Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

Warm-up Activities

Background Information

Vocabulary

Text Analysis

Detailed Study of the Text

Exercises

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

 

 

 

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later Holmes wakes him up.

“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson replies, :”I see millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?”

Watson ponders for a minute. “ Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?”

Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.”

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

 

  English novelist, playwright, and journalist, was bor

n in London into literary circumstances. His father, Be

njamin Farjeon, was a well-known novelist and he was

the brother of the children's writer Eleanor Farjeon and

the playwright Herbert Farjeon. Although he was a des

cendant of Thomas Jefferson, Farjeon was named aft

er his maternal grandfather, the American actor Josep

h Jefferson. He was educated privately and at Peterbo

rough Lodge. From 1910 to 1920 he did editorial work

for the Amalgamated Press.  

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

Farjeon's career as a fiction writer was long and prol

ific. With over eighty published novels to his credit, ma

ny in the mystery and detective genre, he enjoyed wha

t the London Times obituarist called a deserved popul

arity for "ingenious and entertaining plots and characte

rization." His early novel, Master Criminal, is a tale of i

dentity reversal involving two brothers, one a master d

etective, the other a master criminal. "Mr. Farjeon displ

ays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling," dec

lared the New York Times reviewer, "and multiplies th

e interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a

rigid compression."

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

Farjeon was one of the first detective writers to mingl

e romance with crime. Although known for his keen hum

or and flashing wit, he was no stranger to the sinister and

terrifying. The critic for the Saturday Review of Literature

praised Death in the Inkwell, one of his later books, callin

g it an "amusing, satirical, and frequently hair-raising yar

n of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his im

aginary characters. Tricky."  

Lesson Two Waiting for the Police

Vocabulary

1. to pop in and out: to make brief visit and then leave suddenly

She’s always popping in and out.

I’ve just popped in to say hello.

I’m afraid she’s just popped out for a few minutes.

I am just popping round to the shop.

Vocabulary

2. eccentric: a. a. departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern b. deviating from a circular form or path, as in an elliptical orbit

The old lady has some eccentric habits.

Mars, Venus and the other planets move in eccentric orbits. 火星、金星及其他行星沿不正圆的轨道运行。

Vocabulary

3. inquire: v. to seek information by asking a question

to make an inquiry or investigation

I’ll inquire about the flights.

She inquired after my mother’s health.

The director inquired of me about/concerning our work.

We inquired into his story, and found it was true.

He inquired for the book in a bookshop.

Text Analysis

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.

Characters:

Mrs. Mayton, Mr. Monty Smith, Miss Wicks, Bella, Mr. Calthrop, Mr. Penbury

Setting:

Text Analysis

Structure:

Part I (Paras. 1– 11): an idle discussion about where Mr. Wainright 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 directs a general rehearsal of their alibis while waiting for the police.

Part IV (Paras. 89– 91): a suspense ending

Text Analysis

Mrs. Mayton

Mr. Monty Smith

Bella

Miss. Wicks

Mr. Calthrop

Mr. Penbury

landlady

as polite as paleoldest

Young lovely

Middle-aged

Eccentric intelligent

Try to keep everyone talking

Keep any ball rolling

Knitting all the timeNot particularly smart

Walk in sleep, doze all the time

Have a chilling effect, possess a brain

Detailed Study of the Text

How is the story started? (read the first paragraph)

The story starts with a question from the landlady Mrs. Mayton.

This as an appropriate and direct beginning. The question immedi

ately arouses the attention of the boarders gathered in the drawing

room. This first bit of conversation is actually the beginning of an i

dle conversation conducted by bored people to kill time. But this p

art gives us a brief introduction of all the boarders and prepares u

s for an unexpected turn of events.

Detailed Study of the Text

Why did Mrs. Mayton ask this question? (read the first part)

It didn’t matter to her in the least where Mr. Wainwright had gone.

What she is really interested in is the money paid by the boarders.

And sometimes, as a landlady, she felt obliged to whip up a little

interest to start an idle conversation.

Detailed Study of the Text

What did Mr. Penbury say that got everybody’s attention? What was his purpose by doing this? (read the second part)

He announced that Mr. Wainwright is dead, which shocked everyone except Miss Wicks. He might feel too bored at such an evening hour and tried to stir up some interest to kill time, so he can be described as the director of this little melodrama.

Detailed Study of the Text

What was Mr. Penbury’s suggestion? What effect did he want to cultivate?

He told them he had phoned the police and propose that they consider their alibis while waiting for the police to come.

By directing a general rehearsal of their alibis, he tried to arouse everybody’s attention and created an atmosphere of tension and horror, which might be better than boredom.

Detailed Study of the Text

What did everyone respond to Mr. Penbury? How did they try to offer their alibis? (read the third part)

Most of them tried hard to clear up a little ground by considering their alibis, though they are nervous, excited, anxious, impatient, angry, …

Being the only person to know the inside story, Miss Wicks responded to Mr. Penbury’s conspiracy amusedly by making up a vivid plot of killing “Mr. Annoyance”.

Exercises

Translation of the phrases

board and lodging

a split second

whipping the dead horse

a matter of form

the tense atmosphere

to walk in one’s sleep

食宿

瞬间

做徒劳无益之事

走形式

紧张气氛

梦游