【惊险悬疑小说】红玫瑰追杀令11
11
The photograph's shop was still closed when I left by taxi for the Convent of the Capuchins.I arrived five minutes early for my appointment.The attendant who took my money at the head of the stairs leading down to the catacombs warned me that they would be closing in twenty minutes.
From what I had read in my guide book,twenty minutes was longer than I wanted to be down there!The catacombs had been built to house the bodies of Capuchin nuns who had died of the plague in the sixteenth century.It had since become a resting place of many noble Sicilian families.The bodies were first preserved by a slow process of drying.They were then wrapped around with straw to restore to their original size,dressed in their clothes and propped up along the walls like rows of gruesome puppets.
The 'Corridor of Men' led off from the foot of the stairs.The place smelled of death and one look at the rows of skull-like heads on either side of me filled me with horrow.The day's visitors had gone and I felt no better for being alone!Keeping my gaze towards the floor and away from the grinning skulls,I began to walk along the corridor.It was then that I saw,among the pairs of dusty feet,a pair of well-polished and very modern looking shoes.I stopped.The figure above the shoes was cloaked like a Capuchin Monk,the hood or'capuche'pulled well down over the head.I forced myself to reach up and pushed it back.
The face beneath was that of the man who had given me the warning.He had kept the appointment,but would be doning no more.He was dead!
The attendant at the top of the stairs gave me a strange look as I shot past him and made for the street.I felt sick and needed some fresh air.I started walking.I bumped into a group of brown uniformed men coming out of a building.Above the doorway was an oval shild with the word‘Carabinieri'-the nearist thing in Sicily to an American police station.One of the city's yellow taxis was heading down the street towards me.Should I hail the taxi(15),or go into the police station(16)?( 文章阅读网：www.sanwen.net )
注释：
1，left by taxi for the Convent of the Capuchins：乘出租车到嘉布遣会修道院去。leave for：前往
2，appointment：（公务、商务等方面的）约会；date：（恋爱、交友性质的）约会。
3，The attendant who took my money：收了我的钱的服务员；who took my money是The attendant 的定语从句。全句的主干是：The attendant warned me that···；the stairs leading down to the catacombs：通向地下墓穴的阶梯； would be closing in twenty minutes：将在二十分钟后关门。
4，From what I had read in my guide book=From the information that I had read in my guide book:（根据）从旅游指南读到的有关信息（来判断）。
5， to house the bodies of Capuchin nuns ：为了安放嘉布遣会修女们的遗体；这个动词不定式短语作目的状语；house：动词，为···提供房屋( 安居之处）；body：尸体，遗体；nun：修女。
6， nuns who had died of the plague：死于瘟疫的修女们。 who had died of the plague是nuns的定语从句。
7，noble ：贵族的，显贵的；preserved：保存；process ：过程，工序
8，wrapped around with straw：用稻草包裹起来； to restore to their original size：以便修复到原来的尺寸。propped up; 撑起来；gruesome puppets：令人恐惧的木偶。
9，led off from ：从······开始；
10，one look at the rows of skull-like heads on either side of me filled me with horrow：只要看上一眼我两边任何一排像骷髅一样的人头，我就不寒而栗。句子主干：one look at the rows···filled me with horrow；one look at =if I take one look at；fill··· with ···:给（容器）装满······； fill a cup with water:给杯子装满水。
11，I felt no better for being alone！此刻无旁人，真是接头的绝佳时机！【字面意思】：独自一人的感觉好得不能再好了！
12，keeping my gaze towards the floor and away from the grinning skulls：盯着地板，不去看那些呲牙咧嘴的头骨。away from =keeping my gaze away from 。
13，It was then that ：正是在那时；强调句型。
14，well-polished and very modern looking：油光呈亮、外观非常时髦的；polish：磨光，擦亮，润饰；well-polished:擦得很亮的，精心修改润色的；well-trained：训练有素的；well-dressed:衣着考究的。
15，figure：身躯。
16，was cloaked like a Capuchin Monk：身披斗篷，活像一个嘉布遣会修士。
17，hood or'capuche'pulled well down over the head：头巾——或者说——尖顶风帽拉得很低，盖住了他的头。hood：头巾；capuche：尖顶风帽:连在披风（斗篷）上的兜帽,尤指嘉布遣会修士戴的长而尖的风帽。
18，that of the man who had given me the warning：给我警告的那个人的脸。that：指代“脸”。
19，shot past him and made for the street：飞跑着经过他身旁，跑向大街。
20 sick ：恶心，想呕。
22，bumped into ：撞见，遇见。
23，a group of brown uniformed men：一群穿着棕色制服的男子。
24， oval shild with the word'Carabinieri'-the nearist thing in Sicily to an American police station ：椭圆形的盾形图案，图案上有Carabinieri这个词--在西西里，这个词的意思最接近美国的警察局。
25，heading down the street towards me：沿街向我驶来。
26，hail the taxi：叫出租车。 11
乘出租车前往嘉布遣会修道院时，那家像馆仍关着门。离约定的时间还有五分钟，我就到了。
在通向地下墓穴阶梯的入口处，服务员收了钱后警告我说：还有二十分钟就要关门了。从读过的旅游指南来判断，二十分钟绰绰有余，我还不想呆那么久呢。这座地下墓穴是为存放修女们的遗体而建造的，那些修女死于16世纪的那场瘟疫。此后，就成为了西西里贵族家庭成员死后的安息地。遗体先是通过一种缓慢的干燥过程来保存，然后用稻草包裹起来，修复成原来的大小，给他们穿上其生前的服装，撑起来靠墙而立，活像一排排令人毛骨悚然的木偶。
“男人走廊”从阶梯底部开始。这地方满是死亡的气味；只要看上一眼两边任何一排人头——完全是骷髅——我就不寒而栗。此时一个游客都见不到了。此刻无旁人，真是接头的绝佳时机！我盯着地板，不去看那些呲牙咧嘴的头骨，沿着走廊搜索过去。就在那时，我看见了，在一双双布满灰尘的腿脚之中，有一双擦得油亮光滑，非常时髦的皮鞋！我停住了脚步。皮鞋上方的身躯披着斗篷，活像一个嘉布遣会修士；他的头巾拉得很低，把头都盖完了。我迫使自己伸出手去，轻轻地推了他一下。
头巾下，就是给我警告的那个人！他倒是准时赴约，却不可能有任何作为了：他已经死了！
我转身一路狂奔，跑上阶梯顶端经过那服务员面前时，他给了我一个奇怪的眼神。我飞跑，直向大街！
我感到恶心想呕，需要新鲜空气，于是漫步而行。不料又撞上了一群身穿棕色制服的男子，他们正从一栋大楼里出来。大门上方是一个椭圆形的盾形图案，图案上有Carabinieri这个词--在西西里，这个词的意思最接近美国的警察局。这时，一辆黄色的出租车向我驶来。
我应该叫出租车逃命呢（15），还是应该报警求救（16）？
