Madame Midas, however, now that Melbourne was so hateful to her, determined11 to leave it, and sent up to Mr Calton in order to confer with him on the subject. Calton came down to St Kilda, and was shown into the drawing-room where Mrs Villiers, calm and impenetrable looking as ever, sat writing letters. She arose as the barrister entered, and gave him her hand.
‘It was kind of you to come so quickly,’ she said, in her usual quiet, self-contained manner; ‘I wish to consult you on some matters of importance.’
‘I am at your service, Madame,’ replied Calton, taking a seat, and looking keenly at the marble face before him; ‘I am glad to see you looking so well, considering what you have gone through.’
Mrs Villiers let a shadowy smile flit across her face.
‘They say the Red Indian becomes utterly12 indifferent to the torture of his enemies after a certain time,’ she answered, coldly; ‘I think it is the same with me. I have been deceived and disillusionized so completely that I have grown utterly callous13, and nothing now can move me either to sorrow or joy.’
‘A curious answer from a curious woman,’ thought Calton, glancing at her as she sat at the writing-table in her black dress with the knots of violet ribbons upon it; ‘what queer creatures experience makes us.’
Madame Midas folded her hands loosely on the table, and looked dreamily out of the open French window, and at the trellis covered with creeping plants beyond, through which the sun was entering in pencils of golden light. Life would have been so sweet to her if she had only been content to be deceived like other people; but then she was not of that kind. Faith with her was a religion, and when religion is taken away, what remains14? — nothing.
‘I am going to England,’ she said, abruptly15, to Calton, rousing herself out of these painful reflections.
‘After the trial, I presume?’ observed Calton, slowly.
‘Yes,’ she answered, hesitatingly; ‘do you think they will — they will — hang the girl?’
Calton shrugged16 his shoulders. ‘I can’t tell you,’ he answered, with a half smile; ‘if she is found guilty — well — I think she will be imprisoned18 for life.’
‘Poor Kitty,’ said Madame, sadly, ‘it was an evil hour when you met Vandeloup. What do you think of him?’ she asked, suddenly.
‘He’s a scoundrel,’ returned Calton, decisively; still, a clever one, with a genius for intrigue19; he should have lived in the times of Borgian Rome, where his talents would have been appreciated; now we have lost the art of polite murder.’
‘Do you know,’ said Mrs Villiers, musingly20, leaning back in her chair, ‘I cannot help thinking Kitty is innocent of this crime.’
‘She may be,’ returned Calton, ambiguously, ‘but the evidence seems very strong against her.’
‘Purely circumstantial,’ interrupted Madame Midas, quickly.
‘Purely circumstantial, as you say,’ assented21 Calton; ‘still, some new facts may be discovered before the trial which may prove her to be innocent. After the mystery which enveloped22 the death of Oliver Whyte in the hansom cab murder I hesitate giving a decided23 answer, in any case till everything has been thoroughly24 sifted25; but, if not Kitty Marchurst, whom do you suspect — Vandeloup?’
‘No; he wanted to marry me, not to kill me.’
‘Have you any enemy, then, who would do such a thing?’
‘Yes; my husband.’
‘But he is dead.’
‘He disappeared,’ corrected Madame, ‘but it was never proved that he was dead. He was a revengeful, wicked man, and if he could have killed me, without hurting himself, he would,’ and rising from her seat she paced up and down the room slowly.
‘I know your sad story,’ said the barrister, ‘and also how your husband disappeared; but, to my mind, looking at all the circumstances, you will not be troubled with him again.’
A sudden exclamation26 made him turn his head, and he saw Madame Midas, white as death, staring at the open French window, on the threshold of which was standing27 a man — medium height, black beard, and a haggard, hunted look in his eyes.
‘Who is this?’ cried Calton, rising to his feet.
Madame Midas tottered28, and caught at the mantelpiece for support.
‘My husband,’ she said, in a whisper.
‘Alive?’ said Calton, turning to the man at the window.
‘I should rather think so,’ said Villiers, insolently30, advancing into the room; ‘I don’t look like a dead man, do I?’
Madame Midas sprang forward and caught his wrist.
‘So you have come back, murderer!’ she hissed31 in his ear.
‘What do you mean?’ said her husband, wrenching32 his hand away.
‘Mean?’ she cried, vehemently33; ‘you know what I mean. You cut yourself off entirely34 from me by your attempt on my life, and the theft of the gold; you dare not have showed yourself in case you received the reward of your crime; and so you worked in the dark against me. I knew you were near, though I did not see you; and you for a second time attempted my life.’
‘I did not,’ muttered Villiers, shrinking back from the indignant blaze of her eyes. ‘I can prove —’
‘You can prove,’ she burst out, contemptuously, drawing herself up to her full height, ‘Yes! you can prove anything with your cowardly nature and lying tongue; but prove that you were not the man who came in the dead of night and poisoned the drink waiting for me, which was taken by my nurse. You can prove — yes, as God is my judge, you shall prove it, in the prisoner’s dock, e’er you go to the gallows35.’
During all this terrible speech, Villiers had crouched36 on the ground, half terrified, while his wife towered over him, magnificent in her anger. At the end, however, he recovered himself a little, and began to bluster37.
‘Every man has a right to a hearing,’ he said, defiantly38, looking from his wife to Calton; ‘I can explain everything.’
Madame Midas pointed39 to a chair.
‘I have no doubt you will prove black is white by your lying,’ she said, coldly, returning to her seat; ‘I await this explanation.’
Thereupon Villiers sat down and told them the whole story of his mysterious disappearance40, and how he had been made a fool of by Vandeloup. When he had ended, Calton, who had resumed his seat, and listened to the recital41 with deep interest, stole a glance at Madame Midas, but she looked as cold and impenetrable as ever.
‘I understand, now, the reason of your disappearance,’ she said, coldly; ‘but that is not the point. I want to know the reason you tried to murder me a second time.’
‘I did not,’ returned Villiers, quietly, with a gesture of dissent42.
‘Then Selina Sprotts, since you are so particular,’ retorted his wife, with a sneer43; ‘but it was you who committed the crime.’
‘Who says I did?’ cried Villiers, standing up.
‘No one,’ put in Calton, looking at him sharply, ‘but as you had a grudge44 against your wife, it is natural for her to suspect you, at the same time it is not necessary for you to criminate yourself.’
‘I am not going to do so,’ retorted Villiers; ‘if you think I’d be such a fool as to commit a crime and then trust myself to my wife’s tender mercies, you are very much mistaken. I am as innocent of the murder as the poor girl who is in prison.’
‘Then she is not guilty?’ cried Mrs Villiers, rising.
‘No,’ returned Villiers, coldly, ‘she is innocent.’
‘Oh, indeed,’ said Calton, quietly; ‘then if you both are innocent, who is the guilty person?’
Villiers was about to speak when another man entered the open window. This was none other than Kilsip, who advanced eagerly to Villiers.
‘He has come in at the gate,’ he said, quickly.
‘Have you the warrant,’ asked Villiers, as a sharp ring was heard at the front door.
Kilsip nodded, and Villiers turned on his wife and Calton, who were too much astonished to speak.
‘You asked me who committed the crime,’ he said, in a state of suppressed excitement; ‘look at that door,’ pointing to the door which led into the hall, ‘and you will see the real murderer of Selina Sprotts appear.’
Calton and Madame Midas turned simultaneously45, and the seconds seemed like hours as they waited with bated breath for the opening of the fatal door. The same name was on their lips as they gazed with intense expectation, and that name was — Gaston Vandeloup.
The noise of approaching footsteps, a rattle46 at the handle of the door, and it was flung wide open as the servant announced —
‘Mr Jarper.’
Yes, there he stood, meek47, apologetic, and smiling — the fast-living bank-clerk, the darling of society, and the secret assassin — Mr Bartholomew Jarper.
He advanced smilingly into the room, when suddenly the smile died away, and his face blanched48 as his eyes rested on Villiers. He made a step backward as if to fly, but in a moment Kilsip was on him.
‘I arrest you in the Queen’s name for the murder of Selina Sprotts,’ and he slipped the handcuffs on his wrists.
The wretched young man fell down on the floor with an agonised shriek50.
‘It’s a lie — it’s a lie,’ he howled, beating his manacled hands on the carpet, ‘none can prove I did it.’
‘What about Vandeloup?’ said Villiers, looking at the writhing51 figure at his feet, ‘and this proof?’ holding out the bottle with the red bands.
Jarper looked up with an expression of abject52 fear on his white face, then with a shriek fell back again in a swoon.
Kilsip went to the window and a policeman appeared in answer to his call, then between them they lifted up the miserable53 wretch49 and took him to a cab which was waiting, and were soon driving off up to the station, from whence Jarper was taken to the Melbourne gaol54.
Calton turned to Madame Midas and saw that she also had fainted and was lying on the floor. He summoned the servants to attend to her, then, making Villiers come with him, he went up to his office in town in order to get the whole story of the discovery of the murderer.
The papers were full of it next day, and Villiers’ statement, together with Jarper’s confession55, were published side by side. It appeared that Jarper had been living very much above his income, and in order to get money he had forged Mrs Villiers’ name for several large amounts. Afraid of being discovered, he was going to throw himself on her mercy and confess all, which he would have done had Madame Midas come to the Meddlechip’s ball. But overhearing the conversation between Kitty and Vandeloup in the conservatory56, and seeing the bottle flung out, he thought if he secured it he could poison Madame Midas without suspicion and throw the guilt17 upon Kitty. He secured the bottle immediately after Vandeloup took Kitty back to the ball-room, and then went down to St Kilda to commit the crime. He knew the house thoroughly as he had often been in it, and saw that the window of Madame’s room was open. He then put his overcoat on the glass bottles on top of the wall and leapt inside, clearing the bushes. He stole across the lawn and stepped over the flower-bed, carefully avoiding making any marks. He had the bottle of poison with him, but was apparently57 quite ignorant how he was to introduce it into the house, but on looking through the parting of the curtains he saw the glass with the drink on the table. Guessing that Madame Midas was in bed and would probably drink during the night, he put his hand through the curtains and poured all the poison into the glass, then noiselessly withdrew. He jumped over the wall again, put on his overcoat, and thought he was safe, when he found M. Vandeloup was watching him and had seen him in all his actions. Vandeloup, whose subtle brain immediately saw that if Madame Midas was dead he could throw the blame on Kitty and thus get rid of her without endangering himself, agreed to keep silent, but made Jarper give up the bottle to him. When Jarper had gone Vandeloup, a few yards further down, met Villiers, but supposed that he had just come on the scene. Villiers, however, had been watching the house all night, and had also been watching Meddlechip’s. The reason for this was he thought his wife was at the ball, and wanted to speak to her. He had followed Kitty and Mrs Killer58 down to St Kilda by hanging on to the back of the brougham, thinking the latter was his wife. Finding his mistake, he hung round the house for about an hour without any object, and was turning round the corner to go home when he saw Jarper jump over the wall, and, being unseen in the shadow, overheard the conversation and knew that Jarper had committed the crime. He did not, however, dare to accuse Jarper of murder, as he thought it was in Vandeloup’s power to denounce him as the assassin of Pierre Lemaire, so for his own safety kept quiet. When he heard the truth from Kitty in the prison he would have denounced the Frenchman at once as the real criminal, but was so bewildered by the rapid manner in which Vandeloup made up a case against him, and especially by the bottle being produced out of his pocket — which bottle Vandeloup, of course, had in his hand all the time — that he permitted him to escape. When he left the gaol, however, he went straight to the police-office and told his story, when a warrant was immediately granted for the arrest of Jarper. Kilsip took the warrant and went down to St Kilda to Mrs Villiers’ house to see her before arresting Jarper; but, as before described, Jarper came down to the house on business from the bank and was arrested at once.
Of course, there was great excitement over the discovery of the real murderer, especially as Jarper was so well known in Melbourne society, but no one pitied him. In the days of his prosperity he had been obsequious59 to his superiors and insolent29 to those beneath him, so that all he gained was the contempt of one and the hate of the other. Luckily, he had no relatives whom his crime would have disgraced, and as he had not succeeded in getting rid of Madame Midas, he intended to have run away to South America, and had forged a cheque in her name for a large amount in order to supply himself with funds. Unhappily, however, he had paid that fatal visit and had been arrested, and since then had been in a state of abject fear, begging and praying that his life might be spared. His crime, however, had awakened60 such indignation that the law was allowed to take its course, so early one wet cold morning Barty Jarper was delivered into the hands of the hangman, and his mean, pitiful little soul was launched into eternity61.
Kitty was of course released, but overwhelmed with shame and agony at all her past life having been laid bare, she did not go to see Madame Midas, but disappeared amid the crowd, and tried to hide her infamy62 from all, although, poor girl, she was more sinned against than sinning.
Vandeloup, for whom a warrant was out for the murder of Lemaire, had also disappeared, and was supposed to have gone to America.
Madame Midas suffered severely63 from the shocks she had undergone with the discovery of everyone’s baseness. She settled a certain income on her husband, on condition she never was to see him again, which offer he readily accepted, and having arranged all her affairs in Australia, she left for England, hoping to find in travel some alleviation64, if not forgetfulness, of the sorrow of the past. A good woman — a noble woman, yet one who went forth65 into the world broken-hearted and friendless, with no belief in anyone and no pleasure in life. She, however, was of too fine a nature ever to sink into the base, cynical indifference66 of a misanthropic67 life, and the wealth which she possessed68 was nobly used by her to alleviate69 the horrors of poverty and to help those who needed help. Like Midas, the Greek King, from whence her quaint70 name was derived71, she had turned everything she touched into gold, and though it brought her no happiness, yet it was the cause of happiness to others; but she would give all her wealth could she but once more regain72 that trust in human nature which had been so cruelly betrayed.
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1
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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calamities
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| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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16
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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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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tottered
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| v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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insolently
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| adv.自豪地，自傲地 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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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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gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bluster
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| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
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defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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42
dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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45
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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46
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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47
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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48
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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49
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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50
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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51
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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52
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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53
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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54
gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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55
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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56
conservatory
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| n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的 | |
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57
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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58
killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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59
obsequious
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| adj.谄媚的，奉承的，顺从的 | |
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60
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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61
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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62
infamy
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| n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行 | |
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63
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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64
alleviation
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| n. 减轻，缓和，解痛物 | |
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65
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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66
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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misanthropic
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| adj.厌恶人类的，憎恶（或蔑视）世人的；愤世嫉俗 | |
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68
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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69
alleviate
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| v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等) | |
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70
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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71
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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72
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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