CHAPTER XII. A STRANGE STORY

Sophy neither screamed nor fainted at this extraordinary announcement; indeed, it appeared to her so very ridiculous that she felt more inclined to laugh. However, she controlled her feelings, and spoke¹ very quietly--so quietly that the visitor was somewhat disconcerted.

"Why do you make this strange assertion?" she asked, looking again at his card.

"Because it is true."

"What proof can you give me of its truth?"

"Three proofs, Sophy, if I may call----"

"You may not!" interrupted the girl, flushing. "I am Miss Marlow."

"For the present," assented² the man, with an ironical³ smile. "Soon you will be Miss Lestrange. Three proofs, then, I have. Firstly, I can tell you the story of how I lost you; secondly⁴, there is the resemblance between us; and, thirdly, I have the certificate of your birth. Oh, it is easily proved, I can assure you."

She shivered. He spoke very positively⁵. What if his claim could be substantiated⁶? She looked at him; she glanced into a near mirror, and she saw with dismay that there was a strong resemblance. Like herself, Lestrange, as he called himself, was slight in build, small in stature⁷. He also had dark hair and brilliant eyes; the contour of his face, the chiseling⁸ of his features, resembled her own. Finally, he had that Spanish look which she knew she herself possessed⁹. So far as outward appearances went, she might well have been the daughter of this rakish-looking stranger. He smiled. From her furtive¹⁰ glance into the mirror he guessed her thoughts.

"You see the glass proclaims the truth," said he. "Think of your supposed father, Richard Marlow--tall, fair, blue-eyed, Saxon in looks! Like myself, you have the Spanish look and possess all the grace and color of Andalusia. I always thought you would grow up beautiful. Your dear mother was the loveliest woman in Jamaica."

She did not answer, but the color ebbed¹¹ from her cheeks, the courage from her heart. It was true enough that she in no way resembled Mr. Marlow. This man might be her father, after all. Yet he repelled¹² her; the glance of his glittering eyes gave her a feeling of repulsion. He was a bad man, of that she felt certain. But her father? She fought against her doubts, and with a courage born of despair she prepared to defend herself until help arrived. Her thoughts flew to Alan; he was the champion she desired.

"I expect my guardian¹³, Mr. Thorold, in a quarter of an hour," she said in a hard voice. "You will be good enough to relate your story to him. I prefer to hear it when he is present."

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I do not. Mr. Marlow treated me as his daughter, and I feel myself to be his daughter. Do you expect me to believe you, to rush into your arms without proof?"

"I have shown you one proof."

"A chance resemblance counts for nothing. What about the certificate?"

He produced a pocketbook, and took out a piece of paper.

"This is a copy of the entry in the register of the Church of St. Thomas at Kingston, You will find it all correct, Marie."

"Marie! What do you mean?"

"That paper will inform you," said Lestrange coolly.

Sophy read the certificate. Truly, it seemed regular enough. It stated that on the 24th of June, 18--, was born at Kingston, in the island of Jamaica, Marie Annette Celestine Lestrange. The names of the parents were Achille Lestrange and Zelia, his wife. Sophy could not suppress a start. The 24th of June was her birthday; the date of the year was also correct. She was twenty-one years of age now. She turned to him.

"You are Achille Lestrange?"

"Your father--yes."

"I don't admit that, monsieur."

"Why do you call me 'monsieur'?"

"You are French, are you not?"

"French by descent, if you will, but I am a British subject. Also, I am a Roman Catholic. You are of the same faith?"

"Yes, I am of the true Faith."

"I am glad of that," said Lestrange indolently; he was as indolent as graceful¹⁴, and reminded Sophy of a full-fed tiger. "I am pleased to hear that Marlow allowed you to retain your faith since he took from you your father and your name."

"Do you know that my father is dead?"

"Pardon me, he is alive, and sitting before you."

Sophy ignored his remark.

"Do you know that Mr. Marlow is dead?" she asked again.

"Ah! now you speak as you should. Yes, I heard something about his death. The fact is, I have only just landed from a Royal Mail steamer at Southampton--two days ago, in fact--so I know very little. But I have heard of the disappearance¹⁵ of his body. It is town talk in London. One cannot open a newspaper without coming across theories of how it happened."

"And the murder of Dr. Warrender? Do you know of that also?"

"Of course. The two things go together, as I understand. Marlow's body is lost; Warrender was stabbed. How unfortunate that two people I knew should be out of the way when I come to claim you!"

"Did you know Dr. Warrender?" asked Sophy quickly.

"As I know myself," was the answer. "Twenty years ago, when you were a child, a mere¹⁶ infant, he practised in the town of Falmouth, Jamaica. He left after certain events which happened there, and, I believe, practised again in New Orleans. He married there, too, it was said."

"Yes; his wife lives at Heathton."

"Ah! I shall be glad to see her. Has the man who murdered her husband been discovered?"

"No; he cannot be found."

"Nor ever will be, I suspect," said Captain Lestrange coolly. "From what I read, the whole criminal business was conducted in the most skilful¹⁷ manner. I wonder why they stole poor Dick's body."

"Poor Dick!" retorted the girl indignantly. "Are you speaking of my father?"

"Of the man who passed as your father--yes, Marie, I am."

"Pray don't call me Marie! I am Sophia Marlow."

"As you please. Temper again! Oh, how you remind me of Zelia!"

She was confounded at the cool assurance of the man. Nothing seemed to ruffle¹⁸ his temper or banish¹⁹ his eternal smile. He was more hateful to her than ever. Never would she acknowledge herself his daughter, even should he prove his claim! She was of age, and her own mistress. The will of Richard Marlow left the money, not to "my daughter," but to "Sophia Marlow," so there was no possibility of the money being taken from her. Then she thought of Alan. He would stand between her and this man. And even as this thought came into her mind, the door opened, and Thorold came forward eagerly to meet her; but, on perceiving the stranger, he stopped short. Lestrange rose and bowed in a foreign fashion.

"Oh, Alan!" cried Sophy, "I am so glad you have come! I was waiting for you."

"And I also," remarked Lestrange.

"Who is this gentleman, Sophy?" demanded Alan.

"He calls himself Captain Lestrange. Here is his card."

"Captain in the army of the Peruvian Republic," said the man, "and this young lady's father!"

"Confound you!--what--what----!"

"Oh yes, Alan. He says he is my father--that my true father stole me from him. Here is the certificate of my birth, he says."

"And here"--Lestrange pointed²⁰ to Sophy--"here is my second self. Can you deny the resemblance? By the way, who are you?"

The inquiry²¹ was made with graceful insolence²², and was meant to provoke the young man into losing his temper. But in this it failed.

"I am Alan Thorold," he said quietly, "the Squire²³ of Heathton, and I am engaged to marry Miss Marlow----"

"Pardon--Mademoiselle Lestrange," interpolated the Captain, and resumed his seat. "I claim this young lady as my daughter."

"Good," said Thorold coldly. "Your proofs?"

"The resemblance between us, the certificate of her birth, and the story of how I lost my dear Marie twenty years ago."

"The resemblance I admit, but that goes for nothing. As to the certificate, it is that of Marie Lestrange, and not of Sophy Marlow."

"Is not the birthday of Miss Marlow, as you will call her, on the 24th of June----"

"Yes," said Sophy, before Alan could stop her. "The day and the year are both correct. I am twenty-one, and I was born on the 24th of June, 18--."

"Very good; and at Kingston?"

"At Kingston," admitted the girl; "but, for all that, I am not your daughter."

"I agree with Miss Marlow," said Mr. Thorold. "Let us hear your story. That it will convince me I do not promise."

"Ah!" cried the foreigner, with an ironical smile. "None so blind as those who won't see. What a pity that Marlow and Warrender are both dead!"

"Oh, you know that?"

"As I had the honor of telling Miss Marlow"--Lestrange put so sneering²⁴ an accent on the name that Alan felt inclined to kick him--"I know that. I landed in England from Jamaica only two days ago. But, as you know, every one is talking of the mystery, and by this time I know the case as well as you do."

Alan winced²⁵, and Sophy glanced at him apprehensively²⁶. Would her champion fail her? Would this man prove his claim? She was in deadly terror lest he should. But Alan had no intention of yielding.

"Go on," he said again. "Miss Marlow and I will hear your story."

"Very good. I am glad to see that you have the British instinct of fair play. I will be as brief as possible, and you can ask me any questions you wish. My name is Achille Lestrange, the man who is mentioned in that certificate. I am--or, rather, I was--a Captain in the Peruvian Army. I retired²⁷ after the war between that country and Chili²⁸. However, I have ample means to live on, and I retain my military rank, out of sheer vanity, if you will."

"All this," said Alan, "is beside the point."

"It is necessary to explain my position. More than twenty years ago I was married at Kingston to Zelia Durand. We had one child--a little girl--the same who now sits beside you."

"I won't hear of it!" cried Sophy angrily.

"We shall see," he went on cheerfully. "You may change your mind when I have got to the end of my story. I regret to say that Mrs. Lestrange--I do not call her Madame," explained the Captain, "because I am truly English in speech and manner--well, Mrs. Lestrange had a bad temper. We did not get on well together. And, besides, I was jealous"--his eyes flashed fire--"yes, I was jealous of Herbert Beauchamp."

"Herbert Beauchamp!" Alan thought of Marlow's will and of the legacy²⁹. How did this man come to know the name?

1 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 assented   

同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
• "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

3 ironical   

adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironical end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• From his general demeanour I didn't get the impression that he was being ironical.从他整体的行为来看，我不觉得他是在讲反话。

4 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

5 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

6 substantiated   

v.用事实支持（某主张、说法等），证明，证实( substantiate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The results of the tests substantiated his claims. 这些检验的结果证实了他的说法。
• The statement has never been substantiated. 这一陈述从未得到证实。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

8 chiseling   

v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sculptor was at work chiseling a statue. 雕塑家正在雕琢一尊雕像。 来自辞典例句
• Tommy:Four of them are sawing, three are chiseling and one is reaming. 四个在锯，三个在磨，二个在凿，还有一个在铰。 来自互联网

9 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

10 furtive   

adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的

参考例句：

• The teacher was suspicious of the student's furtive behaviour during the exam.老师怀疑这个学生在考试时有偷偷摸摸的行为。
• His furtive behaviour aroused our suspicion.他鬼鬼祟祟的行为引起了我们的怀疑。

11 ebbed   

（指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落

参考例句：

• But the pain had ebbed away and the trembling had stopped. 不过这次痛已减退，寒战也停止了。
• But gradually his interest in good causes ebbed away. 不过后来他对这类事业兴趣也逐渐淡薄了。

12 repelled   

v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开

参考例句：

• They repelled the enemy. 他们击退了敌军。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The minister tremulously, but decidedly, repelled the old man's arm. 而丁梅斯代尔牧师却哆里哆嗦地断然推开了那老人的胳臂。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

13 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

14 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

15 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

16 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

17 skilful   

(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。
• He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。

18 ruffle   

v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边

参考例句：

• Don't ruffle my hair.I've just combed it.别把我的头发弄乱了。我刚刚梳好了的。
• You shouldn't ruffle so easily.你不该那么容易发脾气。

19 banish   

vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除

参考例句：

• The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.医生劝她消除恐惧和忧虑。
• He tried to banish gloom from his thought.他试图驱除心中的忧愁。

20 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

21 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

22 insolence   

n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度

参考例句：

• I've had enough of your insolence, and I'm having no more. 我受够了你的侮辱，不能再容忍了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• How can you suffer such insolence? 你怎么能容忍这种蛮横的态度？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

24 sneering   

嘲笑的，轻蔑的

参考例句：

• "What are you sneering at?" “你冷笑什么？” 来自子夜部分
• The old sorceress slunk in with a sneering smile. 老女巫鬼鬼崇崇地走进来，冷冷一笑。

25 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

26 apprehensively   

adv.担心地

参考例句：

• He glanced a trifle apprehensively towards the crowded ballroom. 他敏捷地朝挤满了人的舞厅瞟了一眼。 来自辞典例句
• Then it passed, leaving everything in a state of suspense, even the willow branches waiting apprehensively. 一阵这样的风过去，一切都不知怎好似的，连柳树都惊疑不定的等着点什么。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

27 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

28 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

29 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。