15
He dashed over the snow-covered road like the wind.
Sleighs were met and passed.
But yet nothing was seen of the sleigh which contained Martin Van. To be sure he had a long start.
But still the Bradys kept on.
Arlington highway was reached and then they turned up the historic thoroughfare, the route of Paul Revere1 on his memorable2 ride, and entered Lexington.
The minute men of olden times who had met here to resist the advance of the British column of invasion, had once drank their flip4 and toddy in this ancient house.
As the detectives dashed along the snow-bound thoroughfare, Old King Brady gave a start.
“Hello!” he exclaimed. “Luck is with us!”
In the tavern yard was a sleigh. It was the veritable cutter hired by Van in Boston.
Then they dashed into the tavern.
At a counter stood a man of plain, stern features. He was evidently the proprietor8 and stared at the invaders9.
Old King Brady leaned over the counter and said:
“Where is the man who just came up in that cutter out there?”
The proprietor looked blank.
“He did not stop here,” he said.
The detectives were staggered.
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know which way he went?”
“Thank you!”
They were soon outside the little town of Lexington.
The road to Concord is a hilly and difficult highway, particularly in winter.
Moreover, a blinding snow storm had commenced to block the roads. After going a few miles the detectives found that their horse was giving out.
“There is one consolation13.”
“What?”
“If we are, Van is also.”
Night was at hand and darkness began to settle down.
The Bradys realized that it was necessary to get under cover somewhere.
Suddenly, after floundering a while in the snow, a dim light was seen in the distance.
“There is a habitation of some kind,” said Old King Brady. “I think we had better strike for it.”
“Very good,” declared Harry. “I will go ahead on foot.”
Slowly the Bradys staggered on through the snow.
After a while they passed through a gateway15 and drew up in the yard of a time-stained and weather-beaten old mansion16 of revolutionary style.
Lights shone in the windows of the old house.
Old King Brady shouted and two farm boys came out with lanterns.
“Reckon hyars some more storm-bound people,” said one of the boys. “Say, mister, what kin5 we do fer ye?”
“Wall, ye’re welcome! Put yer hoss right in the barn.”
This was done.
The big barn doors were with difficulty swung back. Then as the detectives entered they were given a thrilling start.
Right in the center of the barn floor was the cutter which Van had driven from Boston.
The horse was in a nearby stall.
“By jove!” whispered Harry. “We’ve come up with the sharp rogue18 at last. He won’t slip us this time.”
“Indeed he won’t!” declared Old King Brady. “I say, my man?”
“Well, sir?”
“Where is the man who came in with this team?”
Both boys stared.
“What?”
“That’s so, sir.”
“Do you mean to say nobody drove in here with that team?”
“Jest so, sir! It came in by itself an’ nobody in the sleigh. I don’t know nuthin’ more about it.”
“And you don’t know where the driver of it is?”
“No, sir.”
The detectives were dumfounded.
It was a most astounding20 turn in affairs. For a few moments they were overcome.
What could it mean?
But where and why? Where was he now?
It seemed an altogether foolish thing for him to desert the horse and sleigh to go afoot such a wild night.
No man could hope to live long in such a storm.
Yet it seemed that he had done this very thing.
The detectives were obliged to be satisfied with it.
Wherever Van was, nothing could be done to secure him that night. He might be freezing somewhere in the snow.
However this might be, the Bradys knew that they could only make themselves comfortable for the night and wait for the morrow.
So they went into the farm house.
16
John Paine, the farmer, and his wife welcomed the detectives.
The Bradys were soon toasting their frigid26 feet by the fire and listening to John Paine’s homely27 talk.
“I reckoned it ud be a pow’ful hard winter,” he said. “Everything p’inted that way.”
“How far are you from the next house?” asked Old King Brady.
“Summut of a mile, I reckon.”
“What is it, a farm house like this?”
John Paine screwed up his mouth.
“I reckon ye’re strangers about yere,” he said.
“We are.”
“Bekase if ye warn’t ye’d never ax that question. Why, the next house ain’t a house at all. It’s a mad-house!”
“A mad-house?”
“Yes, some people call it a ’sylum.”
“I reckon so. It’s private enuff. Old Doctor Scraggs who keeps it has about four of ther wust dogs in this kentry. Nobody dares to go about there arter dark.”
The detectives were doing some deep thinking.
They wondered if there could be any connection between Van’s disappearance31 and the asylum.
For a long while they pondered over it.
Then Old King Brady asked:
“I say, my friend! Have you any snowshoes?”
“Sartin!” replied Paine. “But ye ain’t goin’ out to-night?”
“I have a desire to visit that asylum,” said the detective.
“Wait till ter-morrer. We’ll break the road out airly.”
“Oh, I don’t mind the storm.”
At this moment one of the farm boys came in with a stamp of his feet.
“I say!” he cried. “It’s all breaking away an’ the moon is coming out.”
“Sho!” cried the farmer. “You don’t say so?”
“That settles it!” cried Old King Brady. “We’ll take a trip on snowshoes, anyway!”
“But city folks does hev queer ways,” he remarked to his wife.
Two pairs of snowshoes were brought out.
Warmly wrapped they did not feel the chill air. The moon had appeared high in the heavens and the air was sublime35.
Over the drifted fields the detectives made their way.
“It’s easy enough to understand it all now,” said Old King Brady. “You see Van went as far as he could with his team. Then he turned it into this man’s yard and went ahead on foot.”
“He meant to reach the asylum. It was certainly his objective point.”
“Yes.”
“But what business can he possibly have at the asylum of Doctor Scraggs?”
“That is for us to find out.”
“Perhaps——”
Old King Brady paused. Both detectives had experienced the same thought. Was there any connection between the insane asylum of Doctor Scraggs and the Fifteenth street mystery?
Had the Tough Trio any relationship with this private home for the insane?
The Bradys knew well that many of these private asylums are but prisons for innocent victims of evil plots.
On the charge of insanity37 a perfectly38 sane36 man may be kept for years, even to the hour of his death, in awful, torturous39 confinement40.
It seemed certain that Van had not alone come on to Boston to shadow the detectives or even to decoy them.
It was really to pay a visit to Doctor Scraggs’ asylum.
But what was his business there?
What sort of a place was it?
The Bradys felt that they were upon a new lead.
As they glided41 along on their snowshoes, they were resolved to solve the mystery that night if possible.
Nearer now they drew to the grounds of the asylum.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
revere
|
|
| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
memorable
|
|
| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
tavern
|
|
| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
flip
|
|
| vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
kin
|
|
| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
reins
|
|
| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
proprietor
|
|
| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
invaders
|
|
| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
concord
|
|
| n.和谐；协调 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
wagon
|
|
| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
harry
|
|
| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
consolation
|
|
| n.安慰，慰问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
averse
|
|
| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
gateway
|
|
| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
mansion
|
|
| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
trespass
|
|
| n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
rogue
|
|
| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
astounding
|
|
| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
vouchsafe
|
|
| v.惠予，准许 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hearth
|
|
| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
hustled
|
|
| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
frigid
|
|
| adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
homely
|
|
| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
asylum
|
|
| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
asylums
|
|
| n.避难所( asylum的名词复数 )；庇护；政治避难；精神病院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
uncommon
|
|
| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
disappearance
|
|
| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
demur
|
|
| v．表示异议，反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
hearty
|
|
| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
sublime
|
|
| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
sane
|
|
| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
insanity
|
|
| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
torturous
|
|
| adj. 痛苦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
confinement
|
|
| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
glided
|
|
| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
thwart
|
|
| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |