"No news, Petrie," he said shortly. "It must have crept into some inaccessible1 hole to die."
I glanced up from my notes. Smith settled into the white cane2 armchair, and began to surround himself with clouds of aromatic3 smoke. I took up
[131]
a half-sheet of foolscap covered with pencilled writing in my friend's cramped4 characters, and transcribed5 the following, in order to complete my account of the latest Fu-Manchu outrage6:
"The Amharûn, a Semitic tribe allied7 to the Falashas, who have been settled for many generations in the southern province of Shoa (Abyssinia), have been regarded as unclean and outcast, apparently8 since the days of Menelek—son of Suleyman and the Queen of Sheba—from whom they claim descent. Apart from their custom of eating meat cut from living beasts, they are accursed because of their alleged10 association with the Cynocephalus hamadryas (Sacred Baboon). I, myself, was taken to a hut on the banks of the Hawash and shown a creature ... whose predominant trait was an unreasoning malignity11 toward ... and a ferocious12 tenderness for the society of its furry13 brethren. Its powers of scent9 were fully14 equal to those of a bloodhound, whilst its abnormally long forearms possessed15 incredible strength ... a Cynocephalyte such as this, contracts phthisis even in the more northern provinces of Abyssinia...."
"You have not yet explained to me, Smith," I said, having completed this note, "how you got in touch with Fu-Manchu; how you learnt that he was not dead, as we had supposed, but living—active."
Nayland Smith stood up and fixed16 his steely eyes upon me with an indefinable expression in them. Then:
"No," he replied; "I haven't. Do you wish to know?"
"Certainly," I said with surprise; "is there any reason why I should not?"
"There is no real reason," said Smith; "or"—staring at me very hard—"I hope there is no real reason."
"What do you mean?"
"Well"—he grabbed up his pipe from the table and began furiously to load it—"I blundered upon
[132]
the truth one day in Rangoon. I was walking out of a house which I occupied there for a time, and as I swung around the corner into the main street, I ran into—literally ran into...."
Again he hesitated oddly; then closed up his pouch17 and tossed it into the cane chair. He struck a match.
"I ran into Kâramanèh," he continued abruptly18, and began to puff19 away at his pipe, filling the air with clouds of tobacco smoke.
I caught my breath. This was the reason why he had kept me so long in ignorance of the story. He knew of my hopeless, uncrushable sentiments towards the gloriously beautiful but utterly20 hypocritical and evil Eastern girl who was perhaps the most dangerous of all Dr. Fu-Manchu's servants; for the power of her loveliness was magical, as I knew to my cost.
"What did you do?" I asked quietly, my fingers drumming upon the table.
"Naturally enough," continued Smith, "with a cry of recognition I held out both my hands to her gladly. I welcomed her as a dear friend regained21; I thought of the joy with which you would learn that I had found the missing one; I thought how you would be in Rangoon just as quickly as the fastest steamer would get you there...."
"Well?"
"Kâramanèh started back and treated me to a glance of absolute animosity! No recognition was there, and no friendliness—only a sort of scornful anger."
"I do not know what you would have done in the circumstances, Petrie, but I—"
"Yes?"
"I dealt with the situation rather promptly23, I think. I simply picked her up without another word, right there in the public street, and raced
[133]
back into the house, with her kicking and fighting like a little demon24! She did not shriek25 or do anything of that kind, but fought silently like a vicious wild animal. Oh! I had some scars, I assure you; but I carried her up into my office, which fortunately was empty at the time, plumped her down in a chair, and stood looking at her."
"Go on" I said rather hollowly; "what next?"
"She glared at me with those wonderful eyes, an expression of implacable hatred26 in them! Remembering all that we had done for her; remembering our former friendship; above all, remembering you—this look of hers almost made me shiver. She was dressed very smartly in European fashion, and the whole thing had been so sudden that as I stood looking at her I half expected to wake up presently and find it all a day-dream. But it was real—as real as her enmity. I felt the need for reflection, and having vainly endeavoured to draw her into conversation, and elicited27 no other answer than this glare of hatred—I left her there, going out and locking the door behind me."
"Very high-handed?"
"A Commissioner28 has certain privileges, Petrie; and any action I might choose to take was not likely to be questioned. There was only one window to the office, and it was fully twenty feet above the level; it overlooked a narrow street off the main thoroughfare (I think I have explained that the house stood on a corner), so I did not fear her escaping. I had an important engagement which I had been on my way to fulfil when the encounter took place, and now, with a word to my native servant—who chanced to be downstairs—I hurried off."
Smith's pipe had gone out as usual, and he proceeded to relight it, whilst, my eyes lowered, I continued to drum upon the table.
"This boy took her some tea later in the afternoon," he continued, "and apparently found her
[134]
in a more placid29 frame of mind. I returned immediately after dusk, and he reported that when last he had looked in, about half an hour earlier, she had been seated in an armchair reading a newspaper (I may mention that everything of value in the office was securely locked up!). I was determined30 upon a certain course by this time, and I went slowly upstairs, unlocked the door, and walked into the darkened office. I turned up the light ... the place was empty!"
"Empty!"
"The window was open, and the bird flown! Oh! it was not so simple a flight—as you would realize if you knew the place. The street, which the window overlooked, was bounded by a blank wall, on the opposite side, for thirty or forty yards along; and as we had been having heavy rains, it was full of glutinous31 mud. Furthermore, the boy whom I had left in charge had been sitting in the doorway32 immediately below the office window watching for my return ever since his last visit to the room above...."
"She must have bribed33 him," I said bitterly, "or corrupted34 him with her infernal blandishments."
"I'll swear she did not," rapped Smith decisively. "I know my man, and I'll swear she did not. There were no marks in the mud of the road to show that a ladder had been placed there; moreover, nothing of the kind could have been attempted whilst the boy was sitting in the doorway; that was evident. In short, she did not descend35 into the roadway and did not come out by the door...."
"Was there a gallery outside the window?"
"No; it was impossible to climb to right or left of the window or up on to the roof. I convinced myself of that."
"But, my dear man!" I cried, "you are eliminating every natural mode of egress36! Nothing remains37 but flight."
"I am aware, Petrie, that nothing remains but
[135]
flight; in other words, I have never to this day understood how she quitted the room. I only know that she did."
"And then?"
"I saw in this incredible escape the cunning hand of Dr. Fu-Manchu—saw it at once. Peace was ended; and I set to work along certain channels without delay. In this manner I got on the track at last, and learnt, beyond the possibility of doubt, that the Chinese doctor lived—nay! was actually on his way to Europe again!"
There followed a short silence. Then—
"I suppose it's a mystery that will be cleared up some day," concluded Smith; "but to date the riddle38 remains intact." He glanced at the clock. "I have an appointment with Weymouth; therefore, leaving you to the task of solving this problem which thus far has defied my own efforts, I will get along."
"Oh! I shall not be late," he added; "I think I may venture out alone on this occasion without personal danger."
Nayland Smith went upstairs to dress, leaving me seated at my writing-table deep in thought. My notes upon the renewed activity of Dr. Fu-Manchu were stacked on my left hand, and, opening a new writing-block, I commenced to add to them particulars of this surprising event in Rangoon which properly marked the opening of the Chinaman's second campaign. Smith looked in at the door on his way out, but seeing me thus engaged, did not disturb me.
I think I have made it sufficiently40 evident in these records that my practice was not an extensive one, and my hour for receiving patients arrived and passed with only two professional interruptions.
My task concluded, I glanced at the clock, and determined to devote the remainder of the evening to a little private investigation41 of my own. From Nayland Smith I had preserved the matter a secret,
[136]
largely because I feared his ridicule42; but I had by no means forgotten that I had seen, or had strongly imagined that I had seen, Kâramanèh—that beautiful anomaly who (in modern London) asserted herself to be a slave—in the shop of an antique dealer43 not a hundred yards from the British Museum!
A theory was forming in my brain, which I was burningly anxious to put to the test. I remembered how, two years before, I had met Kâramanèh near to this same spot; and I had heard Inspector44 Weymouth assert positively45 that Fu-Manchu's headquarters were no longer in the East End, as of yore. There seemed to me to be a distinct probability that a suitable centre had been established for his reception in this place, so much less likely to be suspected by the authorities. Perhaps I attached too great a value to what may have been a delusion46; perhaps my theory rested upon no more solid foundation than the belief that I had seen Kâramanèh in the shop of the curio dealer. If her appearance there should prove to have been imaginary, the structure of my theory would be shattered at its base. To-night I should test my premises47, and upon the result of my investigations48 determine my future action.
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1
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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2
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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3
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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4
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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5
transcribed
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| （用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的过去式和过去分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音） | |
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6
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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7
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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8
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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9
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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10
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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11
malignity
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| n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性 | |
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12
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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13
furry
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| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
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14
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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15
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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16
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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17
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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18
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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19
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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20
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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21
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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22
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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23
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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24
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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25
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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26
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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27
elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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29
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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30
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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31
glutinous
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| adj.粘的，胶状的 | |
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32
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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33
bribed
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| v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂 | |
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34
corrupted
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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35
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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36
egress
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| n.出去；出口 | |
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37
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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38
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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39
query
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| n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑 | |
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40
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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41
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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42
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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43
dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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44
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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45
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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46
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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47
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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48
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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