沉默的证人08

Eight,INTERIOR OF LITTLEGREEN HOUSE,On leaving the churchyard, Poirot led the way briskly in the direction of Littlegreen House. Igathered that his role was still that of the prospective ¹ purchaser. Carefully holding the variousorders to view in his hand, with the Littlegreen House one uppermost, he pushed open the gate andwalked up the path to the front door.,On this occasion our friend the terrier was not to be seen, but the sound of barking could beheard inside the house, though at some distance—I guessed in the kitchen quarters.,Presently we heard footsteps crossing the hall and the door was opened by a pleasant-facedwoman of between fifty and sixty, clearly the old- fashioned type of servant seldom seennowadays.,Poirot presented his credentials ².,The shutters ³ which I had noticed were closed on our first visit to spy out the land, were now allthrown open in preparation for our visit. Everything, I observed, was spotlessly clean and wellkept. Clearly our guide was a thoroughly ⁴ conscientious ⁵ woman.,“This is the morning room, sir. ”,I glanced round approvingly. A pleasant room with its long windows giving on the street. It wasfurnished with good, solid, old-fashioned furniture, mostly Victorian, but there was a Chippendalebookcase and a set of attractive Hepplewhite chairs.,Poirot and I behaved in the customary fashion of people being shown over houses. We stoodstock-still, looking a little ill at ease, murmuring remarks such as “very nice.
” “A very pleasantroom.” “The morning room, you say? ”,The maid conducted us across the hall and into the corresponding room on the other side. Thiswas much larger.,They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人 。,He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深
。