版权保护举报电话：（010）88817519

CONTENTS

目录

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵的罪行

1　At Lady Windermere's

在文德米尔夫人家

2　A bloody crime

血腥的罪行

3　A yellow pill

黄色的药丸

4　A bomb in a clock

钟里的炸弹

5　By the River Thames

泰晤士河畔

The Model Millionaire

模范百万富翁

1　A poor young man

一个穷小子

2　An interesting model

一个有趣的模特

The Sphinx without a Secret

没有秘密的斯芬克斯

1　The woman in the yellow carriage

黄色马车上的女人

2　The house in Cumnor Street

卡姆诺街的房子

Project

拓展训练

Grammar Check

语法充电

Translation

译文

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AUTHOR

关于作者

Oscar Wild

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1854, and studied Greek and Latin at university in Dublin and Oxford. As well as a number of short stories for adults and fairy stories for children, he wrote the novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray (1891). He also wrote a number of very popular comedies for the theatre, including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), but is perhaps most famous for his many clever and funny sayings about life and people. He died in Paris in 1900 at the age of forty-six.

奥斯卡·王尔德

奥斯卡·王尔德1854年生于爱尔兰都柏林，曾在都柏林大学和牛津大学学习希腊语和拉丁语。除了著有大量给成年人看的短篇小说和给孩子看的童话故事，他还写了小说《道林·格雷的画像》（1891）。他还为剧院写了多部非常受欢迎的喜剧，其中包括《不可儿戏》（1895），不过他最为知名的或许还是他对于人和生活的诸多机智幽默的评语。1900年，他在巴黎去世，享年46岁。

ACTIVITIES

BEFORE READING LORD ARTHUR SAVILE'S CRIME

1 Lord Arthur's crime is murder. Who does he want to kill?

Tick three boxes. Use a dictionary to help you.

Lord Arthur

a □ Lady Windermere, one of Lord Arthur's friends

b □ Mr Podgers, Lady Windermere's fortune teller

c □ Sybil Merton, the woman Lord Arthur wants to marry

d □ The Dean of Chichester, Lord Arthur's clever uncle

e □ Lord Surbiton, Lord Arthur's rich brother

f □ Lady Clementina, the oldest person in Lord Arthur's family

2 Which murder methods does he use?

a □ a bomb in a clock

b □ a knife

c □ drowning in a river

d □ poison

e □ a gun

f □ an old sword

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

1

At Lady Windermere's

It was Lady Windermere's last party before the spring holidays. There were many more guests in Bentinck House – her London home – than usual. There were important men from the government in their best suits. All the beautiful women were wearing their most expensive dresses, and at the end of the biggest, longest room stood Princess Sophia of Carlsrühe, a short, heavy little lady with small black eyes and big rings on her fingers. She spoke loudly in bad French and laughed at everything that people said to her.

It was a wonderful party. There were so many different and interesting people there. Sweet ladies from old families talked with angry young men. A number of rich old artists stood on the stairs and talked together like poor art students. It was one of Lady Windermere's best nights.

Lady Windermere looked very fine with her clear white neck, her large blue eyes, like the bluest of spring flowers, and her gold hair. It was a strong gold colour, not cheap yellow, but the rich gold of sunlight.

As a young woman Lady Windermere had a number of romantic adventures, which made people think that she was interesting. She married three times, but because she only had one lover through all those years, the world soon stopped telling terrible stories about her. She was now forty, had no children, and enjoyed pleasing herself, which is the secret of staying young.

She was pleased when Princess Sophia stayed for hours. When the Princess left at half past eleven, Lady Windermere began talking to her old friend the Duchess of Paisley.

'Where is my palmist?' she asked suddenly.

'Your palmist?' cried the Duchess, nearly jumping out of her seat.

'Yes, I can't live without him at the moment.'

'You are always so unusual,' said the Duchess, trying to remember what a palmist was, and hoping that it wasn't like a manicurist.

'He looks at my hand twice a week,' went on Lady Windermere.

'Oh dear!' said the Duchess to herself. 'He really is like a manicurist after all. How terrible to ask an uninteresting guest to a party like this! I hope he isn't English.'

'He says that I have an interesting hand,' replied Lady Windermere, 'and that it's a good thing that my thumb isn't any shorter, because a very short thumb means that you look on the dark side of life and prefer to leave the world behind and to be alone.'

The Duchess felt happier at once. She understood that a palmist was someone special. 'Ah, I see. And can he see the future in your hand too?' she asked.

'Of course,' answered Lady Windermere. 'Both the good and the bad things. I think he prefers the bad. Next year, for example, I am in great danger on the ground and at sea, so I am going to live in a large balloon and pull up my lunch every day in a little lunch box. It is all in my hand, you know. I think everyone should visit a palmist once a month. That way they will know what they shouldn't do. Of course they'll still do it, but it's nice to hear about bad things before they happen. Now can somebody find Mr Podgers or do I have to look for him myself?'

Lord Arthur Savile, a tall young man, stood listening to their conversation with a smile on his face. He was thinking of Sybil Merton, the woman he wanted to marry. Turning to Lady Windermere, he said, 'I'll go and find Mr Podgers for you. But what is he like?'

'Well, he isn't unusual or romantic-looking. He's a short fat man with a large bald head and gold glasses. He looks like a family doctor, I'm afraid. People are very strange these days. They never look like what they are. I had a famous murderer here last year and he looked just like a nice old vicar and told funny stories all evening. Ah, there you are, Mr Podgers. Now, I want you to read the Duchess of Paisley's hand. Duchess, you must take off your glove. No, not your left hand, dear, the other one.'

'Oh, Lady Windermere. Are you sure this is all right?' said the Duchess, pulling off an old white glove.

'Of course not, nothing interesting ever is,' replied Lady Windermere, 'but that's how the world goes. Mr Podgers, this is the Duchess of Paisley. Duchess, this is Mr Podgers. And if you say that her mountain of the moon is bigger than mine I shall stop coming to you.'

'Are you sure this is all right? '

'I am sure there's nothing like that in my hand,' said the Duchess.

'You are right,' said Mr Podgers, looking at the little fat hand with its short, square fingers. 'You have a very small mountain of the moon. But you have a very long life line and will live happily for many years to come. Your head line is not really very strong, but your heart line—'

'Oh, tell us about her romantic adventures, Mr Podgers.'

'I'm afraid, Lady Windermere, that there isn't anything to tell. I see her feeling the same as she always has and staying with her husband.'

The Duchess looked pleased. 'Go on, Mr Podgers,' she said.

'You are very careful about spending money, I see,' he said, and Lady Windermere began to laugh loudly.

'Well, Mr Podgers, I think that you have read the Duchess's hand beautifully,' she said. 'And now you must read some other hands, too.'

So Mr Podgers read a number of other people's hands. After only a short time some guests were afraid and didn't want him even to look at their hands. But Lord Arthur Savile was interested in hearing about his future.

'Will Mr Podgers read my hand?' he asked Lady Windermere.

'Of course. But I must tell you that Sybil is coming to lunch with me tomorrow. So if Mr Podgers learns that you get angry easily or are going to be ill in later life, or have a wife in Bayswater, I shall tell her everything.'

'I'm not afraid,' answered Lord Arthur. 'Sybil knows me as well as I know her. That is why she's marrying me.'

But when Mr Podgers saw Lord Arthur's hand his face went yellow, he said nothing, his bald head shook, and his fat fingers went cold.

Lord Arthur felt afraid. 'I am waiting, Mr Podgers,' he said.

'We are all waiting,' cried Lady Windermere.

Mr Podgers dropped Lord Arthur's right hand and looked carefully at his left one. His face went white. At last he looked up and pushed the corners of his mouth into a smile. 'It is the hand of a fine young man...' he said.

'Yes, we know that already,' said Lady Windermere. 'The question is: will he make a fine husband?'

'All fine young men do that, Lady Windermere... let me see... He will go on a journey soon...'

'A holiday with his new wife, of course.'

'And someone in his family will die.'

'Not his sister, I hope?' cried Lady Windermere.

'No, no,' said Mr Podgers. 'Someone not as near to him as that.'

'Oh dear! So I have nothing important to tell Sybil when she comes tomorrow.' said Lady Windermere. 'Oh well, time for supper then. Are you coming, Duchess?'

'Yes, my dear,' said the Duchess, moving slowly to the door, 'I'm tired, but I must say I have enjoyed myself, and your manicurist – palmist – was most interesting.'

Lord Arthur stood by the fire. Some guests left and some stayed. His sister walked past him to the supper table with Lord Plymdale, and Lord Arthur looked even more unhappy. He felt that something terrible was waiting in the future for him. He nearly cried to think that anything could possibly come between him and Sybil Merton.

Lord Arthur stood by the fire.

government n. the people who control a country 政府

princess n. an important woman in a small country 公主

romantic adj. about love 浪漫的

duchess n. a very important woman from a very good family 公爵夫人；女公爵

palmist n. someone who sees the future in people's hands 手相师

manicurist n. someone who makes people's hands look nice 美甲师

bald adj. with no hair 秃头的

vicar n. a man who works for the church 牧师

glove n. a thing that you wear on your hand 手套

line n. a long thin mark; palmists look at the lines on your hand 掌纹

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

Are these sentences true or false? Tick the boxes.

a There were a lot of important people at Lady Windermere's party.

True ☑　False □

b Lady Windermere believes everything that Mr Podgers tells her.

True □　False □

c Lord Arthur Savile is happy when he thinks about Sybil Merton.

True □　False □

d Mr Podgers looks like a murderer.

True □　False □

e Mr Podgers reads Princess Sophia's hand at the party.

True □　False □

f Lord Arthur Savile wants Mr Podgers to read his hand.

True □　False □

g Lord Arthur Savile is going to marry a woman called Sybil.

True □　False □

h Mr Podgers tells Lord Arthur exactly what he sees in his hand.

True □　False □

WORD WORK

1 These words don't match the pictures. Correct them.

a balloon palmist

b manicurist_______

c palmist_______

d glove_______

e bald_______

f heart_______

g thumb_______

2 Complete these sentences with words from Chapter 1.

a L a d y Windermere has a house in the country and a house in London.

b Princess Sophia of Carlsrühe is a g _ _ _ _ at the party in Bentinck House.

c Lady Windermere had many r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ adventures when she was younger.

d The D_ _ _ _ _ _ of Paisley and Lady Windermere talk a lot at the party.

e Arthur Savile, a young English L _ _ _, listens to them.

f Mr Podgers can see the f_ _ _ _ _ in people's hands.

g The Duchess has a long life l_ _ _ on her hand.

h 'I haven't been to church to meet the new v_ _ _ _ yet.'

GUESS WHAT

What happens in the next chapter? Tick the boxes.

a Mr Podgers tells Lord Arthur...

1 □ that he is going to die soon.

2 □ that he is going to kill someone.

3 □ that he is going to marry Sybil.

b Lord Arthur decides...

1 □ to kill himself.

2 □ not to marry Sybil.

3 □ to kill someone in his family.

2

A bloody crime

Lord Arthur Savile stood by the fire and his face was as white as stone. For the first time in his rich and careless life he felt deeply unhappy. Could Mr Podgers really see something terrible in his hand? Was it a bloody crime or something worse? Couldn't he escape from it in some way?

Suddenly Mr Podgers came back into the room. When he saw Lord Arthur, his face went green. For a minute both men were silent.

'The Duchess has left one of her gloves here. She asked me to bring it to her,' said Mr Podgers at last. 'Ah, I see it on that chair! Good night!'

'Mr Podgers, wait! Could you answer a question before you go? What did you see in my hand? I must know.'

'Why do you think I saw more than I told you, Lord Arthur?'

'I know that you did, and I'll pay you a hundred pounds if you tell me what it was. What is your address? I'll send you the money tomorrow.'

Mr Podgers' green eyes looked suddenly interested.

'Here is my visiting card,' he said, and he gave a small card to Lord Arthur, who read it:

'I am there from ten until four,' said Mr Podgers.

'Be quick, now!' said Lord Arthur. 'What do you see here?'

He held out his hand.

Mr Podgers closed the door.

'Very well, Lord Arthur. Please sit down.'

Ten minutes later, with a white face and wild eyes, Lord Arthur ran out of Bentinck House and down the street.

The night was very cold and windy, but his hands were hot and his face was on fire. He ran on and on. A policeman looked at him with interest when he ran past. Then a poor old man came up to ask him for some money, but when he looked into Lord Arthur's face, he felt afraid and he left the young man alone and didn't speak to him.

Suddenly Lord Arthur stopped under a street light and looked down at his hands. He thought he saw red blood on them and gave a cry.

Lord Arthur looked down at his hands.

Murder! That is what the palmist had told him. Murder! The night knew it. The wind whispered it in his ear. The dark corners of the street were full of it, and the houses along the street laughed about it.

First he came to the park where he listened to the silent trees. 'Murder! Murder! I'm going to murder someone!' he said to himself, shaking terribly. He felt a strong need to stop someone in the street and tell them everything.

Then he left the park, crossed Oxford Street and walked on, down poor, narrow streets. Two women in bright cheap dresses laughed at him when he walked past them. Now and again he heard shouts and cries from the houses and he saw poor old people sitting in dark corners of the street.

At the corner of Rich Street he saw two men reading a poster. He crossed the street to look at it.

He read the poster many times and thought of the murderer running from the police. Perhaps one day they were going to put his name on a murder poster? The thought made him feel ill and he turned and hurried on.

When the sun came up he found himself in Piccadilly Circus. From there he walked slowly home to Belgrave Square, looking up at the beautiful red sky. 'I hope that there won't be a storm later in the day,' he said to himself.

By the time he got to Belgrave Square the sky was a light blue and the birds were beginning to sing in the gardens.

When Lord Arthur woke up it was twelve o'clock and the sun was high in the sky. A servant brought him a cup of hot chocolate in bed. He drank it and then he got ready for his morning bath. He got into the deep water quickly and lay back in it. Then he put his head right under the water to wash away the terrible thoughts of the night before. When he got out of the bath he felt happier.

After breakfast he lay on the window seat and smoked a cigarette. On a table near him was a large photograph of Sybil Merton. She was so beautiful, with her fine small head, her soft mouth, and her dark eyes.

He couldn't marry Sybil with a future murder waiting to happen. But what could he do about it? He thought a lot, and at last he had the answer. He decided to murder someone first and then to marry Sybil. But who could he murder? Murderers, of course, usually kill their enemies, but Lord Arthur didn't really have any enemies. In the end he wrote down the names of all his friends and family on a piece of paper. After looking at this list for some time, he chose Lady Clementina Beauchamp, or Lady Clem, as she was called by everybody. Lady Clem was a dear old lady who lived in Curzon Street. She was one of his cousins on his mother's side of the family and was just the right person to murder, he decided.

Next Lord Arthur sent his servant to West Moon Street with a hundred pounds to pay Mr Podgers. After that he went out to the flower shop and bought some flowers to send to Sybil. Then he went to the library to read some books about different poisons.

He chose poison as the best way to murder Lady Clem. It was quiet and clean. After all, he didn't want his name in the newspapers. Sybil's parents weren't very modern in their way of thinking and perhaps they wouldn't like their daughter to marry a murderer if the police caught him.

In the end he found out about a poison called aconitine. The books explained that it worked fast, and didn't hurt you when it killed you. He wrote down how much aconitine you needed to kill someone and then he left the library and went to Saint James's Street to buy some.

whisper v. to speak very quietly 低语

poster n. a big piece of paper on a wall with words on it 告示

scar n. a mark on your body from an old cut 伤疤

reward n. money that you get for helping to find someone or something 报酬

servant n. a person who works for someone rich 仆人

list n. a lot of names that you write one after the other 名单

cousin n. the son (or daughter) of your father's (or mother's) brother (or sister) 堂［表］兄弟；堂［表］姐妹

library n. a room or building where there are lots of books 图书馆

poison n. something that kills people when they eat or drink it 毒药

aconitine n. a deadly poison 乌头碱

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

Match the first and second parts of these sentences.

WORD WORK

1 Find words from Chapter 2 in the cup of chocolate.

2 Match the words from Activity 1 with the definitions.

a a small piece of thick paper card

b a number of words on a piece of paper ________

c a piece of paper that you put up on a wall for other people to read ________

d a room where there are lots of books ________

e a large garden in a town that everybody can visit ________

f an old cut ________

g someone who works in a rich person's house ________

h the daughter of your father's brother ________

i to speak in a quiet voice ________

j something that can kill you if you eat it ________

k money that you get for helping to find something or someone ________

GUESS WHAT

What happens in the next chapter? Tick three boxes.

a □ Lord Arthur kills his cousin Lady Clem.

b □ Lady Clem is ill but doesn't die.

c □ Lady Clem dies, but not from poison.

d □ Sybil finds out that Arthur is a murderer.

e □ Lord Arthur feels terrible.

f □ Lord Arthur marries Sybil.

g □ Lord Arthur doesn't marry Sybil.

3

A yellow pill

Lord Arthur walked into Pestle and Humbey's, the expensive chemist's shop in St James's Street, and asked Mr Pestle for some aconitine. The little man, who liked to help the lords and ladies himself when they visited his shop, said quietly that a letter from a doctor would be necessary.

But then Lord Arthur explained, 'You don't understand, Mr Pestle. It's for my large old Norwegian dog. It has to go, I'm afraid, because it's too dangerous. It bites my servants on the legs all the time.'

'A dangerous dog that bites servants. I see. That's all right then,' replied the chemist. 'And I must say that you know a lot about poisons, my lord,' he went on, smiling. Then he gave a yellow aconitine pill to Lord Arthur immediately.

Some minutes later Lord Arthur bought a beautiful little silver box in a Bond Street shop to put the yellow pill in, and then he went at once to Lady Clementina's house.

'Well, young man,' cried the old lady when he went into the room. 'Why haven't you been to see me all this time?'

'Lady Clem,' said Lord Arthur, smiling, 'I am so busy.'

'Yes. I am sure that you spend every hour of the day with Miss Sybil Merton, visiting shops and being romantic together. Why does marrying make people so romantic these days? It didn't happen when I was young.'

'Dear Lady Clem, I haven't seen Sybil for twenty-four hours. I think she is living in her favourite clothes shop.'

'Yes, and that's why you've come to see an old woman like me. I'm not stupid, you know. I have a hard life. I'm ill all the time, and the doctors only come to take my money. They don't do anything for my stomach.'

'Ah,' said Lord Arthur. 'I've brought you something for that! It's a wonderful medicine, made in America.' And he took the silver box from his pocket and gave it to her.

'What a beautiful box, Arthur! That's so kind. And is this the medicine? It looks just like a sweet. I'll take it now.'

'Oh, no, Lady Clem,' said Lord Arthur, taking her hand. 'You mustn't do that. If you aren't feeling ill and you take this medicine you feel terrible. Wait until you're feeling bad and then take it. I'm sure it'll surprise you.'

'Very well,' said Lady Clem. 'I'd love to try it now. It looks so very good, but I'll wait until the next time that I'm ill.'

'And will that be soon?' asked Lord Arthur with interest.

'I hope not this week, but you never know.'

'So you're sure that you'll be ill this month, then?'

'Yes, I'm afraid that I will. But you're being very nice to me today, Arthur. I think that Sybil is good for you. And now I must have a rest before lunch. Goodbye, give my love to Sybil, and thank you for the medicine.'

'Don't forget to take it, Lady Clem,' said Lord Arthur, standing up.

'Of course not. And I shall tell you if I want some more.'

Lord Arthur left Lady Clem's house feeling very happy. That night he spoke to Sybil Merton. He told her that he couldn't marry her at once because he had to finish some business first. He asked her to wait until the end of the month, and he told her that everything would be fine, but that she had to wait. Early next morning he wrote a letter to her father explaining that they needed to postpone the wedding for a time. Then he left for a holiday in Venice.

His brother, Lord Surbiton, came by yacht from Corfu and met him there, and they spent a wonderful fortnight together. They visited Venice in the mornings, they asked people to tea on Lord Surbiton's yacht in the afternoons, and at night they ate in the best restaurants and smoked lots of cigarettes. But Lord Arthur wasn't happy. Every day he bought The Times, hoping to read about Lady Clementina's death, but every day there was nothing.

After two weeks Lord Surbiton felt bored, and both brothers went off to Ravenna. A week later Lord Arthur came back to Venice. At his hotel he found a number of telegrams and letters waiting for him. He read Sybil's letter first.

Dearest Arthur,

Terrible news! On the 17th Lady Clementina had dinner with your mother, but went home early with a bad stomach. The next day her servants found her dead in bed with a smile on her face. She has given her house in Curzon Street to you. Please come home soon.

Lots of love,

Sybil

Lord Arthur sent a telegram to Sybil at once to tell her that he was coming back to London. He was sad about Lady Clem's death, and angry with Mr Podgers for making him a murderer. But he was also deeply in love, and now he was free to marry Sybil.

When he arrived in London everything went very well. Sybil's parents were nice to him. They chose 7th June as the date of the wedding, and Sybil said to Lord Arthur, 'I hope that nothing will ever come between us again.'

Not long after, Lord Arthur and Sybil went to visit Lady Clementina's house in Curzon Street to burn old letters and papers that nobody wanted. In the middle of this Sybil gave a sudden cry of surprise.

'What have you found, Sybil?' asked Lord Arthur, smiling.

'This beautiful little silver box, Arthur. Can I have it?'

It was the pill box. Lord Arthur's face reddened. He remembered the poison. 'Of course you can have it,' he replied. 'I gave it to Lady Clem myself.'

'Oh, thank you, Arthur!' said Sybil, 'And can I have the sweet that's in it, too?' she went on. 'How strange! I didn't know that Lady Clem liked sweets.'

'Can I have the sweet that's in it, too?'

The blood left Lord Arthur's face. 'The sweet, Sybil? What do you mean?' he whispered slowly.

'There's a yellow sweet inside the box, That's all. It looks very old and I'm not really going to eat it, so don't worry. But what's the matter, Arthur? Your face is so white!'

Lord Arthur ran across the room and took the box from Sybil's hand. In it was the yellow poison pill. So he wasn't Lady Clementina's murderer after all! This news was nearly too much for him. He dropped the pill into the fire and sat down heavily on a comfortable chair with a terrible cry.

chemist n. a person who makes and sells medicines 药剂师

bite v. (bit, bitten) to cut something with your teeth 咬

postpone v. to do something at a later time 推迟

wedding n. the day when two people marry 婚礼

yacht n. a small and expensive boat with sails 游艇

telegram n. a very short letter that you send very quickly 电报

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

1 What do they say? Tick the boxes

2 Put these sentences in the correct order. Number them 1–9.

a □ Lord Arthur puts the poison pill into a silver box.

b □ Lady Clem wants to take the pill at once, but Lord Arthur tells her, 'Wait until you're ill.'

c □ Lord Arthur gives the silver box to his aunt, Lady Clem, saying that it has some stomach medicine in it.

d □ Lord Arthur and Sybil go back to Lady Clem's old house in London.

e  1  Lord Arthur buys some poison.

f □ Lord Arthur goes on holiday.

g □ Lord Arthur tells Sybil that he can't marry her for some time.

h □ Lord Arthur and Sybil find the poison pill in the silver box.

i □ Lord Arthur gets a letter from Sybil saying that Aunt Clem is dead.

WORD WORK

Correct the boxed words in these sentences. They all come from Chapter 3.

a She took a  bill  because she felt ill.　pill

b I felt very  sat  when my cousin died. _____________

c I want to have a white  bedding  in a church. _____________

d Careful that dog doesn't  site  you. It's got very big teeth. _____________

e Mr Pestle works as a  chemical.  _____________

f They had to  postman  the party for a week. _____________

g You must take some of this  medical  before you go to bed. _____________

h Lord Surbiton goes to Venice by  yak.  _____________

i They sent me a  telephone  to tell me about my cousin dying. _____________

GUESS WHAT

What happens in the next chapter? Tick the pictures.

a Lord Arthur tries to kill...

1 himself.

2 Lady Windermere.

3 his uncle.

4 Mr Podgers.

b Lord Arthur is going to use...

1 poison.

2 a knife.

3 a bomb.

4 a gun.

4

A bomb in a clock

Mr Merton was not very happy when Lord Arthur Savile postponed his daughter's wedding for a second time. Mrs Merton was very angry and spoke to her daughter about not marrying Lord Arthur, but Sybil's heart was full of love, and she agreed to wait for the wedding.

Lord Arthur was disappointed about the poison not working, but he decided to try again. This time he felt that a bomb was the best thing to use. He got out his list of family and friends and after thinking very carefully, he decided to murder his uncle, the Dean of Chichester.

The Dean was a very clever man who loved clocks. He had a house full of them. Some were four hundred years old, and some were very modern.

Lord Arthur decided that the easiest way to kill his uncle was by putting a bomb in a clock and sending it to him. But where can you buy a bomb?

Then he remembered his friend Count Rouvaloff, a young Russian who sometimes went to Lady Windermere's parties. Rouvaloff was writing a book about Peter the Great, but people said that he was a revolutionary. Lord Arthur drove to the Russian's rooms in Bloomsbury to ask him for his help.

'I want a bomb!' he said. 'Where can I get one?'

'Lord Arthur,' replied Rouvaloff, 'I never knew that you were so interested in politics.'

'My dear Rouvaloff, politics don't interest me,' answered Lord Arthur. 'It is family business only.'

Count Rouvaloff looked at him in surprise. Then, seeing that the young English lord truly meant what he said, he wrote an address on a piece of paper, put his name at the bottom, and gave it to him.

'The English police would love to have this address, my friend,' he said.

'Well, they won't get it from me,' replied Lord Arthur, laughing, and he shook hands with Rouvaloff and ran downstairs.

Looking at the paper in his hand, he went at once to Soho. There, near Greek Street, he found a place called Bayle's Court. He knocked on the door of a little green house and a strange foreign man asked him what he wanted. Lord Arthur gave him Count Rouvaloff's paper. The man took Lord Arthur into a dirty front room.

After a few minutes Mr Winckelkopf, as he was called in England, came into the room with a fork in one hand.

'Count Rouvaloff told me to come,' said Lord Arthur. 'My name is Mr Robert Smith, and I want to buy a clock with a bomb in it.'

'Pleased to meet you, Lord Arthur,' said the little German, laughing. 'Don't be surprised. It's my job to know everybody, and I remember seeing you one evening at Lady Windermere's. I hope she is well. Would you like to sit with me? I am just finishing my breakfast.'

Lord Arthur was very surprised that Mr Winckelkopf knew his name, but he followed him into the back room of the house, and sat and talked in the friendliest way with this famous revolutionary.

'Clocks with bombs in are not good for foreign murders,' said the little German. 'Trains are often late and clock-bombs can easily explode before they get to where they are going. But if you want a bomb in a clock for use in England I can get you one with no trouble. Can I ask you who you want to kill with it? If it's a policeman or a Scotland Yard detective then I'm afraid I can't help you. The English detectives are our best friends. Because they are so stupid, we can do everything we want here. We don't want to kill any of them.'

'No, no,' said Lord Arthur, 'I don't want to kill a policeman. The clock is for the Dean of Chichester.'

'Do you feel strongly about the Church, Lord Arthur?'

'No, no, he is my uncle. This is family business, not Church business.'

'I see,' said Winckelkopf and he left the room and came back a few minutes later with a beautiful French clock. On top of it there was a little revolutionary woman standing on a terrible monster with six heads. 'Here is your bomb.'

'That's just what I want! But how does it explode?'

'How does it explode?'

'That is my little secret,' said the German. 'Just tell me two things. What time do you want it to arrive at the Dean's house? And what time do you want it to explode? I will do the rest.'

'Can you send it off at once?' asked Lord Arthur.

'Not today. I have some important work for some friends in Moscow.'

'Well, could you send it either tomorrow night or Thursday morning? And I'd like it to explode at twelve o'clock on Friday, please,' said Lord Arthur. 'The Dean always has lunch at that time. Now, how much is that?'

'Well, the clock was four pounds, and the bomb inside will be a pound. For myself, nothing. Lord Arthur, I am only too happy to help one of Count Rouvaloff's friends. And I do not work for money.'

Lord Arthur put five pounds on the table, thanked the little German for his time, left the house and went back home feeling very happy.

For the next two days Lord Arthur was terribly excited. On Friday at twelve o'clock he went to his club to wait for the news. All afternoon Lord Arthur waited, but no news came. At four o'clock the evening newspapers arrived and Lord Arthur read them all from front to back, but there was nothing about someone murdering the Dean of Chichester with an exploding clock. There was no news from Chichester at all. He felt very disappointed.

The next day he went back to Bayle's Court in Soho to see Mr Winckelkopf again. The little German was very sorry about the accident and he promised to send another clockbomb to the Dean of Chichester as soon as possible. 'And I don't want any more money, Lord Arthur,' he said. But by now Lord Arthur didn't really trust bombs to do the job well, and even Winckelkopf agreed that it was difficult to find good gunpowder.

'I'm sure that something went wrong with the clock, Lord Arthur,' he said. 'But perhaps the gunpowder will explode without it. I haven't lost hope.'

But Lord Arthur was not very hopeful.

disappointed adj. unhappy because you don't get what you want 失望的

dean n. an important man of the church 教长

count n. an important man 伯爵

revolutionary n. someone who fights against a government, often with guns and bombs 革命者

politics n. the way people choose a government 政治

foreign adj. not from your country 外国的

explode v. to break suddenly with a very loud noise 爆炸

monster n. a large, horrible animal 怪兽

club n. a place where gentlemen meet 俱乐部

promise v. to say that you will certainly do something 允诺

trust v. to feel sure that something will happen as you think it will 相信

gunpowder n. powder that explodes 火药

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

Correct nine more mistakes in the chapter summary.

Mr Merton is(isn't) very happy when Lord Arthur postpones his wedding to Sybil again. Lord Arthur decides to kill his grandfather, the Dean of Chichester. The Dean hates clocks and Lord Arthur decides to use a bomb in a book to kill him. He visits a French revolutionary Count Rouvaloff in Bloomsbury for help. He gives Lord Arthur an address in Chichester. Lord Arthur goes there and meets Mr Winckelkopf, a German revolutionary. Winckelkopf doesn't want to kill any English postmen. But Lord Arthur tells him that the murder which he is planning is family business. Then Winckelkopf sells Lord Arthur a beautiful German clock with a revolutionary man standing on it and a bomb inside it. Lord Arthur wants the bomb to explode when the Dean is having breakfast on Friday. In Friday's newspapers there is no news from Chichester of the murder of the Dean.

WORD WORK

Use the words in the clock to complete the sentences below.

a When Lord Arthur finds that he didn't murder Lady Clem, he feels very d i s a p p o i n t e d.

b He decides to buy a _ _ _ _ that will _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and kill his _ _ _ _ _, the _ _ _ _ of Chichester.

c He visits _ _ _ _ _ Rouvaloff and Winckelkopf, two _ _ _ _ _ _ _ men who are _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

d Lord Arthur isn't interested in _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

e He buys a clock with a bomb in it and a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ with six heads on the top.

f On Friday Lord Arthur waits at his _ _ _ _ in London to read the news from Chichester in the newspaper, but there is nothing.

g Winckelkopf _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to send a second clock with more _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in it, but Lord Arthur doesn't _ _ _ _ _ bombs any more.

GUESS WHAT

What does Lord arthur do next? Tick three pictures.

a □ He tells Sybil that he can't marry her.

b □ He reads a letter from his cousin about the clock.

c □ He decides to buy a different kind of bomb from Mr Winckelkopf.

d □ He has dinner with his brother at his club.

e □ He meets Mr Podgers again.

5

By the River Thames

Two days after his second visit to Mr Winckelkopf, Lord Arthur's mother, the Duchess, showed him a letter.

'You must read this,' she said.

Lord Arthur took the letter and read it.

The Dean's House, Chichester

17th May

My Dearest Aunt,　　Thank you for your last letter. We have had a fine time this week with a clock which someone sent to father last Thursday. It came in a box from London, and father is sure that the person who sent it knows his work, because not very long ago he spoke about Liberty in church and he later wrote it all down in a book called 'Is Liberty too free?' and this clock had a woman dressed as Liberty on the top. I didn't think she looked very nice, but father said that the clock was a French Revolutionary piece and that, for her time, little Miss Liberty was all right. Well, our servant Parker took the clock out of its box, and father put it in the library. Then, on Friday at twelve o'clock, we were all

sitting in the library when the clock whirred and exploded, some smoke came out from under Miss Liberty and she fell off and broke her nose on the floor. Maria cried, but it was very funny and James and I laughed, and father laughed too. When we looked inside the clock we saw that it was an alarm clock. You can turn it to any time, put some gunpowder in, and it explodes when you want. Father said that it couldn't stay in the library because it was too noisy, so James took it into the schoolroom and he now does nothing but make it whirr and explode all day long. Do you think that Arthur would like one of these clocks for his wedding present? Perhaps they are in all the shops in London these days. Father is sure that they will sell well, for they show that Liberty can't be on top for ever and must fall down.

Reggie has just made the clock explode again, and father says that the boys must take it outside. I don't think he likes it very much now. But he is happy that people read his books, and the clock is very cleverly made.

Father sends his love, and James, Reggie and Maria send their love too.

Lots of love, dear aunt, from your niece,

Jane Percy

Lord Arthur looked sad after reading the letter and his mother laughed. 'My dear Arthur,' she said, 'I shall never show you a young lady's letter again! But what do you think of these alarm clocks? They sound wonderful.'

'I don't think they're so wonderful,' said Lord Arthur, with a sad smile, and he left the room. Upstairs he lay down on his bed, his eyes full of tears.

'I've tried twice, but I still haven't murdered anybody. I must tell Sybil that I can't marry her,' he thought.

He knew that it would hurt her, but with time she would forget him. For himself all he wanted was to die.

At half past seven he dressed and went to his club. His brother was there with a group of other young men and he had to have dinner with them. He listened to their stories and conversation without interest, and after coffee he left the club. When he walked past the front desk on his way out they gave him a letter. It was from Mr Winckelkopf and it asked him to come to Bayle's Court the next day. He promised to show him an umbrella bomb that exploded when you opened it – the latest thing from Geneva. Lord Arthur threw the letter away. He really didn't trust bombs now, and he didn't want to murder anybody.

He walked down to the River Thames and sat by a bridge looking out at the dark waters of the Thames below him for hours. The clock at Westminster sounded midnight and still Lord Arthur watched the river.

At two o'clock he got up and began to walk east. Everything looked strange in the moonlight, a picture of black and silver. Then suddenly he saw a man in front of him looking over the wall down into the river. The man looked up and Lord Arthur saw his face under the streetlight. It was Mr Podgers the palmist!

It was Mr Podgers the palmist!

A clever idea came to Lord Arthur. He walked silently up behind Mr Podgers, took him by the legs, and pushed him over the wall and down into the Thames. There was a cry, the noise of something falling into the river, and then nothing but the palmist's tall hat moving round and round on the water. Then that too went down.

'Lost something?' came a voice. It was a policeman.

'No,' said Lord Arthur. 'Nothing important.'

Two days later he read the news in the evening newspaper.

Lord Arthur ran out of his club with the paper in his hand and went to Sybil's house. 'My dearest, let's have our wedding tomorrow!' he cried.

'But, Arthur, my dress isn't ready yet!' she laughed.

Three weeks later the Dean of Chichester married them in St Peter's church, and the best people came to the wedding.

Years later, when they had two children, Lady Windermere went to visit them at their country home and she talked to Lady Sybil out in the garden.

'Do you remember Mr Podgers?' she said. 'I was very disappointed when he died. Didn't he see that coming to him? I don't think much of palmists these days.'

'Oh, Lady Windermere, don't say anything against palmists in front of Arthur,' said Lady Sybil.

'Why not?'

'Because,' said Lord Arthur, coming round the corner of the house, 'a palmist brought us together.' And he looked lovingly into his wife's dark eyes.

liberty n. being free to go where you want and to do what you want 自由

whirr v. to make a noise like the moving parts of a machine 呼呼作响

alarm clock a clock that makes a noise to wake you up 闹钟

niece n. your sister's (or brother's) daughter 外甥女；侄女

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

1 Match the sentences with the people.

2 Complete the police report.

WORD WORK

Use words from Chapter 5 to complete the sentences.

Make changes where necessary.

a Jane Percy writes a letter to explain about the clock w h i r r i n g and then exploding, and about Miss _ _ _ _ _ _ _ falling off.

b Jane Percy is Lord Arthur's cousin and a _ _ _ _ _ of the Duchess.

c She thinks that Mr Winckelkopf's bomb clock is an _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

d Lord Arthur's mother is Jane Percy's _ _ _ _.

e Lord Arthur's eyes are full of _ _ _ _ _ when he thinks that he can't marry Sybil.

f Mr Winckelkopf writes a letter to Lord Arthur about some new _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ bombs that have arrived from Geneva.

GUESS WHAT

What happens after the story ends? Tick the boxes.

a □ Mr Podgers comes back from the dead to visit Lord Arthur.

b □ Lady Windermere decides people who can tell you what you are thinking are boring, too.

c □ One of Lord Arthur's children wants to be a palmist.

d □ Lord Arthur tells Sybil the true story about Mr Podgers.

e □ Mr Winckelkopf dies in a bomb attack.

f □ Sybil meets a palmist who tells her to murder her husband.

g □ The Duchess of Paisley's husband dies and she marries again.

h □ Lord Surbiton marries Jane Percy.

i □ The Dean of Chichester finds out that Lord Arthur tried to kill him.

BEFORE READING THE MODEL MILLIONAIRE

1 Match the words with the pictures. Use a dictionary to help you.

beggar　　millionaire　　happy　　sad　　poor　　rich　　young　　old　　generous　　mean　　charming　　hard-hearted

2 What happens between these two men in the story? Tick two boxes.

a □ Hughie Erskine gives money to the old beggar.

b □ The old beggar steals money from Hughie Erskine.

c □ Hughie Erskine becomes rich after the old beggar helps him.

d □ Something different. What?

The Model Millionaire

1

A poor young man

Hughie Erskine was a charming young man with no money. Now, if you aren't rich, being charming doesn't help you much. Hughie, sadly, did not understand this. Poor Hughie! With his brown hair and his grey eyes, he was a great favourite with women, and men liked him too. But he wasn't very clever and he wasn't good at making money. When his father died, all that Hughie got from him was an old army sword and some old books. He put the sword on his wall, and the books into his small library. Luckily one of his aunts gave him two hundred pounds a year to live on. He tried to get a job, but nothing agreed with him. He worked in a bank for six months, but money had no interest for him. Then he tried selling tea, but it was too foreign for him. After that he went into selling wine, but he didn't really have a taste for it. In the end he did nothing.

To make things worse, Hughie was also in love. The girl that he loved was Laura Merton, the daughter of an old army man, once a colonel out in India. Since coming back to England the Colonel had terrible stomach trouble and was angry all the time. Laura loved Hughie and Hughie loved Laura, but they didn't have sixpence between them. The Colonel liked Hughie, but he didn't want Laura to marry a poor young man.

'We'll talk about the wedding when you've got ten thousand pounds in the bank,' he often said. Hughie became very sad after conversations like that and had to talk to Laura for hours before he felt happy again.

One morning, on his way to Holland Park, where Laura and her father lived, Hughie went to see his great friend Alan Trevor. Trevor was a strange-looking, untidy man with wild red hair, but he painted wonderful pictures, and everybody in town wanted to buy them.

When Hughie came in, he found Trevor busy finishing a picture of a beggar. The picture was as big as the beggar himself, for the old man was sitting in one corner of the room. He had a long, sad face and was wearing a thin old brown coat which had a number of holes in it. On his feet he wore cheap old shoes and in his hand he held out a soft old hat, waiting for people to put money in it.

'What a wonderful model!' cried Hughie.

'What a wonderful model!'

'Yes, he is wonderful, isn't he?' agreed Trevor. 'You don't find beggars like him every day. He's got a face out of a picture by a famous Spanish or Dutch painter – Velasquez or Rembrandt perhaps.'

'Poor old beggar!' said Hughie. 'What a sad face he's got! But I'm sure that it will help you to sell your picture for a lot of money.'

'Of course,' said Trevor. 'Nobody wants to buy a picture of a happy beggar!'

'How much does a painter's model get for his work?' asked Hughie, sitting down in a comfortable chair.

'Twelve pence an hour.'

'And how much will you get for the painting?'

'Two thousand pounds.'

'Well I think that your model needs to get a percentage of what you get. It isn't easy sitting there and not moving for hours, you know.'

'But I have to stand here for hours looking and painting, and buying the paint itself is a job too, you know. But just be quiet now. I'm busy.'

After some time a servant came in and told Trevor that the man who made his frames was outside and wanted to speak to him.

'Don't go away, Hughie,' said Trevor on his way out of the room. 'I'll be back in a minute or two.'

With Trevor out of the room for a time, the old beggar got up and moved his arms and legs. Hughie felt very sorry for him and he put his hands in his pockets to see what money he had on him. All he could find was a pound and a few pence.

'Poor old man,' he thought kindly. 'He needs this money more than I need it.' And he went over and put the pound into the old man's hand.

The old man looked at him and smiled strangely. 'Thank you, young man. Thank you,' he said.

Almost at once Trevor came back, and Hughie left to go to Laura's house. His face reddened when he thought of his present to the old beggar.

'Oh, Hughie, you are stupid,' cried Laura later when Hughie told her all about it, 'Why did you give a pound away?'

charming adj. nice to other people 迷人的

sword n. a long, sharp knife for fighting 剑

wine n. a red or white alcoholic drink made from grapes 葡萄酒

colonel n. an important soldier in the army 上校

percentage n. a hundredth part of something(%) 百分比，比例

frame n. the piece of wood around the outside of a door or a picture （门或画的）框

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

Are these sentences true or false? Tick the boxes.

a Hughie Erskine has got lots of money.

True □　False ☑

b He is a great favourite with women.

True □　False □

c He is in love with Laura Merton.

True □　False □

d Laura's father hates Hughie.

True □　False □

e One day Hughie visits his painter friend Alan Trevor.

True □　False □

f Alan is painting a picture of a young beggar.

True □　False □

g The model for the painting is sitting in the room.

True □　False □

h When Alan leaves the room, Hughie gives the man ten pounds.

True □　False □

i Laura is angry with Hughie for giving money to a beggar.

True □　False □

WORD WORK

Find words in the artist's paints to complete the sentences.

a Hughie Erskine is a c h a r m i n g young man.

b Hughie's father left him an old s _ _ _ _ when he died.

c Laura's father was a c _ _ _ _ _ _ in India.

d Hughie tries selling w_ _ _, but he isn't very good at it.

e When Hughie visits him, Alan Trevor is p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ a picture.

f The picture is of a sad old b_ _ _ _ _.

g The m_ _ _ _ is in the studio too; he's an old man.

h Hughie feels that the old man should get a p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of the money that Alan gets for his painting.

i When Alan's painting of the old man is finished he is going to put a nice f_ _ _ _ round it.

GUESS WHAT

What happens in the next chapter?

Tick the boxes.

a Hughie becomes rich.

Yes □　No □

b Hughie learns that the beggar is rich.

Yes □　No □

c Alan Trevor paints a picture of Hughie.

Yes □　No □

d Hughie gets married to Laura.

Yes □　No □

e Laura leaves Hughie.

Yes □　No □

2

An interesting model

That evening, Hughie walked to his club at about 11 o'clock. He found his friend Alan Trevor in the smoking room there, with a drink in his hand.

'Did you finish that picture of the beggar?' Hughie asked.

'Oh yes, I finished it and now it's in its frame and ready to sell. Oh, and the old model himself was very interested in you. I had to tell him all about you. He wanted to know who you were, where you lived, and how much money you got a year.'

'My dear Alan,' cried Hughie. 'I don't want to find the old man outside my door when I go home. But you're just joking, of course. Poor old thing! I'd like to do something for him. I think it's terrible for anybody to be so sad. I've got lots of old clothes at home. Do you think he'd like some of them? His coat was full of holes.'

'Yes, but he looks wonderful in it. I really wouldn't like to paint him in an expensive new coat. But I'll tell him what you've said.'

'You painters have no feelings!' said Hughie.

'A painter's heart is in his head,' replied Trevor. 'And now tell me about Laura. How is she? My old model was very interested in her.'

'You didn't tell him about her too, did you?'

'Of course I did. He knows all about the Colonel with the bad stomach and the hard heart, and all about your beautiful Laura and the ￡10,000, too!'

'So you told that old beggar everything about me, did you?' cried Hughie angrily, and his face went very red.

'My dear boy,' said Trevor, smiling, 'that old beggar, as you call him, is one of the richest men in Europe. With the money that he's got in the bank he could buy all of London without thinking twice. He has houses in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Moscow, Rome, Madrid and New York, and he always uses gold plates on his dinner table.'

'What do you mean?' cried Hughie.

'What I say,' said Trevor. 'The old man that you saw today in my house was Baron Hausberg. He's one of my greatest friends. He buys lots of my pictures, and a month ago he asked me to paint him as a beggar. I really don't know why. He's a millionaire, and when someone's a millionaire you don't ask questions. But I must say that I thought he looked wonderful in his beggar's coat. Or my beggar's coat if you want to know. He was wearing some old clothes that I bought years ago in Spain.'

'Baron Hausberg!' cried Hughie. 'Oh, no! Because I felt so sorry for him, I gave him a pound!' and he sat back in his chair with a very long face.

That old beggar is one of the richest men in Europe.

'You gave him a pound!' laughed Trevor. 'Well, you won't see that again. The Baron's business is other people's money, you know.'

'Why didn't you tell me he was a millionaire?' said Hughie angrily.

'Well, to start with, Hughie,' said Trevor, 'I didn't know that you like giving money to strangers. I can understand a man who wants to kiss a beautiful young lady model. But giving a pound to a smelly old beggar – that's too much! And also when you arrived at my place, I wasn't sure what to do. The Baron likes his little secrets. So I thought it was better not to tell you his name. I mean, he wasn't in his best clothes!'

'I'm sure he thinks that I'm really stupid!' said Hughie.

'No, you're wrong there. He was very happy when he left my house. He couldn't stop smiling to himself. I didn't understand at first why he wanted to find out everything about you, but I can see why he was interested in you now. He'll put your money in the bank for you, Hughie, and every six months he'll pay you a small percentage, and that way he'll have a wonderful story to tell his friends after dinner.'

'Oh dear!' said Hughie. 'I feel ill. I'm going home to bed. Alan, please don't tell anyone about this. If all my friends find out, I shall never come to the club again.'

'Hughie, wait a minute. Don't run away now. I think that giving a pound to someone that you thought was a beggar was a very generous thing to do,' laughed Trevor, but Hughie left the club and walked home, feeling very unhappy.

The next morning, when Hughie was eating his breakfast, there was a knock at the door and his servant brought in a card. He read it with interest.

'Oh dear. I'm sure that he wants me to say sorry for what I did to the Baron yesterday,' thought Hughie.

He told his servant to show Mr Naudin in. A nice old gentleman with glasses and grey hair came into the room.

'Are you Mr Erskine?' he asked in a soft, kind voice.

'I am,' replied Hughie.

'I have come from Baron Hausberg,' the old gentleman went on. 'The Baron—'

'Look, please tell the Baron that I'm terribly sorry for what happened yesterday,' said Hughie, and his face was suddenly very red.

'The Baron,' said the gentleman with a smile, 'has asked me to bring you this.' And he took an envelope from his pocket and gave it to Hughie.

On the outside of the envelope Hughie read, 'A wedding present to Hugh Erskine and Laura Merton, from an old beggar.' Inside the envelope was a cheque for ￡10,000.

When Hughie married Laura, Alan Trevor was the best man and stood at his friend's side in church. And Baron Hausberg said a few words at the wedding breakfast, too.

Trevor turned to Hughie with a smile when the Baron sat down. 'What a lucky young man you are!' he said. 'You don't find millionaire models every day, but a model millionaire is even harder to find.'

baron n. an important man from a very rich old family 男爵

generous adj. always ready to give things to other people 慷慨的

envelope n. a paper cover that you put a letter in 信封

cheque n. a piece of paper from a bank that promises to pay money to someone 支票

best man a man at a wedding who helps the man who is getting married 伴郎

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

Choose the words to complete the sentences correctly.

a Hughie goes to his ( club /mother's house/old school) and finds Alan Trevor there.

b Hughie wants to give the old man some of his (old books./clothes./shoes.)

c Alan says the old man was very interested in (Laura./tea./wine.)

d Alan told the old man all about the (artist/colonel/doctor) with the hard heart, and about the (house/job/money) that Hughie needs before he can marry Laura.

e In the end Alan tells Hughie that his model was a (banker./beggar./millionaire.)

f Hughie is afraid that his friends will think that he is (generous./ill./stupid.)

g The next morning a friend of Baron Hausberg visits Hughie and gives him some birthday money as a (birthday/Christmas/wedding) present from the Baron.

WORD WORK

Use words from Chapter 2 of The Model Millionaire to complete Hughie Erskine's diary. Make changes where necessary.

I had a (a) f e e l i n g that there was something wrong when I told Alan Trevor about giving that old beggar in his studio my old clothes. He laughed and said 'Hughie, you're (b) j _ _ _ _ _!' Then he said 'That wasn't really an old beggar, it was (c) B _ _ _ _ Hausberg, and he's a (d) m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.' When I told Alan about the pound I gave to Hausberg, he laughed louder. 'Oh, very (e) g _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of you, Hughie!'

Well, I was worried about the Baron. Did he think I was stupid or rude giving him a pound like that? But the next day a nice (f) g _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ called Gustave Naudin came to my house with an (g) e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ from the Baron. Inside was a (h) c _ _ _ _ _ for ten thousand pounds!

The Baron is a (i) m _ _ _ _ millionaire – he is rich and kind. Because of his money I could marry Laura. Alan was (j) b _ _ _ _ _ _ at my wedding. And Laura (k) k _ _ _ _ _ the old Baron, who also came to the wedding, to say thank you to him.

GUESS WHAT

What happens after the story ends? Tick the boxes.

a □ Hughie gets a good job after he marries Laura, and he becomes rich.

b □ Hughie never gets a job but he and Laura are happy.

c □ The Colonel dies and leaves all his money to poor people in India.

d □ The Baron dies and leaves all his paintings to Hughie.

e □ Alan Trevor becomes famous and rich.

f □ Hughie becomes a millionaire but gives all his money to beggars.

g □ Laura starts to like expensive clothes and spends all their money.

h □ Alan Trevor starts to paint wedding pictures and becomes a millionaire.

BEFORE READING THE SPHINX WITHOUT A SECRET

1 Tick the words below that best describe the woman in the picture. Use a dictionary to help you.

□ boring

□ mysterious

□ romantic

□ heartless

□ charming

□ lonely

□ angry

□ sad

□ happy

2 This is Lord Murchison. Why is he interested in the woman in the picture?

a □ His brother is going to marry her.

b □ She's a famous singer.

c □ She's going to marry him.

d □ He falls in love with her when he first sees her.

The Sphinx without a Secret

1

The woman in the yellow carriage

One afternoon I was sitting outside a café in a Paris street watching the world go by. Over my drink I watched young and old, millionaires and beggars, walking past me and I thought about how different people's lives are. Then, suddenly, I heard someone calling my name. I turned round and saw Lord Murchison. He was a very great friend from my university days.

'Murchison!' I cried. 'I haven't seen you since we were at Oxford together and that's nearly ten years ago. I'm so happy to meet you again!'

We shook hands warmly. I remembered him well. I liked him a lot at Oxford. He was handsome, he loved going to parties, and above all he had a good heart. My other university friends and I always said that he was a model gentleman but for one thing – he always told the truth. But secretly I think that we admired him for being so truthful.

But he was different now to how I remembered him. There were lines on his face, and I could see that he was worried about something. I knew him well and felt sure that he wasn't losing sleep about modern politics, or about changes in the church. I decided then that a woman had come into his life.

'You've changed a lot, Murchison,' I said. 'Are you married?'

'No,' he answered. 'You have to understand a woman if you want to marry her, and I'm afraid I don't understand women at all.'

'Women want men to love them, not to understand them.'

'Well, I can't love a woman if I don't trust her.'

'You have a mystery in your life,' I said. 'Tell me about it.'

'Let's drive somewhere,' he answered. 'I can't talk freely here with all these people round us.'

We got up to look for a carriage.

'No, not a yellow carriage. Let's take that dark green one.'

'Where shall we go?' I asked, getting into the green carriage.

'It doesn't matter!' he answered. 'Let's go to a restaurant far from the centre of town. We can eat there and you can tell me about yourself.'

'I want to hear about you first,' I said. 'Tell me your mystery.'

He took out a photograph of a woman and put it in my hand.

'What do you think of her?' he asked.

I looked at the photograph carefully. She was a romantic woman with large eyes and long hair. I felt that her face held a secret, but was it a good secret or a terrible one? Her smile wasn't sweet, but full of mystery.

'She looks very interesting,' I said. 'Tell me about her.'

'After dinner,' he said, and began to talk of other things.

When our coffee and cigarettes arrived at the dinner table I again asked Murchison to tell me about the woman in the photograph. He sat back in his chair and told me his story.

One afternoon I was walking down Bond Street in London at about five o'clock. There were lots of carriages on the road and the traffic was moving very slowly. I saw a little yellow carriage near me and when I walked by it, the face from the photograph that I showed you earlier looked out at me. I was immediately interested. I couldn't stop thinking of that face all night. And the next day I walked up and down Bond Street but I couldn't find the lady again. I began to think that she was only a dream in my head.

A week later I went to Lady de Rastail's house. On the invitation it said 'Dinner at eight o'clock', but at half past eight we were still waiting. At last a servant came in and said, 'Lady Alroy has arrived!'

Then Lady Alroy walked slowly into the room, and I saw at once that she was the mystery woman. She wore a beautiful silvery grey dress and the stones in the rings on her fingers were like lovely moons.

I felt happy when she sat next to me at dinner and just for something to say, I said, 'I think I saw you in Bond Street a week ago, Lady Alroy.'

The face looked out at me.

Her face went white and she replied in a quiet voice, 'Please don't speak so loudly; someone will hear you!'

I was disappointed that our first conversation was going so badly and began to talk of the theatre. She spoke in a quiet, musical voice, but didn't say much. I felt that she was afraid of people listening. I fell deeply, stupidly in love, and the mystery about her made her twice as interesting.

After dinner, I asked her when I could visit her.

'Tomorrow at a quarter to five,' she whispered, and then she left.

Later I learnt from Lady de Rastail that she was a widow with a beautiful house in Park Lane, but that was all I could find out about her.

café n. a place where people go to drink coffee 咖啡馆

university n. people study here after they finish school 大学

handsome adj. good-looking 英俊的

admire v. to think that somebody is very good 钦佩

widow n. a woman whose husband is dead 寡妇

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

1 Are these sentences about Lord Murchison true or false? Tick the boxes.

a He was handsome as a young man.

True ☑　False □

b He hated going to parties in his university days.

True □　False □

c He had a good heart.

True □　False □

d He was never truthful.

True □　False □

e Now he looks tired.

True □　False □

f He is married.

True □　False □

g He is very interested in Lady Alroy.

True □　False □

2 Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

a The storyteller is sitting outside a café in a London(Paris) street when the story starts.

b The storyteller and Lord Murchison were friends at Cambridge University.

c They go to a restaurant near the centre of town to talk.

d Lord Murchison shows the storyteller a photograph of a woman with short hair.

e Before dinner Lord Murchison talks about Lady Alroy – the woman in the photograph.

f He saw her first in Bond Street, sitting in a little green carriage.

g He met her again at Lady de Rastail's house when they went there for breakfast.

h She was happy when he said, 'I saw you in Bond Street.'

i She didn't want to meet him again the next day.

WORD WORK

Match words in Chapter 1 of The Sphinx without a Secret with these definitions.

a A woman whose husband has died and who has not married again. 　widow

b A letter asking you to go somewhere or do something. _______

c A story which happens in your mind when you are asleep. _______

d A vehicle with wheels that is pulled by horses. _______

e To like somebody or something very much. _______

f What is true. _______

g Good-looking, attractive. _______

h A high level of education for students who have finished school. _______

i A small restaurant that serves drinks and light meals. _______

GUESS WHAT

What do you think happens in the next chapter? Tick two boxes.

a □ Lord Murchison understands Lady Alroy's mystery.

b □ Lord Murchison doesn't trust Lady Alroy.

c □ Lady Alroy tells the truth.

d □ Lord Murchison asks Lady Alroy to marry him.

e □ Lady Alroy dies of a broken heart.

2

The house in Cumnor Street

I drank another cup of coffee, smoked another cigarette, and listened with interest while Lord Murchison went on with his story.

The next day I arrived at Lady Alroy's house in Park Lane at quarter to five. Her servant opened the door to me.

'I am afraid Lady Alroy has just gone out,' he said.

I went to my club feeling disappointed and unhappy. It was all very strange. In the end I wrote a letter and asked her when I could visit again.

A number of days later I got a strange note from her.

Park Lane

Dear Lord Murchison,

I will be here on Sunday at four o'clock. Please visit me then.

Yours,

Lady Alroy

P.S. Don't write to me here again. I will explain why when I see you.

On Sunday I went to visit Lady Alroy at her house in Park Lane and she was most charming, but when I was leaving she said to me, 'If you want to write to me again, please don't use my real address. Put your letter in another envelope and send it to "Mrs Knox at The Library, Green Street". I can't receive letters in this house, don't ask me why.'

In the next few months I saw a lot of Lady Alroy, and there was always a mystery about her. Sometimes I thought that there was another man in her life, but I wasn't sure. One minute I thought that I understood her, and the next minute I knew that I didn't. In the end I decided to ask her to marry me. I was tired of meeting her in secret. I wrote to her at the library.

Lady Alroy,

Can I see you next Monday at six o'clock?

Lord Murchison

She agreed to meet me, and I felt so happy. I thought that I loved her for herself, but I see now that I loved her because of her mystery. And then one day I found out what that mystery was. Or I think that I did.

On the Monday I went to lunch at my uncle's house and I wanted to go to Piccadilly after lunch. I walked the short way there through some very poor and dirty little streets. Suddenly I saw Lady Alroy in front of me. She was wearing a big hat with a heavy veil, and was walking very fast. When she arrived at the last house in the street she went up the steps, took a key from her bag, opened the front door and went in.

'Here is her mystery!' I thought, and I looked carefully at the house. It had lots of rooms to rent in it. On the top step I saw her handkerchief.

'She's dropped this,' I said to myself, and put it in my pocket. Then, being a gentleman and not a detective, I went to my club. At six o'clock I visited Lady Alroy's house in Park Lane. When I went in she was lying on a sofa wearing a beautiful silver dress with moonstones on it.

'How nice to see you,' she said. 'I have been here all day.'

I pulled the handkerchief out of my pocket and gave it to her.

'You dropped this in Cumnor Street this afternoon,' I said.

'You dropped this in Cumnor Street this afternoon.'

She looked at me, afraid, but didn't say a thing.

'What were you doing there?' I asked.

'Don't ask me!' she said, hiding her face in her hands.

'You must tell me. I came here to ask you to be my wife!'

She looked up and said, 'Lord Murchison, there is nothing to tell.'

'You went there to meet someone!' I cried. 'That is your mystery.'

She turned terribly white and said, 'No, I did not.'

'Tell me the truth!' I shouted.

'I am being truthful,' she replied.

I was angry and said some terrible things to her. In the end I ran from the house and went away with my friend Alan Colville to Norway. After a month I came back to London and the first thing I saw in the Morning Post was the death of Lady Alroy.

I shut myself in my rooms and saw no one.

'And then you went to the house in Cumnor Street,' I said.

'Yes,' he replied. 'I knocked at the door and a friendly old woman opened it. "Do you have any rooms to rent?" I asked."Well, there was a lady who was renting the rooms on the ground floor, but I haven't seen her for weeks." she answered. I showed her Lady Alroy's photograph. "That's her!" she said,"And when is she coming back?" "She is dead," I explained."Oh no," cried the woman, "She was my best lodger. She paid three pounds a week just to sit in my sitting room sometimes." "Did she meet anyone here?" I asked. "No," said the woman."She came alone and saw nobody. She just sat here and read books, and sometimes had tea." What could I say? I gave the old woman a pound and went home. But what do you think? I find it so hard to explain. Was she telling the truth or not?'

'I think that she was,' I replied. 'I feel sure that Lady Alroy was a woman who loved mystery. She rented those rooms because she liked going there with a veil over her face, dreaming that she was someone in a book. She loved mystery, but I'm afraid to say that she herself was a sphinx without a secret.'

Lord Murchison looked down at the photograph in his hand.

'Yes. Perhaps you're right,' he said at last.

veil n. something that a woman puts over her head and face 面纱

step n. a stone stair in front of a house 台阶

rent v. to give money every month for somewhere to live 租

handkerchief n. you cry into this 手帕

lodger n. a person who pays to live in another person's house 房客

ACTIVITIES

READING CHECK

Put these sentences in the correct order. Number them 1–9.

a □ Lady Alroy dies.

b □ Lady Alroy sends a strange note to Lord Murchison.

c □ Lord Murchison follows Lady Alroy and she drops a handkerchief.

d  1  Lord Murchison visits Lady Alroy's house but she isn't there.

e □ Lord Murchison returns the handkerchief to Lady Alroy.

f □ Lord Murchison goes to the house in Cumnor Street and talks to an old woman.

g □ Lady Alroy asks Lord Murchison to send her letters at a different address.

h □ Lord Murchison goes to Norway.

i □ Lord Murchison and Lady Alroy have a terrible argument.

WORD WORK

Find words in the flowers to complete Lord Murchison's diary below.

I knew that Lady Alroy couldn't (a) receive letters in Park Lane so I went to visit her. I walked up the (b) _________ and knocked on the door. She opened it with a strange smile on her face. She looked like an Egyptian (c) _________ hiding a terrible secret. I went into the (d) _________ after her and we sat down on the (e) _________ to talk. I took a small white (f) _________ from my pocket and gave it to her.

'This belongs to you,' I said.

'Where did you find it?' she asked.

'Outside a house in Cumnor Street. You were there earlier wearing a (g) _________ to hide your face.'

'A house in Cumnor Street?' she said.

'Yes, perhaps you know someone who is a (h) _________ there? Or perhaps you (i) _________ rooms there yourself so that you can meet your friends there in secret, far from Park Lane.'

GUESS WHAT

What does Lord Murchison do after the story ends? Tick the boxes.

a □ He rents the room in Cumnor Street and sits in it thinking about Lady Alroy.

b □ He pays a detective to find out more about Lady Alroy.

c □ He stays in France and forgets all about Lady Alroy.

d □ He marries.

e □ He never marries and dies an old and unhappy man.

PROJECT

PROJECT　拓展训练

Writing a Summary

1 Read this summary of Lord Arthur Savile's Crime.

Cross out five sentences that do not help the summary.

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' is a short story by Oscar Wilde. I think I've heard of him before. The main characters in the story are Lord Arthur Savile, a rich young man, and Mr Podgers, a palmist. I don't really believe in palmists, but this story is about one of them. Other characters are Sybil (Lord Arthur's girlfriend), Lady Clem (Lord Arthur's cousin), and the Dean of Chichester (Lord Arthur's uncle). My uncle is a businessman. The story is set mainly in London but there are some scenes in Italy too. The story begins when Mr Podgers sees murder in Lord Arthur's hand. The plot is about how Lord Arthur feels that he must murder someone before he is free to marry Sybil. It took me a long time to read it. It is a humorous story with a surprise 'twist' at the end. The ending surprised me, at least.

2 Complete the information table for The Model Millionaire.

Story title

________________________

Author

________________________

Main characters

________________________

Other characters

________________________

Setting

________________________

How does story begin?

________________________

Plot

________________________

Kind of story

________________________

Ending

________________________

3 Complete the summary using the information in the table from Activity 2.

'The Model Millionaire' is a ______________ by ______________. The main characters in the story are ______________, a poor young man, and ______________, a millionaire in beggar's clothes. Other characters are Hughie's girlfriend, ______________, and his painter friend, ______________. The story is set mainly in ______________ studio and in ______________ club. The story begins when______________ gives ______________ to ______________ in______________ studio. The plot is about how ______________ can get the money he needs to ____________________________. It is a humorous story with a surprise 'twist' at the end.

4 Complete the table for The Sphinx without a Secret.

Story title

The Sphinx without a Secret

Author

________________________

Main characters

________________________

Other characters

________________________

Setting

________________________

How does story begin?

________________________

Plot

________________________

Kind of story

________________________

Ending

________________________

5 Write a summary of The Sphinx without a Secret.

Story Themes

6 What are the themes of Lord Arthur Savile's Crime? Match them with the sentences about the story.

Themes

a Wonderful and terrible things often go together in life.

b We often hurt people that we should be nice to.

c Quiet people are often the most dangerous.

d When you believe in something, you can make it happen.

e In everyone good there is something bad and in everyone bad there is something good.

Sentences about the story

1 □ Lord Arthur really thinks that Mr Podgers sees murder in his hand, so he decides to become a murderer.

2 □ Lord Arthur is planning his murders at the same time as he is thinking of marrying Sybil.

3 □ Lord Arthur tries to kill his cousin and his uncle.

4 □ Lord Arthur doesn't want to hurt Lady Clem when he kills her.

5 □ Lord Arthur doesn't tell his mother or Sybil about what Mr Podgers said.

7 Oscar Wilde also wrote plays, poems, a novel, and some fairy stories. Match four of these themes with his different works below.

a It's good to help people who are poorer than you.

b Empty people often want to live interesting lives like someone in a book.

c In everyone good there is something bad, and in everyone bad there is something good.

d Strangers are often more interesting than people that you know really well.

e You cannot know the inside of a person from looking at the outside.

f We often hurt people that we should be nice to.

1 □ His poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol – about someone who kills the woman he loves.

2 □ His comedy play The Importance of Being Earnest – about a man who behaves badly in town and well in the country.

3 □ His novel The Picture of Dorian Gray – about a young man who does terrible things, but who stays young while a picture of his face grows old.

4 □ His fairy story The Happy Prince – about the statue of a prince who was happy in life but is now sad and tries to help poor people.

8 What are the themes of the last two stories in this book? Use some of the themes above or some different ideas.

a The Model Millionaire

One theme is: _______________________________

How we see this in the story: _______________________________

Another theme is: _______________________________

How we see this in the story: _______________________________

b The Sphinx without a Secret

One theme is: _______________________________

How we see this in the story: _______________________________

Another theme is: _______________________________

How we see this in the story: _______________________________

9 Can you think of the themes of some different stories? Write about them like the stories in Activity 8.

GRAMMAR

GRAMMAR CHECK　语法充电

一般过去式：肯定句

我们可以在规则动词的原形后加 -d/-ed 来构成一般过去式。

Oscar Wilde lived at the end of the 19th century. He worked as a writer and editor.

王尔德生活在19世纪末。他是一位作家兼编辑。

对于以辅音+-y结尾的规则动词，我们可以变y为i，再加-ed。

study - He studied at Oxford.

他在牛津学习。

有些动词是不规则的，你必须记住它们的过去式。

write - He wrote poems, plays, a novel and a lot of children's stories.

他写过诗歌、剧本、一部小说和许多儿童文学作品。

1 Complete the text about Wilde with the Past Simple form of the verbs in brackets.

Wilde's full name a) 　was　 (be) Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde. His parents, Sir William Wilde and Lady Jane Francesca Wilde, b) _________ (live) in Dublin. Oscar c) _________ (study) at the Portora Royal School at Enniskillen as a boy. He d) _________ (win) a place to study at Trinity College, Dublin. After that he e) _________ (go) to Oxford to study Latin and Ancient Greek. He f)_________ (do) very well. After he g)_________ (finish) at Oxford, he h) _________ (move) in with a painter friend of his, Frank Miles, in a house in London. His first book of poems i) _________ (come) out in 1881. Soon after that he j)_________ (visit) America. He k) _________ (give) talks there on the study of beautiful things for nearly a year. Then he l) _________ (sail) back home to England. In 1884 Wilde m)_________(marry) Constance Lloyd. They n)_________ (have) two children–two boys–Cyril and Vyvyan. From 1887 to 1889, Wilde o)_________ (work) as the editor of Woman's World magazine. He p)_________ (write) most of his best work from 1889 to 1895. Oscar Wilde q)_________ (die) in Paris in 1900.

反义疑问句

我们用反义疑问句来核实信息或是征求对方意见。

It's a story by Oscar Wilde, isn't it?

这个故事是奥斯卡·王尔德写的，对吗？

反义疑问句由主语+主动词或与主句相符的助动词构成。

He wrote plays too, didn't he?

他也写剧本，是吗？

The Importance of Being Earnest is by him, isn't it?

《不可儿戏》是他写的，对吗？

主句是肯定句时，反义疑问句为否定形式。

You've been to a palmist, haven't you?

你去看手相了，对吗？

主句是否定句时，反义疑问句为肯定形式。

You don't believe in palmists, do you?

你不相信手相师，对吗？

2 Complete the sentences with the question tags in the box.

are they　　aren't they　　does he　　doesn't he　　has he　　hasn't he　　is he　　isn't he

a Mr Podgers is short and fat, 　isn't he　?

b He hasn't got a lot of hair, ________________?

c He isn't a manicurist, ________________?

d He has green eyes, ________________?

e He sees the future in people's hands, ________________?

f His offices aren't in East Moon Street, ________________?

g His office hours are from ten to four, ________________?

h He doesn't see his death in the Thames before it happens, ________________

Mr Podgers

3 Complete the sentences with question tags.

a Lady Windermere has got blue eyes, 　hasn't she　?

b Her hair is rich gold in colour, ________________?

c She isn't fifty years old, ________________?

d She has had three husbands, ________________?

e She hasn't got any children, ________________?

f She can't live without her palmist, ________________?

Lady Windermere

直接引语与间接引语

我们在间接引语中要根据说话者和说话时的场景来改变人称代词和物主代词。

4 Rewrite these direct speech sentences as reported speech.

a 'I'm not afraid,' said Lord Arthur.

Lord Arthur said that he wasn't afraid.

b 'It is the hand of a fine young man,' said Mr Podgers.

_________________________

c 'I'll pay you a hundred pounds,' said Lord Arthur to Mr Podgers.

_________________________

d 'The poison is for my large old Norwegian dog,' said Lord Arthur.

_________________________

e 'I'm ill all the time,' said Lady Clem.

_________________________

f 'There's a yellow sweet inside the box,' said Sybil.

_________________________

g 'I want a bomb,' said Lord Arthur.

_________________________

h 'The police won't get the address from me,' said Lord Arthur.

_________________________

i 'I can get you a clock bomb with no trouble,' said Mr Winckelkopf to Lord Arthur.

_________________________

j 'My wedding dress isn't ready,' said Sybil.

_________________________

who, which和that引导的关系从句

我们可以用关系从句给出关于某个人或某个事物的信息。用who引导的关系从句说明某人的情况，用which引导的关系从句说明某物的情况，用that引导的关系从句既可以说明某人的情况，也可以说明某事物的情况。

Hot chocolate is the morning drink which/that arrives for Lord Arthur.

热巧克力是早上呈给阿瑟勋爵的饮料。

Princess Sophia is the party guest who/that laughs the loudest.

索菲亚公主是派对客人中笑得最大声的。

上面的句子如果没有which/who/that引导的关系从句，意义就不完整了，所以从句与主句之间没有逗号。

Bentinck House, which is Lady Windermere's London home, is a good place for parties.

本廷克宅邸——文德米尔夫人在伦敦的住宅——是个开派对的好地方。

Lord Arthur goes to see Mr Pestle, who has a chemist's shop in Saint James's Street.

阿瑟勋爵去见派斯托先生，后者在圣詹姆斯街有一家药店。

以上句子中的从句是附加的，主句没有它们在意义上也是完整的，所以从句与主句之间要用逗号隔开。

5 Complete these sentences with who, which, or that.

a Sybil Merton is the young woman 　who　 loves Lord Arthur.

b Mr Podgers, _________ has offices in West Moon Street, is a palmist.

c Septimus, _________ means 'seventh son' in Latin, is Mr Podger's first name.

d Lord Arthur lives in Belgrave Square, _________ is a very good address in London.

e Aconitine is the poison _________ sounds the best to Lord Arthur.

f Lord Arthur buys a silver box _________ looks very nice for the poison pill.

g Lady Clem lives in Curzon Street, _________ is not far from Piccadilly.

h The Dean of Chichester, _________ is Lord Arthur's uncle, loves clocks.

i Lord Arthur visits Bayle's Court, _________ is near Greek Street in Soho.

j Count Rouvaloff is the Russian revolutionary _________ lives in Bloomsbury.

k Mr Winckelkopf is the German revolutionary _________ sells a bomb to Lord Arthur.

i Jane Percy, _________ writes to Lord Arthur's mother, is the Dean's daughter.

由while和when引导的过去进行时和一般过去时

我们用过去进行时描述过去发生的持续一段时间的动作，用一般过去时描述发生在这一动作进行过程中的较短的动作。

Hughie was visiting the artist Alan Trevor when he met Baron Hausberg.

休吉遇到豪斯伯格男爵的时候正在画家艾伦·特雷弗家做客。

while后面常常跟过去进行时，when后面常常跟一般过去时。

While Trevor was speaking to his frame-maker, Hughie gave the Baron a pound.

特雷弗跟给他做画框的人说话时，休吉给了男爵1英镑。

When Hughie married Laura, Trevor was standing at his friend's side.

休吉跟劳拉结婚时，特雷弗站在朋友的旁边。

6 Complete these sentences with the Past Continuous or Past Simple form of the verbs in brackets.

a While Hughie 　was going　 (go) to visit Laura one day, he 　visited　 (visit) his friend Alan Trevor.

b When Hughie ____________ (arrive), Trevor ____________(paint) a picture of an old beggar.

c The old model ____________ (sit) in the corner of the room when Hughie ____________ (look) over there.

d While Hughie and Trevor ____________ (talk), a servant ____________ (come) into the room.

e Hughie ____________ (put) his hands in his pockets for some money while he old man ____________ (move) his arms and legs.

f While Hughie ____________ (tell) Laura about it all later, she ____________ (be) angry with him.

g While Trevor ____________ (finish) his painting of the beggar, the old model____________ (ask) him lots of questions about Hughie.

h Trevor and Hughie ____________ (speak) at their club when Hughie ____________(learn) that the old beggar model was really a millionaire.

i Hughie ____________ (eat) his breakfast the next day when Mr Naudin ____________(call) to see him.

j Mr Naudin ____________ (smile) when he ____________.(give) Hughie a cheque for ￡10,000.

现在完成时

我们用现在完成时谈论过去某个不定时间发生的事。

?  Have you worked in a bank? Yes, I have/No, I haven't.

你在银行工作过吗？是的，我工作过。/不，我没有。

+  I've worked in a bank.

我在银行工作过。

-  I haven't worked as an artist.

我没当过画家。

7 Complete the interview with verbs in the Present Perfect.

Interviewer: So, Mr Erskine, what jobs a) have you done (you /do) up to now?

Hughie: Well, b)____________ (I / work) in a bank, c)____________ (I / try) selling tea. And d)____________ (I / sell) wine, too.

Interviewer: I see. And e)____________(you / work) as an artist's model?

Hughie: No, f)____________ (I / not). But g)____________ (I / know) some interesting artists and models in my time.

Interviewer: Right, h)____________ (you / meet) Baron Hausberg, the millionaire?

Hughie: Yes, i)____________ (I). He's a very nice man.

Interviewer: j)____________ (you and your wife / see) his houses all over the world?

Hughie: No, k)____________ (we / not). But l)____________ (we / visit) him in his house in London and m)____________ (we / eat) from gold plates at his dinner table, too.

Interviewer: Really?

Hughie: Yes n)____________ (we), o)____________ (The Baron / be) very good to my wife and me.

表示目的的不定式

我们可以用不定式来解释我们为什么做某事。

They go to a restaurant to eat.

他们到餐馆吃饭。

Lord Murchison puts a photograph on the table to start the conversation.

默奇森勋爵把照片放在桌上，开始聊了起来。

8 Match these sentence halves correctly. Put the numbers in the boxes.

a Lord Murchison goes to Park Lane

8

b A servant opens the door

□

c Murchison writes a letter from his club

□

d Lady Alroy writes a note back

□

e She tells Lord Murchison to write to her at the Library

□

f Lady Alroy wears a veil in the street

□

g She visits the house in Cumnor Street

□

h Lord Murchison goes to Norway with a friend

□

i He visits the house in Cumnor Street after Lady Alroy dies

□

j He gives a pound to the old woman there

□

1 to ask Lord Murchison to her house in Park Lane.

2 to forget Lady Alroy.

3 to have more of a mystery about her.

4 to hide her face.

5 to learn her secret.

6 to read books and drink tea.

7 to say that Lady Alroy is out.

8 to visit Lady Alroy.

9 to see when he can visit Lady Alroy again.

10 to thank her for her help.

TRANSLATION　译文

阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵的罪行

1．在文德米尔夫人家

这是春季假日前文德米尔夫人的最后一次派对。本廷克宅邸——她在伦敦的房子——来的客人比往常多了很多。政府要员们穿着他们最好的礼服。漂亮的女人们穿着她们最昂贵的裙子。在最大最长的房间尽头站着卡尔斯鲁厄的索菲亚公主，她身材矮胖，一对眼睛又黑又小，手指上戴着几枚巨大的戒指。她一口蹩脚的法语，嗓门扯得很大，无论别人跟她说什么，她都会哈哈大笑。

这是个美妙的派对，有那么多彼此迥异、妙趣横生的人。来自古老家族的甜美淑女与愤世嫉俗的年轻男士相谈甚欢。几位有钱的老画家站在楼梯上像学画的穷学生那样一起聊天。这是文德米尔夫人最好的夜晚之一。

文德米尔夫人看上去十分优雅：白皙的脖子，大大的春花般明媚的蓝眼睛，还有金色的头发。那是一种浓重的金色，不是廉价的黄色，而是阳光般浓烈的金色。

年轻的时候，文德米尔夫人有过几次浪漫的奇遇，这让人们觉得她是个有趣的人。她结过三次婚，但是由于她在那些年里只有过一个情人，所以世人很快就不再谈论有关她的可怕谣言。她现在40岁，没有孩子，懂得愉悦自己，而这就是保持年轻的秘诀。

她很高兴索菲亚公主在派对上呆了好几个小时。公主在11点半离开后，文德米尔夫人开始和她的老朋友佩斯利公爵夫人聊起来。

“我的手相师在哪儿？”她突然问。

“您的手相师？”公爵夫人惊叫道，差点儿从座位上跳起来。

“是的，我现在离开他可活不了。”

“您总是这么与众不同。”公爵夫人说着，试图想弄明白手相师是做什么的，希望不是修指甲的。

“他每个星期给我看两次手相。”文德米尔夫人继续说。

“哦，天啊！”公爵夫人心想，“他到底还是像个修指甲的。请个无趣的客人来参加这样的派对真是太可怕了！我希望他不是英国人。”

“他说我的手很有意思，”文德米尔夫人说，“而且幸好我的拇指不算太短，因为拇指太短意味着你会看生活的阴暗面，喜欢把世界抛在脑后，一个人独处。”

公爵夫人立刻感到高兴起来。她现在觉得手相师是很特别的人。“啊，我明白了，他能从您的手上看到未来吗？”她问。

“当然，”文德米尔夫人回答道，“好事坏事都能看。我觉得他更喜欢看不好的事。比如说，明年我在陆地和海上都会有危险，所以我打算住到一个大气球上，每天用小篮子把午餐提上来。您知道，这都显示在我的手上。我觉得所有人都应该每月看一次手相。那样他们就知道哪些事情不能做。当然，他们还是会去做，不过在坏事发生前预先知道总是好的。现在有没有人能把波杰斯先生找来，还是我得亲自去找他？”

阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵，一位高个子年轻人，微笑着站在一边听她们的谈话。他在想西比尔·默顿，他想要娶的女人。

他转向文德米尔夫人，说：“我去为您找波杰斯先生。不过他长什么样？”

“哦，他样子没什么特别的，也不英俊。他个子小小的，胖胖的，头很大，秃顶，戴一副金边眼镜。他恐怕看上去更像个家庭医生。如今的人都很奇怪。他们的样子跟职业根本不搭边。我去年在这儿见过一个臭名昭著的杀人犯，可他看上去就像一位好脾气的老牧师，而且一整晚都在讲有趣的故事。啊，您在这儿呢，波杰斯先生。现在我想让您给佩斯利公爵夫人看看手相。公爵夫人，您得摘下手套。不，不是左手，亲爱的，另外一只。”

“哦，文德米尔夫人，您确定这样没问题？”公爵夫人说着，摘下了一只白色的旧手套。

“当然没，有趣的事情一向如此，”文德米尔夫人回答说，“不过世界上的事就是这样。波杰斯先生，这位是佩斯利公爵夫人。公爵夫人，这位是波杰斯先生。如果您说她的月亮丘比我的大，那我就再也不去找您看手相了。”

“我肯定我手上没有那东西。”公爵夫人说。

“您说得对，”波杰斯先生看了看面前肥厚的小手和上面短粗的手指说，“您的月亮丘非常小。不过您有一条很长的生命线，将会快活地活上很多年。您的智慧线不太明显，不过您的感情线——”

“哦，跟我们说说她的风流事，波杰斯先生。”

“文德米尔夫人，我恐怕在这方面没什么可说的。我看到她的感情一直不会改变，她会和她的丈夫在一起。”

公爵夫人看起来很高兴。“继续，波杰斯先生。”她说。

“我看到您在支出方面很仔细。”他说。文德米尔夫人听了放声大笑。

“好吧，波杰斯先生，我想您给公爵夫人看手相看得不错，”她说，“现在您得再给别人看看手相。”

于是波杰斯先生又为几个人看了手相。不过一会儿工夫，有些客人就害怕了，甚至不想让他看到他们的手。但是阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵很想听听自己的未来。

“波杰斯先生能给我看看手相吗？”他问文德米尔夫人。

“当然。但是我必须告诉你，西比尔明天要来和我共进午餐。所以，如果波杰斯先生知道了你脾气暴躁，或者以后会变成病秧子，或者会在贝斯沃特娶妻，我会把这些全都告诉她。”

“我才不怕呢，”阿瑟勋爵说，“西比尔了解我，就像我了解她一样，所以她才会嫁给我。”

可是波杰斯先生一看到阿瑟勋爵的手，脸色就变得蜡黄，他什么也没说，只是摇了摇秃头，肥嘟嘟的手指变得冰凉。

阿瑟勋爵感到害怕。“我等着呢，波杰斯先生。”他说。

“我们都在等着呢。”文德米尔夫人叫道。

波杰斯先生放开阿瑟勋爵的右手，又仔细看了看他的左手。他的脸变白了。最后，他抬起头，勉强挤出一丝微笑。“这是一位年轻绅士的手……”他说。

“是的，这个我们已经知道了，”文德米尔夫人说，“问题是：他会是一位好丈夫吗？”

“所有的年轻绅士都会成为好丈夫的，文德米尔夫人……让我看看……他不久将踏上旅程……”

“当然是跟新婚妻子去度假。”

“他的家族中将有人去世。”

“我希望不是他的妹妹吧？”文德米尔夫人失声叫道。

“不，不，”波杰斯先生说，“是跟他不那么亲近的人。”

“哦，天啊！那明天西比尔来的时候，我就没什么重要的事情可以告诉她了，”文德米尔夫人说，“哦，好吧，现在该用晚餐了。您要来吗，公爵夫人？”

“是的，亲爱的，”公爵夫人说着，慢慢向门口走去，“我累了，不过我必须得说我过得很开心，而且您的美甲师——手相师——非常有趣。”

阿瑟勋爵站在壁炉旁。一些客人离开了，还有些留了下来。他的妹妹和普林戴尔勋爵一起从他身边走过去吃晚餐，阿瑟勋爵看起来更沮丧了。他感觉未来有什么可怕的事儿在等着他。想到他和西比尔·默顿之间可能会发生点儿什么，他都快要哭了。

2．血腥的罪行

阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵站在壁炉旁，脸色惨白。在他无忧无虑的富有人生里，他第一次感到深深的沮丧。波杰斯先生真的能从他手上看到可怕的事情吗？是一桩血腥的罪行，还是更糟糕的事？他不能用什么方法逃掉吗？

波杰斯先生突然回来了，看到阿瑟勋爵时他的脸都变青了。一时间两个人都没有说话。

“公爵夫人落了一只手套在这儿。她让我给她拿过去，”最后波杰斯先生开口说道，“啊，我看到它在那把椅子上！晚安！”

“波杰斯先生，等等！您走之前能回答一个问题吗？您在我的手上看到了什么？我必须知道。”

“您为什么觉得我看到的比告诉您的多呢，阿瑟勋爵？”

“我知道您看到了更多，如果您告诉我，我会付给您100英镑。您的地址是哪里？我明天把钱送去。”

波杰斯先生的绿眼睛看起来突然有了兴趣。

“这是我的名片。”他说着，递给阿瑟勋爵一张小卡片，上面写着：

塞普蒂默斯·R.波杰斯先生

手相师

西月街103A

“我上午10点到下午4点在那儿。”波杰斯先生说。

“现在快点儿说！”阿瑟勋爵说，“你从这儿看到了什么？”他伸出手。

波杰斯先生关上了门。

“好吧，阿瑟勋爵，请坐。”

十分钟后，阿瑟勋爵脸色苍白，神色慌乱地跑出本廷克宅邸，沿街狂奔而去。

晚上很冷，还刮着风，但是阿瑟勋爵的双手和脸颊都热得像着了火。他不停地跑。一个警察与他擦肩而过，好奇地看着他。这时，一个穷老头过来向他讨钱，但一看到阿瑟勋爵的脸就觉得害怕，没敢开口招惹这个年轻人。

突然，阿瑟勋爵在一盏路灯下停了下来，低头看着他的双手。他觉得自己看到上面有鲜红的血，不禁失声叫了出来。

谋杀！这就是手相师告诉他的。谋杀！黑夜知道要发生什么。风在他耳边低语。谋杀的阴影充斥着黑漆漆的街角，道旁的房子也在嗤笑。

他先到了公园，在那里倾听树的沉默。“谋杀！谋杀！我会杀一个人！”他自言自语，颤抖得厉害。他有一种强烈的欲望，想在街上拦住什么人，把一切都说出来。

接着，他离开公园，穿过牛津街，走进破旧狭窄的小巷。两个穿着俗艳裙子的女人在他走过时拿他取笑。他不时听到房子里传出叫喊和哭声，看到穷困潦倒的老人坐在黑暗的街角。

在里奇街的拐角，他看到两个人在看一张告示。他穿过街去看。

你见过这个人吗？

我们在寻找一个杀人犯。你能帮我们找到这样一个人吗？他在30岁到40岁之间，穿黑色上衣，灰色裤子，戴一顶棕色帽子，右眼附近有一道疤痕。

警方悬赏50英镑

他把告示读了好几遍，想着那个潜逃的杀人犯。或许有一天他们也会把他的名字写在杀人犯通缉令上？这个念头让他一阵反胃，他转身快步离开。

太阳出来了，他发现自己已经到了皮卡迪利广场。他抬头望望美丽的红色天空，朝自己在贝尔格雷夫广场的家慢慢走去。“希望白天晚些时候不要下雨。”他想。

他走到贝尔格雷夫广场的时候，天空已经变成了浅蓝色，花园里的鸟儿开始啁啾地唱起来。

阿瑟勋爵醒来的时候已经12点了，太阳高高地当空照着。仆人给他把热巧克力饮料端到床前。他喝完后准备晨浴。他很快迈进深深的水里，躺下来。接着，他把头埋到水里，想把前一天夜里那些可怕的想法洗掉。从浴缸出来的时候，他感觉开心多了。

早饭后，他靠在窗边的坐椅上抽了一支烟。旁边的桌子上摆着一张西比尔·默顿的大照片。她那么美，优雅小巧的头颅，柔软的嘴唇，还有黑色的眼睛。

如果未来可能发生谋杀，他不能就这么跟西比尔结婚。可他又能如何呢？他想了很多，最后找到了答案。他决定先杀掉某个人，然后再和西比尔结婚。但是他能杀掉谁呢？当然，杀人犯通常杀的是跟自己敌对的人，可实际上阿瑟勋爵并没有什么敌人。最后，他在一张纸上写下了所有朋友和亲戚的名字。看了看这份名单，他选出了克莱门蒂娜·比彻姆夫人——或克莱姆夫人，大家都这么叫她。克莱姆夫人是位可爱的老妇人，住在柯曾街。她是他姨妈的女儿，他觉得正是可以杀掉的对象。

接着，阿瑟勋爵叫仆人去西月街给波杰斯先生送去100英镑。之后他到花店买了一些花叫人给西比尔送去。然后，他又去图书馆看了一些关于各种毒药的书。

他选择毒药作为杀掉克莱姆夫人的最佳方式。这样不会有什么动静，而且很干净。毕竟他不希望自己的名字出现在报纸上。西比尔的父母在思想上可不太时髦，如果他被警察抓住，他们不会愿意让女儿嫁给一个杀人犯。

最后他找到了一种名叫乌头碱的毒药。书上说它药力发作快，让人没有痛苦地死去。他记下杀死一个人所需乌头碱的剂量，然后离开图书馆去圣詹姆斯街买毒药。

3．黄色的药丸

阿瑟勋爵走进圣詹姆斯街一家很贵的药店——派斯托和罕贝药店，让派斯托先生拿一些乌头碱给他。这位小个子店主总是喜欢在绅士和贵妇们上门的时候亲自招呼客人，他低声回答要买这东西需要医生的处方。

但是阿瑟勋爵解释道：“你不知道，派斯托先生。这是买给我那条大个儿老挪威犬的。我恐怕它得走了，因为它太危险。它总是咬仆人的腿。”

“一条乱咬仆人的危险的狗。我明白了。那没有问题。”药剂师说。“而且我得说您对毒药知道得真不少，我的大人。”他继续微笑着说，立刻递给阿瑟勋爵一粒黄色的乌头碱丸。

几分钟后，阿瑟勋爵在邦德街的一家商店里买了一个漂亮的银质小盒子，把黄色的药丸放了进去，接着马上动身去克莱门蒂娜夫人家。

“哦，年轻人，”老妇人见他走进房间，惊讶地大声说，“你怎么这么久都没来看我？”

“克莱姆夫人，”阿瑟勋爵微笑着说，“我太忙了。”

“是啊。我敢肯定你一天里的每个小时都跟西比尔·默顿小姐呆在一起，逛逛商店，做些浪漫的事情。如今结婚怎么能让人变得这么浪漫？我年轻的时候事情可不是这样。”

“亲爱的克莱姆夫人，我已经24小时没有见到西比尔了。我觉得她简直就在她最喜欢的那家服装店住下了。”

“是啊，所以你才会来看我这老太婆。你要知道，我可不傻。我的日子很难过，总是闹毛病，医生来了也只是为赚我的钱，根本不治我的胃。”

“啊，”阿瑟勋爵说，“我给你带了点儿治胃的药！这药很不错，是美国产的。”他从口袋里拿出银质的盒子递给她。

“多漂亮的盒子，阿瑟！你真好。这就是那药吗？它看起来就像颗糖。我现在就吃。”

“哦，不，克莱姆夫人，”阿瑟勋爵握住了她的手，“你现在不能吃。如果你没觉得不舒服，吃了这药你会感觉很难受。等你不舒服的时候再吃吧。我保证它会让你惊讶的。”

“好吧，”克莱姆夫人说，“我倒是想现在尝一尝。它看上去很好吃，不过我会等到下次不舒服时再吃。”

“那会等很久吗？”阿瑟勋爵很感兴趣地问。

“我希望这个星期不会发作，但是不好说。”

“那你肯定这个月会发作了？”

“是的，我恐怕会的。不过你今天来看我真好，阿瑟。我觉得西比尔很适合你。现在我得在午餐前休息一下了。再见，替我向西比尔问好，还有谢谢你的药。”

“别忘了吃，克莱姆夫人。”阿瑟勋爵说着，站了起来。

“当然不会。我如果还想要，会告诉你的。”

阿瑟勋爵愉快地离开了克莱姆夫人的家。那天晚上他跟西比尔·默顿谈了谈，跟她说他不能马上和她结婚，因为他还有一些事情要处理。他请求她等到月底，他说一切都会好，只是她必须等一等。第二天一早，他写信给她父亲，解释说婚礼需要推迟一点。然后，他动身去威尼斯度假。

他的哥哥瑟比顿勋爵从科孚岛乘游艇到那里与他会合，他们一起愉快地度过了两个星期。他们上午游览威尼斯，下午请人到瑟比顿勋爵的游艇上喝茶，晚上到最好的餐馆吃饭，而且抽了很多烟。可是阿瑟勋爵并不开心。每天他都要买《泰晤士报》，希望看到克莱门蒂娜夫人的死讯，然而每天都没有任何消息。

两个星期后，瑟比顿勋爵感觉无聊了，于是兄弟两人又去了拉韦纳。一个星期以后，阿瑟勋爵回到威尼斯。在旅馆，他发现有几封给他的电报和信件。他先读了西比尔的来信。

亲爱的阿瑟：

可怕的消息！17号克莱门蒂娜夫人来和你母亲共进晚餐，但是胃不舒服，提早回去了。第二天，她的仆人发现她躺在床上，已经死了，脸上还带着微笑。她把她在柯曾街的房子给了你。请快些回家。

爱你，

西比尔

阿瑟勋爵立刻给西比尔发了一封电报，说他这就动身回伦敦。他对克莱姆夫人的死感到难过，而且为波杰斯先生把他变成一个凶手而恼火。但他同时也深陷爱河，现在他终于可以自由地和西比尔结婚了。

他回到伦敦的时候，一切都进行得非常顺利。西比尔的父母对他很好，他们选定在6月7日举行婚礼，西比尔对阿瑟勋爵说：“我希望再没有任何事情妨碍我们。”

不久，阿瑟勋爵和西比尔来到柯曾街上克莱门蒂娜夫人的房子，把没用的旧信件和文件烧掉。他们清理那些东西的时候，西比尔突然发出一声惊叫。

“你发现了什么，西比尔？”阿瑟勋爵笑着问。

“这个漂亮的小银盒子，阿瑟。能把它给我吗？”

正是装药丸的盒子。阿瑟勋爵脸红了，他想起了那粒毒药。“当然可以给你，”他说，“是我把它送给克莱姆夫人的。”

“哦，谢谢你，阿瑟！”西比尔说。“它里面的糖也给我吗？”她接着说，“真奇怪！我不知道克莱姆夫人喜欢吃糖。”

阿瑟勋爵的脸上顿时失去了血色。“糖，西比尔？你说什么？”他缓缓地低声问。

“盒子里有一粒黄色的糖，就这样。它看起来放了很长时间，我也没打算真的吃它，所以别担心。不过出了什么事吗，阿瑟？你脸色这么白！”

阿瑟勋爵跑过房间，从西比尔手中夺过盒子，里面就是那粒黄色的药丸。这么说他并没有杀死克莱门蒂娜夫人！这消息让他几乎无法承受。他大叫一声，把药丸丢进火炉里，重重地跌坐在一把安乐椅上。

4．钟里的炸弹

阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵第二次推迟婚礼的时候，默顿先生不太高兴。而默顿夫人则非常生气，叫女儿不要嫁给阿瑟勋爵了，可是西比尔心里还是对未婚夫充满了爱恋，于是同意等一等再举行婚礼。

毒药没有奏效，阿瑟勋爵非常失望，不过他决定再试一次。这回他觉得最好用炸弹。他拿出那张亲友名单，仔细斟酌之后决定杀掉他的叔叔，奇切斯特的教长。

这位教长很聪明，很喜欢钟表。他的房子里摆满了钟表，有些已经四百多年了，有些则非常现代。

阿瑟勋爵认为杀死他叔叔最简单的方法就是把炸弹放在钟表里送给他。可是到哪里去找炸弹呢？

这时他想起了他的朋友鲁瓦洛夫伯爵，一个年轻的俄国人，有时会参加文德米尔夫人的派对。鲁瓦洛夫正在写一本关于彼得大帝的书，不过人们说他是个革命者。阿瑟勋爵坐车来到鲁瓦洛夫在布卢姆斯伯里街的住处找他帮忙。

“我想要个炸弹！”他说，“我到哪儿能弄到？”

“阿瑟勋爵，”鲁瓦洛夫回答，“我从不知道您对政治这么感兴趣。”

“我亲爱的鲁瓦洛夫，我对政治没兴趣，”阿瑟勋爵说，“只是一点儿家务事。”

鲁瓦洛夫伯爵吃惊地看着他。然后，他意识到这位年轻的英国勋爵确实没有开玩笑，于是在纸上写下一个地址，并在下方写了自己的名字，递给了他。

“英国警察会很想要这个地址，我的朋友。”他说。

“好吧，他们不会从我这里得到它。”阿瑟勋爵笑着说。他跟鲁瓦洛夫握了握手，跑下楼去。

看了看手中的纸条，他立刻赶去索霍区，在那里的希腊街附近找到一个叫贝尔庄园的地方。他敲了敲一座绿色小房子的门，一个模样奇怪的外国人问他有什么事。阿瑟勋爵递上了鲁瓦洛夫伯爵写的纸条。那人把阿瑟勋爵让进一个脏兮兮的客厅。

几分钟后，温克尔科夫先生——这是他在英国的化名——手里拿着一把叉子走进了房间。

“鲁瓦洛夫伯爵让我来的，”阿瑟勋爵说，“我叫罗伯特·史密斯，我想买一个炸弹钟。”

“很高兴见到您，阿瑟勋爵，”小个子德国人笑着说，“别惊讶。我的工作就是认识每一个人，我记得有天晚上在文德米尔夫人家见过您。我希望她一切都好。您和我一起入座，好吗？我正在吃早餐。”

温克尔科夫先生知道他的名字，这让阿瑟勋爵非常吃惊，不过他还是跟着他来到房子后部的房间，非常友好地跟这位著名的革命党人坐在一起聊了起来。

“要想杀死远在外国的人，用炸弹钟可不是好办法，”小个子德国人说，“火车常常晚点，而炸弹钟很容易在到达目的地之前爆炸。不过，如果您想在英国境内使用炸弹钟，我很容易就能给您弄一个。我能问一下您想用它干掉谁吗？如果是警察或是苏格兰场的侦探，那我恐怕爱莫能助。英国侦探是我们最好的朋友。因为他们实在太蠢，我们可以在这里为所欲为。我们可不想杀死他们中的任何一个。”

“不，不，”阿瑟勋爵说，“我不想杀警察。这钟是为奇切斯特教长准备的。”

“您对教会很不满吗，阿瑟勋爵？”

“不，没有，他是我叔叔。这是家族事务，不关教会的事。”

“我明白了。”温克尔科夫说。他走出房间，几分钟后拿着一个漂亮的法国座钟回来。钟的顶部有一个小小的雕塑，一位女革命者站在一个可怕的六头怪兽身上。“这就是您的炸弹。”

“正是我想要的！不过它怎么爆炸？”

“这是我的小秘密，”德国人说，“只要告诉我两件事就行。您希望它何时到达教长家？还有您想让它何时爆炸？其他的事我来处理。”

“你能马上把它送去吗？”阿瑟勋爵问。

“今天不行。我要为莫斯科的几个朋友办点儿重要的事。”

“好吧，你能在明天晚上或是星期四早上送去吗？我想让它在星期五中午12点爆炸，”阿瑟勋爵说，“教长总是在那个时候吃午餐。好吧，现在说说这需要多少钱？”

“哦，钟要4英镑，里面的炸弹要1英镑。我的服务免费。阿瑟勋爵，能为鲁瓦洛夫伯爵的朋友效劳，我已经非常高兴了。我工作并不是为了赚钱。”

阿瑟勋爵在桌上放了5英镑，为占用了小个子德国人的时间表示过感谢，就高高兴兴地回家去了。

之后的两天里，阿瑟勋爵兴奋异常。星期五12点，他来到他的俱乐部等待消息。阿瑟勋爵等了整整一下午，却没有半点消息。下午4点，晚报送到了，阿瑟勋爵从头到尾看了一遍，上面却没有奇切斯特教长因炸弹钟爆炸身亡的消息。上面连奇切斯特的新闻都没有。他感觉失望极了。

第二天他又到索霍区的贝尔庄园找温克尔科夫先生。小个子德国人对这次意外十分抱歉，保证尽快再送一个炸弹钟给奇切斯特教长。“我不会再收钱了，阿瑟勋爵。”他说。可事到如今，阿瑟勋爵其实已经不相信炸弹能有什么奇效了，就连温克尔科夫都承认要找到好的炸药非常困难。

“肯定是那钟出了什么问题，阿瑟勋爵，”他说，“不过或许炸药能自行引爆，我并没有失去希望。”

但是阿瑟勋爵并没有抱太大希望。

5．泰晤士河畔

再次拜访温克尔科夫先生的两天后，阿瑟勋爵的母亲，公爵夫人，给他看了一封信。

“你应该看看这个。”她说。

阿瑟勋爵接过信，看了起来。

奇切斯特教长宅邸

5月17日

我最亲爱的姑妈：

感谢您上次的来信。我们这个星期过得很愉快，因为上个星期四有人给父亲送来了一个座钟，是装在一个盒子里从伦敦送来的。父亲肯定那个送钟的人对他的工作很了解，因为不久前他曾在教堂里就“自由”的话题进行布道，之后又把布道的内容写进了《自由是否太放纵？》这本书里，而那个座钟上就有貌似自由女神的雕像。我觉得她不好看，可父亲说这个座钟是法国大革命时期的作品，在那个时期自由女神小姐没什么不妥。好吧，我们的仆人帕克把钟从盒子里拿了出来，父亲把它摆在了书房。后来，星期五中午12点，我们都坐在书房里，那钟突然呼呼作响，炸了开来，自由女神小姐下面开始冒烟，她自己也掉在地上，摔断了鼻子。玛丽亚吓哭了，不过这事儿实在太好笑，詹姆斯和我都大笑起来，父亲也笑了。我们看了钟的内部，发现它是个闹钟，你可以把它调到任何时间，在里面放一些炸药，它就能在你希望的时间爆炸。父亲说它不能放在书房，因为它太吵了，于是詹姆斯把它拿到了教室，而他现在整天什么也不干，就是让它呼呼作响，然后爆炸。你觉得阿瑟会不会想要这样一个钟作结婚礼物？或许现在伦敦的商店里都在卖这种钟。父亲认为它们肯定很好卖，因为它们证明自由不可能永远占上风，必然会跌下来。

雷吉刚才又让那钟爆炸了一回，父亲说男孩们必须把它拿到外面去。我想他现在不怎么喜欢它了。不过他很高兴有人读他的书，而且这个钟做得实在很巧妙。

父亲向你们问好，詹姆斯、雷吉和玛丽亚也向你们问好。

亲爱的姑妈，非常爱您的侄女，

简·珀西

阿瑟勋爵看完信后神色沮丧，他的母亲却哈哈大笑。“我亲爱的阿瑟，”她说，“我再也不给你看年轻姑娘的信了！不过你觉得这种闹钟怎么样？听起来很不错。”

“我不觉得它们有多好。”阿瑟勋爵苦笑着说，离开了房间。他来到楼上，躺在床上，眼里充满了泪水。

“我尝试了两次，可还是没有杀掉任何人。我必须跟西比尔说我不能跟她结婚。”他想。

他知道这会伤害她，但时间会让她忘了他。至于自己，他只想一死了之。

晚上7点半，他穿好衣服，来到他的俱乐部。他的哥哥已经在那儿，跟一群年轻人在一起，他得跟他们共进晚餐。

他毫无兴趣地听着他们高谈阔论，喝完咖啡就离开了。他出去的时候经过前台，服务生递给他一封信。信是温克尔科夫先生写的，请他第二天到贝尔庄园去，说是要给他看一种雨伞炸弹，伞一撑开就会爆炸——日内瓦的最新产品。阿瑟勋爵把信丢到一边。他现在真的不相信什么炸弹了，也不想杀人了。

他走到泰晤士河边，在一座桥边坐下来，望着下面漆黑的河水，呆了几个小时。威斯敏斯特大教堂的钟敲响了午夜12点，阿瑟勋爵还在那里望着河水。

凌晨2点，他起身向东走去。月光下的一切都显得有些古怪，像一幅黑色和银色相间的画。这时，他突然看到前面有一个人隔着桥栏望着河水。那人抬起头，阿瑟勋爵借着路灯看到了他的脸。他是波杰斯先生，那个手相师！

阿瑟勋爵想到一个好主意。他悄悄走到波杰斯先生身后，抓住他的双腿，把他掀过桥栏，扔进了泰晤士河。

下面传来一声叫喊，接着是东西落水的声音，之后就只剩手相师的高帽子在水面上打转，接着也沉了下去。

“掉了什么东西吗？”一个声音传来，是个警察。

“不，”阿瑟勋爵说，“没什么重要的东西。”

两天后他在晚报上看到了这样一条新闻。

著名手相师命丧泰晤士河

昨天早上7点，轮船酒店的一位客人在泰晤士河边发现了塞普蒂默斯·波杰斯先生（著名手相师）的尸体。手相师的朋友们认为他肯定是因为工作压力过大而自杀。

阿瑟勋爵抓着报纸冲出俱乐部，跑到西比尔家。“我最亲爱的，我们明天结婚吧！”他大叫道。

“可是，阿瑟，我的礼服还没准备好呢！”她笑了起来。

三个星期后，奇切斯特教长在圣彼得教堂主持了他们的婚礼，达官显贵都应邀参加。

多年以后，他们已经有了两个孩子，文德米尔夫人到他们的乡间居所做客，跟西比尔夫人在花园聊天。

“你还记得波杰斯先生吗？”她说，“他的死让我很失望。他没看到将会发生在自己身上的事吗？我现在可不相信手相师了。”

“哦，文德米尔夫人，别在阿瑟面前说手相师的坏话。”西比尔夫人说。

“为什么？”

“因为，”阿瑟勋爵从房子的转角处走过来，“一位手相师成全了我们的婚姻。”他充满爱恋地望着妻子的黑眼睛。

模范百万富翁

1．一个穷小子

休吉·厄斯金是个讨人喜欢的年轻人，但是没有钱。如今你要是没有钱，就算有魅力也没有什么用。可悲的是，休吉不知道这一点。可怜的休吉！他有着棕色的头发、灰色的眼睛，非常受女人欢迎，男人们也很喜欢他。但他不够精明，对赚钱也不在行。他父亲去世后，休吉只得到了一把旧的军人佩剑和几本旧书。他把剑挂在墙上，书放进自己的小书房。幸运的是，他的一位姑妈给了他200英镑的年金做生活费。他尝试找工作，可是做什么都不成。他在一家银行干了6个月，但他对钱没有兴趣。接着他又尝试卖茶叶，可他完全是个外行。后来，他又去卖葡萄酒，但他其实对葡萄酒一窍不通。最后，他什么也没干成。

更糟的是，休吉恋爱了。他爱的姑娘叫劳拉·默顿，是一位老军官的女儿，老人曾在印度当上校。自从回到英国，上校得了严重的胃病，总是怒气冲冲的。劳拉爱休吉，休吉也爱劳拉，但是他们的钱加在一起也没有6便士。上校喜欢休吉，但他不想让劳拉嫁给一个穷小子。

“等你在银行里有了1万英镑，我们就来讨论婚事。”他经常说。在这样的谈话之后，休吉总是很难过，得跟劳拉聊上很久才能重新快活起来。

一天早上，在去霍兰公园的路上——劳拉和她的父亲就住在那里——休吉去拜访了好朋友艾伦·特雷弗。特雷弗是个模样古怪、满头蓬乱红发的邋遢鬼，但是他画画非常棒，城里的人都想买他的作品。

休吉进门的时候，看到特雷弗正忙着画一个乞丐。画像和乞丐本人一样大，那个老头就坐在房间的一个角落里。他拉着一张愁苦的长脸，穿着很薄的棕色旧外套，上面布满了破洞。他脚上穿着廉价的旧鞋子，手里抓着一顶软塌塌的旧帽子，等人向里面扔钱。

“多么绝妙的模特！”休吉大声说。

“是啊，他很不错，不是吗？”特雷弗赞同道，“可不是每天都能找到像他这样的乞丐。他的脸酷似一幅名画，就是那个有名的西班牙或荷兰画家的作品——可能是委拉斯开兹或者伦勃朗画的。”

“可怜的老乞丐！”休吉说，“他真是满脸愁苦！不过我相信它肯定能让你的画卖个好价钱。”

“当然，”特雷弗说，“画快活的乞丐可没人想买！”

“给画家当模特能赚多少钱？”休吉一边问，一边在一把安乐椅上坐了下来。

“一小时12便士。”

“这幅画你会卖多少钱？”

“2,000英镑。”

“哦，我觉得你的模特应该跟你分成。几个小时坐在那里不动可不是件容易的事，你知道。”

“可我也得一连几个小时站在这里边看边画，而且你知道买颜料本身也是一项工作。不过现在先别说话，我忙着呢。”

过了一会儿，一个仆人进来告诉特雷弗有个做画框的人在外面，想跟他谈谈。

“别走，休吉，”特雷弗一边往外走，一边说，“我一两分钟就回来。”

趁特雷弗不在房间，老乞丐站起来活动了一下四肢。休吉很可怜他，伸手到口袋里看看身上有没有钱。他只能找到1英镑和几个便士。

“可怜的老头，”他好心地想，“你比我更需要这些钱。”于是他走过去，把那1英镑放在了老头手里。

老头抬头看他，奇怪地笑了笑。“谢谢你，年轻人。谢谢你。”他说。

特雷弗很快就回来了，休吉也告辞去了劳拉家。想到他给老乞丐的施舍，他的脸红了。

“哦，休吉，你真傻，”听休吉说了这一切，劳拉大声说道，“你为什么要给他1英镑？”

2．一个有趣的模特

那天晚上，休吉11点左右步行来到他的俱乐部。他在吸烟室里看到了他的朋友艾伦·特雷弗，后者正端着一杯酒。

“你完成乞丐的画了吗？”休吉问。

“哦，是的，我画完了，它现在已经装上了画框，可以出售了。哦，那个老模特对你非常感兴趣。我不得不跟他讲了你的一切。他想知道你是谁，住在哪里，每年有多少收入。”

“我亲爱的艾伦，”休吉叫起来，“我可不想回家的时候发现那老头在我家门口。不过你当然是在开玩笑。可怜的老头！我倒是想为他做点儿什么。我觉得有人那样悲苦真是件可怕的事。我家里有好多旧衣服。你觉得他会不会想要一些？他的外套上都是洞。”

“是啊，不过他穿上去看起来很棒。如果他穿着昂贵的新外套，我就不想画他了。不过我会把你的话转告给他。”

“你们这些画家真没同情心！”休吉说。

“画家的心在脑袋里，”特雷弗说，“现在跟我说说劳拉。她怎么样？我的老模特对她非常感兴趣。”

“你不会把她的事也跟他说了吧？”

“我当然说了。上校胃不好，心肠硬，你那美丽的劳拉，还有那1万英镑的事，他全都知道了！”

“这么说，你把我的一切都跟那老乞丐说了，是吗？”休吉生气地大叫，脸涨得通红。

“我亲爱的伙计，”特雷弗笑着说，“你说的那个老乞丐是欧洲最富有的人之一。他银行里的存款够他毫不犹豫地买下整个伦敦。他在伦敦、巴黎、柏林、维也纳、莫斯科、罗马、马德里和纽约都有房子，而且在餐桌上一直用的是金盘子。”

“你这是什么意思？”休吉大声说。

“我是说，”特雷弗说，“你今天在我家见到的老头是豪斯伯格男爵。他是我最好的朋友之一。他买了我很多画，一个月前他请我给他画像，要把他画成一个乞丐。我真的不知道为什么。他是个百万富翁，而面对百万富翁你不该有什么质疑。不过我得说他穿乞丐的衣服看起来真不错。不妨跟你说，那身乞丐衣服是我的。他穿的是我几年前在西班牙买的旧衣服。”

“豪斯伯格男爵！”休吉叫道，“哦，不！我可怜他，所以给了他1英镑！”他往椅子上一靠，脸拉得老长。

“你给了他1英镑！”特雷弗大笑起来，“唉，你那1英镑有去无回。你知道，男爵做的就是赚别人的钱。”

“你怎么不告诉我他是个百万富翁？”休吉生气地说。

“哦，首先，休吉，”特雷弗说，“我不知道你喜欢给陌生人钱。有人想跟年轻漂亮的女模特接吻，这我能理解。不过给一个臭哄哄的老乞丐1英镑——那太不可思议了！而且，你到我家的时候，我还没拿定主意该怎么做。男爵喜欢保守他的小秘密。所以我觉得最好不告诉你他的名字。我是说，他并没有穿着他最好的衣服。”

“我敢说他觉得我蠢透了！”休吉说。

“不，这你就错了。他离开我家的时候很高兴。他不停地偷笑。我一开始不知道他为什么对你的事情刨根问底，不过现在我明白他为什么对你感兴趣了。他会把你的钱替你存在银行里，休吉，然后每6个月支付给你一小部分，这样他就有个好故事在茶余饭后说给朋友们听了。”

“哦，天啊！”休吉说，“我觉得难受。我要回家睡觉了。艾伦，请别跟别的人提起这件事。如果我所有的朋友都知道了，那我就再也不来这俱乐部了。”

“休吉，等等。别现在就跑。我觉得向一个你认为是乞丐的人施舍1英镑是件很慷慨的事。”特雷弗笑道。但休吉还是离开俱乐部，沮丧地走回了家。

第二天早上，休吉吃早饭的时候，有人敲门，仆人拿进来一张名片。他好奇地看了看。

古斯塔夫·诺丁先生

（豪斯伯格男爵的朋友）

“哦，天啊。我敢说他是来让我为昨天对男爵干的好事道歉的。”休吉想。

他让仆人请诺丁先生进来。一位和善的老先生走进了房间，他戴着眼镜，头发灰白。

“您是厄斯金先生吗？”他和气地轻声问。

“我是。”休吉回答。

“我从豪斯伯格男爵那里来，”老先生继续说，“男爵——”

“唉，请转告男爵，我为昨天的事情万分抱歉。”休吉说着，脸一下子涨得通红。

“男爵，”老先生微笑着说，“让我把这个交给您。”他从口袋里拿出一个信封，递给休吉。

休吉看到信封上写着：“一个老乞丐给休吉·厄斯金和劳拉·默顿的结婚礼物。”信封里面是一张1万英镑的支票。

休吉和劳拉结婚的时候，艾伦·特雷弗在教堂作为伴郎站在朋友身旁。豪斯伯格男爵也在婚礼早餐上讲了几句。

男爵坐下的时候，特雷弗微笑着转向休吉。“你真是个幸运的小伙子！”他说，“百万富翁当模特不是天天有，不过一个模范百万富翁更难找。”

没有秘密的斯芬克斯

1．黄色马车上的女人

一天下午，我坐在巴黎街头的一家咖啡馆外，看着人来车往。我一边喝着咖啡，一边看着年轻人、老人、富翁和乞丐从我身边经过，心想人们的生活是多么不同。这时，我突然听到有人叫我的名字，我转身看到了默奇森勋爵。他是我大学时代的好友。

“默奇森！”我大叫，“从牛津毕业后就再也没见过你，那都是10年前的事了。我真高兴再次见到你！”

我们热情地握手。我清楚地记得他。在牛津时，我很喜欢他。他相貌英俊，喜欢参加派对，最重要的是他心肠很好。大学里的其他朋友和我经常说他是位模范绅士，只有一点不足——他总是说实话。但是私底下我觉得我们对他的诚实都很钦佩。

不过如今的他跟我记忆中的样子不同了。他的脸上有了皱纹，我看得出他在为什么事情发愁。我很了解他，知道他不会因为现代政治或者教会变革而失眠。于是我断定一定是有个女人闯入了他的生活。

“你变了好多，默奇森，”我说，“你结婚了吗？”

“没有，”他回答，“如果你想跟一个女人结婚，就得先了解她，我恐怕一点儿也不了解女人。”

“女人想让男人爱她们，而不是了解她们。”

“好吧，我要是不了解一个女人，根本无法爱上她。”

“你的生活里有秘密，”我说，“跟我说说。”

“我们坐车到别处去吧，”他说，“有这么多人在旁边，我说起来不自在。”

我们起身寻找出租马车。

“不，不要黄色的马车。我们坐那辆深绿色的。”

“我们去哪儿呢？”我登上绿色的马车，问道。

“无所谓！”他回答，“我们去个远离市中心的餐馆吧。我们可以在那里吃饭，你也跟我讲讲你的事。”

“我想先听你讲，”我说，“把你的秘密说出来听听。”

他拿出一张女人的照片，放到我手上。

“你觉得她怎么样？”他问。

我仔细端详照片。她是个富有浪漫气息的女人，大眼睛，长头发。我觉得她的脸上藏着某种秘密，但那秘密究竟是好还是坏？她的微笑并不甜美，而是充满神秘意味。

“她看起来很有趣，”我说，“跟我讲讲她。”

“晚餐之后吧。”他说，然后开始谈起了别的话题。

当我们的饭后咖啡和香烟端上桌后，我又叫默奇森给我讲那个照片里的女人。他靠在椅子上，跟我说了他的故事。

＊＊＊

一天下午，大概5点，我走在伦敦的邦德街上。路上有很多马车，因为拥挤走得很慢。我看到附近有一辆黄色的小马车，我经过的时候，我刚才给你看的那张照片上的人朝我看过来。我立刻就对她产生了兴趣。我一整夜都无法不去想她。第二天，我在邦德街走来走去，却无法再找到那位女士。我开始觉得她只是我头脑中的一个梦。

一星期后，我到德拉斯泰尔夫人家赴宴。请柬上写着“8点晚餐”，可是8点半我们还在等人。最后，一个仆人进来通报：“阿尔罗伊夫人到！”

接着，阿尔罗伊夫人缓缓步入房间，我立刻就认出她正是那个神秘女人。她穿着一件漂亮的银灰色裙子，她戒指上的宝石像一个个可爱的小月亮。

用餐时，她坐到了我的旁边，我很高兴，为了搭话，我说：“我想我一个星期之前在邦德街见过您，阿尔罗伊夫人。”

她的脸变得苍白，轻声对我说：“别那么大声讲话，会有人听到的！”

第一次交谈就这么失败让我有些失望，于是我开始谈论戏剧。她的话音很轻，像音乐般动听，但她话不多。我感觉她是害怕被别人听到。我愚蠢地深陷爱河，而她的神秘让她倍加吸引我。

晚餐后，我问她何时可以去拜访她。

“明天下午5点差一刻。”她悄悄说了一句就离开了。

后来，我从德拉斯泰尔夫人那里得知她是个寡妇，在帕克街有一座漂亮的房子，但别的就不得而知了。

2．卡姆诺街的房子

我又喝了一杯咖啡，再抽了一支香烟，饶有兴趣地听默奇森勋爵继续讲他的故事。

＊＊＊

第二天，我在5点差一刻来到阿尔罗伊夫人在派克街的房子。她的仆人为我开了门。

“恐怕阿尔罗伊夫人刚刚出去了。”他说。

我失望又沮丧地回到我的俱乐部。这一切非常奇怪。最后我写了一封信，问她何时能再次登门拜访。

几天后，我收到一张奇怪的便条，是她写的。

派克街

亲爱的默奇森勋爵：

我星期天下午4点在此恭候。请届时来访。

您的，

阿尔罗伊夫人

另附：不要再往这个地址给我写信了。见面时我会解释。

星期天，我到阿尔罗伊夫人在派克街的房子拜访，她表现得非常迷人，可是在我离开的时候，她对我说：“如果您还想给我写信，请别用我的真实地址。把您的信放在另一个信封里，寄给‘格林街图书馆诺克斯夫人’收。我不能在这个房子收信，别问我为什么。”

在接下来的几个月里，我经常和阿尔罗伊夫人见面，而她一直都那么神秘。有时我觉得她的生活里还有另一个男人，但我不能确定。前一分钟我觉得自己了解她，可后一分钟我又意识到自己不了解她。最后我决定向她求婚。我厌倦了跟她秘密见面。我在书房给她写了封信。

阿尔罗伊夫人：

我能在下星期一晚上6点和您见面吗？

默奇森勋爵

她同意见我，我很高兴。我当时以为我爱的是她这个人，现在我才明白我爱的是她的神秘感。后来有一天我发现了那个秘密，或者说我觉得自己发现了。

星期一我到我叔叔家吃午餐，想在午餐后去皮卡迪利广场。我从几条又破又脏的小巷抄近路过去。突然，我看到阿尔罗伊夫人在我前面。她戴着一顶大帽子，遮着厚厚的面纱，走得很快。她走到小巷尽头的房子前，上了台阶，从包里拿出钥匙，打开门，走了进去。

“她的秘密就在这里！”我心想，仔细打量那座房子。它里面有许多出租房间。在最上面的一级台阶上，我看到了她的手帕。

“她掉了这个。”我心想，把它放进了口袋。接着，我想到自己是个绅士，而不是侦探，于是去了我的俱乐部。6点，我来到阿尔罗伊夫人在派克街的房子。我进去的时候，她正躺在沙发上，穿着一条缀有月亮石的银灰色裙子，非常漂亮。

“见到您真好，”她说，“我在这儿都呆了一整天了。”

我从口袋中抽出手帕，递给了她。

“您今天下午把这个掉在卡姆诺街了。”我说。

她害怕地看着我，没有说话。

“您到那儿做什么？”我问。

“别问我！”她说着，用手捂住了脸。

“您必须告诉我。我来是向您求婚的！”

她抬起头说：“默奇森勋爵，这没什么可说的。”

“您是到那儿见人去了！”我大声说，“那就是您的秘密。”

她脸色非常苍白，说：“不，我没有。”

“跟我说实话！”我喊道。

“我说的就是实话。”她回答。

我气急了，对她说了一些很冲的话。最后，我冲出房子，跟我的朋友艾伦·科尔维尔去了挪威。一个月后，我回到伦敦，在《早邮报》上看到的第一条新闻就是阿尔罗伊夫人的死讯。

阿尔罗伊夫人去世

五天前在剧院受凉患重感冒后，阿尔罗伊夫人于昨天早晨在其位于派克街的家中去世。

我把自己关进房间，谁也不见。

＊＊＊

“然后你去了卡姆诺街的房子。”我说。

“是的，”他说，“我敲门，一位和善的老妇人开了门。‘您有房间出租吗？’我问。‘哦，有位夫人在一楼租了几个房间，不过我已经好几个星期没见过她了。’她回答。我给她看了阿尔罗伊夫人的照片。‘就是她！’她说，‘她打算什么时候回来？’‘她去世了。’我解释说。‘哦，不，’老妇人惊叫道，‘她是我最好的房客。她每个星期付我3英镑，只是有时在我的客厅里坐坐。’‘她在这儿跟什么人见面吗？’我问。‘不，’那女人说。‘她一个人来，谁也不见。她只是坐在那儿看书，有时喝点儿茶。’我还能说什么？我给了那老妇人1英镑，就回家了。不过你怎么想？我觉得这很难解释。她到底有没有说实话？”

“我觉得她说的是实话，”我回答，“我敢说阿尔罗伊夫人是个喜欢神秘感的女人。她租房间是因为她喜欢戴着面纱去那里，梦想着自己是书里的某个人物。她喜欢神秘感，但我恐怕得说她自己却是个没有秘密的斯芬克斯。”

默奇森勋爵低头看手中的照片。

“是啊。或许你是对的。”他最后说。

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Table of Contents

扉页

版权页

目录

AUTHOR　关于作者

ACTIVITIES　BEFORE READING LORD ARTHUR SAVILE'S CRIME

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime　阿瑟·萨维尔勋爵的罪行

1　At Lady Windermere's　在文德米尔夫人家

2　A bloody crime　血腥的罪行

3　A yellow pill　黄色的药丸

4　A bomb in a clock　钟里的炸弹

5　By the River Thames　泰晤士河畔

The Model Millionaire　模范百万富翁

1　A poor young man　一个穷小子

2　An interesting model　一个有趣的模特

The Sphinx without a Secret　没有秘密的斯芬克斯

1　The woman in the yellow carriage　黄色马车上的女人

2　The house in Cumnor Street　卡姆诺街的房子

Project　拓展训练

Grammar Check　语法充电

Translation　译文