Mr. Gryce.
What you have spoke1, it may be so, perchance.
This tyrant2, whose sole name blisters3 our tongues,
Was once thought honest.
Macbeth.
AN hour later, as Mr. Ferris was leaving the house in company with Dr. Tredwell, he felt himself stopped by a slight touch on his arm. Turning about he saw Hickory.
“Beg pardon, sirs,” said the detective, with a short bow, “but there’s a gentleman, in the library who would like to see you before you go.”
They at once turned to the room indicated. But at sight of its well-known features — its huge cases of books, its large centre-table profusely4 littered with papers, the burnt-out grate, the empty arm-chair — they paused, and it was with difficulty they could recover themselves sufficiently5 to enter. When they did, their first glance was toward the gentleman they saw standing6 in a distant window, apparently7 perusing8 a book.
“Who is it?” inquired Mr. Ferris of his companion.
“I cannot imagine,” returned the other.
Hearing voices, the gentleman advanced.
“Ah,” said he, “allow me to introduce myself. I am Mr. Gryce, of the New York Detective Service.”
“Mr. Gryce!” repeated the District Attorney, in astonishment9.
The famous detective bowed. “I have come,” said he, “upon a summons received by me in Utica not six hours ago. It was sent by a subordinate of mine interested in the trial now going on before the court. Horace Byrd is his name. I hope he is well liked here and has your confidence.”
“Mr. Byrd is well enough liked,” rejoined Mr. Ferris, “but I gave him no orders to send for you. At what hour was the telegram dated?”
“At half-past eleven; immediately after the accident to Mr. Orcutt.”
“I see.”
“He probably felt himself inadequate10 to meet this new emergency. He is a young man, and the affair is certainly a complicated one.”
The District Attorney, who had been studying the countenance11 of the able detective before him, bowed courteously12.
“I am not displeased13 to see you,” said he. “If you have been in the room above ——”
The other gravely bowed.
“You know probably of the outrageous14 accusation15 which has just been made against our best lawyer and most-esteemed citizen. It is but one of many which this same woman has made; and while it is to be regarded as the ravings of lunacy, still your character and ability may weigh much in lifting the opprobrium16 which any such accusation, however unfounded, is calculated to throw around the memory of my dying friend.”
“Sir,” returned Mr. Gryce, shifting his gaze uneasily from one small object to another in that dismal17 room, till all and every article it contained seemed to partake of his mysterious confidence, “this is a world of disappointment and deceit. Intellects we admired, hearts in which we trusted, turn out frequently to be the abodes18 of falsehood and violence. It is dreadful, but it is true.”
Mr. Ferris, struck aghast, looked at the detective with severe disapprobation.
“Is it possible,” he asked, “that you have allowed yourself to give any credence19 to the delirious20 utterances21 of a man suffering from a wound on the head, or to the frantic22 words of a woman who has already abused the ears of the court by a deliberate perjury23?” While Dr. Tredwell, equally indignant and even more impatient, rapped with his knuckles24 on the table by which he stood, and cried:
“Pooh, pooh, the man cannot be such a fool!”
A solemn smile crossed the features of the detective.
“Many persons have listened to the aspersion25 you denounce. Active measures will be needed to prevent its going farther.”
“I have commanded silence,” said Dr. Tredwell. “Respect for Mr. Orcutt will cause my wishes to be obeyed.”
“Does Mr. Orcutt enjoy the universal respect of the town?”
“He does,” was the stern reply.
“It behooves26 us, then,” said Mr. Gryce, “to clear his memory from every doubt by a strict inquiry27 into his relations with the murdered woman.”
“They are known,” returned Mr. Ferris, with grim reserve. “They were such as any man might hold with the woman at whose house he finds it convenient to take his daily dinner. She was to him the provider of a good meal.”
Mr. Gryce’s eye travelled slowly toward Mr. Ferris’ shirt stud.
“Gentlemen,” said he, “do you forget that Mr. Orcutt was on the scene of murder some minutes before the rest of you arrived? Let the attention of people once be directed toward him as a suspicious party, and they will be likely to remember this fact.”
Astounded28, both men drew back.
“What do you mean by that remark?” they asked.
“I mean,” said Mr. Gryce, “that Mr. Orcutt’s visit to Mrs. Clemmens’ house on the morning of the murder will be apt to be recalled by persons of a suspicious tendency as having given him an opportunity to commit the crime.”
“People are not such fools,” cried Dr. Tredwell; while Mr. Ferris, in a tone of mingled29 incredulity and anger, exclaimed:
“And do you, a reputable detective, and, as I have been told, a man of excellent judgment30, presume to say that there could be found any one in this town, or even in this country, who could let his suspicions carry him so far as to hint that Mr. Orcutt struck this woman with his own hand in the minute or two that elapsed between his going into her house and his coming out again with tidings of her death?”
“Those who remember that he had been a participator in the lengthy31 discussion which had just taken place on the court-house steps as to how a man might commit a crime without laying himself open to the risk of detection, might — yes, sir.”
Mr. Ferris and the coroner, who, whatever their doubts or fears, had never for an instant seriously believed the dying words of Mr. Orcutt to be those of confession32, gazed in consternation33 at the detective, and finally inquired:
“Do you realize what you are saying?”
Mr. Gryce drew a deep breath, and shifted his gaze to the next stud in Mr. Ferris’ shirt-front.
“I have never been accused of speaking lightly,” he remarked. Then, with quiet insistence34, asked: “Where was Mrs. Clemmens believed to get the money she lived on?”
“It is not known,” rejoined the District Attorney.
“Yet she left a nice little sum behind her?”
“Five thousand dollars,” declared the coroner.
“Strange that, in a town like this, no one should know where it came from?” suggested the detective.
The two gentlemen were silent.
“It was a good deal to come from Mr. Orcutt in payment of a single meal a day!” continued Mr. Gryce.
“No one has ever supposed it did come from Mr. Orcutt,” remarked Mr. Ferris, with some severity.
“But does any one know it did not?” ventured the detective.
Dr. Tredwell and the District Attorney looked at each other, but did not reply.
“Gentlemen,” pursued Mr. Gryce, after a moment of quiet waiting, “this is without exception the most serious moment of my life. Never in the course of my experience — and that includes much — have I been placed in a more trying position than now. To allow one’s self to doubt, much less to question, the integrity of so eminent35 a man, seems to me only less dreadful than it does to you; yet, for all that, were I his friend, as I certainly am his admirer, I would say: ‘Sift this matter to the bottom; let us know if this great lawyer has any more in favor of his innocence36 than the other gentlemen who have been publicly accused of this crime.’”
“But,” protested Dr. Tredwell, seeing that the District Attorney was too much moved to speak, “you forget the evidences which underlay37 the accusation of these other gentlemen; also that of all the persons who, from the day the widow was struck till now, have been in any way associated with suspicion, Mr. Orcutt is the only one who could have had no earthly motive38 for injuring this humble39 woman, even if he were all he would have to be to first perform such a brutal40 deed and then carry out his hypocrisy41 to the point of using his skill as a criminal lawyer to defend another man falsely accused of the crime.”
“I beg your pardon, sir,” said the detective, “but I forget nothing. I only bring to the consideration of this subject a totally unprejudiced mind and an experience which has taught me never to omit testing the truth of a charge because it seems at first blush false, preposterous42, and without visible foundation. If you will recall the conversation to which I have just alluded43 as having been held on the court-house steps on the morning Mrs. Clemmens was murdered, you will remember that it was the intellectual crime that was discussed — the crime of an intelligent man, safe in the knowledge that his motive for doing such a deed was a secret to the world.”
“My God!” exclaimed Mr. Ferris, under his breath, “the man seems to be in earnest!”
“Gentlemen,” pursued Mr. Gryce, with more dignity than he had hitherto seen fit to assume, “it is not my usual practice to express myself as openly as I have done here to-day. In all ordinary cases I consider it expedient44 to reserve intact my suspicions and my doubts till I have completed my discoveries and arranged my arguments so as to bear out with some show of reason whatever statement I may feel obliged to make. But the extraordinary features of this affair, and the fact that so many were present at the scene we have just left, have caused me to change my usual tactics. Though far from ready to say that Mr. Orcutt’s words were those of confession, I still see much reason to doubt his innocence, and, feeling thus, am quite willing you should know it in time to prepare for the worst.”
“Then you propose making what has occurred here public?” asked Mr. Ferris, with emotion.
“Not so,” was the detective’s ready reply. “On the contrary, I was about to suggest that you did something more than lay a command of silence upon those who were present.”
The District Attorney, who, as he afterward45 said, felt as if he were laboring46 under some oppressive nightmare, turned to the coroner and said:
“Dr. Tredwell, what do you advise me to do? Terrible as this shock has been, and serious as is the duty it possibly involves, I have never allowed myself to shrink from doing what was right simply because it afforded suffering to myself or indignity47 to my friends. Do you think I am called upon to pursue this matter?”
The coroner, troubled, anxious, and nearly as much overwhelmed as the District Attorney, did not immediately reply. Indeed, the situation was one to upset any man of whatever calibre. Finally he turned to Mr. Gryce.
“Mr. Gryce,” said he, “we are, as you have observed, friends of the dying man, and, being so, may miss our duty in our sympathy. What do you think ought to be done, in justice to him, the prisoner, and the positions which we both occupy?”
“Well, sirs,” rejoined Mr. Gryce, “it is not usual, perhaps, for a man in my position to offer actual advice to gentlemen in yours; but if you wish to know what course I should pursue if I were in your places, I should say: First, require the witnesses still lingering around the dying man to promise that they will not divulge48 what was there said till a week has fully49 elapsed; next, adjourn50 the case now before the court for the same decent length of time; and, lastly, trust me and the two men you have hitherto employed, to find out if there is any thing in Mr. Orcutt’s past history of a nature to make you tremble if the world hears of the words which escaped him on his death-bed. We shall probably need but a week.”
“And Miss Dare?”
“Has already promised secrecy51.”
There was nothing in all this to alarm their fears; every thing, on the contrary, to allay52 them.
The coroner gave a nod of approval to Mr. Ferris, and both signified their acquiescence53 in the measures proposed.
Mr. Gryce at once assumed his usual genial54 air.
“You may trust me,” said he, “to exercise all the discretion55 you would yourselves show under the circumstances. I have no wish to see the name of such a man blasted by an ineffaceable stain.” And he bowed as if about to leave the room.
But Mr. Ferris, who had observed this movement with an air of some uneasiness, suddenly stepped forward and stopped him.
“I wish to ask,” said he, “whether superstition56 has had any thing to do with this readiness on your part to impute57 the worst meaning to the chance phrases which have fallen from the lips of our severely58 injured friend. Because his end seems in some regards to mirror that of the widow, have you allowed a remembrance of the words she made use of in the face of death to influence your good judgment as to the identity of Mr. Orcutt with her assassin?”
The face of Mr. Gryce assumed its grimmest aspect.
“Do you think this catastrophe59 was necessary to draw my attention to Mr. Orcutt? To a man acquainted with the extraordinary coincidence that marked the discovery of Mrs. Clemmens’ murder, the mystery must be that Mr. Orcutt has gone unsuspected for so long.” And assuming an argumentative air, he asked:
“Were either of you two gentlemen present at the conversation I have mentioned as taking place on the court-house steps the morning Mrs. Clemmens was murdered?”
“I was,” said the District Attorney.
“You remember, then, the hunchback who was so free with his views?”
“Most certainly.”
“And know, perhaps, who that hunchback was?”
“Yes.”
“You will not be surprised, then, if I recall to you the special incidents of that hour. A group of lawyers, among them Mr. Orcutt, are amusing themselves with an off-hand chat concerning criminals and the clumsy way in which, as a rule, they plan and execute their crimes. All seem to agree that a murder is usually followed by detection, when suddenly a stranger speaks and tells them that the true way to make a success of the crime is to choose a thoroughfare for the scene of tragedy, and employ a weapon that has been picked up on the spot. What happens? Within five minutes after this piece of gratuitous60 information, or as soon as Mr. Orcutt can cross the street, Mrs. Clemmens is found lying in her blood, struck down by a stick of wood picked up from her own hearth-stone. Is this chance? If so, ’tis a very curious one.”
“I don’t deny it,” said Doctor Tredwell.
“I believe you never did deny it,” quickly retorted the detective. “Am I not right in saying that it struck you so forcibly at the time as to lead you into supposing some collusion between the hunchback and the murderer?”
“It certainly did,” admitted the coroner.
“Very well,” proceeded Mr. Gryce. “Now as there could have been no collusion between these parties, the hunchback being no other person than myself, what are we to think of this murder? That it was a coincidence, or an actual result of the hunchback’s words?”
Dr. Tredwell and Mr. Ferris were both silent.
“Sirs,” continued Mr. Gryce, feeling, perhaps, that perfect openness was necessary in order to win entire confidence, “I am not given to boasting or to a too-free expression of my opinion, but if I had been ignorant of this affair, and one of my men had come to me and said: ‘A mysterious murder has just taken place, marked by this extraordinary feature, that it is a precise reproduction of a supposable case of crime which has just been discussed by a group of indifferent persons in the public street,’ and then had asked me where to look for the assassin, I should have said: ‘Search for that man who heard the discussion through, was among the first to leave the group, and was the first to show himself upon the scene of murder.’ To be sure, when Byrd did come to me with this story, I was silent, for the man who fulfilled these conditions was Mr. Orcutt.”
“Then,” said Mr. Ferris, “you mean to say that you would have suspected Mr. Orcutt of this crime long ago if he had not been a man of such position and eminence61?”
“Undoubtedly,” was Mr. Gryce’s reply.
If the expression was unequivocal, his air was still more so. Shocked and disturbed, both gentlemen fell back. The detective at once advanced and opened the door.
It was time. Mr. Byrd had been tapping upon it for some minutes, and now hastily came in. His face told the nature of his errand before he spoke.
“I am sorry to be obliged to inform you ——” he began.
“Mr. Orcutt is dead?” quickly interposed Mr. Ferris.
The young detective solemnly bowed.
收听单词发音 |
1
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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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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3
blisters
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| n.水疱( blister的名词复数 )；水肿；气泡 | |
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4
profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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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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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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perusing
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的现在分词 )；（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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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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10
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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11
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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13
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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14
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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15
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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opprobrium
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| n.耻辱，责难 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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abodes
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| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
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19
credence
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| n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证 | |
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20
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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utterances
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| n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论 | |
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22
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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perjury
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| n.伪证；伪证罪 | |
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24
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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25
aspersion
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| n.诽谤，中伤 | |
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behooves
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| n.利益，好处( behoof的名词复数 )v.适宜( behoove的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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30
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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31
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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32
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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33
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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underlay
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| v.位于或存在于（某物）之下( underlie的过去式 )；构成…的基础（或起因），引起n.衬垫物 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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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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40
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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41
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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42
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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43
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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47
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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48
divulge
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| v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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50
adjourn
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| v.（使）休会，（使）休庭 | |
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51
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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52
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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53
acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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54
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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55
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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56
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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57
impute
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| v.归咎于 | |
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58
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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59
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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60
gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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