At the end of half an hour's steady tramping I saw before me a place where a wood dipped down to the wayside so that its trees cast a broad shadow across the path. I knew that the entrance to the farm lay just beyond; and, pressing on past the trees, I saw many outbuildings having none of that deserted6 appearance which characterized the neighboring homesteads of Upper Crossleys. Twenty yards beyond the farm itself appeared in view.
There was some sign of activity about the yard, and, walking briskly forward, I presently found myself looking into a stone-paved place containing numbers of milk-cans. Here a woman was engaged in sweeping7 the floor, and:
"I have called to see Mr. Edward Hines," I said. "Can you tell me where I shall find him?"
The woman stared at me in a strange and almost stupefied manner.
"Is he a friend of yours?" she inquired.
"He is not exactly a friend of mine," I continued; "but I have very particular business with him."
She continued to stare in that curious way and remained silent for so long that I began to think she was not going to reply, when:
"If Mr. Edward is not expecting you," she said, "I don't know that I should advise you to go in. He is not very well just now—and he is sometimes rather strange."
"I know," I said. "I quite understand; but he will be willing to see me when he knows what I have come about. Shall I find him yonder?"
I pointed8 towards an open door leading to which was a neat, graveled path lined by well-kept flower-beds, and which I took to be the main entrance to the farm.
"Well, sir," said the woman doubtfully, "they'll tell you there if Mr. Edward is to be seen; but I don't advise it"
I presently obtained a view of a cozily furnished room, where a white-haired old lady was bustling11 about engaged in some domestic duties. I paused at the threshold.
"My name is Addison," I said. "Would it be possible for me to have a few minutes' conversation with Mr. Edward Hines?"
The old lady (whom I suspected to be the mother of the youth whom I was seeking) paused in the midst of her task and looked at me in a troubled way. It was evident enough that the reputation of Mr. Edward was the same in his home as elsewhere, and it occurred to me that his upbringing must have been a very bad one.
"Well," she replied, after this eloquent12 pause, "he's up in his room certainly, but he doesn't like to see visitors, I know."
"He will be perfectly13 willing to see me," I said, confidently. "I have news of importance for him"—and as she continued to look at me in that troubled way: "I know of his present disfigurement," I explained. "You need not be afraid of any unpleasant scenes."
"If I were sure of that," she said hesitatingly, and looked me over with a critical eye. "Does he know you, sir?"
"Oh, yes," I answered; "we have met before. I assure you it will be quite all right if you will just let me walk up and announce myself to him, Mrs. Hines."
If I had had any doubt upon the point I was soon to learn that she was indeed the mother of the notorious Mr. Edwards; for, ere she had time to reply, a high-pitched, querulous voice which I had heard before cried out from somewhere above:
"If that's any one for me, mother, tell him to go away! You know perfectly well I won't see any one."
"There you are, sir," said Mrs. Hines, unable to hide her embarrassment14; "I told you he wouldn't see you."
"Please give me permission to go up," I said; "he will change his mind when he hears what I have to say."
Judging from the sound of the voice, I concluded that the excited young man was located in a room immediately above that at the door of which I stood.
"Don't be alarmed, madam," I said, and, stepping into the room, I placed my hand reassuringly16 upon the old lady's shoulder.
Without waiting for any further protest I advanced to an open staircase which I had already marked as leading to the apartment above and confidently mounted. The copy-hunting pressman is not readily excluded, and a few moments later I found myself in an extremely untidy bedroom, the walls of which were decorated with sporting prints, Kirchner drawings and photographs of many damsels.
The scarred young man, his face still a mass of sticking-plaster, stood with clenched17 fists facing me, and:
"Get out!" was his greeting—"before I throw you out."
"My dear sir," I said, "unless you particularly want to figure in a very undignified light as a witness in a trial for murder, sit down and listen to me."
Edward Hines hesitated, opening and closing his hands and glaring at me in a preposterous18 fury.
"What's the game?" he demanded. "What are you talking about?"
"I am talking of 'the Oritoga mystery,'" I replied.
"The Oritoga mystery?"
His expression changed, and he dropped down into an armchair from which he had evidently arisen upon hearing my voice below. I observed a copy of a daily paper lying upon the carpet, and the conspicuous19 headline was sufficient to show me that he had actually been reading the latest reports concerning the case at the time of my arrival. I had judged my man pretty accurately20 by this time, and drawing up another chair which stood near me I sat down facing him, holding out my open cigar-case.
"I quite understand your sensitiveness in the circumstances," I said soothingly21; "but there is no occasion to suppose that I have come to remind you of your misfortune. Have a cigar. I want a chat with you."
He continued to watch me in a lowering way, but I was gradually getting him in hand. With very poor grace he accepted a cigar, lighted it, and threw the match away without offering to light mine. I did not appear to notice his churlishness, but immediately approached the matter about which I had come.
"Although I am not a member of the Criminal Investigation22 Department," I continued, "I am nevertheless in a sense an agent of Scotland Yard, and I must ask you to listen very seriously to what I have to say. You have in your possession a certain gold amulet23—"
He was on his feet in a moment, the patches of skin visible between the strapping24 assuming a purple color. A more choleric25 young man I had never met.
"Damn you!" he cried. "What has it to do with you?"
"Sit down!" I said sternly. "I have given you one warning; I shall not give you another. You will either answer my questions civilly here and now or answer them in court, whichever you please. I shall not give you another opportunity of choosing. I will repeat my remark: you have in your possession a certain gold amulet in the form, I believe, of a cat."
He was choking and muttering and glaring at me as I spoke26, but I stared at him coolly, and finally he resumed his seat and reached out one hand towards a chest-of-drawers which stood beside his chair. Pulling one of the drawers open, he took out a little gold figure of Bâst, and holding it towards me:
"Is this the thing you mean?" he jerked uncivilly.
"It is," I replied; "allow me to examine it."
He seemed rather reluctant to do so, but nevertheless I took it from his hand and looked at it closely. Beyond doubt it was of Ancient Egyptian workmanship and probably a genuine Bubastite votive offering. Raising my eyes to him again:
"Without in any way desiring to pry27 into your affairs," I said, "would you be good enough to tell me how this came into your possession?"
The studied coolness of my manner was having its proper effect, and Edward Hines, although sulkily, replied at once:
"A woman gave it to me."
"What was her name?"
"I don't know."
A ridiculous look of vanity appeared in his eyes.
"Is it very valuable?" he inquired.
"It may be worth as much as £50," I answered quietly.
"Really!" said he, with something approaching geniality29 in his tones. "Well, it's an extraordinary thing, but I assure you I don't know her name."
"Of course," I said, with Machiavellian30 cunning, "I don't expect you to remember the name of every girl who has loved you, but this is an unusual present to receive even from an infatuated woman."
"It's an extraordinary thing, isn't it?" repeated Edward Hines, full of self-esteem. "I can't make out the women at all; they're always giving me presents. Look at that picture-frame. I got that from a girl I had only seen three times—and it's solid silver," he added.
I glanced at the memento31 indicated, and observed that it contained a photograph of Mr. Hines (without the sticking-plaster).
"It's not bad," said he disparagingly33; "it was done by one of the big people up in London. The girl paid for it."
"But even that," I pursued—"even that is not so remarkable34 a gift as this valuable piece of jewelry35 which I hold in my hand."
"No," said the youth, now restored to the utmost good-humor by my undisguised admiration36 of his Don Juan-like qualities. "But the fact remains37 that I don't know her name to this day. What did you mean," he continued, "when you said that I was concerned in some way in 'the Oritoga mystery'?"
"I meant," I explained, "that the police are looking for a woman who answers to the description of your friend."
"Really!" he cried. "A tall woman, very fine figure, beautifully dressed?"
"I think it is probably the same," I said. "Had she any peculiarities38 of appearance or manner by which you would recognize her again?"
"She had several peculiarities by which I should recognize her," he declared, a note of resentment39 now proclaiming itself in his voice.
"And they were?"
Mr. Hines leaned forward, tapping me on the knee confidentially40.
"I met her by accident, you understand," he confided41, "on the London Road one evening about sunset set. She asked me the way to Friar's Park and I could see that I had made an impression at once. It was just an excuse to speak to me of course. I offered to walk that far with her; she agreed, and to cut a long story short—the usual thing, of course; she wanted to meet me again.
"Well," he resumed complacently42, "I met her on the following Thursday and we became very good friends, you understand, except that she always seemed particularly anxious to return home before dusk. All this time I never knew who she was, or even where she lived, but of course I could see how the land lay. She was some lady from London staying at one of the big houses about here and had to show up for dinner. That night when we parted she gave me this little gold thing and arranged to see me again."
He paused, knocking ash from his cigar and seemingly reflecting as to how he should word his next communication; but finally:
"The third time I saw her," he said, "I managed to arrange that she could not get in quite so early, you understand; and then—I don't know exactly how to tell you. I am not a chap that gets in a panic very easily; but (I may mention that the scene took place in a wood) she gave me the biggest scare I have ever had in my life."
"My dear—Mr. Addison, I think you said your name was?—her eyes lighted up in the dark like a cat's!"
He stared at me with some return of his old truculence44 as if anticipating ridicule45 and prepared to resent it, but I nodded sternly, watching him as if enthralled46 by his narrative47, whereupon:
"Yes—like a cat's!" he repeated; "and I'll admit I got in a panic. I don't know if she thought from the way I yelled that I was going to attack her or what, but the next thing I knew she was at my throat."
He uttered a sort of choking sound, tenderly touched the bandages about his neck and fingered the plaster which ornamented48 his face.
"Throttle me!" he exclaimed scornfully. "She seized me with her teeth!"
"But," I said, and hesitated, for I feared I might wound his curious susceptibility—"the damage to your face?"
"Damn her!" he cried. "Damn her! I had never seen her without her gloves, you understand, but she must have taken them off that night; for this"—he indicated his plastered countenance—"is what she did with her nails!"
He paused, staring at me dully, and then with a hint of the old ridiculous vanity entering his voice:
"But I scored after all," he said, tossing the little amulet into the drawer from which he had taken it. "If that's worth £50 it will more than pay the doctor's bill, I think!"
"Of course," I said, "you would recognize the woman again?"
"I am not so certain," declared the scarred man. "She always wore some sort of veil; but you may be sure," he added in a tone of supreme51 condescension52, "that she was a very pretty woman, or I shouldn't have been bothering with her."
"You are quite sure of that?" I ventured to remark.
"No doubt about it at all. Most extraordinary eyes—too damned extraordinary by half!"
"Well," I said, "I am much indebted to you for your statement, and you may be confident that it will materially assist the investigation now in progress."
"Don't mention it," said Hines, airily. "If I can ever do anything else for you, just let me know; but—I mean to say I rely upon you not to bring me into it. You understand what I mean?"
"You may be absolutely certain," I replied, "that no hint of this occurrence will ever be made public so far as I am concerned."
I took my departure from Leeways Farm fully9 satisfied with the result of the first move in the plan of campaign upon which I had decided53. Returning to my quarters at the Abbey Inn, I spent the greater part of the afternoon in writing a detailed54 account of my interview with Edward Hines. Having completed this, I set out for the town, as by posting my report there and not in the wayside box at Upper Crossleys I knew that I could count upon its delivery at New Scotland Yard by the first mail in the morning.
In leisurely55 fashion I performed the journey, for my next move could not be made until after dusk.
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1
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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wayfarer
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| n.旅人 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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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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7
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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8
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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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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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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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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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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17
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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19
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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20
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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amulet
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| n.护身符 | |
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strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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25
choleric
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| adj.易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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26
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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27
pry
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| vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起) | |
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28
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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29
geniality
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| n.和蔼，诚恳；愉快 | |
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30
machiavellian
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| adj.权谋的，狡诈的 | |
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31
memento
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| n.纪念品，令人回忆的东西 | |
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32
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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disparagingly
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| adv.以贬抑的口吻，以轻视的态度 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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36
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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40
confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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41
confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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42
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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43
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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44
truculence
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| n.凶猛，粗暴 | |
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45
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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46
enthralled
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| 迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快 | |
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47
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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48
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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50
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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51
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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52
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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53
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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54
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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55
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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