The railway crossing
Person 1: ( 4A2B0095 吳喜聞 )
Criminals always think they are cleverer than other people－
休閒二甲 4A2B0016
鄭鈁潁
ˇ
4A2B0026
張書瑜
ˇ
4A2B0082
李思瑩
ˇ
4A2B0095
吳喜聞
ˇ
cleverer than the detectives, cleverer than the people that they
plan to do rob or murder. But the criminals in these five stories are not always successful, and they meet
some very surprising difficulties.
Sonia’s boring little husband is only interested in his books and old silver. He has no idea what his wife
and her lover plan to do－or does he? A burglar whispering secrets on a train－how could he know that a
thirteen-year-old girl can read his lips from the other side of the carriage. Dunstan Thwaite decides he
must do something about the man who is blackmailing him－it will look like an accident, of course. And
Flambeau, he most famous thief in Europe, think it will be so easy to steal the Blue Cross from Father
Brown, who is only a sample little priest. But perhaps it is safer not to do the crime yourself. If, like Mr.
Elliston, you pay another man to do the murder, nothing can possibly go wrong.
Dunstan Thwaite looked at the railway crossing and decided that it was time for John Dunn to die. It
was a very suitable place for a murder. There were trees all around, and they hid the trains which came so
fast along the railway line. The nearest house was Thwaite’s own, and this was also hidden by the trees.
People and traffic did not use the crossing very often, and the big gates were kept locked. There was a
small gate used by passengers going to the station, but at night it was always quiet.
Thwaite was a worried man. He had to use sleeping powders to help him sleep. But after tonight,
things were going to be different. The time had come to stop the blackmail. The time had come for John
Dunn to die.
It all began five years earlier…
Thwaite worked in the offices of a large company, and his only money was the money that the
company paid him. It was not much, but it was enough. Then he met the beautiful Miss Hilda Lorraine
and asked her to marry him.
She came from an important family who were supposed to be very rich, but in fact they has less
money than Thwaite had thought. He learned that he would have to pay for the wedding himself. And he
did not have enough money for the expensive kind of wedding that Miss Lorraine wanted. So Thwaite
stole a thousand pounds , by changing the figures in the company’s books. He planned to put the money
back after he was married, but someone discovered that it was missing.
Thwaite kept quiet. Another man was thought to be the thief, and he lost his job. Thwaite still said
nothing.
翻譯:
很多罪犯總覺得他們比其他人聰明、高明－比偵探、比任何人都聰明，然後他們就會計劃犯罪，搶
劫或謀殺。但是在這五個故事中的罪犯並不總是成功，他們也會碰到一些出人意料之外的困難。
Sonia 的丈夫只會沉醉在他的書香世界和舊式銀幣。他不知道他的妻子和情人在計劃著什麼－還是
他?有個竊賊在火車上竊竊私語－他怎麼會知道那 13 歲的小女孩可以從火車車廂的另一邊讀出他
的唇語?Dunstan Thwaite 決定他必須要處理有關於那個勒索他的男人的事情－當然，他會讓它看起
來像是個意外。Flambeau，歐洲最有名的小偷，覺得從就只是個祭司的 Brown 神父那裡偷出藍十
字是件很簡單事情。但或許不用藉由自己的雙手來犯罪才是更安全的。就像 Mr.Elliston 一樣，如
果你付錢去僱傭一個人去實行謀殺計劃，就不太有可能會出什麼差錯。
Thwaite 看著鐵路的路口，並且決定是時候讓 John Dunn 去死了。這裡是個非常適合謀殺的地
方。樹圍繞著這裡，而且把沿著鐵路、開得飛快的火車給遮住。最接近這裡的房子則是 Thwaite 的
財產，這間屋子也被這些樹給擋住。人們和交通行列並不常使用這個路口，所以大門一直都是關著
的。那裡有個小門，行人們都利用它去車站，但是到了晚上，這裡通常都很安靜。
Thwaite 是個容易焦慮的人。他得利用安眠要幫助他睡眠。但是在今晚過後，所有事情將會不
一樣。是時候該停止勒索了，也是時候該讓 John Dunn 去死了。Thwaite 在一間大型公司的辦事處
工作，而且他的金錢收入的來源只有公司。這份薪水並不多，但也足夠開銷了。然後他遇到了美麗
的 Hilda Lorraine 小姐，並且向她求婚。
她來自被認為是富有的一個有權力的家族，但事實上，他們所擁有的錢比 Thwaite 想像中的還
來得少。他知道必須自己為這場婚禮付錢。但是他並沒有足夠的錢去付 Lorraine 想要的這種昂貴的
婚禮。
所以 Thwaite 利用改變公司的帳簿去偷了一千英鎊。他本來計畫在他結婚後就歸還，但有人發
覺有一千英鎊不見了。
Thwaite 保持沉默。另一個人被認為是小偷，而且被開除了。Thwaite 還是什麼話都沒說。
單字:
1. Clever (adj.) 聰明的
解釋：Quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas.
例句：She knew him to be industrious and clever . 她知道他既勤奮又聰明
2. Detective (n.) 偵探
解釋：A person, especially a police officer, whose occupation is to investigate crimes.
例句：Detective Conan is a famous cartoon from Japan. 名偵探柯南是部來自日本的有名的卡通
3. Surprising (adj.) 出乎意料之外的
解釋：Causing great surprise.
例句：He reacted with surprising speed . 他以驚人的速度作出了反應
4. Burglar (n.) 竊賊
解釋：A person who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force.
例句：Burglars broke into his house last night . 昨天夜裡竊賊闖入他家
5. Blackmail (v.) 勒索
解釋：The use of threats or unfair manipulation in an attempt to influence someone.
例句: Supposing he tried to blackmail you? 要是他想要敲詐你呢?
6. Murder (n.) 謀殺
解釋：The unlawful premeditated killing of one person by another.
例句：He was accused of murder . 他被指控犯了殺人罪
7. Whisper (v.) 低語
解釋：Speak very softly using one's breath rather than one's throat.
例句：She is whispering to him . 她正對他竊竊私語。
8. Perhaps (adv.) 或許
解釋：Expressing uncertainty or possibility.
例句：Perhaps I can help you . 也許我能幫你忙。
Person 2 ( 4A2B0016 鄭鈁潁 )
Thwaite kept quiet. Another man was thought to be the thief, and he lost his job. Thwaite still
said nothing.
But John Dunn worked in the same office. He worked closely with Thwaite and guessed Thwaite’s
crime. He searched through the company’s books until he found what he was looking for. Then he
went to Thwaite.
‘Sorry to have to ask you, Mr. Thwaite,’ he said. ‘I need a hundred pounds…for my son. He’s in
a bit of trouble, you see…’
‘But you don’t have a son, ‘said Thwaite.
Dunn just smiled. It wasn’t a very nice smile. ‘A hundred pounds, ‘he said again.
And then Thwaite knew that he was being blackmailed.
He paid Dunn one hundred pounds, and Dunn said nothing more for a year. During that time,
Thwaite got married.
Then the day came when Dunn asked him for more money.
‘Two hundred and fifty pounds, ‘he said to Thwaite.
‘I can’t pay –’began Thwaite.
But he did. Either he paid or he went to prison.
It went on for five years, and each time Dunn wanted more money. Thwaite found it difficult to
live on the money that he was left with. His wife liked expensive things. An expensive house, an
expensive car, visits to expensive restaurants. She also discovered that some of the money her husband
was paid each year seemed to disappear. He tried to lie about it, but he knew that she thought he was
paying to keep another woman.
Oh, how he hated John Dunn! Something must happen!
And then he remembered the railway crossing.
It was not a new idea. Weeks before, he had thought about what could happen there. The idea
came when the doctor gave him some powders to help him sleep. He thought about giving Dunn
enough of them to kill him, but then he got a better idea. Although he was afraid, Thwaite solely
realized that murder was the only answer to his problem.
Then Dunn asked for more money.
‘Five hundred pounds, Mr Thwaite ,’ Dunn told him.
‘Five hundred!’ said Thwaite. ‘Why not ask for the moon? You’ll get neither one nor the other.’
‘Five hundred,’ repeated Dunn, calmly.
It was then that Thwaite decided to murder the other man. He pretended to think about the money
for a moment, then he said,’ Come to my house tomorrow night and we’ll talk.’ He remembered his wife
was going to be away in London all night. ‘And bring those papers from the office which you want me
to look at.’
‘All right,’ said Dunn.
The following evening, Thwaite put two hundred pounds in his pocket. Then he put half of one of
his sleeping powders into a whisky bottle. There was only enough whisky for two glasses, but there was
an unopened bottle next to it. Next he put a hammer into one pocket of his overcoat, and a torch into the
other pocket. The coat was outside the door of his study. Lastly, he moved the hands on his watch and
on the study clock forward by ten minutes. Those extra ten minutes would give him his alibi.
Thwaite knew that he must be extra careful. He knew that people at the office thought there was
some secret between him and Dunn. A secret that Thwaite didn’t want anyone to know.
‘If Dunn is killed,’ he thought, ‘they’ll wonder if it was really an accident, or if I murdered him.’
But if his plan went well, the police would believe that he hadn’t left the house.
Thwaite sat down to wait for John Dunn. He thought about what he was going to do. Murder!
He could almost see his hand holding the hammer above Dunn; could hear the awful sound of it crashing
down on to the man’s head. He could see Dunn’s dead body! Dead all except the eyes, which looked
at Thwaite…followed him everywhere he went…
He tried to calm himself. He remembered why he was doing this. When Dunn was dead, his
problems were over.
Half an hour later, Dunn arrived. Jane opened the door. Jane was the servant who lived in the
house with Thwaite and his wife. She brought Dunn into the study.
Thwaite smiled in a friendly way. ‘Oh, good. You’ve brought those papers for me to see, Dunn.
Thank you.’
After Jane left, the two men looked at each other.
‘Give me the papers,’ Thwaite said. ‘I’ll look at them now that you’ve brought them.’ Fifteen
minutes later, he gave the papers back to Dunn and sat back in his chair. ‘Now, about that other matter. ’
He got up. ‘But why not have a drink first?’
‘No, thank you,’ said Dunn. He looked afraid.
‘What are you afraid of?’ said Thwaite. He gave Dunn the opened whisky bottle and two glasses.
‘We can both drink the same whisky, if you like. Here, you do it.’
Thwaite 保持沉默，另一名男子被認為是小偷，而他失去了工作，Thwaite 還是什麼都沒說。
Dunn 曾跟 Thwaite 同一間辦公室，他與 Thwaite 工作上非常密切且猜測他的犯罪，Dunn 透過
搜查公司的書直到他找到想找的東西，然後走到 Thwaite 身邊。
Dunn 說：Thwaite 我必須跟你說抱歉，我需要一百英鎊因為我的兒子遇到一點麻煩。
Thwaite 說：但是你沒有兒子。
Dunn 只是笑了一個非常不美麗的笑容，他又說了一次”一百英鎊”。
然後 Thwaite 知道被敲詐了。
他給 Dunn 一百磅但僅此今年，在這個期間 Thwaite 結婚了。
然後有一天 Dunn 向他要更多的錢。
他對 Thwaite 說：兩百五十英鎊。
Thwaite 說：我不能付。
但他還是給 Dunn 錢了，無論他付錢或去坐牢。
Dunn 每次都想要更多的錢這樣持續了五年，Thwaite 發現 Dunn 很難存錢，因為他的老婆喜歡
昂貴的東西，例如：昂貴的房子、昂貴的車還有吃昂貴的餐廳，她還發現她的丈夫每年花的錢似乎
也一點一點的消失了。他試圖撒謊，但 Dunn 知道，老婆以為他把錢花到讓另一個女人身上。
他這麼討厭 Dunn，所以有些事情一定會發生。
然後他想起鐵路通道。
這並不是一個新的想法，在幾週前他已經想過在那邊會發生的事，然後他去看醫生時，醫生給
他幫助睡眠的藥，醫生想給他足夠的藥殺了他，但他想到更好的方法，雖然他很害怕，但是 Thwaite
認為謀殺是他唯一的問題。
接著 Dunn 又要更多的錢。
Dunn 跟 Thwaite 說 : 「五百英鎊」。
Thwaite 說 : 「五百英鎊!」。你不要再異想天開了，你什麼也得不到。
Dunn 請他冷靜接著又重複的說 : 「五百英鎊」
就在那時，斯維特決定謀殺了另一個人。他假裝思考了一會兒，然後他說，他還記得他的妻子
要離開倫敦一夜，“來我家吧，明天晚上，我們再說，且帶著你想讓我看的文件。”
Dunn 說：「當然。」
第二天晚上，Thwaite 放兩百英鎊在他的錢包裡，然後他放一半的安眠藥到威士忌酒瓶裡，那
裡的份量只足夠裝兩個杯子，但是有另外一瓶還沒開。接著他放一把錘子在外套口袋內，另一個口
袋他放手電筒，這件外套都放在書房，然後他移動了一下手錶且額外的給他十分鐘的不在場證明。
Thwaite 知道自己需額外小心，他知道辦公室的同事認為他跟 Dunn 之間有秘密。這個秘密
Thwaite 不想讓任何人知道。
他說：「如果 Dunn 被殺」，他們會懷疑是意外或是我殺了他。
但如果他計畫的很好警察會相信他沒有離開過房子。
Thwaite 坐著等待 Dunn，他想 Dunn 去做了什麼，謀殺！他看到他的手上拿著槌子，然後
聽到巨大的聲音發現錘子打上了一位男人的頭，接著他看到 Dunn 的屍體。不管 Thwaite 走到
哪裡死者的眼睛一直盯著他。
Thwaite 試著讓自己冷靜，他想起為什麼 Dunn 要自殺，因為他死了什麼問題都解決了。
半個小時之後 Dunn 到了，Jane 打開門，Jane 是傭人她跟 Thwaite 跟 Thwaite 的老婆住在一起，
Jane 帶 Dunn 去書房。
Thwaite 用微笑示意，謝謝你帶這些文件給我看。
Jane 離開後兩個男人互相看著對方。
Thwaite 說：
「把文件給我，看完後就會還你。」十五分鐘後他把文件還給 Dunn 且坐在椅子上。
接著他起身要說關於其他的事，但他說：「何不先喝一杯？」
Dunn 害怕的說：「不了，謝謝。」
Thwaite 說：「為什麼你看起來很害怕？」他開一瓶威士忌跟拿了兩個杯子給 Dunn，如果你喜
歡我們可以一起喝，我放這裡如果需要請自便。
1.
Thief n.
解釋: a person who steals something. 小偷
例句：A thief took my purse. 小偷拿了我的錢包。
2.
Crime n.
解釋: illegal acts in general. 犯罪
例句：You can not hang for such a crime.
3.
4.
你犯的這種罪不可能被處以絞刑。
Calm n.
解釋: peace and quiet. 冷靜
例句：The sea had continued calm until a hurricane rose.
颶風來臨之前，海面一直平靜。
Prison n.
解釋: a place or situation from which you cannot escape. 監獄
例句：He served his two years of sentence in prison . 他在獄中服刑兩年。
5.
Servant n.
解釋: a person who is devoted to or guided by something.
例句：The servant led the visitors in .
傭人
傭人將客人帶進來。
6.
Hammer n.
解釋: a similar tool made usually of wood and used especially for hitting a surface to make a
loud noise. 錘子
例句：The hammer is missing from my tool-box . 我的工具箱裡少了一把錘子。
7.
Murder v.
解釋: unlawful killing of a human being intentionally. 謀殺
例句：There is no doubt but that he was murdered. 毫無疑問，他是被謀殺的。
8.
Disappear v.
解釋: to become lost.
消失
例句：The clouds will disappear by and by.
雲很快就要散了。
Person 3 ( 4A2B0082 李思瑩 )
‘No, thank you,’ said Dunn. He looked afraid.
‘What are you afraid of? ’ said Thwaite. He gave Dunn the opened whiskey bottle and two glasses.
‘We can both drink the same whiskey, if you like. Here, you do it. ’
After a moment, Dunn put whiskey into each glass, then he waited until Thwaite drank before he
drank his own. Thwaite watched him. How long before the other man began to feel sleepy? Thwaite
needed all of one sleeping powder to make him sleep, but Dunn did not usually take them.
‘Listen, Dunn,’ said Thwaite, ‘ I haven’t got five hundred pounds, but I can give you this. ’ He took
the money from his pocket and put it on the table.
Dunn counted it. ‘Two hundred? ‘he said, with a laugh. ‘Are you trying to be funning? ‘
‘I’m not saying it will be the last, ‘said Thwaite. ‘Take it now and be pleased that you’ve got it. ‘
Dunn shook his head. ‘Five hundred, Mr.Thwaite. ‘
‘I’ve told you, I can’t do it, ‘said Thwaite. ‘And I won’t do it. You can tell everyone what I did – I
don’t care any more. It’s been five years, and I’ve done a lot of good work for the company during that
time. I save them a lot more than a thousand pounds. I’ll sell this house and pay them back. I’ll take my
punishment, then I’ll go and live in another country and give myself a new name. ‘
‘And your wife ? ‘said Dunn.
‘My wife will leave the country first, ’ Thwaite told him. ‘She’ll wait for me to come out of prison. It
won’t be more than two or three years. So you can take the two hundred pounds, or you can do your
worst ! ‘
The powder in the whiskey was beginning to make Dunn sleepy. He looked stupidly at Thwaite, and
Thwaite began to worry. Had he given the other too much? He looked at the clock. There was not much
time left.
‘Will you take it, or leave it? asked Thwaite.
‘Five hundred,’ said Dunn, in a heavy voice. ‘I want five hundred.’
‘You can go and do your worst,’ said Thwaite.
Dunn held out a shaking hand. ’Come on, pay me.’
Thwaite began to worry again. ‘Are you feeling all right, Dunn? Have some whiskey in Dunn’s glass.
Dunn drank it, and it seemed to make him feel better.
‘That was strange,’ he said. ‘I didn’t feel very well, but I feel a little better now.’
‘If you’re going to catch your train, you must go,’ said Thwaite. ‘Tell me tomorrow what you finally
decide to do. Take the two hundred with you.’
Dunn thought for a moment, then picked up the money. He looked at his watch, then looked at the
study clock. ‘You r clock is wrong,’ he said .’I have ten more minutes.’
‘Wrong?’ said Thwaite. He looked at his own watch. ‘It’s your watch that’s wrong. Look at mine.
Dunn looked and seemed unable to understand it. He stood up …and almost fell back again.
Thwaite hid a smile. This was how he wanted Dunn to be. ’You’re not feeling well,’ he said. ‘I’ll
take you to the station. Wait until I get my coat.’
Now that the time was here, Thwaite felt cool and calm. He put on his coat, feeling the hammer in
the pocket, then went back into the study.
‘We’ll go out this way,’ he said
There was a side door from the study into the garden. Thwaite closed it silently and locked
automatically behind him. It was his plan to return that way, go in quietly again, and then to change the
clock and his watch back to right time. Then he would shout ‘Goodnight”, and close the front door very
loudly, pretending that somebody had left just then. Next, he would call Jane and ask for some coffee,
making sure that she saw the clock. Then, if the police asked her later, Jane could say that Thwaite did not
leave the house and that Dunn went to catch his train at the right time.
It was a dry night, but very dark. A train carry freight went slowly by. Thwaite smiles to himself.
There were plenty of freight trains at that time of the night. He needed one of them to hide his crime for
him he planned to hit Dunn on the head with the hammer, then put his body on the railway line. A freight
train would do the rest.
Slowly, the two men walked on, Thwaite holding Dunn’s arm. A light wind moved among the trees.
Thwaite gently pushed the half-asleep Dunn forwards. He put his hand into his pocket for the hammer…
翻譯:
‘不，謝謝’Dunn 說。他看起來很害怕
‘你在害怕什麼啊?’ Thwaite 說。他給 Dunn 一瓶打開的威士忌跟兩個玻璃杯。’如果你喜
歡的話，我們可以喝同一瓶威士忌!這裡，你倒吧’
過了一會兒，Dunn 在玻璃杯倒入威士忌，然後他等 Thwaite 喝了之後才喝他的酒。 Thwaite 看
著他。要多久這男人才會覺得想睡? Thwaite 需要安眠藥來幫助睡眠，但是 Dunn 好像沒有常常吃
安眠藥。
‘Dunn，聽著’Thwaite 說。'我從未得過 500 英鎊，但是我可以給你。’他從口袋拿出 500
英鎊放在桌上。
Dunn 數著，他笑著說 ’200 百英鎊?’’你在搞笑嗎?’
Thwaite 說’我沒有說他是最後一次’。’拿走它而且你要很開心你得到它。’
Dunn 搖頭’Thwaite 先生，500 英鎊。’
Thwaite 說'我告訴你了，我做不到。''而且我也做不到，你可以告訴每個人我做的事- 我不
介意，已經 5 年了，在這段時間我已經為公司做了一堆好事了。我存了超過 1000 英鎊了。我會賣
掉我的房子、把錢還回去、要求懲處，然後去另一個城市、換一個新名字生活。’
‘那你的妻子呢?’Dunn 說
‘我太太會先離開這個城市。’Thwaite 告訴他。’她會等我從監獄出來，不會超過 2 年至 3
年。所以，你可以拿走這 200 英鎊或做最卑鄙的事情!’
威士忌裡的安眠藥開始 Dunn 想睡了，Thwaite 覺得 Dunn 看起來很蠢而且覺得開始擔心。他
是否給這男人太多了?他看了下手錶。已經剩沒多少的時間了
‘你會帶走還是留下?’Thwaite 問
‘200 英鎊’Dunn 用低沉的聲音說。’我想要 500 英鎊。’
‘你可以走和做卑鄙的事’Thwaite 說。
Dunn 搖晃一隻手抵抗。’來吧，付我錢。’
Thwaite 又開始擔心了。’你確定你做對了嗎，Dunn?喝更多的威士忌。’他打開另一瓶酒倒
進 Dunn 的杯子裡。Dunn 喝了酒，似乎覺得好一點了。
‘好奇怪’他說，’剛剛覺得沒那麼好，但是現在覺得好一點了。’
‘如果你要去趕火車的話，你必須走了’Thwaite 說。’明天告訴我你最後決定怎麼做。還有
帶著這 200 英鎊。
Dunn 想了一會兒，然後把錢拿起來。他看了他的手錶，然後看向學習時間。’你的時間錯了’
他說。’我還有超過 10 分鐘的時間。
‘錯了?’Thwaite 說。他看了他自己的手錶。’是你的手錶錯了。看我的吧。’
Dunn 看了一下還是不能理解。他站起來…幾乎又跌坐回去位置上。
Thwaite 偷偷笑了一下，這就是 Dunn 想要的樣子。’你感覺沒有很好。’他說。’我會帶你
去車站，我去拿外套等我。’
現在正是時候，Thwaite 變的冷靜、平靜，他穿上外套時，覺得有鐵鎚在口袋裡，然後回去研
究。
‘我們出去吧!’他說
從側門進去花園吧。Thwaite 在背後安靜的關上門而且上鎖，這就是他逃走的計畫，又悄悄地
走進來，然後把手錶的時間改成跟時鐘一樣的正確的時間。然吼大喊’晚安’、關上前門，假裝有
人剛剛要離開。再來，打電話給 Jane 說要咖啡，確定她有看到時鐘。然後，如果警察問她，她立
刻就可以說 Thwaite 沒有離開飯店而 Dunn 去趕火車了。
真是個乾燥又黑暗的夜晚。一輛載著貨物的火車正緩慢經過，Thwaite 自己笑了笑。剛好晚上
這時候有很多的貨物火車，需要其中一輛火車來躲藏他的罪過。他計畫用鐵鎚襲擊 Dunn 的頭，然
後把屍體放在鐵軌上，那火車一定會停下來。
慢慢地，兩個男人走著，Thwaite 握住 Dunn 的手。一陣微弱的微風吹向樹。Thwaite 輕輕地把
半睡半醒的 Dunn 往前推，他把手伸進口袋裡握住鐵鎚。
單字:
1. whiskey N
解釋: a strong liquor made from grain 威士忌酒
例句: A great deal of whiskey is made in Scotland.
很多威士忌酒是在蘇格蘭製造的
2. powder N
解釋: a dry substance in fine particles 粉；粉末
例句: This new washing powder can get the dirt out easily. 這種新洗衣粉可以輕易的洗淨汙垢
3. prison N
解釋: a place where criminals are kept for punishment 監獄；牢獄
例句: He was sent to prison for four years. 他坐牢四年
4. hid V ( hide 的過去式 )
解釋: conceal oneself 躲藏
例句: She hid the money under the mattress. 她把錢藏在墊子下
5. hammer N
解釋: a heavy weight attached to a piece of wire 鏈球
例句: The throwing events consist of javelin, discus, hammer and shot.
投擲項目包括標槍、鐵餅、鏈球和鉛球
6. pretend V
解釋: make believe 假扮
例句: She pretended surprise. 她假裝很驚訝
7. freight N
解釋: transported goods 貨物；transportation of such goods 貨運
例句: A truck brought a load of freight from the factory to the warehouse.
一輛卡車把一批貨物由工廠運到倉庫
8. plenty N
解釋: abundance 多；豐富；充分
例句: He has plenty of humorous stories to tell. 他有許多幽默故事可講。
9. gently Adv
解釋: in the gentle way 溫柔地；輕輕地；親切地
例句: Hold it gently. 輕輕握住它
Person 4 ( 4A2B0026 張書瑜 )
And stopped.
His keys！They were still inside the house, and he could not get back in without them！He would
have to ring the front door bell. His alibi was destroyed！
It was a bad mistake. Everything was wrong now. He couldn’t go on with the murder.
‘Most murders make mistakes, ’thought Thwaite, trying to calm himself. ‘I’ve been the same.’ But
he was shaking with fear as he thought about the mistake. Suddenly, he could not walk another step with
Dunn.
‘Goodnight,’ he said to the other man.
And before they reached the crossing, he turned and walked back to the house.
For ten minutes, Thwaite walked up and down outside until he began to feel calm again. Then he
rang the bell.
A few moments later, Jane opened the door.
‘Thank you Jane,’ he said. ‘I went to see Mr. Dunn over the crossing, and I forgot my keys.’
He went to bed a happier man. He was not a murder.
When he was eating his breakfast the next morning, he decided what to do. I’ll tell them at the office
that I stole the thousand pounds’, he said to himself. I’ll take my punishment, and then I can have some
peace again.
It suddenly seemed so easy.
Until Jane came in.
‘Have you heard the news, sir?’ she said. ‘Mr. Dunn was killed by a train on the crossing last night.
A man who was working on the railway line found him this morning.’
Thwaite slowly went white. Jane was looking at him strangely. What was she thinking? What story
did he tell her the night before? He couldn’t remember！
‘Dunn killed！’he said. ‘How terrible, Jane！I’ll go down.’
The body was in a small railway building, near the line. There was a policeman outside.
‘A sad accident, Mr. Thwaite,’ the policeman said. ‘You knew the man, didn’t you, sir?’
‘He worked in my office,’ replied Thwaite. ‘He was with me last night, discussing business. I
suppose this happened on his way home. It’s terrible！’
‘It’s very sad, sir,’ said the policeman. ‘But accidents will happen.’
‘I know that,’ said Thwaite. ‘But I wish he drunk’ so much of my whisky. I was going to walking
with him to the station.＇
The policeman looked closely at Thwaite. ‘And did you, sir? ’No,’ said Thwaite ‘The cool night air
seemed to make him feel better. I turned back before the crossing. ＇
The policeman said no more, but later that day two more policemen came to the office. ‘Have them
talk to Jane?’ wondered Thwaite. Again he hold them, ‘I left Dunn before we reached the railway
crossing.’ They wrote down what he said to them, then went away.
There were things that Thwaite could not explain to them. Why did the whisky bottle contain what
was left of a sleeping powder? Why was the study clock wrong by ten minutes? (At dinner-time earlier on
the same evening，Jane had noticed that it was right.) And why was the hammer found in his overcoat
pocket?
Then the police found the papers in Dunn’s house. The hand-writing on there was Dunn’s. It told the
story of Thwaite and the thousand pounds, and it told how Thwaite was a thief. The police then
discovered the money taken from Thwaite’s bank account over the last five years always appeared a few
days later in Dunn’s bank book.
Lastly, the time of death was known to be 10.30 pm because Dunn’s blood was found on the train
that went through the railway crossing at the time. It was also seven minutes before Jane open the front
door to that Thwaite back in.
At first, Thwaite had no answer to all their questions.
Finally, on his last morning, He told them the true story. Then he went to his death bravely.
然後停下來。
他的鑰匙！他們還在屋子裡，沒有了鑰匙他可進不去！這樣他將不得不按前門的門鈴，他的不
在場證明會被破壞！
這是個糟糕的失誤，現在的所有一切都是不對的 ，他便無法繼續謀殺。
「謀殺大部分都是會出錯的 。」Thwaite 想，試圖讓他自己冷靜下來。「我只要像之前一樣就
好。」但他一想到那個錯誤便因為恐懼而顫抖著。突然間，他無法和 Dunn 繼續一起走下去了。
「晚安。」他向另一個人說。
在快要走到路口時，他轉向並走回屋子。
在這十分鐘內，Thwaite 去外面走上走下，直到他再次恢復平靜，並且按了門鈴。
幾分鐘後，Jane 出來開了門。
「謝謝你 Jane。」他說。「我回去路口看了 Thwaite 先生，然後我忘了我的鑰匙。」
他開心地去睡覺，他並不是謀殺者。
當他隔天早上吃早餐時，他已決定好怎麼做了。
「我要告訴他們，我在辦公室裡偷了一千英鎊。」
他和自己說。「我給了自己懲罰，然後就可以再次感到平靜點了。」
它突然顯得如此簡單。
直到 Jane 走了進來。
「先生你有聽說過這則新聞嗎?」她說。「Thwaite 先生是死於昨晚在路口那的火車的，今天早
上被走鐵道的人發現。」
Thwaite 臉色慢慢地慘白，Jane 正詭異地看著他。「她在想什麼呢?該怎麼告訴她前一天晚上
的事?」他居然忘了。
「Dunn 被殺了！」他說。
「Jane 這是多麼可怕啊！我去看看。」屍體在一座小的鐵路建設，靠
近鐵路外面站著一位警察。「Thwaite 先生，這真是一個令人悲傷的意外。」他說。「先生你認識他
對嗎?」
「他在我的辦公室裡工作。」Thwaite 答道。「他昨天和我在一起討論公務的事，我想這應該
是發生在他回家的路上，這實在是可怕了！」
「這真得很令人難過，先生。」警察說。「但意外總是會發生的。」
「我明白。」Thwaite 說。「但我希望要不是我的威士忌，他就不會那麼醉了，我要和他一起
走去車站的。」
「所以，先生你有嗎?」警察靠近地看著 Thwaite 問道。「不。」Thwaite 說。「冷冷的夜晚似
乎讓他覺得比較舒服，我在路口前便往回走了。」
那個警察不再說什麼了，但在那天之後有兩個警察來到了辦公室。「他們有和 Jane 說嗎?」
Thwaite 想。他和他們又說了一次「我和 Dunn 到鐵道路口前，我們就分開了。」警察們寫下他和
他們所說的話便離開了。也有些 Thwaite 沒辦法和他們解釋的事，為什麼威士忌的瓶中剩下的部
分含有安眠藥粉?為什麼學習時時鐘的那十分鐘的時間不對呢? （當天晚上的晚餐時間比較早，Jane
有注意到正確的時間。）為什麼在他的大衣口袋裡發現了錘子？
之後警方在 Dunn 的房子裡找到了紙張，上面的手寫筆跡是 Dunn 的。這說到了 Thwaite 和一
千萬英鎊，以及說明了 Thwaite 是一個小偷。隨後警方發現，在過去五年從 Thwaite 的銀行賬戶取
的錢，幾天後都會一直在 Dunn 的銀行存摺出現。
最後，死亡時間為晚上 10 半，因為 Dunn 的血被發現是在當時火車要通過的鐵路道口之處，
而那也正是 7 分鐘前，Jane 開前門要讓 Thwaite 進去的時候。
一開始，Thwaite 對於他們的問題答不出話來。最後，在他最後僅剩的早晨，他和他們說出了
真相，接著勇敢地面對他的死亡。
1. punishment
(n.)
解釋: the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.
例句: My punishment for littering was several hours of picking up trash .
我因亂扔雜物而受到的處罰是撿幾小時垃圾。
處罰，懲罰；刑罰
2. strangely (adv.)
解釋: in an unusual way used for saying that something is surprising or unusual
奇妙地；不可思議地；怪異地
例句: He left strangely.
他奇怪地離開了。
3. railway (n.)
解釋: the metal track that trains travel on.
《英》鐵路、鐵道、鐵路系統、鐵路公司
《美輕》輕軌鐵路
例句: All this changed with the invention of the railway.
隨著鐵路的發明這一切都改變了。
4. hand-writing (n.)
解釋: the particular way that someone writes using a pen or pencil 書寫、手寫、筆跡、筆法
例句: Is that signature in your hand-writing?
那個簽名是你的筆跡嗎？
5. reach (v.)
解釋: to arrive somewhere
a.抵達，到達；達到
例句: When will they reach Los Angeles? 他們什麼時候抵達洛杉磯？
b. to move your hand, arm, leg etc. towards something that you are trying to touch or pick up
伸出（手）、伸手及到、夠到
例句: He reached his hand out for the book I offered him .
他伸出手來接我給他的書。
c. to succeed in talking to someone by telephone or radio 與…取得聯繫
例句: We tried to reach them by cable. 我們試著用電報跟他們聯絡。
d. 伸出手（或腳）
例句: She reached up and picked a pear off a branch. 她抬起手從一根樹枝上摘下一顆梨。
e. 達到、及到、延伸
例句: The speaker’s voice couldn’t reach to the back of the auditorium.
演講人的聲音禮堂後排聽不見。
6. murder
解釋:
( n. )
a. the crime of killing someone deliberately 謀殺，兇殺；謀殺罪
例句: There has been a decrease in the number of murders on the city.
城裡兇殺案件有所減少。
b. trying to murder someone 要命的事（指極端不舒服，危險或困難）
例句: His piano playing is murder! 他的鋼琴彈得難聽死了！
( v. )
a. commit murder 謀殺，兇殺
b.
例句: She’ll murder you when she finds out what you’ve done.
她發現你幹了什麼事的時候，她會氣得把你給殺了。
扼殺（真理），糟蹋（藝術作品，音樂戲劇等）
例句: Their bad performance murdered the play. 他們糟糕的演出把那個劇本給糟蹋了。
7.drunk ( adj. )
a. unable to control your actions or behaviour because you have drunk too much alcohol
喝醉（酒）的
例句: He got dead drunk on only two cans of beer. 他才喝了兩罐啤酒就爛醉如泥了。
b. feeling something so strongly that you do not behave normally 陶醉的，興奮的[（+with）]
例句: He was drunk with success.他因成功而陶醉。
8.death (n.)
解釋: the state of being dead 死，死亡
例句: It was a matter of life and death to them. 對他們來說,這是生死攸關的事情。