'Tis wisest to disturb them not.
When things to outward view are smooth;
For should ye seek to learn the truth
When things to outward view are smooth,
'Tis wisest to disturb them not."
When he entered the room Archie looked very pleased, and a trifle excited, which happy demeanour was noticed at once by Mrs. Belswin.
"Good news?" she asked, as he greeted her, and walked over to Kaituna with the eager step of an expectant lover.
"Very good news," he replied gaily3, "the best of news. Toby is going out to Australia to look after your fortune, Kaituna."
"My fortune," echoed Kaituna, faintly, raising her eyes to his bright face. "I'm afraid my fortune is a myth."
"Not at all! Not at all!" replied Maxwell, kissing her pale cheek. "Your fortune at present is not in the clouds, but in the earth; and when The Pole Star Company find that rich lode4 they are now looking for, you will be a female Crœsus."
"I hope so, for your sake."
"I hope so, for both your sakes," said Mrs. Belswin, bluntly; "and then there will be no more talk of breaking off the engagement."
"What, our engagement?" cried Maxwell, in an astonished tone, looking from the one to the other. "Why, what do you mean?"
"Ask Donna Quixota there, my dear Mr. Maxwell. She has been talking the high-flown nonsense which the virtuous5 heroine uses on the stage when she appeals to the gallery. She knows you love her for herself alone, and that I cannot live without her; yet she talks about leaving us both on some absurd scruple6 of honour."
"My dear Kaituna, you are surely not in earnest," said Archie, smoothing the girl's dark hair. "Mrs. Belswin is jesting, I suppose?"
"No! she is repeating my words in a slightly different way."
"But, Kaituna?"
"Now you are going to begin a discussion," said Mrs. Belswin, good-humouredly, "so I will leave you for a time. But first, Mr. Maxwell, tell me about your friend. You say he is going out to Melbourne?"
"Yes! I got a letter from him to-day. Miss Valpy and his father are both agreeable, and he starts by one of the Orient line in a fortnight."
"But the money?" said Mrs. Belswin, in some dismay, thinking of her straightened means. "What about the money?"
"Oh, that is all right," answered Maxwell in a satisfied tone. "Providence7 has tempered the financial wind to the Clendon lamb. He is going to write a series of articles on Australian cities for The Weekly Scorpion8, so the benevolent9 editor of that paper pays his expenses."
"Oh!" said Mrs. Belswin, with a sigh of relief, turning towards the door, "I'm so glad. It's a good omen10 for the silver mine. I hope he'll come back as prosperous as he leaves. Now I'm going away for a few minutes, so I'll leave you, Mr. Maxwell, to convince Kaituna that things will turn out better than she expects."
When Mrs. Belswin vanished, Archie took Kaituna by the chin, and turned her face towards his own.
"You wicked young woman," he said, laughing; "how can you speak, even in jest, about leaving me?"
Kaituna rose to her feet, and walked backwards11 and forwards several times in deep thought. Then she paused before Archie, and looked steadily12 at him with her clear, honest eyes.
"Archie," she said, at length, "believe me, I did not speak without reason. While my father was alive there was a chance of our marrying, for I would have persuaded him to consent some time, and Mrs. Belswin would have helped me. But he is dead, and I have not a penny in the world. How then can I marry you, who have nothing but your profession to depend upon, and that profession one which means constant travelling? If you married me you would have to leave me, for we should not be rich enough to travel together. You would find me a drag upon you. Enough for one is not enough for two. I love you! You know I love you! And it is for that very reason that I want to break off our engagement, and not be a burden to you in the future."
Maxwell laughed, as she ended this long speech, and seizing her hands drew her towards him.
"What a capital lawyer you would make," he said, with an indulgent smile; "but let us look on the other side of the question. Say that these shares turn out to be worth a lot of money, will you expect me to give you up?"
"No, no! Oh, no!"
"Ah! you see then that the case is the same with me. You love me for myself. I love you for yourself. It is no question of money between us. With you as my wife, I would work hard. I shall only be too proud to work for you. We shall not be rich; but we should be happy. No, my dearest, I should indeed be unworthy of your love did I look at the future from your point of view. I love you! You are mine; and rich or poor, we will always be together."
"But----"
"But me no buts," said Maxwell, in a peremptory13 tone, putting his arm round her neck. "You know what I say is right. You love me, do you not?"
"Yes."
"And you will never leave me?"
Kaituna kissed him, with tears in her eyes.
"No; I will never leave you."
Archie pressed her to his heart with a cry of joy, and at this moment Mrs. Belswin entered.
"Well, young people?"
"I have explained away all objections," said Maxwell, as Kaituna withdrew her arms from his neck, "and we are going to marry on nothing a year."
"Meanwhile," said Mrs. Belswin, satirically.
"Meanwhile," echoed Maxwell, rising, "I am going to speak to you for a few minutes, and then take Kaituna for a walk in the Park. You'll take compassion14 on a lonely bachelor, will you not, dearest?"
"Yes. I'll go and put on my things at once," said Kaituna, whose face now looked much brighter than before.
"Archie."
"Yes."
She laughed, and ran out of the room, whereat Maxwell also laughed out of sympathy; but when the door closed the laugh died away on his lips, and he turned gravely to Mrs. Belswin, who had resumed her seat.
"Well," said that lady, with a half smile, glancing at him; "you look as gloomy as a November day. What are you thinking about?"
"Sir Rupert's death."
Mrs. Belswin half expected this reply; but, notwithstanding, gave a sudden start at the abruptness17 of his speech.
"You are still determined18 to find out the cause of his death?" she said, slowly.
"I don't think there is any question on that point," he replied, with emphasis. "He was shot, and I want to find out who shot him."
"What good will that do?"
"It will set Kaituna's mind at rest."
His listener played with the plain gold ring on her finger--the ring which had been the symbol of her marriage with the murdered man--and frowned.
"If I were you, I'd let sleeping dogs lie," she said, at length, without raising her eyes.
"No! I will not! See here, Mrs. Belswin, I know quite well that Kaituna is anxious to find out the murderer of her father. If she does not it will embitter19 her whole life. She cannot bear to think of him lying unavenged in his grave. Herself, she can do nothing, but I, her promised husband, can."
"I'm afraid you over-calculate your powers as a detective."
"Perhaps I do," he answered, calmly; "but I'm going to try, at all events, and see if I can unravel20 this mystery. Did I intend to let sleeping dogs lie, as you phrase it, I would have gone out to Australia myself to look after the silver mines, but as Clendon has taken that trouble off my hands I am going to devote myself to finding out the man who murdered Sir Rupert."
He spoke21 with such determination that she felt convinced he would carry out his intention, and fidgeted about in her seat for a few moments, then, walking to the window, stood looking out into the dull street, while she made her next remark.
"I don't think it will do any good. Where the police have failed you cannot hope to succeed."
"I hope to do so, with your help."
"My help?" she echoed, facing round suddenly so that her back was to the light and her face comparatively in the shadow. "What can I tell you?"
"Mrs. Belswin," said Maxwell, gravely, "you were one of the last people who saw Sir Rupert alive."
"Yes, that is so," she answered without moving a muscle, "but I told all I knew at the inquest."
"I suppose you did; but can you think of nothing else?"
She looked at him with a piercing glance, as if trying to read his soul, but saw nothing that could make her think that he suspected her in any way of being connected with the murdered man.
"I told all I knew at the inquest," she repeated. "I had an interview with Sir Rupert about your marriage with Kaituna. He refused his consent, and I left the study. Kaituna had gone to bed with a bad headache, so I did not wish to make it worse by my ill news. Therefore I retired22 to rest at once, and knew nothing more until the next morning."
"You heard no pistol shot?"
"None."
"Strange!" said Maxwell, thoughtfully: "no one seems to have heard a pistol shot, and yet such an unusual thing must have attracted attention."
"You forget that Sir Rupert's study was some distance away from the sleeping apartments, and I think at the time he was killed every one was in bed."
"But he was not shot in the room, but from the terrace."
Mrs. Belswin started again,
"How do you know that?"
"I don't know it, I only presume so. The body was found lying half in and half out of the window; so my theory is that Sir Rupert came to the open window for a breath of air, and the assassin, concealed23 in the shadow of the terrace, shot him through the head."
"It's a very excellent theory--still, it is only theory."
"Yes, I know that," said Maxwell, ruefully. "You don't know if Sir Rupert had any enemies, Mrs. Belswin?"
"I! Why I did not even know Sir Rupert himself until I spoke to him that night in his study."
There was no doubt that Mrs. Belswin was a magnificent actress, for she uttered this lie without the least hesitation24.
"No, of course not," answered Maxwell, after a pause. "I know he was a stranger to you. Still he must have had enemies. I wonder if Kaituna could tell me."
"Ask her!"
"No, I won't. It will only upset her. She is so agitated25 over the whole affair. I'll go and see the detective who had the case in hand, and I won't tell Kaituna anything until I can say, 'This is the murderer of your father.'"
"It's a wild-goose chase."
"Perhaps. Still something may be discovered."
At this moment Kaituna returned, dressed for walking, and after bidding fare well to Mrs. Belswin, Archie went out with his sweetheart, leaving the chaperon still standing16 by the window.
Mrs. Belswin twisted her hands together, and looked at the carpet with an angry frown.
"Something maybe discovered," she repeated in a thoughtful tone. "I don't think so. The assassin came out of the night, fulfilled his mission, and disappeared again into the night. Not all the machinery26 of the law could find out the truth, and where the law failed I don't think you'll succeed, Archibald Maxwell."
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收听单词发音
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1
prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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2
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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3
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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4
lode
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| n.矿脉 | |
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5
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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6
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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7
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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8
scorpion
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| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
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9
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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10
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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11
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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12
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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13
peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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14
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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15
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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16
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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17
abruptness
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| n. 突然，唐突 | |
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18
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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19
embitter
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| v.使苦；激怒 | |
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20
unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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21
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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22
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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23
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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24
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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