Staveley only differed from a hundred other English seaside resorts by having a sea front which was quite flat, the cliffs which skirted the coastline from Ashlingsea falling away and terminating in sand dunes1 about half a mile to the south of the town. At that point the cliff road, after following the coastline for nearly twelve miles, swept inland round the sand dunes, which had encroached on the downs more than half a mile from the sea, but turned back again near the southern outskirts2 of the town in a bold picturesque3 curve to the sea front.
From the sea front the town rambled4 back with characteristically English irregularity of architecture to the downs. There was the usual seaside mixture of old and new houses, the newest flaunting5 their red-tiled ugliness from the most beautiful slopes of the distant hills.
Crewe and Marsland drove slowly along to High Street by way of the front after leaving the police station. A long row of boarding-houses and hotels faced the sea; and there were pleasure boats, bathing-machines, a pier6 and a bandstand. The season was practically over, but a number of visitors still remained, making the most of the late October sunshine, decorously promenading7 for air and exercise. It was a typically English scene, except that the band was playing German music and the Kursaal still flaunted8 its German name.
The front was bisected about midway by the main business thoroughfare of the town, and there was a sharp distinction between the two halves of the promenade9 which it divided. The upper half was the resort of fashion and the mode: the hotels were bigger and more expensive; the boarding-houses were designated private hotels. All the amusements were situated10 in this part of the front: the pleasure boats, the pier, the band, the goat carts, and the Bath chairs. The lower part of the front was practically deserted11, its hotels and boarding-houses looked empty and neglected, and its whole aspect was that of a poor relation out of place in fashionable surroundings.
Although Marsland did not know much about Staveley he was able to guide Crewe to Curzon Street, and once in Curzon Street they had not much difficulty in finding the shop kept by Mr. Grange. It was a curious little white house standing12 back a few feet from the footpath13, and trays of second-hand14 books were arranged on tables outside.
Crewe, after getting out of his car, began an inspection15 of the books on the trays outside the shop, and while engaged in this way he saw a young lady being shown out of the shop. She was a well dressed graceful16 girl, not much more than twenty. Behind her was the shopkeeper, a tall thin man past middle age, with a weak irresolute17 face disfigured by some cutaneous disorder18, small ferrety grey eyes, and a straggling beard. As he opened the door to let the young lady out Crewe’s quick ears heard him remark:
“Well, as I said, we didn’t go because we saw the storm coming up. I’m very glad now we didn’t, as things turned out. It’s a dreadful affair—dreadful.”
To Crewe’s surprise Marsland stepped forward when he saw the young lady, lifted his hat and put out his hand. Crewe thought she hesitated a little before responding.
“I am glad to see you, Miss Maynard,” Marsland declared. “You are the very person I wanted to see. But this is quite an unexpected meeting.”
“It is very kind of you,” said the young lady with a smile.
To Crewe it was evident that she was more embarrassed than pleased at the meeting.
Marsland walked along the street a few paces with Miss Maynard and then came back to Crewe.
“Please excuse me for half an hour or so, Crewe. I have some things to talk over with this lady.”
He rushed back to Miss Maynard’s side without waiting for an answer. Crewe watched them for a moment and then he became aware that the shopkeeper standing at his doorway19 was watching them with a gaze of perplexity.
“Mr. Grange, I believe?” said Crewe.
The shopkeeper produced a pair of spectacles from his pocket and put them on before replying. With the spectacles on his small grey eyes he peered at Crewe, and said:
“What can I do for you, sir?”
Crewe saw that the man was ill at ease, and he endeavoured to bring him back to his normal state.
“Have you a copy of a book called Notitiæ Monastica?” asked the detective. “It’s a work on the early British religious establishments,” he explained.
“No, sir: I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the book. But perhaps I could get you one if you particularly want it.”
“You might try and let me know. I’ll leave you my address. Inspector20 Murchison told me that if anyone could help me you could.”
“Inspector Murchison?” echoed Mr. Grange peering again at Crewe.
“He was most enthusiastic about you,” continued Crewe. “He said that if ever he wanted to know anything about rare books he would come to you. You have a good friend in the inspector, Mr. Grange.”
“I did not know—yes I think so—it was very good of him—very good indeed.” Mr. Grange was both relieved and pleased at being commended by the head of the local police, for he smiled at Crewe, blinked his eyes, and rubbed his hands together.
“And about Mrs. Grange he was no less enthusiastic,” continued Crewe. “He told me about her extraordinary psychic21 powers and the recovery of Constable22 Bell’s watch-chain pendant. A most remarkable23 case. I take a great interest in occultism, Mr. Grange, and in all forms of psychic power—I have done so for years. Perhaps your wife would grant me the favour of an interview? I should so much like to meet her and talk to her.”
“Certainly,” exclaimed Mr. Grange, who was now delighted with his visitor. “I am sure she would like to meet a gentleman like yourself who is interested in—er—occultism. Excuse me while I run upstairs to her.”
He left the shop by a side-door opening on the passage leading to the private apartments above the shop. A few minutes later he came back with an invitation to Crewe to follow him upstairs to the sitting-room24. Crewe followed him into a room which overlooked the street. In an arm-chair beside one of the two windows sat Mrs. Grange. She rose to meet Crewe. She was about four feet in height but her deformed25 figure seemed to make her look smaller. Her skin was dark and coarse and her teeth were large. On her upper lip there was a slight growth of hair and her eyebrows26 were very thick and shaggy. She had deep black eyes, and after her bow to Crewe she gazed at him in a fixed27 penetrating28 way—the look of an animal on the watch.
Crewe took particular note of the way in which her black hair was dressed. He closed the door behind him and took a seat near it when the dwarf29 sat down in her arm-chair. Mr. Grange stood a few feet from his wife and again rubbed his hands together to express his satisfaction.
“It is very good of you to see me,” said Crewe to the dwarf. “I was so much struck with the account Inspector Murchison gave me of your psychic powers that it occurred to me that you might be able to assist me in a somewhat similar way to that in which you assisted Constable Bell.”
“I shall be pleased to try,” said the dwarf slowly. “But success is not always possible.” She spoke30 in a thin high pitched voice.
“So I understood,” said Crewe. “But my case is, I think, less difficult than that of Constable Bell. I have not lost anything. On the contrary I have found something, which I want to restore to the owner. If I gave you this thing I have found to hold, you could describe the owner to me, could you not?”
“It is possible,” said the dwarf.
Crewe produced from one of the pockets of his motor coat a brown paper parcel. He unwrapped the paper, keeping covert31 observation on the Granges as he did so, and displayed the old felt hat which he had found while making his way down the path from the top of the cliff.
“I am anxious to restore this to its owner,” he said, as he held out the hat to the dwarf.
He intercepted32 the glance of angry reproach which she gave her husband. The latter had stopped rubbing his hands and now stood gazing alternately at the hat and at Crewe, with visible trepidation33 on his features. The dwarf gave the hat a quick glance, and then resolutely34 turned to Crewe.
“It is of no value,” she said, in her high pitched voice, meeting his glance intently.
“Of very little value—from the monetary35 point of view,” said Crewe. “But there are other reasons why the owner would like to have it restored to him. Do you think you could help me to find him?”
“No,” she replied decisively. “I could not help you.”
“Why?” asked Crewe.
“Because it does not interest me. I must feel an interest—I must feel in sympathy with the object on which I am asked to exert my powers. Without such sympathy I can do nothing, for when I close my eyes to see the vision I become as blind as those born without sight.”
“None,” she replied.
“And you?” said Crewe, turning to her husband.
“This hat was lost over the cliffs near Ashlingsea. It was lost the night that the murdered body of the owner of the Cliff Farm was found. The owner was so anxious to secure possession of it that the morning after the murder he sent a boatman over to the scene to look for it. Is not that correct?” asked Crewe looking searchingly at Mr. Grange.
“I know nothing about it,” was the reply.
“Perhaps you would like to try it on,” said Crewe, picking up the hat and holding it out to the woman’s husband.
“Come,” said Crewe, “I will exchange the hat for a candid39 statement of what happened at Cliff Farm on that fateful night.”
“It is not his,” declared the dwarf. “We know nothing about Cliff Farm—we have never been there.”
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1
dunes
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| 沙丘( dune的名词复数 ) | |
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outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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rambled
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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promenading
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| v.兜风( promenade的现在分词 ) | |
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8
flaunted
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| v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的过去式和过去分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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9
promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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10
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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12
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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13
footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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15
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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irresolute
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| adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的 | |
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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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19
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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psychic
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| n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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23
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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24
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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25
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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26
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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27
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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28
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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29
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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30
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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covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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32
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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33
trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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34
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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35
monetary
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| adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的 | |
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36
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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37
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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38
recoiling
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| v.畏缩( recoil的现在分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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39
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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