Although the new assistant and postman were conversant4 with their duties, Corrie never failed to postmark with his own hand both outward and p. 191inward mails. His manner had become disagreeably furtive5; always he seemed to be watching, waiting for something to happen. Rachel’s poor heart bled for him; she blamed the sin more than the sinner; and she would have given her soul to save his. Night after night she lay long awake, brooding, scheming to the end that he might be rescued—in a worldly sense, to begin with. She fondly believed that if he were drawn6 back from his present sinning, his life for the future would be sinless. She believed, also, that it was Symington whom she would have to overcome in the first place. To Rachel Corrie, Symington, in the night watches, appeared as Satan himself.
And at last, at a sultry midnight, such a midnight as had witnessed her dreadful deed for her brother’s sake, a vague idea drifted, from Heaven knows where, into her distracted, weary mind, and lodged7 there. Ere she slept it had developed to a grim purpose, which even the searching light of morning could not weaken.
She would render Symington powerless, helpless, by depriving him of the Zenith certificates! . . . But how? It cost her many more sleepless8 hours and much aching thought before she could answer the question. But eventually, the way was found, and while it appalled9 her, she would not p. 192turn back. However, she would have to bide10 her time. For one thing, the mill was at present too busy—the mill which, you will remember, was one of John Corrie’s properties apart from the general store—and the mill was involved in her scheme. For another, a word with Symington might have helpful results.
It was on the third evening following that of his castigation11 that Symington appeared in Dunford. He came in response to a curt12 note from the postmaster: “It is time you and me had a talk. Look sharp.” A telegram preceded him. For the first time since his last visit Corrie mentioned the man’s name to Rachel.
“Symington will be here ’tween eight and nine.”
“I’ll be out,” she returned calmly.
For a moment he was taken aback. Then—“As ye please,” he said, and after a short pause added: “I expect your niece will get the shares before long.”
He did not look at her, nor did she at him as she replied—
“Very well, John. I’ll be glad when it’s a’ settled.”
She left the house at the hour the train was due, and took the road which led to White Farm and also to the mill, a couple of miles farther on.
p. 193Symington arrived at the cottage in a bad humour.
“What the devil do you keep on bothering me for?” he demanded the moment he was in the parlour. “I’m going ahead as quickly as I can. Do you want me to ruin the whole thing by rushing it.”
“No use in losing your temper,” said Corrie coldly. “It’s a fortnight past since ye started to get a hold o’ the girl. I want to ken2 what ye’ve been doing in London, besides enjoying yourself.”
“Well, what ha’ ye done?”
Symington took out a cigar. “Look here—what are you trying to drive me for? What’s at the back of this cry for haste?”
“There’s a chance o’ the postman getting better.”
“You’d never use it? . . . However, I may tell you that I’ve completed my arrangements for the capture of Miss Kitty.”
“And what may they be?”
p. 194“I think I’d better not tell you. You’re so tender-hearted!”
A grey shadow came over Corrie’s face. “Is—is it going to hurt her?” he whispered. “I canna consent to her being hurt—seriously.”
Symington laughed shortly. “You think I’d hurt Kitty, do you? Sometimes I fancy you’re a bit cracked, Corrie! Well, I must admit it’s going to be a little unpleasant, inconvenient16, for her—but nothing worse. She’s going to disappear for a time—”
“Where?”
“You’re better not to know in case you’re asked—see?”
“And young Hayward’s going to disappear likewise.”
“God! Are ye no’ afraid? . . . But how am I to believe ye?”
“Give me four days—a week at most. Now, don’t ask any more questions, for I’m not going to answer them. As I said, you’re better not to know anything.”
“Just one. How long will it take, think ye to—to make her give in?”
Symington had drunk a good deal of wine on p. 195the train, or he might not have answered as he did.
“How long does it take to starve a healthy man?”
* * * * *
In the dusk Symington was nearing the farm when, from a gate in the hedge, Rachel Corrie stepped into his path.
“I want a word wi’ ye, Mr. Symington,” she said bluntly.
“Well?”
“And first I’ll tell ye that John Desna ken o’ this.”
“Go on.” He was annoyed at the interruption, for he had much to think of before he slept that night, and he was returning to London by the early morning train. Also he was tormented18 by a craving19 for something to drink.
“’Tis about the Zeniths,” she proceeded.
“None of your business, I should say, Miss Corrie.”
“How dare you insinuate—”
“No need for temper,” she went on steadily21. “John maybe wouldna like to ask ye himself, but I’m going to put a straight question, for it’s been on my mind for a while now—”
p. 196“Kindly come to the point.”
“I will! Have ye or have ye not parted wi’ any o’ the shares?”
His indignation was well assumed. “If you were a man—” he began.
“But I’m only a woman, and not one of the blind, trusting sort, Mr. Symington. Still, I’m as curious as any.”
Suddenly he gave an ironic22 laugh. “Very well, Miss Corrie; I don’t want you to lose any more of your beauty sleep, so I give you my word that—”
“And ye’ll let me see the certificates, Mr. Symington,” she interrupted very firmly.
For an instant he hesitated. He might tell her that they were in his banker’s safe. But no: better exhibit them and have done with the matter.
“If I was not aware of your affection for your brother,” he said, “I’d consider your request an insult, and refuse it point-blank. However, you can come along to the house and be satisfied.”
He prepared for other questions, but she asked none, and presently he was showing her into the farm-house parlour, saying: “I’ll fetch them at once.”
She waited in the twilight23, listening with all her p. 197nerves, as it were. She heard him go upstairs, she counted his movements in the room directly overhead.
Symington knew he was taking no small risk. Originally the certificates, folded separately, had made a tape-tied bundle of ten, each certificate representing five hundred shares. Now there were only nine. But Symington took from his pocket a certificate for one hundred shares, and inserted it in the bundle. He could not tell how familiar she might be with the documents, but he trusted that she would be satisfied with finding the number of them correct, and reckoned that if she did insist on examining them separately, the dusk would prevent her detecting the discrepancy24. So he came downstairs, whistling.
For she had discovered what she wanted to know—not with her eyes, but with her ears.
“Silly old fool!” Symington remarked to himself, much relieved, as he went upstairs again. “I needn’t go on worrying about her, anyway.”
He entered his bedroom, returned the one hundred share certificate to his pocket, and deposited the bundle in an immensely heavy oaken chest, steel-bound and fastened to the p. 198floor in the window. It had been the Symington “strong box” for generations. Only lately had the idea of superseding26 it with a modern safe occurred to the present owner.
“I’ll write to Glasgow for a price list to-night,” he thought, withdrawing the queer, stumpy key, and replacing the chintz cover, which gave the chest something of the appearance of an ottoman. “Yes; I’ll write to-night.” Just then his importunate27 thirst assailed28 him once more, and drove him downstairs to a cupboard in the parlour.
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necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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conversant
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| adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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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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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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bide
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| v.忍耐；等候；住 | |
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castigation
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| n.申斥，强烈反对 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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Bungler
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| n.笨拙者，经验不够的人 | |
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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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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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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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ironic
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| adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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discrepancy
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| n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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superseding
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| 取代，接替( supersede的现在分词 ) | |
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importunate
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| adj.强求的；纠缠不休的 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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