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Файл:Mystery Greats (original mystery and crime stories). Учебное пособие
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101
I recounted to her the events of the morning. She listened attentively.
'It all fits in. My letters are the duplicates of hers. It is true that they came by
post, but there is a curious perfume impregnating them – something in the nature of
joss-stick11 – that at once suggested the East to me. What does it all mean?'
I shook my head.
'That is what we must find out. You have the letters with you? We might learn
something from the postmarks.'
'Unfortunately I destroyed them. You understand, at the time I regarded it as
some foolish joke. Can it be true that some Chinese gang are really trying to recover
the diamonds? It seems too incredible.'
We went over the facts again and again, but could get no further towards the elucidation of the mystery. At last Lady Yardly rose.
'I really don't think I need wait for Monsieur Poirot. You can tell him all this,
can't you? Thank you so much, Mr - '
She hesitated, her hand outstretched.
'Captain Hastings.'
'Of course! How stupid of me. You're a friend of the Cavendishes, aren't you? It
was Mary Cavendish who sent me to Monsieur Poirot.'
When my friend returned, I enjoyed telling him the tale of what had occurred
11
during his absence. He cross-questioned me rather sharply over the details of our
conversation and I could read between the lines that he was not best pleased to have
been absent. I also fancied that the dear old fellow was just the least inclined to be
jealous. It had become rather a pose with him to consistently belittle my abilities,
and I think he was chagrined12 at finding no loophole13 for criticism. I was secretly
rather pleased with myself, though I tried to conceal the fact for fear of irritating
him. In spite of his idiosyncrasies, I was deeply attached to my quaint little friend.
'Bien!' he said at length, with a curious look on his face. 'The plot develops. Pass
me, I pray you, that Peerage on the top shelf there.' He turned the leaves. 'Ah, here
we are! "Yardly ... 10th viscount, served South African War" ... tout ça n'a pas
d’importance ... "mar. 1907 Hon. Maude Stopperton, fourth daughter of 3rd Baron
Cotteril" ... um, um, um . . ."has iss. two daughters, born 1908, 1910 ... Clubs ...
residences." ... Violà, that does not tell us much. But tomorrow morning we see this
milord!'
'What?'
'Yes. I telegraphed to him.'
'I thought you had washed your hands of the case?'
'I am not acting for Miss Marvell since she refuses to be guided by my advice.
What I do now is for my own satisfaction – the satisfaction of Hercule Poirot! Decidedly, I must have a finger in this pie.'
'And you calmly wire Lord Yardly to dash up to town just to suit your convenience. He won't be pleased.'
102
'Au contraire, if I preserve for him his family diamond, he ought to be very
grateful.'
'Then you really think there is a chance of it being stolen?' I asked eagerly.
'Almost a certainty,' replied Poirot placidly. 'Everything points that way.'
'But how – '
Poirot stopped my eager questions with an airy gesture of the hand.
'Not now, I pray you. Let us not confuse the mind. And observe that Peerage –
how you have replaced him! See you not that the tallest books go in the top shelf,
the next tallest in the row beneath, and so on. Thus we have order, method, which, as
I have often told you, Hastings – '
'Exactly,' I said hastily, and put the offending volume in its proper place.
Lord Yardly turned out to be a cheery, loud-voiced sportsman with a rather red
12
face, but with a good-humoured bonhomie about him that was distinctly attractive
and made up for any lack of mentality.
'Extraordinary business this, Monsieur Poirot. Can't make head or tail of it.
Seems my wife's been getting odd kind of letters, and that this Miss Marvell's had
'em too. What does it all mean?'
Poirot handed him the copy of Society Gossip.
'First, milord, I would ask you if these facts are substantially correct?'
The peer took it. His face darkened with anger as he read.
'Damned nonsense!' he spluttered13. 'There's never been any romantic story attaching to the diamond. It came from India originally, I believe. I never heard of all
this Chinese god stuff.'
'Still, the stone is known as "The Star of the East."'
'Well, what if it is?' he demanded wrathfully.
Poirot smiled a little, but made no direct reply.
'What I would ask you to do, milord, is to place yourself in my hands. If you do
so unreservedly, I have great hopes of averting the catastrophe.'
'Then you think there's actually something in these wild-cat tales?'
'Will you do as I ask you?'
'Of course I will, but – '
'Bien! Then permit that I ask you a few questions. This affair of Yardly Chase, is
it, as you say, all fixed up between you and Mr Rolf?'
'Oh, he told you about it, did he? No, there's nothing settled.' He hesitated, the
brick-red colour of his face deepening. 'Might as well get the thing straight. I've
made rather an ass of myself in many ways. Monsieur Poirot – and I'm head over
ears in debt – but I want to pull up. I'm fond of the kids, and I want to straighten
things up, and be able to live on at the old place. Gregory Rolf is offering me big
money – enough to set me on my feet again. I don't want to do it – I hate the thought
of all that crowd play-acting round the Chase – but I may have to, unless – ' He
broke off.
103
Poirot eyed him keenly. 'You have, then, another string to your bow? Permit
13
that I make a guess? It is to sell The Star of the East?'
Lord Yardly nodded. 'That's it. It's been in the family for some generations, but
it's not entailed. Still, it's not the easiest thing in the world to find a purchaser. Hoffberg, the Hatton Garden man, is on the look-out for a likely customer, but he'll have
to find one soon, or it's a washout.'
'One more question, permettez - Lady Yardly, which plan does she approve?'
'Oh, she's bitterly opposed to my selling the jewel. You know what women are.
She's all for this film stunt15.'
'I comprehend,' said Poirot. He remained a moment or so in thought, then rose
briskly to his feet. 'You return to Yardly Chase at once? Bien! Say no word to anyone – to anyone, mind – but expect us there this evening. We will arrive shortly after
five.'
'All right, but I don't see – '
'Ça n'a pas d'importance,' said Poirot kindly. 'You will that I preserve for you
your diamond, n'est-ce pas?'
'Yes, but – '
'Then do as I say.'
A sadly bewildered nobleman left the room.
104
Vocabulary
1.
placid adjective
placidity noun [uncount]; placidly adverb
1 rarely showing or experiencing excitement or anger:
a placid baby/horse/child
a placid expression/face
2 peaceful and without a lot of action or movement: the placid waters of
the lake
2.
scoundrel noun [ count]
a man who behaves in an unfair or dishonest way
3.
bevy noun [count] OFTEN HUMOROUS
a group of people or things of the same kind: bevy of: a bevy of young
women
4.
usher verb [transitive]
to lead someone politely somewhere, for example into a room or towards
a seat:
Inspector Malley ushered us into his office
5.
whence adverb, conjunction
an old or literary word meaning 'from where':
He arrived at Paddington Station, whence he walked to the Cumberland
Hotel.
from whence: They have returned to the place from whence they came.
6.
Chink noun [count] OFFENSIVE
an offensive word for a Chinese person
7.
hoax noun [count]
a trick in which someone deliberately tells people that something bad is
going to happen or that something is true when it is not
8.
ancestor noun [count]
ancestral adjective: their ancestral home
1 someone who is related to you who lived a long time ago:
Her ancestors went to America with the Pilgrims.
2 an earlier form from which something modern has developed:
a game that many see as the ancestor of basketball
9.
uncanny adjective
strange and mysterious: He predicted the winners of each race with un-
canny accuracy
10.
plead verb [intransitive or transitive]
LEGAL to say in a court of law whether you are guilty of a crime or not:
plead guilty/not guilty: Both defendants pleaded not guilty on all counts.
11.
joss stick noun [count]
a thin stick of INCENSE
105
12.
chagrin noun [uncount] FORMAL
chagrined adjective
a feeling of being very annoyed, disappointed, or embarrassed:
to someone's chagrin: The report finds (much to the chagrin of male driv-
ers) that women are generally safer behind the wheel than men.
13.
loophole noun [count]
something that has been left out of a law or legal document that people
can use to avoid obeying it: He exploited a legal loophole in order to
avoid paying child support.
14.
splutter verb INFORMAL[intransitive]
– to make noises with your mouth because you suddenly cannot breathe
or swallow normally
– to say something while you are spluttering
15.
stunt noun [count]
something dangerous, for example jumping from a building, that is done
to entertain people, often as part of a film: a stunt plane
a. something dangerous or stupid that you do, often to impress someone:
pull a stunt: Don't ever pull that stunt again!
b. something silly or unusual that is done to get public attention: a publicity stunt
Phrasal verbs, collocations, idioms and word combinations
1.
point v
point to [transitive]
to show the truth or importance of something: The evidence clearly
points to her guilt.
point up [transitive] FORMAL to emphasize something:
Her research points up the difficulty of finding a solution.
2.
vent n
give vent to
to express very strong anger or sadness: The meetings allow people to
give vent to their frustrations.
3.
flaw n
fatal flaw (=that makes something completely useless or wrong):
What you've just said is the fatal flaw in your argument.
a. a mark or fault that spoils something and makes it less beautiful or perfect
There was a tiny flaw in the diamond. My father definitely had his flaws
and failings.
b. a fault in someone's character: WEAKNESS
4.
go v
go through
106
1 [transitive] go through something to examine or search something
very carefully: Someone had broken into the office and gone through all
the drawers.
2 [intransitive or transitive] if a law goes through, or goes through a
law-making institution, it is officially approved:
Collins went through every legal book she could find.
2a. [intransitive] if something such as a request, proposal, or contract
goes through, it is officially accepted or approved:
We can't really imagine what they're going through.
3 [transitive] to experience something difficult or unpleasant
4 [transitive] to use, spend, or eat all of something, especially quickly:
He'd gone through all his money by the end of the first week of his holiday.
5 [transitive] to practise all of something such as a speech, song, or
play:
Let's go through your lines one more time.
6 [transitive] if a thought or idea goes through your mind, you consider
it for a short time
7 [transitive] to perform a set of actions that you regularly perform
She went through her daily routine of clearing the breakfast table before
settling down to handle the correspondence.
go through with [transitive]
go through with something to do something you have planned or agreed
to do, especially after not being sure you want to do it:
I can't believe he went through with the divorce.
5.
whisk v
whisk someone/something off/away/through etc [transitive]
to move someone or something very quickly:
In obvious pain, he was whisked off to the hospital. The police whisked
her away in a van.
2a. [transitive] to move something with a quick movement :
She whisked the dirty plates off the table.
2b. [intransitive] to move quickly:
The President whisked through South America last month.
6.
hit v
hit the nail on the head
to say something that is exactly right or very true
hit the road INFORMAL
to leave or start a journey
hit the roof/ceiling SPOKEN
to become very angry
hit the sack/hay INFORMAL
to go to bed for the night
107
Exercises
1. hit the nail on the head
a. to do something you have planned or agreed
to do, especially after not being sure you want
to do it
2. whisk someone/something
off/away/through
b. to practise all of something such as a
speech, song, or play
3. go through with
c. to express very strong anger or sadness
4. hit the road
d. to say something that is exactly right or very
true
5. hit the roof/ceiling
e. to move someone or something very quickly
6. hit the sack/hay
f. to become very angry
7. go through
g. a mark or fault that spoils something and
makes it less beautiful or perfect
8. fatal flaw
h. to go to bed for the night
9. give vent to
i. to leave or start a journey
10. point to
j. to emphasize something
11. point up
k. to show the truth or importance of something
Exercise № 1
Match the verbs, idioms and word collocations with their meanings.
Exercise № 2
Fill in the gaps with the missing word.
1. Before I gave up smoking I was going ________ 40 cigarettes a day. (Cam)
2. I went _______ a hundred quid on my last trip to London. (Cam)
3. A council spokeswoman said that the proposals for the new shopping centre
were unlikely to go _______ . (Cam)
4. The director wants us to go ______ the whole of the third act before we go
home. (Cam)
5. I‟d like you to go ______that manoeuvre again and then bring the car to a halt
next to the kerb. (Cam)
6. I‟m going _______ my wardrobe and throwing out all the clothes I don‟t wear
any more. (Cam)
7. I went ______ everything but I couldn‟t find that letter you sent me. (Cam)
8. Remember to go ________ the pockets before you put those trousers in the
washing machine. (Cam)
9. He‟d threatened to divorce her but I never thought he‟d go _______ ____ it.
(Cam)
108
10. When the auctioneer‟s hammer falls, the buyer is legally obliged to go
______ ____ the deal. (Cam)
11. The company has decided not to go ______ ____ the takeover of its smaller
rival. (Cam)
12. You really ______ ___ _____ __ ____ _____ when you sad there‟s no point
training people for jobs that don‟t exist. (Cam)
13. Dad‟ll ____ ___ _____ when he finds out I‟ve left school. (Cam)
14. I‟ve got a busy day tomorrow, so I‟ll think I‟ll ____ ___ _____. (Cam)
15. I‟d love to stay longer but I must be _______ ___ _____. (Cam)
16. There is a _________ flaw in your argument. (Cam)
17. The documentary glossed over the important questions while pointing ___ the
trivial ones. (Cam)
18. The accident points ____ how important it is to follow safety procedures.
(Cam)
19. The meeting will be an opportunity for everyone to give ____ to their feel-
ings. (Cam)
20. Our coffees were whisked ___________ before we‟d even finished them.
(Cam)
21. I went to see the doctor and was immediately whisked _____ to a specialist.
(Cam)
22. We only had half an hour to see her before she whisked ____ to same exotic
location. (Cam)
23. Her husband whisked her ____ to Egypt for her birthday. (Cam)
Exercise № 3
Fill in the gaps with the appropriate word.
1. There were portraits of his ________on the walls of the room. (Cam)
2. Studies suggest that life originated only once, from a single ________. (Cam)
3. This wooden instrument is the _________ of the modern metal flute. (Cam)
4. Victorian postcards often featured _______ of bathing beauties. (Cam)
5. Imagine my _______ when I discovered that I‟d been wrong all along. (Cam)
6. Much to the police‟s _______, the chief suspect for the killing seems to have
fled the country. (Cam)
7. Much to the _________ of his children, when he died he left all his money to
charity. (Cam)
8. The area was cleared of people but the telephone warning turned out to be a
____.(Cam)
9. A bomb _____ last night forced the evacuation of the city of London‟s Barbi-
can Centre. (Cam)
109
10. The speaker called for the maximum penalty for _____ calls to be increased to
one year. (Cam)
11. ______ ____ are made from sandal wood which is a very fragrant wood.
(Cam)
12. Many of them were lawyers employed by those companies to find
__________ in environmental protection laws. (Cam)
13. The police are anxious to close any _________ to prevent copycat crimes.
(Cam)
14. The defendant _________ innocent to robbery with violence. (Cam)
15. A department spokesperson _______ official difficulties as the reason for the
delay. (Cam)
16. The factory can _______ that, given problems of finance and technology, it is
doing the best it can to reduce the noise. (Cam)
17. On a warm sunny day the river seems _____and benign, and it‟s hard to be-
lieve it can be dangerous. (Cam)
18. They mentioned the ________ place of life as their main reason of moving to
the village. (Cam)
19. She was a very ______ child who slept all night and hardly ever cried. (Cam)
20. He‟s an absolute ___________ – he took our antique vase to get it valued and
we haven‟t seen him since. (Cam)
21. I‟ll see you in a court, you filthy __________!(Cam)
22. The old gentleman in the corner of the carriage was ____________ with in-
dignation at something he was reading in his newspaper. (Cam)
23. She took too big gulp of whisky and started to cough and ________.(Cam)
24. It‟s __________ how much you and Elizabeth look like sisters. (Cam)
25. The old guy has an _______ ability to pick the winning horse. (Cam)
26. The mayor‟s guests were _________ to their seats before the conductor
walked onto the stage. (Cam)
27. She __________ us into her office without giving us a chance to think about
what we wanted to say. (Cam)
28. His last years he spent in Rome, _________ he came. (Cam)
29. It has returned to the shop from _________ it came. (Cam)
Exercise №4
The crossword below is only half filled in. Your partner also has a crossword that is only half filled in. Take it in turns to ask what the missing words
are, e.g. What’s 1 Down? What’s 3 Across? etc. Answer by trying to explain
each word.
110
Student A)
1C 2
H
3
A
4
G
5
S C O U N D R
E 6L
I
N
7
B E V
Y 8P L E A D 9H O A
X
10
To find the crossword for student B see p. 190.
Exercise №5
Read the sentences and pay attention to italicized parts.
1. 'What is, mon ami?' asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable
chair.
2. 'Deduce, Poirot, from the following facts! Here is a young lady, richly-dressed –
fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
3. Miss Marvell was small and slender, very fair and girlish-looking, with the
wide innocent blue eyes of a child.
4. Lord Yardly turned out to be a cheery, loud-voiced sportsman with a rather
red face, but with a good-humoured bonhomie about him that was distinctly attractive and made up for any lack of mentality.
5. Tall, dark, with flashing eyes, and a pale proud face – yet something wistful in
the curves of the mouth.
Exercise № 6
Use the structures in the sentences of your own.
Exercise № 7
Read the statements 1–5 which relate to Paragraphs 1–3 of the reading passage. Put T if the statement is true, F if the statement is false, or N if there is no
information given in the passage.
1. Here is a young lady, richly dressed – fashionable hat, magnificent furs. Un-
known to her, she is being shadowed by three men and middle-aged women.
2. The girl is a crook and the shadowers are detectives preparing to arrest her.
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