Sir Eustace was alone. He was walking up and down the room, and there was a gleam in his eye and a restlessness in his manner which did not escape me. He was exultant2 about something. There was a subtle change in his manner towards me.
“I have news for you. Your young man is on his way. He will be here in a few minutes. Moderate your transports—I have something more to say. You attempted to deceive me this morning. I warned you that you would be wise to stick to the truth, and up to a certain point you obeyed me. Then you ran off the rails. You attempted to make me believe that the diamonds were in Harry3 Rayburn’s possession. At the time, I accepted your statement because it facilitated my task—the task of inducing you to decoy Harry Rayburn here. But, my dear Anne, the diamonds have been in my possession ever since I left the Falls—though I only discovered the fact yesterday.”
“It may interest you to hear that it was Pagett who gave the show away. He insisted on boring me with a long pointless story about a wager5 and a tin of films. It didn’t take me long to put two and two together—Mrs. Blair’s distrust of Colonel Race, her agitation6, her entreaty7 that I would take care of her souvenirs for her. The excellent Pagett had already unfastened the cases through an excess of zeal8. Before leaving the hotel, I simply transferred all the rolls of films to my own pocket. They are in the corner there. I admit that I haven’t had time to examine them yet, but I notice that one is of a totally different weight to the others, rattles10 in a peculiar11 fashion, and has evidently been stuck down with seccotine, which will necessitate12 the use of a tin-opener. The case seems clear, does it not? And now, you see, I have you both nicely in the trap. . . . It’s a pity that you didn’t take kindly13 to the idea of becoming Lady Pedler.”
I did not answer. I stood looking at him.
There was the sound of feet on the stairs, the door was flung open, and Harry Rayburn was hustled14 into the room between two men. Sir Eustace flung me a look of triumph.
“According to plan,” he said softly. “You amateurs will pit yourselves against professionals.”
“It means that you have walked into my parlour—said the spider to the fly,” remarked Sir Eustace facetiously16. “My dear Rayburn, you are extraordinarily17 unlucky.”
“You said I could come safely, Anne?”
“Do not reproach her, my dear fellow. That note was written at my dictation, and the lady could not help herself. She would have been wiser not to write it, but I did not tell her so at the time. You followed her instructions, went to the curio-shop, were taken through the secret passage from the back room—and found yourself in the hands of your enemies!”
Harry looked at me. I understood his glance and edged nearer to Sir Eustace.
“Yes,” murmured the latter, “decidedly you are not lucky! This is—let me see, the third encounter.”
“You are right,” said Harry. “This is the third encounter. Twice you have worsted me—have you never heard that the third time the luck changes? This is my round—cover him, Anne.”
I was all ready. In a flash I had whipped the pistol out of my stocking and was holding it to his head. The two men guarding Harry sprang forward, but his voice stopped them.
“Another step—and he dies! If they come any nearer, Anne, pull the trigger—don’t hesitate.”
“I shan’t,” I replied cheerfully. “I’m rather afraid of pulling it, anyway.”
I think Sir Eustace shared my fears. He was certainly shaking like a jelly.
“Stay where you are,” he commanded, and the men stopped obediently.
“Tell them to leave the room,” said Harry.
Sir Eustace gave the order. The men filed out, and Harry shot the bolt across the door behind them.
“Now we can talk,” he observed grimly, and coming across the room, he took the revolver out of my hand.
Sir Eustace uttered a sigh of relief and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
“I’m shockingly out of condition,” he observed. “I think I must have a weak heart. I am glad that revolver is in competent hands. I didn’t trust Miss Anne with it. Well, my young friend, as you say, now we can talk. I’m willing to admit that you stole a march upon me. Where the devil that revolver came from I don’t know. I had the girl’s luggage searched when she arrived. And where did you produce it from now? You hadn’t got it on you a minute ago?”
“Yes, I had,” I replied. “It was in my stocking.”
“I don’t know enough about women. I ought to have studied them more,” said Sir Eustace sadly. “I wonder if Pagett would have known that?”
Harry rapped sharply on the table.
“Don’t play the fool. If it weren’t for your grey hairs, I’d throw you out of the window. You damned scoundrel! Grey hairs, or no grey hairs, I——”
He advanced a step or two, and Sir Eustace skipped nimbly behind the table.
“The young are always so violent,” he said reproachfully. “Unable to use their brains, they rely solely19 on their muscles. Let us talk sense. For the moment you have the upper hand. But that state of affairs cannot continue. The house is full of my men. You are hopelessly outnumbered. Your momentary20 ascendency has been gained by an accident——”
“Has it?”
Something in Harry’s voice, a grim raillery, seemed to attract Sir Eustace’s attention. He stared at him.
“Has it?” said Harry again. “Sit down, Sir Eustace, and listen to what I have to say.” Still covering him with the revolver, he went on: “The cards are against you this time. To begin with, listen to that!”
That was a dull banging at the door below. There were shouts, oaths, and then a sound of firing. Sir Eustace paled.
“What’s that?”
“Race—and his people. You didn’t know, did you, Sir Eustace, that Anne had an arrangement with me by which we should know whether communications from one to the other were genuine? Telegrams were to be signed ‘Andy,’ letters were to have the word ‘and’ crossed out somewhere in them. Anne knew that your telegram was a fake. She came here of her own free will, walked deliberately21 into the snare22, in the hope that she might catch you in your own trap. Before leaving Kimberley she wired both to me and to Race. Mrs. Blair has been in communication with us ever since. I received the letter written at your dictation, which was just what I expected. I had already discussed the probabilities of a secret passage leading out of the curio-shop with Race, and he had discovered the place where the exit was situated23.”
There was a screaming, tearing sound, and a heavy explosion which shook the room.
“They’re shelling this part of the town. I must get you out of here, Anne.”
A bright light flared24 up. The house opposite was on fire. Sir Eustace had risen and was passing up and down. Harry kept him covered with the revolver.
“So you see, Sir Eustace, the game is up. It was you yourself who very kindly provided us with the clue of your whereabouts. Race’s men were watching the exit of the secret passage. In spite of the precautions you took, they were successful in following me here.”
Sir Eustace turned suddenly.
“Very clever. Very creditable. But I’ve still a word to say. If I’ve lost the trick, so have you. You’ll never be able to bring the murder of Nadina home to me. I was in Marlow on that day, that’s all you’ve got against me. No one can prove that I even knew the woman. But you knew her, you had a motive25 for killing26 her—and your record’s against you. You’re a thief, remember, a thief. There’s one thing you don’t know, perhaps. I’ve got the diamonds. And here goes——”
With an incredibly swift movement, he stooped, swung up his arm and threw. There was a tinkle27 of breaking glass, as the object went through the window and disappeared into the blazing mass opposite.
“There goes your only hope of establishing your innocence28 over the Kimberley affair. And now we’ll talk. I’ll drive a bargain with you. You’ve got me cornered. Race will find all he needs in this house. There’s a chance for me if I can get away. I’m done for if I stay, but so are you, young man! There’s a skylight in the next room. A couple of minutes’ start and I shall be all right. I’ve got one or two little arrangements all ready made. You let me out that way, and give me a start—and I leave you a signed confession29 that I killed Nadina.”
“Yes, Harry,” I cried. “Yes, yes, yes!”
He turned a stern face on me.
“No, Anne, a thousand times, no. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I do. It solves everything.”
“I’d never be able to look Race in the face again. I’ll take my chance, but I’m damned if I’ll let this slippery old fox get away. It’s no good, Anne. I won’t do it.”
“Well, well,” he remarked. “You seem to have met your master, Anne. But I can assure you both that moral rectitude does not always pay.”
There was a crash of rending31 wood, and footsteps surged up the stairs. Harry drew back the bolt. Colonel Race was the first to enter the room. His face lit at the sight of us.
“You’re safe, Anne. I was afraid——” He turned to Sir Eustace. “I’ve been after you for a long time, Pedler—and at last I’ve got you.”
“Everybody seems to have gone completely mad,” declared Sir Eustace airily. “These young people have been threatening me with revolvers and accusing me of the most shocking things. I don’t know what it’s all about.”
“Don’t you? It means that I’ve found the ‘Colonel.’ It means that on January 8th last you were not at Cannes, but at Marlow. It means that when your tool, Madame Nadina, turned against you, you planned to do away with her—and at last we shall be able to bring the crime home to you.”
“Indeed? And from whom did you get all this interesting information? From the man who is even now being looked for by the police? His evidence will be very valuable.”
“We have other evidence. There is some one else who knew that Nadina was going to meet you at the Mill House.”
Sir Eustace looked surprised. Colonel Race made a gesture with his hand. Arthur Minks32 alias33 the Rev18. Edward Chichester alias Miss Pettigrew stepped forward. He was pale and nervous, but he spoke34 clearly enough:
“I saw Nadina in Paris the night before she went over to England. I was posing at the time as a Russian Count. She told me of her purpose. I warned her, knowing what kind of man she had to deal with, but she did not take my advice. There was a wireless35 message on the table. I read it. Afterwards I thought I would have a try for the diamonds myself. In Johannesburg, Mr. Rayburn accosted36 me. He persuaded me to come over to his side.”
“Rats always leaving a sinking ship,” observed Sir Eustace. “I don’t care for rats. Sooner or later, I destroy vermin.”
“There’s just one thing I’d like to tell you, Sir Eustace,” I remarked. “That tin you threw out of the window didn’t contain the diamonds. It had common pebbles38 in it. The diamonds are in a perfectly39 safe place. As a matter of fact, they’re in the big giraffe’s stomach. Suzanne hollowed it out, put the diamonds in with cotton wool, so that they wouldn’t rattle9, and plugged it up again.”
Sir Eustace looked at me for some time. His reply was characteristic:
“I always did hate that blinking giraffe,” he said. “It must have been instinct.”
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1
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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4
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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5
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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6
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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8
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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9
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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10
rattles
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| （使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧 | |
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11
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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12
necessitate
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| v.使成为必要，需要 | |
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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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14
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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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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extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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22
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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23
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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24
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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27
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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28
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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29
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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30
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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32
minks
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| n.水貂( mink的名词复数 )；水貂皮 | |
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33
alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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34
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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35
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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36
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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37
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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38
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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39
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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