Gilder1 scrupulously2 followed the directions of the PoliceInspector. Uneasily, he had remained in the library until theallotted time was elapsed. He fidgeted from place to place, hismind heavy with distress3 under the shadow that threatened toblight the life of his cherished son. Finally, with a sense ofrelief he put out the lights and went to his chamber4. But he didnot follow the further directions given him, for he was notminded to go to bed. Instead, he drew the curtains closely tomake sure that no gleam of light could pass them, and then satwith a cigar between his lips, which he did not smoke, thoughfrom time to time he was at pains to light it. His thoughts weremost with his son, and ever as he thought of Dick, his fury waxedagainst the woman who had enmeshed the boy in her plotting forvengeance on himself. And into his thoughts now crept a doubt,one that alarmed his sense of justice. It occurred to him thatthis woman could not have thus nourished a plan for retributionthrough the years unless, indeed, she had been insane, even as hehad claimed--or innocent! The idea was appalling5. He could notbear to admit the possibility of having been the involuntaryinflicter of such wrong as to send the girl to prison for anoffense she had not committed. He rejected the suggestion, butit persisted. He knew the clean, wholesome6 nature of his son.
It seemed to him incredible that the boy could have thus givenhis heart to one altogether undeserving. A horrible suspicionthat he had misjudged Mary Turner crept into his brain, and wouldnot out. He fought it with all the strength of him, and that wasmuch, but ever it abode7 there. He turned for comfort to thethings Burke had said. The woman was a crook8, and there was anend of it. Her ruse9 of spoliation within the law was evidence ofher shrewdness, nothing more.
Mary Turner herself, too, was in a condition utterly10 wretched,and for the same cause--Dick Gilder. That source of the father'ssuffering was hers as well. She had won her ambition of years,revenge on the man who had sent her to prison. And now the joyof it was a torture, for the puppet of her plans, the son, hadsuddenly become the chief thing in her life. She had taken itfor granted that he would leave her after he came to know thather marriage to him was only a device to bring shame on hisfather. Instead, he loved her. That fact seemed the secret ofher distress. He loved her. More, he dared believe, and toassert boldly, that she loved him. Had he acted otherwise, thematter would have been simple enough.... But he loved her, lovedher still, though he knew the shame that had clouded her life,knew the motive11 that had led her to accept him as a husband.
More--by a sublime12 audacity13, he declared that she loved him.
There came a thrill in her heart each time she thought ofthat--that she loved him. The idea was monstrous14, of course, andyet---- Here, as always, she broke off, a hot flush blazing inher cheeks.... Nevertheless, such curious fancies pursued herthrough the hours. She strove her mightiest15 to rid herself ofthem, but in vain. Ever they persisted. She sought to oust16 themby thinking of any one else, of Aggie17, of Joe. There at last wassatisfaction. Her interference between the man who had saved herlife and the temptation of the English crook had prevented adangerous venture, which might have meant ruin to the one whomshe esteemed18 for his devotion to her, if for no other reason. Atleast, she had kept him from the outrageous19 folly20 of an ordinaryburglary.
Mary Turner was just ready for bed after her evening at thetheater, when she was rudely startled out of this belief. A notecame by a messenger who waited for no answer, as he told theyawning maid. As Mary read the roughly scrawled21 message, she wascaught in the grip of terror. Some instinct warned her that thisdanger was even worse than it seemed. The man who had saved herfrom death had yielded to temptation. Even now, he was engaged incommitting that crime which she had forbidden him. As he hadsaved her, so she must save him. She hurried into the gown shehad just put off. Then she went to the telephone-book andsearched for the number of Gilder's house.
* * * * *It was just a few moments before Mary Turner received the notefrom the hands of the sleepy maid that one of the leaves of theoctagonal window in the library of Richard Gilder's town houseswung open, under the persuasive22 influence of a thin rod ofsteel, cunningly used, and Joe Garson stepped confidently intothe dark room.
A faint radiance of moonlight from without showed him for asecond as he passed between the heavy draperies. Then these fellinto place, and he was invisible, and soundless as well. For aspace, he rested motionless, listening intently. Reassured23, hedrew out an electric torch and set it glowing. A little disc oflight touched here and there about the room, traveling veryswiftly, and in methodical circles. Satisfied by the survey,Garson crossed to the hall door. He moved with alert assurance,lithely balanced on the balls of his feet, noiselessly. At thehall door he listened for any sound of life without, and foundnone. The door into the passage that led to the store-room wherethe detectives waited next engaged his business-like attention.
And here, again, there was naught24 to provoke his suspicion.
These preliminaries taken as measures of precaution, Garson wentboldly to the small table that stood behind the couch, turned thebutton, and the soft glow of an electric lamp illumined theapartment. The extinguished torch was thrust back into hispocket. Afterward25 he carried one of the heavy chairs to the doorof the passage and propped26 it against the panel in such wise thatits fall must give warning as to the opening of the door. Hisevery action was performed with the maximum of speed, with noleast trace of flurry or of nervous haste. It was evident thathe followed a definite program, the fruit of precise thoughtguided by experience.
It seemed to him that now everything was in readiness for thecoming of his associates in the commission of the crime. Thereremained only to give them the signal in the room around thecorner where they waited at a telephone. He seated himself inGilder's chair at the desk, and drew the telephone to him.
"Give me 999 Bryant," he said. His tone was hardly louder than awhisper, but spoken with great distinctness.
There was a little wait. Then an answer in a voice he knew cameover the wire.
But Garson said nothing more. Instead, he picked up a penholderfrom the tray on the desk, and began tapping lightly on the rimof the transmitter. It was a code message in Morse. In the roomaround the corner, the tapping sounded clearly, ticking out themessage that the way was free for the thieves' coming.
When Garson had made an end of the telegraphing, there came abrief answer in like Morse, to which he returned a shortdirection.
For a final safeguard, Garson searched for and found thetelephone bell-box on the surbase below the octagonal window. Itwas the work of only a few seconds to unscrew the bells, which heplaced on the desk. So simply he made provision against anyalarm from this source. He then took his pistol from hiship-pocket, examined it to make sure that the silencer wasproperly adjusted, and then thrust it into the right side-pocketof his coat, ready for instant use in desperate emergency. Onceagain, now, he produced the electric torch, and lighted it as heextinguished the lamp on the table.
Forthwith, Garson went to the door into the hall, opened it, and,leaving it ajar, made his way in silence to the outer doorway28.
Presently, the doors there were freed of their bolts under hisskilled fingers, and one of them swung wide. He had put out thetorch now, lest its gleam might catch the gaze of some casualpasser-by. So nicely had the affair been timed that hardly wasthe door open before the three men slipped in, and stood mute andmotionless in the hall, while Garson refastened the doors. Then,a pencil of light traced the length of the hallway and Garsonwalked quickly back to the library. Behind him with steps asnoiseless as his own came the three men to whom he had just giventhe message.
When all were gathered in the library, Garson shut the hall door,touched the button in the wall beside it, and the chandelierthrew its radiant light on the group.
Griggs was in evening clothes, seeming a very elegant younggentleman indeed, but his two companions were of grosser type, asfar as appearances went: one, Dacey, thin and wiry, with a ferretface; the other, Chicago Red, a brawny29 ruffian, whose stolidfeatures nevertheless exhibited something of half-sullen goodnature.
"Everything all right so far," Garson said rapidly. He turned toGriggs and pointed30 toward the heavy hangings that shrouded31 theoctagonal window. "Are those the things we want?" he demanded.
"Yes," was the answer of English Eddie.
"Well, then, we've got to get busy," Garson went on. His alert,strong face was set in lines of eagerness that had in itsomething of fierceness now.
But, before he could add a direction, he was halted by a softbuzzing from the telephone, which, though bell-less, still gavethis faint warning of a call. For an instant, he hesitated whilethe others regarded him doubtfully. The situation offeredperplexities. To give no attention to the summons might beperilous, and failure to respond might provoke investigation32 insome urgent matter; to answer it might easily provide a largerdanger.
"We've got to take a chance." Garson spoke27 his decision curtly33.
He went to the desk and put the receiver to his ear.
There came again the faint tapping of some one at the other endof the line, signaling a message in the Morse code. Anexpression of blank amazement34, which grew in a flash to deepconcern, showed on Garson's face as he listened tensely.
"Why, this is Mary calling," he muttered.
"Mary!" Griggs cried. His usual vacuity35 of expression was castoff like a mask and alarm twisted his features. Then, in the nextinstant, a crafty36 triumph gleamed from his eyes.
"Yes, she's on," Garson interpreted, a moment later, as thetapping ceased for a little. He translated in a loud whisper asthe irregular ticking noise sounded again.
"I shall be there at the house almost at once. I am sending thismessage from the drug store around the corner. Have some oneopen the door for me immediately.""She's coming over," Griggs cried incredulously.
"No, I'll stop her," Garson declared firmly.
"Right! Stop her," Chicago Red vouchsafed37.
But, when, after tapping a few words, the forger38 paused for thereply, no sound came.
"She don't answer," he exclaimed, greatly disconcerted. He triedagain, still without result. At that, he hung up the receiverwith a groan39. "She's gone----""On her way already," Griggs suggested, and there was none todoubt that it was so.
"What's she coming here for?" Garson exclaimed harshly. "Thisain't no place for her! Why, if anything should go wrong now----"But Griggs interrupted him with his usual breezy cheerfulness ofmanner.
"Oh, nothing can go wrong now, old top. I'll let her in." Hedrew a small torch from the skirt-pocket of his coat and crossedto the hall door, as Garson nodded assent40.
"God! Why did she have to come?" Garson muttered, filled withforebodings. "If anything should go wrong now!"He turned back toward the door just as it opened, and Mary dartedinto the room with Griggs following. "What do you want here?" hedemanded, with peremptory42 savageness43 in his voice, which was atone44 he had never hitherto used in addressing her.
Mary went swiftly to face Garson where he stood by the desk,while Griggs joined the other two men who stood shuffling45 aboutuneasily by the fireplace, at a loss over this intrusion on theirscheme. Mary moved with a lissome46 grace like that of some wildcreature, but as she halted opposite the man who had given herback the life she would have thrown away, there was only tenderpleading in her voice, though her words were an arraignment47.
"Joe, you lied to me.""That can be settled later," the man snapped. His jaw48 was thrustforward obstinately49, and his clear eyes sparkled defiantly50.
"You are fools, all of you!" Mary cried. Her eyes darkened anddistended with fear. They darted41 from Garson to the other threemen, and back again in rebuke51. "Yes, fools! This is burglary. Ican't protect you if you are caught. How can I? Oh, come!" Sheheld out her hands pleadingly toward Garson, and her voicedropped to beseeching52. "Joe, Joe, you must get away from thishouse at once, all of you. Joe, make them go.""It's too late," was the stern answer. There was no leastrelaxation in the stubborn lines of his face. "We're here now,and we'll stay till the business is done."Mary went a step forward. The cloak she was wearing was thrownback by her gesture of appeal so that those watching saw thesnowy slope of the shoulders and the quick rise and fall of thegently curving bosom53. The beautiful face within the framing scarfwas colorless with a great fear, save only the crimson54 lips, ofwhich the bow was bent55 tremulously as she spoke her prayer.
"Joe, for my sake!"But the man was inexorable. He had set himself to this thing,and even the urging of the one person in the world for whom hemost cared was powerless against his resolve.
"I can't quit now until we've got what we came here after," hedeclared roughly.
Of a sudden, the girl made shift to employ another sort ofsupplication.
"But there are reasons," she said, faltering56. A certainembarrassment swept her, and the ivory of her cheeks bloomedrosily. "I--I can't have you rob this house, this particularhouse of all the world." Her eyes leaped from the still obdurateface of the forger to the group of three back of him. Her voicewas shaken with a great dread57 as she called out to them.
"Boys, let's get away! Please, oh, please! Joe, for God's sake!"Her tone was a sob58.
Her anguish59 of fear did not swerve60 Garson from his purpose.
"I'm going to see this through," he said, doggedly61.
"But, Joe----""It's settled, I tell you."In the man's emphasis the girl realized at last the inefficacy ofher efforts to combat his will. She seemed to droop62 visiblybefore their eyes. Her head sank on her breast. Her voice washusky as she tried to speak.
"Then----" She broke off with a gesture of despair, and turnedaway toward the door by which she had entered.
But, with a movement of great swiftness, Garson got in front ofher, and barred her going. For a few seconds the two stared ateach other searchingly as if learning new and strange things,each of the other. In the girl's expression was an outragedwonder and a great terror. In the man's was a half-shamed pride,as if he exulted63 in the strength with which he had been able tomaintain his will against her supreme64 effort to overthrow65 it.
"You can't go," Garson said sharply. "You might be caught.""And if I were," Mary demanded in a flash of indignation, "do youthink I'd tell?"There came an abrupt66 change in the hard face of the man. Intothe piercing eyes flamed a softer fire of tenderness. The firmmouth grew strangely gentle as he replied, and his voice wasovertoned with faith.
"Of course not, Mary," he said. "I know you. You would go upfor life first."Then again his expression became resolute67, and he spokeimperiously.
"Just the same, you can't take any chances. We'll all get awayin a minute, and you'll come with us." He turned to the men andspoke with swift authority.
"Come," he said to Dacey, "you get to the light switch there bythe hall door. If you hear me snap my fingers, turn 'em off.
Understand?"With instant obedience68, the man addressed went to his station bythe hall door, and stood ready to control the electric current.
The distracted girl essayed one last plea. The momentarysoftening of Garson had given her new courage.
"Joe, don't do this.""You can't stop it now, Mary," came the brisk retort. "Too late.
You're only wasting time, making it dangerous for all of us."Again he gave his attention to carrying on the robbery.
"Red," he ordered, "you get to that door." He pointed to the onethat gave on the passageway against which he had set the chairtilted. As the man obeyed, Garson gave further instructions.
"If any one comes in that way, get him and get him quick. Youunderstand? Don't let him cry out."Chicago Red grinned with cheerful acceptance of the issue in suchan encounter. He held up his huge hand, widely open.
"Not a chance," he declared, proudly, "with that over his mug."To avoid possible interruption of his movements in an emergency,he removed the chair Garson had placed and set it to one side,out of the way.
"Now, let's get to work," Garson continued eagerly. Mary spokewith the bitterness of defeat.
"Listen, Joe! If you do this, I'm through with you. I quit."Garson was undismayed by the threat.
"If this goes through," he countered, "we'll all quit. That's whyI'm doing it. I'm sick of the game."He turned to the work in hand with increased energy.
"Come, you, Griggs and Red, and push that desk down a bit so thatI can stand on it." The two men bent to the task, heedless ofMary's frantic69 protest.
"No! no! no! no! no, Joe!"Red, however, suddenly straightened from the desk and stoodmotionless, listening. He made a slight hissing70 noise thatarrested the attention of the others and held them in movelesssilence.
"I hear something," he whispered. He went to the keyhole of thedoor leading into the passage. Then he whispered again, "Andit's coming this way."At the words, Garson snapped his fingers. The room was plungedin darkness.
收听单词发音 |
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gilder
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| 镀金工人 | |
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scrupulously
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| adv.一丝不苟地；小心翼翼地，多顾虑地 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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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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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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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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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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mightiest
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| adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的 | |
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oust
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| vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐 | |
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aggie
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| n.农校，农科大学生 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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vacuity
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| n.(想象力等)贫乏，无聊，空白 | |
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crafty
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| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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forger
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| v.伪造；n.（钱、文件等的）伪造者 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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savageness
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| 天然，野蛮 | |
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atone
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| v.赎罪，补偿 | |
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shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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lissome
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| adj.柔软的；敏捷的 | |
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arraignment
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| n.提问，传讯，责难 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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swerve
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| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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62
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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63
exulted
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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65
overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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66
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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67
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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68
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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70
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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