牛津書(shū)蟲(chóng)《難忘米蘭達(dá)》3．可怕的意外

A terrible accident
　　Duncan came back and worked at home again. Why did he hate Nick? I wanted to understand, but I couldn't ask because I was a little afraid of Duncan. He didn't talk much and he worked for hours in his room.
　　Old Mrs Harvey liked to cook, but because of her arthritis she couldn't cook much and she couldn't look after the children and the house. She often felt upset because of this. But she was much happier with Duncan at home. She smiled more and she cooked breakfast for him nearly every day. Sometimes she made bread. Duncan was kind to his mother and he played with the children every day. He drove them to school every morning and I drove them home in the afternoons.
　　One Friday afternoon I drove away from Beach House past Nick's farm. Just then, I saw Nick's Landrover on the farm road. 'He's driving very fast,' I thought. 'Oh no! He's not going to stop-' And he didn't. He drove out of the farm road and very nearly hit my car. I couldn't stop, So I drove off the road and the Landrover went past, only centimetres away.
　　The Landrover stopped. Nick got out, ran back to my car, and opened the door. 'Cathy! Are you all right?'
　　Then I saw a girl in the Landrover. It was Juliet. She got out and came up to us.
　　'You must drive more carefully, Nick!' she said angrily. 'You nearly hit Cathy then.' She wore a beautiful red coat and black trousers. Her dark eyes were angry, but they looked at Nick and not at me.
　　'Cathy's all right,' he said to her. He put his hand on her arm. His blue eyes were kind, but they looked at Juliet and not at me.
　　'We don't want more accidents,' Juliet said quietly. 'Remember Miranda.'
　　'Please move your Landrover,' I said coldly. 'I must get to school for the children. I'm going to be late.'
　　'Don't be angry.' Nick smiled at me. 'I'm very sorry.' He got back into the Landrover and moved it.
　　Juliet stood by my car.
　　'So you and Nick are friends,' I said to her. 'You didn't tell me about that.'
　　Juliet said nothing for a minute. 'You don't understand,' she said in the end. 'It's very difficult.'
　　I drove back on to the road. I nearly cried, and I felt very angry. Juliet was my friend. I had coffee with her and went to the cinema with her, but she said nothing about Nick. Why not? I had dinner with Nick and we talked all evening, but he said nothing about Juliet. Why not? I felt angry with Juliet and with Nick.
　　That evening Mrs Harvey's arthritis was bad and she went to bed early. Duncan cooked dinner and I ate with him and the children. Duncan talked and laughed with the children and I felt happy to be with them. Once, I felt Duncan's eyes on me, and suddenly my face felt hot. I didn't want to think about Juliet and Nick.
　　But later, in my room, I remembered Juliet's angry face and eyes. We don't want more accidents. Remember Miranda. Then I remembered old Mrs Harvey in London. The children's mother died two years ago. She told me that, but she didn't tell me about an accident. Perhaps it was a car accident? Perhaps Nick killed Miranda with his Landrover? Duncan hates Nick. Mrs Harvey told me that, too. Did Duncan hate Nick because Nick killed Miranda?
　　I slept in the end, but I didn't sleep well. The next day was Saturday and I was free in the morning. Duncan went to the shops with the children and I went to the library in Cromer. Miranda died on 30th September, two years ago. I knew that. Perhaps the town's newspaper wrote about her after she died. I must find something about her because I wanted to understand the Harvey family.
　　I found the old newspapers and began to read. The newspaper of 1st October told me everything.
YOUNG MOTHER DIES IN TERRIBLE ACCIDENT
Miranda Harvey, aged 26, fell down the stairs at her home and died later in hospital. Miranda lived with her husband and two children not far from Cromer. Duncan Harvey's mother lives with them. 'This is a terrible day for the Harvey family,' she said. 'We all loved Miranda very much, and now her two little children are without a mother.'
　　Juliet, aged 24, Miranda's sister, is a teacher at one of the schools in Cromer. 'My sister was a wonderful mother,' she said, 'and a loving sister to me.'
　　
　　I sat with my head in my hands. I could not move. We don't want more accidents. Remember Miranda. It wasn't a car accident; Miranda, that wonderful mother, fell down the stairs at Beach House - and I ran up and down those stairs six or seven times a day.
　　Then I looked at some of the later newspapers.
POLICE QUESTION DUNCAN HARVEY
Harvey, aged 34, was at home on the day of his wife's accident. He was upstairs with her before she fell. Then he went downstairs to the kitchen. How did the accident happen? Harvey does not know. He heard nothing, he says.
The police questioned Duncan for two days, I read, but in the end he went home to his children. It wasn't Nick, in his Landrover. Miranda died at home, and the police questioned Duncan. My hands were cold, my legs were cold, and I felt afraid.
　　Things were different at Beach House after my visit to the library. The house was a house with a secret, and the Harveys were a family with a secret. I thought about Miranda and the accident every day. I wanted to talk to someone about it, but I was afraid. Why did the police question Duncan? Be careful at Beach House. Why did Nick say that to me? Was it because of Miranda's accident? There were more questions in my head now. And the biggest question was this: did Miranda fall - or did someone push her?



upset adj. very sad, worried about something 心煩的
Landrover n. a type of strong car suitable for travelling over rough ground 路虎（一種多用途越野車）
centimetre n. a unit for measuring length 厘米
in the end finally 最后
difficult adj. hard to understand or deal with 難的；麻煩的
kill v. to cause death 殺死
loving adj. showing love 鐘愛(ài)的；慈愛(ài)的
question v. to ask (someone) questions 盤問(wèn)；詢問(wèn)