He had hidden himself cunningly; but witnesses appeared who had seen him, in the dusk, and fled from him. They never learned that the object of their fear was Inspector8 John Weymouth. How, having escaped death in the Thames, he had crossed London unobserved, we never knew; but his trick of knocking upon his own door at half-past two each morning (a sort of dawning of sanity9 mysteriously linked with old custom) will be a familiar class of symptom to all students of alienation10.
In a car which he had in waiting at the end of the village we sped through the deserted12 streets to New Inn Court. I, who had followed Nayland Smith through the failures and successes of his mission, knew that to-night he had surpassed himself; had justified13 the confidence placed in him by the highest authorities.
We were admitted to an untidy room—that of a student, a traveler and a crank—by a plain-clothes officer. Amid picturesque15 and disordered fragments of a hundred ages, in a great carven chair placed before a towering statue of the Buddha16, sat a hand-cuffed man. His white hair and beard were patriarchal; his pose had great dignity. But his expression was entirely17 masked by the smoked glasses which he wore.
Two other detectives were guarding the prisoner.
"We arrested Professor Jenner Monde as he came in, sir," reported the man who had opened the door. "He has made no statement. I hope there isn't a mistake."
"I hope not," rapped Smith.
He strode across the room. He was consumed by a fever of excitement. Almost savagely18, he tore away the beard, tore off the snowy wig19 dashed the smoked glasses upon the floor.
A great, high brow was revealed, and green, malignant20 eyes, which fixed21 themselves upon him with an expression I never can forget.
IT WAS DR. FU-MANCHU!
"What have you done with Professor Monde?" demanded Smith.
Dr. Fu-Manchu showed his even, yellow teeth in the singularly evil smile which I knew so well. A manacled prisoner he sat as unruffled as a judge upon the bench. In truth and in justice I am compelled to say that Fu-Manchu was absolutely fearless.
"He has been detained in China," he replied, in smooth, sibilant tones—"by affairs of great urgency. His well-known personality and ungregarious habits have served me well, here!"
Smith, I could see, was undetermined how to act; he stood tugging23 at his ear and glancing from the impassive Chinaman to the wondering detectives.
"What are we to do, sir?" one of them asked.
"Leave Dr. Petrie and myself alone with the prisoner, until I call you."
The three withdrew. I divined now what was coming.
"Can you restore Weymouth's sanity?" rapped Smith abruptly24. "I cannot save you from the hangman, nor"—his fists clenched25 convulsively—"would I if I could; but—"
Fu-Manchu fixed his brilliant eyes upon him.
"Say no more, Mr. Smith," he interrupted; "you misunderstand me. I do not quarrel with that, but what I have done from conviction and what I have done of necessity are separated—are seas apart. The brave Inspector Weymouth I wounded with a poisoned needle, in self-defense; but I regret his condition as greatly as you do. I respect such a man. There is an antidote26 to the poison of the needle."
"Name it," said Smith.
Fu-Manchu smiled again.
"Useless," he replied. "I alone can prepare it. My secrets shall die with me. I will make a sane27 man of Inspector Weymouth, but no one else shall be in the house but he and I."
"It will be surrounded by police," interrupted Smith grimly.
"As you please," said Fu-Manchu. "Make your arrangements. In that ebony case upon the table are the instruments for the cure. Arrange for me to visit him where and when you will—"
Dr. Fu-Manchu rose slowly and drew himself up to his great height. His manacled hands could not rob him of the uncanny dignity which was his. He raised them above his head with a tragic29 gesture and fixed his piercing gaze upon Nayland Smith.
"The God of Cathay hear me," he said, with a deep, guttural note in his voice—"I swear—"
The most awful visitor who ever threatened the peace of England, the end of the visit of Fu-Manchu was characteristic—terrible—inexplicable.
Strange to relate, I did not doubt that this weird30 being had conceived some kind of admiration31 or respect for the man to whom he had wrought32 so terrible an injury. He was capable of such sentiments, for he entertained some similar one in regard to myself.
A cottage farther down the village street than Weymouth's was vacant, and in the early dawn of that morning became the scene of outre happenings. Poor Weymouth, still in a comatose33 condition, we removed there (Smith having secured the key from the astonished agent). I suppose so strange a specialist never visited a patient before—certainly not under such conditions.
For into the cottage, which had been entirely surrounded by a ring of police, Dr. Fu-Manchu was admitted from the closed car in which, his work of healing complete, he was to be borne to prison—to death!
Law and justice were suspended by my royally empowered friend that the enemy of the white race might heal one of those who had hunted him down!
No curious audience was present, for sunrise was not yet come; no concourse of excited students followed the hand of the Master; but within that surrounded cottage was performed one of those miracles of science which in other circumstances had made the fame of Dr. Fu-Manchu to live forever.
Inspector Weymouth, dazed, disheveled, clutching his head as a man who has passed through the Valley of the Shadow—but sane—sane!—walked out into the porch!
"Mr. Smith!" he cried—and staggered down the path—"Dr. Petrie! What—"
There came a deafening35 explosion. From EVERY visible window of the deserted cottage flames burst forth1!
"QUICK!" Smith's voice rose almost to a scream—"into the house!"
He raced up the path, past Inspector Weymouth, who stood swaying there like a drunken man. I was close upon his heels. Behind me came the police.
The door was impassable! Already, it vomited36 a deathly heat, borne upon stifling37 fumes38 like those of the mouth of the Pit. We burst a window. The room within was a furnace!
"My God!" cried someone. "This is supernatural!"
"Listen!" cried another. "Listen!"
The crowd which a fire can conjure39 up at any hour of day or night, out of the void of nowhere, was gathering40 already. But upon all descended41 a pall42 of silence.
From the heat of the holocaust43 a voice proclaimed itself—a voice raised, not in anguish44 but in TRIUMPH! It chanted barbarically—and was still.
The abnormal flames rose higher—leaping forth from every window.
I come to the close of my chronicle, and feel that I betray a trust—the trust of my reader. For having limned46 in the colors at my command the fiendish Chinese doctor, I am unable to conclude my task as I should desire, unable, with any consciousness of finality, to write Finis to the end of my narrative47.
It seems to me sometimes that my pen is but temporarily idle—that I have but dealt with a single phase of a movement having a hundred phases. One sequel I hope for, and against all the promptings of logic48 and Western bias49. If my hope shall be realized I cannot, at this time, pretend to state.
I ask you then, to absolve50 me from the charge of ill completing my work; for any curiosity with which this narrative may leave the reader burdened is shared by the writer.
With intent, I have rushed you from the chambers51 of Professor Jenner Monde to that closing episode at the deserted cottage; I have made the pace hot in order to impart to these last pages of my account something of the breathless scurry52 which characterized those happenings.
My canvas may seem sketchy53: it is my impression of the reality. No hard details remain in my mind of the dealings of that night. Fu-Manchu arrested—Fu-Manchu, manacled, entering the cottage on his mission of healing; Weymouth, miraculously54 rendered sane, coming forth; the place in flames.
And then?
To a shell the cottage burned, with an incredible rapidity which pointed55 to some hidden agency; to a shell about ashes which held NO TRACE OF HUMAN BONES!
It has been asked of me: Was there no possibility of Fu-Manchu's having eluded56 us in the ensuing confusion? Was there no loophole of escape?
I reply, that so far as I was able to judge, a rat could scarce have quitted the building undetected. Yet that Fu-Manchu had, in some incomprehensible manner and by some mysterious agency, produced those abnormal flames, I cannot doubt. Did he voluntarily ignite his own funeral pyre?
As I write, there lies before me a soiled and creased57 sheet of vellum. It bears some lines traced in a cramped58, peculiar59, and all but illegible60 hand. This fragment was found by Inspector Weymouth (to this day a man mentally sound) in a pocket of his ragged61 garments.
When it was written I leave you to judge. How it came to be where Weymouth found it calls for no explanation:
"To Mr. Commissioner62 NAYLAND SMITH and Dr. PETRIE—
"Greeting! I am recalled home by One who may not be denied. In much that I came to do I have failed. Much that I have done I would undo63; some little I have undone64. Out of fire I came—the smoldering65 fire of a thing one day to be a consuming flame; in fire I go. Seek not my ashes. I am the lord of the fires! Farewell.
"FU-MANCHU."
Who has been with me in my several meetings with the man who penned that message I leave to adjudge if it be the letter of a madman bent66 upon self-destruction by strange means, or the gibe67 of a preternaturally clever scientist and the most elusive68 being ever born of the land of mystery—China.
For the present, I can aid you no more in the forming of your verdict. A day may come though I pray it do not—when I shall be able to throw new light upon much that is dark in this matter. That day, so far as I can judge, could only dawn in the event of the Chinaman's survival; therefore I pray that the veil be never lifted.
But, as I have said, there is another sequel to this story which I can contemplate69 with a different countenance70. How, then, shall I conclude this very unsatisfactory account?
Shall I tell you, finally, of my parting with lovely, dark-eyed Karamaneh, on board the liner which was to bear her to Egypt?
No, let me, instead, conclude with the words of Nayland Smith:
"I sail for Burma in a fortnight, Petrie. I have leave to break my journey at the Ditch. How would a run up the Nile fit your programme? Bit early for the season, but you might find something to amuse you!"
The End
The End
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1
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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scrupled
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| v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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alienation
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| n.疏远；离间；异化 | |
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revert
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| v.恢复，复归，回到 | |
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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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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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mid
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| adj.中央的，中间的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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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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antidote
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| n.解毒药，解毒剂 | |
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sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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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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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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32
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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comatose
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| adj.昏睡的，昏迷不醒的 | |
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insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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36
vomited
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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41
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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42
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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43
holocaust
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| n.大破坏；大屠杀 | |
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44
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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45
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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46
limned
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| v.画( limn的过去式和过去分词 )；勾画；描写；描述 | |
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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
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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49
bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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50
absolve
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| v.赦免，解除（责任等） | |
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51
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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52
scurry
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| vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马 | |
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53
sketchy
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| adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的 | |
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54
miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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55
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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56
eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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57
creased
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| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴 | |
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58
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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60
illegible
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| adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的 | |
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61
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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62
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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63
undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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64
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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65
smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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66
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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67
gibe
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| n.讥笑；嘲弄 | |
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68
elusive
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| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
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69
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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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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