Legal business, connected with the estate of a distant relative, deceased, necessitated1 my sudden departure from London, within twenty-four hours of the events just narrated2; and at a time when London was for me the center of the universe. The business being terminated—and in a manner financially satisfactory to myself—I discovered that with luck I could just catch the fast train back. Amid a perfect whirl of hotel porters and taxi-drivers worthy3 of Nayland Smith I departed for the station … to arrive at the entrance to the platform at the exact moment that the guard raised his green flag!
"Too late, sir! Stand back, if you please!"
The ticket-collector at the barrier thrust out his arm to stay me. The London express was moving from the platform. But my determination to travel by that train and by no other over-rode all obstacles; If I missed it, I should be forced to wait until the following morning.
I leapt past the barrier, completely taking the man by surprise, and went racing4 up the platform. Many arms were outstretched to detain me, and the gray-bearded guard stood fully5 in my path; but I dodged6 them all, collided with and upset a gigantic negro who wore a chauffeur7's uniform—and found myself level with a first-class compartment8; the window was open.
Amid a chorus of excited voices, I tossed my bag in at the window, leapt upon the footboard and turned the handle. Although the entrance to the tunnel was perilously9 near now, I managed to wrench10 the door open and to swing myself into the carriage. Then, by means of the strap11, I reclosed the door in the nick of time, and sank, panting, upon the seat. I had a vague impression that the black chauffeur, having recovered himself, had raced after me to the uttermost point of the platform, but, my end achieved, I was callously12 indifferent to the outrageous13 means thereto which I seen fit to employ. The express dashed into the tunnel. I uttered a great sigh of relief.
With Kâramaneh in the hands of the Si-Fan, this journey to the north had indeed been undertaken with the utmost reluctance14. Nayland Smith had written to me once during my brief absence, and his letter had inspired a yet keener desire to be back and at grips with the Yellow group; for he had hinted broadly that a tangible15 clue to the whereabouts of the Si-Fan head-quarters had at last been secured.
Now I learnt that I had a traveling companion—a woman. She was seated in the further, opposite corner, wore a long, loose motor-coat, which could not altogether conceal16 the fine lines of her lithe17 figure, and a thick veil hid her face. A motive18 for the excited behavior of the negro chauffeur suggested itself to my mind; a label; "Engaged," was pasted to the window!
I glanced across the compartment. Through the closely woven veil the woman was watching me. An apology clearly was called for.
"Madame," I said, "I hope you will forgive this unfortunate intrusion; but it was vitally important that I should not miss the London train."
She bowed, very slightly, very coldly—and turned her head aside.
The rebuff was as unmistakable as my offense19 was irremediable. Nor did I feel justified20 in resenting it. Therefore, endeavoring to dismiss the matter from my mind, I placed my bag upon the rack, and unfolding the newspaper with which I was provided, tried to interest myself in the doings of the world at large.
My attempt proved not altogether successful; strive how I would, my thoughts persistently21 reverted22 to the Si-Fan, the evil, secret society who held in their power one dearer to me than all the rest of the world; to Dr. Fu-Manchu, the genius who darkly controlled my destiny; and to Nayland Smith, the barrier between the White races and the devouring23 tide of the Yellow.
Sighing again, involuntarily, I glanced up … to meet the gaze of a pair of wonderful eyes.
Never, in my experience, had I seen their like. The dark eyes of Kâramaneh were wonderful and beautiful, the eyes of Dr. Fu-Manchu sinister24 and wholly unforgettable; but the eyes of this woman were incredible. Their glance was all but insupportable; the were the eyes of a Medusa!
Since I had met; in the not distant past, the soft gaze of Ki-Ming, the mandarin25 whose phenomenal hypnotic powers rendered him capable of transcending26 the achievements of the celebrated27 Cagliostro, I knew much of the power of the human eye. But these were unlike any human eyes I had ever known.
Long, almond-shaped, bordered by heavy jet-black lashes28, arched over by finely penciled brows, their strange brilliancy, as of a fire within, was utterly29 uncanny. They were the eyes of some beautiful wild creature rather than those of a woman.
Their possessor had now thrown back her motor-veil, revealing a face Orientally dark and perfectly30 oval, with a clustering mass of dull gold hair, small, aquiline31 nose and full, red lips. Her weird32 eyes met mine for an instant, and then the long lashes drooped33 quickly, as she leant back against the cushions, with a graceful34 languor35 suggestive of the East rather than of the West.
Her long coat had fallen partly open, and I saw, with surprise, that it was lined with leopard-skin. One hand was ungloved, and lay on the arm-rest—a slim hand of the hue36 of old ivory, with a strange, ancient ring upon the index finger.
This woman obviously was not a European, and I experienced great difficulty in determining with what Asiatic nation she could claim kinship. In point of fact I had never seen another who remotely resembled her; she was a fit employer for the gigantic negro with whom I had collided on the platform.
I tried to laugh at myself, staring from the window at the moon-bathed landscape; but the strange personality of my solitary37 companion would not be denied, and I looked quickly in her direction—in time to detect her glancing away; in time to experience the uncanny fascination38 of her gaze.
The long slim hand attracted my attention again, the green stone in the ring affording a startling contrast against the dull cream of the skin.
Whether the woman's personality, or a vague perfume of which I became aware, were responsible, I found myself thinking of a flower-bedecked shrine39, wherefrom arose the smoke of incense40 to some pagan god.
In vain I told myself that my frame of mind was contemptible41, that I should be ashamed of such weakness. Station after station was left behind, as the express sped through moonlit England towards the smoky metropolis43. Assured that I was being furtively44 watched, I became more and more uneasy.
It was with a distinct sense of effort that I withheld45 my gaze, forcing myself to look out of the window. When, having reasoned against the mad ideas that sought to obsess46 me, I glanced again across the compartment, I perceived, with inexpressible relief, that my companion had lowered her veil.
She kept it lowered throughout the remainder of the journey; yet during the hour that ensued I continued to experience sensations of which I have never since been able to think without a thrill of fear. It seemed that I had thrust myself, not into a commonplace railway compartment, but into a Cumaean cavern47.
If only I could have addressed this utterly mysterious stranger, have uttered some word of commonplace, I felt that the spell might have been broken. But, for some occult reason, in no way associated with my first rebuff, I found myself tongue-tied; I sustained, for an hour (the longest I had ever known), a silent watch and ward42 over my reason; I seemed to be repelling48, fighting against, some subtle power that sought to flood my brain, swamp my individuality, and enslave me to another's will.
In what degree this was actual, and in what due to a mind overwrought from endless conflict with the Yellow group, I know not to this day, but you who read these records of our giant struggle with Fu-Manchu and his satellites shall presently judge for yourselves.
When, at last, the brakes were applied49, and the pillars and platforms of the great terminus glided50 into view, how welcome was the smoky glare, how welcome the muffled51 roar of busy London!
A huge negro—the double of the man I had overthrown—opened the door of the compartment, bestowing52 upon me a glance in which enmity and amazement53 were oddly blended, and the woman, drawing the cloak about her graceful figure, stood up composedly.
She reached for a small leather case on the rack, and her loose sleeve fell back, to reveal a bare arm—soft, perfectly molded, of the even hue of old ivory. Just below the elbow a strange-looking snake bangle clasped the warm-flesh; the eyes; dull green, seemed to hold a slumbering54 fire—a spark—a spark of living light.
Then—she was gone!
"Thank Heaven!" I muttered, and felt like another Dante emerging from the Hades.
As I passed out of the station, I had a fleeting55 glimpse of a gray figure stepping into a big car, driven by a black chauffeur.
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1
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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4
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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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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6
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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7
chauffeur
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| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
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8
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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9
perilously
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| adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地 | |
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10
wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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11
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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callously
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13
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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14
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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15
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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16
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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18
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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20
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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23
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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Mandarin
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| n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的 | |
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26
transcending
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| 超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的现在分词 )； 优于或胜过… | |
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27
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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28
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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29
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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31
aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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32
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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33
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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35
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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36
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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37
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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38
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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39
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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40
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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41
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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42
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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43
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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44
furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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45
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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46
obsess
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| vt.使着迷，使心神不定，（恶魔）困扰 | |
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47
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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48
repelling
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| v.击退( repel的现在分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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49
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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50
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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51
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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52
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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53
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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54
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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55
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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