“Miss Drummond,” I said, “it is a real pleasure to me that we meet again.”
She started at the mention of her name, but made no comment, except to say, in her sweet, well-modulated voice:?—
“The pleasure is mutual4, I assure you, Dr. Pickering.” Then she asked: “How did you know I was staying in this neighbourhood?”
I explained how I had seen her emerge from the farmhouse5 and gather the flowers, and what old Ben Knutton had told me of her youth.
“I had no idea that you knew this district,” I added.
“Yes,” she responded, looking around her, “I’ve known it all my life. Every house, every field, every tree is familiar to me, for here I spent my happiest days,” and a slight sigh escaped her as her memory ran back.
We were walking together slowly along a path beside the winding6 Welland. She knew the way, and had led me through a gate and across a small strip of pasture down to the river. We were safer from observation there than upon the open highway, she said.
After we had been chatting some time she suddenly grew serious, and said:?—
“Do you know, Doctor Pickering, why I’ve come to you to-night?”
“No, but I hoped it was to resume our pleasant companionship,” I said.
“It was to warn you.”
“Of what?”
“Of your enemies.”
“You mean those men Bennett and Purvis,” I said, hoping to learn something from her. “Purvis is your uncle, is he not?”
She glanced at me quickly, and responded in the affirmative.
“Tell me, Miss Drummond,” I urged, “are you aware of the reason I am staying here?”
“I know it all,” she replied, in a strained voice. “I am well aware that you are searching for the hidden gold, which you cannot find. I am aware, too, that you hold the key to the plan, and that by aid of that key the place of concealment7 could be at once ascertained8.”
“Mr. Purvis bought the plan from old Knutton,” I remarked.
“Yes; the drunken old idiot sold it, even though it had been in possession of his family for centuries. The treasure would be partly his if it could be discovered.”
“But does Mr. Purvis know anything definite regarding the place where it is hidden?”
“He believes it to be in the Manor9 House, and for that reason they have reopened the old subway from the Glebe to the Manor. He has with him the man Bennett, said to be one of the worst characters outside the walls of a gaol10.”
“I know; they call him Black Bennett,” I said.
“Beware of them,” she urged. “They will hesitate at nothing to possess themselves of the treasure. They would kill you.”
The recollection of what Reilly had witnessed in London flashed through my mind. It was on the tip of my tongue to mention it, yet I feared to do so, not knowing what effect it might have upon her highly strung temperament11.
“What Knutton has told me regarding your romantic life has aroused my interest, Miss Drummond,” I said presently. “Did you never know your parents?”
“Alas! no. They died when I was quite young. All I know about them is that they lived somewhere in Norfolk, and that my father was ruined by speculation12 just before his death. I was fourteen when the good woman who brought me up died, and my Aunt Lewis sent me to school. Then on her death, quite recently, Mr. Purvis became my guardian13.”
“But who and what is this man Purvis?” I asked. “I know you are unhappy. Confide14 in me everything. I give you my bond of secrecy,” I said earnestly.
“I knew nothing of his existence until a few weeks ago, when Aunt Lewis died and Mr. Purvis came forward and promised to look after me. I had taken up typewriting and obtained a clerkship in a City office, which I held until I resigned a fortnight ago to come down here.”
“At Purvis’s suggestion?”
“Yes, because I am acquainted with the district.”
“Then you lived alone in Bayswater?” I suggested.
“Yes. I have never lived under the same roof with Purvis, except here at Page’s, because I—I hate him.”
“Why?”
Her pale, quivering lips compressed, but no word escaped them.
I knew the truth. The man was implicated15 in the assassination16 of her lover, if not the actual murderer. Therefore she held him in loathing17.
“Well,” I said at length, as we strolled along beside the dark, silent stream, “tell me the story of the treasure as my enemies know it. We are friends, Miss Drummond, and our enemies are mutual. Cannot we unite forces and combat them?”
“Oh!” she sighed, “I only wish we could. I fear, however, that it is impossible.” There was a pathos18 in her voice which showed that the words came direct from a heart overburdened with grief.
“What do these men know about me?” I inquired.
“Everything. They have watched you vigilantly19 day and night, and are aware of every movement on your part. They know the whole story of how you discovered the derelict, and what you found on board. They even know the contents of certain of the parchments you recovered—one, I think, had a number of signatures upon it.”
“The one stolen from Mr. Staffurth’s?” I cried.
“Yes. But they had a copy of that long before. From what I’ve heard, there was on board your steamer a man named Harding, who had sailed as seaman20, but who was a professor of Latin who had come down in the world. It was he who made the copy and translation and sold it to some one, who afterwards sold it to Purvis. The latter lost no time in coming here and buying the parchment from Knutton, thus forestalling21 you.”
“Was Harding previously22 acquainted with Purvis?”
“I think so. The copy and information were not, however, sold direct, but through a third person.”
“Are they sanguine23 of success?”
“Oh, yes,” she answered. “By some means they’ve discovered evidence that the gold is concealed24 in the Manor House.”
“In what part?”
“Ah! That is not known. They intend to make a search. To-night they will probably break through—four of them. Therefore be on the alert.”
I explained how we had been aroused on the previous night by the cutting of the door, and how we had explored the passage as far as the Glebe Farm. Then, laying her hand upon my arm, she said earnestly?—
“Oh, Dr. Pickering, do be careful! I fear that you may come to harm at the hands of these unscrupulous men.”
“But why have you associated yourself with them?” I asked, taking her hand and speaking very seriously.
She was silent. Then at last she answered:?—
“Because I am unfortunately compelled.”
“But the fact that this man Purvis is your guardian is no reason why you should participate in his scheme. He seems an adventurer, just as Bennett is known to be one.”
“Ah! doctor,” she cried, turning to me suddenly, her whole form trembling, “do not argue thus! You do not know; you cannot know all.”
But I knew, and regarded her with pity born of love.
Those men held her to them by threats of exposure. She had enticed25 that unknown man to his death, and was therefore an accessory. The hideous26 truth was plain. She was the puppet and decoy of these scoundrels. She had decoyed me on that night when she had taken me to Blackheath, but at the last moment her better nature had rebelled and she had sent me back without any explanation more than a lame27 excuse.
I saw how utterly28 helpless she was in the hands of that pair of assassins. When I questioned her I found that the sum Purvis allowed her was very small, and that long before the death of her Aunt Lewis she had earned her own living as a typewriter.
By dint29 of careful questioning I endeavoured to obtain from her some facts regarding Purvis’ private life, but she appeared to know but little of it. He now lived at Hammersmith, she said, but she never visited his house unless at his orders, and then the motive30 was generally in connexion with their scheme to gain possession of the treasure.
It is always advantageous31 to have a friend in the camp of the enemy, and in this case what Dorothy Drummond told me ultimately proved of the greatest service to us.
I longed to explain the knowledge I possessed32 regarding the murder at Kilburn, yet how could I? If she suspected that I knew the truth she would, in her present agitated33 state of mind, flee from me in terror lest I should betray her.
“Cannot you sever34 yourself entirely35 from these men?” I suggested. “Indeed, Miss Drummond, I hate to think of you participating in the desperate schemes of such adventurers. Suppose they should fall into the hands of the police, you also may be implicated!”
She burst into a torrent36 of tears at my words and, halting, covered her face with her hands. Tenderly I strove to console her, and placing my hand upon her shoulder, there in the darkness, I bent37 to her ear and in hot, fervent38 words told her my secret—that I loved her.
She heard me in silence, sobbing39 till the end. Then, in a hoarse40, broken voice, she answered:?—
“No. It is impossible! You must not tell me this—you must not entertain any affection for me.”
“Why not, Dorothy?” I asked, calling her for the first time by her Christian41 name. “Have I not confessed to you how I love you with all the passion of which a man is capable? For weeks and weeks you have been my all in all. Waking or sleeping, your face has been ever before me, and I feel by a mysterious intuition that our lives in future are bound to one another.”
“Ah, spare me!” she cried, through her tears. “Spare me! I cannot bear to hear your words. Would that I might return your love, but I dare not. No, I dare not—for your sake, as well as for mine.”
Was she thinking of her dead lover, and of the traitorous42 part she had been compelled to play? Yes. She hated herself, and at the same time held me in fear.
“But you love me, Dorothy?” I whispered. “Tell me, truthfully and honestly.”
“No, no,” she urged. “Do not seek to wring43 the truth from me. Let us part. We must never meet again after to-night. I—I saved you once from death, that night when I took you to Blackheath,” she went on breathlessly. “It suddenly dawned upon me that they meant to kill you and secure all the documents which you had found on board the derelict. They awaited you in a house they had taken for the purpose, and compelled me to come to you with a fictitious44 story regarding my brother, and to induce you to walk into the trap. Held in bondage45, I dared not disobey, and came to you. But at the last moment I compelled you to return and went back to face their anger. Why did I act as I did? Cannot you guess?”
“Perhaps, Dorothy, it was because you entertained a spark of affection for me?”
A silence fell between us for some moments. Then she answered in a low voice, only just audible:?—
“You have guessed aright. It was.”
I leant towards her and kissed her cold, hard-set lips. She made no remonstrance46, only she shuddered47 in my grasp, and a second later returned my caress48 and then burst again into tears.
“Ah, you must not care for me,” she declared. “I am unworthy. You don’t know everything, or you would hate me rather than love me.”
“But I love you with the whole strength of my being, Dorothy!” I declared, in deep earnestness. “That is enough. Now that you reciprocate49 my affection I am satisfied. I want for no more. You are mine, darling, and I am yours—for ever.”
“But I fear that you may bitterly repent50 this—I fear that when you know all my past your love will turn to hatred51 and your admiration52 to loathing.”
“The past does not concern us, dearest,” I answered tenderly, with my arm about her slim waist. “It is for the future we must live, and to that end assist one another.” And again I pressed my lips to hers fondly in all the ecstasy53 of my new-found happiness.
What further description can I give of those moments of bliss54? You, my reader, know well the sweet idyllic55 peace that comes in the stillness of night when two hearts beat in unison56. Wisely or unwisely, you have loved with all the ardour of your nature, just as I loved. You remember well the passion of those first caresses57, the music of those fervent words of devotion, and the opening vista58 of happiness unalloyed.
Pause for a moment and reflect upon first your own love, and you will know something of my tender feelings toward the poor hapless woman whose pure and loving heart was frozen by the terror of exposure.
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1
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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implicated
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| adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的 | |
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assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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17
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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vigilantly
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| adv.警觉地，警惕地 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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forestalling
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| v.先发制人，预先阻止( forestall的现在分词 ) | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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enticed
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| 诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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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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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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sever
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| v.切开，割开；断绝，中断 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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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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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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traitorous
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| adj. 叛国的, 不忠的, 背信弃义的 | |
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43
wring
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| n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭 | |
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fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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bondage
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| n.奴役，束缚 | |
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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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47
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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48
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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49
reciprocate
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| v.往复运动；互换；回报，酬答 | |
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50
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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51
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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52
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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53
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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54
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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55
idyllic
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| adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的 | |
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56
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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57
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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58
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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