Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

A week later, on a sunny day toward evening, Janice Laws made her point. "Isn't it novel, then, that this irreproachable witness to a crime, who has kept his mouth shut so as not to injure a lady's honor," said Janice, "is actually the one who committed the crime? " "That's what Ned Atwood thinks," said Dermot. "He borrows the London case of 1840, but does the opposite. His purpose, as I tell you, is to give Give yourself an alibi for the murder of Sir Morris. Eva is his alibi and his witness: and, more convincingly, she is a witness of last resort, do you understand?"

Eva shuddered. "That was his original plan, and I'll explain it to you. There's no way Ned could have known that Toby Lawes would burst in in the middle, with a pair of brown gloves on: that would provide him with a Witness, to provide him with another frame. Atwood must have been delighted to see this, and thought it was too good to be true. On the other hand, he could not have foreseen that he would fall from the stairs, Falling into a concussion: That eventually happened, and it ruined his whole plan. So there was an equal chance of success and failure." "Come on," said Eva suddenly, "please tell us everything. Everything."

A slight tension gripped them.After tea, Eva, Dermot, Janice, and Uncle Ben were sitting in the shade of the high wall and the chestnut trees in the back garden of Eva's cottage.The table was moved out and placed under a tree whose leaves were slightly yellowing. (Autumn is coming, thought Dermot Kinross, and I'm going back to London tomorrow, too). "Okay," he said, "I wanted to tell you guys. Wardur, Glenn, and I have been collecting leads all week." He looked at Eva's worried face and hated what he had to say. "You've been keeping your mouth shut so obnoxiously," grumbled Uncle Ben.He cleared his throat uneasily, and suddenly said: "What I have been unable to figure out is this guy's motive for killing Morris!"

"I can't figure it out either," Eva said. "What's the motive? He doesn't even know Papa Rolls, does he?" "You just don't realize it," Dermot replied. "I didn't realize, what do you mean?" Dermot leaned back in the wicker chair, crossing his legs.He lit a Maryland with a look of concentration on his face, an angry concentration that made his face more lined than usual.He tried not to show it when he smiled at Eva. "I want you to think back to a few things we discussed. In the days when you were Atwood's wife and lived here," he saw her wince, "you didn't You know the Lawes family, don't you?"

"correct." "But how many times have you noticed this old man?" "Yes, that's right." "Also, whenever he sees you with Atwood, he keeps staring at the two of you eagerly, as if confused? Right. He's trying to remember where he's seen Inner before. De Atwood." Eva sat up straight.A sudden premonition, a sudden guess, flashed through her mind.But Dermot doesn't believe in speculation. "After you were engaged to Toby Lawes," he went on, "Sir Morris asked you about Atwood once, implicitly, but babbled and vaguely, and looked at you strangely. , didn't say anything else? Right. Now that you were married to Atwood, do you know him, even now? Do you know him at all: his previous experience, background, What else?"

Eva moistened her lips: "Nothing! It's so weird, I only asked him these questions that night—the night when the murder happened." Dermot turned his gaze to Janice, and she also opened her mouth, with a look of surprise on her face, as if she had just understood a little bit. "You told me, girl, that your father has a very bad memory of faces. But every once in a while something reminds him so powerfully, and he remembers seeing someone somewhere before. Yes Ah, he's seen lots and lots of faces, naturally, during his prison work. It's impossible to know when he remembered seeing Atwood somewhere before. What he did remember was,' Atwood', a model prisoner, escaped while serving a five-year sentence at Wandsworth Prison for bigamy."

"Bigamy?" Eva called. But she didn't argue.She imagined seeing Ned coming across the grass in the twilight, so clear as to see him in person, and seeing him grinning. "A Patrick Herbert Mahon guy," Dermot continued, "is very attractive to women. Wandering around the European continent, far away from England. Doing business, making some money here and there, and borrowing money..." Dermot restrained himself. "Anyway, you can see where these things come from. "Atwood divorced you. Actually, I can't say that: legally, you were never married. And his name, by the way, is not Atwood. Someday, you must see him After the alleged divorce, Atwood went to America. He said he was going to take you back, and he meant it. But, meanwhile, you got engaged to Toby Lawes.

"Sir Morris is very satisfied. In fact, he's extremely happy. He's not going to let anything, not want anything, to stand in the way of this marriage. I know Janice and Mr. Phillips will understand me, I mean . . . " There was a silence. "Yes," muttered Uncle Ben, pipe dangling from his mouth.He added emotionally: "I've always been on Eva's side." Janice looks at Eva. "I'm not being fair to you," she said suddenly, "because I didn't know Toby was such a selfish and disgusting person. Yes, I said so: even if he was my own brother! But as far as you know , I never really thought..."

"Even," Dermot smiled, "didn't you think so when you suggested she might have been in prison?" Janice stuck her tongue out at him. "But you gave us a clue," continued Dermot, "mainly, you gave us the full story of a man named Finistere, or McConklin. Watch out for what happened! History repeats itself Yes. It's not your fault if it doesn't work out. Well, I think everyone in this place knows that Ned Atwood is back at La Bondelette and staying at the Dongyong Hotel." "Sir Morris went out for a walk in the afternoon. Where did he go? To the back of the Dongyong Hotel. So, who was in that bar, as we know? Ned Atwood, who was boasting loudly that he would His wife took it back, regardless of what he told everyone.

"You, Janice, even suggested that Atwood might have met your father and spoke to him. It did happen. Your father said, 'Sir, can you come out and have a word with me? ?' Atwood didn't know what was going on. But he went. We can imagine his anger and displeasure as he listened to the old man tell his story. "They were walking in the zoo. Sir Morris was shaking so badly that he said exactly the same thing to Finistere. Do you remember?" Janice nodded. "I give you twenty-four hours to escape," Ganice quoted, "after twenty-four hours, whether you have escaped or not, a full description of your new identity will be sent to Scotland Yard, including the Where you live, your new name, everything about you."

Dermot leaned back again in the wicker chair, leaning forward. "It's a sudden change. Atwood can't get his wife back now, as he firmly believes. He can't live his life at ease anymore. No way, he's going back to prison. If you can Picture him wandering aimlessly through the zoo, passing cage after cage, and you can imagine what's going on in his head. All of a sudden, he's going to be taken back to prison for damned justice. Unless... "He didn't know Sir Maurice Lawes very well, but he knew the habits of the family at Happy House very well. Remember, he had lived there for a few years. "He himself observed that Sir Morris had a habit of sitting up late in his study by himself after the rest of the family had rested. He had looked into the study across the street many times, as Eva had once done. He knew the layout of the study, where the curtains were not drawn when the weather was warm. He knew where Sir Morris sat, where the door was, and where the mantelpiece hung. Most advantageously, he had an Eva's house The key to the front door. Remember? This key also opens the front door of Villa Happiness." Benjamin Phillips mused, scratching his forehead with the butt of his pipe. "I said. The evidence can point to both sides at the same time, can't it?" "Indeed. It does point to two aspects." Dermot hesitated, "None of you will be happy to hear this part. Do you really want to hear it?" "Go on!" cried Eva. "If he does, he will immediately and permanently silence Sir Morris. Atwood knows full well that Sir Morris will not speak of this matter to anyone until he is 'out of town' and if it can be avoided A public scandal would be fine. But, even then, he must have an impeccable alibi to excuse himself in case of a mistake. He walked the garden, and his intelligence and conceit calculated in ten minutes The plan to make an alibi. You'll see what the plan is in a moment. "He knew everyone's habits. He hung out on Angel Road when you all came back from the theater. Eva went back to her villa and the rest of you to your own homes. He waited patiently for you all to rest All the lights were out, except the one in the study, and the curtains were not drawn. He didn't care about the curtains drawn. That was part of his plan." Even though Janice's lips were pale, she couldn't help asking a question: "Is he not afraid of being seen by someone in a house across the street?" "Which house across the street?" Dermot asked. "I—I see," said Eva, "my curtains are always drawn. And the villas on either side of the street are empty at a time like this." "Yes," said Dermot, "that's what Glenn told me. Let's go back to the clever Mr. Atwood. He's ready for action. He unlocked the front door of Sir Morris's house with the key... " "when?" "About twenty minutes to one." Dermot's cigarette was burnt to a yellowish butt.He threw the cigarette butt to the ground and stepped on it with his heel. "I suppose he had a weapon with him to use, something likewise silent, in case there wasn't a poker in the mantelpiece. But he needn't worry about that, the poker was there There. From what he said later to Eva, we know that he realized that Sir Maurice's ears were bad. He opened the door, grabbed the poker, and approached the victim from behind. The old man sat there, Concentrating on his new treasure, he wrote these words in large cursive letters on the sticky note in front of him: 'Snuff bottle, pocket watch style.' "The killer raised his arm and swung it down. Once the attack started, he went berserk." Eva knew Ned Atwood, and she saw the attack in her imagination. "One of the blows, perhaps unintentional, but more likely intentional, shattered a valuable-looking bric-a-brac. Atwood must have wondered what he had shattered. It lay before his eyes Yes, it is the big characters of 'snuff bottle', the first few words are undoubtedly eye-catching to him, the words are written on a sticky note, stained with blood, but the handwriting is clear, which left a deep impression on him , we'll understand later. Now for the most important part!" Dermot turned to Eva: "What kind of coat was Atwood wearing that night?" "A . . . a dark, hairy coat. I don't know what that stuff is called." "Yes," said Dermot, "that's it. When he smashed the snuffbox, a small splinter splashed out and got into his clothes. He didn't notice. Later, in that bedroom episode, When he put his arms around you, the fragment ended up on your lace pajamas quite by chance. "You didn't even notice. In fact, you'd be happy to swear the piece wasn't there at all, and really think someone must have planted it on you. But the truth is much simpler. But that's it, that's all." He said Look at Janice and Uncle Ben, "I hope this ominous shard of onyx doesn't seem so mysterious now?" "But I've got to think ahead. What I'm telling you is the way we reconstructed the case, not the way it came to me in the first place. When Glenn first told me about it, the killer Looks like it must be one of the Rouses, it's not just a possibility. You can't hate that because you thought so too. "At first, I was a little puzzled about Eva's situation, and I briefly told Glenn the afternoon before in the Happy Villa. And until late at night, she was eating egg rolls in the Red Papa restaurant while telling me When the whole thing went through, I woke up from the chaos and a thought gradually took shape, and realized that we were all thinking in the wrong direction. You understand now." Eva shuddered: "Yes. I can't understand it any more." "For the sake of everyone present, let's reconstruct what happened. Atwood came to your house at a quarter to one and opened the door for himself with the precious key..." "He's blind-eyed, actually," cried Eva, "and I thought he was drunk. Also, he's nervous and almost crying. I've never seen Ned like that before. It freaks me out." Worse than any binge he's ever had. But he's not drunk." "Yes," said Dermot, "he just killed a man. Killing a man like that is a little too much, even for a man as pompous as Ned Atwood. He left happiness After the villa, slipped quietly to Casino Boulevard, wandered there for a minute or two, then returned to the villa across the way, as if he had walked this street for the first time. At this moment, he was ready to make his dissatisfaction. Proved it." "But never mind that. Just look at the evidence we've got. He popped up in front of you. He started talking about the Louths, and about the old man sitting across the street. Finally, when you got very nervous, he pulled Open the curtains and look out. You turn off the light. Good! Repeat to me, verbatim, what you two said next." Eva closed her eyes. "I said: 'Maurice Lawes isn't asleep? Is he?' "Ned said: 'Yes. He's still up. But he's not paying attention here at all. He's got a magnifying glass, and he's looking at what looks like a snuffbox. Wait!' "I said: 'What's wrong?' "Ned said: 'Someone is with him; but I can't see who.' "I said, 'Toby, maybe. Ned Atwood, can you come back through the window?'" Eva took a deep breath, the memory of that quiet night in the hot and dark bedroom was so clear that it couldn't be more clear.She opened her eyes. "That's all," she added. "But yourself," demanded Dermot, "did you ever look out of the window?" "No." "No, but you took him at his word." Dermot turned to the others. "It's astonishing, weird as a punch in the face, that's what Atwood claims he saw. If he If he did see anything, he could only see an object as small as a pocket watch from fifty feet away. However, he said it without hesitation, and called it a "snuffbox-like object." Something'. In fact, the clever gentleman slipped. He couldn't have known it was a snuff-box. He couldn't have known, couldn't, unless there was a very unfortunate explanation for why he did. "But watch what he does next!" "He immediately began trying to convince Eva that she had looked out the window with him, and that she had seen Sir Morris alive and well, with a magnifying glass in his hand, surrounded by an ominous shadow. "He does it by insinuation. He keeps repeating it as if you have a record of the evidence in front of you and you can see it. The line is: 'Do you remember what we saw?' This woman is very easy Take cues, as a psychologist once told her, and as I have noticed myself. The strings in her head are loose and anything can get in. Next, once the impression is formed, when The curtains of the window were drawn aside, and Sir Maurice's dead body lay before her. "It was at this point that I woke up. "The whole purpose of the plot was to convince her that she saw what she did not see: namely, that Sir Morris was alive when Atwood was with her. "Atwood was the murderer. That was his plan. It worked, except for one thing. He did convince her. She was pretty sure she saw Sir Maurice in his study, alive, just like she Saw it the same way many nights, same pose. That's what she told Glenn the first time Glenn interrogated her in front of me. If this snuffbox was an ordinary snuffbox, it would look the same Like a snuffbox, and the very clever Mr Atwood will get away with it." Dermot was deep in thought, his elbows on the arms of his chair, his chin resting on his fists. "Dr. Kinross," said Ganice softly, "is quite clever." "Clever? Of course he is! The fellow obviously knows a lot about criminal history. He brought up Sir William Luthor's case so quickly that anyone would have suspected..." "No, I mean you see through the trick." Dermot smiled.At the best of times he wasn't too proud, and there was a mocking, bitter edge to his laugh. "This? Anyone can see it. A certain type of woman seems to be born to be--the victim of a villain." "Now you can understand all the intricacies of the case that have baffled us. Toby Lawes, wearing brown gloves, fell into this trap. Surprised and delighted, if his behavior was correct as Eva described it to me. It was another realistic finishing touch to his safety. "You see now what the end of his plot is? He never intended to be publicly involved in it, if he could avoid it. He must avoid it. Outwardly, he has nothing to do with Sir Maurice. Less is better. But, in case of a miss, his alibi is also ready: dragging out a reluctant woman at any time, he is confident that he has completely convinced her, and because this proof is discredited, it is all the more credible up. "Of course, that's why he later said he was 'hit by a car' when he collapsed in the restaurant. He didn't even intend to mention it unless he had to. And it never occurred to him for a moment that he would be seriously injured. So powerful. "But it messed up all his plans. First, he was accidentally pushed somersault, which left him with a concussion. Second, the vengeful Yvette stepped in and performed a prank. Naturally. Well, Atwood never intended for any suspicion to be pointed at Eva, it was the last thing he wanted to happen, and it would have been horrifying to know what was going on when he was lying unconscious with a concussion. " "So," Interrupted Ganice, "was it really Yvette who shut the door and locked Eva out?" "Oh, yes. We can only guess about Yvette. She was a Normandy-born peasant who refused to say anything, and Vaudour tried his best to wring a word out of her. It seemed, it seemed. She didn't know about the murder when she locked Eva out. She knew Atwood was there. She was trying to create a scandal so your hypocritical brother might turn down the marriage. "But I must say again, Yvette was a peasant in Normandy. When she discovered to her surprise that Eva Nair was a suspect in a murder, she did not hesitate or save face, but threw herself into it with great enthusiasm. Go to the accusation, push it as hard as you can. Even better, it would end the marriage. Right or wrong, she was all about helping her sister Prue marry Toby. "It was a mess, and then, the night I went to the Harp Road, found two necklaces, and heard Eva's full account that revealed who the killer was. Once you get the hang of it, it's not hard to look back It is not difficult to match with other evidence. "The question is: What was Atwood's motive for murder? The answer is clear, and Sir Morris's wife and daughter describe Morris' work in prison, reinforced by the little story about Finistere. I can confirm my Speculation? Easy! Had Atwood been wanted by the police, or even committed a crime under another name, the fingerprints would have been in the Scotland Yard archives." Uncle Ben whistled. "Oh, ah!" he muttered, sitting up straighter. "Got it! Are you flying to London for...?" "We can't make progress until I figure it out. When I visited him in Atwood's room at the hotel, I took his pulse and pressed his finger to the back of my silver pocket watch, taking it invisibly. Got his prints. A pocket watch would seem appropriate. God knows, I had no trouble finding the exact same prints in the archives. Meanwhile..." "Plans have been disrupted again," Eva added.She laughed unconsciously. "They arrested you, yes," Dermot said.His face darkened. "But I don't see how, even then, there's anything fun about it." He turned to the others: "She got so tired of telling me the whole story that her inner thought, the subconscious mind that we've all made fun of so many times, spoke the truth that she didn't realize it herself. She actually Never looked out of the window with Atwood, never saw Sir Morris alive, which is easy to deduce from what she said. She never saw the snuff bottle. It was Atwood who brought those The words were delivered to her mouth. "I couldn't manipulate her memory, or try to give hints to the contrary. She said exactly what I wanted. It showed Atwood guilty, in black and white, in plain sight. I told her to tell me exactly what happened. Glenn listen, like she told me. Once it's on the record, I'll be able to back it up with my evidence of Atwood's motives and things will move and my inferences will be explained . "But I didn't take into account the strength of Atwood's insinuation in her mind, or the energy of Glenn and the examining magistrate. In speaking to them, she said about Atwood, but not literally. Difference……" Eva argued: "I can't help it! They...they kept shining a light on me, dangling like a doll on string. And you're not there to give me moral support..." Janice looked first at Eva, then at Dermot, a look of curiosity flitted across her face.Both of them showed confused expressions for a moment, sharp and even angry. "Finally," continued Dermot hastily, "they came to their senses. But they just caught Atwood's slip of the tongue and turned it on her. Huh? No one ever told her Sir Morris's new baby was How is it, huh? She hasn't heard someone else describe it, has she? No, of course not. Then, how did she know that the pocket watch was actually a snuff bottle? Afterwards, every explanation she made sounded like she was guilty. The gates of the prison were open to her, and I happened to come back at this time and appeared as a villain." "I see," said Uncle Ben, "everything goes its way. It's like a nasty pendulum. Because Atwood's come to his senses." "Yes," Dermot said with a wry smile, "Atwood is awake." He recalled the unpleasant past, his eyebrows frowned, and a vertical line formed between his eyebrows: "He desperately wanted to testify that Toby was the man with the brown gloves, and then help us close the case. Very urgent! Yes Said, wanted to kill two birds with one stone, get his wife back as planned, and put his rival in jail. You can't imagine, can't you, that a man who is wounded like that can get out of bed, dress himself, and go across town See Wardur? But he did. He insisted on doing it." "You didn't stop him?" "No," said Dermot, "I didn't stop him." After a pause, Dermot went on: "He died in the doorway of Vodour's office. He collapsed, fell in the hallway, and before the searchlights left him, he died. He died of a crime exposed." The afternoon passed and the sun went down.It was getting cooler in the garden, and a few birds were chirping there. "Then our noble Toby..." began Janice.Dermot laughed, and she stopped, flushing with anger. "I don't think you know your brother well." "I've never heard of so many dirty tricks in my life—!" "He's not a villain by any means. He's just an average case of stunted development (forgive me for saying this)." "What's the meaning?" "Mentally and emotionally, he's stuck at fifteen. That's what it means. He doesn't know that stealing from his own father is a crime, to be honest. His ideas about sexual morality probably come straight out of being a fourth grader at an old school. When I was in grade." "There are a lot of people like Toby in the world. Usually things go well for them, and they seem rock solid, unwavering, until the real crisis strikes: these unimaginative, gutless, big boys who never grow up break down Yes. Golfing and drinking with him would be nice. But I suspect he might make a good husband. . . never mind that." "I wonder—" began Uncle Ben, and stopped again. "what?" "I was worried. When Morris came back from his walk, he was very disturbed and shaking, and that's what he was talking to Toby. He didn't say anything about Atwood, did he?" "He didn't," replied Janice, "and I thought about that too. That's why I thought he might have found out something about Toby, you understand? I asked Toby .All Dad said was: 'Son, I met a guy today,' apparently Atwood said, 'I'll talk to you about this in a minute.' Toby was scared to death. He thought Prue La Doerr was really starting to get in trouble. So he took the plunge and decided to go get the necklace that night." Janice turned her head uneasily."Mum's there now," she added suddenly, nodding in the direction of the house across the street, "and she's comforting Toby. Toby's been treated really badly these days, but I hope all moms are like that." Such." "Ah!" Uncle Ben let out a deep breath. Janice stood up from her chair. "Eva," she said aloud with astonishing enthusiasm, "I used to be almost as bad as Toby, but I'm sad now. Believe me! I'm sorry about all this!" She didn't bother to say anything else, but just ran across the garden, onto a path beside the villa, and disappeared.Uncle Ben stood up slowly. "Don't go!" said Eva, "don't—" Uncle Ben ignored this.He was lost in thought. "I don't," he murmured, "I'm sorry, I mean. It's good for you, if you know what I mean. You and Toby. No..." He turned away in embarrassment, but very Turn around quickly. "I made you a model boat this week," he added. "I think you'll like it. I'll send it over when it's painted. Good-bye." He staggers away. After he had gone, Eva Nair and Dr. Dermot Kinloss sat for a long time in silence.Neither of them looked at each other.It was Eva who said it first. "Is what you said yesterday true?" "what?" "You have to go back to London tomorrow?" "Yes. I'm going back sooner or later. The point is, what are you going to do?" "I don't know, Dermot: I thought—" He interrupted her: "Now, listen. If there's any thank you..." "Okay, you don't need to be so angry!" "I'm not angry. I just don't want you to be thankful." "Why? Why are you doing this for me?" Dermot picked up the pack of Marylands and handed it to her, but she shook her head.He lit one himself. "That trick was childish," he said, "and you know it quite well. We can talk about it someday when you've recovered from this tense situation. In the meantime, I'd like to ask, what are you going to do about it?" ?” Eva shrugged: "I don't know. I thought about packing up and traveling, going to Nice or Cannes for a while..." "You can't do that." "Why not?" "Because it's impossible. Our friend Glenn is quite right about your conclusions." "Oh? What did he say about me?" "He said you were a public threat, and no one knew what was going to happen to you. If you went to the Riviera, some male with a ulterior motive would run into you, either this or that, and make you feel like You fell in love with him, and then...well, it all happened again. No, you'd better go back to England. You might not be out of danger there, God knows, but at least one pair of eyes would be watching you." Eva thought about it. "Actually, I want to go to England," she looked up. "Tell me, do you think Ned Atwood broke my heart?" Dermot took the cigarette from his mouth.He squinted at her for a long moment before punching the arm of the chair. "This is practical psychology," he said, "and I'm sure you can do it with verbiage if you want." "Do you believe?" "I didn't murder the guy, exactly. I just encouraged him to die. If I didn't, he'd be nursed back to health, and the guillotine would have easily killed him, but I wasn't going to. Do." Dermot's face fell. "Toby Lawes," he went on, "was never for you. You're lonely and want someone to depend on. You can't make that mistake again, and I'll make sure you don't. Even if it's not like murder Little things like that interrupt you, and other things can happen. But Atwood—maybe! Different." "yes?" "That guy really loves you, in his own way. I don't think he's acting when he says what he thinks. That doesn't stop him from using you as his alibi..." "Yes. I noticed." "But it didn't change his feelings. What I want to know is if it changes yours. The Atwoods in this world are, by all accounts, a little too dangerous." Eva sat perfectly still.It was getting dark in the garden, and her eyes were full of tears. "I don't care what you think of the two of us," she said to him. "I like it, actually. But if there's one thing I don't want you to think about, it's what the Rouses think. Would you please?" Come here for a while?"
Monsieur Aristide Glenn, Prefect of La Bondelet, was strutting along the Rue des Angels, with a clumsy and stately gait, reminiscent of the great Prince Louis.He held his head high and waved his Malacca cane, contentedly. He was told that the learned Dr. Kinross was having tea with Ms. Neir in her back garden. He, Aristide Glenn, was on his way to inform them both that Routh's case was now satisfactorily closed. Mr. Glenn walked on the Angel Road with a beaming face.Rouse's case has enhanced the reputation of the La Bondelet police department.Journalists, especially photojournalists, traveled all the way from Paris to follow the story.He couldn't understand that Dr. Kinross refused to have his name associated with the case, and refused to be photographed.But if someone has to accept the honor... well, let's not disappoint the public. In fact, Mr. Glenn had to change his previous view of Dr. Kinross.This man is a thinking machine.Amazing.He lived to solve those little mysteries, and nothing else, as he told the chief of police.He dissects the mind like a clock, and he himself is a clock. 格伦先生打开米拉马别墅墙外的大门。他在左首看到一条绕着房子的小径，便走了过去。 看到还有英国人并不像劳斯先生那样是个伪君子，也同样叫人欣慰。格伦先生如今更了解英国人了。实际上…… 格伦先生挥舞着手杖，拨开草丛，洋洋得意地出现在后花园。傍晚的光线渐渐暗去，栗树上小鸟的鸣叫也停止了。他正预习着将要发表的言论，却突然在前面看见两个人。 格伦先生猛地停了下来，眼珠都快要蹦出来了。有那么一会儿，他瞪着眼睛站着。他是个谨小慎微、彬彬有礼的人，也是乐意看到别人快活的人。因此他转过身，退了出去。但他同样是个讲求公正的人，喜欢公平处事。当他再度出现在天使路上时，沮丧地摇了摇头。他脚步咚咚地顺着大街往回走，比来时更快了。他低声跟自己嘀咕着，声音太轻了，旁人听不到他在说什么，除了“水性杨花”这个词，在傍晚的空气中飘荡，渐渐消逝。 end of text

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Notes: