"The night of the 16th of January will be long remembered. For three weeks the snow had fallen, intermittently2, it is true, but for hours together. The roads were almost blockaded, and traffic was carried on under exceptional difficulties. The season, which in the early part of December had promised to be unusually mild, suddenly vindicated3 its reputation, and we were treated to an old-fashioned, bitter winter of great severity. On the evening of the 15th of January the frost was most severe, its intensity4 lasting5 until some time after daybreak, the thermometer showing at eight o'clock A.M. close upon sixteen degrees of frost. When it began to snow again people, congratulated themselves that a thaw6 was setting in. They were mistaken. Had it been possible the snow would have frozen as soon as it reached the ground, but it fell in too great quantities for such a result. In the evening a piercing wind raged through the thoroughfares, and the snow continued to fall more heavily than during the day. In some places there was a drift almost, if not quite, man high, and our columns on the morning of the 17th recorded the discovery of three lifeless persons, one man and two women, who had been frozen to death during the night. With these unfortunates we have nothing to do; what concerns us and our story is that on the night of the 16th, Mrs. Middlemore, a housekeeper7 in one of the old houses in Gerard Street, Soho, very imprudently went out just before midnight to fetch her supper-beer. Even the raging storm did not prevent her from indulging in her usual habit, the temptation of beer being too strong for her, and the prospect9 of going to bed without it being too appalling10 to risk. She saw that the street door was secure when she left the house, and was surprised, upon her return, to find it open. These, and many other particulars which will be duly recorded, are statements which have already appeared in public print, and we are not responsible for them. At the moment of her reaching the street door the circumstance of its being open was impressed upon her by the appearance of a man hurriedly leaving the house. He did not stop to address her, and she had no opportunity of asking his business there, because he flew by her 'like a flash of lightning,' she says. Naturally alarmed, she raised her voice and cried, 'Police!' One, Constable11 Wigg, happened to be not far distant, and he responded to her summons. Having heard what Mrs. Middlemore had to say, he saw that there were two things to attend to--one, to ascertain12 whether anything had occurred within the house; the other, to follow the man who had escaped from it with such celerity. As he could not fulfil these two duties at one and the same time, he in his turn summoned to his assistance a brother constable of the name of Nightingale. This officer pursued the man, and Constable Wigg and Mrs. Middlemore entered the house.
"Now, with the exception of Mrs. Middlemore, there was only one regular tenant13 in the house, M. Felix, who had lived there for nearly two years, and concerning whom, up to the night of January 16th, very little appears to have been known, except that he was a retired14 gentleman, living on his means, fond of pleasure, and of a generous disposition15 to those who served him well. Mrs. Middlemore speaks in the highest terms of him, but she judges only from one point of view, that of a landlady16 who has a liberal lodger17. Otherwise, she has no knowledge of him, and cannot say where he came from, whether he was married or single (the circumstance of his living a bachelor life would not definitely decide this question), or whether he has any relations in any part of the world. There are many gentlemen of the description of M. Felix pursuing their mysterious careers in this great city, a goodly number of them under false names.
"M. Felix was a very peculiar18 gentleman. He paid for the entire house, although he occupied only three rooms, a sitting-room19, a dining-room, and a bedroom. His stipulation20 when he first entered into possession was that under no circumstances should any other tenant but himself be allowed to occupy a room, and he went so far as to refuse permission to Mrs. Middlemore for any friends of hers to sleep in the building. Her duties consisted in attending to him and to his rooms, which she entered and set in order only when he directed her, and for these slight services she was extravagantly21 paid. Such a tenant was a treasure, and she appreciated him accordingly, not venturing to disobey him in the slightest particular. He had taken the greatest pains to impress upon her that she was never, under any circumstances whatever, to come to his rooms unless she was summoned, and from what we have gathered of his character, M. Felix was a gentleman who could be stern as well as pleasant, and was not a person who would allow his orders to be disobeyed without making the delinquent22 suffer for it. These imperative23 instructions rendered Constable Wigg's course difficult. Mrs. Middlemore had left M. Felix in the house when she went to fetch her supper-beer, and it was in the highest degree improbable that he should have quitted it during her absence. He was not a young man, he was fond of his ease, and the storm was raging furiously. Nothing less than a matter of life or death would tempt8 a man of M. Felix's disposition from his cosy24 fireside on such a night. Constable Wigg suggested that he should go up-stairs to M. Felix's rooms, and ascertain whether he was in and safe, but Mrs. Middlemore would not listen to the suggestion, and of course without her consent Constable Wigg could not carry his proposition into effect. In a casual examination of those parts of the premises25 which Mrs. Middlemore allowed him to enter he saw nothing to excite his suspicions, and he decided26 to wait for the return of Constable Nightingale before he proceeded further.
"We break off here for a moment for the purpose of making brief mention of one or two peculiar features in this singular affair, leaving Constable Wigg and Mrs. Middlemore standing27 in the passage or the kitchen--(they say the passage, we presume to say the kitchen, where doubtless a cheerful fire was blazing; policemen are human)--at half-past twelve or a quarter to one in the middle of the night, waiting for Constable Nightingale to report progress. Curiously28 enough, the time cannot be exactly fixed29, because the kitchen clock had stopped, because Constable Nightingale's watch had stopped also, and because Constable Wigg did not wear one. In an affair of this description it is as well not to lose sight of the smallest details. We arrive at the time, half-past twelve or a quarter to one, approximately. Even in such a storm as was then raging through the streets, Big Ben of Westminster made itself heard, and it transpires30, from a statement volunteered by Constable Wigg, that the great bell was proclaiming the hour of midnight when, tramping half-frozen on his beat, he heard a cry for help. Three times was this cry sent forth31 into the night, and, faithful guardian32 as he was, according to his own averment, he endeavored to ascertain the direction from which the appeal proceeded. It may well be believed that, with the wind blowing seemingly from all points of the compass at once, he failed to make the necessary discovery; but it strikes us as singular that when he was talking matters over with Mrs. Middlemore it did not occur to him that the cry for help may have proceeded from the very house in which he was standing. We make no comment upon this singular lapse33 of memory. It strikes us also as by no means unimportant that in the statements of Mrs. Middlemore and the two constables34 there is something very like contradiction and confusion. Mrs. Middlemore gives an answer to a question as to her movements in connection with those of the constables, and presently, being pressed to be definite, says something which throws doubt upon her first answer. She excuses herself by saying that she was upset and worried, but to us this explanation is not satisfactory, if only for the reason that her subsequent correction throws doubt upon certain answers given by the two constables to certain questions put to them. However, in the present aspect of the matter, these contradictions may simply point to some dereliction of duty on the part of the constables which they may wish should not be known, and perhaps to some agreement on the part of these three witnesses to an invented story which, believed, would exculpate35 the constables from any such dereliction. This is mere36 supposition, and we present it for what it is worth.
"It is difficult to ascertain the precise time at which Constable Nightingale returned to the house in Gerard Street after his fruitless search for the man who had alarmed Mrs. Middlemore by his sudden rush from the premises. Truly he must have had the greatest difficulty in making his way through the streets. In explanation of our remark that in the statements of Mrs. Middlemore and the two constables there is something very like contradiction and confusion, we append their answers to a few of the questions put to them. We will deal with Constable Nightingale first:
"'When you left the house in Gerard Street in pursuit of the man what direction did you take?'
"'I went in the direction of Oxford37 Street.'
"'That is, you went to the right?'
"'Yes.'
"'Why not to the left?'
"'That would have led me to Leicester Square and Charing38 Cross.'
"'Did you choose the Oxford Street route at haphazard39?'
"'No.'
"'What induced you to take it?'
"'I was told by Constable Wigg that the man went that way.'
"'Did you meet any person on the road?'
"'No one.'
"'Absolutely no one?'
"'Absolutely no one.'
"'How long were you engaged upon your search for the man?'
"'I can't exactly fix it.'
"'May we say an hour?'
"'That would be near the length of time.'
"We will now deal with Constable Wigg. He was asked--
"'How did you summon Constable Nightingale to your assistance?'
"'I blew my police whistle.'
"'Many times?'
"'Not many. He must have been very near.'
"'But he did not make his appearance immediately?'
"'No; not immediately.'
"'Shall we say that two or three minutes elapsed before he joined you?'
"'About that.'
"'You explained to him what had occurred?'
"'Yes, with the assistance of Mrs. Middlemore.'
"'You both explained it together?'
"'Well, first one spoke41, then the other.'
"'Did you tell Nightingale that the man had fled in the direction of Oxford Street?'
"'No.'
"'In point of fact, you did not see the man come out of the house?'
"'No.'
"'And? therefore, could not have given Nightingale the direction?'
"'No, of course I could not.'
"Now for Mrs. Middlemore:
"'When the man rushed by you from the house, you screamed loudly for the police?'
"'As loud as I could.'
"'How many times did you call?'
"'I kep' on calling till Constable Wigg came up.'
"'He did not come the moment you raised your voice?'
"'No, not immediate40. Per'aps in two or three minutes.'
"'If we say two minutes we shall be within the mark?'
"'Yes.'
"'Did you inform Constable Nightingale that the man ran away in the direction of Oxford Street?'
"'No; I was so flustered42 that I didn't see which way he run.'
"These are all the extracts we need give for the purpose of our illustration, merely asking the reader to bear in mind that each witness was examined without the others being present. Is it quite unreasonable43 to infer that, had they been examined in each other's presence, their answers would not have been exactly as they are reported in the public prints?
"Constable Nightingale has since given an explanation of this discrepancy44 by the admission that he must have made a mistake in supposing that he received from Constable Wigg the information of the route the man took when he scurried45 off; but we submit that this explanation is not entirely46 satisfactory.
"Another thing. Constable Nightingale states that he was engaged in the search for an hour, and that during the whole of that time he did not meet a single person on the road. How is that statement to be received? He was hunting in some of the busiest thoroughfares in London, and it bears the form of an accusation47 that he did not for a whole hour observe one policeman on his beat. He was on his, he declares, at the time he heard Constable Wigg's whistle. Constable Wigg was on his beat, according to his own declaration, when he blew it. Were they the only two constables in a thronged48 locality who were faithfully performing their duty? Doubtless the other constables on duty would indignantly repudiate49 the allegation, but Constable Nightingale distinctly implies as much. We do not wish to be hard on this officer, who bears a good character in the force. His movements and proceedings50 between the hours of twelve and two on the night of the 16th may have been innocent enough, or, if not quite blameless, excusable enough on such a tempestuous51 night, but we unhesitatingly say that his evidence is suspicious, and that we are not inclined to accept it as veracious52.
"Still another thing. We have ascertained53 from persons acquainted with Constable Nightingale, that he was very proud of his silver watch, which he was lucky enough to win in a raffle54, and that he was in the habit of boasting that it never stopped, and never lost or gained a minute. It is singular, therefore, that on this eventful night it should have stopped for the first time, and at a time when it might be most important to fix the occurrence of events to a minute. Perhaps Constable Nightingale's watch stopped in sympathy with the stoppage of Mrs. Middlemore's kitchen clock.
"We are anxious to do justice to the parties, and we hasten to say that at our request they have allowed a competent watchmaker to examine Constable Nightingale's watch and Mrs. Middlemore's clock; but this watchmaker reports that they are in perfect order, and that he can find no reason why they should both have stopped almost at the same moment.
"If any of our readers consider that we are straining too hard on trifles, we reply that the importance of so-called trifles cannot be over-estimated. The world's greatest poet has said, 'Trifles light as air are in their confirmation55 strong as proofs of Holy Writ56.'"
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1
discrepancies
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| n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 ) | |
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intermittently
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| adv.间歇地；断断续续 | |
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vindicated
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| v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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5
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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7
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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12
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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13
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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18
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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20
stipulation
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| n.契约，规定，条文；条款说明 | |
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extravagantly
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| adv.挥霍无度地 | |
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delinquent
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| adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者 | |
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imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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24
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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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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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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28
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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29
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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30
transpires
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的第三人称单数 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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31
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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32
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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33
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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34
constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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35
exculpate
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| v.开脱，使无罪 | |
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36
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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37
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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38
charing
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| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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39
haphazard
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| adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的 | |
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40
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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41
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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42
flustered
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| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
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43
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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44
discrepancy
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| n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾 | |
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45
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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47
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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48
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
repudiate
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| v.拒绝，拒付，拒绝履行 | |
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50
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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51
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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52
veracious
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| adj.诚实可靠的 | |
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53
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
raffle
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| n.废物，垃圾，抽奖售卖；v.以抽彩出售 | |
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55
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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56
writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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