Ellery Queen - [Mystery and Suspense 34] - The House of Brass (rtf).rtf
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1、The House of Brass Ellery Queen . . . for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp; Allowing him a breath, a little scene, To monarchize, be feard, and kill with looks, Infusing him w
2、ith self and vain conceit As if this flesh which walls about our life Were brass impregnable . . . shakespeare, King Richard II, III, ii. brass / bras, brs / n ME bras, OE braes; c. OFris bres copper, MLG bras metal 1: any of various metal alloys consisting mainly of copper and zinc 2: a utensil, or
3、nament, or other article made of such an alloy 3: Mach. a replaceable semicylindrical shell, usually of bronze, used with another such to line a bearing; a half bushing 4: Music, a. a musical instrument of the trumpet or horn family b. such instruments collectively or in a band or orchestra 5: Brit.
4、 a. a memorial tablet or plaque incised with an effigy, coat of arms, or the like b. Slang, money c. Slang, a prostitute 6: Furniture. any piece of ornamental or functional hardware, as a drawer pull, made of brass 7: metallic yellow; lemon, amber, or reddish yellow 8: U.S. Slang, a. high-ranking mi
5、litary officers b. any very important officials 9: Informal, excessive assurance; impudence; effronteryadj 10: of, made of, or pertaining to brass 11: using musical instruments made of brass 12: having the color brassbrassish adj. Chapter 1 WHAT? Richard was all for San Juan or St. Croix, but Jessie
6、 held out for every girls right to one honeymoon in Niagara Falls (she said “girl” bravely, taking advantage of the technicality); so Niagara Falls it turned out to be, Richard giving in without a fight. He was so much in love he would have agreed to Hanoi. Ellery received his fathers cable in an Is
7、tanbul hotel room and collapsed on the bed. He was on a planetary junket, nibbling at police chiefs for gourmet crimes, and he had encountered no criminological recipe so outre as the Inspectors announcement. His first thought was of old fools; but when he flew to New York he found Jessie Sherwood t
8、o be, not an old mans nubile folly, but a brisk and buxom dear approaching fifty, with a young voice and young eyes, full of soft humor and authority, and without duplicity or doubts. They scouted the opposition for a moment, decided there was none, and fell into each others arms. The couple were ma
9、rried in Jessies little church in the Village, and afterward Ellery gave them a reception at the Algonquin, out of an obscure sentiment toward the memory of Frank Case and the Round Table, in a suiteful of spring flowers. Jessie wore an Irish lace dress the color of blue violets, like her eyes, and
10、the Inspector a summer tuxedo (peevishly vetoing Ellerys overenthusiastic suggestion of a cummerbund), and Ellery had the unique experience of giving his father away. The minister out of the quaint-ness of his Episcopal heart spoke of the blessings of matrimony “in the summer of our content,” which
11、Jessie thought a beautiful way of putting it, while her groom glared at the man of God, who was a good twenty years younger than he and could afford to be patronizing. The continuation of the beginning was very, very satisfactory. The mighty Falls roared an unending welcome and offered them its shin
12、iest sunlight, rainbow, and mist. And the fat Indian woman squatting near the railing sold them pillows stuffed with pine needles that scented their double bed with sanctification. When they got back from the honeymoon, looking well-fed, they went to the Queen apartment. Jessie had given hers up, pu
13、tting her things in storage against the undiscussed future. It kept seeming as if there would always be time enough to talk about it. “Home.” Jessie crooned over the word. Then she clucked over the dust and began bustling about opening windows. The old man dumped their bags. “Is it?” “Why, Richard,
14、whatever do you mean?” “What are we going to do about Ellery?” So it came out. “Oh, pooh,” Jessie said. “I made up my mind long ago. Ellery will live with us, and thats that.” She went hunting for a dustcloth. “Maybe he will,” the Inspector mumbled, “and then again maybe hell have something to say a
15、bout it. He usually does.” And he began thumbing through the accumulation of mail he had found waiting for him. “Well see.” “We wont see,” Jessie said, reappearing. “You havent lost a son, youve gained a wife.” “Its beginning to sink in,” the Inspector said with a grin. “All right, lets say its sett
16、led for the time being.” “ Why does it have to be temporary? Where would we get an apartment these days we could afford? Even with me working” “With you what?” the retired Inspector cried. “Working.” “ Youre not going back to nursing! I want a wife, not a proctologists plumber. My police pensionll b
17、e enough, along with what Ive stashed away. I didnt marry you to watch you carry bedpans for a lot of neurotic womenor men!and dont you forget it, Jessie Queen.” “Yes, Richard,” Jessie said meekly. But she thought: I will. Well need the money. “Whats wrong?” He was glaring at one of the envelopes. “
18、This is addressed to Miss Jessie Sherwood. Your first letter, and they dont pay me the courtesy of using my name!” “ Forwarded by Registry. Its probably some charity asking for money. Im on all sorts of lists.” It was not a plea for money. Jessie looked, and frowned, and looked again. “Ill be darned
19、.” “What is it, Jessie?” “Look at this.” This turned out to be a $100 bill. “And that.” And that was half a $1000 bill. The Inspector frowned at the pretty portraits, too. Experience had taught him that mysteries starting out with unsolicited lucre had a way of turning nasty toward the end, if not s
20、ooner. For fillip, the original of the $1000 bill had been scissored down the middle of Grover Clevelands bust with a pinking shears in three opart-looking jags. “Richard, whatever can it mean?” He was holding the bills up to the light off the end of his nose. “Theyre not counterfeits. How should I
21、know? Theres got to be some explanation. Look in the envelope, Jessie. There must be a note.” There was, and they touched heads bending over it. Unfolded, it became two sheets of vellum notepaper bearing a heavily engraved gold crest, all very impressive; or it would have been impressive if it had n
22、ot had the foxed look of paper that has been lying around for a generation. The body of the letter was typewritten, as was the address on the envelope. “Out of somebodys attic, looks like. Read it aloud, Jessie.” The Inspectors reading glasses were over near the old leather chair. “Damn my eyes!” He
23、 regularly damned each part of his anatomy that surrendered to his years; this year it was his eyes. Jessies soft voice gave the contents of the note a femininity that rather got in the way of its style. “ Dear Miss Slier-wood, “ the foxed vellum said. “ You will doubtless think it odd to receive an
24、 invitation from someone you do not know. I give you my word, however, that this is all very much to your interest. “ I invite you herewith to visit me at The House of Brass, my ancestral home near Phillipskill, New York. “ The $100 bill enclosed will serve to cover your traveling expenses. As for t
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