“Magnificent, petite, magnificent,” he cried. “To-night you have surpassed yourself.” He kissed her gallantly5 on both cheeks in a somewhat matter-of-fact manner.
Madame Nadina accepted the tribute with the ease of long habit and passed on to her dressing-room, where bouquets6 were heaped carelessly everywhere, marvellous garments of futuristic design hung on pegs7, and the air was hot and sweet with the scent8 of the massed blossoms and with more sophisticated perfumes and essences. Jeanne, the dresser, ministered to her mistress, talking incessantly9 and pouring out a stream of fulsome10 compliment.
A knock at the door interrupted the flow. Jeanne went to answer it, and returned with a card in her hand.
“Madame will receive?”
“Let me see.”
The dancer stretched out a languid hand, but at the sight of the name on the card, “Count Sergius Paulovitch,” a sudden flicker11 of interest came into her eyes.
“Bien, Madame.”
Jeanne brought the peignoir, an exquisite13 wisp of corn-coloured chiffon and ermine. Nadina slipped into it, and sat smiling to herself, whilst one long white hand beat a slow tattoo14 on the glass of the dressing-table.
The Count was prompt to avail himself of the privilege accorded to him—a man of medium height, very slim, very elegant, very pale, extraordinarily15 weary. In feature, little to take hold of, a man difficult to recognize again if one left his mannerisms out of account. He bowed over the dancer’s hand with exaggerated courtliness.
“Madame, this is a pleasure indeed.”
So much Jeanne heard before she went out closing the door behind her. Alone with her visitor, a subtle change came over Nadina’s smile.
“Compatriots though we are, we will not speak Russian, I think,” she observed.
“Since we neither of us know a word of the language, it might be as well,” agreed her guest.
By common consent, they dropped into English, and nobody, now that the Count’s mannerisms had dropped from him, could doubt that it was his native language. He had, indeed, started life as a quick-change music-hall artiste in London.
“You had a great success to-night,” he remarked. “I congratulate you.”
“All the same,” said the woman, “I am disturbed. My position is not what it was. The suspicions aroused during the War have never died down. I am continually watched and spied upon.”
“Our chief lays his plans too carefully for that.”
“Long life to the ‘Colonel,’” said the Count, smiling. “Amazing news, is it not, that he means to retire? To retire! Just like a doctor, or a butcher, or a plumber——”
“Or any other business man,” finished Nadina. “It should not surprise us. That is what the ‘Colonel’ has always been—an excellent man of business. He has organized crime as another man might organize a boot factory. Without committing himself, he has planned and directed a series of stupendous coups17, embracing every branch of what we might call his ‘profession.’ Jewel robberies, forgery18, espionage (the latter very profitable in war-time), sabotage19, discreet20 assassination21, there is hardly anything he has not touched. Wisest of all, he knows when to stop. The game begins to be dangerous? —he retires gracefully—with an enormous fortune!”
“H’m!” said the Count doubtfully. “It is rather—upsetting for all of us. We are at a loose end, as it were.”
“But we are being paid off—on a most generous scale!” Something, some undercurrent of mockery in her tone, made the man look at her sharply. She was smiling to herself, and the quality of her smile aroused his curiosity. But he proceeded diplomatically:
“Yes, the ‘Colonel’ has always been a generous paymaster. I attribute much of his success to that—and to his invariable plan of providing a suitable scapegoat23. A great brain, undoubtedly24 a great brain! And an apostle of the maxim25, ‘If you want a thing done safely, do not do it yourself!’ Here are we, every one of us incriminated up to the hilt and absolutely in his power, and not one of us has anything on him.”
He paused, almost as though he were expecting her to disagree with him, but she remained silent, smiling to herself as before.
“Not one of us,” he mused26. “Still, you know, he is superstitious27, the old man. Years ago, I believe, he went to one of these fortune-telling people. She prophesied28 a lifetime of success, but declared that his downfall would be brought about through a woman.”
He had interested her now. She looked up eagerly.
“That is strange, very strange! Through a woman, you say?”
“Doubtless, now that he has—retired, he will marry. Some young society beauty, who will disperse30 his millions faster than he acquired them.”
Nadina shook her head.
“No, no, that is not the way of it. Listen, my friend, to-morrow I go to London.”
“But your contract here?”
“I shall be away only one night. And I go incognito31, like Royalty32. No one will ever know that I have left France. And why do you think that I go?”
“Hardly for pleasure at this time of year. January, a detestable foggy month! It must be for profit, eh?”
“Exactly.” She rose and stood in front of him, every graceful22 line of her arrogant33 with pride. “You said just now that none of us had anything on the chief. You were wrong. I have. I, a woman, have had the wit and, yes, the courage—for it needs courage—to double-cross him. You remember the De Beer diamonds?”
“Yes, I remember. At Kimberley, just before the war broke out? I had nothing to do with it, and I never heard the details, the case was hushed up for some reason, was it not? A fine haul too.”
“A hundred thousand pounds worth of stones. Two of us worked it—under the ‘Colonel’s’ orders, of course. And it was then that I saw my chance. You see, the plan was to substitute some of the De Beer diamonds for some sample diamonds brought from South America by two young prospectors34 who happened to be in Kimberley at the time. Suspicion was then bound to fall on them.”
“Very clever,” interpolated the Count approvingly.
“The ‘Colonel’ is always clever. Well, I did my part—but I also did one thing which the ‘Colonel’ had not foreseen. I kept back some of the South American stones—one or two are unique and could easily be proved never to have passed through De Beer’s hands. With these diamonds in my possession, I have the whip-hand of my esteemed35 chief. Once the two young men are cleared, his part in the matter is bound to be suspected. I have said nothing all these years, I have been content to know that I had this weapon in reserve, but now matters are different. I want my price—and it will be a big, I might almost say a staggering price.”
“Extraordinary,” said the Count. “And doubtless you carry these diamonds about with you everywhere?”
His eyes roamed gently round the disordered room.
Nadina laughed softly. “You need suppose nothing of the sort. I am not a fool. The diamonds are in a safe place where no one will dream of looking for them.”
“I never thought you a fool, my dear lady, but may I venture to suggest that you are somewhat foolhardy? The ‘Colonel’ is not the type of man to take kindly36 to being blackmailed37, you know.”
“I am not afraid of him,” she laughed. “There is only one man I have ever feared—and he is dead.”
“Let us hope that he will not come to life again, then,” he remarked lightly.
“What do you mean?” cried the dancer sharply.
The Count looked slightly surprised.
“I only meant that a resurrection would be awkward for you,” he explained. “A foolish joke.”
She gave a sigh of relief.
“Oh, no, he is dead all right. Killed in the war. He was a man who once—loved me.”
“In South Africa?” asked the Count negligently39.
“Yes, since you ask it, in South Africa.”
“That is your native country, is it not?”
She nodded. Her visitor rose and reached for his hat.
“Well,” he remarked, “you know your own business best, but, if I were you, I should fear the ‘Colonel’ far more than any disillusioned40 lover. He is a man whom it is particularly easy to—underestimate.”
She laughed scornfully.
“As if I did not know him after all these years!”
“I wonder if you do?” he said softly. “I very much wonder if you do.”
“Oh, I am not a fool! And I am not alone in this. The South African mail-boat docks at Southampton to-morrow, and on board her is a man who has come specially41 from Africa at my request and who has carried out certain orders of mine. The ‘Colonel’ will have not one of us to deal with, but two.”
“Is that wise?”
“It is necessary.”
“You are sure of this man?”
“I am quite sure of him. He is inefficient43, but perfectly44 trustworthy.” She paused, and then added in an indifferent tone of voice: “As a matter of fact, he happens to be my husband.”
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1
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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2
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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4
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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5
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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6
bouquets
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| n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香 | |
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7
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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8
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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9
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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10
fulsome
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| adj.可恶的，虚伪的，过分恭维的 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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12
maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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13
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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14
tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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15
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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16
espionage
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| n.间谍行为，谍报活动 | |
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17
coups
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| n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事 | |
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18
forgery
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| n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为） | |
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19
sabotage
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| n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏 | |
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20
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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21
assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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22
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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23
scapegoat
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| n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊 | |
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24
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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27
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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28
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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30
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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31
incognito
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| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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32
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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34
prospectors
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| n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 ) | |
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35
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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36
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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37
blackmailed
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| 胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 ) | |
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38
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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39
negligently
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40
disillusioned
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| a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的 | |
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41
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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42
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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43
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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44
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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