PHILIP WINTHROP moved restlessly in bed, then lay still, for a feeling of deadly nausea1 almost overcame him. Half an hour passed, and, feeling better, he raised his hand and felt his throbbing2 temples. Wearily he tried to collect his ideas, but all appeared confused.
What was it that he had promised? Slowly his torpid3 conscience awoke. “For value received”—the phrase held a double meaning which penetrated4 even his dulled senses. He could not afford to lie there like a bump on a log any longer. He opened his eyes; apparently5 it was late, for the room was in total darkness, save for a streak6 of light which came from the half-open hall door.
With an effort Philip raised himself on his elbow and glanced about him, but even that slight exertion7 was too much in his weakened state, and, with a groan8, he slid back on the pillows. For some seconds he lay without moving, but the yellow patch of light troubled him, and he rolled over on his side facing the wall. He struggled apathetically9 to piece together the occurrences of the past few days. Suddenly he caught the sound of a light step and the swish of skirts approaching his bed.
The next instant a glass was thrust under his nose and placed gently against his mouth. He raised his hand and pushed the glass away from him. “G’way,” he stammered10 faintly; “leave me ’lone.”
Apparently no attention was paid to his request, for the glass was again placed at his lips. Again he tried to thrust it from him, but his feeble efforts made no impression against the strong wrist. His resistance only lasted a few minutes, then his weaker will surrendered to the stronger, and he sipped11 the medicine obediently, after which the glass was withdrawn12.
Downstairs in the library three men sat smoking around the large desk table.
“I am glad you could join us to-night, Colonel Thornton,” said Brett, as he placed one of the ashtrays14 conveniently near the lawyer. “Three heads are better than one, and it is time we got together and discussed certain features of this case.”
“Quite right, it will help us to a clearer understanding,” agreed the Colonel.
“Then suppose, Mr. Hunter, that you first tell us any theories which you may have formed.”
Douglas dropped the paper-cutter he was balancing in his hand, and, leaning on the table, looked seriously at his companions. “I think,” he said deliberately16, “that Philip Winthrop has a guilty knowledge of Senator Carew’s death, if he is not the actual murderer.”
“Your reasons,” demanded Colonel Thornton.
“There was bad blood between them, that has been proved,” Douglas picked his words with care. “Possibly the quarrel was brought about because Senator Carew had found out something discreditable in Philip Winthrop’s past. He had a responsible position as the Senator’s private secretary, and there is a chance he betrayed his trust.”
“In what way?” asked Brett eagerly.
“It may be that he is in the pay of some lobby anxious to influence important legislation.” Douglas, mindful of the Secretary of State’s caution, was feeling his way with care.
“Senator Carew was the last man to be influenced by such a character as Philip Winthrop,” said Thornton contemptuously.
“He may not have tried to do so, but simply have betrayed valuable information of committee plans and caucus17.”
“That may be,” acknowledged Thornton, “particularly as I am told that Philip has been spending a great deal of money lately; far more than his salary would warrant.”
“‘Value received.’” Douglas shrugged18 his shoulders expressively19. “I have also found out that Hamilton, the coachman, is a Jamaican negro, his real name being Samuel Hamilton Quesada, and that he was brought here nearly two years ago by young Winthrop when he returned from a visit to Jamaica. The Senator took him into his employ at the former’s request and recommendation.”
“And your theory is?” questioned Brett sharply, laying down his cigar.
“That Winthrop either bribed20 Hamilton to kill Senator Carew, or to help him after he, Winthrop, had committed the murder. You must remember,” he added hastily, as Brett started to speak, “the Jamaican negro has a revengeful disposition21 when roused, and I have no doubt Senator Carew gave him merry hell when he discharged him Monday afternoon, and Hamilton was ready to risk everything to get even.”
Brett shook his head. “How did Senator Carew get into that carriage?” he asked doubtfully.
“Hamilton probably lied when he said he did not first stop at this house on his way to the ball to bring Miss Carew home. Or perhaps Winthrop came into this room, found Senator Carew busy writing, stole up behind him, seized the letter file and stabbed him with it.”
Again Brett shook his head. “If that had been the case, the Senator would have been stabbed in the back; whereas he was stabbed directly over the heart, and whoever committed the crime was facing him.”
“Well, that is not impossible,” argued Douglas. “Winthrop may have stood near the Senator’s chair and talked to him for a few minutes without the latter suspecting danger, may have even picked up the letter file, a harmless thing to do under ordinary circumstances, and, without warning, thrust it into the Senator’s chest.”
“Afterward—Winthrop may have stepped into the hall, found no one there, tiptoed into the room again, telephoned”—pointing to the desk instrument—“out to the stable and told Hamilton to drive at once to the front door. The sound of the horses’ hoofs23 was probably drowned by the heavy rain, so no one in the house would have heard the carriage enter the porte-cochère, but”—impressively—“Winthrop, from this window, could see its arrival. He probably stepped into the hall again, found the coast clear, opened the front door, dashed back, picked up Senator Carew, who was much smaller than he, carried him out and placed him inside the carriage. Hamilton had been drinking, and was perhaps too befogged to notice anything unusual, and, when Winthrop slammed the carriage door, he probably drove off none the wiser.”
“As much as I dislike Philip Winthrop I do not think him capable of committing murder,” said Colonel Thornton, slowly. “Secondly24, I believe, no matter how secretly you think the murder was planned, that, if Philip were guilty, Mrs. Winthrop would have some inkling of it, and if their quarrel was so serious she would have known it, and would naturally try to hush25 matters up. Instead of which, she is the first to offer a reward, a large reward, mind you. It is not within reason that she would have done such a thing had she the faintest idea that Philip was the murderer.”
“I beg your pardon, Philip is not her son. There may be no love lost between them.”
“Good God! what a suggestion. You don’t mean to insinuate26 that she offered that reward knowing her stepson might be guilty.” Thornton looked at Douglas with sudden horror.
For reply Douglas nodded quietly.
“No, no, Douglas, you are shinning up the wrong tree. I have known Mrs. Winthrop for over fifteen years; she wouldn’t injure a fly, let alone try to trap one whom she loves as her own flesh and blood. She was devoted27 to her husband, and for his sake legally adopted Philip and brought him up as her own son; in fact, she was entirely28 too indulgent and generous, which has proved his downfall. He hates work like a nigger.”
“Mr. Hunter has drawn13 a strong case against Philip Winthrop, except for one serious flaw,” broke in Brett, who had been a silent listener to their argument. “And that is that Philip Winthrop was at the Alibi29 Club on Monday evening. A number of reputable men are willing to swear to that. It is certain that he could not have been in two places at once. Secondly, Mrs. Winthrop swears that her brother spent Monday evening away from this house.” Brett leaned forward and spoke30 impressively, “Senator Carew was killed by another hand than Philip Winthrop’s.”
“By whose hand?” asked Thornton and Douglas simultaneously31.
“Captain Frederick Lane.”
“Fred Lane, of the Engineer Corps32?” ejaculated Thornton, much astonished, while Douglas looked as blank as he felt.
“Yes, sir.”
“Bah! you’re mad.”
“Just a moment,” Brett held up a protesting hand. “Don’t condemn33 my theory unheard. I seemed up against a blank wall in this house, so to-day I started an investigation34 at the other end; that is, at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. James Owen, where Miss Cynthia Carew attended a dance on Monday night.”
“Go on,” urged Douglas, as Brett stopped and glanced behind him to see that the hall door was closed.
“I called on Mrs. Owen. She was not inclined to be communicative, but her daughter, Miss Alice Owen, who came in during our interview, let the cat out of the bag, and Mrs. Owen had to tell then what she knew, which was this: that Captain Lane and Miss Carew were engaged——” a muttered word escaped Colonel Thornton, and Brett turned to him instantly, “I beg pardon, did you speak?”
“Apparently they had planned to announce the engagement at the dance,” resumed Brett. “Anyway, Miss Owen, who already knew of it, was told by Miss Carew that her uncle, the Senator, refused to give his consent, and had threatened to turn her out of doors if she did not instantly break the engagement.”
“Poor Cynthia, poor little girl,” murmured Thornton, “I am very fond of her, and her father was my most intimate friend. It was beastly of Carew to issue such an ultimatum36. She is entirely dependent upon him.”
“So Miss Owen thought. Miss Carew confided37 her troubles to her on her arrival. Miss Owen said that while they were sitting in the library Captain Lane came in looking very dejected, and she immediately got up to leave the lovers together. Before leaving the room, however, she overheard Lane tell Miss Carew that he had just seen her uncle, hoping to persuade him to reconsider his refusal, but that he flatly refused to do so in the most insulting terms.”
“Upon my word, for a mild-tempered man, Carew managed to have plenty of quarrels on his hands on Monday,” exclaimed Thornton.
“And the last one undoubtedly38 brought about his death”; Brett spoke so positively39 that Douglas hitched40 his chair nearer in his excitement. “After I had finished my interview with Mrs. Owen I asked permission to question her servants. The footman told me that Miss Carew left the dance earlier than the other guests, and that she had to wait a long time for her carriage. He said he called her carriage check number repeatedly, and with no result. That Captain Lane, becoming impatient, put on his overcoat and hat and walked down the street searching for Miss Carew’s carriage.”
“And you think?” broke in Douglas.
“That Captain Lane not only found the carriage but the Senator sitting in it, and seized the opportunity to punish him for his deviltry to the girl he loved.”
A long pause followed as Colonel Thornton and Douglas sat thinking over Brett’s startling news.
“Where did he get the weapon?” inquired Douglas finally.
“Out of Mrs. Owen’s library, of course. He may have picked it up in a fit of absent-mindedness and carried it with him.”
“Did the footman or butler notice anything in his hand when he left the house?” questioned Thornton.
“I asked them, and they declared that he carried an umbrella in his left hand, and that they had not noticed whether he was holding anything in his right hand or not. The footman declared that it was raining so hard that it was impossible to see anything clearly. They both said Captain Lane was some fifteen minutes returning to the house.”
“Did he find the carriage?”
“He told the footman that he hadn’t, and ordered him to keep calling the number, which he did, and soon after the carriage drove up.”
“Of all the cold-blooded propositions!” ejaculated Douglas. “Do you honestly mean that you think Lane deliberately put the girl he loved into the carriage to sit beside the man he had just murdered?”
“I do,” firmly, “and I stake my reputation as a detective that Captain Lane is guilty. You were with me, Mr. Hunter, when I overheard Miss Carew exclaim, as Miss Thornton entered her bedroom on Tuesday—‘They quarreled, Eleanor, they quarreled.’”
“She may not have been alluding41 to Captain Lane,” declared Douglas stoutly42; “she may have referred to Philip Winthrop. He also quarreled with Senator Carew.”
“Philip is very much in love with Cynthia and wishes to marry her,” volunteered Thornton quietly.
“Is that why Senator Carew objected to her engagement to Captain Lane?” asked Brett. “Did he wish her to marry Philip Winthrop?”
“I never heard that he did”; Thornton paused and reflected a moment. “I might as well tell you, for you will probably hear it from some one else eventually, that there has been a feud43 of long standing15 between the Lanes and Carews.”
Douglas whistled. “A Montague and Capulet affair?” he inquired.
“Exactly. Carew and old Governor Lane were political rivals. Lord! how they hated each other! They almost tore Maryland asunder44 when running for the governorship, which Lane won by a few votes. Carew charged fraud, which, however, was never proved. They cherished their animosity to the day of Governor Lane’s death, and I can imagine it was a terrible shock to Carew to find that his dearly loved niece wanted to marry the Governor’s son.”
“What sort of a fellow is Lane?” asked Douglas.
“A fine specimen45 of the American gentleman,” exclaimed Thornton enthusiastically, “a soldier, every inch of him, brave to a fault; he has twice been mentioned in orders for gallant46 conduct—just the sort of a fellow a romantic young girl like Cynthia would fall head over heels in love with.”
“In naming his virtues47 you have overlooked his greatest fault,” said Brett calmly. “He has a fiendish temper, and, when provoked, falls into the most insane rages, so his brother officers tell me.”
“You are making out a black case against him,” agreed Douglas, “but there is one point you seem to have overlooked, and that is, did the letter file used to kill Senator Carew belong to Mrs. Owen?”
“That is the one flaw in my case,” acknowledged Brett regretfully. “She declines to answer the question.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
nausea
|
|
| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
throbbing
|
|
| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
torpid
|
|
| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
penetrated
|
|
| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
streak
|
|
| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
exertion
|
|
| n.尽力，努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
groan
|
|
| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
apathetically
|
|
| adv.不露感情地；无动于衷地；不感兴趣地；冷淡地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
sipped
|
|
| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
withdrawn
|
|
| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
ashtrays
|
|
| 烟灰缸( ashtray的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
caucus
|
|
| n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
expressively
|
|
| ad.表示(某事物)地；表达地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
bribed
|
|
| v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
hoofs
|
|
| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
secondly
|
|
| adv.第二，其次 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
hush
|
|
| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
insinuate
|
|
| vt.含沙射影地说，暗示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
alibi
|
|
| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
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： |
|
|
|
|
31
simultaneously
|
|
| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
corps
|
|
| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
condemn
|
|
| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
investigation
|
|
| n.调查，调查研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
ultimatum
|
|
| n.最后通牒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
confided
|
|
| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
undoubtedly
|
|
| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
hitched
|
|
| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
alluding
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
stoutly
|
|
| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
feud
|
|
| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
asunder
|
|
| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
gallant
|
|
| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
virtues
|
|
| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |