In the case at present under consideration, such an arrangement led Dr. Bruce Cairn to pack off Myra Duquesne to a grim Scottish manor3 in Inverness upon a visit of indefinite duration. It also led to heart burnings on the part of Robert Cairn, and to other things about to be noticed.
Antony Ferrara, the co-legatee, was not slow to recognise that a damaging stroke had been played, but he knew Dr. Cairn too well to put up any protest. In his capacity of fashionable physician, the doctor frequently met Ferrara in society, for a man at once rich, handsome, and bearing a fine name, is not socially ostracised on the mere4 suspicion that he is a dangerous blackguard. Thus Antony Ferrara was courted by the smartest women in town and tolerated by the men. Dr. Cairn would always acknowledge him, and then turn his back upon the dark-eyed, adopted son of his dearest friend.
There was that between the two of which the world knew nothing. Had the world known what Dr. Cairn knew respecting Antony Ferrara, then, despite his winning manner, his wealth and his station, every door in London, from those of Mayfair to that of the foulest5 den6 in Limehouse, would have been closed to him—closed, and barred with horror and loathing7. A tremendous secret was locked up within the heart of Dr. Bruce Cairn.
[50]
Sometimes we seem to be granted a glimpse of the guiding Hand that steers8 men's destinies; then, as comprehension is about to dawn, we lose again our temporal lucidity9 of vision. The following incident illustrates10 this.
"I am passing a patient on to you, Cairn," he said; "Lord Lashmore."
"Ah!" replied Cairn, thoughtfully. "I have never met him."
"He has only quite recently returned to England—you may have heard?—and brought a South American Lady Lashmore with him."
"I had heard that, yes."
"Lord Lashmore is close upon fifty-five, and his wife—a passionate12 Southern type—is probably less than twenty. They are an odd couple. The lady has been doing some extensive entertaining at the town house."
Groves stared hard at Dr. Cairn.
"Your young friend, Antony Ferrara, is a regular visitor."
"No doubt," said Cairn; "he goes everywhere. I don't know how long his funds will last."
"Yes," was the reply. "His Eastern servant 'phoned for me one night last week; and I found Ferrara lying unconscious in a room like a pasha's harem. He looked simply ghastly, but the man would give me no account of what had caused the attack. It looked to me like sheer nervous exhaustion15. He gave me quite an anxious five minutes. Incidentally, the room was blazing hot, with a fire roaring right up the chimney, and it smelt16 like a Hindu temple."
"Ah!" muttered Cairn, "between his mode of life and his peculiar17 studies he will probably crack up. He has a fragile constitution."
"Who the deuce is he, Cairn?" pursued Sir Elwin.
[51]
"You must know all the circumstances of his adoption18; you were with the late Sir Michael in Egypt at the time. The fellow is a mystery to me; he repels19, in some way. I was glad to get away from his rooms."
"You were going to tell me something about Lord Lashmore's case, I think?" said Cairn.
Sir Elwin Groves screwed up his eyes and readjusted his pince-nez, for the deliberate way in which his companion had changed the conversation was unmistakable. However, Cairn's brusque manners were proverbial, and Sir Elwin accepted the lead.
"Yes, yes, I believe I was," he agreed, rather lamely20. "Well, it's very singular. I was called there last Monday, at about two o'clock in the morning. I found the house upside-down, and Lady Lashmore, with a dressing-gown thrown over her nightdress, engaged in bathing a bad wound in her husband's throat."
"What! Attempted suicide?"
"My first idea, naturally. But a glance at the wound set me wondering. It was bleeding profusely21, and from its location I was afraid that it might have penetrated22 the internal jugular23; but the external only was wounded. I arrested the flow of blood and made the patient comfortable. Lady Lashmore assisted me coolly and displayed some skill as a nurse. In fact she had applied24 a ligature before my arrival."
"Lord Lashmore remained conscious?"
"Quite. He was shaky, of course. I called again at nine o'clock that morning, and found him progressing favourably25. When I had dressed the wounds—"
"Wounds?"
"There were two actually; I will tell you in a moment. I asked Lord Lashmore for an explanation. He had given out, for the benefit of the household, that, stumbling out of bed in the dark, he had tripped upon a rug, so that he fell forward almost into the fireplace. There is a rather ornate fender, with an elaborate copper26 scrollwork design, and his account was that he came down with all his weight upon this, in such a way that part of the copperwork pierced his throat. It was possible, just possible, Cairn; but it didn't satisfy me
[52]
and I could see that it didn't satisfy Lady Lashmore. However, when we were alone, Lashmore told me the real facts."
"He had been concealing27 the truth?"
"Largely for his wife's sake, I fancy. He was anxious to spare her the alarm which, knowing the truth, she must have experienced. His story was this—related in confidence, but he wishes that you should know. He was awakened28 by a sudden, sharp pain in the throat; not very acute, but accompanied by a feeling of pressure. It was gone again, in a moment, and he was surprised to find blood upon his hands when he felt for the cause of the pain.
"He got out of bed and experienced a great dizziness. The hemorrhage was altogether more severe than he had supposed. Not wishing to arouse his wife, he did not enter his dressing-room, which is situated29 between his own room and Lady Lashmore's; he staggered as far as the bell-push, and then collapsed30. His man found him on the floor—sufficiently near to the fender to lend colour to the story of the accident."
Dr. Cairn coughed drily.
"Do you think it was attempted suicide after all, then?" he asked.
"No—I don't," replied Sir Elwin emphatically. "I think it was something altogether more difficult to explain."
"Not attempted murder?"
"Almost impossible. Excepting Chambers, Lord Lashmore's valet, no one could possibly have gained access to that suite31 of rooms. They number four. There is a small boudoir, out of which opens Lady Lashmore's bedroom; between this and Lord Lashmore's apartment is the dressing-room. Lord Lashmore's door was locked and so was that of the boudoir. These are the only two means of entrance."
"But you said that Chambers came in and found him."
"Chambers has a key of Lord Lashmore's door. That is why I said 'excepting Chambers.' But Chambers has been with his present master since Lashmore left Cambridge. It's out of the question."
[53]
"Windows?"
"First floor, no balcony, and overlook Hyde Park."
"Is there no clue to the mystery?"
"There are three!"
"What are they?"
"First: the nature of the wounds. Second: Lord Lashmore's idea that something was in the room at the moment of his awakening32. Third: the fact that an identical attempt was made upon him last night!"
"Last night! Good God! With what result?"
"The former wounds, though deep, are very tiny, and had quite healed over. One of them partially33 reopened, but Lord Lashmore awoke altogether more readily and before any damage had been done. He says that some soft body rolled off the bed. He uttered a loud cry, leapt out and switched on the electric lights. At the same moment he heard a frightful34 scream from his wife's room. When I arrived—Lashmore himself summoned me on this occasion—I had a new patient."
"Lady Lashmore?"
"Exactly. She had fainted from fright, at hearing her husband's cry, I assume. There had been a slight hemorrhage from the throat, too."
"What! Tuberculous?"
"I fear so. Fright would not produce hemorrhage in the case of a healthy subject, would it?"
"And Lord Lashmore?" he asked.
"The marks were there again," replied Sir Elwin; "rather lower on the neck. But they were quite superficial. He had awakened in time and had struck out—hitting something."
"What?"
"Some living thing; apparently36 covered with long, silky hair. It escaped, however."
"And now," said Dr. Cairn—"these wounds; what are they like?"
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1
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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2
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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3
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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5
foulest
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| adj.恶劣的( foul的最高级 )；邪恶的；难闻的；下流的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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7
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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8
steers
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| n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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9
lucidity
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| n.明朗，清晰，透明 | |
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10
illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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11
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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12
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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13
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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14
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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15
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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16
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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17
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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19
repels
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| v.击退( repel的第三人称单数 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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20
lamely
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| 一瘸一拐地，不完全地 | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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23
jugular
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| n.颈静脉 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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25
favourably
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| adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably | |
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26
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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27
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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28
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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29
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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30
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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31
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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32
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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33
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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34
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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35
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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36
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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37
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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