Stanton felt lazily good-humored. A sound sleep had refreshed him, and though his limbs still ached, he was enjoying the pleasant, physical reaction which usually succeeds fatigue4 and exposure to the arctic frost. What was better, he had assisted in the successful completion of an arduous5 piece of work. Curtis lay back in a chair opposite him, pipe in mouth, his expression suggesting quiet satisfaction.
“Toes feeling pretty good?” he inquired by and by.
“I’m glad to say they are, though I thought I was in for trouble,” Stanton said with a deprecatory smile. “I allow that frost-bite’s a thing I’m easy scared about, after the patrol I made with Stafford through the northern bush last winter. Got his foot wet with mushy snow crossing a rapid where the ice was working, and it froze bad; had to pack him the last two hundred miles on the 262 sled, with the dogs getting used up, and the grub running out. They paid him off at Regina and sent him home; but Stafford will never put on an ordinary boot again.”
“A frozen foot’s bad enough, if you have to walk until it galls,” Curtis admitted. “A hand’s easier looked after, though I’ve three fingers I’m never quite sure of. That’s one reason it took so much shooting before I plugged Glover’s horse.”
“You were pretty cute about his jacket,” Stanton remarked.
“That was easy enough. The thing was too big for him and newer than his trousers. Soon as I noticed it, I knew I’d dropped on to something worth following up.”
“I can’t see what you made of it, and you haven’t told me yet.”
“I was too dog-goned cold and tired to talk; wanted to make the post and get to sleep. However, though I gave Crane’s boys no hint, I’ll show you what I’ve been figuring on. Consider yourself a jury and tell me how it strikes you. You have as much intelligence as the general run of them.”
“If I hadn’t any more than the kind of jurymen we’re usually up against, I’d quit the service,” Stanton declared.
The corporal’s eyes twinkled.
“If you’ll learn to think and not hustle6, you’ll make a useful man some day. Anyhow, the first thing I caught on to was that Glover had taken off his jacket because there was something in it he didn’t want us to find. Next, that it was money or valuables, because he could have put any small thing into the stove or hid it in the snow before he lit out. Now, Glover knew it was kind of 263 dangerous to leave his jacket with Jepson, who might find the bills, and as he couldn’t tell you were in the ravine he must have thought he had a good chance of getting clear away; but, for all that, he wouldn’t risk taking the wad along. Guess there’s only one explanation—he’d a reason for being mighty7 afraid of those bills falling into our hands. That was plain enough when I asked him about his jacket.”
“Yes,” Stanton said thoughtfully; “I guess you have got it right. But what was his reason? He knows Crane can have him sent up for horse-stealing.”
Curtis, opening a drawer, took out a slip of paper with some numbers on it, and then laid the wad of bills on the table.
“Twenty dollars each, Merchants’ Bank, and quite clean,” he said.
“It was a five-dollar bill on the same bank we found at the muskeg!” cried Stanton, starting.
“It was.” Curtis took up the list. “Now here are the numbers of the twenty-dollar bills Morant at Sebastian got from the bank a day or two before he made the deal with Jernyngham; it was with those bills he paid him the night he disappeared.” He paused and added significantly, “I guess we have got some of them here.”
This proved to be correct when they had compared them with the list. Then Curtis leaned back in his chair and filled his pipe.
“It’s a mighty curious case,” he remarked.
“Sure,” replied Stanton. “You get no farther with it. You have points against three different men, and it’s pretty clear that they haven’t been working together. They can’t all have killed the man.”
“That’s true. Well, I’ve made a report for Regina, 264 and they’ll keep Glover safe until we want him. I can’t tell what our chiefs will do; but as Glover’s not likely to tell them anything, I guess they’ll hold this matter over until we find out more.” He locked up the money. “Now we’ll quit talking about it. I want to give my mind a rest.”
Curtis had few of the qualities needed for the making of a great detective; he was merely a painstaking9, determined10 man, with a capacity for earnest work, which is perhaps more useful than genius in the ranks of the Northwest Police. He could tirelessly follow the dog-sleds, sometimes on the scantiest11 rations12, for hundreds of miles over the snow, sleeping in the open in the arctic frost. He had made long forced marches to succor13 improvident14 settlers starving far out in the wilds; in the fierce heat of summer he made his patrols, watching the progress of the grass-fires, sternly exacting15 from the ranchers the plowing17 of the needed guards; and cattle-thieves prudently19 avoided the district that he ruled with firm benevolence20. The man was a worthy21 type of his people, the new nation that is rising in the West: forceful, steadfast22, direct, and, as a rule, devoid23 of mental subtleties24. He admitted that the Jernyngham mystery, every clue to which broke off as he began to follow it, was harassing25 him.
While he spent the evening, lounging in well-earned leisure beside the stove, Mrs. Colston was talking seriously to her sister in a room of the Leslie homestead. Owing to the number of its inmates26, she had found it difficult to get a word with the girl alone, and now that an opportunity had come, she felt that she must make the most of it.
“Muriel,” she said, “do you think it’s judicious27 to 265 speak so strongly in Prescott’s favor as you have done of late? You were rude to Gertrude last night.”
The girl colored. She had, as a matter of fact, lost her temper, which was generally quick.
“I hate injustice28!” she broke out. “Gertrude and her father make such an unfair use of everything they can find against him, and I think Gertrude’s the worse of the two.” She looked hard at her sister. “She shows a rancor29 against the man which even the disappearance30 of her brother doesn’t account for.”
The same idea had occurred to Mrs. Colston, but it was a side issue and she was not to be drawn31 away from the point.
“You stick to the word disappearance,” she said.
“Yes,” Muriel answered steadily32. “Cyril Jernyngham isn’t dead!”
“You have only Prescott’s word for that.”
Muriel made no answer for a few moments; then she looked up with a resolute33 expression.
“I’m satisfied with it!”
Her sister understood this as a challenge. She had indulged in hints and indirect warnings, and they had been disregarded. The situation now needed more drastic treatment.
“That,” she said, “is a significant admission; I can’t let it pass. Your prejudice in favor of the man has, of course, been noticeable; you have even let him see it. Don’t you realize what damaging conclusions one might draw from it?”
“Damaging?” Muriel’s eyes were fixed34 on her sister, though her face was hot. “As you have been thinking of all this for some time, perhaps you had better explain and get it over.” 266
Mrs. Colston leaned forward with a severe expression.
“I feel that some candor35 is necessary. You have taken the man’s side openly; you have sympathized with him; I might even say that you have led him on.”
Muriel’s wayward temperament36 drove her to the verge37 of an outbreak, but with an effort at self-control, she sat still, and her sister resumed:
“Besides his lying under suspicion, the man is a mere8 working farmer, imperfectly educated, forced to live in a most primitive38 manner, thinking of nothing but his crops and horses.”
“He is not imperfectly educated! As a matter of fact, he knows more about most things than we do; but that’s not important. Mind, I’m admitting nothing of all that you suggest, but you might have said that I’m a penniless girl, living on your husband’s charity. I must confess that he gives it very willingly.”
“That is precisely39 why I’m anxious about your future.” Mrs. Colston’s voice softened40 to a tone of genuine solicitude41. “Of course, we are glad to have you—Harry42 has always been fond of you—but, for your sake, I could wish you a completer life in a home of your own. But so much depends on the choice you make.”
“Yes; a very great deal depends on that. I’m expected, of course, to make a brilliant match!”
“Not necessarily brilliant, but there are things we have always enjoyed which must be looked for—a good name, position, the right to meet people brought up as we have been, on an equal footing.”
Muriel broke in upon her with a strained laugh.
“Once, for a little while, it looked as if we should have to do without them, and somehow I wasn’t very much 267 alarmed. But your list’s rather short and incomplete. There are one or two quite as important things you might have added to it; though perhaps I’m exacting.”
There was silence for a few moments, and a faint flicker43 of color crept into Mrs. Colston’s face while the girl mused44. Her sister had got all she asked for, but Muriel suspected that she was not content; now and then, indeed, she had seen a hint of weariness in her expression. Harry Colston made a model husband in some respects, but he had his limitations. His virtues45 were commonplace and sometimes tedious; his intelligence was less than his wife’s. Muriel was fond of him, but his unwavering good-nature and placidity46 irritated her. She was inclined to be sorry for her sister in some ways.
“Muriel,” Mrs. Colston resumed gently, “your happiness means a good deal to me. A mistake might cost you dear, and, after all, one cannot have everything.”
“That is obviously true. I suppose it’s a question of what one values most, or perhaps what most strongly appeals to one’s fancy. It would be difficult to fix an accurate standard for judging suitors by, wouldn’t it?” Then her tone grew scornful. “Besides, as those who are eligible47 aren’t numerous, a girl’s expected to wait with an encouraging smile and thankfully take what comes.”
Mrs. Colston looked at her reproachfully.
“You’re hardly just, my dear; I only urge you to be prudent18 now.”
“Prudence is such a cold-blooded thing! I’m afraid I never had it. After all, what seems wise to me might appear to be folly48 to you. I think if ever what looks like a chance of happiness is offered me, I shall take all risks and clutch at it.” 268
She picked up a book, as if to intimate that she had no more to say, and Mrs. Colston wondered whether her worst fears were justified49 or whether Muriel had been behaving with unusual perverseness50. In either case, she might make things worse by laboring51 the subject. She hesitated a moment and then went out in search of her husband.
“Harry,” she said, “we have been away a long while. Don’t you think it is time to go home?”
“No,” he answered; “I haven’t thought so. What suggested the idea?”
It was obvious that he had no suspicion of her motive52, and she was not prepared to explain that she wished to place Muriel beyond Prescott’s reach.
“Well,” she said lamely53, “aren’t you rather neglecting your duties?”
“No,” Colston replied with a smile; “as they’re to a large extent merely formal ones, I believe they can wait a little longer without much harm being done.”
Mrs. Colston was surprised. She had not expected such an admission from her husband, though she agreed with him. Harry was not, as a rule, susceptible54 to new impressions, but there was a subtle influence in the simple life on the prairies which altered one’s point of view and led to one’s forming a new estimate of values. She had felt this. Things which had seemed essential in England somehow lost their importance in Canada.
“Besides,” he resumed, “you will remember that I made arrangements to be away a year, if necessary, and perhaps if I make the most of my opportunities in this country, I may have something worth while to say when we go home again.”
This was more in his usual vein55; but his wife did not 269 encourage him. Harry was apt to grow tiresome56 in his improving mood.
“But you don’t think of staying the full year?” she asked in alarm.
“Oh, no; we might wait another week or two, or even a month more. It wouldn’t be the thing to desert Jernyngham; and, as we’re mixed up in it, I feel it would be better to see the matter through.” He smiled at his wife with cumbrous gallantry. “Then, though you always look charming, you’re now unusually fresh and fit; there’s no doubt that the place agrees with you.”
Mrs. Colston could not deny it. She yielded for the present, deciding to wait until some turn of events rendered him more amenable57. In spite of his good humor, Harry was obstinate58 and often hard to move.
She went to join Gertrude, while Muriel, sitting alone where she had been left, laid down her book, and let her eyes range slowly round the room, trying to analyze59 the impression it made on her. There was no carpet on the floor; the walls were made of mill-dressed boards which had cracked with the dryness and smelt60 of turpentine. The furniture consisted of a few bent61-hardwood chairs and a rickety table covered with a gaudy62 cloth. The nickeled lamp, which diffused63 an unpleasant odor, was of florid but very inartistic design; the plain stove stood in an ugly iron tray, and its galvanized pipe ran up, unconcealed, to the ceiling. A black distillate had trickled64 down from a bend in it, and stained the floor.
Muriel realized that had she been expected to live in such a place in England it would have struck her as comfortless, and almost squalid; but now, perhaps by contrast with the frozen desolation without, it looked cheerful, and had a homelike air. This, she thought, was significant, 270 and she followed up the train of ideas to which it led. She had a practical, independent bent; she liked to handle and investigate things for herself, to get into close and intimate touch with life. At home, this had not often been possible; she was too sheltered and, in a sense, too secluded65. The people she met were conventional, acting16 in accordance with a recognized code, concealing66 their feelings. If she rode or drove, somebody got ready the horse for her; it was the same with the car. When she strolled through an English garden, she might pluck a flower or take pleasure in the smoothness of the lawn, but it was always with the feeling that others had planted and mown. She could take no active part in things; there was little that she could really do.
It was different on the Western prairie. Here men and women showed anger or sorrow or gladness more or less openly. One could realize their emotions, and this, instead of deterring67, attracted her; one came to close grips with the primitive influences of human nature. Then they were strenuous68 people, toiling69 stubbornly, rejoicing in tangible70 results that their hands and brains had produced. Woman was man’s real helpmate, not a companion for his idle hours. She kept his house, and in time of pressure drove his horses; she had her say in determining the count of the cattle and the bushels of seed, and it was sometimes conceded that her judgment71 was the better.
But this was only one aspect of the subject that filled the girl’s thoughts. She knew that Prescott loved her and she was glad of it; but here she stopped. She was sanguine72, impulsive73, courageous74, but, with all that could be said for it, the change she must face if he claimed her was a startling one. Besides, he must clear himself of 271 suspicion, and because the part of a mere looker-on was uncongenial, there was a course which she would urge on him. She must see him and convince him of the necessity for it. Soon after she had made up her mind on this point, Jernyngham and Colston came in, and she had to talk to them.
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1
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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hustle
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| v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌) | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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painstaking
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| adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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scantiest
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| adj.（大小或数量）不足的，勉强够的( scanty的最高级 ) | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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improvident
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| adj.不顾将来的，不节俭的，无远见的 | |
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exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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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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plowing
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| v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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subtleties
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| 细微( subtlety的名词复数 )； 精细； 巧妙； 细微的差别等 | |
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harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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rancor
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| n.深仇，积怨 | |
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disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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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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candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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placidity
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| n.平静，安静，温和 | |
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eligible
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| adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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perverseness
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| n. 乖张, 倔强, 顽固 | |
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laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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lamely
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| 一瘸一拐地，不完全地 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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amenable
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| adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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60
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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deterring
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的现在分词 ) | |
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68
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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69
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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70
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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71
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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72
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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73
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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74
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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