But as soon as the coachman had had full time to get back again in perfect safety, Sir Thomas walked straight down the club steps once more, and up the Promenade1, and all the way to Futteypoor Lodge2. When he got there, he opened the door silently with his latch-key, shut it again without the slightest noise, and walked on tip-toe into the library. It was an awkward sort of thing to do, certainly, but Sir Thomas was convinced in his own mind[Pg 324] that he ought to do it. He wheeled an easy chair into the recess3 by the window, in front of which the curtains were drawn4, arranged the folds so that he could see easily into the room by the slit5 between them, and sat down patiently to explore this mystery to the very bottom.
Sir Thomas was extremely loth in his own mind to suspect anybody; and yet it was quite clear that some one or other must have taken the missing sovereigns. Twice over money had been extracted. It couldn't have been cook, of that he felt certain; nor Wilkins either. Very respectable woman, cook—very respectable butler, Wilkins. Not Morton; oh dear no, quite impossible, certainly not Morton. Not the housemaid, or the boy: obviously neither; well-conducted young people, every one of them. But who the dickens could it be then? for certainly somebody had taken the money. The good old Colonel felt in his heart that for the sake of everybody's peace of mind it was his bounden duty to discover the real culprit before saying a single word to anybody about it.
There was something very ridiculous, of course, not to say undignified and absurd, in the idea of an elderly field officer, late in Her Majesty's service, sitting thus for hour after hour stealthily behind his own curtains, in the dark, as if he were a thief or a burglar, waiting to see whether anybody came to open his devonport. Sir Thomas grew decidedly wearied as he watched and waited, and but for his strong sense of the duty imposed upon him of tracking the guilty person, he would once or twice in the course of the evening have given up the quest from sheer disgust and annoyance6 at the absurdity7 of the position. But no; he must find out who had done it: so there he sat, as motionless as a cat watching a mouse-hole, with his eye turned always in the direction of the devonport, through the slight slit between the folded curtains.
Ten o'clock struck upon the clock on the mantelpiece—half-past ten—eleven. Sir Thomas stretched his legs,[Pg 325] yawned, and muttered audibly, "Confounded slow, really." Half-past eleven. Sir Thomas went over noiselessly to the side table, where the decanters were standing8, and helped himself to a brandy and seltzer, squeezing down the cork9 of the bottle carefully with his thumb, to prevent its popping, till all the gas had escaped piecemeal10. Then he crept back, still noiselessly, feeling more like a convicted thief himself than a Knight11 Commander of the Most Honourable12 Order of the Bath, and wondering when the deuce this pilfering13 lock-breaker was going to begin his nightly depredations14. Not till after Harry15 came back most likely. The thief, whoever he or she was, would probably be afraid to venture into the library while there was still a chance of Harry returning unexpectedly and disturbing the whole procedure. But when once Harry had gone to bed, they would all have heard from Morton that Sir Thomas was going to be out late, and the thief would then doubtless seize so good an opportunity of helping16 himself unperceived to the counted sovereigns.
About half past eleven, there was a sound of steps upon the garden-walk, and Harry's voice could be heard audibly through the half-open window. The colonel caught the very words against his will. Harry was talking with Tom Whitmarsh, who had walked round to see him home; his voice was a little thick, as if with wine, and he seemed terribly excited (to judge by his accent) about something or other that had just happened.
"Good night, Tom," the young man was saying, with an outward show of carelessness barely concealing17 a great deal of underlying18 irritation19. "I'll pay you up what I lost to-morrow or the next day. You shall have your money, don't be afraid about it."
"Oh, it's all right," Tom Whitmarsh's voice answered in an offhand20 fashion. "Pay me whenever you like, you know, Woolrych. It doesn't matter to me when you pay me, this year or next year, so long as I get it sooner or later."[Pg 326]
Sir Thomas listened with a sinking heart. "Play," he thought to himself. "Play, play, play, already! It was his father's curse, poor fellow, and I hope it won't be Harry's. It's some comfort to think, anyhow, that it's only billiards21."
"Well, good night, Tom," Harry went on, ringing the bell as he spoke22.
"Good night, Harry. I hope next time the cards won't go so persistently23 against you."
The cards! Phew! That was bad indeed. Sir Thomas started. He didn't object to a quiet after-dinner rubber on his own account, naturally: but this wasn't whist; oh, no; nothing of the sort. This was evidently serious playing. He drew a long breath, and felt he must talk very decidedly about the matter to Harry to-morrow morning.
"Is my uncle home yet, Wilkins?"
"No, sir; he said he wouldn't be back probably till two o'clock, and we wasn't to sit up for him."
"All right then. Give me a light for a minute in the library. I'll take a seltzer before I go upstairs, just to steady me."
Sir Thomas almost laughed outright24. This was really too ridiculous. Suppose, after all the waiting, Harry was to come over and discover him sitting there in the darkness by the window, what a pretty figure he would cut before him. And besides, the whole thing would have to come out then, and after all the thief would never be discovered and punished. The Colonel grew hot and red in the face, and began to wish to goodness he hadn't in the first place let himself in, in any way, for this ridiculous amateur detective business.
But Harry drank his seltzer standing by the side table, with no brandy, either; that was a good thing, no brandy. If he'd taken brandy, too, in his present excited condition, when he'd already certainly had quite as much as was at[Pg 327] all good for him, Sir Thomas would have been justly and seriously angry. But, after all, Harry was a good boy at bottom, and knew how to avoid such ugly habits. He took his seltzer and his bedroom candle. Wilkins turned out the light in the room, and Harry went upstairs by himself immediately.
Then Wilkins turned the key in the library door, and the old gentleman began to reflect that this was really a most uncomfortable position for him to be left in. Suppose they locked him in there till to-morrow morning! Ah! happy thought; if the worst came to the worst he could get out of the library window and let himself in at the front door by means of his latch-key.
The servants all filed upstairs, one by one, in an irregular procession; their feet died away gradually upon the upper landings, and a solemn silence came at last over the whole household. Sir Thomas's heart began to beat faster: the excitement of plot interest was growing stronger upon him. This was the time the thief would surely choose to open the devonport. He should know now within twenty minutes which it was of all his people, whom he trusted so implicitly25, that was really robbing him.
And he treated them all so kindly26, too. Ha, the rascal27! he should catch it well, that he should, whoever he was, as soon as ever Sir Thomas discovered him.
Not if it were Wilkins, though; not if it were Wilkins. Sir Thomas hoped it wasn't really that excellent fellow Wilkins. A good old tried and trusty servant. If any unexpected financial difficulties——
Hush28, hush! Quietly now. A step upon the landing.
Coming down noiselessly, noiselessly, noiselessly. Not Wilkins; not heavy enough for him, surely; no, no, a woman's step, so very light, so light and noiseless. Sir Thomas really hoped in his heart it wasn't that pretty delicate-looking girl, the new housemaid. If it was, by Jove, yes, he'd give her a good lecture then and there, that[Pg 328] very minute, about it, offer to pay her passage quietly out to Canada, and—recommend her to get married decently, to some good young fellow, on the earliest possible opportunity.
The key turned once more in the lock, and then the door opened stealthily. Somebody glided29 like a ghost into the middle of the room. Sir Thomas, gazing intently through the slit in the curtains, murmured to himself that now at last he should fairly discover the confounded rascal.
Ha! How absurd! He could hardly help laughing once more at the ridiculous collapse30 to his high-wrought expectations. And yet he restrained himself. It was only Harry! Harry come down, candle in hand, no doubt to get another glass of seltzer. The Colonel hoped not with brandy. No; not with brandy. He put the glass up to his dry lips—Sir Thomas could see they were dry and feverish31 even from that distance; horrid32 thing, this gambling33!—and he drained it off at a gulp34, like a thirsty man who has tasted no liquor since early morning.
Then he took up his candle again, and turned—not to the door. Oh, no. The old gentleman watched him now with singular curiosity, for he was walking not to the door, but over in the direction of the suspected devonport. Sir Thomas could hardly even then guess at the truth. It wasn't, no it wasn't, it couldn't be Harry! not Harry that ... that borrowed the money!
The young man took a piece of stout35 wire from his pocket with a terrible look of despair and agony. Sir Thomas's heart melted within him as he beheld36 it. He twisted the wire about in the lock with a dexterous37 pressure, and it opened easily. Sir Thomas looked on, and the tears rose into his eyes slowly by instinct; but he said never a word, and watched intently. Harry held the lid of the devonport open for a moment with one hand, and looked at the rows of counted gold within. The fingers of the other hand rose slowly and remorsefully39 up[Pg 329] to the edge of the desk, and there hovered40 in an undecided fashion. Sir Thomas watched still, with his heart breaking. Then for a second Harry paused. He held back his hand and appeared to deliberate. Something within seemed to have affected41 him deeply. Sir Thomas, though a plain old soldier, could read his face well enough to know what it was; he was thinking of the kind words his uncle had said to him that very evening as they sat together down there at dinner.
For half a minute the suspense42 was terrible. Then, with a sudden impulse, Harry shut the lid of the devonport down hastily; flung the wire with a gesture of horror and remorse38 into the fireplace; took up his candle wildly in his hand; and rushed from the room and up the stairs, leaving the door open behind him.
Then Sir Thomas rose slowly from his seat in the window corner; lighted the gas in the centre burner; unlocked the devonport, with tears still trickling43 slowly down his face; counted all the money over carefully to make quite certain; found it absolutely untouched; and flung himself down upon his knees wildly, between shame, and fear, and relief, and misery44. What he said or what he thought in that terrible moment of conflicting passions is best not here described or written; but when he rose again his eyes were glistening45, more with forgiveness than with horror (anger there never had been); and being an old-fashioned old gentleman, he took down his big Bible from the shelf, just to reassure46 himself about a text which he thought he remembered somewhere in Luke: "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance47." "Ah, yes," he said to himself; "he repented48; he repented. He didn't take it. He felt he couldn't after what I said to him." And then, with the tears still rolling silently down his bronzed checks, he went up stairs to bed, but not to sleep; for he[Pg 330] lay restless on his pillow all night through with that one terrible discovery weighing like lead upon his tender old bosom49.
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1
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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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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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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8
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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9
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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10
piecemeal
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| adj.零碎的；n.片，块；adv.逐渐地；v.弄成碎块 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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pilfering
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| v.偷窃（小东西），小偷( pilfer的现在分词 )；偷窃（一般指小偷小摸） | |
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14
depredations
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| n.劫掠，毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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16
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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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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underlying
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| adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的 | |
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19
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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offhand
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| adj.临时，无准备的；随便，马虎的 | |
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billiards
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| n.台球 | |
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22
spoke
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| 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 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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28
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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29
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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31
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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32
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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36
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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37
dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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38
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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39
remorsefully
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| adv.极为懊悔地 | |
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40
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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41
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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42
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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43
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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44
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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45
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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46
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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47
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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48
repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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