Though she hated the man who had ruined her life, and who had tried to rob her, still she did not care about becoming his murderess, and the thought was madness to her. Not that she was afraid of punishment, for she had only acted in self-defence, and Villiers, not she, was the aggressor.
Meanwhile she waited to hear if the body had been found, for ill news travels fast; and as everyone knew Villiers was her husband, she was satisfied that when the corpse1 was found she would be the first to be told about it.
But the day wore on, and no news came, so she asked Archie to go into Ballarar and see if the discovery had been made.
‘’Deed, mem,’ said Archie, in a consoling tone, ‘I’m thinkin’ there’s na word at all. Maybe ye only stapped his pranks2 for a wee bit, and he’s a’ richt.’
Madame shook her head.
‘I gave him such a terrible blow,’ she said, mournfully, ‘and he fell like a stone over the embankment.’
‘He didna leave go the nugget, onyhow, ye ken3,’ said Archie, dryly; ‘so he couldna hae been verra far gone, but I’ll gang intil the toun and see what I can hear.’
There was no need for this, however, for just as McIntosh got to the door, Vandeloup, cool and complacent4, sauntered in, but stopped short at the sight of Mrs Villiers sitting in the arm-chair looking so ill.
‘My dear Madame,’ he cried in dismay, going over to her, ‘what is the matter with you?’
‘Matter enow,’ growled5 McIntosh, with his hand on the door handle; ‘that deil o’ a’ husband o’ her’s has robbed her o’ the nugget.’
‘Yes, and I killed him,’ said Madame between her clenched6 teeth.
‘The deuce you did,’ said Vandeloup, in surprise, taking a seat, ‘then he was the liveliest dead man I ever saw.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Madame, leaning forward, with both hands gripping the arms of her chair; ‘is — is he alive?’
‘Of course he is,’ began Vandeloup; ‘I—’ but here he was stopped by a cry from Selina, for her mistress had fallen back in her chair in a dead faint.
Hastily waving for the men to go away, she applied7 remedies, and Madame soon revived. Vandeloup had gone outside with McIntosh, and was asking him about the robbery, and then told him in return about Villiers’ movements on that night. Selina called them in again, as Madame wanted to hear all about her husband, and Vandeloup was just entering when he turned to McIntosh.
‘Oh, by the way,’ he said, in a vexed8 tone, ‘Pierre will not be at work today.’
‘What for no?’ asked McIntosh, sharply.
‘He’s drunk,’ replied Vandeloup, curtly9, ‘and he’s likely to keep the game up for a week.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ said Mr McIntosh, wrathfully; ‘I tauld yon gowk o’ a Twexby to give the mon food and drink, but I didna tell him to mack the deil fu’.’
‘It wasn’t the landlord’s fault,’ said Vandeloup; ‘I gave Pierre money — if I had known what he wanted it for I wouldn’t have done it — but it’s too late now.’
McIntosh was about to answer sharply as to the folly11 of giving the man money, when Madame’s voice was heard calling them impatiently, and they both had to go in at once.
Mrs Villiers was ghastly pale, but there was a look of determination about her which showed that she was anxious to hear all. Pointing to a seat near herself she said to Vandeloup —
‘Tell me everything that happened from the time I left you last night.’
‘My faith,’ replied Vandeloup, carelessly taking the seat, ‘there isn’t much to tell — I said goodbye to Monsieur Marchurst and Mademoiselle Kitty and went down to Ballarar.’
‘How was it you did not pass me on the way?’ asked Madame, quickly fixing her piercing eyes on him. ‘I drove slowly.’
He bore her scrutiny12 without blenching13 or even changing colour.
‘Easily enough,’ he said, calmly, ‘I went the other direction instead of the usual way, as it was the shortest route to the place I was stopping at.’
‘The “Wattle Tree”, ye ken, Madame,’ interposed McIntosh.
‘I had something to eat there,’ pursued Vandeloup, ‘and then went to the theatre. Your husband came in towards the end of the performance and sat next to me.’
‘Was he all right?’ asked Mrs Villiers, eagerly.
Vandeloup shrugged14 his shoulders.
‘I didn’t pay much attention to him,’ he said, coolly; ‘he seemed to enjoy the play, and afterwards, when we went to supper with the actors, he certainly ate very heartily15 for a dead man. I don’t think you need trouble yourself, Madame; your husband is quite well.’
‘What time did you leave him?’ she asked, after a pause.
‘About twenty minutes to twelve, I think,’ replied Vandeloup, ‘at least, I reached the “Wattle Tree” at about twelve o’clock, and I think it did take twenty minutes to walk there. Monsieur Villiers stopped behind with the theatre people to enjoy himself.’
Enjoying himself, and she, thinking him dead, was crying over his miserable16 end; it was infamous17! Was this man a monster who could thus commit a crime one moment and go to an amusement the next? It seemed like it, and Mrs Villiers felt intense disgust towards her husband as she sat with tightly clenched hands and dry eyes listening to Vandeloup’s recital18.
‘Weel,’ said Mr McIntosh at length, rubbing his scanty20 hair, ‘the deil looks after his ain, as we read in Screepture, and this child of Belial is flourishing like a green bay tree by mony waters; but we ma’ cut it doon an’ lay an axe21 at the root thereof.’
‘And how do you propose to chop him down?’ asked Vandeloup, flippantly.
‘Pit him intil the Tolbooth for rinnin’ awa’ wi’ the nugget,’ retorted Mr McIntosh, vindictively22.
‘A very sensible suggestion,’ said Gaston, approvingly, smoothing his moustache. ‘What do you say, Madame?’
She shook her head.
‘Let him keep his ill-gotten gains,’ she said, resignedly. ‘Now that he has obtained what he wanted, perhaps he’ll leave me alone; I will do nothing.’
‘Dae naethin’!’ echoed Archie, in great wrath10. ‘Will ye let that freend o’ Belzibub rin awa’ wid a three hun’red ounces of gold an’ dae naethin’? Na, na, ye mauna dae it, I tell ye. Oh, aye, ye may sit there, mem, and glower23 awa’ like a boggle, but ye aren’a gangin’ to make yoursel’ a martyr24 for yon. Keep the nugget? I’ll see him damned first.’
This was the first time that Archie had ever dared to cross Mrs Villiers’ wishes, and she stared in amazement25 at the unwonted spectacle. This time, however, McIntosh found an unexpected ally in Vandeloup, who urged that Villiers should be prosecuted27.
‘He is not only guilty of robbery, Madame,’ said the young Frenchman, ‘but also of an attempt to murder you, and while he is allowed to go free, your life is not safe.’
Selina also contributed her mite28 of wisdom in the form of a proverb:—
‘A stitch in time saves nine,’ intimating thereby29 that Mr Villiers should be locked up and never let out again, in case he tried the same game on with the next big nugget found.
Madame thought for a few moments, and, seeing that they were all unanimous, she agreed to the proposal that Villiers should be prosecuted, with the stipulation30, however, that he should be first written to and asked to give up the nugget. If he did, and promised to leave the district, no further steps would be taken; but if he declined to do so, his wife would prosecute26 him with the uttermost rigour of the law. Then Madame dismissed them, as she was anxious to get a little sleep, and Vandeloup went to the office to write the letter, accompanied by McIntosh, who wanted to assist in its composition.
Meanwhile there was another individual in Ballarat who was much interested in Villiers, and this kind-hearted gentleman was none other than Slivers31. Villiers was accustomed to come and sit in his office every morning, and talk to him about things in general, and the Pactolus claim in particular. On this morning, however, he did not arrive, and Slivers was much annoyed thereat. He determined32 to give Villiers a piece of his mind when he did see him. He went about his business at ‘The Corner’, bought some shares, sold others, and swindled as many people as he was able, then came back to his office and waited in all the afternoon for his friend, who, however, did not come.
Slivers was just going out to seek him when the door of his office was violently flung open, and a tall, raw-boned female entered in a very excited manner. Dressed in a dusty black gown, with a crape bonnet33 placed askew34 on her rough hair, this lady banged on Slivers’ table a huge umbrella and demanded where Villiers was.
‘I don’t know,’ snapped Slivers, viciously; ‘how the devil should I?’
‘Don’t swear at me, you wooden-legged little monster,’ cried the virago35, with another bang of the umbrella, which raised such a cloud of dust that it nearly made Slivers sneeze his head off. ‘He ain’t been home all night, and you’ve been leading him into bad habits, you cork-armed libertine36.’
‘Hasn’t been home all night, eh?’ said Slivers, sitting up quickly, while Billy, who had been considerably37 alarmed at the gaunt female, retired38 to the fireplace, and tried to conceal39 himself up the chimney. ‘May I ask who you are?’
‘You may,’ said the angry lady, folding her arms and holding the umbrella in such an awkward manner that she nearly poked40 Slivers’ remaining eye out.
‘Well, who are you?’ snapped Slivers, crossly, after waiting a reasonable time for an answer and getting none.
‘I’m his landlady,’ retorted the other, with a defiant41 snort. ‘Matilda Cheedle is my name, and I don’t care who knows it.’
‘It’s not a pretty name,’ snarled42 Slivers, prodding43 the ground with his wooden leg, as he always did when angry. ‘Neither are you. What do you mean by banging into my office like an insane giraffe?’— this in allusion44 to Mrs Cheedle’s height.
‘Oh, go on! go on!’ said that lady defiantly45; ‘I’ve heard it all before; I’m used to it; but here I sit until you tell me where my lodger46 is;’ and suiting the action to the word, Mrs Cheedle sat down in a chair with such a bang that Billy gave a screech47 of alarm and said, ‘Pickles!’
‘Pickles, you little bag of bones!’ cried Mrs Cheedle, who thought that the word had proceeded from Slivers, ‘don’t you call me “Pickles”— but I’m used to it. I’m a lonely woman since Cheedle went to the cemetery48, and I’m always being insulted. Oh, my nerves are shattered under such treatment’— this last because she saw the whisky bottle on the table, and thought she might get some.
Slivers took the hint, and filling a glass with whisky and water passed it to her, and Mrs Cheedle, with many protestations that she never touched spirits, drank it to the last drop.
‘Was Villiers always in the habit of coming home?’ he asked.
‘Always,’ replied Mrs Cheedle; ‘he’s bin19 with me eighteen months and never stopped out one night; if he had,’ grimly, ‘I’d have known the reason of his rampagin’.’
‘Strange,’ said Slivers, thoughtfully, fixing Mrs Cheedle with his one eye; ‘when did you see him last?’
‘About three o’clock yesterday,’ said Mrs Cheedle, looking sadly at a hole in one of her cotton gloves; ‘his conduct was most extraordinary; he came home at that unusual hour, changed his linen49 clothes for a dark suit, and, after he had eaten something, put on another hat, and walked off with a stick under his arm.’
‘And you’ve never seen him since?’
‘Not a blessed sight of him,’ replied Mrs Cheedle; ‘you don’t think any harm’s come to him, sir? Not as I care much for him — the drunken wretch50 — but still he’s a lodger and owes me rent, so I don’t know but what he might be off to Melbourne without paying, and leaving his boxes full of bricks behind.’
‘I’ll have a look round, and if I see him I’ll send him home,’ said Slivers, rising to intimate the interview was at end.
‘Very well, mind you do,’ said the widow, rising and putting the empty glass on the table, ‘send him home at once and I’ll speak to him. And perhaps,’ with a bashful glance, ‘you wouldn’t mind seeing me up the street a short way, as I’m alone and unprotected.’
‘Stuff!’ retorted Slivers, ungraciously, ‘there’s plenty of light, and you are big enough to look after yourself.’
At this Mrs Cheedle snorted loudly like a war-horse, and flounced out of the office in a rage, after informing Slivers in a loud voice that he was a selfish, cork-eyed little viper51, from which confusion of words it will easily be seen that the whisky had taken effect on the good lady.
When she had gone Slivers locked up his office, and sallied forth52 to find the missing Villiers, but though he went all over town to that gentleman’s favourite haunts, mostly bars, yet he could see nothing of him; and on making inquiries53 heard that he had not been seen in Ballarat all day. This was so contrary to Villiers’ general habits that Slivers became suspicious, and as he walked home thinking over the subject he came to the conclusion there was something up.
‘If,’ said Slivers, pausing on the pavement and addressing a street lamp, ‘he doesn’t turn up to-morrow I’ll have a look for him again. If that don’t do I’ll tell the police, and I shouldn’t wonder,’ went on Slivers, musingly54, ‘I shouldn’t wonder if they called on Madame Midas.’
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
corpse
|
|
| n.尸体，死尸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
pranks
|
|
| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
ken
|
|
| n.视野，知识领域 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
complacent
|
|
| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
applied
|
|
| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
vexed
|
|
| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
curtly
|
|
| adv.简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
wrath
|
|
| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
folly
|
|
| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scrutiny
|
|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
blenching
|
|
| v.（因惊吓而）退缩，惊悸( blench的现在分词 )；（使）变白，（使）变苍白 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
14
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
infamous
|
|
| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
recital
|
|
| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bin
|
|
| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
scanty
|
|
| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
axe
|
|
| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
vindictively
|
|
| adv.恶毒地；报复地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
glower
|
|
| v.怒目而视 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
martyr
|
|
| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
prosecute
|
|
| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
prosecuted
|
|
| a.被起诉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
mite
|
|
| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
stipulation
|
|
| n.契约，规定，条文；条款说明 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
slivers
|
|
| （切割或断裂下来的）薄长条，碎片( sliver的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
bonnet
|
|
| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
askew
|
|
| adv.斜地；adj.歪斜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
virago
|
|
| n.悍妇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
libertine
|
|
| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
considerably
|
|
| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
retired
|
|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
poked
|
|
| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
defiant
|
|
| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
snarled
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
prodding
|
|
| v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
allusion
|
|
| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
defiantly
|
|
| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
lodger
|
|
| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
screech
|
|
| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
cemetery
|
|
| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
linen
|
|
| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
viper
|
|
| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
musingly
|
|
| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |