A conversation quickly sprang up between the two, and the man in gray displayed the greatest interest and unfeigned astonishment10 at the recital11 of his companion's adventures in foreign lands, and especially in Egypt and the Soudan. In response to a further inquiry12, the latter explained that his knowledge of those countries was due to the fact of his having held a high position on the staff of General Lord Wolseley during the Nile expedition of 1884 for the rescue of Gordon.
In return for these confidences the man in gray stated that he was a wholesale13 grocer in the Faubourg Montmartre, and that he was on his way to visit a married sister who was established at Avignon. He added confidentially15 that he [Pg 196] had never in his life been farther away from Paris than Fontainebleau.
Shortly after they passed Melun the alleged16 grocer opened his lunch-basket and began to feast on some cold chicken, wine, and a box of sardines17, which probably came from his shop in the Faubourg Montmartre. Suddenly he appeared to remember the fact that his fellow-traveler might possibly be hungry, too, and rather shyly asked if monsieur would do him the honor of joining him in his repast. This invitation was readily accepted, and a bottle of excellent Burgundy followed by a dram of old cognac, put the two men in such good humor that they began to grow more and more confidential14.
The man in gray imparted to his companion all kinds of little tricks in the grocery trade, such as mingling18 sand with brown sugar, oleomargarine with fresh table butter, and he even acknowledged, to the great amusement of the other, that he had a Japanese in his employ to carefully open the boxes of prime tea received from China and Japan, who after having mixed the contents with some tea of very inferior quality, recanted them in such an adept19 manner that it was impossible for the retail20 grocers to detect the fact that they had ever been opened or their contents adulterated.
On the other hand Lord Wolseley's alleged staff officer horrified21 his grocer friend by a detailed22 description of the Soudanese method of killing23 their enemies, namely, by a swift, sweeping24 stroke across the throat with an exceedingly sharp knife, and which is invariably yielded from behind, so that the slayer25 escapes being deluged26 by the blood of his victim.
“When one has the knack,” added he, with a significant sweep of his hand, “one can almost sever27 the head with such a stroke.”
Meanwhile both of the men had been smoking some exceedingly [Pg 197] fine Manilla cheroots, which it is well known are slightly washed with opium28, and which the grocer had offered to his new acquaintance. By and by they both dropped off into a deep sleep, the slumbers29 of the alleged staff officer being far more heavy than those of his companion, as it was easy to perceive by his stertorous30 breathing. Indeed, it almost sounded as if he was under the influence of some particularly strong narcotic31.
Suddenly the grocer stealthily opened his eyes, and, having assured himself that his fellow-traveler was asleep, proceeded to examine the contents not only of his pockets but also of his valise. An exclamation32 of satisfaction burst from his lips as he found the objects of his search, which, as he held them up to the dim light of the lamp, it was easy to perceive consisted of valuable jewelry33.
As he raised his face toward the lamp for the purpose of examining his booty his false beard fell off and revealed the features of Frederick von Waldberg.
The sleeping man who had been drugged both by means of the brandy and of the cigar which had been offered to him was Pranzini, who over a year later was guillotined for the murder of a demi-mondaine named Marie Regnault, who, together with her maid and the latter's child, were found in her apartment of the Rue34 Montaigne, slain35 in identically the same fashion in which Marie Aguetant had been killed two days previous to Pranzini's and Frederick's departure together from Paris. All four victims had been murdered with the same sweeping backward stroke of the knife so graphically36 described by Pranzini to the alleged grocer.
When the train steamed into Dijon, Frederick gathered up all his belongings37 and got out.
Pranzini did not awake till after leaving Avignon, and only discovered after his arrival in Marseilles that he had been robbed. Of course, under the circumstances, he was [Pg 198] unable to apply to the police for assistance, for these jewels were those stolen from Marie Aguetant, whom he, Pranzini, had killed, but for whose murder “Prado” suffered death.
Frederick, after leaving Dijon, made his way across country to Bordeaux, and from thence to Madrid, where he pawned38 the jewels, with the help of a woman of the name of Ximenes.
It was mainly on the evidence adduced by this very woman, to the effect that the jewels in question had been pawned by Linska de Castillon, alias39 “Prado” (the name which he gave on his arrest), that he was condemned40 for the murder of Marie Aguetant, which he had not committed, but of which Pranzini alone was guilty.
Pranzini always bore a grudge41 against l'homme en gris (the man in the gray coat), whose name he did not know, but whom he accused of having been his accomplice42 in the triple murder of the Rue Montaigne.
Frederick, on the other hand, when the trial of Pranzini took place, recognized in the features of the prisoner those of his traveling companion from whom he had stolen the jewels subsequently identified as those of Marie Aguetant.
For obvious reasons he remained silent at the time.
But why did he not speak when, later on, his own life was at stake? The only explanation of this mysterious silence is to be found in the last lines of the confession43 which he intrusted to Louis Berard. They are, word for word, as follows:
“I know that I yet could save myself. Why should I not say the truth, that Pranzini, the assassin of Marie Regnault, was also the slayer of Marie Aguetant, of whose murder I am unjustly accused! My reason for remaining silent and for refusing to sign my recours en grace (appeal for mercy) is that I am heartily44 sick of life. I am bound, in any case, to be condemned to penal45 servitude for robbery; a second time I would not escape from Noumea. My life is [Pg 199] destroyed; all my ambitions are dead—I have nothing more to live for in this world. I am happy to leave it. The guillotine, toward which I am going, is a just retribution for other crimes. My sins have found me out.
“(Signed)
Count Frederick von Waldberg.”
Such is the extraordinary history of the man who was guillotined on the 4th of December, 1888, under the alias of “Prado,” and who, having escaped punishment for the innumerable atrocities46 he had committed, finally suffered death for a crime of which he was innocent.
Louis Berard.
The End
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1
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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3
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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fussy
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| adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的 | |
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8
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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bourgeois
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| adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子 | |
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10
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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11
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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12
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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13
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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14
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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15
confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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16
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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17
sardines
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| n. 沙丁鱼 | |
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18
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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19
adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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21
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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22
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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23
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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24
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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25
slayer
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| n. 杀人者，凶手 | |
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26
deluged
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| v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 )；淹没；被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没；穷于应付 | |
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27
sever
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| v.切开，割开；断绝，中断 | |
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28
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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29
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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30
stertorous
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| adj.打鼾的 | |
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31
narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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32
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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33
jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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34
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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35
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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36
graphically
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| adv.通过图表；生动地，轮廓分明地 | |
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37
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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38
pawned
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| v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保 | |
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39
alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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40
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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41
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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42
accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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43
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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44
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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45
penal
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| adj.刑罚的；刑法上的 | |
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46
atrocities
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| n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪 | |
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