“How in the world do you justify2 that remarkable3 statement?” Roy demanded, breaking the silence of surprise, which had at first held the three.
For a moment, Billy showed traces of embarrassment4. Then, swiftly, an expression of relief showed on his heavy face, and he spoke5 glibly6 enough:
“The conclusion to which I have come,” he declared ponderously7, “is compelled by exact reasoning from all the facts in our possession. The late Mr. Abernethey unquestionably left for his heir some sort of clue as to the hiding-place of the money. Having in mind the whimsical nature of the man, we may well believe that, in a case such as this, the clue would be of an especially curious kind. Next, we have the fact that Mr. Abernethey[132] was a musician. He was devoted8 to that art beyond anything else, excepting only his passion as a miser9. Now, our search through his effects and his house has discovered only a single thing having a real, vital bearing on his personality, and—more than that—on the very object of our quest here, money. In consequence of all these facts, I am led to the conclusion that this page of manuscript offers us the clue for which we have hitherto been hunting in vain.” The speaker paused, to stare from one to another of his auditors10 triumphantly11.
Roy uttered an ejaculation of impatience12.
“Reason is a good thing sometimes, and sometimes it isn’t. This, I’m thinking, is one of the times when it isn’t. The trouble with your whole argument, Billy, lies in an additional fact; that a sheet of music can’t tell you where a certain hole in the ground may chance to be.”
Roy replied with a hint of disdain14 in his voice, such as is often characteristic of the musical person in speaking of his art to one unlearned.
[133]“The reason would be obvious to you, if you knew anything of music,” he declared.
“Then, it’s lucky I don’t,” was the other’s retort; “because, in some way that we don’t know yet, the clue we need is set down on that manuscript. It is logically certain, and, if you musical sharps can’t guess as much, it’s fortunate I’m along to give you the pointer.”
“If it had been anybody except Billy who had been hit by this idea, I should feel quite differently about it,” he asserted, chuckling16 in response to the glare of indignation with which the oracle17 received the words. “Of course, you know my feeling in the matter. I’m expecting some sort of inspiration to hit us; I have been, ever since Roy had his hunch18. But Billy isn’t of the sensitive temperament19, which is receptive to impressions of a psychic20 sort. If Roy had received this idea, without a bit of reason to back it up, I should have had high hopes—or if it had come to Saxe even, because he has the sensitiveness of the artistic21 temperament.”
[134]“Or even if it had come to your delicately susceptible22 self, I suppose,” Billy suggested, acrimoniously23.
“With all humility25, yes,” he answered, unabashed. “And you needn’t be peevish26, Billy, for the simple reason that you’d be furious if anyone were to accuse you of being a psychic subject. Eh, wouldn’t you?”
“That sort of thing’s all rot,” he affirmed, with emphasis. “I arrived at the fact easily and sanely28 by the exercise of a rationalizing intelligence.”
“Precisely!” David agreed. “And that’s why I don’t attach the slightest importance to your statement.” At this heterodox confession29, Billy was too overwhelmed with disgust to pursue the argument farther.
Saxe did not share in the avowed30 disbelief of Roy and David. While the others were engaged in disputation, he had gone to the stack of music, and had looked through it until he came upon the sheet of manuscript. Then, he returned to his seat on the stool, placed the music on the rack, and devoted[135] himself to scrutiny31 of the writing. He felt, somehow, that he dared not reject the suggestion that here was the very thing he sought as the guide to fortune. Nevertheless, though he studied the page with anxious intensity32, he could perceive no possibility of any hint to be derived33 from the simple score of notes. There was nothing set down in the way of diagram, or combination of letters which by twist of ingenuity34 might be made to suit his need. Nothing showed beyond the phrases of a composition naked in its simplicity35. Reason told him that any trust in this manuscript were delusion36. Yet, he hung over it, absorbed, even while he chided himself for his interest in a thing plainly worthless to the purpose.
It was Billy Walker, turning in disgust from the debate with David, who first observed Saxe’s absorption in the manuscript, and his vanity was at once consoled by this mute support. He got up lumberingly, and crossed over to the piano, where he stood looking down at the music. His action caused David and Roy to perceive what Saxe was doing, and forthwith, despite[136] their skepticism, they, too, rose and went to the piano, there to stare down curiously38 at the manuscript on the rack.
Here is a copy of the sheet on which the four adventurers were looking down:
[Listen]
[137]The four stood in silence for a long minute, gazing down at the manuscript page with keen discouragement. Saxe was the first to speak, shaking his head dispiritedly:
“It means nothing,” he said, with melancholy39 certainty in his voice. “There is no possibility of its meaning anything. For a moment, I was foolish enough to hope that Billy had really got the right idea, but he hasn’t. This is a plain bit of music, nothing more.”
“Of course!” Roy agreed, with a contemptuous inflection. “My personal opinion is that the power of ratiocination40 is not always what it’s cracked up to be, Billy.”
David, once again, shared the general disbelief.
“No,” he declared, “the idea won’t hold water. There is no way to convey meaning by the score of a musical composition except the emotion that the author has experienced himself, and wishes thus to interpret to his hearers. The old man meant in this case to tell us of the spell that the love of gold lays on the miser. He has done that. Billy was the one who called our attention to the fact.[138] He must be content with that much glory. His other idea was just poppycock.”
Billy Walker was unconvinced.
“I know nothing about music,” he conceded. “But I have the God-given gift of reason, which is not vouchsafed41 to the brutes—or to all human beings, I regret to say. Reason convinces me that the clue lies somewhere on this sheet. I reaffirm my conclusion. Since I know nothing of music, the remainder of the work must be done by you. It has now become your responsibility. I have done my part.”
The dignity and the earnestness with which this declaration was made impressed the doubters in spite of themselves. When Billy had ceased speaking, they remained silent, vaguely42 hesitant, though quite unconvinced. Saxe, perhaps, more than either of the others was desirous of accepting Billy’s idea as true, but he was unable to justify it by anything tangible43. His was, after all, the chief interest in the issue, and he was eager to seize on even the most meager44 possibility that offered hope of success. So now, he was anxious to believe, and racked his[139] brain to find some character of subtle significance on the page before him. It was in vain. He could discern nothing beyond the obvious meaning of the score as the symbol of a musical composition.
Thus the matter remained for a week. Billy Walker retained certainty as to the correctness of his judgment45; David and Roy maintained their attitude of skepticism; Saxe continued his mood of willingness to believe, along with a total incapacity to find an atom of evidence in support of it. He sat for hours before the manuscript, hoping for some inspiration to come, but his thoughts remained barren. He realized, with poignant46 regret, that time was slipping away on swiftest wings, yet he felt himself powerless before the problem, on the solving of which his fortune was conditioned.
Nevertheless, not all his time was given to the quest. A part, even the greater part, was bestowed47 on Margaret West—on her in person, when opportunity served, on her in thought, when absent from her. His failure to make any progress in the search for the treasure would without doubt have[140] caused him vastly more distress48 of mind, had it not been for the fact that most of his energy was devoted to the girl. Worry over money could not affect him to desperation, when he was constantly titillating49 over the secret of a maiden’s heart. He was assiduous in his attentions, but he could not win from Margaret any sure indication of preference. She was as amiable50 as the most exacting51 lover might require, but she displayed none of that coyness or confusion for which Saxe looked as a sign that her heart was engaged. He did not dare over-much, for the brief length of their acquaintance seemed to forbid. But this restraint caused him torment52 on account of jealousy53, since Masters appeared soon as an open rival in the wooing of the girl. Margaret’s treatment of the engineer was of such a sort that it drove Saxe nearly to desperation. She was unfailingly as amiable to the one as to the other of her suitors. It was, to Saxe, utterly54 inconceivable that any woman could be guilty of such folly56 as to love a man like the engineer, yet the girl’s attitude toward Masters filled him with alarm, so that he pressed his own[141] suit with more insistence57, and came to hate his adversary58 exceedingly.
Masters, too, suffered under the curse of jealousy. His love for Margaret was a sincere passion, and the hate Saxe bore for him he returned in overflowing59 measure. Through all his emotion of love, however, there remained in undiminished vigor60 his desire to possess himself of the gold hidden by Abernethey. And, presently, there grew in him a desperate resolve, brought into being in part by greed, in part by hatred61 of his rival.
May Thurston was another in the throes of anguish62, and that from no fault of her own. Her love for the engineer had involved her in almost unendurable humiliation63. His ostentatious worship of Margaret West at first filled May with the agony of outraged64 affection, then forced her to the wrath65 of revolt against such treachery. This mood endured. The little hypocrisies66 of loving, which Masters attempted on the rare occasions when the two were alone together, did not deceive her in the least. Yet, the final break between the two was delayed for lack[142] of courage on her part to accuse him openly of his guilt55. The matter stood thus between them when, one morning after a sleepless67 night, May got from her bed before sunrise, dressed herself hurriedly, and left the cottage, hoping that the freshness of the dawn might serve to soothe68 her wearied nerves. She wandered aimlessly hither and yon through the woods bordering the shore, and did indeed win some solace69 for her soul in the radiance of the summer day. She was about fifty yards distant from the cottage, descending70 the slope that ran to the shore, when she heard a slight noise among the bushes in front of her. She halted instantly, curious to know what manner of creature might be at hand, and welcoming any distraction71 from the distress in her heart.
Herself hidden by a screen of foliage72, she peered forth37 cautiously, searching with her eyes the thicket73 beyond. At first, she could distinguish nothing, and, after a little, became convinced that she had been deceived by the dropping of a rotted branch. She was on the point of advancing again, when another and louder sound arrested her. It[143] issued from a place somewhat farther to the right than that she had scrutinized74, and now, as she watched intently, she made out the dim form of some object moving slowly within a clump75 of high bushes, from the center of which grew a thick-leafed sapling. Another minute of inspection76 convinced her that the object was a man, and immediately an intuition bore upon her that it was Masters himself. Sure of his identity, she went forward quickly, following the impulse of the moment, and called him by name.
Masters—for it was in truth the engineer—whirled and faced the girl with an expression of terror, which, however, vanished so swiftly that May afterward77 found herself wondering if in fact she had not merely imagined it. Moreover, he smiled on her with more tenderness than he had exhibited in his manner for days, and his voice, when he spoke, was caressing78:
“You, May!” he cried. His tones indicated a joyous79 surprise over the unexpected meeting. “You, too, are rivaling the lark80 this morning, like myself. I woke up three hours ago, and, when I found there was no chance[144] to get to sleep again, I decided81 to commune with nature. I’ve been trailing a wonderful moth82, but I’ve lost it at last, I’m sorry to say. It was a beauty!” He paused from the flow of words, which had been perhaps a trifle too rapid for entire sincerity83, and regarded the girl with a glance that was at once fond and quizzical. “And did you, too, have a touch of insomnia84?” he inquired.
May nodded, rather listlessly. For some reason that she could not understand, she was not convinced by the specious85 suavity86 of the engineer’s utterance87. At the back of her mind was a belief that the man was lying, though she refused to allow the accusation88 place. Her instinct revolted against the disloyalty of the fellow. Nevertheless, her heart was moved to a last struggle in behalf of the love to which she had once so joyously89 surrendered herself. She determined90 on an appeal to that better nature which she believed the engineer to possess:
“Hartley,” she said softly, “I wish you to do something for me—no, for yourself. I want you to give up this mad idea of securing the gold Mr. Abernethey hid.” The gaze[145] of her dark eyes was full of affectionate pleading.
The reply of Masters was prompt, without any least trace of hesitancy. He put out his hand, and took hers, pressing it tenderly.
“Dearest,” he said softly, “you have been right, and I have been wrong. I see it now. I was carried away for a little while by my longing91 for money. I wanted it for you, not for myself altogether—you must know that. Now, I have repented92. It was my conscience that kept me awake last night. I have already abandoned the idea of trying to get hold of a fortune that doesn’t rightly belong to me. Can you forgive me, dearest? I’ve been a little mad, I think.” He paused, and, in the silence that followed, drew her to him, and kissed her very gently on the forehead.
May accepted the embrace—knew not, indeed, how to refuse it, although it failed to thrill her with that rapture93 which she had once known in his arms. Instead, she sighed in a confusion of emotions, which she herself was far from understanding. As a matter of fact, however, this was the beginning[146] of the end. At last, under the stress of doubt inflicted94 persistently95 on her higher nature, the physical attraction exerted by Masters, which, unknown to her, had been the impelling96 cause for the activity of her imagination in making him an ideal, this potency97 of sex charm was overwhelmed by the essential antagonism98 between her soul and his. A certain shyness held her mute, so that Masters was well content with the effect he had secured; but, in this, his self-confidence and the seeming passivity of the girl led him far astray. In truth, May felt assured that Masters lied, and the failure of personal contact to yield any emotion save an actual dissatisfaction set the instinctive99 disbelief in bold relief. When, soon afterward, they separated, May was secretly aware that her first romance had come to an inglorious end.
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1
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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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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glibly
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| adv.流利地，流畅地；满口 | |
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ponderously
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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miser
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| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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11
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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tartly
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| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
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disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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15
skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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hunch
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| n.预感，直觉 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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psychic
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| n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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acrimoniously
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| adv.毒辣地，尖刻地 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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peevish
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| adj.易怒的，坏脾气的 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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28
sanely
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| ad.神志清楚地 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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ratiocination
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| n.推理；推断 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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46
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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49
titillating
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| adj.使人痒痒的； 使人激动的，令人兴奋的v.使觉得痒( titillate的现在分词 )；逗引；激发；使高兴 | |
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50
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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51
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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52
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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53
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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54
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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57
insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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58
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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61
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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62
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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64
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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66
hypocrisies
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| n.伪善，虚伪( hypocrisy的名词复数 ) | |
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67
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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70
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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71
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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insomnia
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| n.失眠，失眠症 | |
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85
specious
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| adj.似是而非的；adv.似是而非地 | |
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suavity
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| n.温和；殷勤 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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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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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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impelling
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| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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potency
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| n. 效力，潜能 | |
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antagonism
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| n.对抗，敌对，对立 | |
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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