这场戏：追问悬崖命案始末
第 23 章 · 共 28 章 · 3'26"
菲茨杰拉德兄妹坐在霍洛威小姐面前，想把玛丽和卡梅尔那桩旧命案问明白。她一句 Mary Meredith was the finest human being（玛丽是最善良的人），转头又冷下脸说 I never saw such intensity of evil（我从没见过这么强的恶）。夸人和损人的话各学一句，平时聊天都用得上。
❝ 独白 · 8 句 抱起宝宝冲上悬崖：picked up（抱起、拿起）
had been told 已经被告知If she could've killed 要是她能杀死flashed into her wicked little brain 闪过她邪恶的小脑筋picked up 抱起、拿起
霍洛威小姐的会客室里，菲茨杰拉德兄妹追问玛丽和卡梅尔当年的旧事。她把一段从没对人提过的往事讲了出来：卡梅尔是梅雷迪思太太一直 put up with（忍受）的私情对象，她抱走婴儿逼到悬崖，把玛丽打了下去。霍洛威小姐说 the will to kill（杀意）一直都在，而赶走卡梅尔是梅雷迪思做过的 the one decent thing（唯一一件体面事）。想跟人聊八卦、讲旧事，或者形容自己一直忍着谁，这几句都能用。
A1–C2 是欧标等级。点一个等级后，比它高的卡片会变淡，播放到那里不会自动暂停。
“Mary Meredith was the finest human being I ever knew.”
玛丽·梅雷迪思是我认识的最善良的人。
把一个人夸到顶又收在 I ever knew 里，是回忆式的最高评价。
the finest ... I ever knew
追忆故人、郑重评价时用；对还在场的人说会显得奇怪甚至冒犯。
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. 我奶奶是我认识的最善良的人。
“A better plan flashed into her wicked little brain.”
一个更妙的计划闪过她邪恶的小脑袋。
用 wicked little brain 写恶念，带着轻蔑的叙事腔，画面感极强。
A better plan flashed into her ... brain.
讲故事时带点嘲讽地写人起坏心；写正式报告或当面说人别用。
A darker idea crossed her mind. ／ A new plan took shape in her head.
literary
flashed 轻快，wicked little brain 略带拖音。
A better plan flashed into his mischievous brain. 一个更妙的计划闪过他调皮的小脑袋。
“It's the one decent thing I ever knew him to do.”
这是我知道他做过的唯一一件体面事。
夸里带刺，the one decent thing 把一桩好事说成对方毕生的孤例。
the one decent thing someone ever did
对某人明褒暗贬时用；真心的称赞里加它反而伤人。
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 连读，ever 稍微拖长。
That was the one decent thing he ever did for us. 那是他为我们做过的唯一一件体面事。
“I never saw such intensity of evil.”
我从没见过这样浓烈的恶。
用一句见多识广者的断言，把一个人定性成纯粹的恶，分量很重。
I never saw such intensity of ...
形容极端的人或事时用；对当事人当面说就是彻底否定。
I have never seen such concentrated evil. ／ Such intensity of evil I never saw.
literary
never saw 连读，intensity 重读，of evil 收尾。
I never saw such intensity of focus. 我从没见过这样专注的劲头。
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.
那天夜里，卡梅尔已经被告知必须离开风沃宅。 要是能同时杀死玛丽和她丈夫，她一定会下手。 一个更妙的计划闪过她邪恶的小脑袋。 她冲进育婴室，抱起他们的宝宝，直奔悬崖。 ——天哪！——玛丽一秒钟就追了上去…… 梅雷迪思和我紧随其后。卡梅尔到了枯树旁的悬崖边。 有一瞬间，我看见她们扭打在一起…… 接着卡梅尔抬起手臂，把玛丽击倒在地。
下一章 · 24plaster saint假圣人这场戏：疗养院里被当成疯子意思是「忍受、容忍」，指勉强接受让人难受的人或事。梅雷迪思太太一直 put up with 丈夫和卡梅尔的私情。
可以说 the will to kill。will 在这里是名词，指意愿和决心，the will to kill 就是心里那股想杀人的念头。
意思是「唯一一件体面事」。霍洛威小姐说，赶走卡梅尔是梅雷迪思做过的 the one decent thing，语气里全是不屑。
用 discipline myself。discipline 本来是管束、训练的意思，加 myself 就是管住自己。霍洛威小姐说自己能管别人，却管不住自己。
她敬爱玛丽，要亲口讲出卡梅尔把玛丽打下悬崖已经很难；更难受的是，她日夜抢救过卡梅尔，心里却恨着她。
