Mr. Cherry Bim, a citizen of the world, and an adventurer at large, was an optimist1 to his finger-tips. He also held certain races in profound contempt, not because he knew the countries, but because he had met representatives of those nations in America, and judged by their characteristics.
So that the man called Yakoff, whose task it was to inveigle2 Mr. Bim again to the premises3 of the Friends of Freedom Club, found to his astonishment4 that Mr. Bim required very little inveigling5. The truth was, of course, that the gun-man had a supreme6 contempt for all Russians, whom he had classified mistakenly as "Lithanians" and "Pollaks." To the fervent7 promise made by Mr. Yakoff that no harm would come to him, Cherry Bim had replied briefly8 but unprintably.
"Of course, there'll be no harm come to me," he said scornfully. "You don't think I worry about what that bunch will do? No, sir! But I'm powerfully disinclined to associate myself with people out of my class. It doesn't do a man any good to be seen round with Pollaks and Letts."
Yakoff earnestly implored9 him to come and give the benefit of his experience to the assembly, and had promised him substantial payment. This latter argument was one which Cherry Bim could understand and appreciate. He accepted on the spot, and came down to the stuffy10 little underground room, expecting no more than to be asked to deliver a lecture on the gentle art of assassination11. Not that he knew very much about it, because Cherry, with three or four men to his credit, had shot them in fair fight; but a hundred pounds was a lot of money, and he badly needed just enough to shake the mud of England from his shoes and seek a land more prolific12 in possibilities.
The first thing he noticed on arrival was that Boolba, the man who had interrogated13 him before, was not present. In his place sat a smaller man, with a straggly black beard and a white face, who was addressed as "Nicholas."
The second curious circumstance which struck him was that he was received also in an ominous14 silence.
The black-bearded man, who spoke15 in perfect English, indicated a chair to the left of him.
"Sit down, comrade," he said. "We have asked you to come because we have another proposition to make to you."
"If it's a croaking16 proposition, you needn't go any farther," said Cherry, "and I won't trouble you with my presence, gents, and----" he looked in vain for the woman he had seen before, and added, that he might round off his sentence gracefully--"fellow murderers."
"Mr. Bim," said Nicholas in his curious singsong tone, "does it not make your blood boil to see tyranny in high places----"
"Now, can that stuff!" said Cherry Bim. "Nothing makes my blood boil, or would make my blood boil, except sitting on a stove, I guess. Tyranny don't mean any more in my young life than Hennessy, and tyrants18 more than hydrants. I guess I was brought up in a land of freedom and glory, where the only tyrant17 you ever meet is a traffic cop. If this is another croaking job, why, gents, I won't trouble you any longer."
He half-rose, but Nicholas pushed him down.
"Not even if it was the Czar?" he said calmly.
"The Czar?" he said, with a queer little grimace20 to emphasize his disbelief in the evidence of his hearing. "What are you getting at?"
"Would you shoot the Czar for two thousand pounds?" asked Nicholas.
Cherry Bim pushed his hat to the back of his head and got up, shaking off the protesting arm.
"I'm through," he said, "and that's all there is to it."
It was at that moment that Serganoff came through the door and Cherry Bim remained where he stood, surprised to silence, for the face of the newcomer was covered from chin to forehead by a black silk mask.
The door was shut behind him; he walked slowly to the table and dropped into a broken chair, Cherry's eyes never leaving his face.
"For fifteen years," said the gun-man, speaking slowly, "I've been a crook21, but never once have I seen a guy got up like that villain22 in a movie picture. Say, mister, let's have a look at your face."
Cherry Bim was not the only person perturbed23 by the arrival of a masked stranger. Only three men in the room were in the secret of the newcomer's identity, and suspicious and scowling24 faces were turned upon him.
"You will excuse me," said the mask, "but there are many reasons why you should not see me or know me again."
"And there's a mighty25 lot of reasons why you shouldn't know me again," said Cherry, "yet I've obliged you with a close-up of my distinguished26 features."
"You have heard the proposition," said the man. "What do you think of it?"
"I think it's a fool proposition," replied Cherry contemptuously. "I've told these lads before that I am not falling for the Lucretia Borgia stuff, and I'm telling you the same."
"Well, don't let us quarrel," he said. "Nicholas, give him the money we promised."
Nicholas put his hand in his pocket and brought out a roll of notes, which he tossed to the man on his left, and Cherry Bim, to whom tainted28 money was as acceptable as tainted pheasant to the epicure29, pocketed it with a smack30 of his lips.
"Now, if there's anything I can do for you boys," he said, "here's your chance to make use of me. Though I say it myself, there ain't a man in New York with my experience, tact31 and finesse32. Show me a job that can be done single-handed, with a dividend33 at the end of it, and I'll show you a man who can take it on. In the meantime," said he affably, "the drinks are on me. Call the waiter, and order the best in the house."
Serganoff held up his hand.
"Wait," he said; "was that the door?"
Nicholas nodded, and the whole room stood in silence and watched the door slowly open. There was a gasp34 of astonishment, of genuine surprise, for Irene Yaroslav was well known to them, and it was Irene Yaroslav who stood with her back to the door. She wore a long black cloak of sable35 and by her coiffure it was evident that she was wearing an evening toilette beneath the cloak.
"Where is Israel Kensky?" she asked.
She did not immediately see the man in the masked face, for he sat under a light and his broad-brimmed hat threw his face into shadow.
Nobody answered her, and she asked again:
"Where is Israel Kensky?"
"He is not here," said Serganoff coolly, as she took two paces and stopped dead, clasping her hands before her.
"What does this mean?" she asked. "What are you doing here, Ser----"
"Stop!" His voice was almost a shout, and yet there was a shake in it.
Serganoff realized the danger of his own position, if amongst these men were some who had cause to hate him.
"Do not mention my name, Irene."
"What are you doing here?" she asked. "And where is Israel Kensky?"
"He has not come," Serganoff's voice was uneven36 and his hands shook.
She turned to go, but he was before her and stood with his back to the entrance.
"You will wait," he said.
"What insolence37 is this?" she demanded haughtily38. "I had a letter from Israel Kensky telling me to come here under his protection and I should learn the truth of the plot against my father."
Serganoff had recovered something of his self-possession and laughed softly.
"It was I who sent you that letter, Irene. I sent it because I particularly desired you here at this moment."
"You shall pay for this," she said, and tried to force her way past him, but his strong hands gripped her and pushed her back.
She turned with a flaming face upon the men.
"Are you men," she asked, "that you allow this villain, who betrayed my father and will betray you, to treat a woman so."
She spoke in Russian, and nobody moved. Then a voice said:
"Speak English, miss."
She turned and glanced gratefully at the stout39 little man with his grotesque40 Derby hat and his good-humoured smile.
"I have been brought here by a trick," she said breathlessly, "by this man"--she pointed41 to Serganoff. "Will you help me leave? You're English, aren't you?"
"American, miss," said Cherry Bim. "And as for helping42 you, why, bless you, you can class me as your own little bodyguard43."
"Stop!" cried Serganoff hoarsely44, and instinctively45, at the sight of the levelled revolver. Cherry's hands went up. "You'll keep out of this and do not interfere," said Serganoff. "You'll have all the trouble you want before this evening is through. Irene, come here."
At one side of the room was a narrow doorway46, which most of the members believed led to a cupboard, but which a few knew was a safety bolt in case of trouble. The Prince had recognized the door by its description, and had edged his way towards it, taking the key from his pocket.
He gripped the girl by the waist, inserted the key and flung open the door. She struggled to escape, but the hand that held the key also held the revolver, and never once did it point anywhere but at Cherry Bim's anatomy47.
"Help!" cried the girl. "This man is Serganoff, the Chief of Police at Petrograd----"
There was a crash, and the sound of hurrying footsteps. A voice from the outer hall screamed, "The police!"
At that moment Serganoff dragged the girl through the doorway and slammed it behind him. They were in a small cellar, almost entirely48 filled with barrels, with only a narrow alley-way left to reach a farther door. He dragged her through this apartment, up a short flight of stairs. They were on the level of the restaurant, and the girl could hear the clatter49 of plates as he pushed her up another stairway and into a room. By its furniture she guessed it was a private dining-room. The blinds were drawn50 and she had no means of knowing whether the apartment overlooked the front or the back of the premises.
He stopped long enough to lock the door and then he turned to her, slipping off his mask.
"I thought you would recognize me," he said coolly.
"What does this outrage51 mean?" asked the girl with heaving bosom52. "You shall pay for this, colonel."
"There will be a lot of payment to be made before this matter is through," he said calmly. "Calm yourself, Irene. I have saved you from a great disgrace. Are you aware that, at the moment I brought you from that room, the English police were raiding it?"
"I should not have been in the room but for you," she said, "my father----"
"It is about your father I want to speak," he said. "Irene, I am the sole heir to your father's estate. Beyond the property which is settled on you, you have nothing. My affection for you is known and approved at Court."
"Your affection!" she laughed bitterly. "I'd as soon have the affection of a wolf!"
"You could not have a more complete wolf than I," he said meaningly. "Do you know what has happened to-night? An anarchist53 club in London has been raided, and the Grand Duchess Irene Yaroslav has been found in the company of men whose object is to destroy the monarchy54."
She realized with a sickening sense of disaster all that it meant. She knew as well as he in what bad odour her father stood at Court, and guessed the steps which would be taken if this matter became public.
"I was brought here by a trick," she said steadily55. "A letter came to me, as I thought, from Israel Kensky----"
"It was from me," he interrupted.
"And you planned the raid, of course?"
He nodded.
"I planned the raid in the most promising56 circumstances," he said. "The gentleman who offered to be your good knight57 is a well-known New York gun-man. He is wanted by the police, who probably have him in their custody58 at this moment. He was brought here to-night, and an offer was made to him, an offer of a large sum of money, on condition that he would destroy the Czar."
"You see, my little Irene, that when this gun-man's evidence is taken in court, matters will look very bad for the Yaroslav family."
"What do you propose?" she asked.
"There are two alternatives," he said. "The first is that I should arrest you and hand you over to the police. The second is that you should undertake most solemnly to marry me, in which case I will take you away from here."
She was silent.
"Is there a third possibility?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"My dear," he said familiarly as he flicked60 a speck61 of dust from his sleeve. "I think you will take the easier way. None of these scum will betray you, thinking that you are one of themselves--as I happen to know, some of the best families in Russia are associated with plotters of this type. As for the American, who might be inclined to talk, in a few weeks he will be on his way to New York to serve a life sentence. I have been looking up his record, and particularly drew the attention of the English police to the fact that he would be here to-night."
Cherry Bim, creeping up the stairs in his stockinged feet--he had marked and shot the fuse-box to pieces before the police came in, and had burst his way through the door in the wall--heard the sound of voices in the little room and stopped to listen. It was not a thick door, and he could hear Serganoff's voice very clearly. He stooped down to the key-hole. Serganoff had not taken the key out, and it was an old-fashioned key, the end of which projected an eighth of an inch on the other side of the door. Cherry Bim felt in his pocket and produced a pair of peculiarly shaped nippers, and gripped the end of the key, turning it gently. Then he slipped his handy gun from his pocket and waited.
"Now, Irene," said Serganoff's voice. "You must decide. In a few minutes the police will be up here, for they are instructed to make a complete search of the house. I can either explain that you are here to witness the raid, or that I have followed you up and arrested you. Which is it to be?"
Still she did not answer. Serganoff had laid his revolver on the table and this she was manoeuvring to reach. He divined her intention before she sprang forward, and, gripping her by the waist, threw her back.
"That will be more useful to me than to you," he said.
"Sure thing it will!" said a voice behind him.
He turned as swift as a cat and fired. The horrified62 girl heard only one shot, so quickly did one report follow another. She saw Cherry Bim raise his hand and wipe the blood from his cheek, saw the splinter of wood where the bullet had struck behind him; then Serganoff groaned63 and sprawled64 forward over the table. She dared not look at him, but followed Bim's beckoning65 finger.
"Down the stairs and out of that door, miss," he said, "or the bulls will have you."
She did not ask him who the "bulls" were; she could guess. She flew down the stairs, with trembling hands unfastened the lock and stepped into the street. It was empty, save for two men, and one of these came forward to meet her with outstretched hands.
"Thank God you're safe!" he said. "You weren't there, were you?"
Malcolm Hay was incoherent. The detective who was with him could but smile a little, for the girl had come out of the door which, according to his instructions, led only to the private dining-room.
"Take me away," she whispered.
He put his arm about her trembling figure, and led her along the street. All the time he was in terror lest the police should call her back, and desire him to identify her; but nothing happened and they gained Shaftesbury Avenue and a blessed taxicab.
"To Israel Kensky," she said. "I can't go home like this."
He stretched out of the window and gave fresh instructions.
"I am greatly obliged to you, Mr. Hay," she faltered66 and then covered her face with her hands. "Oh, it was dreadful, dreadful!"
"What happened?" he asked.
She shook her head. Then suddenly:
"No, no, I must go home. Will you tell the cabman? There is a chance that I may get into my suite67 without Boolba seeing. Will you go on to Israel Kensky after you have left me, and tell him what has happened?"
He nodded, and again gave the change of instructions.
They reached the hotel at a period when most of the guests were either lingering over their dinner or had gone to the theatre.
"I hate leaving you like this," he said; "how do I know that you will get in without detection?"
She smiled in spite of her distress68.
"You're an inventor, aren't you, Mr. Hay?" she laughed. "But I am afraid even you could not invent a story which would convince my father if he knew I had been to that horrible place." Presently she said: "My room overlooks the street. If I get in without detection I will come to the window and wave a handkerchief."
He waited in a fit of apprehension69, until presently he saw a light leap up to three windows, and her figure appeared. There was a flutter of a white handkerchief, and the blinds were drawn. Malcolm Hay drove to Maida Vale, feeling that the age of romance was not wholly dead.
To his surprise Kensky had had the news before he reached there.
"Is she safe? Is she safe?" asked the old man tremulously. "Now, thank Jehovah for his manifold blessings70 and mercies! I feared something was wrong. Her Highness wrote to me this afternoon, and I did not get the letter," said Israel. "They waylaid71 the messenger, and wrote and told her to go to the Silver Lion--the devils!"
His hand was shaking as he took up the poker72 to stir the fire.
"He, at any rate, will trouble none of us again," he said with malignant73 satisfaction.
"He? Who?"
"Serganoff," said the old man. "He was dead when the police found him!"
"And the American?" asked Hay.
"Only Russians were arrested," said Israel Kensky. "I do not think I shall see him again."
In this he was wrong, though six years were to pass before they met: the mystic, Israel Kensky, Cherry Bim the modern knight-errant, and Malcolm Hay.
收听单词发音 |
1
optimist
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| n.乐观的人，乐观主义者 | |
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inveigle
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| v.诱骗 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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inveigling
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| v.诱骗，引诱( inveigle的现在分词 ) | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stuffy
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| adj.不透气的，闷热的 | |
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assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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prolific
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| adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的 | |
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interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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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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croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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tyrants
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| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
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gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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epicure
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| n.行家，美食家 | |
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smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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finesse
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| n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕 | |
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dividend
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| n.红利，股息；回报，效益 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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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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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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anarchist
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| n.无政府主义者 | |
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monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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56
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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59
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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flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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61
speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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62
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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63
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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64
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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65
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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66
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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67
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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68
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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69
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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70
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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71
waylaid
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| v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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73
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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