Travels with my aunt / Путешествие с тетушкой. Книга для чтения на английском языке

) полное собрание сочинений Вальтера Скотта (1771–1832), шотландского поэта, писателя] which I had inherited from my father. In his lazy way my father was a great reader, though not an adventurous one. He was satisfied with possessing a very few favourite authors. By the time he had read the set of Scott through he had forgotten the earlier volumes and was content to begin again with Guy Mannering. He had a complete set too of Marion Crawford, and he had a love of nineteenth-century poetry which I have inherited – Tennyson[37 - Tennyson – Альфред Теннисон (1809–1892), английский поэт] and Wordsworth and Browning[38 - Browning – Роберт Браунинг (1812–1889), английский поэт] and Palgrave’s[39 - Palgrave – Френсис Тернер Полгрейв (1824–1897), английский критик, поэт] Golden Treasury.

“Do you mind if I take a look?” the detective asked, but naturally he couldn’t open the urn. “It’s sealed,” he said. “With Scotch tape.”

“Naturally. Even a tin of biscuits…”

“I would like to take a sample for analysis.”

I was becoming rather cross[40 - was becoming rather cross – (разг.) уже начинал злиться] by this time. I said, “If you think I am going to let you play around with my poor mother in a police laboratory…”

“I can understand how you feel, sir,” he said, “but we have rather serious evidence to go on.

“Pot?”

“Marijuana to you, sir. Likewise Cannabis.”

“Wordsworth’s fluff has got nothing to do with my mother.”

“We could get a warrant, sir, easily enough, but seeing how you may be an innocent dupe, I would rather take the urn away temporarily with your permission.

“You can check with the crematorium. The funeral was only yesterday.”

“We have already, sir, but you see it’s quite possible – don’t think I’m presuming to suggest your line of defence, that’s a matter entirely for your counsel – that the man Wordsworth took out the ashes and substituted pot. He may have known he was being watched.