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E-Books (english-e-reader), A Nose for a Story (2)

A Nose for a Story (2)

'You were saying about Nyree Singh...' Desiree reminded him.

'Ah yes, Nyree... She was a remarkable woman - a woman who could have told the world a lot about the famous people she knew. I knew her well.'

Desiree's eyes opened wider. Nyree Singh's secrecy and hatred of publicity had been well known. 'Really? And did she tell you about... her secrets?'

'Not at all.'

Desiree almost got very angry but decided that silence was the best approach. She was right.

'But,' he continued, leaning over towards Desiree, 'she once told me, as her friend, that she kept a diary. "If the world only knew the secrets that I have written in this diary" she said to me, "they would be shocked."'

'Shocked?' said Desiree.

Patel looked at her with a concerned expression. 'If that diary were shown to the world, I tell you, there would be scandal. Scandal! Some people would be in serious trouble, I tell you! It's a good job her brother keeps it safe, or there would be a lot of respectable public figures who would be...'

'She has a brother?'

'Oh, yes. Her older brother, Gopal - her only relation.

He was like a father to her. Yes, he has all her things, including that diary. It's safe in his hands. He's just a lonely old man who lives for his memories of his sister. He'll probably get rid of it sooner or later.'

'Get rid of it?' thought Desiree. 'Not if I can help it!'

While Desiree was deep in conversation with Patel, Professor Cyril Whitelaw was enjoying a cool glass of iced lemon tea in his small but comfortable room at the Excelsior. He was celebrating his first day in India by reading Indian Summer, the last novel by Nyree Singh, for the sixth time. He would have to know her works in detail if he was to write a great book about this secretive author's life. His publishers were paying for everything and expected results.

He hoped to see the house where she had spent so many years of her life very soon. Who knows what he might find there? Perhaps - and this was his secret hope - he might find some unpublished writings! The thought made him shake with excitement.

Whitelaw put down Indian Summer and his lemon tea and got up from his chair. He then played one of his favourite games - looking in the mirror and imagining his face on the back cover of his important future book: Nyree Singh - Secretive Star, the book that would finally make his name as an expert on serious modern literature. The thin face that looked back at him was that of a man of late middle age, with pale red hair and glasses. Its skin was pink from the heat and was already showing the first signs of sunburn. It needed a shave.

He decided to clean himself up and dress for dinner. After that he would have a drink in the hotel lounge. 'You never know,' he thought, 'there might be someone out there who knew her!'

Twenty minutes later he walked into the lounge of the Excelsior, where nobody knew Professor Cyril Whitelaw.

At least, not yet.

'My dear Miss Malpen...' began Patel.

'Call me Desiree, please.'

'Of course... Desiree. May I please introduce my brightest star, my finest actor and leading man, Ravi Narayan. He's going to star in my new film - Indian Summer. I've always wanted to make a film of my favourite book by my dear friend Nyree Singh - and now I am.'

'You naughty man, Raj!' said Desiree, giving Patel a playful tap on the wrist. 'You didn't tell me we had another good-looking man in the hotel! Why, he's almost as handsome as you!'

Patel laughed. They all did. It was a game Desiree was good at playing with older men. But this other man was not a day over forty and yes, he was handsome. But where had she seen him before?

Ravi Narayan smiled with white film-star teeth and said how pleased he was to meet her. The voice was familiar, too. That was when Desiree remembered him. His handsome face had been the only thing that had kept her awake through viewings of Patel's boring films. Her editor had insisted she watch them as preparation for this interview. She was glad she had decided to put on her best perfume after all. Perhaps it had been worth it. Now there was another link with Nyree Singh - perhaps he had been her film star boyfriend!

'I thought that Hollywood was interested in filming that book, Raj. I don't mean to be rude but why are you making it and not them?' It was a fair question and Desiree was curious to know the answer.

'It's all thanks to Nyree's brother. He is responsible for all her books now. And he likes my films. He wants the film made in India by Indians. By this Indian!' Patel pointed to himself and laughed loudly. They all laughed.

Their conversation was being listened to by a very interested figure with pale red hair and glasses who was sitting by the bar not far away, unnoticed by them, busily writing in a notebook. It was Professor Whitelaw.

'Yes indeed. I've known him for years,' continued Patel. 'He's spent his life looking after his sister. He still lives in their old house in the village. Goodness knows, Nyree had enough money to buy a palace but she insisted on staying there. She said it kept her feet on the ground. But it was Gopal who did that, if you ask me. He is getting old now, though, and his health is getting worse but he won't move from the place,' said Patel.

'So he decides what happens to her books?' asked Desiree.

'Yes. There must be lots of unpublished stuff there. Including that diary I mentioned. I'd love to have a look but Gopal won't let anyone near - he's no fool,' said Patel as he gave her a knowing look.

'Neither am I,' thought Desiree, who was already making plans to visit Gopal the next day. She was determined to get that diary one way or another.

'But there I go talking about an old man,' went on Patel, 'when you have handsome Ravi to entertain you. Did I mention he was to star in my next film?'

Handsome Ravi talked about himself for the next hour or two, long after Whitelaw was gone. It soon became clear that Ravi had never even met Nyree Singh. And he didn't seem to notice Desiree's necklace at all.

The next morning, Gopal Singh was looking at the rising sun from his bedroom window. He was glad he had agreed to let his old friend Raj film Indian Summer. Nyree had always said that foreigners should film her books because only they could see India with a fresh eye. He had always told her that was nonsense. They had argued about it but what, in the end, could he say? They were not his books and that was that. But now he was responsible. He would do what was best. At last.

The previous night, Raj had told him on the phone that a silly journalist from that awful National Diary magazine wanted to see him. Raj, as Gopal well knew, had always liked attractive women - his marriage never changed that - but even he knew trouble when he saw it. And Desiree Malpen was trouble. No doubt about that. She was not interested in Indian films. That was for sure. So Raj had, with Gopal's permission, made up a story about a diary full of scandals about important people. Raj had been a good actor in his youth so, while he was talking to Desiree, he had pretended to be drunk and to be talking too much - he was good at that kind of thing. And she had believed every word, just as he had expected her to!

Of course, Raj and Gopal both knew that Nyree had never kept a diary in her life. He remembered Gopal once telling him about Nyree's little box of secrets, so he had quickly thought of the plan. They had realised that the filming of Indian Summer would attract interest outside India and not all of it welcome. Desiree Malpen was a good example. Raj told Gopal he could either send her away or he could carry out the joke. If she was more interested in scandal than his films she should not get any pity. Gopal laughed and told him to go ahead.

Good old Raj!

Desiree had also got up early that morning. Ravi Narayan had proved to be as good a talker as she was a listener. Perhaps better. Old Patel had smiled as he allowed his star to talk and talk and talk. Her cassette had soon finished and she hadn't got another. She had hoped to catch more details about Nyree Singh and her diary. Oh yes, there had been a lot mentioned - famous names, important names from all over the place - when Ravi took a breath and allowed Patel to talk for a while. This had not been often enough to please her, but by then her interest had been awakened. She was sure there was a story - and a big one, too. And as for Nyree's death in that so-called car accident! Had it really been an accident? There was the smell of scandal there, she just knew it!

She had phoned Nyree's brother and told him she wanted to get out quickly to see him. She was sure that old Gopal, or whatever his name was, would be as helpful as Patel had been, especially if he was a lonely old man. How could he refuse an attractive woman like her?

The diary would be hers. She was sure of it. Even if she had to steal it.

She decided she would wear a yellow trouser suit that would allow her to move freely around the place - she wanted to have a good look around when she got there. She looked great in the trouser suit and her appearance usually helped her get what she wanted. That and lots of nice perfume, of course. One had to smell nice.

Five minutes later she was on her way in a taxi. She had all the windows closed.

Later that morning Gopal Singh went out to change the flowers for fresh ones from the garden. The house needed the sweet smell. It had not been joined to the sewage system - it was an old house and still had no modern pipes. Waste was collected every month from a cesspit some distance away in the large garden. The cesspit was about two meters wide and over one meter deep and by the end of the month - as it was now - it smelled awful. But he was used to it.

As he walked down the garden he saw a man approaching, a middle-aged European man with glasses and pale red hair.

'Mr Singh?' said the man. 'May I have a word with you? It's about your sister.'

Gopal was always polite to visitors - if he liked the look of them. This man didn't look as if he meant any harm. He decided to speak with him.

Professor Whitelaw introduced himself and they were soon sitting in the house, drinking tea next to the new flowers. Whitelaw explained about his plans for a book about Nyree.

'It will be mostly about her work, you understand,' he said, rather nervously.

'Not about my sister's private life, I hope? Nyree was a very private person and I want that to be respected, even now,' Gopal said firmly.

'I would never mention anything without your permission, sir,' the professor said. 'This will be the kind of book students of serious literature will read, I assure you.'

Gopal felt happier when he heard this. Nyree had always attracted both students and teachers of literature. And there had to be a book sooner or later - it was bound to happen. When he heard Whitelaw tell him about his plans to write a book that would celebrate her work rather than the details of her private life, he knew that it would probably be the first of many.

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A Nose for a Story (2) Ein Gespür für Geschichten (2) Una nariz para una historia (2) Un nez pour une histoire (2) 이야기를 위한 코 (2) Nos do opowieści (2) Um nariz para uma história (2) Bir Hikaye İçin Burun (2)

'You were saying about Nyree Singh...' Desiree reminded him.

'Ah yes, Nyree... She was a remarkable woman - a woman who could have told the world a lot about the famous people she knew. ||||||außergewöhnliche||||||||||||||||| Ah oui, Nyree... C'était une femme remarquable - une femme qui aurait pu en dire long sur les personnes célèbres qu'elle connaissait. I knew her well.'

Desiree's eyes opened wider. Desirees|||weiter Nyree Singh's secrecy and hatred of publicity had been well known. ||||||Öffentlichkeit|||| Nyree Singhs Verschwiegenheit und seine Abneigung gegenüber der Öffentlichkeit waren allgemein bekannt. 'Really? And did she tell you about... her secrets?'

'Not at all.'

Desiree almost got very angry but decided that silence was the best approach. Desiree wurde fast wütend, entschied aber, dass Schweigen die beste Lösung sei. She was right. Sie hatte Recht.

'But,' he continued, leaning over towards Desiree, 'she once told me, as her friend, that she kept a diary. Aber", fuhr er fort und beugte sich zu Desiree hinüber, "sie hat mir als ihrem Freund einmal erzählt, dass sie ein Tagebuch führt. Mais, poursuit-il en se penchant vers Désirée, elle m'a dit un jour, en tant qu'amie, qu'elle tenait un journal. "If the world only knew the secrets that I have written in this diary" she said to me, "they would be shocked."'

'Shocked?' said Desiree.

Patel looked at her with a concerned expression. Patel sah sie mit einem besorgten Blick an. 'If that diary were shown to the world, I tell you, there would be scandal. Scandal! Some people would be in serious trouble, I tell you! Einige Leute wären in ernsten Schwierigkeiten, das sage ich Ihnen! It's a good job her brother keeps it safe, or there would be a lot of respectable public figures who would be...' ||||||||||||||||angesehene||||| Gut, dass ihr Bruder es sicher aufbewahrt, sonst gäbe es viele angesehene Persönlichkeiten des öffentlichen Lebens, die...'

'She has a brother?'

'Oh, yes. Her older brother, Gopal - her only relation.

He was like a father to her. Yes, he has all her things, including that diary. It's safe in his hands. He's just a lonely old man who lives for his memories of his sister. He'll probably get rid of it sooner or later.' |||dispose of||||| Wahrscheinlich wird er es früher oder später wieder loswerden.

'Get rid of it?' Es loswerden? thought Desiree. 'Not if I can help it!' 'Nicht, wenn ich es verhindern kann!'

While Desiree was deep in conversation with Patel, Professor Cyril Whitelaw was enjoying a cool glass of iced lemon tea in his small but comfortable room at the Excelsior. |||||||||Cyril|Whitelaw||||||||Zitronen|||||||||| Während Desiree in ein Gespräch mit Patel vertieft war, genoss Professor Cyril Whitelaw ein kühles Glas Zitroneneistee in seinem kleinen, aber gemütlichen Zimmer im Excelsior. He was celebrating his first day in India by reading Indian Summer, the last novel by Nyree Singh, for the sixth time. He would have to know her works in detail if he was to write a great book about this secretive author's life. ||||||||im Detail|||||||||||geheimnisvollen|| Er müsste ihre Werke im Detail kennen, wenn er ein großes Buch über das Leben dieser geheimnisvollen Autorin schreiben wollte. His publishers were paying for everything and expected results. |Verlage||||||| Seine Verleger zahlten für alles und erwarteten Ergebnisse.

He hoped to see the house where she had spent so many years of her life very soon. Er hoffte, das Haus, in dem sie so viele Jahre ihres Lebens verbracht hatte, sehr bald zu sehen. Who knows what he might find there? Perhaps - and this was his secret hope - he might find some unpublished writings! |||||||||||unveröffentlichten|Schriften The thought made him shake with excitement. Der Gedanke daran ließ ihn vor Aufregung zittern.

Whitelaw put down Indian Summer and his lemon tea and got up from his chair. Whitelaw stellte Indian Summer und seinen Zitronentee ab und erhob sich von seinem Stuhl. He then played one of his favourite games - looking in the mirror and imagining his face on the back cover of his important future book: Nyree Singh - Secretive Star, the book that would finally make his name as an expert on serious modern literature. Dann spielte er eines seiner Lieblingsspiele: Er schaute in den Spiegel und stellte sich sein Gesicht auf der Rückseite seines zukünftigen wichtigen Buches vor: Nyree Singh - Secretive Star, das Buch, das ihn endgültig als Experten für ernsthafte moderne Literatur bekannt machen würde. The thin face that looked back at him was that of a man of late middle age, with pale red hair and glasses. Das dünne Gesicht, das ihn anschaute, war das eines Mannes mittleren Alters, mit blassrotem Haar und einer Brille. Its skin was pink from the heat and was already showing the first signs of sunburn. |||||||||||||Anzeichen|| It needed a shave.

He decided to clean himself up and dress for dinner. After that he would have a drink in the hotel lounge. 'You never know,' he thought, 'there might be someone out there who knew her!'

Twenty minutes later he walked into the lounge of the Excelsior, where nobody knew Professor Cyril Whitelaw.

At least, not yet.

'My dear Miss Malpen...' began Patel. Mein liebes Fräulein Malpen...", begann Patel.

'Call me Desiree, please.'

'Of course... Desiree. May I please introduce my brightest star, my finest actor and leading man, Ravi Narayan. |||||||||||||Ravi Narayan|Narayan Darf ich Ihnen meinen hellsten Stern vorstellen, meinen besten Schauspieler und Hauptdarsteller, Ravi Narayan. He's going to star in my new film - Indian Summer. I've always wanted to make a film of my favourite book by my dear friend Nyree Singh - and now I am.' Ich wollte schon immer mein Lieblingsbuch von meiner lieben Freundin Nyree Singh verfilmen - und jetzt tue ich es.'

'You naughty man, Raj!' Du böser Mann, Raj! said Desiree, giving Patel a playful tap on the wrist. |||||verspielt|||| sagte Desiree und klopfte Patel spielerisch auf das Handgelenk. 'You didn't tell me we had another good-looking man in the hotel! Du hast mir nicht gesagt, dass wir noch einen gut aussehenden Mann im Hotel haben! Why, he's almost as handsome as you!' Der sieht ja fast so gut aus wie du!'

Patel laughed. They all did. It was a game Desiree was good at playing with older men. But this other man was not a day over forty and yes, he was handsome. Aber dieser andere Mann war keinen Tag älter als vierzig, und ja, er war gutaussehend. But where had she seen him before? Aber wo hatte sie ihn schon einmal gesehen?

Ravi Narayan smiled with white film-star teeth and said how pleased he was to meet her. The voice was familiar, too. Auch die Stimme war mir bekannt. That was when Desiree remembered him. Das war der Moment, in dem Desiree sich an ihn erinnerte. His handsome face had been the only thing that had kept her awake through viewings of Patel's boring films. ||||||||||||||Filmvorführungen|||| Sein hübsches Gesicht war das Einzige, was sie bei den langweiligen Filmen von Patel wach gehalten hatte. Her editor had insisted she watch them as preparation for this interview. |||besteht darauf|||||Vorbereitung||| Ihr Redakteur hatte darauf bestanden, dass sie sie zur Vorbereitung auf dieses Interview ansieht. She was glad she had decided to put on her best perfume after all. Sie war froh, dass sie sich entschlossen hatte, doch ihr bestes Parfüm aufzutragen. Perhaps it had been worth it. Vielleicht hat es sich ja gelohnt. Now there was another link with Nyree Singh - perhaps he had been her film star boyfriend! Jetzt gab es eine weitere Verbindung zu Nyree Singh - vielleicht war er ihr Filmstar-Freund gewesen!

'I thought that Hollywood was interested in filming that book, Raj. |||||||Verfilmung||| Ich dachte, Hollywood wäre an einer Verfilmung des Buches interessiert, Raj. I don't mean to be rude but why are you making it and not them?' Ich will nicht unhöflich sein, aber warum machst du es und nicht sie? Je ne veux pas être impoli, mais pourquoi c'est vous qui le faites et pas eux ? It was a fair question and Desiree was curious to know the answer. Es war eine berechtigte Frage und Desiree war neugierig auf die Antwort. C'était une bonne question et Desiree était curieuse de connaître la réponse.

'It's all thanks to Nyree's brother. Das ist alles Nyrees Bruder zu verdanken. He is responsible for all her books now. Er ist jetzt für alle ihre Bücher verantwortlich. And he likes my films. He wants the film made in India by Indians. Er möchte, dass der Film in Indien von Indern gedreht wird. By this Indian!' Bei diesem Indianer!' Patel pointed to himself and laughed loudly. They all laughed.

Their conversation was being listened to by a very interested figure with pale red hair and glasses who was sitting by the bar not far away, unnoticed by them, busily writing in a notebook. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||unbemerkt|||eifrig|||| Ihr Gespräch wurde von einer sehr interessierten Gestalt mit blassrotem Haar und Brille belauscht, die unbemerkt von ihnen an der Bar saß und eifrig in ein Notizbuch schrieb. It was Professor Whitelaw.

'Yes indeed. Ja, in der Tat. I've known him for years,' continued Patel. Ich kenne ihn schon seit Jahren", fuhr Patel fort. 'He's spent his life looking after his sister. Er hat sich sein Leben lang um seine Schwester gekümmert. He still lives in their old house in the village. Goodness knows, Nyree had enough money to buy a palace but she insisted on staying there. Meine Güte, Nyree hatte genug Geld, um einen Palast zu kaufen, aber sie bestand darauf, dort zu bleiben. She said it kept her feet on the ground. Sie sagte, so bleibe sie auf dem Boden der Tatsachen. But it was Gopal who did that, if you ask me. He is getting old now, though, and his health is getting worse but he won't move from the place,' said Patel. Er wird jetzt zwar alt und sein Gesundheitszustand verschlechtert sich, aber er will nicht von hier wegziehen", sagte Patel.

'So he decides what happens to her books?' Er entscheidet also, was mit ihren Büchern passiert? asked Desiree.

'Yes. There must be lots of unpublished stuff there. Es muss dort eine Menge unveröffentlichtes Material geben. Including that diary I mentioned. I'd love to have a look but Gopal won't let anyone near - he's no fool,' said Patel as he gave her a knowing look. Ich würde gerne einen Blick darauf werfen, aber Gopal lässt niemanden in seine Nähe - er ist nicht dumm", sagte Patel und warf ihr einen wissenden Blick zu. J'aimerais bien jeter un coup d'œil, mais Gopal ne laissera personne s'approcher - il n'est pas dupe", dit Patel en lui jetant un regard complice.

'Neither am I,' thought Desiree, who was already making plans to visit Gopal the next day. Ich auch nicht", dachte Desiree, die bereits Pläne für einen Besuch bei Gopal am nächsten Tag machte. She was determined to get that diary one way or another. Sie war fest entschlossen, das Tagebuch auf die eine oder andere Weise zu bekommen.

'But there I go talking about an old man,' went on Patel, 'when you have handsome Ravi to entertain you. ||||||||||||||||||unterhalten| Aber ich spreche hier von einem alten Mann", fuhr Patel fort, "und du hast den schönen Ravi, der dich unterhält. Did I mention he was to star in my next film?' Habe ich schon erwähnt, dass er in meinem nächsten Film mitspielen wird?

Handsome Ravi talked about himself for the next hour or two, long after Whitelaw was gone. Der gutaussehende Ravi sprach die nächsten ein oder zwei Stunden über sich selbst, lange nachdem Whitelaw gegangen war. It soon became clear that Ravi had never even met Nyree Singh. Bald wurde klar, dass Ravi Nyree Singh noch nie getroffen hatte. And he didn't seem to notice Desiree's necklace at all. Und er schien Desirees Halskette überhaupt nicht zu bemerken.

The next morning, Gopal Singh was looking at the rising sun from his bedroom window. He was glad he had agreed to let his old friend Raj film Indian Summer. Er war froh, dass er zugestimmt hatte, seinen alten Freund Raj Indian Summer filmen zu lassen. Nyree had always said that foreigners should film her books because only they could see India with a fresh eye. Nyree hatte immer gesagt, dass Ausländer ihre Bücher verfilmen sollten, weil nur sie Indien mit einem neuen Blick sehen könnten. He had always told her that was nonsense. They had argued about it but what, in the end, could he say? Sie hatten sich darüber gestritten, aber was konnte er schließlich sagen? They were not his books and that was that. But now he was responsible. Aber jetzt war er verantwortlich. He would do what was best. At last.

The previous night, Raj had told him on the phone that a silly journalist from that awful National Diary magazine wanted to see him. Am Abend zuvor hatte Raj ihm am Telefon gesagt, dass ein dummer Journalist von dieser schrecklichen Zeitschrift National Diary ihn sprechen wollte. Raj, as Gopal well knew, had always liked attractive women - his marriage never changed that - but even he knew trouble when he saw it. Raj hatte, wie Gopal wusste, schon immer attraktive Frauen gemocht - daran hatte auch seine Heirat nichts geändert -, aber selbst er erkannte Probleme, wenn er sie sah. And Desiree Malpen was trouble. Und Desiree Malpen bedeutete Ärger. No doubt about that. She was not interested in Indian films. That was for sure. So Raj had, with Gopal's permission, made up a story about a diary full of scandals about important people. ||||Gopals|||||||||||Skandalen||| Also hatte Raj mit Gopals Erlaubnis eine Geschichte über ein Tagebuch voller Skandale über wichtige Leute erfunden. Raj had been a good actor in his youth so, while he was talking to Desiree, he had pretended to be drunk and to be talking too much - he was good at that kind of thing. Raj war in seiner Jugend ein guter Schauspieler gewesen, und so hatte er im Gespräch mit Desiree so getan, als sei er betrunken und würde zu viel reden - darin war er gut. And she had believed every word, just as he had expected her to! Und sie hatte ihm jedes Wort geglaubt, genau wie er es von ihr erwartet hatte!

Of course, Raj and Gopal both knew that Nyree had never kept a diary in her life. Natürlich wussten sowohl Raj als auch Gopal, dass Nyree noch nie in ihrem Leben ein Tagebuch geführt hatte. He remembered Gopal once telling him about Nyree's little box of secrets, so he had quickly thought of the plan. Er erinnerte sich, dass Gopal ihm einmal von Nyrees kleiner Geheimschatulle erzählt hatte, und so hatte er sich den Plan schnell ausgedacht. They had realised that the filming of Indian Summer would attract interest outside India and not all of it welcome. |||||Dreharbeiten|||||wecken||||||||| Desiree Malpen was a good example. Raj told Gopal he could either send her away or he could carry out the joke. Raj sagte zu Gopal, er könne sie entweder wegschicken oder den Scherz ausführen. If she was more interested in scandal than his films she should not get any pity. Wenn sie mehr an einem Skandal als an seinen Filmen interessiert war, sollte sie kein Mitleid bekommen. Gopal laughed and told him to go ahead. Gopal lachte und sagte ihm, er solle weitermachen.

Good old Raj!

Desiree had also got up early that morning. Ravi Narayan had proved to be as good a talker as she was a listener. |||||||||Redner|||||Zuhörerin Ravi Narayan hatte bewiesen, dass er ebenso gut reden konnte wie sie zuhören. Perhaps better. Old Patel had smiled as he allowed his star to talk and talk and talk. Der alte Patel hatte gelächelt, als er seinen Star reden und reden und reden ließ. Her cassette had soon finished and she hadn't got another. |Kassette|||||||| Ihre Kassette war bald zu Ende und sie hatte keine neue bekommen. She had hoped to catch more details about Nyree Singh and her diary. Oh yes, there had been a lot mentioned - famous names, important names from all over the place - when Ravi took a breath and allowed Patel to talk for a while. Oh ja, es wurden viele Namen genannt - berühmte Namen, wichtige Namen von überall her -, als Ravi durchatmete und Patel eine Weile reden ließ. This had not been often enough to please her, but by then her interest had been awakened. ||||||||||||||||geweckt Das war nicht oft genug gewesen, um sie zu erfreuen, aber inzwischen war ihr Interesse geweckt worden. She was sure there was a story - and a big one, too. And as for Nyree's death in that so-called car accident! Und was den Tod von Nyree bei diesem so genannten Autounfall angeht! Had it really been an accident? There was the smell of scandal there, she just knew it!

She had phoned Nyree's brother and told him she wanted to get out quickly to see him. Sie hatte Nyrees Bruder angerufen und ihm gesagt, dass sie schnell zu ihm fahren wollte. She was sure that old Gopal, or whatever his name was, would be as helpful as Patel had been, especially if he was a lonely old man. Sie war sich sicher, dass der alte Gopal, oder wie auch immer er heißen mochte, genauso hilfreich sein würde wie Patel, vor allem wenn er ein einsamer alter Mann war. How could he refuse an attractive woman like her? Wie könnte er eine attraktive Frau wie sie abweisen?

The diary would be hers. She was sure of it. Even if she had to steal it. Selbst wenn sie ihn stehlen müsste.

She decided she would wear a yellow trouser suit that would allow her to move freely around the place - she wanted to have a good look around when she got there. |||||||Hosenanzug||||||||frei||||||||||||||| Sie beschloss, einen gelben Hosenanzug zu tragen, in dem sie sich frei bewegen konnte - sie wollte sich vor Ort genau umsehen. She looked great in the trouser suit and her appearance usually helped her get what she wanted. Sie sah in dem Hosenanzug großartig aus, und ihr Auftreten half ihr in der Regel, das zu bekommen, was sie wollte. That and lots of nice perfume, of course. One had to smell nice. Man musste gut riechen.

Five minutes later she was on her way in a taxi. She had all the windows closed.

Later that morning Gopal Singh went out to change the flowers for fresh ones from the garden. The house needed the sweet smell. It had not been joined to the sewage system - it was an old house and still had no modern pipes. Es war nicht an das Abwassersystem angeschlossen - es war ein altes Haus und hatte noch keine modernen Leitungen. Waste was collected every month from a cesspit some distance away in the large garden. |||||||Abwassergrube||||||| Die Abfälle wurden jeden Monat aus einer Senkgrube in dem großen Garten abgeholt, die sich in einiger Entfernung befand. The cesspit was about two meters wide and over one meter deep and by the end of the month - as it was now - it smelled awful. ||||||||||Meter||||||||||||||| Die Senkgrube war etwa zwei Meter breit und über einen Meter tief, und am Ende des Monats - so wie jetzt - stank sie fürchterlich. But he was used to it. Aber er war daran gewöhnt. Ale był do tego przyzwyczajony.

As he walked down the garden he saw a man approaching, a middle-aged European man with glasses and pale red hair. Als er durch den Garten ging, sah er einen Mann auf sich zukommen, einen Europäer mittleren Alters mit Brille und blassrotem Haar.

'Mr Singh?' said the man. 'May I have a word with you? It's about your sister.'

Gopal was always polite to visitors - if he liked the look of them. Gopal war immer höflich zu Besuchern - wenn ihm ihr Aussehen gefiel. Gopal est toujours poli avec les visiteurs - s'ils lui plaisent. This man didn't look as if he meant any harm. |||||||||ill intent Dieser Mann sah nicht so aus, als ob er etwas Böses wollte. He decided to speak with him.

Professor Whitelaw introduced himself and they were soon sitting in the house, drinking tea next to the new flowers. Professor Whitelaw|||||||||||||||||| Professor Whitelaw stellte sich vor, und bald saßen sie im Haus und tranken Tee neben den neuen Blumen. Whitelaw explained about his plans for a book about Nyree.

'It will be mostly about her work, you understand,' he said, rather nervously.

'Not about my sister's private life, I hope? Nyree was a very private person and I want that to be respected, even now,' Gopal said firmly.

'I would never mention anything without your permission, sir,' the professor said. 'This will be the kind of book students of serious literature will read, I assure you.' ||||||||||||||versichere|

Gopal felt happier when he heard this. Gopal fühlte sich glücklicher, als er dies hörte. Nyree had always attracted both students and teachers of literature. Nyree war schon immer ein Anziehungspunkt für Studenten und Dozenten der Literatur. And there had to be a book sooner or later - it was bound to happen. ||||||||||||unvermeidlich|| Und früher oder später musste es ein Buch geben - es musste einfach passieren. When he heard Whitelaw tell him about his plans to write a book that would celebrate her work rather than the details of her private life, he knew that it would probably be the first of many. Als er hörte, dass Whitelaw ihm von seinen Plänen erzählte, ein Buch zu schreiben, in dem ihre Arbeit gewürdigt werden sollte und nicht die Details ihres Privatlebens, wusste er, dass es wahrscheinlich das erste von vielen sein würde.