這場戲：追問懸崖命案始末
第 23 章 · 共 28 章 · 3'26"
菲茨傑拉德兄妹坐在霍洛威小姐面前，想把瑪麗和卡梅爾那樁舊命案問明白。她一句 Mary Meredith was the finest human being（瑪麗是最善良的人），轉頭又冷下臉說 I never saw such intensity of evil（我從沒見過這麼強的惡）。夸人和損人的話各學一句，平時聊天都用得上。
❝ 獨白 · 8 句 抱起寶寶衝上懸崖：picked up（抱起、拿起）
had been told 已經被告知If she could've killed 要是她能殺死flashed into her wicked little brain 閃過她邪惡的小腦筋picked up 抱起、拿起
霍洛威小姐的會客室裡，菲茨傑拉德兄妹追問瑪麗和卡梅爾當年的舊事。她把一段從沒對人提過的往事講了出來：卡梅爾是梅雷迪思太太一直 put up with（忍受）的私情物件，她抱走嬰兒逼到懸崖，把瑪麗打了下去。霍洛威小姐說 the will to kill（殺意）一直都在，而趕走卡梅爾是梅雷迪思做過的 the one decent thing（唯一一件體面事）。想跟人聊八卦、講舊事，或者形容自己一直忍著誰，這幾句都能用。
A1–C2 是歐標等級。點一個等級後，比它高的卡片會變淡，播放到那裡不會自動暫停。
“Mary Meredith was the finest human being I ever knew.”
瑪麗·梅雷迪思是我認識的最善良的人。
把一個人誇到頂又收在 I ever knew 裡，是回憶式的最高評價。
the finest ... I ever knew
追憶故人、鄭重評價時用；對還在場的人說會顯得奇怪甚至冒犯。
She was the kindest person I ever met. ／ He was the best friend I ever had.
literary
finest 加重，I ever knew 放慢收尾。
My grandmother was the finest human being I ever knew. 我奶奶是我認識的最善良的人。
“A better plan flashed into her wicked little brain.”
一個更妙的計劃閃過她邪惡的小腦袋。
用 wicked little brain 寫惡念，帶著輕蔑的敘事腔，畫面感極強。
A better plan flashed into her ... brain.
講故事時帶點嘲諷地寫人起壞心；寫正式報告或當面說人別用。
A darker idea crossed her mind. ／ A new plan took shape in her head.
literary
flashed 輕快，wicked little brain 略帶拖音。
A better plan flashed into his mischievous brain. 一個更妙的計劃閃過他調皮的小腦袋。
“It's the one decent thing I ever knew him to do.”
這是我知道他做過的唯一一件體面事。
誇裡帶刺，the one decent thing 把一樁好事說成對方畢生的孤例。
the one decent thing someone ever did
對某人明褒暗貶時用；真心的稱讚里加它反而傷人。
It was the only good thing he ever did. ／ That was the single kind act I saw from him.
中性
the one decent thing 連讀，ever 稍微拖長。
That was the one decent thing he ever did for us. 那是他為我們做過的唯一一件體面事。
“I never saw such intensity of evil.”
我從沒見過這樣濃烈的惡。
用一句見多識廣者的斷言，把一個人定性成純粹的惡，分量很重。
I never saw such intensity of ...
形容極端的人或事時用；對當事人當面說就是徹底否定。
I have never seen such concentrated evil. ／ Such intensity of evil I never saw.
literary
never saw 連讀，intensity 重讀，of evil 收尾。
I never saw such intensity of focus. 我從沒見過這樣專注的勁頭。
That night, the girl Carmel had been told she must leave Windward. If she could've killed both Mary and her husband, she'd have done so. A better plan flashed into her wicked little brain. She went into the nursery, picked up their baby, and raced to the cliff. - Good heavens! - Mary was after her in a second... Meredith and I close behind. Carmel reached the cliff by the dead tree. For a moment I saw them struggling... then Carmel raised her arm and struck Mary down.
那天夜裡，卡梅爾已經被告知必須離開風沃宅。 要是能同時殺死瑪麗和她丈夫，她一定會下手。 一個更妙的計劃閃過她邪惡的小腦袋。 她衝進育嬰室，抱起他們的寶寶，直奔懸崖。 ——天哪！——瑪麗一秒鐘就追了上去…… 梅雷迪思和我緊隨其後。卡梅爾到了枯樹旁的懸崖邊。 有一瞬間，我看見她們扭打在一起…… 接著卡梅爾抬起手臂，把瑪麗擊倒在地。
下一章 · 24plaster saint假聖人這場戲：療養院裡被當成瘋子意思是「忍受、容忍」，指勉強接受讓人難受的人或事。梅雷迪思太太一直 put up with 丈夫和卡梅爾的私情。
可以說 the will to kill。will 在這裡是名詞，指意願和決心，the will to kill 就是心裡那股想殺人的念頭。
意思是「唯一一件體面事」。霍洛威小姐說，趕走卡梅爾是梅雷迪思做過的 the one decent thing，語氣裡全是不屑。
用 discipline myself。discipline 本來是管束、訓練的意思，加 myself 就是管住自己。霍洛威小姐說自己能管別人，卻管不住自己。
她敬愛瑪麗，要親口講出卡梅爾把瑪麗打下懸崖已經很難；更難受的是，她日夜搶救過卡梅爾，心裡卻恨著她。
