"Feel better now?" he asked anxiously.
I reached for my tumbler and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. I could hear Soar's footsteps as he made the round of bolts and bars, testing each anxiously.
"Thanks, Hilton," I said. "I'm quite all right. You are naturally wondering what the devil it all means? Well, then, I wired you from Euston that I was coming by the 6:55."
"H— Post Office shuts at 7. I shall get your wire in the morning!"
"That explains your failing to meet me. Now for my explanation!"
"Surrounding this house at the present moment," I continued, "are members of an Eastern organization—the Hashishin, founded in Khorassan in the eleventh century and flourishing to-day!"
"Do you mean it, Cavanagh?"
"I do! One Hassan of Aleppo is the present Sheikh of the order, and he has come to England, bringing a fiendish company in his train, in pursuit of the sacred slipper2 of Mohammed, which was stolen by the late Professor Deeping—-"
"Surely I have read something about this?"
"Probably. Deeping was murdered by Hassan! The slipper was placed in the Antiquarian Museum—"
"From which it was stolen again!"
"Correct—by Earl Dexter, America's foremost crook3! But the real facts have never got into print. I am the only pressman who knows them, and I have good reason for keeping my knowledge to myself! Dexter is dead (I believe I saw his ghost to-day). But although, to the best of my knowledge, the accursed slipper is in the hands of Hassan and Company, I have been watched since I left Euston, and on my way to 'Uplands' my life was attempted!"
"For God's sake, why?"
"I cannot surmise4, Hilton. Deeping, for certain reasons that are irrelevant5 at the moment, left the keys of the case at the Museum in my perpetual keeping—but the case was rifled a second time—"
"I read of it!"
"And the keys were stolen from me. I am utterly6 at a loss to understand why the Hashishin—for it is members of that awful organization who, without a doubt, surround this house at the present moment—should seek my life. Hilton, I have brought trouble with me!"
"It's almost incredible!" said Hilton, staring at me. "Why do these people pursue you?"
Ere I had time to reply Soar entered, arrayed, as was Hilton, in his night attire7. Soar was an ex-dragoon and a model man.
"Everything fast, sir," he reported; "but from the window of the bedroom over here—the room I got ready for Mr. Cavanagh—I thought I saw someone in the orchard8."
"Eh?" jerked Hilton—"in the orchard? Come on up, Cavanagh!"
We all ran upstairs. The moonlight was streaming into the room.
"Keep back!" I warned.
Well within the shadow, I crept up to the window and looked out. The night was hot and still. No breeze stirred the leaves, but the edge of the frowning thunder cloud which I had noted9 before spread a heavy carpet of ebony black upon the ground. Beyond, I could dimly discern the hills. The others stood behind me, constrained10 by the fear of this mysterious danger which I had brought to "Uplands."
There was someone moving among the trees!
Closer came the figure, and closer, until suddenly a shaft11 of moonlight found passage and spilled a momentary12 pool of light amid the shadows, I could see the watcher very clearly. A moment he stood there, motionless, and looking up at the window; then as he glided13 again into the shade of the trees the darkness became complete. But I watched, crouching14 there nervously15, for long after he was gone.
"It's Hassan of Aleppo!" I replied.
Virtually, the house, with the capital of the Midlands so near upon the one hand, the feverish17 activity of the Black Country reddening the night upon the other, was invested by fanatic18 Easterns!
We descended19 again to the extemporized20 study. Soar entered with us and Hilton invited him to sit down.
"We must stick together to-night!" he said. "Now, Cavanagh, let us see if we can find any explanation of this amazing business. I can understand that at one period of the slipper's history you were an object of interest to those who sought to recover it; but if, as you say, the Hashishin have the slipper now, what do they want with you? If you have never touched it, they cannot be prompted by desire for vengeance21."
"I have never touched it," I replied grimly; "nor even any receptacle containing it."
He poured out three glasses of whisky, and was about to speak when Soar held up a warning finger.
"Listen!" he said.
At his words, with tropical suddenness down came the rain.
Hilton, his pipe in his hand, stood listening intently.
"What?" he asked.
"I don't know, sir; the sound of the rain has drowned it."
Indeed, the rain was descending25 in a perfect deluge26, its continuous roar drowning all other sounds; but as we three listened tensely we detected a noise which hitherto had seemed like the overflowing27 of some spout28.
But louder and clearer it grew, until at last I knew it for what it was.
"It's a motor-car!" I cried.
"And coming here!" added Soar. "Listen! it's in the lane!"
"It certainly isn't a taxicab," declared Hilton. "None of the men will come beyond the village."
"Be careful, Hilton!" I cried; "it may be a trick!"
Soar unbolted the front door, threw it open, and looked out. In the darkness of the storm it was almost impossible to see anything in the lane outside. But at that moment a great sheet of lightning split the gloom, and we saw a taxicab standing31 close up to the gateway32!
"Help! Open the gate!" came a high-pitched voice; "open the gate!"
Out into the rain we ran and down the gravel33 path. Soar had the gate open in a twinkling, and a woman carrying a brown leather grip, but who was so closely veiled that I had no glimpse of her features, leapt through on to the drive.
Hilton and Soar stepped out into the road. The driver of the cab was lying forward across the wheel, apparently35 insensible, but as Hilton seized his arm he moved and spoke36 feebly.
"For God's sake be quick, sir!" he said. "They're after us! They're on the other side of the lane, there!"
With that he dropped limply into Hilton's arms!
He was dragged in on to the drive—and something whizzed over our heads and went sputtering37 into the gravel away up toward the house. The last to enter was the man who had come in the cab. As he barred the gate behind him he suddenly reached out through the bars and I saw a pistol in his hand.
Once—twice—thrice—he fired into the blackness of the lane.
"Take that, you swine!" he shouted. "Take that!"
As quickly as we could, bearing the insensible man, we hurried back to the door. On the step the woman was waiting for us, with her veil raised. A blinding flash of lightning came as we mounted the step—and I looked into the violet eyes of Carneta! I turned and stared at the man behind me.
It was Earl Dexter.
Three of the mysterious missiles fell amongst us, but miraculously38 no one was struck. Amid the mighty39 booming of the thunder we reentered the houses and got the door barred. In the hall we laid down the unconscious man and stood, a strangely met company, peering at one another in the dim lamplight.
"We've got to bury the hatchet40, Mr. Cavanagh!" said Dexter. "It's a case of the common enemy. I've brought you your bag!" and he pointed41 to the brown grip upon the floor.
"My bag!" I cried. "My bag is upstairs in my room."
"Wrong, sir!" snapped The Stetson Man. "They are like as two peas in a pod, I'll grant you, but the bag you snatched off the platform at New Street was mine! That's what I'm after; I ought to be on the way to Liverpool. That's what Hassan's after!"
"The bag!"
"You don't need to ask what's in the bag?" suggested Dexter.
"The slipper of the Prophet, sir!" was the reply.
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收听单词发音
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1
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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slipper
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| n.拖鞋 | |
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3
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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5
irrelevant
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| adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的 | |
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6
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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7
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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8
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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9
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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13
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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14
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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15
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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16
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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17
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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18
fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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19
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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20
extemporized
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| v.即兴创作，即席演奏( extemporize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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22
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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23
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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24
brewing
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| n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式 | |
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25
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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26
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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27
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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28
spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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29
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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31
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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32
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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33
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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34
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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35
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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36
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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37
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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38
miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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39
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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40
hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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41
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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42
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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