Remember, there was the thundering of the waves against the rocks all around him; the boom of the surf as it broke beneath its own weight and violence farther out toward the sea; the sobbing3 and moaning of the wind over the bleak4 cliff and through the ruins of the older part of the castle, and the faint cries of sea-birds coming to him from far away to windward. All this tended to render him uncertain about the voice which seemed to call to him from the black sky over his head; just as all this made it impossible to determine whether the voice, if it were indeed a voice, had proceeded from a man or a woman.
But sober second thought reassured5 him.
Who, but one person in all the world, could have called to him there?
He knew that it was impossible, even if Bessie Harlan were indeed a prisoner inside the old château, that she should have witnessed his approach, or that she should have recognized him from her aerie window, even if she had discovered the approach of two pedestrians6 before[185] the gathering7 darkness had hidden them from view. But he explained the seemingly inexplicable8 phenomenon in quite another way than that.
“If Bessie is a prisoner there,” he reasoned to himself, “she believes absolutely that Max and I will come to her rescue, sooner or later. If she is a prisoner there, she is confined in a room which overlooks the sea—a room in this very tower, in fact; and if all that be true, that call of hers was simply a wail9 of impatient waiting and longing10, called out by her to the heavens, the clouds, the sea, the wide, wide world. Not in the hope that it would literally11 be heard, perhaps, but, nevertheless, a call to us to hasten.”
Several moments he waited, wondering if there would be a repetition of the call; and then, when one came, he wondered again if he should reply to it. His better judgment12 told him not to do so, and so presently he turned away to pursue his course around the castle.
But he discovered, presently, that he had been deceived in his surmises13 that it would be possible for him to skirt the tower between it and the water, and, at last, satisfied that he could not do so, he turned back again over the course he had come.
He was not long in arriving at the spot where he had left Kane, but he did not pause there. After hesitating just one instant in order to get his bearings properly, he started forward again toward the place where they had agreed to meet.
When he arrived there, however, Maxwell Kane was not there, and the detective could discover no trace of him[186] in any direction. He waited a few moments, thinking that something might have detained him, and that he had, therefore, not yet arrived, although he knew all the time that nothing of an ordinary nature could have done so.
There were no impediments in the way between the spot where they had parted and where they agreed to meet.
Nick had just traversed every inch of it, and he had met with no obstacle of any kind, nor had he seen a sign of life or a light anywhere.
For that very reason he figured that doubtless something had attracted the attention of Kane after his arrival at the place of meeting, and he had gone to investigate. But after he had waited fully14 half an hour, the detective decided15 that it was time for him to move.
He had not a doubt now that something had happened to his companion. He was confident, however, that Kane could not have fallen, or have met with an accident, without the intervention16 of another person.
Presently he scribbled17 these five words: “Wait here till I return,” on a leaf torn from his book of memoranda18, and, wrapping it in a handkerchief, he weighted it with a pebble19 and left it where the white of the cambric would attract the attention of Kane, should he regain20 the spot before the detective could get back again.
“And now to break my way into that castle,” he mused21. “And I must take extra care, too, for if some prowlers around this old pile have captured Kane, they will be on the lookout22 for me as well.”
The low building, which resembled a bowling-alley[187] more than anything else, and which extended from one wing of the castle to the edge of the bluff23 on the side toward the harbor, had evidently been erected24 originally to serve as a passageway between the château and the water when the weather was inclement25; and this was the building which was before him now. But in inspecting it from a distance the detective had decided that this would provide a means of entrance. It was almost windowless, and such as it contained were much too small and too high from the ground to serve his purposes.
He therefore turned again toward the castle, and hurried toward a spot where he remembered to have seen a wealth of ivy26 growing against the old walls. He had not forgotten their locality, and he went directly to the spot.
The ivy was old and tough, and had grown firmly in its place, so that when he placed his hands upon it he knew that it would sustain him readily. He recalled the fact that the ivy trailed across several windows, and so he began at once to make his way up it.
The dampness of the falling rain had rendered the ivy in such a condition that it gave out no sound as he climbed, while the dark background against which he clung afforded no opportunity for prying27 eyes to discover him.
He climbed rapidly, for he realized now that haste was necessary. The strange call to him from the window of the tower, and the disappearance28 of Maxwell Kane, had convinced him that all was not to be as smooth sailing as he had anticipated.
Soon he arrived at a window, set deeply into the wall,[188] and casemented for defense30 in time of attack. But this window had long been in disuse, and even the glass had been replaced by heavy planking, to keep out the wind and weather.
There were two more stories above that one, he remembered, and he continued on, after a pause of only a moment. The second window at which he arrived was in the same condition as the first, so in clambering on, he worked to the right as well as upward, until he arrived at the top story of the old building. Here the third window offered the same impediments as had the others, so he continued on in a straight line toward the front of the castle.
Suddenly, however, he stopped. Directly in front of him, not three feet distant, a light had suddenly shot through the darkness, coming, as he quickly discovered, from one of the windows.
These were set so far back into the wall that it is doubtful if the sunlight could ever, even under the most auspicious31 conditions, penetrate32 to the interior of the room; and it was almost as difficult for a light from the interior to filter to the outside. Two steps more upon the vine which held him suspended in mid-air brought him to the window, so that he could see what was passing inside the room, and he peered cautiously around the casement29.
He was rather surprised, then, to discover that he was looking into what had once been a part of a suite33 of rooms, set aside, doubtless, for royalty34, or for especially honored guests at the castle. The room itself was very large, and had once been magnificently appointed, but now[189] its furnishings were tawdry and soiled, yellowed with age, and musty from disuse.
Nevertheless, there were many persons within the room. Nick counted six men there. Four of them were seated at a table engaged in a game of cards, and the other two were standing35 near, observing the game.
They were so engrossed36 in their occupation that it did not occur to one of them to look toward the window. But the detective did not linger there to watch them. Instead, he lowered himself sufficiently37 so that he could pass unobserved beneath the window, and then continued on his way, taking careful note of the location of the room in the meantime.
He had noted38, too, that he would have to pass two more windows before he arrived at one which did not open directly into that room, and so he did not pause again in his advance until he reached the third. Here, also, as he raised himself, he discovered that there was a light; but as he peered into the room through the narrow window he was assured that, for the moment, at least, it was unoccupied.
The window, too, was slightly ajar; that is, it was open perhaps half an inch, doubtless for the sake of ventilation. He stepped into the embrasure, which was very deep, and slowly pushed the window open in front of him. A second and more comprehensive glance rendered him positive that nobody was in the room, and with another slightly harder pressure, he opened the casement wide, and stepped inside, closing it, as he had found it, after him.
[190]
The room was quite large—possibly twenty-five feet square; and it was used as a sleeping-room; but he had no time to take in further details of the place, for at that instant he heard steps approaching through a corridor, and he had barely time to leap behind the door when it was opened from the outside.
Nick had in that instant prepared himself to leap upon the person who approached, whoever it was, and conquer him, preparatory to continuing his investigations39 through the castle; but fate kindly40 stepped in and served him a good turn at this juncture41.
The opening of the door, together with the already open window, created a draft which the flame of the lamp, burning on the table, could not withstand. As the door swung open, the lamp flared42, sputtered43 for an instant, and then went out, leaving the room in total darkness.
Nick could not even discover the outlines of the person who had entered the room, but a round, French oath, in a masculine voice, cursing at the ill luck, left him in no doubt that it was a man.
The extinguishing of the lamp, however, afforded Nick an excellent opportunity to act, and as the man stepped forward toward the table, in order to strike another light, the detective slipped quietly and quickly past him into the corridor. The man had left the door ajar when he stepped forward toward the table, but Nick had the presence of mind to close it, and to close it with a bang, exactly as if the draft had caught it and slammed it shut.
Then he waited a moment and listened, to discover if his deception44 had been successful; but there was no[191] further sound from the interior of the room, and the detective concluded that the man had relighted his lamp and disposed himself to reading or some other employment, with no thought that he had passed so near to the person of an intruder.
And just at this point Nick made another discovery which was interesting: there was an inside and outside door to each of the rooms on that corridor. That is, there was one for general use—the one which he had already made use of—and another which opened outward into the corridor, doubtless for use in emergencies.
This door was much heavier than the outside one. They were relics45 of old days when the castle was likely to be stormed, and the occupants might be compelled to fight from room to room, holding one after another until they were finally driven from all.
Whatever the original uses were, the present one was manifest. The detective lost no time in closing that outside door, and he was agreeably surprised to discover that it was provided with a huge key, which he had no difficulty in removing and replacing on the outside. In another instant he had locked it.
That done, he passed along the corridor toward the doors of the room wherein he had seen the six men; and he had no difficulty in locating it, for he had counted carefully from the outside.
And these doors—there were two of them, he closed and locked in the same manner as he had served the others, so that presently he was satisfied that whatever[192] adventures he might encounter inside the old château these seven men whom he had seen would take no part in them.
“And now for the tower,” he said, aloud, as he turned away.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
weird
|
|
| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
infinity
|
|
| n.无限，无穷，大量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
sobbing
|
|
| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
bleak
|
|
| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
reassured
|
|
| 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) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
pedestrians
|
|
| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
inexplicable
|
|
| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
wail
|
|
| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
surmises
|
|
| v.臆测，推断( surmise的第三人称单数 )；揣测；猜想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
intervention
|
|
| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
scribbled
|
|
| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
memoranda
|
|
| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
pebble
|
|
| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
regain
|
|
| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
mused
|
|
| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
lookout
|
|
| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
bluff
|
|
| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
inclement
|
|
| adj.严酷的，严厉的，恶劣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
ivy
|
|
| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
prying
|
|
| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
disappearance
|
|
| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
casement
|
|
| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
auspicious
|
|
| adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
penetrate
|
|
| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
suite
|
|
| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
royalty
|
|
| n.皇家，皇族 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
engrossed
|
|
| adj.全神贯注的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
noted
|
|
| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
investigations
|
|
| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
juncture
|
|
| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
Flared
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
sputtered
|
|
| v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
deception
|
|
| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
relics
|
|
| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |