When she had thus determined7, it was time to dress, for the day was two hours old. As soon as she was clad with her accustomed nicety, she wrote the letter to the engineer, and then descended8 to breakfast, pale and wan,[167] with heavy shadows under her eyes, but vastly relieved that, at last, she had reached a decision as to her conduct of the affair.
The letter thus prepared was not destined9 for delivery that day. Masters did not appear at the cottage. As a matter of fact, even his egotism was convinced of the sincerity10 and unchangeableness of Margaret West’s rejection11 of his suit. He found to his despair and wrath12 that the girl was totally irresponsive to his most ardent13 pleadings. The disappointment to him was the keener because it was so wholly unexpected. The girl had shown pleasure in his society from the first, and he had anticipated an easy victory, despite his jealousy14 of Saxe. Nevertheless, she repulsed15 him with a finality not to be denied. His failure was the more exasperating16 to him by reason of the fact that the cause baffled his every effort of understanding.
The truth of the matter lay in a paradox17 concerning magnetism18. Masters possessed19 in an unusual degree the magnetism of sex. At the outset, Margaret had felt this, without in the least apprehending20 the nature of the attraction exerted on her. She attributed it[168] rather to his handsome face and buoyant manner, allied21 with his undoubted cleverness. Later on, as the man’s passion for her developed, this same force in him, which had charmed in its subtler manifestations22, became offensive to her sensitiveness. Still without any suspicion of the cause, she felt herself repelled23, where before she had been attracted. By so much the more as his desire waxed and was revealed, by so much the more he grew repulsive24. In the end, he became altogether detestable to her, and in dismissing him she made her feeling plain.
So, Masters did not come that day to the cottage, and the note that lay warm on May’s bosom25 was undelivered. Yet his dual26 lack of success in love and in murder did not suffice to quench27 the spirit of the man. Greed and passion inflamed28 his hatred29 of the rival who threatened to destroy his hopes. As he went from Margaret at her bidding, his brain was already busy with new schemes by which to possess himself of the miser’s gold and of the woman he loved. The first step toward such consummation must be the death of Saxe Temple. He was furious against the fate that[169] had saved his enemy at the first trial; he was determined that at the second there should be no escape.
The night following that on which the shooting had occurred, Roy Morton passed through an experience that afforded him grounds for apprehension30, although he kept the affair secret for a time, in the confident expectation of making further discoveries without assistance from his friends.
It was about two o’clock in the morning when he suddenly awakened31 out of a sound sleep. He attributed this awakening32 to a subtle warning from his never-sleeping sixth sense. Nevertheless, it is a fact that, in the course of an adventurous33 career, he had acquired the habit of sleeping very lightly, so that he might be aroused instantly by the slightest sound of an unwonted sort, and it is probable that, on this occasion, some noise disturbed him. Be that as it may, he abruptly34 found himself broad awake and listening intently.
There was no sound anywhere within the cottage. Through the open window came the rhythmic35 chant of myriad36 insects, the rustling37 of leaves caressed38 by the night wind—nothing[170] more. Roy was inclined to believe that he had been aroused for no adequate cause. Yet, he was disinclined to dismiss the warning of his precious sixth sense without further investigation39. He got out of bed, threw a bath-robe over his pajamas40, and set forth41 on a tour of investigation. There was still some moonlight shining through the windows of the hall, by which he was able to assure himself that nothing extraordinary was visible, nor did he hear any unusual sound. He descended into the lower hall, and there, too, his examination failed to show aught amiss. He moved with great caution, in order to avoid giving warning of his presence to a possible intruder, and peered into the office and the dining-room. Everywhere, he found all in order. He betook himself finally to the door of the music-room, which he found almost closed, but not quite. He pushed it open with much care, and bending forward, looked into the room. On the instant, his eyes were attracted by a light that shone clearly against the east wall of the room. By this illumination, he perceived a man, who knelt, holding a pocket-torch in his left hand, while his right was thrust into an opening in[171] the wall.
Roy Morton stared in unqualified amazement42. For the moment, his interest was centered on the aperture43 in the wall of the room, rather than on the man who knelt on the floor before it, with his arm thrust into the recess44 up to the shoulder. In that instant, Roy was seized with the conviction that he had stumbled upon the treasure of Abernethey by means of a monition from his sixth sense, and his heart was filled with gladness, both for the sake of his friend’s fortune thus at last secured, and for the sake of his own pride in being the active agent in that consummation. He had no doubt whatever that the man crouched45 on the floor was Masters, though the face was unrecognizable in the shadow. He even suffered a little pang46 of jealousy that the fellow should have succeeded in discovering the golden treasury47, while he and his friends had so signally failed. He comforted wounded vanity, however, with the trite48 reflection that all is well that ends well. It seemed, indeed, that the affair had now become simplicity49 itself, since there remained only to watch the operations of the thief, and ultimately to possess himself of the[172] gold in his friend’s behalf.
It appeared to the observer that the position of the man on the floor left him subject to great disadvantage under attack, and that, therefore, it were wise not to delay action. Roy desired to capture the marauder single-handed for the sake of his own greater glory. He had no question as to his ability to overcome the engineer in a hand-to-hand contest, despite the fellow’s excellent physique. With the idea of taking his enemy by surprise, he pushed the door farther ajar, to make space for a leap forward. Notwithstanding his caution, the hinges creaked with a sudden, harsh noise, which crashed through the silence of the night. In the same second, Roy sprang.
At the sound of the opening door, the torch had clicked into darkness—there was the slithering of rubber-shod feet across the floor. As Roy came upon emptiness where had been the man, he heard the rustling of the drawn50 shade of a window. He saw dimly against the outer light the silhouette51 of the thief in the opening. Before he could move, it had vanished. He was after it with all speed, but, by the time he stood on the ground outside, he could neither[173] see nor hear aught to give an idea as to the direction of the flight. He went forward blindly, moving here and there haphazard52, pausing often to listen. There was no reward to his efforts, and, after a few minutes, realizing the uselessness of longer search, he returned to the cottage, where he entered the open window.
It was just as he dropped to the floor that a cheering thought came to Roy. The man had carried away nothing in his flight. At the moment of the door’s creaking, the hand had been withdrawn53 from the cavity within the wall, and it had been empty. Evidently, the depredator had been interrupted just when he had succeeded in coming on the secret place of the gold. As he realized this, Roy went forward quickly in the direction of the piano-lamp, found matches, made a light, and turned eagerly toward the recess in the wall. As he knelt in the place so recently occupied by that other visitor, there was light enough to see clearly, and he beheld54 the safe set behind the wainscoting. The steel doors stood ajar; the first glance showed that the receptacle was empty.
[174]Amazement was Roy’s dominant55 emotion for the first few moments. It gave place to chagrin56. He strove to disbelieve the evidence of his eyes, but disbelief was impossible. The safe was empty. He thrust his hand within, and felt about carefully, even as the man had done—only to find nowhere so much as a scrap57 of paper that might have held a clue. The shock of the disappointment stunned58 him. For a long time, he sat before the opening in the wall, squatting59 motionless on his haunches, nursing a swiftly rising rage.
Roy stood up at last, with an ejaculation of disgust. Then, curiosity laid hold on him, and he began a careful examination of the vault’s mechanism60. He pushed the inner doors of steel shut, but without turning the handle to shoot the bolt. Afterward61, he scrutinized62 the portion of the wainscoting that was swung outward to reveal the safe. He moved it to and fro, a little way slowly, finding that it was very delicately balanced, so that it responded to the lightest touch. He inspected the bolts with which it was fitted, and sought to understand exactly the method of their operation, but this persistently63 escaped him, nothwithstanding his[175] knowledge of mechanical appliances. It was while he was pulling at one of the bolts that the impetus64 of his effort sent the section of wainscoting into its usual place as a part of the wall. Roy tried to catch it in order to prevent its closing, but he was just too late. He tugged65 at a projection66 of the carving67, only to find that the masked door resisted his strength. He realized that the bolts had been thrust into their sockets68 by some device automatic in the act of closing. Greatly annoyed, he began a hunt for the secret spring by which the operation of the bolts must be controlled. In this he failed. Try as he would, the wainscoting rested there before him in an immobility beyond measure exasperating. He went over the entire surface with painstaking69 care, pressing or pulling at each hollow or projection, and always there was the same irritating lack of response. Roy, with his chin thrust forward belligerently70, toiled71 on in countless72 futile experiments, only to confess defeat. He was worn with fatigue73 from the monotonous74 labor75 when at last a distant sound startled him,[176] and he looked around, to discover that day had come. Fearful lest he be discovered there, he fled to his room, disgusted by the fiasco. For the first time in his life, he sneered76 at that delusive77 faculty78, the sixth sense.
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1
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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3
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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4
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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6
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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10
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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11
rejection
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| n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃 | |
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12
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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13
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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15
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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16
exasperating
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| adj. 激怒的 动词exasperate的现在分词形式 | |
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17
paradox
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| n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物) | |
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18
magnetism
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| n.磁性，吸引力，磁学 | |
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19
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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20
apprehending
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的现在分词 )； 理解 | |
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21
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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23
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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24
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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25
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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dual
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| adj.双的；二重的，二元的 | |
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quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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28
inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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31
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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32
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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33
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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34
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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35
rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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37
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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38
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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40
pajamas
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| n.睡衣裤 | |
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41
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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42
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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43
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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44
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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45
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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47
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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48
trite
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| adj.陈腐的 | |
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49
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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50
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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51
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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52
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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53
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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54
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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55
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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56
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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57
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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58
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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59
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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60
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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61
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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62
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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63
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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64
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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65
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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67
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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68
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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69
painstaking
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| adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的 | |
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70
belligerently
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71
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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72
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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73
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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74
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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75
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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76
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
delusive
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| adj.欺骗的，妄想的 | |
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78
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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