Before leaving the house, Darrow summoned Jack1 Warford.
"Come on, old bulldog," said he. "You're to live with me a while now. The game is closing down."
"Bully," said Jack. "I'll pack a suit case."
"Have it done for you, and sent down to my place. We must hustle2 for the Atlas3 Building now."
"What's doing?" asked Jack, as they boarded a surface car.
"Absolutely nothing--for some time perhaps. But we must be ready. And the waiting will be amusing, I promise you that."
When they arrived at the Atlas Building, Darrow was surprised to find Simmons already in charge of the office.
"Thought you were on night duty," said he.
"I am," replied Simmons curtly4. "But judging by what you said this morning, I considered I'd better be on the job myself."
"Good boy," approved Darrow. "I see I've made no mistake in you. Just stick it out twelve hours more, and we'll have it settled. Anything more?"
Simmons thrust a message across the table.
Darrow took it quite calmly. At this moment Hallowell entered.
"What time did this come?" asked Darrow, nodding to the reporter.
"At twelve thirty."
Darrow nodded twice with great satisfaction.
Then quite deliberately5 he unfolded the paper and perused6 its contents. Without change of expression he handed it to Hallowell. The latter read aloud:
"TO THE PEOPLE: A traitor7 is among you--one who has betrayed you, one and all, but whom you cherish to your bosoms8 as a viper9. I, who am greater than you all, have laid my commands upon him, and he has seen fit to disobey. He is now in hiding among you. This man must be produced. I would not willingly harass10 you, but this, my will, must be carried out. If he is not found by six to-morrow a sign will be sent to you that you may believe. I am patient, but I must be obeyed."
"Now, what do you think of that!" cried Hallowell. "He doesn't even mention the name of his friend to the dear people who are to hunt him down! Fine dope!"
Darrow's face expressed a sleepy satisfaction. He stretched his arms and yawned.
"You might supply the deficiency," he suggested. "Well," he remarked to Jack, "that settles it. Everything's running like a catboat in a fair wind. He's in communication with us; he is gaining confidence in his inflated11 imaginary importance; we are to have a continuance of his peculiar12 activities; and we can put our hands on him at a moment's notice."
"What!" shouted Hallowell and Jack Warford, leaping to their feet.
"Where is he?" demanded the reporter.
"How do you know?" cried Jack.
Simmons, his head-piece laid aside, looked up at him in silent curiosity.
"It is sufficient for now that I do know," smiled Darrow. "As for how I know, that last wireless13 proved it to me."
All three men immediately bent15 over the message for a detailed16 perusal17. After a minute's scrutiny18, Hallowell looked up in disappointment.
"Too many for me," he confessed. "What is there in that?"
But Darrow shook his head.
"I play my own game," was all the explanation he would vouchsafe19.
"You may as well knock off, old man," he told Simmons. "I don't think there'll be anything more doing to-night; and it doesn't matter if there is. Tell your other man to jot20 down anything from that sending, if any comes. Now," he turned to Hallowell, "I want to see your managing editor."
The three took the subway to City Hall Square. The managing editor received Darrow with much favor as the vehicle of a big scoop21 brought in far enough ahead of going to press to permit of ample time for its development.
"Now, Mr. Curtis," said Darrow to this man, "this is going to be an interesting week for you. Here's your last exclusive despatch22. From to-morrow morning every paper in town will naturally get every wireless that comes in."
"H'm," observed Curtis, reading the despatch. "What next?"
"He'll fulfil his threat. To-morrow evening at six o'clock he will stop the vibrations23 either of light, of electricity, or of sound--probably of electricity, as he has appointed the rush hour."
"Most likely," Curtis agreed.
"Warn the people to keep out of the subways, and not to get scared. Take it easy. There's no danger. Explain why in words of one syllable25."
"Sure."
"Now, this is what I'm here for. Up to now these manifestations26 have been harmless in their direct effects. But follow the hypothesis to its logical conclusion. Suppose this man can arrest the vibrations not only of light and sound, but also of the third member of the vibratory trinity. Suppose he should go one step farther; and, even for the barest fraction of time, should be able to stop the vibrations of heat!"
The managing editor half rose. As the idea in its full significance gained hold on their imaginations the three men turned to stare blankly at one another.
"That is annihilation!" Curtis whispered.
"On a wholesale28 scale," agreed Darrow calmly. "It means the death of every living thing from the smallest insect to the largest animal, from the microbe to the very lichens29 on the stones of Trinity. I agree with the way you look." He laughed a little. "But the case isn't so bad as it sounds," he went on. "If the crust of the earth were to collapse30, that would be annihilation, too. But it isn't likely to happen. There are several things to think of."
"What, for the love of Pete!" gasped31 Curtis. "Any small efforts at muck-racking this refrigerator trust would be thankfully received."
"In the first place, as you know," explained Darrow," his power seems to be limited in certain directions. He apparently32 can stop vibrations only of certain defined wave-lengths at one time. It may be that he is unable to stop heat vibrations at all."
"You'll have to do better than that," growled33 Curtis.
"The rest is faith--on your part," replied Darrow. "For I'll guarantee that even if Monsieur X has this power, I'll stop him before he exercises it."
"Guarantee?" inquired Curtis.
"There's nothing to prevent my moving to California or Mombassa if I thought myself in any danger here," Darrow pointed24 out. "It would be very easy for me quietly to warn my friends and quietly do the grand sneak34."
"True," muttered Curtis, rummaging35 on his desk for a pipe.
"The danger isn't the point--_it's the fear of danger_," said Darrow.
Curtis looked up, arresting the operation of crowding the tobacco into the pipe bowl.
"Suppose that throughout the length and breadth of this city the idea should be spread broadcast that at any given moment it might be destroyed. Can you imagine the effect?"
"Immediate14 exodus," grinned Curtis. "Immediate is a nice dignified36 word," he added.
"Quite so, and then?"
"Eh?"
"What in blazes would four million city people without homes or occupations do? Where would they go? What would happen?"
"You see what I mean," went on Darrow, after the slight pause necessary to let this sink in. "The fear would bring about a general catastrophe37 only less serious than the fact itself. It's up to you newspaper men to see that they don't catch this fear. There'll be a hundred letters from foxy boys with just enough logic27 or imagination to see the possibility of cutting off the furnace; but without imagination enough to get the final effect of telling people about it. Suppress it. Unless I'm mistaken, the affair will be over in a week."
Curtis drummed thoughtfully on his desk.
"It's got to be done, and it will be done," he said at last. "I'll get to every paper in the city to-night--if it costs us our scoop."
"But won't the people who write the letters tell about it, anyway?" asked Jack. "And won't the outside papers have the same stuff?"
"Sure," agreed Curtis promptly38, "but what isn't in the city press doesn't get to the mass of the public; that's a cinch. There will be some thousands or even tens of thousands who will leave; there'll be rumors39 a-plenty; there'll be the damnedest row since the Crusades--but the people will stick. I'm taking your word for the danger."
"Well, I'm the hostage," Darrow reminded him.
"Correct," said Curtis, reaching for the desk telephone.
Hallowell followed the visitors to the narrow hall.
"Now," said Darrow in parting, "remember what I have said. Don't mention my name nor indicate that there is anywhere an idea that the identity or whereabouts of Monsieur X is by anybody suspected."
收听单词发音 |
1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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hustle
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| v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌) | |
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3
atlas
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| n.地图册，图表集 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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perused
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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7
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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viper
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| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
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harass
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| vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰 | |
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inflated
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| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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12
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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13
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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14
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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perusal
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| n.细读，熟读；目测 | |
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scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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vouchsafe
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| v.惠予，准许 | |
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jot
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| n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下 | |
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21
scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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22
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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23
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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24
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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27
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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29
lichens
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| n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 ) | |
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30
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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31
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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32
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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33
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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rummaging
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的现在分词 )； 海关检查 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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37
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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39
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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