質問: the dark glassesからの英文です。 "that seems to be all right," mr simmonds said. "but wait a moment." he produced some coloured slides with lettering on them. miss simmonds gave me what appeared to be a triumphant one-eyed leer, and as one who washes her hands of a person, started to climb the stairs. plainly, she knew i had lost my attraction for her brother. but before she turned the bend in the stairs she stooped and came down again. she went to a row of shelves and shifted some bottles. i read on. she interrupted: "my eye-drops, basil. i made them up this morning. where are they?" mr simmonds was suddenly watching her as if something inconceivable was happening. "wait, dorothy. wait till i've tested the girl's eyes." she had lifted down a small brown bottle. "i want my eye-drops. i wish you wouldn't displace--are these they?" i noted her correct phrase, "are these they?" and it seemed just over the border of correctness. perhaps, after all, this brother and sister were strange, vicious, in the wrong. muriel sparkのthe dark glassesからの英文です。 主人公は15歳ぐらいの女の子です。 basil=検眼士です。 dorothyは検眼士の姉です。 主人公が検眼のためにbasilの店を訪れている場面です。 ---------------------------------------------------------- ●miss simmonds gave me what appeared to be a triumphant one-eyed leer, and as one who washes her hands of a person, started to climb the stairs.のone who washes her hands of a personとはどういう意味ですか? ●最後の行の方にあるit seemed just over the border of correctness.とはどういうことを言っているのでしょうか? (itはare these they?のセリフの部分を指していると思うのですが、それがどうしてjust over the border of correctnessと思われたのかわかりません) ●一番最後に主人公が2人の姉弟に対してperhaps, after all, this brother and sister were strange, vicious, in the wrong.と思っているのですが、この根拠がよくわかりません。 小説を前から読んでいないと大変わかりにくいかと思いますが、教えてください。よろしくお願いします。 前文は dorothy was beside us in no time. she peered one-eyed at the glasses, then at me. "are you constipated?" she said. i maintained silence. but i felt she was seeing everything through her green glasses. "put them on," dorothy said. "try them on," said basil. they were ganged up together. everything was going wrong, for i had come here to see how matters stood between them after the affair of the will. basil gave me something to read. "it's all right now," i said, "but it was all a blur when i tried to read this morning." "better take a dose," dorothy said. i wanted to get out of the shop with my glasses as quickly as possible, but the brother said, "i'd better test your eyes again while you're here just to make sure." he seemed quite normal. i followed him into the dark interior. dorothy switched on the light. they both seemed normal. the scene in the little office last night began to lose its conviction. as i read out the letters on the card in front of me i was thinking of basil as "mr simmonds" and dorothy as "miss simmonds", and feared their authority, and was in the wrong. となっています。
回答: 1。miss simmonds gave me what appeared to be a triumphant one-eyed leer, and as one who washes her hands of a person, started to climb the stairs.のone who washes her hands of a personとはどういう意味ですか? wash one's hands of は、下記のように「見切りをつける」という意味ですが。ここでは「あの小娘は弟から手を引いたらしい」と一安心した様子をあらわしています。 http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=wash+one%27s+hands+of 2。最後の行の方にあるit seemed just over the border of correctness.とはどういうことを言っているのでしょうか? (itはare these they?のセリフの部分を指していると思うのですが、それがどうしてjust over the border of correctnessと思われたのかわかりません) 「正しさの境界をちょっとこえている」すなわち、ただしに間違いは無いが少々わざとらしくただしがっている。という意味でしょう。 普通なら、「これがそう?」と聞くときは are they those? で済むはずです。それをわざわざ "are these they?" と馬鹿正確にいったことへの違和感の表現です。 3。一番最後に主人公が2人の姉弟に対してperhaps, after all, this brother and sister were strange, vicious, in the wrong.と思っているのですが、この根拠がよくわかりません。 遺書の偽造を目撃して腹を立てるどころか、一緒のグルになった姉と弟。だから、結局のところ二人とも同じ穴の狢で、変で、邪悪で、間違ったことをしている、と思った訳です。