Mr. Dunsany or "English" reported that he had been detailed2 to go to Newport on Saturday to spy on the lady, and what should he do about it? The plucky3 gentleman who never hesitated to put himself in danger, became uneasy when it was a question of actually committing a crime.
We arranged a chat over the telephone, and I gave him the best reasons for going ahead with the scheme. We had so much to talk over that I told him I would go up to New England by a different route, and if he was not spied upon he could come to me at Providence4 early on Sunday and we could go over everything. All the time we had been working together we had never exchanged a word face to face in our natural characters.
We succeeded in pulling off the meeting. Mr. Dunsany assured me he had not been followed. We laid out our plan of campaign. I convinced him that the quickest and surest way to land the whole gang would be to allow them, even to assist them, to carry out a robbery from start to finish. Let them steal Mrs. Levering's jewels, I said, let them get clean away with them. We'll return them later."
"Suppose some one gets hurt," he said nervously5.
"Not likely," I said. "They play too safe a game. We will be on our guard."
He agreed with me, but said if we fell down on the case he would feel obliged to give her another necklace of equal value. This was a matter of $90,000.
"We are not going to fall down on it," I said.
What followed can best be told by Mr. Dunsany's reports.
REPORT OF J. M. #15
Newport, Sunday, July 4th.
My patience was rewarded shortly before noon to-day by the sight of Mrs. Levering walking to the Casino accompanied by a gallant6 gentleman unknown to me. She did not notice me, of course. If I had been in my own person I warrant she would not have passed me so indifferently. What marvellous faculty7 is it that enables a lady to know without looking at a man whether he is worth looking at?
I soon satisfied myself that she was wearing her veritable diamonds. Foolish woman! When I sold them to her I warned her not to exhibit them in public. At the time there was a lot of gossip about what Levering paid me for the necklace, and I suppose every thief in the country has it on his list. But Cora Levering was always feather-headed.
I telegraphed to Lorina in the code we had agreed on, and had my dinner while I waited for her answer. It came presently, instructing me to meet her in a certain hotel in Providence to-morrow, two-thirty. To-morrow being a holiday, I am not expected at Dunsany's. This means that I have to put in a long, empty twenty-four hours here. The place is full of my friends eating and drinking themselves black in the face, while I have to stay at a fourth-rate hotel.
To-morrow night there is going to be a great entertainment at Fernhurst, one of the palaces on the cliffs.
J.M.
#16
Newport, July 5th, 9 P.M.
All is set for the drama to-night, and I am nervously awaiting my cue. Heaven knows what the next few hours may bring forth8! When you read this it may be up to you to get me out of jail. If we pull it off all right I have no doubt the newspapers will say, as they always do, that the robbery gave evidence of long and careful planning, whereas it was all fixed9 up in a few minutes.
I went over to Providence to-day shortly before the hour set by Lorina, and found Foxy waiting at the hotel she named. Lorina herself, he said, was in Newport looking over the ground, and would be back directly. It seems that hearing of the affair at Fernhurst they had determined10 to turn the trick the same night.
Lorina came bringing a good-looking, well-dressed young fellow whom she introduced to the crowd as Frank. He was evidently a youngster of the fashionable world, one cannot mistake the little earmarks. He has a look of the —— family; one of the younger sons, maybe, whom drink and the devil have done for. At any rate, he is completely under Lorina's thumb like the rest.
Lorina was playing the part of a traveller in books—religious books if you please! She dressed the business woman plain and handsome, and had engaged a private sitting-room11 for the day to show her samples. There was actually a whole trunk full of sample books. I suppose she passed us off as her agents or customers.
She had us all in the sitting-room together. Besides Frank, Foxy and myself, there was a fourth man whom I recognised as her chauffeur12. His name is Jim. She proceeded to lay out her campaign in the most matter-of-fact way without wasting a word. It might have been the sales-manager instructing the drummers in the Fall line. Nobody seemed nervous except Frank, who was apparently13 new at the game.
The entertainment at Fernhurst provided our opportunity. It appeared that Frank was well acquainted with Mrs. Levering, and that by Lorina's instructions he had been particularly cultivating her society of late. He was to be the decoy. Furthermore, he drew for us with rather a shaky hand, a plan of the house and grounds at Fernhurst, showing the location of roads, paths, benches, shrubbery, etc. Lorina used this plan in issuing her instructions.
"Dancing is to begin at nine-thirty," she said, "but all the guests will not have arrived until nearly midnight. So we will fix on midnight to turn the trick, or as soon after as possible. We have decided14 on this bench that I have marked with a cross for the spot. Get its position well fixed in your mind, all of you. It is quite a way from the house you see, few, if any, of the dancers will go so far. It is off the main paths. It is near the street fence, but is hidden from the street by this dense15 shrubbery behind it.
"Mrs. Levering has promised Frank the first dance after she arrives. He will then make an engagement with her for another dance to fall just before midnight as near as he can figure it, and after dancing with her the second time will take her out to this bench.
Foxy and English will already be in hiding in the shrubbery behind the bench. Foxy has an invitation to the affair, and he will go in evening dress and mix with the guests until he sees Frank dancing with Mrs. Levering the second time. He will then go out of the house and conceal16 himself in the shrubbery.
English will already be waiting there. English must be there by eleven to make sure. English wears his ordinary clothes, and slips in by the service entrance to the grounds, marked on the plan here. Once inside the gates he must make his way under cover to the shrubbery behind the bench. English will carry an old overcoat for Foxy which will be provided. There will be a mask in one side pocket, a cap in the other. As soon as you two meet, Foxy will put on the things.
"Now as to the actual trick. It is perfectly17 simple. Frank is keeping Mrs. Levering in conversation on the bench. Foxy sneaks18 up behind with the nippers, cuts the necklace, and tosses it back to English, who remains19 in the bushes.
"The woman will scream, of course. Foxy will stand up and show himself, and run in this direction, that is, towards the house. Frank will take after him for a way, and then go back to the woman. Foxy will double around this shrubbery that conceals20 the stable entrance. As soon as he is out of sight of the woman he will throw off the cap, mask and coat, and go back to Mrs. Levering as one of the first attracted by her cries. If she does not cry out, he can mix with the crowd in the house until he has a chance to make a getaway.
Meanwhile, English lies quiet in the shrubbery until the excitement has passed out of the vicinity. Then he slips out by the service gate, the same way he went in. Jim will be waiting with the car about five hundred feet beyond the service entrance, towards town. We have been over this ground. There is a big clump21 of rhododendrons inside the sidewalk at this point.
English, without stopping, will toss the necklace inside the car. But if he is pursued he had better drop it among the rhododendrons. Mind you, English, if there's anybody after you, don't make any throwing motion with your arm. If there is a chase Jim can join in it, and help English make his getaway. Later he can return and get the diamonds.
English takes the trolley22 to Providence, and the owl23 train back to New York. Jim secretes24 the diamonds in the secret pocket in the car, and waits for Foxy. If Foxy is pursued, however, he must not lead them to the car. Jim waits until one-thirty. If Foxy has not arrived, he takes the car to the Atlantic garage. You, Jim, ask them to let you sleep in it, see? as you're expecting a call from your master. Foxy can get the car from the garage any time after that."
Lorina went over all this twice. At the end she consulted her watch. "If any of you want to have anything explained, speak up. I've got to catch the four o'clock back to town."
Frank was the only one who had any objection to raise to the arrangements. "Look here," said he, "this will queer me for good with that lot, even if they can't fasten anything on me."
Lorina fixed him with her hard blue eye. "How?" she demanded.
"I used to be known as a runner. They'll think it funny I wasn't able to catch Foxy."
"Catch him then," said Lorina coolly. "Struggle with him. He will throw you off. That will let you out, won't it? Rehearse it now."
It was a grim kind of play. Everybody took it quite seriously. A sofa was placed to represent the fateful bench. Lorina and Frank took seats on it. Lorina tied a piece of string around her neck to represent the necklace. Foxy and I crouched25 in the rear. Foxy crept forward, snipped26 the string and tossed it back to me. His implement27 was a pair of heavy nail clippers such as manicures use. Then as Foxy made off, Frank flung himself upon him, they struggled and Frank was thrown to the ground.
All this was gone over again and again. Some buttons were tied on the piece of string, so that it would carry when it was thrown back to me. Foxy's stage experience proved serviceable. He acted as director, showing Frank how to tackle him, and how to fall without hurting himself. Lorina's depiction28 of the startled woman was admirable. The whole scene would have been funny if it hadn't been so grim. None of them seemed to be aware of any humour in the proceedings29 but me. Jim, who did not take part in the scene, acted as critic. He stood off making suggestions.
Finally, Lorina announced that it was only ten minutes to train time, and hustled30 us out. She said Frank and Foxy might go off by themselves and practice if they felt it necessary. We scattered31. I returned to the little hotel in Newport where I had taken a room. I have not seen any of them since.
It is now nine-thirty and I am waiting in my hotel until it is time for me to go out to Fernhurst. I will post this to you on the way, so that in case anything happens you will at least be in full possession of our plans. I believe I was not cut out for a life of crime. It is too madly exciting. As the hour draws close my knees show an inclination32 to knock together, and my teeth to chatter33.
J. M.
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1
conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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8
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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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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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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11
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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12
chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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13
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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14
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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15
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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16
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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17
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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18
sneaks
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| abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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trolley
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| n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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secretes
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的第三人称单数 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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snipped
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| v.剪( snip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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depiction
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| n.描述 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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32
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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