Waiting for the Police

By J. Jefferson Farjeon

Lesson Two

Contents

• Part One: Warm-up

• Part Two: Background Information

Part Three: Text Appreciation Part Four: Detailed Study

Part Five: Exercise

Warm up• Joke Can you think as Holmes does?

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. As they lay down for the night, Holmes said: “Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson said: “I see millions and millions of stars.”

Holmes: “And what does that tell you?”

Watson: “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.

Theologically it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.

What does it tell you?”

Holmes: “Somebody stole our tent.”

Background information

About the author• William J. Jefferson Farjeon (1883-1956) was born in

London, one of a family of four, all of whom were writers. He was named after his maternal grandfather who was an American actor.

Farjeon's career as a fiction writer was long and prolific (producing many works). He had over eighty novels published . He is best known for his mystery and detective genre in his stories and was one of the first modern authors to mix romance and humor with crime. Although known for his keen humor and flashing wit, he was also famous for his sinister (suggesting evil or that sth bad may happen) and terrifying description.

His Principal works• Novels--The Master Criminal, 1924;

• Little Things That Happen, 1925;

• Uninvited Guests, 1925;

• The Green Dragon, 1926 The House of Disappearance, 1927;

• Shadows by the Sea, 1928;

• Mystery Underground, 1928 (in U.S.: Underground);

• The 5.18 Mystery, 1929;

• The "Z" Murders, 1929 The Appointed Date, 1930;

• Following Footsteps, 1930;

• The House on the Marsh 沼泽地 , 1933;

Mystery FictionMystery Fiction

• Mystery fiction is a distinct sub genre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). It is similar to the whodunit in that the clues may often be given to the reader by subtle means. Though it is often confused with detective fiction, it does not require a crime to have occurred or the involvement of law enforcement.

Mystery FictionMystery Fiction • It often involves a suspense or a surprising ending

as the climax in order to draw the reader’s attention.

• The genre has its beginning in the riddles told in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Similar stories were told in the Middle Agesbut the genre didn’t really begin to develop until the detective stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The first true mystery novel is considered to be The Woman in White (1860) by Wilkie Collins.

Text Appreciation 1. Setting

• This story is set in a boarding house where life, especially evening life, is notoriously dull for the odd collection of people who live there.

• But one of the guests manages to think of something which does stir up quite a bit of interest.

Text Appreciation 2. Structure

• Part I (Paras. 1—11) an idle discussion about where Mr. Wainwright has gone and serving to introduce the characters who live in the boarding-house.

• Part II (Paras. 12—33) Mr. Penbury announces that Mr. Wainwright is dead.

• Part III (Paras. 34—88) Mr. Penbury direct a general rehearsal of their alibis while waiting for the police.

• Part IV (Paras. 89—91) a suspense ending

Text Appreciation 3. Writing Style

• The characters are vivid.

• The language is precise and the style is neat.

• The ending is surprising.

• It uses hyperboles, rhetorical questions and parenthetical elements.

Text Appreciation 4. Sketches the characters in the Boarding

House• Mrs. Mayton: the landlady, who is always trying to keep everyone talking;• Monty Smith: as polite as he was pale, and always did his best to keep any

ball rolling.• Miss Wicks: the oldest who has been knitting for 70 years and promise to

go on knitting for another 70; • Miss Bella: the young lovely, who does not seem to be particularly smart;• Mr. Calthrop: the middle-aged man, who is said to walk in his sleep and is

dozing off all the time;• Mr. Penbury: the most intelligent of them, but not very popular among the

boarders. He can be described as the director of this little melodrama.

Detailed study of the Text

Questions:1. Why does the author use a question as the beginning of

the story?

2. What is guinea?

3. What is a boarding-house? What is it like in the story?

• Paragraphs 1-11: • 1. But life---and particularly evening life---was

notoriously dull in her boarding-house, and every now and again one tried to whip up a little interest.

• Life in the boarding-house was terribly boring especially in the evening. To liven up the atmosphere, every now and then someone tried to stir up a little interest.

• But life---and particularly evening life---

• What about the use of dashes here?

• a boarding-house: a house whose owner provides people with meals and accommodation in return for payment on a weekly or monthly basis

• a boarding-school: a school where some or all of the pupils live there, as opposed to a day school

• to whip up a little interest: to stir up some interest, to try to arouse interest

• to whip sth/sb up: to make people become excited, enthusiastic, etc., e.g.

• They went all out but they didn’t succeed in whipping up much support for their candidate.

• The terrorist attacks whipped up many people into a frenzy of rage.

• to keep any ball rolling: to keep any conversation (activity or event) going once it has been started

• similar expressions: to set/start the ball rolling e.g.• She set the ball rolling at our last gathering by telling us

about her trip to Australia last summer.• It may not be very difficult to start a business but it is

certainly difficult to keep the ball rolling.• 3. She had knitted for seventy years, and looked good

for another seventy.• She had been knitting all he life for seventy years, which

suggests that knitting was her hobby. And she looked well and fit as if she could knit for another seventy years.

and looked good for another seventy years: This is an example of hyperbole to achieve humor. ( See Vocabulary Exercise 6. )

to be/ look good for: to be still in good condition to do sth; to be able to last, e.g.

This car is good for many more miles. This house was built in 1970. It looks good for another thirty years or so.

There are quite a number of sentences in thestory about knitting:.

“Perhaps he went out to post a letter,” suggested Miss Wicks, without pausing in her knitting.(6)The atmosphere seemed to tighten, but Miss Wicks went on knitting.(18)Miss Wicks looked definitely interested, though she did not stop knitting.(21)That meant nothing. She had promised to knit at her funeral.(21)But he turned now to Miss Wicks, and the old lady inquired, while her needles moved busily.(24)For a few minutes, Miss Wicks knitted rapidly, the steel points of the needles making the only sound in the room.(26)

• And I plunged a steel knitting-needle into his heart----like this.(77)

• 4. Bella was the boarding-house lovely, but no one had taken advantage of the fact.

• Bella was young and pretty and was seen as the beauty of the boarding-house, but no one had shown any particular interest in her.(Note the humorous touch here.)

• a lovely: a beautiful and attractive woman• to take advantage of: • (1) to make use of sth in a good sense• (2) to make use of sb/ sth in an unfair or dishonest way to

get what one wants

Which meaning does it take in the following sentences?

1) It is mean of him to take advantage of a widow. 2) We take advantage of the dry weather to paint the house.3) You should be on your guard against those who have eyes on your money and will take advantage of your generosity. 4) The school you are entering is a prestigious one. You should take advantage of the facilities there.5) I hope that full advantage is taken of his generosity to help those in poverty.

Paragraph 12-33

• 5. But Mrs. Mayton never allowed more than three minutes to go by without a word and so when the silence had reached its allotted span, she turned to Penbury and asked…

• But Mrs. Mayton would not tolerate any silence for more than three minutes. So when no one broke the silence( no one spoke) within three minutes ( the allotted Span) she lost her patience and, turning to Penbury, asked…

• to go by: to pass• to allot: to give ( time, money, duties etc.) as a share of

what is available

the allotted span: the time given for a particular purpose

She said she would be content to lice in any room allotted to her in this building.

They managed to get the work done within the time they had been allotted. (within the allotted time.)

6. The effect was instantaneous. Bella gave a tiny shriek. Mrs. Mayton’s eyes became two startled glass marbles. Monty Smith opened his mouth and kept it open. Mr. Calthrop, in a split second, lost all inclination to doze.

Notice the dramatic effect on the boarders of Mr. Penbury’s announcement. What rhetorical device is used here?

• instantaneous: happening or done immediately• gave a tiny shriek: gave a sudden shout in a weak

and frightened voice• Mrs. Mayton’s eyes became two startled glass

marbles: Mrs. Mayton became so shocked that he eyes opened wide and looked like two glass marbles ( 玻璃弹子 ). ( Notice the use of simile here.)

• Mr. Calthrop, in a split second, lost all inclination to doze: Mr. Calthrop, in an instant, became fully awake and had no intention of dozing off again.

• 7. “Dead?” gasped Mr. Calthrop.• Monty leapt up, and then sat down again.• “You don’t mean,” he gulped.• “How long---- that is ---- when do you

expect…?” stammered Monty. • What can we see from this bit of conversation

among the boarders?

• to gasp: to say sth while breathing hard• to gulp: to make a swallowing motion (to prevent

the expression of emotion by swallowing

Paragraph 34-91:

• 9. “Wait a moment!” ejaculated Bella.• Now, then ,don’t take too long thinking of an

answer!” glared Mr. Calthrop.• Flushed and emotional, Mrs. Mayton challenged

him.• “Why did you sit here for three minutes without

telling us?” she demanded.• “Well, I call that a rotten alibi!” exclaimed Mr.

Calthrop. “Who’s to prove you were out all that time?”• “Don’t take too long thinking of an answer” glared

Mr. Calthrop.

• What can we see from this part of conversation?

• 10. “Would you oblige next, Mr. Calthrop? We all know you walk in your sleep….”

• Would you please do me a favor and be the next to give you’re alibi, Mr. Calthrop? We all know you are a sleep walker (somnambulist). (Mr. Penbury is suggesting that Mr. Calthrop might have committed the murder in his sleep.)… Have you lost a handkerchief?(Mr. Penbury emphasized the word “you”, implying that Mr. Calthrop might be the one who had lost the handkerchief.)

• to oblige: (fml) to do sth for sb as a favor or a small service

• to walk in your sleep: to walk around while asleep

11. …“but let me suggest that you give the

statement to the police with slightly less emphasis.”

Note the satirical tone of the sentence. What he suggests is that Mr. Calthrop might not be telling the truth. Otherwise he wouldn’t get so nervous and put so much emphasis on his statement. He advises Mr. Calthrop not to do that when talking to the police if he does not want to arouse their suspicions about his story.

Exercises

1. Give the meaning of the following. 1) board 2) company 3) viciously 4) passage 5)powdered it

2. Give the Chinese of the following:

• 1) to turn on sb. with sudden ferocity

• 2) get on one’s nerves

• 3) to keep the game rolling

• 4) to give an alibi

• 5) just as a matter of form

3. Paraphrase:

• 1) He possessed a brain, and since no one understood it when he used it, it was resented.

• 2) “Now, then, don’t take too long thinking of an answer!” glared Mr. Calthrop.

• 3) “but let me suggest that you give the statement to the police with slightly less emphasis.”

4. Translate:

• 1) 她简直被眼前的景象吓呆了 . 就在今天 上午 , 她父亲还像往常那样去上班 .

• 2) 这是我国最长的公路桥 , 跨度达 2.5公里 .

• 3) 法律规定父母有让子女受教育的义务 .

• 4) 开会时进进是很不礼貌的 .

• 5) 我发现参观那地方很值得 , 那里的古典建筑都保存完好 .