首相绑架案 11

Eleven,THE CASE OF THE MISSING WILL,The problem presented to us by Miss?Violet Marsh ¹ made rather a pleasant change from our usualroutine work. Poirot had received a brisk and businesslike note from the lady asking for anappointment, and had replied asking her to call upon him at eleven o’clock the following day.,She arrived punctually—a tall, handsome young woman, plainly but neatly ² dressed, with anassured and businesslike manner. Clearly a young woman who meant to get on in the world. I amnot a great admirer of the so-called New Woman myself, and, in spite of her good looks, I was notparticularly prepossessed in her favour.,“My business is of a somewhat unusual nature, Monsieur Poirot, ” she began, after she hadaccepted a chair. “I had better begin at the beginning and tell you the whole story.”,“If you please, mademoiselle.
”,“Crabtree Manor, in spite of its name, is really only an old farmhouse ⁸. Farming was in myuncle’s blood, and he was intensely interested in various modern farming experiments. Althoughkindness itself to me, he had certain peculiar ⁹ and deeply-rooted ideas as to the upbringing ofwomen. Himself a man of little or no education, though possessing remarkable ¹⁰ shrewdness, heplaced little value on what he called ‘book knowledge.’ He was especially opposed to theeducation of women. In his opinion, girls should learn practical housework and dairy work, beuseful about the home, and have as little to do with book learning as possible. He proposed tobring me up on these lines, to my bitter disappointment and annoyance ¹¹. I rebelled frankly ¹². I knewthat I possessed ³ a good brain, and had absolutely no talent for domestic duties. My uncle and I hadmany bitter arguments on the subject, for, though much attached to each other, we were both self-willed. I was lucky enough to win a scholarship, and up to a certain point was successful in gettingmy own way. The crisis arose when I resolved to go to Girton. I had a little money of my own, leftme by my mother, and I was quite determined ¹³ to make the best use of the gifts God had given me.,I had one long, final argument with my uncle. He put the facts plainly before me. He had no otherrelations, and he had intended me to be his sole heiress. As I have told you, he was a very richman. If I persisted in these ‘newfangled notions’ of mine, however, I need look for nothing fromhim. I remained polite, but firm. I should always be deeply attached to him, I told him, but I mustlead my own life. We parted on that note. ‘You fancy your brains, my girl,’ were his last words.,‘I’ve no book learning, but, for all that, I’ll pit mine against yours any day. We’ll see what weshall see.’ ”,“That was nine years ago. I have stayed with him for a weekend occasionally, and ourrelations were perfectly ¹⁴ amicable ¹⁵, though his views remained unaltered. He never referred to myhaving matriculated, nor to my BSc. For the last three years his health had been failing, and amonth ago he died.,“I am now coming to the point of my visit. My uncle left a most extraordinary will. By itsterms, Crabtree Manor and its contents are to be at my disposal for a year from his death—‘duringwhich time my clever niece may prove her wits,’ the actual words run. At the end of that period,‘my wits having been proved better than hers,’ the house and all my uncle’s large fortune pass tovarious charitable institutions. ”,I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地 。,Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。