“Try that Damascus settee,” said the master of the house, as he threw himself into a rocking-chair. “It is from the Sultan's upholsterer. The Turks have a very good notion of comfort. I am a confirmed smoker11 myself, Mr. McIntyre, so I have been able, perhaps, to check my architect here more than in most of the other departments. Of pictures, for example, I know nothing, as you would very speedily find out. On a tobacco, I might, perhaps, offer an opinion. Now these”—he drew out some long, beautifully-rolled, mellow-coloured cigars—“these are really something a little out of the common. Do try one.”
Robert lit the weed which was offered to him, and leaned back luxuriously12 amid his cushions, gazing through the blue balmy fragrant13 cloud-wreaths at the extraordinary man in the dirty pea-jacket who spoke14 of millions as another might of sovereigns. With his pale face, his sad, languid air, and his bowed shoulders, it was as though he were crushed down under the weight of his own gold. There was a mute apology, an attitude of deprecation in his manner and speech, which was strangely at variance15 with the immense power which he wielded16. To Robert the whole whimsical incident had been intensely interesting and amusing. His artistic18 nature blossomed out in this atmosphere of perfect luxury and comfort, and he was conscious of a sense of repose19 and of absolute sensual contentment such as he had never before experienced.
“Shall it be coffee, or Rhine wine, or Tokay, or perhaps something stronger,” asked Raffles20 Haw, stretching out his hand to what looked like a piano-board projecting from the wall. “I can recommend the Tokay. I have it from the man who supplies the Emperor of Austria, though I think I may say that I get the cream of it.”
He struck twice upon one of the piano-notes, and sat expectant. With a sharp click at the end of ten seconds a sliding shutter21 flew open, and a small tray protruded22 bearing two long tapering23 Venetian glasses filled with wine.
“It works very nicely,” said Raffles Haw. “It is quite a new thing—never before done, as far as I know. You see the names of the various wines and so on printed on the notes. By pressing the note down I complete an electric circuit which causes the tap in the cellars beneath to remain open long enough to fill the glass which always stands beneath it. The glasses, you understand, stand upon a revolving24 drum, so that there must always be one there. The glasses are then brought up through a pneumatic tube, which is set working by the increased weight of the glass when the wine is added to it. It is a pretty little idea. But I am afraid that I bore you rather with all these petty contrivances. It is a whim17 of mine to push mechanism25 as far as it will go.”
“On the contrary, I am filled with interest and wonder,” said Robert warmly. “It is as if I had been suddenly whipped up out of prosaic26 old England and transferred in an instant to some enchanted27 palace, some Eastern home of the Genii. I could not have believed that there existed upon this earth such adaptation of means to an end, such complete mastery of every detail which may aid in stripping life of any of its petty worries.”
“I have something yet to show you,” remarked Raffles Haw; “but we will rest here for a few minutes, for I wished to have a word with you. How is the cigar?”
“Most excellent.”
“It was rolled in Louisiana in the old slavery days. There is nothing made like them now. The man who had them did not know their value. He let them go at merely a few shillings apiece. Now I want you to do me a favour, Mr. McIntyre.”
“I shall be so glad.”
“You can see more or less how I am situated29. I am a complete stranger here. With the well-to-do classes I have little in common. I am no society man. I don't want to call or be called on. I am a student in a small way, and a man of quiet tastes. I have no social ambitions at all. Do you understand?”
“On the other hand, my experience of the world has been that it is the rarest thing to be able to form a friendship with a poorer man—I mean with a man who is at all eager to increase his income. They think much of your wealth, and little of yourself. I have tried, you understand, and I know.” He paused and ran his fingers through his thin beard.
Robert McIntyre nodded to show that he appreciated his position.
“Now, you see,” he continued, “if I am to be cut off from the rich by my own tastes, and from those who are not rich by my distrust of their motives31, my situation is an isolated32 one. Not that I mind isolation33: I am used to it. But it limits my field of usefulness. I have no trustworthy means of informing myself when and where I may do good. I have already, I am glad to say, met a man to-day, your vicar, who appears to be thoroughly34 unselfish and trustworthy. He shall be one of my channels of communication with the outer world. Might I ask you whether you would be willing to become another?”
“With the greatest pleasure,” said Robert eagerly.
The proposition filled his heart with joy, for it seemed to give him an almost official connection with this paradise of a house. He could not have asked for anything more to his taste.
“I was fortunate enough to discover by your conversation how high a ground you take in such matters, and how entirely disinterested35 you are. You may have observed that I was short and almost rude with you at first. I have had reason to fear and suspect all chance friendships. Too often they have proved to be carefully planned beforehand, with some sordid36 object in view. Good heavens, what stories I could tell you! A lady pursued by a bull—I have risked my life to save her, and have learned afterwards that the scene had been arranged by the mother as an effective introduction, and that the bull had been hired by the hour. But I won't shake your faith in human nature. I have had some rude shocks myself. I look, perhaps, with a jaundiced eye on all who come near me. It is the more needful that I should have one whom I can trust to advise me.”
“If you will only show me where my opinion can be of any use I shall be most happy,” said Robert. “My people come from Birmingham, but I know most of the folk here and their position.”
“That is just what I want. Money can do so much good, and it may do so much harm. I shall consult you when I am in doubt. By the way, there is one small question which I might ask you now. Can you tell me who a young lady is with very dark hair, grey eyes, and a finely chiselled37 face? She wore a blue dress when I saw her, with astrachan about her neck and cuffs38.”
“I know that dress pretty well,” he said. “It is my sister Laura whom you describe.”
“Your sister! Really! Why, there is a resemblance, now that my attention is called to it. I saw her the other day, and wondered who she might be. She lives with you, of course?”
“Yes; my father, she, and I live together at Elmdene.”
“Where I hope to have the pleasure of making their acquaintance. You have finished your cigar? Have another, or try a pipe. To the real smoker all is mere28 trifling40 save the pipe. I have most brands of tobacco here. The lockers are filled on the Monday, and on Saturday they are handed over to the old folk at the alms-houses, so I manage to keep it pretty fresh always. Well, if you won't take anything else, perhaps you would care to see one or two of the other effects which I have devised. On this side is the armoury, and beyond it the library. My collection of books is a limited one; there are just over the fifty thousand volumes. But it is to some extent remarkable41 for quality. I have a Visigoth Bible of the fifth century, which I rather fancy is unique; there is a 'Biblia Pauperum' of 1430; a MS. of Genesis done upon mulberry leaves, probably of the second century; a 'Tristan and Iseult' of the eighth century; and some hundred black-letters, with five very fine specimens42 of Schoffer and Fust. But those you may turn over any wet afternoon when you have nothing better to do. Meanwhile, I have a little device connected with this smoking-room which may amuse you. Light this other cigar. Now sit with me upon this lounge which stands at the further end of the room.”
The sofa in question was in a niche43 which was lined in three sides and above with perfectly44 clear transparent45 crystal. As they sat down the master of the house drew a cord which pulled out a crystal shutter behind them, so that they were enclosed on all sides in a great box of glass, so pure and so highly polished that its presence might very easily be forgotten. A number of golden cords with crystal handles hung down into this small chamber, and appeared to be connected with a long shining bar outside.
“Now, where would you like to smoke your cigar?” said Raffles Haw, with a twinkle in his demure46 eyes. “Shall we go to India, or to Egypt, or to China, or to—”
“To South America,” said Robert.
There was a twinkle, a whirr, and a sense of motion. The young artist gazed about him in absolute amazement47. Look where he would all round were tree-ferns and palms with long drooping48 creepers, and a blaze of brilliant orchids49. Smoking-room, house, England, all were gone, and he sat on a settee in the heart of a virgin50 forest of the Amazon. It was no mere optical delusion51 or trick. He could see the hot steam rising from the tropical undergrowth, the heavy drops falling from the huge green leaves, the very grain and fibre of the rough bark which clothed the trunks. Even as he gazed a green mottled snake curled noiselessly over a branch above his head, and a bright-coloured paroquet broke suddenly from amid the foliage52 and flashed off among the tree-trunks. Robert gazed around, speechless with surprise, and finally turned upon his host a face in which curiosity was not un-mixed with a suspicion of fear.
“People have been burned for less, have they not?” cried Raffles Haw laughing heartily53. “Have you had enough of the Amazon? What do you say to a spell of Egypt?”
Again the whirr, the swift flash of passing objects, and in an instant a huge desert stretched on every side of them, as far as the eye could reach. In the foreground a clump54 of five palm-trees towered into the air, with a profusion of rough cactus-like plants bristling55 from their base. On the other side rose a rugged56, gnarled, grey monolith, carved at the base into a huge scarabaeus. A group of lizards57 played about on the surface of the old carved stone. Beyond, the yellow sand stretched away into furthest space, where the dim mirage58 mist played along the horizon.
“Mr. Haw, I cannot understand it!” Robert grasped the velvet59 edge of the settee, and gazed wildly about him.
“The effect is rather startling, is it not? This Egyptian desert is my favourite when I lay myself out for a contemplative smoke. It seems strange that tobacco should have come from the busy, practical West. It has much more affinity60 for the dreamy, languid East. But perhaps you would like to run over to China for a change?”
“Not to-day,” said Robert, passing his hand over his forehead. “I feel rather confused by all these wonders, and indeed I think that they have affected61 my nerves a little. Besides, it is time that I returned to my prosaic Elmdene, if I can find my way out of this wilderness62 to which you have transplanted me. But would you ease my mind, Mr. Haw, by showing me how this thing is done?”
“It is the merest toy—a complex plaything, nothing more. Allow me to explain. I have a line of very large greenhouses which extends from one end of my smoking-room. These different houses are kept at varying degrees of heat and humidity so as to reproduce the exact climates of Egypt, China, and the rest. You see, our crystal chamber is a tramway running with a minimum of friction63 along a steel rod. By pulling this or that handle I regulate how far it shall go, and it travels, as you have seen, with amazing speed. The effect of my hot-houses is heightened by the roofs being invariably concealed64 by skies, which are really very admirably painted, and by the introduction of birds and other creatures, which seem to flourish quite as well in artificial as in natural heat. This explains the South American effect.”
“But not the Egyptian.”
“No. It is certainly rather clever. I had the best man in France, at least the best at those large effects, to paint in that circular background. You understand, the palms, cacti65, obelisk66, and so on, are perfectly genuine, and so is the sand for fifty yards or so, and I defy the keenest-eyed man in England to tell where the deception67 commences. It is the familiar and perhaps rather meretricious68 effect of a circular panorama69, but carried out in the most complete manner. Was there any other point?”
“The crystal box? Why was it?”
“To preserve my guests from the effects of the changes of temperature. It would be a poor kindness to bring them back to my smoking-room drenched70 through, and with the seeds of a violent cold. The crystal has to be kept warm, too, otherwise vapour would deposit, and you would have your view spoiled. But must you really go? Then here we are back in the smoking-room. I hope that it will not be your last visit by many a one. And if I may come down to Elmdene I should be very glad to do so. This is the way through the museum.”
As Robert McIntyre emerged from the balmy aromatic71 atmosphere of the great house, into the harsh, raw, biting air of an English winter evening, he felt as though he had been away for a long visit in some foreign country. Time is measured by impressions, and so vivid and novel had been his feelings, that weeks and weeks might have elapsed since his chat with the smoke-grimed stranger in the road. He walked along with his head in a whirl, his whole mind possessed72 and intoxicated73 by the one idea of the boundless74 wealth and the immense power of this extraordinary stranger. Small and sordid and mean seemed his own Elmdene as he approached it, and he passed over its threshold full of restless discontent against himself and his surroundings.
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1
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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7
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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8
cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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lockers
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| n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 ) | |
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10
scrolled
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| adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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11
smoker
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| n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室 | |
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luxuriously
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| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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13
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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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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15
variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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17
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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20
raffles
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| n.抽彩售物( raffle的名词复数 )v.以抽彩方式售（物）( raffle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
shutter
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| n.百叶窗；(照相机)快门；关闭装置 | |
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protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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24
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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25
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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prosaic
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| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
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27
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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28
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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32
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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37
chiselled
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| adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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38
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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41
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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42
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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43
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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44
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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45
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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46
demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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47
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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48
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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49
orchids
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| n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 ) | |
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50
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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51
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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52
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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53
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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54
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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55
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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56
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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57
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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58
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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59
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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60
affinity
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| n.亲和力，密切关系 | |
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61
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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62
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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63
friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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64
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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65
cacti
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| n.（复）仙人掌 | |
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66
obelisk
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| n.方尖塔 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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68
meretricious
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| adj.华而不实的，俗艳的 | |
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69
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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70
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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71
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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72
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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73
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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74
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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