The fog was still heavy, and the blurred1 street-lamps looked ghastly in the yellow mist, when the little newsboy messenger, the first half of his mission performed, struck briskly riverward to complete his business. He disposed of his papers by the simple expedient2 of throwing them into a street refuse-bin. He jumped on a passing 'bus, and after half an hour's cautious drive reached Southwark. He entered one of the narrow streets leading from the Borough3. Here the gas lamps were fewer, and the intersecting streets more narrow and gloomy.
He plunged4 down a dark and crabbed5 way, glancing warily6 behind him now and then to see if he was being followed.
Here, between invisible walls, the fog hung thick and warm and sticky, crowding up close, with a kind of blowsy intimacy7 that whispered the atmosphere of the place. Occasionally, close to his ear, snatches of loose song burst out, or a coarse face loomed8 head-high through the reek9.
But the boy was upon his native heath and scuttled10 along, whistling softly between closed teeth, as, with a dexterity11 born of long practice, he skirted slush and garbage sinks, slipped around the blacker gulfs that denoted unguarded basement holes, and eluded12 the hideous13 shadows that lurched by in the gloom.
Hugging the wall, he presently became aware of footsteps behind him. He rounded a corner, and, turning swiftly, collided with something which grabbed him with great hands. Without hesitation14, the lad leaned down and set his teeth deep into the hairy arm.
The man let go with a hoarse15 bellow16 of rage and the boy, darting17 across the alley18, could hear him stumbling after him in blind search of the narrow way.
As he sped along a door suddenly opened in the blank wall beside him, and a stream of ruddy light gushed19 out, catching20 him square within its radiance, mud-spattered, starry-eyed, vivid.
A man stood framed in the doorway21.
"Come in," he commanded, briefly22.
The boy obeyed. Surreptitiously he wiped the wet and mud from his face and tried to reduce his wild breathing.
The room which he entered was meagre and stale-smelling, with bare floor and stained and sagging23 wall-paper; unfurnished save for a battered24 deal table and some chairs.
He sank into one of them and stared with frank curiosity past his employer, who had often entrusted25 him with messages requiring secrecy26, past his employer's companion, to the third figure in the room--a prostrate27 figure which lay quite still under the heavy folds of a long dark ulster with its face turned to the wall.
"Well?" It was a singularly agreeable voice which aroused him, soft and well-bred, but with a faint foreign accent. The speaker was his employer, a slender dark man, with a finely carved face, immobile as the Sphinx. He had laid aside his Inverness and top hat, and showed himself in evening dress with a large--perhaps a thought too large--buttonhole of Parma violets, which sent forth28 a faint fragrance29.
Of the personality of the man the messenger knew nothing more than that he was foreign, eccentric in a quiet way, lived in a grand house near Portland Place, and rewarded him handsomely for his occasional services. That the grand house was an hotel at which Poltavo had run up an uncomfortable bill he could not know.
The boy related his adventures of the evening, not omitting to mention his late pursuer.
The man listened quietly, brooding, his elbows upon the table, his inscrutable face propped30 in the crotch of his hand. A ruby31, set quaintly32 in a cobra's head, gleamed from a ring upon his little finger. Presently he roused.
"That's all to-night, my boy," he said, gravely.
He drew out his purse, extracted a sovereign, and laid it in the messenger's hand.
"And this," he said, softly, holding up a second gold piece, "is for--discretion! You comprehend?"
The boy shot a swift glance, not unmixed with terror, at the still, recumbent figure in the corner, mumbled33 an assent34 and withdrew. Out in the dampness of the fog, he took a long, deep breath.
As the door closed behind him, the door of an inner room opened and Farrington came out. He had preceded the messenger by five minutes. The young exquisite35 leaned back in his chair, and smiled into the sombre eyes of his companion.
"At last!" he breathed, softly. "The thing moves. The wheels are beginning to revolve36!"
The other nodded gloomily, his glance straying off toward the corner of the room.
"They've got to revolve a mighty37 lot more before the night's done!" he replied, with heavy significance.
"I needn't tell you," he continued, "that we must move in this venture with extreme caution. A single misstep at the outset, the slightest breath of suspicion, and pff! the entire superstructure falls to the ground."
"That is doubtless true, Mr. Farrington," murmured his companion, pleasantly. He leaned down to inhale38 the fragrant39 scent40 of the violets. "But you forget one little thing. This grand superstructure you speak of--so mysteriously"--he hid a slight smile--"I don't know it--all. You have seen fit, in your extreme caution, to withhold41 complete information from me."
He paused, and regarded his companion with a level, steady gaze. A faint, ironical42 smile played about the corners of his mouth; he spoke43 with a slightly foreign accent, which was at once pleasant and piquant44.
"Is it not so, my friend?" he asked, softly. "I am--how you say--left out in the cold--I do not even know your immediate45 plans."
His countenance46 was serene47 and unruffled, and it was only by his slightly quickened breathing that the conversation held any unusual significance.
The other stirred uneasily in his chair.
"There are certain financial matters," he said, with a light air.
"There are others immediately pressing," interrupted his companion. "I observe, for example, that your right hand is covered by a glove which is much larger than that on your left. I imagine that beneath the white kid there is a thin silk bandage. Really, for a millionaire, Mr. Farrington, you are singularly--shall I say--'furtive'?"
"Hush48!" whispered Farrington, hoarsely49. He glanced about half-fearfully.
The younger man ignored the outburst. He laid a persuasive50 hand upon his companion's arm.
"My friend," he said gravely, "let me give you a bit of good advice. Believe me, I speak disinterestedly51. Take me into your counsel. I think you need assistance--and I have already given you a taste of my quality in that respect. This afternoon when I called upon you in your home in Brakely Square, suggesting that a man of my standing52 might be of immense value to you, you were at first innocently dull, then suspicious. After I told you of my adventures in the office of a certain Society journal you were angry. Frankly," the young man shrugged53 his shoulders, "I am a penniless adventurer--can I be more frank than that? I call myself Count Poltavo--yet the good God knows that my family can give no greater justification54 to the claim of nobility than the indiscretions of lovely Lydia Poltavo, my grandmother, can offer. For the matter of that I might as well be prince on the balance of probability. I am living by my wits: I have cheated at cards, I have hardly stopped short of murder--I need the patronage55 of a strong wealthy man, and you fulfill56 all my requirements."
He bowed slightly to the other, and went on:
"You challenged me to prove my worth--I accepted that challenge. To-night, as you entered the theatre, you were told by a messenger that T. B. Smith--a most admirable man--was watching you--that he had practically surrounded the Jollity with detectives, and, moreover, I chose as my messenger a small youth who has served you more than once. Thus at one stroke I proved that not only did I know what steps authority was taking to your undoing57, but also that I had surprised this splendid rendezvous--and your secret."
He waived58 his hand around the sordid59 room, and his eyes rested awhile upon the silent, ulster-covered figure on the bed; his action was not without intent.
"You are an interesting man," said Farrington, gruffly. He looked at his watch. "Join my party at the Jollity," he said; "we can talk matters over. Incidentally, we may challenge Mr. Smith." He smiled, but grew grave again. "I have lost a good friend there"--he looked at the form on the bed; "there is no reason why you should not take his place. Is it true--what you said to-day--that you know something of applied60 mechanics?"
"I have a diploma issued by the College of Padua," said the other promptly61.
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1
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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borough
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| n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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crabbed
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| adj.脾气坏的；易怒的；（指字迹）难辨认的；（字迹等）难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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reek
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| v.发出臭气；n.恶臭 | |
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scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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13
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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15
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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bellow
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| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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gushed
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| v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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sagging
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| 下垂[沉，陷]，松垂，垂度 | |
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24
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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25
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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27
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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30
propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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36
revolve
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| vi.(使)旋转；循环出现 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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inhale
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| v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟) | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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40
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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41
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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42
ironical
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| adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的 | |
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43
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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44
piquant
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| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
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45
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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46
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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47
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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48
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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49
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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50
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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51
disinterestedly
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52
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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53
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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54
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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55
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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56
fulfill
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| vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意 | |
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57
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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58
waived
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| v.宣布放弃( waive的过去式和过去分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等） | |
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59
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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60
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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61
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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