Scarcely had I realized this when, even in that darkness, I was aware of a black object in front of me. Instinctively4 I raised my revolver; it knocked slightly against the wardrobe door, which was swinging slowly back upon me. So it had been unfastened and opened from the inside. Whoever had opened it was already in the room. I waited a few seconds, then, with revolver ready in one hand, I began quietly to push the door to with the other. When it was half-way closed I paused and listened. Some one was moving about the room in the direction of the bed. He was going, no doubt, to administer the coup-de-grace[Pg 180], or to see whether I was already beyond it. In another moment he would find the bed unoccupied. This certainly called for prompt action on my part. All the same, action was not easy in that pitchy darkness. I could scarcely move on account of having to listen constantly for that stealthy presence. But I guessed the man’s first act on discovering I was not in the bed would be either to strike a light, or to return as he came to fetch others of the party. In the former case, I resolved to shoot him on the first spark of light; in the latter, which I hoped would happen, I intended to account for him in quieter fashion. For my only chance of accomplishing my ultimate purpose lay in wit, not force.
On the other side of the wardrobe stood a table on which I knew were a pair of massive silver candlesticks. I felt for one of these, seized it, took out the candle, and held it ready. For a few moments now I heard no sound in the room; then I became aware that, as I expected, the man was coming stealthily back towards the wardrobe. I slipped the revolver into my pocket, and grasping the heavy candlestick with both hands raised it above my head. The man came nearer, he was now quite close; I could hear, could feel, his breath. Then, just at the right moment, I brought down the weapon with all my force on his head. The blow, by good luck, fell absolutely true. With an exclamation—half gasp6, half groan—the man collapsed7 at my feet.
So far good. I listened, but heard no indication that the alarm had been taken. I dared not strike a light, having regard to the peephole in the wall. I knelt down and examined, as well as I could by touch, the prostrate8 form. He was evidently wearing the same sort of rough cassock as those worn by the men who had buried the priest in the wood. With some difficulty I took this from him and put it [Pg 181]on myself. The fellow was breathing stertorously9; from the force of my blow there could be little doubt that his brain had suffered sufficient concussion10 to keep him still for some hours to come. So there was nothing to fear from leaving him as he was.
I now entered the wardrobe and ventured to strike a match. The light showed me a sliding door formed by one of the panels at the back, which unnecessary ornamentation was thus accounted for. I passed through this, and found myself in a narrow passage. Pulling the cowl over my head, I struck another light in order to see which way to turn. On the right a flight of wooden steps ran up to the roof. As there was no door or outlet11 of any sort up there it was evident that they were intended solely12 for the purpose of reaching the spy-hole in the frieze13. I went on, groping my way for a certain distance, then striking a fresh light to see what was before me. I had two objects now: to discover, if possible, the prison of Asta von Winterstein, and to make good my escape from that house of murder—neither of them easy. After moving cautiously along for a considerable distance I came to a door, at what was evidently the end of the secret passage. Before this hung the arras with which the corridor into which it opened was lined. Luckily the passage, for obvious reasons, was carpeted with some soft material which deadened the sound of footsteps. From beyond the door came men’s voices. I crept warily14 forward and peeped through the hangings. Across the corridor was a room of which the door was ajar and whence came the voices. A plan of action now occurred to me. Taking the opportunity when one loud-voiced fellow was speaking, I stole across and hid myself behind the hangings on the other side. My position now was close to the door of the room in which the men were; their talk was plainly to be heard. They were [Pg 182]speaking of the dog. The sweetmeat had evidently had its effect, and they seemed considerably15 mystified thereby16. The Count’s tone (for he was there) was angry and querulous; he was blaming the other men for carelessness in having left the poison in the animal’s way. This they vehemently17 denied, and the real solution of the mystery seemed to occur to none of them. Under less critical conditions I should have been amused by this confirmation18 of the Count’s true character when his veneer19 of hyper-politeness was stripped off. His present tone was ludicrously in contrast to that which he adopted in company.
Presently, to end the recrimination, some one suggested that Paulus was a long time gone. My charming host laughed. “It takes much to kill an eel5 and an Englishman.” Nevertheless, as the minutes passed without sign of their comrade’s return, they proposed to go in a body to see what was wrong.
This was what I had calculated upon. They came out of the room, four or five of them, crossed the corridor and entered the secret passage. I waited till they should have gone a safe distance, then came out of my hiding-place, went quickly to the door and fastened it upon them. Thus I hoped, having the key of the Prior’s room in my pocket, that they were nicely trapped, although, as it would not take them long to burst open the door I had just secured, it behoved me to lose no time in setting about what was to be done.
Lighting20 my candle, I found no difficulty in making my way to the great staircase, to the head of which, indeed, the corridor ran, and so down to the hall. The entrance door was barred and locked, but there was something else for me to think of before escaping; so, protecting the light with my hand, I hastened on, looking into every room, trying every door, in my [Pg 183]hurried search for Asta von Winterstein’s prison. In vain. Every room I could find was deserted21; nor did any show signs of having been occupied by her. During my search I came across the body of the great hound, stretched lifeless, or nearly so, on the stone flagging of an inner hall.
“A lucky thought of mine,” I muttered; “that fellow prowling about the place would have spoiled my game, and probably cost me my life.”
As the minutes went on my desperate eagerness to find the prisoner increased. Rushing hither and thither22 I plunged23 into every opening and passage that presented itself, but seemed now in the great rambling24 place to be getting farther away from all sign of human life. Thinking my search hopeless in that direction I came back to the great hall, and determined25, sheer madness though it seemed, to make a quest upstairs.
The utter foolhardiness of this resolve has since been accounted for in my mind only by the fact that the excitement of the adventure was now strong upon me. I felt absolutely in honour bound to attempt the girl’s rescue at all hazards, and by the conviction that I should never have even such a chance as this again. So I made a dash upstairs.
I had hardly reached the top when I heard a cry, then a crash, followed by a shout and a sound of hurrying footsteps. I blew out my light. It was too late now. The men had broken out of the passage and were scouring26 the place for me. It was certain death if I did not take what small chance of escape was left to me. To rescue Asta von Winterstein that night, even if I had known where to find her, was out of the question. I set my teeth in grim disappointment and ran down the stairs again. To escape now by the front entrance was impossible; a flash of light told me the men were at the head of the stairs. But [Pg 184]I had in my late search found and carefully noted28 the position of the postern door. This was led to by a short narrow passage opening out of another running at right angles across the end of the great hall. For this I made, finding it again without difficulty.
Here I was obliged to strike a light. It showed me to my dismay that my escape was cut off, the door was locked and no key to be seen.
I threw down the match and pulled out my revolver. There, with my back to the door, I could keep the narrow passage perhaps against odds29, or at least make a good fight for my life. Any moment now my pursuers might come upon me. They seemed to be searching about the hall and the rooms adjacent to it. My discovery was a mere30 question of moments. I braced31 myself for the encounter and stood in readiness. I should be an easy target there if the ruffians had fire-arms, but even in that case I calculated I ought to be able to account for two or three of them before they could hit me.
At that critical moment, as a faint indication of light told of my enemies’ approach, a noise close by attracted my attention. Some one was outside the door behind me. Feet could be plainly heard on the steps; one of the men was evidently coming in. Everything now hung on moments. If the Count and his men inside the house should come upon me before the door opened it would mean that I should be attacked from behind as well, and my desperate chance of escape would be absolutely gone. The suspense32 of those few seconds brings a shudder33 even now in the writing. To my great relief the key grated in the lock, it turned, the door opened, and, just as a light flashed into the passage and a man’s shout proclaimed he had discovered me, I sprang from my crouching34 attitude behind the door upon the astonished incomer, dealt him a smashing blow in the face, knocking him [Pg 185]backwards down the steps into the moat, plunged in myself and began to swim my hardest, keeping along in the dark shadow of the walls.
I did not swim far thus, knowing they would pursue me in the boat, but after going a short distance, struck across to land. Luckily the night was dark with a drizzling35 rain, and it was not until I reached the bank that a cry told me I was seen. I fully27 expected a shot, if not a volley, but none was fired. Next instant I was in the wood and comparatively safe. I ran through to the boundary wall, climbed it, and then stayed to listen for sounds of pursuit. None were to be heard. After a while I ventured to make my way by a circuitous36 path to the inn, which I reached without becoming aware of any signs of my late host or his gang. With some difficulty I succeeded in rousing the landlord, made an excuse for my late return, threw off my wet clothes, and tumbled into an honest bed after a very pretty night’s adventure.
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1
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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2
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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3
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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4
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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5
eel
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| n.鳗鲡 | |
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6
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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7
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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8
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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9
stertorously
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10
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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11
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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12
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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13
frieze
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| n.(墙上的)横饰带，雕带 | |
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14
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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15
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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16
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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17
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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18
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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19
veneer
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| n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰 | |
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20
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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21
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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22
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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23
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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24
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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25
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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26
scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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27
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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28
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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29
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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30
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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31
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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32
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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33
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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34
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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35
drizzling
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| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
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36
circuitous
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| adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的 | |
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