"Here is a chance for our amateur and professional detectives," it said. "A riddle5 to stimulate6 the curiosity; a magnificent reward to repay the solution of the same. Mr. Edermont, a recluse8, dwelling9 in the Red House, near Canterbury, has been barbarously murdered, and fifty thousand pounds are now offered for the discovery and apprehension10 of his murderer. It seems that the dead man had a past, and that that past had engendered11 an enemy. For twenty years Mr. Edermont lived in strict retirement12, and took extraordinary precautions to ensure his safety. But all in vain. The man or woman--for no one is aware of the sex of the assassin--discovered the victim, and carried out the revenge in a peculiarly brutal13 fashion. There is nothing to show how the assassin came or went; but the time of the committal of the crime has been ascertained14 by the evidence of Miss Carew, the ward7 of the deceased. She fancied she heard a cry, and immediately afterwards the hall clock struck one. There can be no doubt that Miss Carew really did hear a cry, and was not dreaming, as she fancied, and that such cry was the last appeal of the poor victim for mercy.
"In the will of Mr. Edermont, he mentions that the story of his life is set forth17 in a manuscript locked up in his bureau. It is evident that the assassin knew of the existence of this narrative18, for, immediately after committing the crime, he--we will assume by way of argument that the criminal is a man--rifled the desk, and made off with the paper containing an account of his motive19 for revenge. He knew that such paper would condemn20 him, and that with its aid the officers of the law would have little difficulty in putting a rope round his neck. Doubtless such story gave his name--possibly his address--and he was aware that it thus jeopardized21 his safety. But be this as it may, one fact remains22: that the assassin has stolen the sole clue to his discovery, and it would seem that the death of Julian Edermont must remain wrapped in mystery.
"But fifty thousand pounds! Will anyone permit this death to go unavenged when he can gain such a reward? A fortune for life, and the consciousness of having done his duty to the dead man and to society. No doubt our inglorious Vidocques, our amateur Sherlock Holmes, will set to work to unravel23 the mystery and gain the reward. The Red House, near Canterbury, will become the shrine24 of pilgrim detectives from all parts of the world. Nevertheless, in spite of their astuteness25, in spite of their greed, we doubt whether the mystery will ever be solved. The sole clue, so far as we can see, is to be found in the past life of the dead man. The tale of that past life is set forth in a certain paper; such paper is in the possession of the assassin, who is himself unknown. To find the paper, they must find the assassin; without the paper the assassin cannot be found; and so matters are at a deadlock26. We shall await the development of this extraordinary case with interest; but we doubt whether the fifty thousand pounds will ever be claimed. Julian Edermont is dead and buried; his assassin has escaped with the story of the motive for the crime in his pocket. Here the case stands. What light can be thrown on this darkness? What clue can be found to the cunning murderer? We wait the answer from the possible man or woman who can honestly claim fifty thousand pounds."
While the papers talked thus, while people wondered, and would-be winners of the reward set their wits to work on the facts of the case, Dora remained at the Red House. No change was made in her life, or in that of Joad. In conjunction with Meg, the girl still looked after the domestic details of the mansion27; and Joad still came and went from nine to nine. He became morose28 after the death of his friend, and hardly addressed a word to Dora. But she was aware that he constantly watched her in a furtive29 manner, which in the end became exceedingly annoying. Had the terms of the will been less clear, she would have left the Red House, or have induced Joad to confine his life to his own cottage. But in order to exist, and draw her poor rental30 of two hundred a year, she was forced to live in the house, with Joad, dirty, disreputable and crabbed31, at her elbow. She disliked the man exceedingly, the more so as she had a suspicion that he admired her; but, fettered32 as she was by the terms of the will, she could do nothing.
Nevertheless, she became aware, as the days went by, that she would have to make some change in her life. It was impossible that she should go on living with an illiterate33 servant and an admiring satyr. It was equally impossible that she could continue to remain at variance34 with Allen after the last interview. He neither came near her nor wrote a line to comfort her; and, angered as she was at his heartless and inexplicable35 conduct, she made up her mind to see him. In one way or the other she would bring the matter to an end, and treat him either as a stranger or as her affianced lover.
Again, she wished to see Carver as to her financial position. By the will she had been left certain moneys and the Red House; but she also, as she understood, possessed36 an income of five hundred pounds, which came to her from her parents, and once or twice Mr. Edermont had informed her that she was entitled to so much; but he stated also that he was saving it up for her against the time she came of age.
As Dora was now twenty-one, she expected that the accumulations would be considerable. Making allowance for the amounts given to her at various times, she concluded that she was entitled to close on eight thousand pounds. If this were so--as she could ascertain15 from Mr. Carver--it was her intention to change her mode of life should Allen prove obstinate37.
"I shall give up the Red House and the two hundred a-year," thought Dora, making her plans, "and, after investing my eight thousand pounds with the aid of Mr. Carver, I shall go to London. I cannot live any longer in the company of that odious38 creature"--for so she termed the learned Joad. "And if Allen is resolved to break off the engagement, there is nothing to keep me here. Mr. Edermont is dead; Allen, for some reason, is estranged39, and I am all alone. I shall take my life in my own hands, and go to London."
It never entered her head to earn the reward. She was completely ignorant as to how her late guardian40 had come to so untimely an end. Lady Burville might have explained, but after the crime she had gone to London, and Dora did not know where to find her. Mr. Pallant might have given a hint, but he had left Hernwood Hall also. Dora saw no way of solving the mystery; and even if she did conjecture41 the truth, she scarcely felt herself called upon to revenge the death of Mr. Edermont by discovering his assassin. She did not want the reward, and she had not sufficient regard for the dead man's memory to devote herself to so difficult a task.
Mr. Carver lived and worked in a dusty, dingy42, dreary43 house near Mercery Lane. His rooms were above--he was a bachelor, dry and crusty--and his offices below. Two clerks, as lean as their master, worked in the dismal44 outer office, and in the inner apartment, the window of which looked on to a mews, Mr. Carver sat all day, and often far into the night. The appearance of so charming and blooming a woman as Dora quite lighted up the musty, fusty den16. Her fresh beauty had little effect upon Carver, who regarded women as the root of all evil. The generally accepted root of all evil is money. This he approved of and hoarded45; but women--he could not bear them, save in the light of clients, and then they gave him endless trouble.
"Mr. Carver," said Dora, facing the saturnine46 lawyer on the other side of the table, "I have called to see you about my financial position. I was, as you know, a ward of Mr. Edermont's"--Carver nodded--"and he has left me the Red House and two hundred a year." Mr. Carver nodded again. "But what about my own income of five hundred a year?"
"What five hundred a year?" said Carver grimly.
"The income which was left me by my parents."
"I was not aware that any income had been left to you by your parents, nor, for the matter of that--if you will excuse me--was I aware that you had any parents."
"What do you mean, sir?" asked Dora, sitting up very straight.
"Why," said the lawyer meditatively47, "it is not hard for you to gather my meaning. I never saw your parents--I never heard mention of them. All I know is that my late client arrived here with you, and shortly after his arrival purchased the Red House. You were then a year old, and as twenty years have now elapsed, it makes you twenty-one," added Mr. Carver in parenthesis48. "My late client said that you were an orphan49, Carew by name, whom he intended to bring up; but as to parents, or history, or income--I know nothing about them, absolutely nothing."
"But Mr. Edermont assured me that I had five hundred a year of my own!" stammered50 Dora, taken aback by this plain speaking. "He handed me money from time to time, and stated frequently that he was saving the rest of the income to give me when I came of age. If this is so, I ought to be entitled to at least eight thousand pounds."
"I congratulate you on your logical arguments, and on your business capabilities," said Carver with grave irony51; "but I am afraid that you are mistaken, or else that the late Mr. Edermont deceived you wilfully--a thing which I can hardly believe. I know all the details of my late client's monetary52 affairs. As I said before, I purchased for him the Red House freehold some twenty years ago--shortly after his arrival in the neighbourhood. The two hundred per annum which you inherit under the will is the rental of three farms, which I purchased at a later period for him. The silver, furniture and pictures, which you also inherit, he brought with him from his last dwelling-house. Finally, Miss Carew," added the lawyer, with the air of a man who is making a satisfactory statement, "I know precisely53 how he invested that fifty thousand pounds which, by the will, has been so foolishly offered as a reward for the discovery of the murderer of the testator. All these matters I can explain and prove, but as regards your supposititious income of five hundred pounds, I know nothing. There are," concluded Mr. Carver calmly, "neither letters, nor scrip, nor documents of any kind whatsoever54 among the papers of my late client which can in the least substantiate55 your statement, or even hint at the possibility of such a thing."
Dora listened to this long speech in silent amazement56. She had never contemplated57 the possibility of such a deception58--for now it seemed plainly a deception. Why Edermont should have told so many lies, and fostered in her a belief that she was independent as regards pecuniary59 matters, she could not understand. Carver waited for her to argue the matter, but Dora made no attempt to do this. The lawyer's explanation was so clear and decisive that she saw no reason to doubt his honesty. Besides, he had been always well-disposed towards her, and no motive could exist to induce him to deceive her.
"Then I am penniless?" she murmured in dismay. "Mr. Edermont deceived me!"
"Apparently60 he did deceive you," assented61 Mr. Carver, placing the tips of his fingers together; "but if you will permit me to remind you, Miss Carew, you are not penniless."
"I have a roof to cover me, and two hundred a year," said Dora bitterly. "True enough, Mr. Carver. But such a legacy62 is saddled with the constant companionship of Mr. Joad."
"He is scarcely a pleasant companion for a young lady, I grant, Miss Carew. But if you permit him to potter about the library and garden, I hardly think that he will trouble you much. These bookworms, dry-as-dust scholars, are so wrapped up in their books, that they rarely deign63 to notice mundane64 affairs, or the presence of youth and beauty."
Dora had her own opinion as to Mr. Joad's blindness in this direction; but as the subject was not pertinent65 to the matter under discussion, she made no remark on Carver's speech. After a few moments' thought, she looked earnestly at the lawyer.
"You are not deceiving me, Mr. Carver?" she asked imploringly66.
"I deceive no one, Miss Carew," he replied stiffly. "If you doubt my integrity, you can consult any solicitor67 you think fit, and send him to me. I can prove all my statements by means of documents signed by my late client."
"It is very hard to be so deceived, Mr. Carver."
"I grant it, I grant it," said Carver hastily; "but if you wish to be rich, I can only remind you that fifty thousand pounds is waiting for the discoverer of my late client's assassin."
"I wonder you do not earn it yourself," said Dora, rising to take her leave.
"I would willingly do so, Miss Carew, but unfortunately my knowledge of Mr. Edermont's past is confined to dry business details. I do not know the romance of his life," added Carver with emphasis. "And from the romance, whatever it was, this present trouble springs."
"Do you mean a love romance?"
"Why not?" he said, in his dryest tone. "With all due respect to you, Miss Carew, I believe that a woman is to be found at the bottom of everything. Trace back Mr. Edermont's life to his period of romance, and you will find a woman. Find that woman, Miss Carew; learn her story, and her influence on your late guardian. Then I'll guarantee you will discover the assassin of the Red House."
Dora said nothing, but hastily took leave. But once outside, Carver's words recurred69 to her. They seemed to fit in with her suspicions of Lady Burville.
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1
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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eccentricity
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| n.古怪，反常，怪癖 | |
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bequest
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| n.遗赠；遗产，遗物 | |
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riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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7
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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14
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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16
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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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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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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jeopardized
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| 危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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25
astuteness
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| n.敏锐；精明；机敏 | |
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deadlock
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| n.僵局，僵持 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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crabbed
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| adj.脾气坏的；易怒的；（指字迹）难辨认的；（字迹等）难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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estranged
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| adj.疏远的，分离的 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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41
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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42
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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43
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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45
hoarded
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| v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
saturnine
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| adj.忧郁的，沉默寡言的，阴沉的，感染铅毒的 | |
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47
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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48
parenthesis
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| n.圆括号，插入语，插曲，间歇，停歇 | |
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49
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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50
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
irony
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| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
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52
monetary
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| adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的 | |
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53
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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54
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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55
substantiate
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| v.证实；证明...有根据 | |
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56
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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57
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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58
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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59
pecuniary
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| adj.金钱的；金钱上的 | |
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60
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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61
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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63
deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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64
mundane
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| adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的 | |
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65
pertinent
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| adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的 | |
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66
imploringly
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| adv. 恳求地, 哀求地 | |
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67
solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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68
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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69
recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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