"Of course, the name cut on the tombstone was a piece of pure coincidence," I hazarded. "Most likely the young woman deliberately5 assumed it to mislead you——"
"And the snake which threatened our young friend, he was an assumption, also, one infers?" de Grandin interrupted.
"N-o, but it could have been a trick. Ned saw an aged6 Negress in the cemetery, and those old Southern darkies have strange powers——"
"I damn think that you hit the thumb upon the nail that time, my friend," the little Frenchman nodded, "though you do not realize how accurate your diagnosis7 is." To Ned:
"Have you seen this snake again since coming North?"
"Yes," Ned replied. "I have. I was too stunned8 to speak when I read the epitaph, and I wandered back to the hotel in a sort of daze9 and packed my bags in silence. Possibly that's why there was no further visitation there. I don't know. I do know nothing further happened, though, and when several months had passed with nothing but my memories to remind me of the incident, I began to think I'd suffered from some sort of walking nightmare. Nella and I went ahead with preparations for our wedding, but three weeks ago the postman brought me this——"
He reached into an inner pocket and drew out an envelope. It was of soft gray paper, edged with silver-gilt, and the address was in tiny, almost unreadable script:
M. édouard Minton,
30 Rue10 Carteret 30,
Harrisonville, N. J.
"U'm?" de Grandin commented as he inspected it. "It is addressed à la fran?aise. And the letter, may one read it?"
"Of course," Ned answered. "I'd like you to."
Across de Grandin's shoulder I made out the hastily-scrawled missive:
Adoré
Remember your promise and the kiss of blood that sealed it.
Soon I shall call and you must come.
Pour le temps et pour l'éternité,
Julie.
"You recognize the writing?" de Grandin asked. "It is——"
"Oh, yes," Ned answered bitterly, "I recognize it; it's the same the other note was written in."
"And then?"
The boy smiled bleakly11. "I crushed the thing into a ball and threw it on the floor and stamped on it. Swore I'd die before I'd keep another rendezvous12 with her, and——" He broke off, and put trembling hands up to his face.
"The so mysterious serpent came again, one may assume?" de Grandin prompted.
"But it's only a phantom13 snake," I interjected. "At worst it's nothing more than a terrifying vision——"
"Think so?" Ned broke in. "D'ye remember Rowdy, my airedale terrier?"
I nodded.
"He was in the room when I opened this letter, and when the cottonmouth appeared beside me on the floor he made a dash for it. Whether it would have struck me I don't know, but it struck at him as he leaped and caught him squarely in the throat. He thrashed and fought, and the thing held on with locked jaws14 till I grabbed a fire-shovel and made for it; then, before I could strike, it vanished.
"But its venom15 didn't. Poor old Rowdy was dead before I could get him out of the house, but I took his corpse16 to Doctor Kirchoff, the veterinary, and told him Rowdy died suddenly and I wanted him to make an autopsy17. He went back to his operating-room and stayed there half an hour. When he came back to the office he was wiping his glasses and wore the most astonished look I've ever seen on a human face. 'You say your dog died suddenly—in the house?' he asked.
"'Yes,' I told him; 'just rolled over and died.'
"'Well, bless my soul, that's the most amazing thing I ever heard!' he answered. 'I can't account for it. That dog died from snake-bite; copperhead, I'd say, and the marks of the fangs18 show plainly on his throat.'"
"But I thought you said it was a water moccasin," I objected. "Now Doctor Kirchoff says it was a copperhead——"
"Ah hah!" de Grandin laughed a thought unpleasantly. "Did no one ever tell you that the copperhead and moccasin are of close kind, my friend? Have not you heard some ophiologists maintain the moccasin is but a dark variety of copperhead?" He did not pause for my reply, but turned again to Ned:
"One understands your chivalry19, Monsieur. For yourself you have no fear, since after all at times life can be bought too dearly, but the death of your small dog has put a different aspect on the matter. If this never-to-be-sufficiently20-anathematized serpent which comes and goes like the bo?te à surprise—the how do you call him? Jack21 from the box?—is enough a ghost thing to appear at any time and place it wills, but sufficiently physical to exude22 venom which will kill a strong and healthy terrier, you have the fear for Mademoiselle Nella, n'est-ce-pas?"
"Precisely23, you——"
"And you are well advised to have the caution, my young friend. We face a serious condition."
"What do you advise?"
The Frenchman teased his needlepoint mustache-tip with a thoughtful thumb and forefinger24. "For the present, nothing," he replied at length. "Let me look this situation over; let me view it from all angles. Whatever I might tell you now would probably be wrong. Suppose we meet again one week from now. By that time I should have my data well in hand."
"And in the meantime——"
"Continue to be coy with Mademoiselle Nella. Perhaps it would be well if you recalled important business which requires that you leave town till you hear from me again. There is no need to put her life in peril25 at this time."
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1
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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3
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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4
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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6
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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7
diagnosis
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| n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断 | |
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8
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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9
daze
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| v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏 | |
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10
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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11
bleakly
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| 无望地，阴郁地，苍凉地 | |
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12
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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13
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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14
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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15
venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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16
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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17
autopsy
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| n.尸体解剖；尸检 | |
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18
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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19
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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20
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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21
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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22
exude
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| v.(使)流出，(使)渗出 | |
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23
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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24
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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25
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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