“Has Miss Emily had a visitor?” he inquired, when the servant admitted him.
“The gentleman left a letter for Miss Emily, sir.”
“Did he ask to see her?”
“He asked after Miss Letitia’s health. When he heard that she was dead, he seemed to be startled, and went away immediately.”
“Did he give his name?”
“No, sir.”
The doctor found Emily absorbed over her letter. His anxiety to forestall1 any possible discovery of the deception2 which had concealed3 the terrible story of her father’s death, kept Doctor Allday’s vigilance on the watch. He doubted the gentleman who had abstained4 from giving his name; he even distrusted the other unknown person who had written to Emily.
She looked up. Her face relieved him of his misgivings5, before she could speak.
“At last, I have heard from my dearest friend,” she said. “You remember what I told you about Cecilia? Here is a letter—a long delightful6 letter—from the Engadine, left at the door by some gentleman unknown. I was questioning the servant when you rang the bell.”
“You may question me, if you prefer it. I arrived just as the gentleman was shutting your garden gate.”
“Oh, tell me! what was he like?”
“Tall, and thin, and dark. Wore a vile7 republican-looking felt hat. Had nasty ill-tempered wrinkles between his eyebrows8. The sort of man I distrust by instinct.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t shave.”
“Do you mean that he wore a beard?”
“Yes; a curly black beard.”
Emily clasped her hands in amazement9. “Can it be Alban Morris?” she exclaimed.
The doctor looked at her with a sardonic10 smile; he thought it likely that he had discovered her sweetheart.
“Who is Mr. Alban Morris?” he asked.
“The drawing-master at Miss Ladd’s school.”
Doctor Allday dropped the subject: masters at ladies’ schools were not persons who interested him. He returned to the purpose which had brought him to the cottage—and produced the Handbill that had been sent to him in Emily’s letter.
“I suppose you want to have it back again?” he said.
She took it from him, and looked at it with interest.
“Isn’t it strange,” she suggested, “that the murderer should have escaped, with such a careful description of him as this circulated all over England?”
She read the description to the doctor.
“‘Name not known. Supposed age, between twenty-five and thirty years. A well-made man, of small stature11. Fair complexion12, delicate features, clear blue eyes. Hair light, and cut rather short. Clean shaven, with the exception of narrow half-whiskers. Small, white, well-shaped hands. Wore valuable rings on the two last fingers of the left hand. Dressed neatly—‘”
“That part of the description is useless,” the doctor remarked; “he would change his clothes.”
“But could he change his voice?” Emily objected. “Listen to this: ‘Remarkably good voice, smooth, full, and persuasive13.’ And here again! ‘Ingratiating manners.’ Perhaps you will say he could put on an appearance of rudeness?”
“I will say this, my dear. He would be able to disguise himself so effectually that ninety-nine people out of a hundred would fail to identify him, either by his voice or his manner.”
“How?”
“Look back at the description: ‘Hair cut rather short, clean shaven, with the exception of narrow half-whiskers.’ The wretch14 was safe from pursuit; he had ample time at his disposal—don’t you see how he could completely alter the appearance of his head and face? No more, my dear, of this disagreeable subject! Let us get to something interesting. Have you found anything else among your aunt’s papers?”
“I have met with a great disappointment,” Emily replied. “Did I tell you how I discovered the Handbill?”
“No.”
“I found it, with the scrap-book and the newspaper cuttings, under a collection of empty boxes and bottles, in a drawer of the washhand-stand. And I naturally expected to make far more interesting discoveries in this room. My search was over in five minutes. Nothing in the cabinet there, in the corner, but a few books and some china. Nothing in the writing-desk, on that side-table, but a packet of note-paper and some sealing-wax. Nothing here, in the drawers, but tradesmen’s receipts, materials for knitting, and old photographs. She must have destroyed all her papers, poor dear, before her last illness; and the Handbill and the other things can only have escaped, because they were left in a place which she never thought of examining. Isn’t it provoking?”
With a mind inexpressibly relieved, good Doctor Allday asked permission to return to his patients: leaving Emily to devote herself to her friend’s letter.
On his way out, he noticed that the door of the bed-chamber on the opposite side of the passage stood open. Since Miss Letitia’s death the room had not been used. Well within view stood the washhand-stand to which Emily had alluded15. The doctor advanced to the house door—reflected—hesitated—and looked toward the empty room.
It had struck him that there might be a second drawer which Emily had overlooked. Would he be justified16 in setting this doubt at rest? If he passed over ordinary scruples17 it would not be without excuse. Miss Letitia had spoken to him of her affairs, and had asked him to act (in Emily’s interest) as co-executor with her lawyer. The rapid progress of the illness had made it impossible for her to execute the necessary codicil18. But the doctor had been morally (if not legally) taken into her confidence—and, for that reason, he decided19 that he had a right in this serious matter to satisfy his own mind.
A glance was enough to show him that no second drawer had been overlooked.
There was no other discovery to detain the doctor. The wardrobe only contained the poor old lady’s clothes; the one cupboard was open and empty. On the point of leaving the room, he went back to the washhand-stand. While he had the opportunity, it might not be amiss to make sure that Emily had thoroughly20 examined those old boxes and bottles, which she had alluded to with some little contempt.
The drawer was of considerable length. When he tried to pull it completely out from the grooves21 in which it ran, it resisted him. In his present frame of mind, this was a suspicious circumstance in itself. He cleared away the litter so as to make room for the introduction of his hand and arm into the drawer. In another moment his fingers touched a piece of paper, jammed between the inner end of the drawer and the bottom of the flat surface of the washhand-stand. With a little care, he succeeded in extricating22 the paper. Only pausing to satisfy himself that there was nothing else to be found, and to close the drawer after replacing its contents, he left the cottage.
The cab was waiting for him. On the drive back to his own house, he opened the crumpled23 paper. It proved to be a letter addressed to Miss Letitia; and it was signed by no less a person than Emily’s schoolmistress. Looking back from the end to the beginning, Doctor Allday discovered, in the first sentence, the name of—Miss Jethro.
But for the interview of that morning with his patient he might have doubted the propriety24 of making himself further acquainted with the letter. As things were, he read it without hesitation25.
“DEAR MADAM—I cannot but regard it as providential circumstance that your niece, in writing to you from my house, should have mentioned, among other events of her school life, the arrival of my new teacher, Miss Jethro.
“To say that I was surprised is to express very inadequately26 what I felt when I read your letter, informing me confidentially27 that I had employed a woman who was unworthy to associate with the young persons placed under my care. It is impossible for me to suppose that a lady in your position, and possessed29 of your high principles, would make such a serious accusation30 as this, without unanswerable reasons for doing so. At the same time I cannot, consistently with my duty as a Christian31, suffer my opinion of Miss Jethro to be in any way modified, until proofs are laid before me which it is impossible to dispute.
“Placing the same confidence in your discretion32, which you have placed in mine, I now inclose the references and testimonials which Miss Jethro submitted to me, when she presented herself to fill the vacant situation in my school.
“I earnestly request you to lose no time in instituting the confidential28 inquiries33 which you have volunteered to make. Whatever the result may be, pray return to me the inclosures which I have trusted to your care, and believe me, dear madam, in much suspense34 and anxiety, sincerely yours,
“AMELIA LADD.”
It is needless to describe, at any length, the impression which these lines produced on the doctor.
If he had heard what Emily had heard at the time of her aunt’s last illness, he would have called to mind Miss Letitia’s betrayal of her interest in some man unknown, whom she believed to have been beguiled35 by Miss Jethro—and he would have perceived that the vindictive36 hatred37, thus produced, must have inspired the letter of denunciation which the schoolmistress had acknowledged. He would also have inferred that Miss Letitia’s inquiries had proved her accusation to be well founded—if he had known of the new teacher’s sudden dismissal from the school. As things were, he was merely confirmed in his bad opinion of Miss Jethro; and he was induced, on reflection, to keep his discovery to himself.
“If poor Miss Emily saw the old lady exhibited in the character of an informer,” he thought, “what a blow would be struck at her innocent respect for the memory of her aunt!”
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1
forestall
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vt.抢在…之前采取行动;预先阻止 | |
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2
deception
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n.欺骗,欺诈;骗局,诡计 | |
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3
concealed
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a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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4
abstained
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v.戒(尤指酒),戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 );弃权(不投票) | |
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5
misgivings
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n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧 | |
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6
delightful
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adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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7
vile
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adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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8
eyebrows
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眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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9
amazement
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n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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10
sardonic
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adj.嘲笑的,冷笑的,讥讽的 | |
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11
stature
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n.(高度)水平,(高度)境界,身高,身材 | |
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12
complexion
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n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 | |
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13
persuasive
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adj.有说服力的,能说得使人相信的 | |
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14
wretch
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n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人 | |
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15
alluded
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提及,暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
justified
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a.正当的,有理的 | |
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17
scruples
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n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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18
codicil
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n.遗嘱的附录 | |
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19
decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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20
thoroughly
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adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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21
grooves
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n.沟( groove的名词复数 );槽;老一套;(某种)音乐节奏v.沟( groove的第三人称单数 );槽;老一套;(某种)音乐节奏 | |
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22
extricating
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v.使摆脱困难,脱身( extricate的现在分词 ) | |
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23
crumpled
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adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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24
propriety
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n.正当行为;正当;适当 | |
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25
hesitation
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n.犹豫,踌躇 | |
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26
inadequately
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ad.不够地;不够好地 | |
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27
confidentially
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ad.秘密地,悄悄地 | |
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28
confidential
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adj.秘(机)密的,表示信任的,担任机密工作的 | |
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29
possessed
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adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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30
accusation
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n.控告,指责,谴责 | |
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31
Christian
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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32
discretion
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n.谨慎;随意处理 | |
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33
inquiries
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n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
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34
suspense
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n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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35
beguiled
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v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 );使陶醉;使高兴;消磨(时间等) | |
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36
vindictive
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adj.有报仇心的,怀恨的,惩罚的 | |
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37
hatred
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n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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