As soon as I had fully4 recovered consciousness, the superintendent motioned the policeman out of the room for a while, and then gently forced me to swallow a brandy and soda5.
"Mr. Tait," he said compassionately6, after an awkward pause, "you are a very young man indeed, and, I believe, hitherto of blameless character. Now, I should be very sorry to have to proceed to extremities8 against you. I know to what lengths, in a moment of weakness, the desire to possess a rare coin will often lead a connoisseur9, under stress of exceptional temptation. I have not the slightest doubt in my own mind that you did really accidentally drop this coin; that you went down on your knees honestly intending to find it; that the accident suggested to you the ease with which you might pick it up and proceed to pocket it; that you yielded temporarily to that unfortunate impulse; and that by the time I arrived upon the scene you were already overcome with remorse10 and horror. I saw as much immediately in your very countenance12. Nevertheless, I determined13 to give[Pg 81] you the benefit of the doubt, and I searched over the whole place in the most thorough and conscientious14 manner.... As you know, I found nothing.... Mr. Tait, I cannot bear to have to deal harshly with you. I recognize the temptation and the agony of repentance15 that instantly followed it. Sir, I give you one chance. If you will retract16 the obviously false story that you just now told me, and confess that the coin I found in your pocket was in fact, as I know it to be, the Museum specimen17, I will forthwith dismiss the constable19, and will never say another word to any one about the whole matter. I don't want to ruin you, but I can't, of course, be put off with a falsehood. Think the matter carefully over with yourself. Do you or do you not still adhere to that very improbable and incredible story?"
Horrified20 and terror-stricken as I was, I couldn't avoid feeling grateful to the superintendent for the evident kindness with which he was treating me. The tears rose at once into my eyes.
"Mr. Harbourne," I cried passionately7, "you are very good, very generous. But you quite mistake the whole position. The story I told you was true, every word of it. I bought that gold Wulfric from a ploughman at Lichfield, and it is not absolutely identical with the Museum specimen which I dropped upon the floor. It is closer clipped round the edges, and it has a distinct dent2 upon the obverse side, just below the W of Wulfric."
The superintendent paused a second, and scanned my face very closely.
"Have you a knife or a file in your pocket?" he asked in a much sterner and more official tone.
"No," I replied, "neither—neither."
"You are sure?"
"Certain."
"Shall I search you myself, or shall I give you in custody21?"[Pg 82]
"Search me yourself," I answered confidently.
He put his hand quietly into my left-hand breast pocket, and to my utter horror and dismay drew forth18, what I had up to that moment utterly22 forgotten, a pair of folding pocket nail-scissors, in a leather case, of course with a little file on either side.
My heart stood still within me.
"That is quite sufficient, Mr. Tait," the superintendent went on, severely23. "Had you alleged24 that the Museum coin was smaller than your own imaginary one you might have been able to put in the facts as good evidence. But I see the exact contrary is the case. You have stooped to a disgraceful and unworthy subterfuge25. This base deception26 aggravates27 your guilt28. You have deliberately29 defaced a valuable specimen in order if possible to destroy its identity."
What could I say in return? I stammered30 and hesitated.
"Mr. Harbourne," I cried piteously, "the circumstances seem to look terribly against me. But, nevertheless, you are quite mistaken. Tho missing Wulfric will come to light sooner or later and prove me innocent."
He walked up and down the room once or twice irresolutely31, and then he turned round to me with a very fixed32 and determined aspect which fairly terrified me.
"Mr. Tait," he said, "I am straining every point possible to save you, but you make it very difficult for me by your continued falsehood. I am doing quite wrong in being so lenient33 to you; I am proposing, in short, to compound a felony. But I cannot bear, without letting you have just one more chance, to give you in charge for a common robbery. I will let you have ten minutes to consider the matter; and I beseech34 you, I beg of you, I implore35 you to retract this absurd and despicable lie before it is too late for ever. Just consider that if you refuse I shall have to hand you over to the constable out there,[Pg 83] and that the whole truth must come out in court, and must be blazoned36 forth to the entire world in every newspaper. The policeman is standing here by the door. I will leave you alone with your own thoughts for ten minutes."
As he spoke37 he walked out gravely, and shut the door solemnly behind him. The clock on the chimney-piece pointed38 with its hands to twenty minutes past three.
It was an awful dilemma39. I hardly knew how to act under it. On the one hand, if I admitted for the moment that I had tried to steal the coin, I could avoid all immediate11 unpleasant circumstances; and as it would be sure to turn up again in cleaning the Museum, I should be able at last to prove my innocence40 to Mr. Harbourne's complete satisfaction. But, on the other hand, the lie—for it was a lie—stuck in my throat; I could not humble41 myself to say I had committed a mean and dirty action which I loathed42 with all the force and energy of my nature. No, no! come what would of it, I must stick by the truth, and trust to that to clear up everything.
But if the superintendent really insisted on giving me in charge, how very awkward to have to telegraph about it to Emily! Fancy saying to the girl you are in love with, "I can't go with you to the theatre this evening, because I have been taken off to gaol43 on a charge of stealing a valuable coin from the British Museum." It was too terrible!
Yet, after all, I thought to myself, if the worst comes to the worst, Emily will have faith enough in me to know it is ridiculous; and, indeed, the imputation44 could in any case only be temporary. As soon as the thing gets into court I could bring up the Lichfield ploughman to prove my possession of a gold Wulfric; and I could bring up Emily to prove that I had shown it to her that very morning. How lucky that I had happened to take it out and let her look at it! My case was, happily, as plain as a[Pg 84] pikestaff. It was only momentarily that the weight of the evidence seemed so perversely45 to go against me.
Turning over all these various considerations in my mind with anxious hesitancy, the ten minutes managed to pass away almost before I had thoroughly46 realized the deep gravity of the situation.
As the clock on the chimney-piece pointed to the half-hour, the door opened once more, and the superintendent entered solemnly. "Well, Mr. Tait," he said in an anxious voice, "have you made up your mind to make a clean breast of it? Do you now admit, after full deliberation, that you have endeavoured to steal and clip the gold Wulfric?"
"No," I answered firmly, "I do not admit it; and I will willingly go before a jury of my countrymen to prove my innocence."
"Then God help you, poor boy," the superintendent cried despondently47. "I have done my best to save you, and you will not let me. Policeman, this is your prisoner. I give him in custody on a charge of stealing a gold coin, the property of the trustees of this Museum, valued at a hundred and seventy-five pounds sterling48."
The policeman laid his hand upon my wrist. "You will have to go along with me to the station, sir," he said quietly.
Terrified and stunned49 as I was by the awfulness of the accusation50, I could not forget or overlook the superintendent's evident reluctance51 and kindness. "Mr. Harbourne," I cried, "you have tried to do your best for me. I am grateful to you for it, in spite of your terrible mistake, and I shall yet be able to show you that I am innocent."
He shook his head gloomily. "I have done my duty," he said with a shudder52. "I have never before had a more painful one. Policeman, I must ask you now to do yours."
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
superintendent
|
|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
dent
|
|
| n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
soda
|
|
| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
compassionately
|
|
| adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
passionately
|
|
| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
extremities
|
|
| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
connoisseur
|
|
| n.鉴赏家，行家，内行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
remorse
|
|
| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
conscientious
|
|
| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
repentance
|
|
| n.懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
retract
|
|
| vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
constable
|
|
| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
custody
|
|
| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
severely
|
|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
alleged
|
|
| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
subterfuge
|
|
| n.诡计；藉口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
deception
|
|
| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
aggravates
|
|
| 使恶化( aggravate的第三人称单数 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
guilt
|
|
| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
irresolutely
|
|
| adv.优柔寡断地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
lenient
|
|
| adj.宽大的，仁慈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
beseech
|
|
| v.祈求，恳求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
implore
|
|
| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
blazoned
|
|
| v.广布( blazon的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布；夸示；装饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
dilemma
|
|
| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
innocence
|
|
| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
humble
|
|
| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
loathed
|
|
| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
gaol
|
|
| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
imputation
|
|
| n.归罪，责难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
perversely
|
|
| adv. 倔强地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
despondently
|
|
| adv.沮丧地，意志消沉地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
sterling
|
|
| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
stunned
|
|
| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
accusation
|
|
| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
reluctance
|
|
| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
shudder
|
|
| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |