Chapter 8 8 three sisters

Miss Marple stood at one of the windows and looked out.On the bed behind her was her suitcase.She looked absently out into the garden.She seldom turns a blind eye to the garden, except out of great admiration or out of criticism.In the current situation, it is probably out of criticism.This is a garden that has been neglected, and I am afraid that it has not been paid for or maintained for many years.Even the old house has been neglected.The house was squarely laid out, and the furniture, originally of the highest quality, had hardly been painted or refinished in recent years.She thought that this house, at least in recent years, was definitely not beautiful.It is a veritable old manor.When this old house was first built, it was elegant and beautiful, lived in and cherished by others. After the children of the original builder got married and left home one after another, Mrs. Green now lives here.When she took Miss Marple upstairs to see the bedroom, she accidentally revealed some background.She and her two sisters had inherited the estate from an uncle, and after her husband died, she and the two sisters moved in with them.The three sisters are getting old, their income has shrunk, and helpers are getting harder and harder to find.

The two sisters, probably unmarried, one older and one younger than Mrs. Green, were Miss Beverly Smiths. Nothing belonging to a child is visible in the house.There is no broken ball, no old cradle, no small table and chairs, just a house where three sisters live. It feels very Russian, Miss Marple said to herself. She meant the book Three Sisters, right?Is it Chekhov's work?Or Tolstoy?Really, she couldn't remember.three sisters.But they would not be the three sisters eager to go to Moscow.The three sisters were content with the status quo, she was sure of that.As soon as she entered, she was introduced to the other two sisters. One of them walked out of the kitchen and the other walked down the stairs, and both welcomed her.They were dignified and well-bred, what ladies were called ladies in Miss Marple's youth.The title was outdated, and she recalled the time when she called them fallen ladies, and her father had said to her:

No, dear Jane, they are not lost, but distressed dames. It is not easy for a lady these days to be in trouble.They either receive relief funds from the government or the social bureau, or they may be helped by rich relatives or people like Mr. Rafael.Because that's the point, and why she's here, isn't it?All this was arranged by Mr. Rafael.Miss Marple thought, he really took a lot of trouble.He knew about four or five weeks before his death that his death was approaching, and he bargained with God, because doctors are usually optimistic, and they know from experience that patients who are about to die are often delayed unexpectedly, even though they are lingering and dying. , is stubbornly not to swallow the last breath.On the other hand, Miss Marple knew from experience that hospital nurses tended to these patients on the assumption that they were going to die the next day, and were surprised to see them still alive.When the doctor came, although they told him that the patient was hopeless, they often agreed with the doctor when they got the answer; but when the doctor walked out the door, they whispered: I don't think the patient can drag on for a few weeks.It is good for the nurse to think that the doctor is optimistic, but the doctor must be wrong.And doctors are often right.He knows that those who are miserable, helpless, paralyzed, even unhappy still want and want to live.They swallow the pills prescribed by the doctor to get through the long nights of dread, but they have no intention of swallowing more than necessary and crossing the threshold into another world of which they know nothing.

Mr Raphael.Miss Marple looked absently into the garden, but she had this man in her mind.Mr. Raphael?Now she felt that she had a sense of the task in front of her and the plan he proposed.Mr. Raphael is a good planner.He planned the mission as much as he handled financial affairs.To paraphrase her maid Cherry, he had a problem.Whenever Cherry encounters a problem, she often asks Miss Marple for advice. This is a difficult problem that Mr. Rafael cannot solve by himself.The difficulty must have troubled him immensely, thought Miss Marple.Because he can usually solve any problem and insists on doing it himself.But he was bedridden and about to die.He can arrange business matters, correspond with lawyers, employees, friends, relatives, but there are things or people he has not arranged.There's a problem unsolved, a problem he still wants to solve, a plan he'd like to see come to fruition, and it's clearly not something that financial aid, business deals, or lawyers can handle so he's thinking of me, Marble said the lady.

She was still very surprised, really very surprised.Now that she had thought of this, however, his letter seemed quite clear.He thought she was gifted enough for something.It occurred to her again that the matter was either criminal in nature or related to crime.Another thing he knew about Miss Marple was that she liked gardening.Well, it wasn't gardening that he wanted her to solve.But he would associate her with crime.The crime in the West Indies, and the crime near her home. a crime.But where? Mr. Raphael has already made arrangements.He arranged with a lawyer.The lawyers did their part, delivering his letter to her within the appointed time.She thought that letter was well thought out.It would of course be easier if he told her exactly what he wanted her to do and why.She wondered why he didn't come to her before he was alive.She couldn't help guessing that he didn't come to her because he thought his death could be used as a guarantee or even a threat to make her agree to his request.But, she thought again, this is not Mr. Raphael's style.He can make threats, but in this matter, threats cannot be effective, and she believes that he is not willing to go to beg her and ask her to help clarify a grievance.No, this is not Mr. Raphael's style either.She thought that what he asked was what he had lived his whole life, and that he would pay for what he asked.He wanted to repay her, so he wanted her to willingly do something she was interested in.His payment was to pique her interest, not really to seduce her.She guessed that he wouldn't think so: give her enough money, and she would run away happily, happily.Because she knew herself very well, although the money was tempting, she didn't need it urgently.She had a close and kind nephew, and the lovely Raymond would always help her if she was in financial trouble and needed home repairs, doctor visits, or other emergencies.Yes, the payment he proposed was to pique her interest.Like the excitement you get when you get a ticket to Ireland.You can't get that much money in any other way than by luck.

Having said that, Miss Marple thought to herself, she needed a bit of luck, hard work, and deliberation, taking into account the risks she was taking in the process.But she had to find out for herself.Maybe he didn't tell her because he didn't want to affect her?It's hard to understand without expressing your own point of view.Perhaps Mr. Raphael thinks he is wrong.He's unlikely to think that way, but it's not out of the question.He might suspect that his own judgment had been impaired by his illness, so she, Miss Marple, his agent and employee, must make her own judgment and draw her own conclusions.It was time for her to draw several conclusions.In other words, she's back to the old question: What the hell is going on with all this?

She has been instructed.Let her think about this first.The man who gave her instructions is now dead.She had left St. Mary Mead on his instructions, so that mission would not have anything to do with her village in any way.That conundrum doesn't happen nearby, nor can it be solved by reading the newspaper or asking a question unless you know what to ask.Her instructions were, first, to go to the law office, then to read a letter, or two, at home; and then to be invited to take part in this delightful and well-arranged tour of some of England's famous mansions and gardens.From this excursion she took the next step, which was the house she was at the moment, The Old Manor, a Jocelyn St. Mary's house in which ClotteyMiss Beverly Smith, Mrs. Green and Anthea.Miss Beverly Smith's house.This was arranged by Mr. Rafael, arranged in advance, a few weeks before his death.He probably arranged the matter after instructing a lawyer and booking tours for her.Therefore, she came to this house with a purpose.She might stay only two nights, or she might stay longer; he might have made arrangements for her to decide to stay longer, or be persuaded to stay longer.She thought about her current situation.

Mrs. Green and her two sisters.Whatever it was, they had something to do with it.She had to find out what the hell was going on.The only problem is that time is short.Miss Marple never doubted her ability to discover secrets.When others look at her, they will think that she is the kind of chattering, stupid and stupid old woman who can only talk non-stop and ask questions, and all the questions on the surface seem to be gossip.She'd mention her childhood so she could lead the three sisters to talk about theirs; she'd mention the things she ate, the servants she had, so-and-so's daughter, cousins, cousins, And travel, marriage, birthday couples, and death.When she hears about death, her eyes must not show special interest.Not at all.She believed she would instinctively react correctly, eg: Oh, my God, that's pathetic!She must draw out some relationships, incidents, and trivial details of life to see if she can accidentally discover suspicious incidents among them.The incident may have happened nearby and had no direct connection with the three sisters; they may have known about it, had mentioned it, or would have mentioned it sooner or later.All in all, there must be something hidden here, maybe a clue, maybe a hint.She had to go back to the tour group the next day, unless at that time she had some information that made her not go back to the tour group.Her thoughts drifted from the old house to the tour bus and her companions.What she was looking for might have been in the car all along, and it would reappear when she got back.One or more of them may be innocent, or not, and some of them have a long past. She frowned slightly, trying to remember something.A thought once flashed through her mind.Really, what am I sure she's sure of?

Her thoughts returned to the three sisters again.She couldn't stay upstairs for too long.She had to open the suitcase to take out some necessities for the two nights, the clothes to be changed tonight, pajamas, and sponges, and then went downstairs to meet the three hostesses and chat happily.She had to make a point: were the three sisters her allies, or her enemies?Both were possible, and she had to think about it. There was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Green entered the room. Hope you feel comfortable here.Shall I help you unpack and tidy up?We hired a nice woman to help, but she only came in the mornings.Whatever you need, she will take care of it for you.

Oh no, thank you, said Miss Marple.I only brought a few necessary toiletries. I think I should take you downstairs again.You know, the house is a bit of a mess.There are two flights of stairs so it's a little hard to tell which can get lost at times. Oh, that's very kind of you, said Miss Marple. Come downstairs, then, and we'll have a glass of sherry before lunch. Miss Marple accepted the invitation gratefully, and followed her downstairs.As far as she could judge, Mrs. Green was much younger than she was, about fifty, and could not have been older.Miss Marple was careful going down the stairs, her left knee was always a little unsteady.Fortunately, there is a handrail on the side of the stairs.The staircase was so beautiful that she marveled:

The house is beautiful, she said.I guess it was built in the eighteenth century.Am I right? 1780, said Mrs. Green. Mrs. Green was glad that Miss Marple had a good eye.She led Miss Marple into the drawing room.It was a large, elegant room with two very fine pieces of furniture: a Queen Anne desk and a William III oyster-shell dresser.There are also a couple of slightly bulky Victorian settees and cabinets.The chintz curtains were faded and worn; the rugs were Irish, Miss Marple thought, probably in the Aubusson style.The sofa was rather heavy and the velvet cover was very frayed.The two sisters were already present, and as soon as Miss Marple came in, they got up and walked towards her, one offering sherry, the other asking her to take a seat. I don't know if you like to sit higher?Many people like to sit a little higher. Me too, said Miss Marple.Sitting higher is much more comfortable.You know, I have a back problem. The three sisters seem to have a deep understanding of back pain.The elder sister was a tall and beautiful woman with black curly hair, the younger sister seemed much younger than her, very thin, her once beautiful hair was now gray and draped over her shoulders, looking like a ghost.Miss Marple thought to herself that she would be very suitable to play the old Ophelia (the heroine in Shakespeare's famous play "Hamlet"). And Crotty would obviously not be Ophelia, Miss Marple thought.But if she were to play Clytemnestra (a figure in Greek mythology), she would surely stab her husband to death while he happily took a shower.But since she had never been married, it was impossible for her to have such an ending.Miss Marple could not see that she would murder anyone but her own husband; and there was no Agamemnon in the house He killed his own daughter to sacrifice the flag, causing his wife to hate him deeply. At the end of the ten-year war, Agamemnon returned triumphantly and was killed by Claire Mestra). Crotty.Belberry Smith Ke, An Xiya.Belberry Smith, Lavinia.Among the three Green sisters, Crotty is beautiful, Lavinia is ordinary but very lovable; Ansia's eyelid twitches from time to time.She has a pair of big gray eyes, and she always looks around strangely, and then suddenly turns her head to look back, as if someone has been watching her.Strange, Miss Marple thought, she had some doubts about Anthea. After everyone was seated, they began to chat.Mrs. Green left the drawing room and apparently went to the kitchen.It seems that she is the most enthusiastic about housework among the three.The conversation begins with general topics.Crotty.Belberry Smith said the house was a family heirloom, originally belonging to her uncle, then passed on to her uncle, who died and left it to her, and the other two sisters later moved in together. You know, he has only one son, said Miss Crotty.Later died in war.Apart from a few distant relatives, we are actually the only ones left in the family. "A nice, well-proportioned house," said Miss Marple.Your sister told me that the house was built around 1780. I think so.But, you know, we don't really want the house to be this big, with one room here and one room there. These days, said Miss Marple.Renovating a house is expensive. Yes, indeed, Crotty sighed.In many places we just had to let it crumble.It's sad, but we can't do what we want.For example, several outbuildings and a greenhouse collapsed.The greenhouse here used to be very beautiful. There are lovely muscadine vines in it, Anthea said.The interior walls are also covered with cherries.Indeed, I do feel sorry.Where to find a gardener during the war, of course.We once employed a very young gardener who was drafted into the army.Of course I shouldn't complain, but then again, because no one could fix it, the whole greenhouse collapsed. Even the nearby small greenhouse collapsed. Both sisters are sighing, lamenting the passage of time, the changes of the times, and the end of the good times. Miss Marple thought the house had a gloomy quality to it.Somehow it seemed laden with sorrow, a lingering sadness that couldn't be dispelled.Because the sadness had penetrated so deeply, she was so immersed that she suddenly shivered.