Yes, I was in a tight place. All the things that Rayburn had said that morning came back to me with unpleasant distinctness. Tell the truth, he had said. Well, I could always do that, but was it going to help me? To begin with, would my story be believed? Would they consider it likely or possible that I had started off on this mad escapade simply on the strength of a scrap5 of paper smelling of moth6 balls? It sounded to me a wildly incredible tale. In that moment of cold sanity7 I cursed myself for a melodramatic idiot, and yearned8 for the peaceful boredom9 of Little Hampsly.
All this passed through my mind in less time than it takes to tell. My first instinctive10 movement was to step backwards11 and feel for the handle of the door. My captor merely grinned.
“Here you are and here you stay,” he remarked facetiously12.
I did my best to put a bold face upon the matter.
“A mistake? Oh, yes, a big mistake!”
He laughed coarsely.
“What right have you to detain me? I shall inform the police——”
“Yap, yap, yap—like a little toy dog.” He laughed.
I sat down on a chair.
“I can only conclude that you are a dangerous lunatic,” I said coldly.
“Indeed?”
“I should like to point out to you that my friends are perfectly14 well aware where I have gone, and that if I have not returned by this evening, they will come in search of me. You understand?”
“So your friends know where you are, do they? Which of them?”
Thus challenged, I did a lightning calculation of chances. Should I mention Sir Eustace? He was a well-known man, and his name might carry weight. But if they were in touch with Pagett, they might know I was lying. Better not risk Sir Eustace.
“Mrs. Blair, for one,” I said lightly. “A friend of mine with whom I am staying.”
“I think not,” said my captor, slyly shaking his orange head. “You have not seen her since eleven this morning. And you received our note, bidding you come here, at lunch-time.”
His words showed me how closely my movements had been followed, but I was not going to give in without a fight.
“You are very clever,” I said. “Perhaps you have heard of that useful invention, the telephone? Mrs. Blair called me up on it when I was resting in my room after lunch. I told her then where I was going this afternoon.”
To my great satisfaction, I saw a shade of uneasiness pass over his face. Clearly he had overlooked the possibility that Suzanne might have telephoned to me. I wished she really had done so!
“Enough of this,” he said harshly, rising.
“What are you going to do with me?” I asked, still endeavouring to appear composed.
“Put you where you can do no harm in case your friends come after you.”
“To-morrow you’ll have some questions to answer, and after you’ve answered them we shall know what to do with you. And I can tell you, young lady, we’ve more ways than one of making obstinate17 little fools talk.”
It was not cheering, but it was at least a respite18. I had until to-morrow. This man was clearly an underling obeying the orders of a superior. Could that superior by any chance be Pagett?
He called and two Kafirs appeared. I was taken upstairs. Despite my struggles, I was gagged and then bound hand and foot. The room into which they had taken me was a kind of attic19 right under the roof. It was dusty and showed little signs of having been occupied. The Dutchman made a mock bow and withdrew, closing the door behind him.
I was quite helpless. Turn and twist as I would, I could not loosen my hands in the slightest degree, and the gag prevented me from crying out. If, by any possible chance, any one did come to the house, I could do nothing to attract their attention. Down below I heard the sound of a door shutting. Evidently the Dutchman was going out.
It was maddening not to be able to do anything. I strained again at my bonds, but the knots held. I desisted at last, and either fainted or fell asleep. When I awoke I was in pain all over. It was quite dark now, and I judged that the night must be well advanced, for the moon was high in the heavens and shining down through the dusty skylight. The gag was half choking me and the stiffness and pain were unendurable.
It was then that my eyes fell on a bit of broken glass lying in the corner. A moonbeam slanted20 right down on it, and its glistening21 had caught my attention. As I looked at it, an idea came into my head.
My arms and legs were helpless, but surely I could still roll. Slowly and awkwardly, I set myself in motion. It was not easy. Besides being extremely painful, since I could not guard my face with my arms, it was also exceedingly difficult to keep any particular direction.
I tended to roll in every direction except the one I wanted to go. In the end, however, I came right up against my objective. It almost touched my bound hands.
Even then it was not easy. It took an infinity22 of time before I could wriggle23 the glass into such a position, wedged against the wall, that it would rub up and down on my bonds. It was a long heart-rending process, and I almost despaired, but in the end I succeeded in sawing through the cords that bound my wrists. The rest was a matter of time. Once I had restored the circulation to my hands by rubbing the wrists vigorously, I was able to undo24 the gag. One or two full breaths did a lot for me.
Very soon I had undone25 the last knot, though even then it was some time before I could stand on my feet, but at last I stood erect26, swinging my arms to and fro to restore the circulation, and wishing above all things that I could get hold of something to eat.
I waited about a quarter of an hour, to be quite sure of my recovered strength. Then I tiptoed noiselessly to the door. As I had hoped, it was not locked, only latched27. I unlatched it and peeped cautiously out.
Everything was still. The moonlight came in through a window and showed me the dusty uncarpeted staircase. Cautiously I crept down it. Still no sound—but as I stood on the landing below, a faint murmur28 of voices reached me. I stopped dead and stood there for some time. A clock on the wall registered the fact that it was after midnight.
I was fully29 aware of the risks I might run if I descended30 lower, but my curiosity was too much for me. With infinite precautions I prepared to explore. I crept softly down the last flight of stairs and stood in the square hall. I looked round me—and then caught my breath with a gasp31. A Kafir boy was sitting by the hall door. He had not seen me, indeed I soon realized by his breathing that he was fast asleep.
Should I retreat, or should I go on? The voices came from the room I had been shown into on arrival. One of them was that of my Dutch friend, the other I could not for the moment recognize, though it seemed vaguely32 familiar.
In the end I decided33 that it was clearly my duty to hear all I could. I must risk the Kafir boy waking up. I crossed the hall noiselessly and knelt by the study door. For a moment or two I could hear no better. The voices were louder, but I could not distinguish what they said.
I applied34 my eye to the keyhole instead of my ear. As I had guessed, one of the speakers was the big Dutchman. The other man was sitting outside my circumscribed35 range of vision.
Suddenly he rose to get himself a drink. His back, black clad and decorous, came into view. Even before he turned round I knew who he was.
Mr. Chichester!
Now I began to make out the words.
“All the same, it is dangerous. Suppose her friends come after her?”
It was the big man speaking. Chichester answered him. He had dropped his clerical voice entirely36. No wonder I had not recognized it.
“I dare say. I’ve looked into the matter, and we’ve nothing to fear. Anyway, it’s the ‘Colonel’s’ orders. You don’t want to go against them, I suppose?”
The Dutchman ejaculated something in his own language. I judged it to be a hasty disclaimer.
“But why not knock her on the head?” he growled41. “It would be simple. The boat is all ready. She could be taken out to sea?”
“Yes,” said Chichester meditatively42. “That is what I should do. She knows too much, that is certain. But the ‘Colonel’ is a man who likes to play a lone40 hand—though no one else must do so.” Something in his own words seemed to awaken43 a memory that annoyed him. “He wants information of some kind from this girl.”
He had paused before the information, and the Dutchman was quick to catch him up.
“Information?”
“Something of the kind.”
“Diamonds,” I said to myself.
“And now,” continued Chichester, “give me the lists.”
For a long time their conversation was quite incomprehensible to me. It seemed to deal with large quantities of vegetables. Dates were mentioned, prices, and various names of places which I did not know. It was quite half an hour before they had finished their checking and counting.
“Good,” said Chichester, and there was a sound as though he pushed back his chair. “I will take these with me for the ‘Colonel’ to see.”
“When do you leave?”
“Ten o’clock to-morrow morning will do.”
“Do you want to see the girl before you go?”
“No. There are strict orders that no one is to see her until the ‘Colonel’ comes. Is she all right?”
“I looked in on her when I came in for dinner. She was asleep, I think. What about food?”
“A little starvation will do no harm. The ‘Colonel’ will be here some time to-morrow. She will answer questions better if she is hungry. No one had better go near her till then. Is she securely tied up?”
The Dutchman laughed.
“What do you think?”
They both laughed. So did I, under my breath. Then, as the sounds seemed to betoken44 that they were about to come out of the room, I beat a hasty retreat. I was just in time. As I reached the head of the stairs, I heard the door of the room open, and at the same time the Kafir stirred and moved. My retreat by the way of the hall door was not to be thought of. I retired45 prudently46 to the attic, gathered my bonds round me and lay down again on the floor, in case they should take it into their heads to come and look at me.
They did not do so, however. After about an hour, I crept down the stairs, but the Kafir by the door was awake and humming softly to himself. I was anxious to get out of the house, but I did not quite see how to manage it.
In the end I was forced to retreat to the attic again. The Kafir was clearly on guard for the night. I remained there patiently all through the sounds of early morning preparation. The men breakfasted in the hall, I could hear their voices distinctly floating up the stairs. I was getting thoroughly47 unnerved. How on earth was I to get out of the house?
I counselled myself to be patient. A rash move might spoil everything. After breakfast came the sounds of Chichester departing. To my intense relief, the Dutchman accompanied him.
I waited breathlessly. Breakfast was being cleared away, the work of the house was being done. At last, the various activities seemed to die down. I slipped out from my lair15 once more. Very carefully I crept down the stairs. The hall was empty. Like a flash I was across it, had unlatched the door, and was outside in the sunshine. I ran down the drive like one possessed48.
Once outside, I resumed a normal walk. People stared at me curiously49, and I do not wonder. My face and clothes must have been covered in dust from rolling about in the attic. At last I came to a garage. I went in.
“I have met with an accident,” I explained. “I want a car to take me to Cape Town at once. I must catch the boat to Durban.”
I had not long to wait. Ten minutes later I was speeding along in the direction of Cape Town. I must know if Chichester was on the boat. Whether to sail on her myself or not, I could not determine, but in the end I decided to do so. Chichester would not know that I had seen him in the Villa50 at Muizenberg. He would doubtless lay further traps for me, but I was forewarned. And he was the man I was after, the man who was seeking the diamonds on behalf of the mysterious “Colonel.”
Alas51, for my plans! As I arrived at the docks, the Kilmorden Castle was steaming out to sea. And I had no means of knowing whether Chichester had sailed on her or not!
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1
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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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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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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facetiously
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| adv.爱开玩笑地；滑稽地，爱开玩笑地 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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16
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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17
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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18
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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slanted
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| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
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glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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22
infinity
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| n.无限，无穷，大量 | |
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wriggle
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| v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒 | |
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24
undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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27
latched
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| v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上） | |
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28
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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31
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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32
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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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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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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circumscribed
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| adj.[医]局限的：受限制或限于有限空间的v.在…周围划线( circumscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；划定…范围；限制；限定 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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38
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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39
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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40
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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41
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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42
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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43
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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44
betoken
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| v.预示 | |
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45
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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46
prudently
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| adv. 谨慎地，慎重地 | |
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47
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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48
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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49
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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50
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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51
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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