I had just become a medical man, but I had not started in practice, and I lived in rooms in Gower Street. The street has been renumbered since then, but it was in the only house which has a bow-window, upon the left-hand side as you go down from the Metropolitan2 Station. A widow named Murchison kept the house at that time, and she had three medical students and one engineer as lodgers3. I occupied the top room, which was the cheapest, but cheap as it was it was more than I could afford. My small resources were dwindling4 away, and every week it became more necessary that I should find something to do. Yet I was very unwilling5 to go into general practice, for my tastes were all in the direction of science, and especially of zoology6, towards which I had always a strong leaning. I had almost given the fight up and resigned myself to being a medical drudge7 for life, when the turning-point of my struggles came in a very extraordinary way.
One morning I had picked up the Standard and was glancing over its contents. There was a complete absence of news, and I was about to toss the paper down again, when my eyes were caught by an advertisement at the head of the personal column. It was worded in this way:
“Wanted for one or more days the services of a medical man. It is essential that he should be a man of strong physique, of steady nerves, and of a resolute8 nature. Must be an entomologist — coleopterist preferred. Apply, in person, at 77B, Brook9 Street. Application must be made before twelve o’clock today.”
Now, I have already said that I was devoted10 to zoology. Of all branches of zoology, the study of insects was the most attractive to me, and of all insects beetles11 were the species with which I was most familiar. Butterfly collectors are numerous, but beetles are far more varied13, and more accessible in these islands than are butterflies. It was this fact which had attracted my attention to them, and I had myself made a collection which numbered some hundred varieties. As to the other requisites14 of the advertisement, I knew that my nerves could be depended upon, and I had won the weight-throwing competition at the inter-hospital sports. Clearly, I was the very man for the vacancy15. Within five minutes of my having read the advertisement I was in a cab and on my was to Brook Street.
As I drove, I kept turning the matter over in my head and trying to make a guess as to what sort of employment it could be which needed such curious qualifications. A strong physique, a resolute nature, a medical training, and a knowledge of beetles — what connection could there be between these various requisites? And then there was the disheartening fact that the situation was not a permanent one, but terminable from day to day, according to the terms of the advertisement. The more I pondered over it the more unintelligible16 did it become; but at the end of my meditations17 I always came back to the ground fact that, come what might, I had nothing to lose, that I was completely at the end of my resources, and that I was ready for any adventure, however desperate, which would put a few honest sovereigns into my pocket. The man fears to fail who has to pay for his failure, but there was no penalty which Fortune could exact from me. I was like the gambler with empty pockets, who is still allowed to try his luck with the others.
No. 77B, Brook Street, was one of those dingy18 and yet imposing19 houses, dun-coloured and flat-faced, with the intensely respectable and solid air which marks the Georgian builder. As I alighted from the cab, a young man came out of the door and walked swiftly down the street. In passing me, I noticed that he cast an inquisitive20 and somewhat malevolent21 glance at me, and I took the incident as a good omen22, for his appearance was that of a rejected candidate, and if he resented my application it meant that the vacancy was not yet filled up. Full of hope, I ascended23 the broad steps and rapped with the heavy knocker.
A footman in powder and livery opened the door. Clearly I was in touch with the people of wealth and fashion.
“Yes, sir?” said the footman.
“I came in answer to ——”
“Quite so, sir,” said the footman. “Lord Linchmere will see you at once in the library.”
Lord Linchmere! I had vaguely25 heard the name, but could not for the instant recall anything about him. Following the footman, I was shown into a large, book-lined room in which there was seated behind a writing-desk a small man with a pleasant, clean-shaven, mobile face, and long hair shot with grey, brushed back from his forehead. He looked me up and down with a very shrewd, penetrating26 glance, holding the card which the footman had given him in his right hand. Then he smiled pleasantly, and I felt that externally at any rate I possessed27 the qualifications which he desired.
“You have come in answer to my advertisement, Dr. Hamilton?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you fulfil the conditions which are there laid down?”
“I believe that I do.”
“You are a powerful man, or so I should judge from your appearance.
“I think that I am fairly strong.”
“And resolute?”
“I believe so.”
“Have you ever known what it was to be exposed to imminent28 danger?”
“No, I don’t know that I ever have.”
“But you think you would be prompt and cool at such a time?”
“I hope so.”
“Well, I believe that you would. I have the more confidence in you because you do not pretend to be certain as to what you would do in a position that was new to you. My impression is that, so far as personal qualities go, you are the very man of whom I am in search. That being settled, we may pass on to the next point.”
“Which is?”
“To talk to me about beetles.”
I looked across to see if he was joking, but, on the contrary, he was leaning eagerly forward across his desk, and there was an expression of something like anxiety in his eyes.
“I am afraid that you do not know about beetles,” he cried.
“On the contrary, sir, it is the one scientific subject about which I feel that I really do know something.”
“I am overjoyed to hear it. Please talk to me about beetles.”
I talked. I do not profess29 to have said anything original upon the subject, but I gave a short sketch30 of the characteristics of the beetle12, and ran over the more common species, with some allusions31 to the specimens33 in my own little collection and to the article upon “Burying Beetles” which I had contributed to the Journal of Entomological Science.
“What! not a collector?” cried Lord Linchmere. “You don’t mean that you are yourself a collector?” His eyes danced with pleasure at the thought.
“You are certainly the very man in London for my purpose. I thought that among five millions of people there must be such a man, but the difficulty is to lay one’s hands upon him. I have been extraordinarily34 fortunate in finding you.”
He rang a gong upon the table, and the footman entered.
“Ask Lady Rossiter to have the goodness to step this way,” said his lordship, and a few moments later the lady was ushered35 into the room. She was a small, middle-aged36 woman, very like Lord Linchmere in appearance, with the same quick, alert features and grey-black hair. The expression of anxiety, however, which I had observed upon his face was very much more marked upon hers. Some great grief seemed to have cast its shadow over her features. As Lord Linchmere presented me she turned her face full upon me, and I was shocked to observe a half-healed scar extending for two inches over her right eyebrow37. It was partly concealed38 by plaster, but none the less I could see that it had been a serious wound and not long inflicted40.
“Dr. Hamilton is the very man for our purpose, Evelyn,” said Lord Linchmere. “He is actually a collector of beetles, and he has written articles upon the subject.”
“Really!” said Lady Rossiter. “Then you must have heard of my husband. Everyone who knows anything about beetles must have heard of Sir Thomas Rossiter.”
For the first time a thin little ray of light began to break into the obscure business. Here, at last, was a connection between these people and beetles. Sir Thomas Rossiter — he was the greatest authority upon the subject in the world. He had made it his lifelong study, and had written a most exhaustive work upon it. I hastened to assure her that I had read and appreciated it.
“Have you met my husband?” she asked.
“No, I have not.”
“But you shall,” said Lord Linchmere, with decision.
The lady was standing41 beside the desk, and she put her hand upon his shoulder. It was obvious to me as I saw their faces together that they were brother and sister.
“Are you really prepared for this, Charles? It is noble of you, but you fill me with fears.” Her voice quavered with apprehension42, and he appeared to me to be equally moved, though he was making strong efforts to conceal39 his agitation43.
“Yes, yes, dear; it is all settled, it is all decided44; in fact, there is no other possible way, that I can see.”
“There is one obvious way.”
“No, no, Evelyn, I shall never abandon you — never. It will come right — depend upon it; it will come right, and surely it looks like the interference of Providence45 that so perfect an instrument should be put into our hands.”
My position was embarrassing, for I felt that for the instant they had forgotten my presence. But Lord Linchmere came back suddenly to me and to my engagement.
“The business for which I want you, Dr. Hamilton, is that you should put yourself absolutely at my disposal. I wish you to come for a short journey with me, to remain always at my side, and to promise to do without question whatever I may ask you, however unreasonable46 it may appear to you to be.”
“That is a good deal to ask,” said I.
“Unfortunately I cannot put it more plainly, for I do not myself know what turn matters may take. You may be sure, however, that you will not be asked to do anything which your conscience does not approve; and I promise you that, when all is over, you will be proud to have been concerned in so good a work.”
“If it ends happily,” said the lady.
“Exactly; if it ends happily,” his lordship repeated.
“And terms?” I asked.
“Twenty pounds a day.”
I was amazed at the sum, and must have showed my surprise upon my features.
“It is a rare combination of qualities, as must have struck you when you first read the advertisement,” said Lord Linchmere; “such varied gifts may well command a high return, and I do not conceal from you that your duties might be arduous47 or even dangerous. Besides, it is possible that one or two days may bring the matter to an end.”
“Please God!” sighed his sister.
“So now, Dr. Hamilton, may I rely upon your aid?”
“Most undoubtedly,” said I. “You have only to tell me what my duties are.”
“Your first duty will be to return to your home. You will pack up whatever you may need for a short visit to the country. We start together from Paddington Station at 3:40 this afternoon.”
“Do we go far?”
“As far as Pangbourne. Meet me at the bookstall at 3:30. I shall have the tickets. Goodbye, Dr. Hamilton! And, by the way, there are two things which I should be very glad if you would bring with you, in case you have them. One is your case for collecting beetles, and the other is a stick, and the thicker and heavier the better.”
You may imagine that I had plenty to think of from the time that I left Brook Street until I set out to meet Lord Linchmere at Paddington. The whole fantastic business kept arranging and rearranging itself in kaleidoscopic48 forms inside my brain, until I had thought out a dozen explanations, each of them more grotesquely49 improbable than the last. And yet I felt that the truth must be something grotesquely improbable also. At last I gave up all attempts at finding a solution, and contented50 myself with exactly carrying out the instructions which I had received. With a hand valise, specimen32-case, and a loaded cane51, I was waiting at the Paddington bookstall when Lord Linchmere arrived. He was an even smaller man than I had thought — frail52 and peaky, with a manner which was more nervous than it had been in the morning. He wore a long, thick travelling ulster, and I observed that he carried a heavy blackthorn cudgel in his hand.
“I have the tickets,” said he, leading the way up the platform.
“This is our train. I have engaged a carriage, for I am particularly anxious to impress one or two things upon you while we travel down.”
And yet all that he had to impress upon me might have been said in a sentence, for it was that I was to remember that I was there as a protection to himself, and that I was not on any consideration to leave him for an instant. This he repeated again and again as our journey drew to a close, with an insistence53 which showed that his nerves were thoroughly54 shaken.
“Yes,” he said at last, in answer to my looks rather than to my words, “I AM nervous, Dr. Hamilton. I have always been a timid man, and my timidity depends upon my frail physical health. But my soul is firm, and I can bring myself up to face a danger which a less-nervous man might shrink from. What I am doing now is done from no compulsion, but entirely55 from a sense of duty, and yet it is, beyond doubt, a desperate risk. If things should go wrong, I will have some claims to the title of martyr56.”
This eternal reading of riddles57 was too much for me. I felt that I must put a term to it.
“I think it would very much better, sir, if you were to trust me entirely,” said I. “It is impossible for me to act effectively, when I do not know what are the objects which we have in view, or even where we are going.”
“Oh, as to where we are going, there need be no mystery about that,” said he; “we are going to Delamere Court, the residence of Sir Thomas Rossiter, with whose work you are so conversant58. As to the exact object of our visit, I do not know that at this stage of the proceedings59 anything would be gained, Dr. Hamilton, by taking you into my complete confidence. I may tell you that we are acting60 — I say ‘we,’ because my sister, Lady Rossiter, takes the same view as myself — with the one object of preventing anything in the nature of a family scandal. That being so, you can understand that I am loath61 to give any explanations which are not absolutely necessary. It would be a different matter, Dr. Hamilton, if I were asking your advice. As matters stand, it is only your active help which I need, and I will indicate to you from time to time how you can best give it.”
There was nothing more to be said, and a poor man can put up with a good deal for twenty pounds a day, but I felt none the less that Lord Linchmere was acting rather scurvily62 towards me. He wished to convert me into a passive tool, like the blackthorn in his hand. With his sensitive disposition63 I could imagine, however, that scandal would be abhorrent64 to him, and I realized that he would not take me into his confidence until no other course was open to him. I must trust to my own eyes and ears to solve the mystery, but I had every confidence that I should not trust to them in vain.
Delamere Court lies a good five miles from Pangbourne Station, and we drove for that distance in an open fly. Lord Linchmere sat in deep thought during the time, and he never opened his mouth until we were close to our destination. When he did speak it was to give me a piece of information which surprised me.
“Perhaps you are not aware,” said he, “that I am a medical man like yourself?”
“No, sir, I did not know it.”
“Yes, I qualified65 in my younger days, when there were several lives between me and the peerage. I have not had occasion to practise, but I have found it a useful education, all the same. I never regretted the years which I devoted to medical study. These are the gates of Delamere Court.”
We had come to two high pillars crowned with heraldic monsters which flanked the opening of a winding66 avenue. Over the laurel bushes and rhododendrons, I could see a long, many-gabled mansion67, girdled with ivy68, and toned to the warm, cheery, mellow69 glow of old brick-work. My eyes were still fixed70 in admiration71 upon this delightful72 house when my companion plucked nervously73 at my sleeve.
“Here’s Sir Thomas,” he whispered. “Please talk beetle all you can.”
A tall, thin figure, curiously74 angular and bony, had emerged through a gap in the hedge of laurels75. In his hand he held a spud, and he wore gauntleted gardener’s gloves. A broad-brimmed, grey hat cast his face into shadow, but it struck me as exceedingly austere76, with an ill-nourished beard and harsh, irregular features. The fly pulled up and Lord Linchmere sprang out.
“My dear Thomas, how are you?” said he, heartily77.
But the heartiness78 was by no means reciprocal. The owner of the grounds glared at me over his brother-inlaw’s shoulder, and I caught broken scraps79 of sentences —“well-known wishes . . . hatred80 of strangers . . . unjustifiable intrusion . . . perfectly81 inexcusable.” Then there was a muttered explanation, and the two of them came over together to the side of the fly.
“Let me present you to Sir Thomas Rossiter, Dr. Hamilton,” said Lord Linchmere. “You will find that you have a strong community of tastes.”
I bowed. Sir Thomas stood very stiffly, looking at me severely82 from under the broad brim of his hat.
“Lord Linchmere tells me that you know something about beetles,” said he. “What do you know about beetles?”
“I know what I have learned from your work upon the coleoptera, Sir Thomas,” I answered.
“Give me the names of the better-known species of the British scarabaei,” said he.
I had not expected an examination, but fortunately I was ready for one. My answers seemed to please him, for his stern features relaxed.
“You appear to have read my book with some profit, sir,” said he. “It is a rare thing for me to meet anyone who takes an intelligent interest in such matters. People can find time for such trivialities as sport or society, and yet the beetles are overlooked. I can assure you that the greater part of the idiots in this part of the country are unaware83 that I have ever written a book at all — I, the first man who ever described the true function of the elytra. I am glad to see you, sir, and I have no doubt that I can show you some specimens which will interest you.” He stepped into the fly and drove up with us to the house, expounding84 to me as we went some recent researches which he had made into the anatomy85 of the lady-bird.
I have said that Sir Thomas Rossiter wore a large hat drawn86 down over his brows. As he entered the hall he uncovered himself, and I was at once aware of a singular characteristic which the hat had concealed. His forehead, which was naturally high, and higher still on account of receding87 hair, was in a continual state of movement. Some nervous weakness kept the muscles in a constant spasm88, which sometimes produced a mere24 twitching89 and sometimes a curious rotary90 movement unlike anything which I had ever seen before. It was strikingly visible as he turned towards us after entering the study, and seemed the more singular from the contrast with the hard, steady, grey eyes which looked out from underneath91 those palpitating brows.
“I am sorry,” said he, “that Lady Rossiter is not here to help me to welcome you. By the way, Charles, did Evelyn say anything about the date of her return?”
“She wished to stay in town for a few more days,” said Lord Linchmere. “You know how ladies’ social duties accumulate if they have been for some time in the country. My sister has many old friends in London at present.”
“Well, she is her own mistress, and I should not wish to alter her plans, but I shall be glad when I see her again. It is very lonely here without her company.”
“I was afraid that you might find it so, and that was partly why I ran down. My young friend, Dr. Hamilton, is so much interested in the subject which you have made your own, that I thought you would not mind his accompanying me.”
“I lead a retired92 life, Dr. Hamilton, and my aversion to strangers grows upon me,” said our host. “I have sometimes thought that my nerves are not so good as they were. My travels in search of beetles in my younger days took me into many malarious93 and unhealthy places. But a brother coleopterist like yourself is always a welcome guest, and I shall be delighted if you will look over my collection, which I think that I may without exaggeration describe as the best in Europe.”
And so no doubt it was. He had a huge, oaken cabinet arranged in shallow drawers, and here, neatly94 ticketed and classified, were beetles from every corner of the earth, black, brown, blue, green, and mottled. Every now and then as he swept his hand over the lines and lines of impaled95 insects he would catch up some rare specimen, and, handling it with as much delicacy96 and reverence97 as if it were a precious relic98, he would hold forth99 upon its peculiarities100 and the circumstances under which it came into his possession. It was evidently an unusual thing for him to meet with a sympathetic listener, and he talked and talked until the spring evening had deepened into night, and the gong announced that it was time to dress for dinner. All the time Lord Linchmere said nothing, but he stood at his brother-inlaw’s elbow, and I caught him continually shooting curious little, questioning glances into his face. And his own features expressed some strong emotion, apprehension, sympathy, expectation: I seemed to read them all. I was sure that Lord Linchmere was fearing something and awaiting something, but what that something might be I could not imagine.
The evening passed quietly but pleasantly, and I should have been entirely at my ease if it had not been for that continual sense of tension upon the part of Lord Linchmere. As to our host, I found that he improved upon acquaintance. He spoke101 constantly with affection of his absent wife, and also of his little son, who had recently been sent to school. The house, he said, was not the same without them. If it were not for his scientific studies, he did not know how he could get through the days. After dinner we smoked for some time in the billiard-room, and finally went early to bed.
And then it was that, for the first time, the suspicion that Lord Linchmere was a lunatic crossed my mind. He followed me into my bedroom, when our host had retired.
“Doctor,” said he, speaking in a low, hurried voice, “you must come with me. You must spend the night in my bedroom.”
“What do you mean?”
“I prefer not to explain. But this is part of your duties. My room is close by, and you can return to your own before the servant calls you in the morning.”
“But why?” I asked.
“Because I am nervous of being alone,” said he. “That’s the reason, since you must have a reason.”
It seemed rank lunacy, but the argument of those twenty pounds would overcome many objections. I followed him to his room.
“Well,” said I, “there’s only room for one in that bed.”
“Only one shall occupy it,” said he.
“And the other?”
“Must remain on watch.”
“Why?” said I. “One would think you expected to be attacked.”
“Perhaps I do.”
“In that case, why not lock your door?”
“Perhaps I WANT to be attacked.”
It looked more and more like lunacy. However, there was nothing for it but to submit. I shrugged102 my shoulders and sat down in the arm-chair beside the empty fireplace.
“I am to remain on watch, then?” said I, ruefully.
“We will divide the night. If you will watch until two, I will watch the remainder.”
“Very good.”
“Call me at two o’clock, then.”
“I will do so.”
“Keep your ears open, and if you hear any sounds wake me instantly — instantly, you hear?”
“You can rely upon it.” I tried to look as solemn as he did.
“And for God’s sake don’t go to sleep,” said he, and so, taking off only his coat, he threw the coverlet over him and settled down for the night.
It was a melancholy103 vigil, and made more so by my own sense of its folly104. Supposing that by any chance Lord Linchmere had cause to suspect that he was subject to danger in the house of Sir Thomas Rossiter, why on earth could he not lock his door and so protect himself? His own answer that he might wish to be attacked was absurd. Why should he possibly wish to be attacked? And who would wish to attack him? Clearly, Lord Linchmere was suffering from some singular delusion105, and the result was that on an imbecile pretext106 I was to be deprived of my night’s rest. Still, however absurd, I was determined107 to carry out his injunctions to the letter as long as I was in his employment. I sat, therefore, beside the empty fireplace, and listened to a sonorous108 chiming clock somewhere down the passage which gurgled and struck every quarter of an hour. It was an endless vigil. Save for that single clock, an absolute silence reigned109 throughout the great house. A small lamp stood on the table at my elbow, throwing a circle of light round my chair, but leaving the corners of the room draped in shadow. On the bed Lord Linchmere was breathing peacefully. I envied him his quiet sleep, and again and again my own eyelids110 drooped111, but every time my sense of duty came to my help, and I sat up, rubbing my eyes and pinching myself with a determination to see my irrational112 watch to an end.
And I did so. From down the passage came the chimes of two o’clock, and I laid my hand upon the shoulder of the sleeper113. Instantly he was sitting up, with an expression of the keenest interest upon his face.
“You have heard something?”
“No, sir. It is two o’clock.”
“Very good. I will watch. You can go to sleep.”
I lay down under the coverlet as he had done and was soon unconscious. My last recollection was of that circle of lamplight, and of the small, hunched-up figure and strained, anxious face of Lord Linchmere in the centre of it.
How long I slept I do not know; but I was suddenly aroused by a sharp tug114 at my sleeve. The room was in darkness, but a hot smell of oil told me that the lamp had only that instant been extinguished.
“Quick! Quick!” said Lord Linchmere’s voice in my ear.
I sprang out of bed, he still dragging at my arm.
“Over here!” he whispered, and pulled me into a corner of the room. “Hush! Listen!”
In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor. It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent115, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride. Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle116 and creak which told of a fresh advance. My companion was trembling with excitement. His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched117 like a branch in the wind.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“It’s he!”
“Sir Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“What does he want?”
“Hush! Do nothing until I tell you.”
I was conscious now that someone was trying the door. There was the faintest little rattle118 from the handle, and then I dimly saw a thin slit119 of subdued120 light. There was a lamp burning somewhere far down the passage, and it just sufficed to make the outside visible from the darkness of our room. The greyish slit grew broader and broader, very gradually, very gently, and then outlined against it I saw the dark figure of a man. He was squat121 and crouching122, with the silhouette123 of a bulky and misshapen dwarf124. Slowly the door swung open with this ominous125 shape framed in the centre of it. And then, in an instant, the crouching figure shot up, there was a tiger spring across the room and thud, thud, thud, came three tremendous blows from some heavy object upon the bed.
I was so paralysed with amazement126 that I stood motionless and staring until I was aroused by a yell for help from my companion. The open door shed enough light for me to see the outline of things, and there was little Lord Linchmere with his arms round the neck of his brother-inlaw, holding bravely on to him like a game bull-terrier with its teeth into a gaunt deerhound. The tall, bony man dashed himself about, writhing127 round and round to get a grip upon his assailant; but the other, clutching on from behind, still kept his hold, though his shrill128, frightened cries showed how unequal he felt the contest to be. I sprang to the rescue, and the two of us managed to throw Sir Thomas to the ground, though he made his teeth meet in my shoulder. With all my youth and weight and strength, it was a desperate struggle before we could master his frenzied129 struggles; but at last we secured his arms with the waist-cord of the dressing-gown which he was wearing. I was holding his legs while Lord Linchmere was endeavouring to relight the lamp, when there came the pattering of many feet in the passage, and the butler and two footmen, who had been alarmed by the cries, rushed into the room. With their aid we had no further difficulty in securing our prisoner, who lay foaming130 and glaring upon the ground. One glance at his face was enough to prove that he was a dangerous maniac131, while the short, heavy hammer which lay beside the bed showed how murderous had been his intentions.
“Do not use any violence!” said Lord Linchmere, as we raised the struggling man to his feet. “He will have a period of stupor132 after this excitement. I believe that it is coming on already.” As he spoke the convulsions became less violent, and the madman’s head fell forward upon his breast, as if he were overcome by sleep. We led him down the passage and stretched him upon his own bed, where he lay unconscious, breathing heavily.
“Two of you will watch him,” said Lord Linchmere. “And now, Dr. Hamilton, if you will return with me to my room, I will give you the explanation which my horror of scandal has perhaps caused me to delay too long. Come what may, you will never have cause to regret your share in this night’s work.
“The case may be made clear in a very few words,” he continued, when we were alone. “My poor brother-inlaw is one of the best fellows upon earth, a loving husband and an estimable father, but he comes from a stock which is deeply tainted133 with insanity134. He has more than once had homicidal outbreaks, which are the more painful because his inclination136 is always to attack the very person to whom he is most attached. His son was sent away to school to avoid this danger, and then came an attempt upon my sister, his wife, from which she escaped with injuries that you may have observed when you met her in London. You understand that he knows nothing of the matter when he is in his sound senses, and would ridicule137 the suggestion that he could under any circumstances injure those whom he loves so dearly. It is often, as you know, a characteristic of such maladies that it is absolutely impossible to convince the man who suffers from them of their existence.
“Our great object was, of course, to get him under restraint before he could stain his hands with blood, but the matter was full of difficulty. He is a recluse138 in his habits, and would not see any medical man. Besides, it was necessary for our purpose that the medical man should convince himself of his insanity; and he is sane139 as you or I, save on these very rare occasions. But, fortunately, before he has these attacks he always shows certain premonitory symptoms, which are providential danger-signals, warning us to be upon our guard. The chief of these is that nervous contortion140 of the forehead which you must have observed. This is a phenomenon which always appears from three to four days before his attacks of frenzy141. The moment it showed itself his wife came into town on some pretext, and took refuge in my house in Brook Street.
“It remained for me to convince a medical man of Sir Thomas’s insanity, without which it was impossible to put him where he could do no harm. The first problem was how to get a medical man into his house. I bethought me of his interest in beetles, and his love for anyone who shared his tastes. I advertised, therefore, and was fortunate enough to find in you the very man I wanted. A stout142 companion was necessary, for I knew that the lunacy could only be proved by a murderous assault, and I had every reason to believe that that assault would be made upon myself, since he had the warmest regard for me in his moments of sanity135. I think your intelligence will supply all the rest. I did not know that the attack would come by night, but I thought it very probable, for the crises of such cases usually do occur in the early hours of the morning. I am a very nervous man myself, but I saw no other way in which I could remove this terrible danger from my sister’s life. I need not ask you whether you are willing to sign the lunacy papers.”
“Undoubtedly. But TWO signatures are necessary.”
“You forget that I am myself a holder143 of a medical degree. I have the papers on a side-table here, so if you will be good enough to sign them now, we can have the patient removed in the morning.”
So that was my visit to Sir Thomas Rossiter, the famous beetle-hunter, and that was also my first step upon the ladder of success, for Lady Rossiter and Lord Linchmere have proved to be staunch friends, and they have never forgotten my association with them in the time of their need. Sir Thomas is out and said to be cured, but I still think that if I spent another night at Delamere Court, I should be inclined to lock my door upon the inside.
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metropolitan
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| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
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3
lodgers
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| n.房客，租住者( lodger的名词复数 ) | |
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4
dwindling
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| adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 ) | |
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5
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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6
zoology
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| n.动物学，生态 | |
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7
drudge
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| n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳 | |
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8
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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9
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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10
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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11
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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12
beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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13
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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14
requisites
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| n.必要的事物( requisite的名词复数 ) | |
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15
vacancy
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| n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺 | |
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16
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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17
meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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18
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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19
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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20
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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21
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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22
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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23
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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25
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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26
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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27
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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28
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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29
profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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30
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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31
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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32
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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33
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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34
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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35
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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37
eyebrow
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| n.眉毛，眉 | |
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38
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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39
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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40
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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42
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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43
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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44
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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45
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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46
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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47
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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48
kaleidoscopic
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| adj.千变万化的 | |
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49
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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50
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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51
cane
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|
| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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52
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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53
insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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54
thoroughly
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|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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55
entirely
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|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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56
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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57
riddles
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| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
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58
conversant
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|
| adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的 | |
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59
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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60
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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61
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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62
scurvily
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| 下流地，粗鄙地，无礼地 | |
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63
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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64
abhorrent
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| adj.可恶的，可恨的，讨厌的 | |
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65
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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66
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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67
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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68
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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69
mellow
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|
| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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70
fixed
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|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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71
admiration
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|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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72
delightful
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|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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73
nervously
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|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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74
curiously
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|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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75
laurels
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| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
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76
austere
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|
| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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77
heartily
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|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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78
heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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79
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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80
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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81
perfectly
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|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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82
severely
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|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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83
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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84
expounding
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的现在分词 ) | |
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85
anatomy
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|
| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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86
drawn
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|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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87
receding
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|
| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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88
spasm
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|
| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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89
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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90
rotary
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|
| adj.(运动等)旋转的；轮转的；转动的 | |
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91
underneath
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|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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92
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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93
malarious
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| （患）疟疾的，（有）瘴气的 | |
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94
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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95
impaled
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| 钉在尖桩上( impale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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96
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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97
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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98
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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99
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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100
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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101
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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102
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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103
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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104
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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105
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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106
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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107
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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108
sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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109
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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110
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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111
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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112
irrational
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| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
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113
sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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114
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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115
intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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116
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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117
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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118
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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119
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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120
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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121
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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122
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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123
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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124
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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125
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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126
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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127
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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128
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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129
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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130
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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131
maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
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132
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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133
tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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134
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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135
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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136
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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137
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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138
recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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139
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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140
contortion
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| n.扭弯，扭歪，曲解 | |
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141
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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143
holder
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| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
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