章节正文
文章总共2页
the presence of a numerous assembly of these
worthies. Then I inquired if any one of them
had been present when the robbery was
effected. A prompt double knock replied in
the affirmative. I may say here, by the way,
that the unanimity of the spirits as to their
use of two knocks for ``yes'' and one for
``no'' is a very remarkable point, and shows,
if it shows anything, how perfect and universal
must be the social intercourse of the
respected departed. It is worthy of note, also,
that if the spirit--I will not say the medium
--perceives after one knock that it were wiser
to say yes, he can conveniently add the second
tap. Some such arrangement in real life
would, it appears to me, be highly desirable.
It seemed that the spirit was that of Vidocq,
the French detective. I had just read a translation
of his memoirs, and he seemed to me a
very available spirit to call upon.
As soon as I explained that the spirit who
answered had been a witness of the theft, the
old man became strangely agitated. ``Who
was it?'' said he. At once the spirit
indicated a desire to use the alphabet. As we
went over the letters,--always a slow method,
but useful when you want to observe excitable
people,--my visitor kept saying, ``Quicker--
go quicker.'' At length the spirit spelled out
the words, ``I know not his name.''
``Was it,'' said the gentleman--``was it a--
was it one of my household?''
I knocked ``yes'' without hesitation; who
else, indeed, could it have been?
``Excuse me,'' he went on, ``if I ask you for
a little whisky.''
This I gave him. He continued: ``Was it
Susan or Ellen?''
``No, no!''
``Was it--'' He paused. ``If I ask a question
mentally, will the spirits reply?'' I knew
what he meant. He wanted to ask if it was
his son, but did not wish to speak openly.
``Ask,'' said I.
``I have,'' he returned.
I hesitated. It was rarely my policy to
commit myself definitely, yet here I fancied,
from the facts of the case and his own terrible
anxiety, that he suspected, or more than
suspected, his son as the guilty person. I
became sure of this as I studied his face. At
all events, it would be easy to deny or explain
in case of trouble; and, after all, what slander
was there in two knocks? I struck twice
as usual.
Instantly the old gentleman rose up, very
white, but quite firm. ``There,'' he said, and
cast a bank-note on the table, ``I thank you,''
and bending his head on his breast, walked,
as I thought, with great effort out of the room.
On the following morning, as I made my
first appearance in my outer room, which
contained at least a dozen persons awaiting
advice, who should I see standing by the window
but the old gentleman with sandy-gray hair?
Along with him was a stout young man with
a head as red as mine, and mustache and
whiskers to match. Probably the son, I
thought--ardent temperament, remorse, come
to confess, etc. I was never more mistaken
in my life. I was about to go regularly
through my patients when the old gentleman
began to speak.
``I called, doctor,'' said he, ``to explain the
little matter about which I--about which I--''
worthies. Then I inquired if any one of them
had been present when the robbery was
effected. A prompt double knock replied in
the affirmative. I may say here, by the way,
that the unanimity of the spirits as to their
use of two knocks for ``yes'' and one for
``no'' is a very remarkable point, and shows,
if it shows anything, how perfect and universal
must be the social intercourse of the
respected departed. It is worthy of note, also,
that if the spirit--I will not say the medium
--perceives after one knock that it were wiser
to say yes, he can conveniently add the second
tap. Some such arrangement in real life
would, it appears to me, be highly desirable.
It seemed that the spirit was that of Vidocq,
the French detective. I had just read a translation
of his memoirs, and he seemed to me a
very available spirit to call upon.
As soon as I explained that the spirit who
answered had been a witness of the theft, the
old man became strangely agitated. ``Who
was it?'' said he. At once the spirit
indicated a desire to use the alphabet. As we
went over the letters,--always a slow method,
but useful when you want to observe excitable
people,--my visitor kept saying, ``Quicker--
go quicker.'' At length the spirit spelled out
the words, ``I know not his name.''
``Was it,'' said the gentleman--``was it a--
was it one of my household?''
I knocked ``yes'' without hesitation; who
else, indeed, could it have been?
``Excuse me,'' he went on, ``if I ask you for
a little whisky.''
This I gave him. He continued: ``Was it
Susan or Ellen?''
``No, no!''
``Was it--'' He paused. ``If I ask a question
mentally, will the spirits reply?'' I knew
what he meant. He wanted to ask if it was
his son, but did not wish to speak openly.
``Ask,'' said I.
``I have,'' he returned.
I hesitated. It was rarely my policy to
commit myself definitely, yet here I fancied,
from the facts of the case and his own terrible
anxiety, that he suspected, or more than
suspected, his son as the guilty person. I
became sure of this as I studied his face. At
all events, it would be easy to deny or explain
in case of trouble; and, after all, what slander
was there in two knocks? I struck twice
as usual.
Instantly the old gentleman rose up, very
white, but quite firm. ``There,'' he said, and
cast a bank-note on the table, ``I thank you,''
and bending his head on his breast, walked,
as I thought, with great effort out of the room.
On the following morning, as I made my
first appearance in my outer room, which
contained at least a dozen persons awaiting
advice, who should I see standing by the window
but the old gentleman with sandy-gray hair?
Along with him was a stout young man with
a head as red as mine, and mustache and
whiskers to match. Probably the son, I
thought--ardent temperament, remorse, come
to confess, etc. I was never more mistaken
in my life. I was about to go regularly
through my patients when the old gentleman
began to speak.
``I called, doctor,'' said he, ``to explain the
little matter about which I--about which I--''
- instrument [´instrumənt]
n.仪器；手段；乐器 (初中英语单词) - liberal [´libərəl] a.大方的 n.开明的人 (初中英语单词)
- profession [prə´feʃən] n.职业；声明；表白 (初中英语单词)
- ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)
- partner [´pɑ:tnə] n.伙伴 v.同….合作 (初中英语单词)
- combine [kəm´bain] v.(使)结合；联合企业 (初中英语单词)
- account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
- medical [´medikəl] a.医学的；医疗的 (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)
- variety [və´raiəti] n.变化；多样(性)；种类 (初中英语单词)
- rarely [´reəli] ad.难得；非凡地 (初中英语单词)
- genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)
- actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
- portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)
- supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
- unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)
- consult [kən´sʌlt] v.商量；磋商；请教 (初中英语单词)
- occasionally [ə´keiʒənəli] ad.偶然地；非经常地 (初中英语单词)
- amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- expose [ik´spəuz] vt.揭露，暴露；陈列 (初中英语单词)
- extent [ik´stent] n.长度；程度；范围 (初中英语单词)
- distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)
- utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)
- garment [´gɑ:mənt] n.衣服，外衣 (初中英语单词)
- missing [´misiŋ] a.缺掉的；失踪的 (初中英语单词)
- readily [´redili] ad.乐意地；容易地 (初中英语单词)
- wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)
- innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)
- youthful [´ju:θfəl] a.年轻的；青年的 (初中英语单词)
- career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
- conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中英语单词)
- solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)
- assembly [ə´sembli] n.集会；装配；与会者 (初中英语单词)
- worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
- arrangement [ə´reindʒmənt] n.整理；排列；筹备 (初中英语单词)
- detective [di´tektiv] n.侦探 a.侦探的 (初中英语单词)
- available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中英语单词)
- witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)
- strangely [´streindʒli] ad.奇怪地；陌生地 (初中英语单词)
- alphabet [´ælfəbet] n.字母表 (初中英语单词)
- visitor [´vizitə] n.访问者；来宾；参观者 (初中英语单词)
- definitely [´definitli] ad.明确地；绝对 (初中英语单词)
- guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)
- standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)
- electricity [i,lek´trisiti] n.电；电学；电流 (高中英语单词)
- battery [´bætəri] n.炮兵连；炮台；电池 (高中英语单词)
- learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
- irregular [i´regjulə] a.不规则的；不正当的 (高中英语单词)
- enlarge [in´lɑ:dʒ] vt.扩大，增大；详述 (高中英语单词)
- positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)
- commonly [´kɔmənli] ad.一般地；通常 (高中英语单词)
- shrewd [ʃru:d] a.精明的；狡猾的 (高中英语单词)
- agitation [,ædʒi´teiʃən] n.鼓动；摇动；焦虑 (高中英语单词)
- prompt [prɔmpt] a.敏捷的 vt.促使 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- hesitation [,hezi´teiʃən] n.犹豫，踌躇 (高中英语单词)
- studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)
- temperament [´tempərəmənt] n.气质；性格 (高中英语单词)
- impatience [im´peiʃəns] n.不耐烦，急躁 (英语四级单词)
- drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)
- exceptional [ik´sepʃənəl] a.异常的，特别的 (英语四级单词)
- disastrous [di´zɑ:strəs] a.招致灾祸的；不幸的 (英语四级单词)
- annoyance [ə´nɔiəns] n.烦恼事(人) (英语四级单词)
- robbery [´rɔbəri] n.抢劫(案)；盗取 (英语四级单词)
- intercourse [´intəkɔ:s] n.交际；往来；交流 (英语四级单词)
- conveniently [kən´vi:njəntli] ad.方便地；合宜地 (英语四级单词)
- policy [´pɔlisi] n.政策；权谋；保险单 (英语四级单词)
- mustache [mə´stɑ:ʃ] n.髭，小胡子 (英语四级单词)
- remorse [ri´mɔ:s] n.懊悔；自责；同情 (英语四级单词)
- forcibly [´fɔ:səbli] ad.强行地，强烈地 (英语六级单词)
- sagacity [sə´gæsəti] n.精明；敏锐；有远见 (英语六级单词)
- departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)
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文章标签:名著
章节正文
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