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who your were. I'm going on another tack; I'm trying to
find out by various little tests who I am NOT - that will
narrow the range of uncertainty down a bit. You may have
noticed, for instance, that I'm lunching principally off
lobster Newburg."
Jerton had not ventured to notice anything of the
sort.
"It's an extravagance, because it's one of the most
expensive dishes on the menu, but at any rate it proves
that I'm not Lady Starping; she never touches shell-fish,
and poor Lady Braddleshrub has no digestion at all; if I
am HER I shall certainly die in agony in the course of
the afternoon, and the duty of finding out who I am will
devolve on the press and the police and those sort of
people; I shall be past caring. Lady Knewford doesn't
know one rose from another and she hates men, so she
wouldn't have spoken to you in any case; and Lady
Mousehilton flirts with every man she meets - I haven't
flirted with you, have I?"
Jerton hastily gave the required assurance.
"Well, you see," continued the lady, "that knocks
four off the list at once."
"It'll be rather a lengthy process bringing the list
down to one," said Jerton.
"Oh, but, of course, there are heaps of them that I
couldn't possibly be - women who've got grandchildren or
sons old enough to have celebrated their coming of age.
I've only got to consider the ones about my own age. I
tell you how you might help me this afternoon, if you
don't mind; go through any of the back numbers of COUNTRY
LIFE and those sort of papers that you can find in the
smoking-room, and see if you come across my portrait with
infant son or anything of that sort. It won't take you
ten minutes. I'll meet you in the lounge about tea-time.
Thanks awfully."
And the Fair Unknown, having graciously pressed
Jerton into the search for her lost identity, rose and
left the room. As she passed the young man's table she
halted for a moment and whispered:
"Did you notice that I tipped the waiter a shilling?
We can cross Lady Ulwight off the list; she would have
died rather than do that."
At five o'clock Jerton made his way to the hotel
lounge; he had spent a diligent but fruitless quarter of
an hour among the illustrated weeklies in the smoking-
room. His new acquaintance was seated at a small tea-
table, with a waiter hovering in attendance.
"China tea or Indian?" she asked as Jerton came up.
"China, please, and nothing to eat. Have you
discovered anything?"
"Only negative information. I'm not Lady Befnal.
She disapproves dreadfully of any form of gambling, so
when I recognised a well-known book maker in the hotel
lobby I went and put a tenner on an unnamed filly by
William the Third out of Mitrovitza for the three-fifteen
race. I suppose the fact of the animal being nameless
was what attracted me."
Did it win?" asked Jerton.
"No, came in fourth, the most irritating thing a
horse can do when you've backed it win or place. Anyhow,
I know now that I'm not Lady Befnal."
"It seems to me that the knowledge was rather dearly
bought," commented Jerton.
"Well, yes, it has rather cleared me out," admitted
the identity-seeker; "a florin is about all I've got left
on me. The lobster Newburg made my lunch rather an
expensive one, and, of course, I had to tip that boy for
what he did to the Kestrel-Smith locks. I've got rather
a useful idea, though. I feel certain that I belong to
the Pivot Club; I'll go back to town and ask the hall
porter there if there are any letters for me. He knows
all the members by sight, and if there are any letters or
telephone messages waiting for me of course that will
solve the problem. If he says there aren't any I shall
say: 'You know who I am, don't you?' so I'll find out
anyway."
find out by various little tests who I am NOT - that will
narrow the range of uncertainty down a bit. You may have
noticed, for instance, that I'm lunching principally off
lobster Newburg."
Jerton had not ventured to notice anything of the
sort.
"It's an extravagance, because it's one of the most
expensive dishes on the menu, but at any rate it proves
that I'm not Lady Starping; she never touches shell-fish,
and poor Lady Braddleshrub has no digestion at all; if I
am HER I shall certainly die in agony in the course of
the afternoon, and the duty of finding out who I am will
devolve on the press and the police and those sort of
people; I shall be past caring. Lady Knewford doesn't
know one rose from another and she hates men, so she
wouldn't have spoken to you in any case; and Lady
Mousehilton flirts with every man she meets - I haven't
flirted with you, have I?"
Jerton hastily gave the required assurance.
"Well, you see," continued the lady, "that knocks
four off the list at once."
"It'll be rather a lengthy process bringing the list
down to one," said Jerton.
"Oh, but, of course, there are heaps of them that I
couldn't possibly be - women who've got grandchildren or
sons old enough to have celebrated their coming of age.
I've only got to consider the ones about my own age. I
tell you how you might help me this afternoon, if you
don't mind; go through any of the back numbers of COUNTRY
LIFE and those sort of papers that you can find in the
smoking-room, and see if you come across my portrait with
infant son or anything of that sort. It won't take you
ten minutes. I'll meet you in the lounge about tea-time.
Thanks awfully."
And the Fair Unknown, having graciously pressed
Jerton into the search for her lost identity, rose and
left the room. As she passed the young man's table she
halted for a moment and whispered:
"Did you notice that I tipped the waiter a shilling?
We can cross Lady Ulwight off the list; she would have
died rather than do that."
At five o'clock Jerton made his way to the hotel
lounge; he had spent a diligent but fruitless quarter of
an hour among the illustrated weeklies in the smoking-
room. His new acquaintance was seated at a small tea-
table, with a waiter hovering in attendance.
"China tea or Indian?" she asked as Jerton came up.
"China, please, and nothing to eat. Have you
discovered anything?"
"Only negative information. I'm not Lady Befnal.
She disapproves dreadfully of any form of gambling, so
when I recognised a well-known book maker in the hotel
lobby I went and put a tenner on an unnamed filly by
William the Third out of Mitrovitza for the three-fifteen
race. I suppose the fact of the animal being nameless
was what attracted me."
Did it win?" asked Jerton.
"No, came in fourth, the most irritating thing a
horse can do when you've backed it win or place. Anyhow,
I know now that I'm not Lady Befnal."
"It seems to me that the knowledge was rather dearly
bought," commented Jerton.
"Well, yes, it has rather cleared me out," admitted
the identity-seeker; "a florin is about all I've got left
on me. The lobster Newburg made my lunch rather an
expensive one, and, of course, I had to tip that boy for
what he did to the Kestrel-Smith locks. I've got rather
a useful idea, though. I feel certain that I belong to
the Pivot Club; I'll go back to town and ask the hall
porter there if there are any letters for me. He knows
all the members by sight, and if there are any letters or
telephone messages waiting for me of course that will
solve the problem. If he says there aren't any I shall
say: 'You know who I am, don't you?' so I'll find out
anyway."
- gratefully [´greitfuli]
ad.感激地 (初中英语单词) - appreciate [ə´pri:ʃieit] v.评价；珍惜；感激 (初中英语单词)
- nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)
- illness [´ilnis] n.生病，不健康，疾病 (初中英语单词)
- thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)
- graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)
- holiday [´hɔlidi] n.假日，假期，节日 (初中英语单词)
- luncheon [´lʌntʃ(ə)n] n.午餐，午宴 (初中英语单词)
- vacant [´veikənt] a.空虚的，无表情的 (初中英语单词)
- wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)
- interval [´intəvəl] n.间隙；(工间)休息 (初中英语单词)
- contents [´kɔ:ntents] n.容纳物；要旨 (初中英语单词)
- ignorance [´ignərəns] n.无知，愚昧 (初中英语单词)
- frankly [´fræŋkli] ad.直率地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)
- ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)
- unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
- intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)
- thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)
- remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)
- polite [pə´lait] a.有礼貌的；温和的 (初中英语单词)
- sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)
- invent [in´vent] vt.发明；捏造 (初中英语单词)
- pretend [pri´tend] v.假装；借口；妄求 (初中英语单词)
- presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
- dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
- mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)
- intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的；理智的 (初中英语单词)
- instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)
- spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)
- celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
- diligent [´dilidʒənt] a.勤奋的 (初中英语单词)
- acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)
- dreadfully [dredfuli] ad.可怕地；糟透地 (初中英语单词)
- well-known [,wel´nəun] a.著名的，众所周知的 (初中英语单词)
- waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
- appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)
- headache [´hedeik] n.头痛；使人头痛的事 (高中英语单词)
- accommodate [ə´kɔmədeit] vt.供应；容纳；调节 (高中英语单词)
- uncomfortable [ʌn´kʌmftəbəl] a.不舒服的，不自在的 (高中英语单词)
- concerning [kən´sə:niŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)
- specific [spi´sifik] a.具体的；特有的 (高中英语单词)
- announcement [ə´naunsmənt] n.通告；宣布；言谈 (高中英语单词)
- luggage [´lʌgidʒ] n.行李；皮箱 (高中英语单词)
- porter [´pɔ:tə] n.守门人；勤杂工人 (高中英语单词)
- baggage [´bægidʒ] n.行李 (高中英语单词)
- toilet [´tɔilit] n.梳妆(台)；卫生间 (高中英语单词)
- awfully [´ɔ:fuli] ad.令人畏惧地 (高中英语单词)
- finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
- principally [´prinsəpli] ad.主要地；大体上 (高中英语单词)
- portrait [´pɔ:trit] n.肖像；相片；雕像 (高中英语单词)
- negative [´negətiv] a.否定的 n.否定词 (高中英语单词)
- verdict [´və:dikt] n.裁决，判决；判定 (英语四级单词)
- lobster [´lɔbstə] n.龙虾(肉) (英语四级单词)
- touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)
- waiter [´weitə] n.侍者，服务员 (英语四级单词)
- hurriedly [´hʌridli] ad.仓促地，忙乱地 (英语四级单词)
- recollect [rekə´lekt] v.重新集合；恢复 (英语四级单词)
- astray [ə´strei] ad.&a.在歧途上(的) (英语四级单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- uncertainty [ʌn´sə:tənti] n.不可靠；不确定的事 (英语四级单词)
- extravagance [iks´trævigəns] n.奢侈；极端 (英语四级单词)
- digestion [di´dʒestʃən] n.消化(力) (英语四级单词)
- lounge [laundʒ] n.懒洋洋的姿势；闲逛 (英语四级单词)
- graciously [´greiʃəsli] ad.仁慈地，和蔼庄重地 (英语四级单词)
- abstain [əb´stein] vi.节制；戒除 (英语六级单词)
- influenza [,influ´enzə] n.流行性感冒 (英语六级单词)
- identity [ai´dentiti] n.身份；同一性；一致 (英语六级单词)
- florin [´flɔrin] n.(英国)二先令银币 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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