A man with a firm, resolute11 grip on himself would have checked Mr. Pless and Baron12 Umovitch at the outset of their campaign to acquire undisputed possession of all the comforts and conveniences that the castle afforded.
He would have said no to their demands that all work about the place should be regulated according to their own life-long habits, which, among other things, included lying in bed till noon, going back to bed at three for a quiet nap, and staying up all night so that they might be adequately worn out by the time they went to bed in the first place.
I mention this as a single instance of their power to over-ride me. It got to be so that when a carpenter wanted to drive a nail he had to substitute a screw and use a screw-driver, a noiseless process but an insufferable waste of time and money. Lathers13 worked four days on a job that should have been accomplished14 in as many hours. Can you imagine these expert, able-bodied men putting laths on a wall with screw-drivers?
When Elsie Hazzard, painfully aware of my annoyance16, asked the two noblemen why on earth they couldn't get up for breakfast, they coldly informed her that they were civilised human beings and not larks17.
They used my study for purposes of their own, and glared at me when I presumed to intrude18 upon their privacy. Mr. Pless took possession of this room, and here received all sorts of secret operatives engaged in the task of unearthing19 the former Mrs. Pless. Here he had as many as fifteen reports a day by messenger from all parts of the land and here he discussed every new feature of the chase as it presented itself, coolly barring me out of my sanctum sanctorum with the impassive command to knock before attempting to enter.
In spite of their acrimonious20 tilts21 over the card table, he and the baron were as thick as could be when it came to the question of the derelict countess. They maintained the strictest privacy and resented even the polite interest of their four American friends.
Finding Mr. Poopendyke at work over some typing one day, Mr. Pless peremptorily22 ordered him out of the study and subsequently complained to me about the infernal racket the fellow made with his typewriter. Just as I was on the point of telling him to go to the devil, he smilingly called my attention to a complete plan for the restoration of the two great halls as he had worked it out on paper. He had also written a personal letter, commanding the Munich firm to send their most competent expert to Schloss Rothhoefen without delay, to go over the plans with him. As I recall it, he merely referred to me as a rich American who needed advice.
They cursed my servants, drank my wines, complained of the food, and had everybody about the place doing errands for them. My butler and footman threatened to leave if they were compelled to continue to serve drinks until four in the morning; but were somewhat appeased23 when I raised their wages. Britton surreptitiously thrashed the French valet, and then had to serve Mr. Pless (to my despair) for two days while Francois took his time recovering.
The motor boat was operated as a ferry after the third day, hustling24 detectives, lawyers, messengers and newspaper correspondents back and forth25 across the much be-sung Danube. Time and again I shivered in my boots when these sly-faced detectives appeared and made their reports behind closed doors. When would they strike the trail?
To my surprise the Hazzards and the Smiths were as much in the dark as I concerning development in the great kidnapping case. The wily Mr. Pless suddenly ceased delivering his confidences to outsiders. Evidently he had been cautioned by those in charge of his affairs. He became as uncommunicative as the Sphinx.
I had the somewhat valueless satisfaction of knowing a blessed sight more about the matter than he and all of his bloodhounds put together. I could well afford to laugh, but under the extremely harassing26 conditions it was far from possible for me to get fat. As a matter of fact, it seemed to me that I was growing thinner. Mrs. Betty Billy Smith, toward the end of her visit, dolefully—almost tearfully—remarked upon my haggard appearance. She was very nice about it, too. I liked her immensely.
It did not require half an eye to see that she was thoroughly27 sick of the baron and Mr. Pless. She was really quite uncivil to them toward the end.
At last there came a day of deliverance. The guests were departing and I can truthfully say that I was speeding them.
Elsie Hazzard took me off to a remote corner, where a little later on Betty Billy and the two husbands found us.
"John, will you ever forgive me?" she said very soberly. "I swear to you I hadn't the faintest idea what it—"
"Please, please, Elsie," I broke in warmly; "don't abuse yourself in my presence. I fully15 understand everything. At least, nearly everything. What I can't understand, for the life of me, is this: how did you happen to pick up two such consummate28 bounders as these fellows are?"
"Alas29, John," said she, shaking her head, "a woman never knows much about a man until she has lived a week in the same house with him. Now you are a perfect angel."
"You've always said that," said I. "You did not have to live in the same house with me to find it out, did you?"
She ignored the question. "I shall never, never forgive myself for this awful week, John. We've talked it all over among ourselves. We are ashamed—oh, so terribly ashamed. If you can ever like us again after—"
"Like you!" I cried, taking her by the shoulders. "Why, Elsie Hazzard, I have never liked you and George half so much as I like you now. You two and the Smiths stand out like Gibraltars in my esteem30. I adore all of you. I sha'n't be happy again until I know that you four—and no more—are coming back to Schloss Rothhoefen for an indefinite stay. Good Lord, how happy we shall be!"
I said it with a great deal of feeling. The tears rushed into her eyes.
"You are a dear, John," she sighed.
"You'll come?"
"Just as soon as these pesky workmen are out of the place, I'll drop you a line," said I, immeasurably exalted32. "But I draw the line at noblemen."
"Don't worry," she said, setting her nice little white teeth. "I draw it too. Never again! Never!"
It occurred to me that here was an excellent opening for a bit of missionary33 work. Very pointedly34 I said to her: "I fancy you are willing to admit now that she wasn't such a simpleton for leaving him."
She went so far as to shudder35, all the time regarding me with dilated36 eyes. "I can't imagine anything more dreadful than being that man's wife, John."
"Then why won't you admit that you are sorry for her? Why won't you be a little just to her?"
She looked at me sharply. "Do you know her?"
"Not by a long shot," I replied hastily, and with considerable truthfulness38.
"Why are you so keen to have me take sides with her?"
"Because I did, the instant I saw that infernal cad."
She pursed her lips. It was hard for her to surrender.
"Out with it, Elsie," I commanded. "You know you've been wrong about that poor little girl. I can tell by the look in your eyes that you have switched over completely in the last four days, and so has Betty Billy."
"I can't forgive her for marrying him in the first place," she said stubbornly. "But I think she was justified39 in leaving him. As I know him now, I don't see how she endured it as long as she did. Yes, I am sorry for her. She is a dear girl and she has had a—a—"
"I'll say it, my dear: a hell of a time."
"Thank you." "And I daresay you now think she did right in taking the child, too," I persisted.
"I—I hope she gets safely away with little Rosemary, back to God's country as we are prone40 to call it. Oh, by the way, John, I don't see why I should feel bound to keep that wretch's secret any longer. He has treated us like dogs. He doesn't deserve—"
"Hold on! You're not thinking of telling me his name, are you?"
"Don't you want to know it? Don't you care to hear that you've been entertaining the most talked of, the most interesting—"
"No, I don't!"
"Don't you care to hear who it was that he married and how many millions he got from—"
"No, I don't."
"And why not?"
"Well," said I, judicially41, "in the first place I like the mystery of it all. In the second place, I don't want to know anything more about this fellow than I already know. He is enough of a horror to me, as it is, God knows, without giving a name to him. I prefer to think of him as Mr. Pless. If you don't mind, Elsie, I'll try to eradicate42 him thoroughly from my system as Pless before I take him on in any other form of evil. No, I don't want to know his name at present, nor do I care a hang who it was he married. Silly notion, I suppose, but I mean what I say."
She looked at me in wonder for a moment and then shook her head as if considering me quite hopeless. "You are an odd thing, John. God left something out when He fashioned you. I'm just dying to tell you all about them, and you won't let me."
"Is she pretty?" I asked, yielding a little.
"She is lovely. We've been really quite hateful about her, Betty and I. Down in our hearts we like her. She was a spoiled child, of course, and all that sort of thing, but heaven knows she's been pretty thoroughly made over in a new crucible43. We used to feel terribly sorry for her, even while we were deriding44 her for the fool she had made of herself in marrying him. I've seen her hundreds of times driving about alone in Vienna, where they spent two winters, a really pathetic figure, scorned not only by her husband but by every one else. He never was to be seen in public with her. He made it clear to his world that she was not to be inflicted45 upon it by any unnecessary act of his. She came to see Betty and me occasionally; always bright and proud and full of spirit, but we could see the wounds in her poor little heart no matter how hard she tried to hide them. I tell you, John, they like us as women but they despise us as wives. It will always be the same with them. They won't let us into their charmed circle. Thank God, I am married to an American. He must respect me whether he wants to or not."
"Poor little beggar," said I, without thinking of how it would sound to her; "she has had her fling, and she has paid well for it."
"If her stingy old father, who permitted her to get into the scrape, would come up like a man and pay what he ought to pay, there would be no more pother about this business. He hasn't lived up to his bargain. The—Mr. Pless has squandered46 the first million and now he wants the balance due him. A trade's a trade, John. The old man ought to pay up. He went into it with his eyes open, and I haven't an atom of sympathy for him. You have read that book of Mrs. O'Burnett's, haven't you?—'The Shuttle'? Well, there you are. This is but another example of what fools American parents can be when they get bees in their bonnets47."
She seemed to be accusing me!
"I hope she gets away safely with the kiddie," said I, non-committally.
"I shouldn't be surprised," said I.
The Billy Smiths and George Hazzard came up at this juncture49. Elsie at once proceeded to go into a long series of conjectures50 as to the probable whereabouts of Mr. Pless's former wife and their child. I was immensely gratified to find that they were now undivided in their estimate of Mr. Pless and firmly allied51 on the side of the missing countess.
I gathered from their remarks that the young woman's mother and brothers were still in Paris, where their every movement was being watched by secret agents. They were awaiting the arrival from New York of the father of the countess, after which they were to come to Vienna for the purpose of making a determined52 fight for the daughter's absolute freedom and the custody53 of the child.
Somehow this news gave me a strange feeling of apprehension54, a sensation that later on was to be amply justified.
I daresay an historian less punctilious55 about the truth than I propose to be, would, at this stage of the narrative56, insert a whopping lie for the sake of effect, or "action," or "heart interest," as such things are called in the present world of letters. He would enliven his tale by making Mr. Pless do something sensational57 while he was about it, such as yanking his erstwhile companion out of her place of hiding by the hair of her head, or kicking down all the barricades58 about the place, or fighting a duel59 with me, or—well, there is no end of things he might do for the sake of a "situation." But I am a person of veracity60 and the truth is in me. Mr. Pless did none of these interesting things, so why should I say that he did?
He went away with the others at half-past eleven, and that was the end of his first visit to my domain61. For fear that you, kind reader, may be disappointed, I make haste to assure you that he was to come again.
Of course there was more or less turmoil62 and—I might say disaffection—attending his departure. He raised Cain with my servants because they did this and that when they shouldn't have done either; he (and the amiable63 baron) took me to task for having neglected to book compartments64 for them in the Orient Express; he insisted upon having a luncheon65 put up in a tea basket and taken to the railway station by Britton, and he saw to it personally that three or four bottles of my best wine were neatly66 packed in with the rest. He said three or four, but Britton is firm in his belief that there was nearer a dozen, judging by the weight.
He also contrived67 to have Mr. Poopendyke purchase first-class railway tickets for him and the baron, and then forgot to settle for them. It amounted to something like four hundred and fifty kronen, if I remember correctly. He took away eleven hundred and sixty-five dollars of my money, besides, genially68 acquired at roulette, and I dread37 to think of what he and the baron took out of my four friends at auction69 bridge.
I will say this for him: he was the smartest aristocrat70 I've ever known.
Need I add that the Hazzards and the Smiths travelled second-class?
"Well, thank the Lord!" said I, as the ferry put off with the party, leaving me alone on the little landing. The rotten timbers seemed to echo the sentiment. At the top of the steep all the Schmicks were saying it, too; in the butler's pantry it was also being said; a score of workmen were grunting71 it; and the windlass that drew me up the hill was screaming it in wild, discordant72 glee. I repeated it once more when Britton returned from town and assured me that they had not missed the train.
"That's what I'd like to say, sir," said he.
"Well, say it," said I. And he said it so vociferously73 that I know it must have been heard in the remotest corners of heaven.
The merry song of the hammer and the sweet rasp of the saw greeted my delighted ear as I entered the castle. Men were singing and whistling for all they were worth; the air was full of music. It was not unlike the grand transformation74 scene in the pantomime when all that has been gloom and despondency gives way in the flash of an eye to elysian splendour and dazzling gaiety. 'Pon my soul, I never felt so exuberant75 in all my life. The once nerve-racking clangour was like the soothing76 strains of an invisible orchestra to my delighted senses. Ha! Ha! What a merry old world it is, after all!
Nearing my study, I heard an almost forgotten noise: the blithe77, incessant78 crackle of a typewriting machine. Never have I heard one rattle79 so rapidly or with such utter garrulousness80.
I looked in at the door. Over in his corner by the window Poopendyke was at work, his lanky81 figure hunched82 over the key-board, his head enveloped83 in clouds from a busy pipe, for all the world like a tugboat smothering84 in its own low-lying smoke. Sheets of paper were strewn about the floor. Even as I stood there hesitating, he came to the end of a sheet and jerked it out of the machine with such a resounding85 snap that the noise startled me. He was having the time of his life!
Conrad, grinning from ear to ear, was waiting for me outside my bedroom door late in the day. He saluted88 me with unusual cordiality.
"A note, mein herr," said he, and handed me a dainty little pearl-grey envelope. He waited while I read the missive.
He bowed and scraped himself away; somehow he seemed to have grown younger by decades. It was in the air to be young and care-free. I read the note again and felt almost boyish. Then I went up to my room, got out my gayest raiment without shame or compunction, dressed with especial regard for lively effects, and hied me forth to carry sunshine into the uttermost recesses90 of my castle.
The Countess welcomed me with a radiant smile. We shook hands.
"Well, he has gone," said I, drawing a deep breath.
"Thank the Lord," said she, and then I knew that the symphony was complete. We all had sung it.
It must not be supposed for an instant that I had been guilty of neglecting my lovely charge during that season of travail91 and despair. No, indeed! I had visited her every day as a matter of precaution. She required a certain amount of watching.
I do not hesitate to say at this time that she seemed to be growing lovelier every day. In a hundred little ways she was changing, not only in appearance but in manner.
Now, to be perfectly92 frank about it, I can't explain just what these little changes were—that is, not in so many words—but they were quite as pronounced as they were subtle. I may risk mentioning an improvement in her method of handling me. She was not taking quite so much for granted as she did at first. She was much more humble93 and considerate, I remarked; instead of bullying94 me into things she now cajoled me; instead of making demands upon my patience and generosity95, she rather hesitated about putting me to the least trouble. She wasn't so arrogant96, nor so hard to manage. In a nutshell, I may say with some satisfaction, she was beginning to show a surprising amount of respect for me and my opinions. Where once she had done as she pleased, she now did so only after asking my advice and permission, both of which I gave freely as a gentleman should. Fundamentally she was all right. It was only in a superficial sort of way that she fell short of being ideal. She really possessed97 a very sweet, lovely nature. I thought I could see the making of a very fine woman in her.
I do not say that she was perfect or ever could be, but she might come very close to it if she went on improving as she did every day. As a matter of fact, I found an immense amount of analytical98 pleasure in studying the changes that attended the metamorphosis. It seemed to my eager imagination that she was being translated before my eyes; developing into a serious, sensible, unselfish person with a soul preparing to mount higher than self. Her voice seemed to be softer, sweeter; the satirical note had disappeared almost entirely99, and with it went the forced raillery that had been so pronounced at the beginning of our acquaintance.
Her devotion to Rosemary was wonderful to see. By the way, while I think of it, the child was quite adorable. She was learning to pronounce my name, and getting nearer and nearer to it every day. At the time of which I now write she was calling me (with great enthusiasm), by the name of "Go-go," which, reduced to aboriginal100 American, means "Man-with-the-Strong-Arm-Who-Carries-Baby."
"It is very nice of you to ask me up to dine with you," said I.
"Isn't it about time I was doing something for you in return for all that you have done for me?" she inquired gaily101. "We are having a particularly nice dinner this evening, and I thought you'd enjoy a change."
"A change?" said I, with a laugh. "As if we haven't been eating out of the same kettle for days!"
"Nevertheless, speaking of food," said I, "it may interest you to know that I expected to have rather a sumptuous103 repast of my own to celebrate the deliverance. A fine plump pheasant, prepared a la Oscar, corn fritters like mother used to make, potatoes picard,—"
I stared. "How in the world did you guess?"
She laughed in pure delight, and I began to understand. By the Lord Harry105, the amazing creature was inviting106 me to eat my own dinner in her salle manger! "Well, may I be hanged! You do beat the Dutch!"
She was wearing a wonderful dinner gown of Irish lace, and she fairly sparkled with diamonds. There was no ornament107 in her brown hair, however, nor were her little pink ears made hideous108 by ear-rings. Her face was a jewel sufficient unto itself. I had never seen her in an evening gown before. The effect was really quite ravishing. As I looked at her standing109 there by the big oak table, I couldn't help thinking that the Count was not only a scoundrel but all kinds of a fool.
"No, indeed!" She did not explain any farther than that, but somehow I knew that money isn't everything to a servant after all. "I hope you don't mind my borrowing your butler and footman for the evening," she went on. "Not that we really need two to serve two, but it seems so much more like a function, as the newspapers would call it."
It was my turn to say "No, indeed."
"And now you must come in and kiss Rosemary good night," she said, glancing at my great Amsterdam clock in the corner.
We went into the nursery. It was past Rosemary's bedtime by nearly an hour and the youngster was having great difficulty in keeping awake. She managed to put her arms around my neck when I took her up from the bed, all tucked away in her warm little nightie, and sleepily presented her own little throat for me to kiss, that particular spot being where the honey came from in her dispensation of sweets.
I was full of exuberance113. An irresistible114 impulse to do a jig115 seized upon me. To my own intense amazement116, and to Blake's horror, I began to dance about the room like a clumsy kangaroo. Rosemary shrieked117 delightedly into my ear and I danced the harder for that. The Countess, recovering from her surprise, cried out in laughter and began to clap time with her hands. Blake forgot herself and sat down rather heavily on the edge of the bed. I think the poor woman's knees gave way under her.
Whereupon the girl that was left in the Countess rose to the occasion and she pirouetted with graceful119 abandon before me, in amazing contrast to my jumping-jack efforts. Only Blake's reserved and somewhat dampening admonition brought me to my senses.
"Please don't drop the child, Mr. Smart," she said. I had the great satisfaction of hearing Rosemary cry when I delivered her up to Blake and started to slink out of the room in the wake of my warm-cheeked hostess. "You would be a wonderful father, sir," said Blake, relenting a little.
I had the grace to say, "Oh, pshaw!" and then got out while the illusion was still alive. (As I've said before, I do not like a crying baby.)
It was the most wonderful dinner in the world, notwithstanding it was served on a kitchen table moved into the living room for the occasion. Imposing120 candelabra adorned121 the four corners of the table and the very best plate in the castle was put to use. There were roses in the centre of the board, a huge bowl of short-stemmed Marechal Niel beauties. The Countess's chair was pulled out by my stately butler, Hawkes; mine by the almost equally imposing footman, and we faced each other across the bowl of roses and lifted an American cocktail122 to the health of those who were about to sit down to the feast. I think it was one of the best cocktails123 I've ever tasted. The Countess admitted having made it herself, but wasn't quite sure whether she used the right ingredients or the correct proportions. She asked me what I thought of it.
"It is the best Manhattan I've ever tasted," said I, warmly.
Her eyes wavered. Also, I think, her faith in me. "It was meant to be a Martini," she said sorrowfully.
Then we both sat down. Was it possible that the corners of Hawkes' mouth twitched124? I don't suppose I shall ever know.
My sherry was much better than I thought, too. It was deliciously oily. The champagne125? But that came later, so why anticipate a joy with realisation staring one in the face?
We began with a marvellous hors-d'oeuvres. Then a clear soup, a fish aspec, a—Why rhapsodise? Let it be sufficient if I say that in discussing the Aladdin-like feast I secretly and faithfully promised my chef a material increase in wages. I had never suspected him of being such a genius, nor myself of being such a Pantegruelian disciple126. I must mention the alligator pear salad. For three weeks I had been trying to buy alligator pears in the town hard by. These came from Paris. The chef had spoken to me about them that morning, asking me when I had ordered them. Inasmuch as I had not ordered them at all, I couldn't satisfy his curiosity. My first thought was that Elsie Hazzard, remembering my fondness for the vegetable—it is a vegetable, isn't it?—had sent off for them in order to surprise me. It seems, however, that Elsie had nothing whatever to do with it. The Countess had ordered them for me through her mother, who was in Paris at the time. Also she had ordered a quantity of Parisian strawberries of the hot-house, one-franc-apiece variety, and a basket of peaches. At the risk of being called penurious127, I confess that I was immensely relieved when I learned that these precious jewels in the shape of fruit had been paid for in advance by the opulent mother of the Countess.
"Have I told you, Mr. Smart, that I am expecting my mother here to visit me week after next?"
She tactfully put the question to me at a time when I was so full of contentment that nothing could have depressed128 me. I must confess, however, that I was guilty of gulping129 my champagne a little noisily. The question came with the salad course.
"You don't say so!" I exclaimed, quite cheerfully.
"That is to say, she is coming if you think you can manage it quite safely."
"I manage it? My dear Countess, why speak of managing a thing that is so obviously to be desired?"
"You don't understand. Can you smuggle130 her into the castle without any one knowing a thing about it? You see, she is being watched every minute of the time by detectives, spies, secret agents, lawyers, and Heaven knows who else. The instant she leaves Paris, bang! It will be like the starter's shot in a race. They will be after her like a streak131. And if you are not very, very clever they will play hob with everything."
"Then why run the risk?" I ventured.
"My two brothers are coming with her," she said reassuringly132. "They are such big, strong fellows that—"
"No, no, I quite understand. It is cunning, strategy, caution, and all that sort of thing. But I will let you know in ample time, so that you may be prepared."
"You are so wonderfully ingenious at working out plots and conspiracies135 in your books, Mr. Smart, that I am confident you can manage everything beautifully."
Blatchford was removing my salad plate. A spasm136 of alarm came over me. I had quite forgotten the two men. The look of warning I gave her brought forth a merry, amused smile.
"Don't hesitate to speak before Blatchford and Hawkes," she said, to my astonishment137. "They are to be trusted implicitly138. Isn't it true, Hawkes?"
"It is, Madam," said he.
"Do you mean to say, Countess, that—"
"It has all been quite satisfactorily attended to through Mr. Poopendyke," she said. "He consulted me before definitely engaging any one, Mr. Smart, and I referred him to my lawyers in Vienna. I do hope Hawkes and Blatchford and Henri, the chef, are quite satisfactory to you. They were recently employed by some one in the British embassy at—"
"Pray rest easy, Countess," I managed to say, interrupting out of consideration for Hawkes and Blatchford, who, I thought, might feel uncomfortable at hearing themselves discussed so impersonally139. "Everything is most satisfactory. I did not realise that I had you to thank for my present mental and gastronomical140 comfort. You have surrounded me with diadems141."
"And now let us talk about something else," she said complacently143, as if the project of getting the rest of her family into the castle were already off her mind. "I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your last book, Mr. Smart. It is so exciting. Why do you call it 'The Fairest of the Fair'?"
"Because my publisher insisted on substituting that title for the one I had chosen myself. I'll admit that it doesn't fit the story, my dear Countess, but what is an author to do when his publisher announces that he has a beautiful head of a girl he wants to put on the cover and that the title must fit the cover, so to speak?"
"But I don't consider it a beautiful head, Mr. Smart. A very flashy blonde with all the earmarks of having posed in the chorus between the days when she posed for your artist. And your heroine has very dark hair in the book. Why did they make her a blonde on the cover?"
"Because they didn't happen to have anything but blonde pictures in stock," said I, cheerfully. "A little thing like that doesn't matter, when it comes to literature, my dear Countess. It isn't the hair that counts. It's the hat."
"But I should think it would confuse the reader," she insisted. "The last picture in the book has her with inky black hair, while in all the others she is quite blonde."
"A really intelligent reader doesn't have to be told that the artist changed his model before he got to the last picture," said I, and I am quite confident she didn't hear me grate my teeth.
"But the critics must have noticed the error and commented upon it."
"My dear Countess, the critics never see the last picture in a book. They are much too clever for that."
She pondered. "I suppose they must get horribly sick of all the books they have to read."
"And they never have a chance to experience the delicious period of convalescence144 that persons with less chronic145 afflictions have to look forward to," said I, very gently. "They go from one disease to another, poor chaps."
"I once knew an author at Newport who said he hated every critic on earth," she said.
"I should think he might," said I, without hesitation146. It was not until the next afternoon that she got the full significance of the remark.
As I never encourage any one who seeks to discuss my stories with me, being a modest chap with a flaw in my vanity, she abandoned the subject after a few ineffectual attempts to find out how I get my plots, how I write my books, and how I keep from losing my mind.
"Would you be entertained by a real mystery?" she asked, leaning toward me with a gleam of excitement in her eyes. Very promptly147 I said I should be. We were having our coffee. Hawkes and Blatchford had left the room. "Well, tradition says that one of the old barons148 buried a vast treasure in the cellar of this—"
"Stop!" I commanded, shaking my head. "Haven't I just said that I don't want to talk about literature? Buried treasure is the very worst form of literature."
"Very well," she said indignantly. "You will be sorry when you hear I've dug it up and made off with it."
"I am," she said resolutely150.
"In those dark, dank, grewsome cellars?"
"Certainly."
"Alone?"
"If necessary," she said, looking at me over the edge of the coffee cup.
"Tell me all about it," said I.
"Oh, we sha'n't find it, of course," said she calmly. I made note of the pronoun. "They've been searching for it for two centuries without success. My—that is, Mr. Pless has spent days down there. He is very hard-up, you know. It would come in very handy for him."
I glowered151. "I'm glad he's gone. I don't like the idea of his looking for treasures in my castle."
She gave me a smile for that.
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pliable
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exacting
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tenacity
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| v.使模糊，使混乱( obfuscate的过去式和过去分词 )；使糊涂 | |
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equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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7
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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8
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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9
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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11
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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12
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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13
lathers
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| n.肥皂泡( lather的名词复数 )；紧张；激动；（马的）汗沫v.（指肥皂）形成泡沫( lather的第三人称单数 )；用皂沫覆盖；狠狠地打 | |
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14
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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15
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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16
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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17
larks
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| n.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的名词复数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了v.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的第三人称单数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了 | |
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18
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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19
unearthing
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| 发掘或挖出某物( unearth的现在分词 )； 搜寻到某事物，发现并披露 | |
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20
acrimonious
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| adj.严厉的，辛辣的，刻毒的 | |
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21
tilts
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| （意欲赢得某物或战胜某人的）企图，尝试( tilt的名词复数 ) | |
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22
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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23
appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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24
hustling
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| 催促（hustle的现在分词形式） | |
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25
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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26
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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27
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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28
consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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29
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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30
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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31
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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32
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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33
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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34
pointedly
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| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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35
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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36
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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38
truthfulness
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| n. 符合实际 | |
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39
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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40
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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41
judicially
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| 依法判决地，公平地 | |
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42
eradicate
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| v.根除，消灭，杜绝 | |
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43
crucible
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| n.坩锅，严酷的考验 | |
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44
deriding
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的现在分词 ) | |
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45
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
squandered
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| v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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48
bug
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| n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器 | |
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49
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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50
conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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51
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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52
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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53
custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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54
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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55
punctilious
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| adj.谨慎的，谨小慎微的 | |
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56
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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57
sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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58
barricades
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| 路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 ) | |
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59
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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60
veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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61
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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62
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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63
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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64
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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65
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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66
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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67
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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68
genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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69
auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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70
aristocrat
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| n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物 | |
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71
grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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72
discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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73
vociferously
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| adv.喊叫地，吵闹地 | |
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74
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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75
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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76
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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77
blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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78
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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79
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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80
garrulousness
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81
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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82
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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83
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
smothering
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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85
resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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86
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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87
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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88
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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89
aglow
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| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
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90
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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91
travail
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| n.阵痛；努力 | |
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92
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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93
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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94
bullying
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| v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈 | |
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95
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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96
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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97
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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98
analytical
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| adj.分析的；用分析法的 | |
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99
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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100
aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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101
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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102
squelched
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| v.发吧唧声，发扑哧声( squelch的过去式和过去分词 )；制止；压制；遏制 | |
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103
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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104
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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105
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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106
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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107
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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108
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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109
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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110
bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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111
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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112
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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113
exuberance
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| n.丰富；繁荣 | |
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114
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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115
jig
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| n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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116
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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117
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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118
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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119
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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120
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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121
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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122
cocktail
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| n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物 | |
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123
cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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124
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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125
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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126
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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127
penurious
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| adj.贫困的 | |
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128
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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129
gulping
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的现在分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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130
smuggle
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| vt.私运；vi.走私 | |
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131
streak
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| 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 | |
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132
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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133
deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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134
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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135
conspiracies
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| n.阴谋，密谋( conspiracy的名词复数 ) | |
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136
spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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137
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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138
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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139
impersonally
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| ad.非人称地 | |
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140
gastronomical
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| adj.美食法的，美食学的 | |
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141
diadems
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| n.王冠，王权，带状头饰( diadem的名词复数 ) | |
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142
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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143
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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145
chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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146
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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147
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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148
barons
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| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
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149
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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150
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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151
glowered
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| v.怒视( glower的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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