The distant chime of Little Bradley church had struck one o'clock, when T. B. Smith stepped from the shadow of the hedge on the east side of the Secret House, and walked slowly toward the road. Two men, crouched1 in the darkness, rose silently to meet him.
"I think I have found a place," said T. B., in a low voice. "As I thought, there are electric alarms on the top of the walls, and electric wires threaded through all the hedges. There is a break, however, where, I think, I can circumvent2 the alarm."
He led the way back to the place from which he had been making his reconnaissance.
"Here it is," said T. B.
He touched a thin twine-like wire with his finger. The third man put the concentrated ray of an electric lamp upon it.
"I can make another circuit for this," he said, and pulled a length of wire from his pocket. Two minutes later, thanks to quick manipulation of his wire, they were able to step in safety across the wall and drop noiselessly into the grounds.
"We shall find a man on duty," whispered T. B.; "he is patrolling the house, and I have an idea that there are trip-wires on the lawn."
He had fixed3 a funnel4-like arrangement to the head of his lamp, and now he carefully scrutinized6 the ground as he walked forward. The funnel was so fixed that it showed no light save on the actual patch of ground he was surveying.
"Here is one," he said, suddenly.
The party stepped cautiously over the almost invisible line of wire, supported a few inches from the ground by steel uprights, placed at regular intervals7.
"They fix these every night after sunset; I have watched them doing it," said T. B. "There is another line nearer the house."
They found this, too, and carefully negotiated it.
"Down!" whispered T. B. suddenly, and the party sank flat on the turf.
Ela for a moment could not see the cause for alarm, but presently he discerned the slow moving figure of the sentry8 as it passed between them and the house. The man was walking leisurely9 along, and even in the starlight they could see the short rifle slung10 at his shoulder. They waited until he had disappeared round the corner of the house, and then crossed the remaining space of lawn. T. B. had been carrying a little canvas bag, and now he put his hand inside and withdrew by the ears a struggling rabbit.
"Little friend," he whispered, "You must be sacrificed in the cause of scientific criminal investigation11."
He mounted the steps which led to the entrance hall. The steel-beaded curtain still hung before the door almost brushing the mat as he had seen it. He released the rabbit, and the startled beast, after a vain attempt to escape back to the lawn, went with hesitating hop13 on to the mat, and then, at a threatening gesture from T. B., pushed his nose to the hanging curtain to penetrate14 his way to safety. Instantly as he touched it there was a quick flicker15 of blue light, and the unfortunate animal was hurled16 back past T. B. to the gravel17 path below. The detective descended18 hastily and picked it up. It was quite dead. He felt the singed19 hair about its head, and murmured a sympathetic "vale."
"As I suspected," he said in a low voice, "an electric death-trap for anybody trying to get into the house that way. Now, Johnson."
The third man was busy pulling out a pair of rubber boots; he took from his pocket a pair of thick rubber gloves, and made his way with confidence up the steps. He leant down and tried to pull the mat from its place, but that was impossible. He gathered up the beads20 cautiously with his hands; he was free, by reason of his boots and his hand-covering, from the danger of a shock, but he took good care that no portion of the curtain touched any other part of his body. Very cautiously he drew the bead12 "chick" aside, looping it back by means of strong rubber bands, and then T. B. went forward. In the meantime he had followed the other's example, and had drawn21 stout22 rubber goloshes over his feet and had put on gloves of a similar material. The lock that he had noticed earlier in the day was of a commonplace type; the only danger was that the inmates23 had taken the precaution of bolting or chaining the door, but apparently24 they were content with the protection which their electric curtain might reasonably be expected to afford. The door opened after a brief manipulation of keys, and T. B. stepped into the hall. He listened, all his senses strained, for the sound of a warning bell, but none came. Ela and the other man followed.
"Better remain in the hall," said T. B. "We shall have to chance the guard not noticing what has happened to the curtain, anyway; perhaps he will not be round for some time," he added, hopefully.
They made a quick scrutiny25 of the hall, and found no indication of cables or of wires which would suggest that an alarm had been fixed. T. B. stole carefully up the stairs, leaving the two men to guard the hall below. At every landing he halted, and listened, but the house was wrapped in silence, and he searched the third floor without mishap26.
He recognized the corridor, having taken very careful note of certain peculiarities27, and a scratch on the side of the lift door, which he had mentally noted29 for future reference, showed him he was on the right track.
Unerringly and swiftly he passed along the passage till he came to the big rosewood doors which opened upon the invalid's bedroom. He turned the handle gently, it yielded, and he stepped noiselessly through the door, and pushed the inner door cautiously. The room was dimly illuminated30, evidently by a night light, thought T. B., and he pressed the door farther open that he might secure a better view of the apartment, and then he gasped31, for this was not the room he had been in before.
It was a sumptuously32 arranged bureau, panelled in rosewood, and set about with costly33 furniture. A man was sitting at the desk, busily writing by the light of a table lamp; his back was toward T. B. The detective pushed the door farther open, and suddenly the man at the desk leapt up, and turning round, confronted the midnight visitor.
T. B. had only time to see that his face was hidden behind a black mask which extended from his forehead to his chin. As soon as he saw T. B. standing34 in the doorway35, he reached out his hand. Instantly the room was in darkness, and the door, which T. B. was holding ajar, was suddenly forced back as if by an irresistible36 power, flinging the detective into the corridor, which almost simultaneously37 was flooded with light. T. B. turned to meet the smiling face of Dr. Fall.
The big man, with his white, expressionless countenance38, was regarding him gravely, and with amused resentment39.
Where he had come from T. B. could only conjecture40; he had appeared as if by magic and was fully5 dressed.
"To what do I owe the honour of this visit, Mr. Smith?" he said, in his dry, grim way.
"A spirit of curiosity," said T. B., coolly. "I was anxious to secure another peep at your Mr. Moole."
"And how did he look?" asked the other, with a faint smile.
"Unfortunately," said T. B., "I have mistaken the floor, and instead of seeing our friend, I have unexpectedly and quite unwittingly interrupted a gentleman who, for reasons best known to himself, has hidden his face."
Dr. Fall frowned.
"I do not quite follow you," he said.
"Perhaps if I were to follow you back to the room," said T. B. good-humouredly, "you might understand better."
He heard a strange wailing42 sound and a shivering motion beneath his feet, as though a heavy traction43 engine were passing close to the house.
"What is that?" he asked.
"It is one of the unpleasant consequences of building one's house over a disused coal-mine," said the doctor easily; "but as regards your strange hallucination," he went on, "I should rather like to disabuse44 your mind of your fantastic vision."
He walked slowly back to the room which T. B. had quitted, and the inner door yielded to his touch. It was in darkness. Dr. Fall put his hand inside the room and there was a click of a switch.
"Come in," he said, and T. B. stepped into the room.
It was the room he had left in the earlier part of the day. There was the blue square of carpet and the silver bedstead, and the same yellow face and unwinking eyes of the patient. The walls were panelled in myrtle, the same electrolier hung from the ceiling as he had seen on his previous visit. Smith gasped, and passed his hand over his forehead.
"You see," said the secretary, "you have been the victim of a peculiar28 and unhappy trick of eyesight; in fact, Mr. Smith, may I suggest that you have been dreaming?"
"You may suggest just what you like," said T. B. pleasantly. "I should like to see the room below and the room above."
"With pleasure," said the other; "there is a storeroom up above which you may see if you wish."
He led the way upstairs, unlocked the door of the room immediately over that which they had just left, and entered. The room was bare, and the plain deal floor, the distempered walls, and the high skylight showed it to be just as the doctor had described, a typical storeroom.
"You do not seem to use it," said T. B.
"We are very tidy people," smiled the doctor; "and now you shall see the room below."
As they went down the stairs again they heard the curious wail41, and T. B. experienced a tremulous jar which he had noted before.
"Unpleasant, is it not?" said Dr. Fall. "I was quite alarmed at that at first, but it has no unpleasant consequences."
On the second floor he entered the third room, immediately below that in which the sick Mr. Moole was lying. He unlocked this door and they entered a well-furnished bedroom; on a more elaborate scale than that which T. B. had seen before.
"This is our spare bedroom," said Dr. Fall, easily; "we seldom use it."
T. B. slipped into the apartment and made a quick scrutiny. There was nothing of a suspicious character here.
"I hope you are satisfied now," said Dr. Fall as he led the way out, "and that your two friends below are not growing impatient."
"You have seen them, then," said T. B.
"I have seen them," said the other gravely. "I saw them a few moments after you entered the hall. You see, Mr. Smith," he went on, "we do not employ anything so vulgar as bells to alarm us. When the entrance door opens, a red light shows above my bed. Unfortunately, the moment you came in I happened to be in an adjoining room at work. I had to go into my bedroom to get a paper, when I saw the light. So, though I am perhaps inaccurate45 in saying that I have been keeping you under observation from the moment you arrived, there was little you did which was not witnessed. I will show you, if you will be good enough to accompany me to my room."
"I shall be delighted," said T. B.
He was curious to learn anything that the house or its custodian46 could teach him. Dr. Fall's room was on the first floor, immediately over the entrance hall, a plain office with a door leading to a cosily47, though comparatively expensively furnished bedroom. By the side of the doctor's bed was a round pillar, which looked for all the world like one of those conventional and useless articles of furniture which the suburban48 housewife employs to balance a palm upon.
"Look down into that," said the doctor.
T. B. obeyed. It was quite hollow, and a little way down was what appeared to be a square sheet of silver paper. It was unlike any other silver paper because it appeared to be alive. He could see figures standing against it, two figures that he had no difficulty in recognizing as Ela and Johnson.
"It is a preparation of my own," said the doctor. "I thought of taking out a patent for it. An adjustment of mirrors throws the image upon a luminous49 screen which is so sensitive to light that it can record an impression of your two friends even in the semi-darkness of the hall."
"Thank you," said T. B.
There was nothing to do but to accept his defeat as graciously as possible. For baffled he was, caught at every turn, and puzzled, moreover, by his extraordinary experience.
"You will find some difficulty in opening the door," said the pleasant Doctor Fall.
"In that I think you are mistaken," smiled T. B.
The doctor stopped to switch on the light, and the two discomforted detectives watched the scene curiously50.
"We have left the door ajar."
"Still I think you will find a difficulty in getting out," insisted the other. "Open the door."
Ela pulled at it, but it was impossible to move the heavy oaken panel.
"Electrically controlled," said the doctor; "and you can neither move it one way nor the other. It is an ingenious idea of mine, for which I may also apply for a patent one of these days."
He took a key from his pocket and inserted it in an almost invisible hole in the oak panelling of the hall; instantly the door opened slowly.
"I wish you a very good night," said Doctor Fall, as they stood on the steps. "I hope we shall meet again."
"You may be sure," said T. B. Smith, grimly, "that we shall."
收听单词发音 |
1
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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circumvent
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| vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜 | |
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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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funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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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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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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hop
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| n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过 | |
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14
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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singed
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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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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sumptuously
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| 奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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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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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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41
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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traction
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| n.牵引；附着摩擦力 | |
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disabuse
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| v.解惑；矫正 | |
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inaccurate
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| adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的 | |
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custodian
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| n.保管人，监护人；公共建筑看守 | |
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cosily
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| adv.舒适地，惬意地 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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49
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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50
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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