首相绑架案 14

Fourteen,THE CHOCOLATE BOX,It was a wild night. Outside, the wind howled malevolently ¹, and the rain beat against the windowsin great gusts ².,Poirot and I sat facing the hearth ³, our legs stretched out to the cheerful blaze. Between us wasa small table. On my side of it stood some carefully brewed ⁴ hot toddy; on Poirot’s was a cup ofthick, rich chocolate which I would not have drunk for a hundred pounds! Poirot sipped ⁵ the thickbrown mess in the pink china cup, and sighed with contentment.,“Quelle belle ⁶ vie!” he murmured.,“Yes, it’s a good old world, ” I agreed. “Here am I with a job, and a good job too! And hereare you, famous—
”,“But you are. And rightly so! When I think back on your long line of successes, I ampositively amazed. I don’t believe you know what failure is!”,“He would be a droll ⁷ kind of original who could say that! ”,“No, but seriously, have you ever failed?
”,“Innumerable times, my friend. What would you? La bonne chance, it cannot always be onyour side. I have been called in too late. Very often another, working towards the same goal, hasarrived there first. Twice have I been stricken down with illness just as I was on the point ofsuccess. One must take the downs with the ups, my friend.”,“I didn’t quite mean that, ” I said. “I meant, had you ever been completely down and out overa case through your own,The little woman advanced slowly with her eyes fixed malevolently on the pink paper. 那小妇人慢慢前进
，眼睛恶意地盯在那张粉红钯的纸上
。 来自互联网,Her profuse skirt bosomed out with the gusts. 她的宽大的裙子被风吹得鼓鼓的。