“I wish to see the proprietor5,” he said.
“Mr. Meyer is engaged at the moment, sir,” was the reply.
“Where is he?”
“In his office upstairs, sir. He will be down in a moment.”
The waiter hurried away, and Harley stood glancing up the stairs as if in doubt what to do.
“I cannot imagine how such a place can pay,” he muttered. “The rent must be enormous in this district.”
But even before he ceased speaking I became aware of an excited conversation which was taking place in some apartment above.
“It's scandalous!” I heard, in a woman's shrill6 voice. “You have no right to keep it! It's not your property, and I'm here to demand that you give it up.”
A man's voice replied in voluble broken English, but I could only distinguish a word here and there. I saw that Harley was interested, for catching7 my questioning glance, he raised his finger to his lips enjoining8 me to be silent.
A flow of unintelligible10 words answered this speech, then:
“I shall come back with someone,” cried the invisible woman, “who will make you give it up!”
“Knox,” whispered Harley in my ear, “when that woman comes down, follow her! I'm afraid you will bungle12 the business, and I would not ask you to attempt it if big things were not at stake. Return here; I shall wait.”
As a matter of fact, his sudden request had positively13 astounded14 me, but ere I had time for any reply a door suddenly banged open above and a respectable-looking woman, who might have been some kind of upper servant, came quickly down the stairs. An expression of intense indignation rested upon her face, and without seeming to notice our presence she brushed past us and went out into the street.
“Off you go, Knox!” said Harley.
Seeing myself committed to an unpleasant business, I slipped out of the doorway and detected the woman five or six yards away hurrying in the direction of Piccadilly. I had no difficulty in following her, for she was evidently unsuspicious of my presence, and when presently she mounted a westward-bound 'bus I did likewise, but while she got inside I went on top, and occupied a seat on the near side whence I could observe anyone leaving the vehicle.
If I had not known Paul Harley so well I should have counted the whole business a ridiculous farce15, but recognizing that something underlay16 these seemingly trivial and disconnected episodes, I lighted a cigarette and resigned myself to circumstance.
At Hyde Park Corner I saw the woman descending17, and when presently she walked up Hamilton Place I was not far behind her. At the door of an imposing18 mansion19 she stopped, and in response to a ring of the bell the door was opened by a footman, and the woman hurried in. Evidently she was an inmate20 of the establishment; and conceiving that my duty was done when I had noted21 the number of the house, I retraced22 my steps to the corner; and, hailing a taxicab, returned to the Cafe Dame.
“I think a gentleman is upstairs with Mr. Meyer,” said the man.
“In his office?”
“Yes, sir.”
Thereupon I mounted the stairs and before a half-open door paused. Harley's voice was audible within, and therefore I knocked and entered.
I discovered Harley standing24 by an American desk. Beside him in a revolving25 chair which, with the desk, constituted the principal furniture of a tiny office, sat a man in a dress-suit which had palpably not been made for him. He had a sullen26 and suspiciously Teutonic cast of countenance27, and he was engaged in a voluble but hardly intelligible11 speech as I entered.
“Ha, Knox!” said Harley, glancing over his shoulder, “did you manage?”
“Yes,” I replied.
Harley nodded shortly and turned again to the man in the chair.
“I am sorry to give you so much trouble, Mr. Meyer,” he said, “but I should like my friend here to see the room above.”
At this moment my attention was attracted by a singular object which lay upon the desk amongst a litter of bills and accounts. This was a piece of rusty28 iron bar somewhat less than three feet in length, and which once had been painted green.
“You are looking at this tragic29 fragment, Knox,” said Harley, taking up the bar. “Of course”—he shrugged30 his shoulders—“it explains the whole unfortunate occurrence. You see there was a flaw in the metal at this end, here”—he indicated the spot—“and the other end had evidently worn loose in its socket31.”
“But I don't understand.”
“It will all be made clear at the inquest, no doubt. A most unfortunate thing for you, Mr. Meyer.”
“Most unfortunate,” declared the proprietor of the restaurant, extending his thick hands pathetically. “Most ruinous to my business.”
“We will go upstairs now,” said Harley. “You will kindly32 lead the way, Mr. Meyer, and the whole thing will be quite clear to you, Knox.”
As the proprietor walked out of the office and upstairs to the second floor Harley whispered in my ear:
“Where did she go?”
“No. —— Hamilton Place,” I replied in an undertone.
“Good God!” muttered my friend, and clutched my arm so tightly that I winced33. “Good God! The master touch, Knox! This crime was the work of a genius—of a genius with slightly, very slightly, oblique34 eyes.”
Opening a door on the second landing, Mr. Meyer admitted us to a small supper-room. Its furniture consisted of a round dining table, several chairs, a couch, and very little else. I observed, however, that the furniture, carpet, and a few other appointments were of a character much more elegant than those of the public room below. A window which overlooked the street was open, so that the plush curtains which had been drawn35 aside moved slightly to and fro in the draught36.
“The window of the tragedy, Knox,” explained Harley.
He crossed the room.
“If you will stand here beside me you will see the gap in the railing caused by the breaking away of the fragment which now lies on Mr. Meyer's desk. Some few yards to the left in the street below is where the assault took place, of which we have heard, and the unfortunate Mr. De Lana, who was dining here alone—an eccentric custom of his—naturally ran to the window upon hearing the disturbance37 and leaned out, supporting his weight upon the railing. The rail collapsed38, and—we know the rest.”
“I fear it will,” agreed Harley sympathetically, “unless we can manage to clear up one or two little difficulties which I have observed. For instance”—he tapped the proprietor on the shoulder confidentially—“have you any idea, any hazy40 idea, of the identity of the woman who was dining here with Mr. De Lana on Wednesday night?”
The effect of this simple inquiry41 upon the proprietor was phenomenal. His fat yellow face assumed a sort of leaden hue42, and his already prominent eyes protruded43 abnormally. He licked his lips.
“I tell you—already I tell you,” he muttered, “that Mr. De Lana he engage this room every Wednesday and sometimes also Friday, and dine here by himself.”
“And I tell you,” said Harley sweetly, “that you are an inspired liar44. You smuggled45 her out by the side entrance after the accident.”
“The side entrance?” muttered Meyer. “The side entrance?”
“Exactly; the side entrance. There is something else which I must ask you to tell me. Who had engaged this room on Tuesday night, the night before the accident?”
The proprietor's expression remained uncomprehending, and:
“A gentleman,” he said. “I never see him before.”
“Yes, he is alone all the evening waiting for a friend who does not arrive.”
“Ah,” mused47 Harley—“alone all the evening, was he? And his friend disappointed him. May I suggest that he was a dark man? Gray at the temples, having a dark beard and moustache, and a very tanned face? His eyes slanted48 slightly upward?”
“Yes! yes!” cried Meyer, and his astonishment49 was patently unfeigned. “It is a friend of yours?”
“A friend of mine, yes,” said Harley absently, but his expression was very grim. “What time did he finally leave?”
“He waited until after eleven o'clock. The dinner is spoilt. He pays, but does not complain.”
“No,” said Harley musingly50, “he had nothing to complain about. One more question, my friend. When the lady escaped hurriedly on Wednesday night, what was it that she left behind and what price are you trying to extort51 from her for returning it?”
“Ah, Gott!” he cried, and raised his hand to his clammy forehead. “You will ruin me. I am a ruined man. I don't try to extort anything. I run an honest business———”
“And one of the most profitable in the world,” added Harley, “since the days of Thais to our own. Even at Bond Street rentals53 I assume that a house of assignation is a golden enterprise.”
“Ah!” groaned Meyer, “I am ruined, so what does it matter? I tell you everything. I know Mr. De Lana who engages my room regularly, but I don't know who the lady is who meets him here. No! I swear it! But always it is the same lady. When he falls I am downstairs in my office, and I hear him cry out. The lady comes running from the room and begs of me to get her away without being seen and to keep all mention of her out of the matter.”
“What did she pay you?” asked Harley.
“Pay me?” muttered Meyer, pulled up thus shortly in the midst of his statement.
“Pay you. Exactly. Don't argue; answer.”
The man delivered himself of a guttural, choking sound, and finally:
“A ring,” came the confession56 at last.
“A ring. I see. I will take it with me if you don't mind. And now, finally, what was it that she left behind?”
“Ah, Gott!” moaned the man, dropping into a chair and resting his arms upon the table. “It is all a great panic, you see. I hurry her out by the back stair from this landing and she forgets her bag.”
“Her bag? Good.”
“Then I clear away the remains57 of dinner so I can say Mr. De Lana is dining alone. It is as much my interest as the lady's.”
“Of course! I quite understand. I will trouble you no more, Mr. Meyer, except to step into your office and to relieve you of that incriminating evidence, the lady's bag and her ring.”
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1
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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enjoining
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| v.命令( enjoin的现在分词 ) | |
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blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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bungle
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| v.搞糟；n.拙劣的工作 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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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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farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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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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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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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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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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47
mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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48
slanted
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| 有偏见的； 倾斜的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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51
extort
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| v.勒索，敲诈，强要 | |
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52
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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53
rentals
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| n.租费，租金额( rental的名词复数 ) | |
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54
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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