尼罗河的惨案34

Twenty-One,If Miss Bowers ¹ had been the kind of woman who enjoyed creating a sensation, she would havebeen richly repaid by the result of her action.,A look of utter astonishment ² passed over Colonel Race’s face as he picked up the pearls fromthe table.,“This is most extraordinary,” he said. “Will you kindly ³ explain, Miss Bowers? ”,“Of course. That’s what I’ve come to do.
” Miss Bowers settled herself comfortably in a chair.,“Naturally it was a little difficult for me to decide what it was best for me to do. The family wouldnaturally be averse ⁴ to scandal of any kind, and they trusted my discretion ⁵, but the circumstancesare so very unusual that it really leaves me no choice. Of course, when you didn’t find anything inthe cabins, your next move would be a search of the passengers, and, if the pearls were then foundin my possession, it would be rather an awkward situation and the truth would come out just thesame.”,“Oh, no, Colonel Race, of course not. Miss Van Schuyler did. ”,“Miss Van Schuyler?
”,“Yes. She can’t help it, you know, but she does—er—take things. Especially jewellery. That’sreally why I’m always with her. It’s not her health at all; it’s this little idiosyncrasy. I keep on thealert, and fortunately there’s never been any trouble since I’ve been with her. It just means beingwatchful, you know. And she always hides the things she takes in the same place—rolled up in apair of stockings—so that it makes it very simple. I look each morning. Of course I’m a lightsleeper, and I always sleep next door to her, and with the communicating door open if it’s in ahotel, so that I usually hear. Then I go after her and persuade her to go back to bed. Of course it’sbeen rather more difficult on a boat. But she doesn’t usually do it at night. It’s more just picking upthings that she sees left about. Of course, pearls have a great attraction for her always.”,Miss Bowers ceased speaking.,Race asked: “How did you discover they had been taken? ”,They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声 。