Having commandeered the Rolls Royce from the door of the Cavalry4 Club, he had immediately, by a mental process which many perils5 had perfected, dismissed the question of rightful ownership from his mind. The fact that he might be intercepted6 by police scouts7 he refused to entertain. The limousine8 driven by the Hindu chauffeur9 was still in sight, and until Mr. Nicol Brinn had seen it garaged, nothing else mattered, nothing else counted, and nothing else must be permitted to interfere10.
Jamming his hat tightly upon his head, he settled down at the wheel, drawing up rather closer to the limousine as the chase lay through crowded thoroughfares and keeping his quarry11 comfortably in sight across Westminster Bridge and through the outskirts12 of London.
He had carefully timed the drive to the unknown abode13 of Fire-Tongue, and unless it had been prolonged, the more completely to deceive him, he had determined14 that the house lay not more than twenty miles from Piccadilly.
When Mitcham was passed, and the limousine headed straight on into Surrey, he decided15 that there had been no doubling, but that the house to which he had been taken lay in one of these unsuspected country backwaters, which, while they are literally16 within sight of the lights of London, have nevertheless a remoteness as complete as secrecy17 could desire.
It was the deserted18 country roads which he feared, for if the man ahead of him should suspect pursuit, a difficult problem might arise.
By happy chance Nicol Brinn, an enthusiastic motorist, knew the map of Surrey as few Englishmen knew it. Indeed, there was no beauty spot within a forty-mile radius19 of London to which he could not have driven by the best and shortest route, at a moment’s notice. This knowledge aided him now.
For presently at a fork in the road he saw that the driver of the limousine had swung to the left, taking the low road, that to the right offering a steep gradient. The high road was the direct road to Lower Claybury, the low road a detour21 to the same.
Nicol Brinn mentally reviewed the intervening countryside, and taking a gambler’s chance, took the Rolls Royce up the hill. He knew exactly what he was about, and he knew that the powerful engine would eat up the slope with ease.
Its behaviour exceeded his expectations, and he found himself mounting the acclivity at racing22 speed. At its highest point, the road, skirting a hilltop, offered an extensive view of the valley below. Here Nicol Brinn pulled up and, descending24, watched and listened.
In the stillness he could plainly hear the other automobile25 humming steadily26 along the lowland road below. He concentrated his mind upon the latter part of that strange journey, striving to recall any details which had marked it immediately preceding the time when he had detected the rustling27 of leaves and knew that they had entered a carriage drive.
Yes, there had been a short but steep hill; and immediately before this the car had passed over a deeply rutted road, or—he had a sudden inspiration—over a level crossing.
He knew of just such a hilly road immediately behind Lower Claybury station. Indeed, it was that by which he should be compelled to descend23 if he continued to pursue his present route to the town. He could think of no large, detached house, the Manor28 Park excepted, which corresponded to the one which he sought. But that in taking the high road he had acted even more wisely than he knew, he was now firmly convinced.
He determined to proceed as far as the park gates as speedily as possible. Therefore, returning to the wheel, he sent the car along the now level road at top speed, so that the railings of the Manor Park, when presently he found himself skirting the grounds, had the semblance29 of a continuous iron fence wherever the moonlight touched them.
He passed the head of the road dipping down to Lower Claybury, but forty yards beyond pulled up and descended30. Again he stood listening, and:
“Good!” he muttered.
He could hear the other car labouring up the slope. He ran along to the corner of the lane, and, crouching31 close under the bushes, waited for its appearance. As he had supposed, the chauffeur turned the car to the right.
“Good!” muttered Nicol Brinn again.
There was a baggage-rack immediately above the number plate. Upon this Nicol Brinn sprang with the agility32 of a wildcat, settling himself upon his perilous33 perch34 before the engine had had time to gather speed.
When presently the car turned into the drive of Hillside, Nicol Brinn dropped off and dived into the bushes on the right of the path. From this hiding place he saw the automobile driven around the front of the house to the garage, which was built out from the east wing. Not daring to pursue his investigations35 until the chauffeur had retired36, he sought a more comfortable spot near a corner of the lawn and there, behind a bank of neglected flowers, lay down, watching the man’s shadowy figure moving about in the garage.
Although he was some distance from the doors he could see that there was a second car in the place—a low, torpedo-bodied racer, painted battleship gray. This sight turned his thoughts in another direction.
Very cautiously he withdrew to the drive again, retracing37 his steps to the lane, and walking back to the spot where he had left the Rolls Royce, all the time peering about him to right and left. He was looking for a temporary garage for the car, but one from which, if necessary, he could depart in a hurry. The shell of an ancient barn, roofless and desolate38, presently invited inspection39 and, as a result, a few minutes later Colonel Lord Wolverham’s luxurious40 automobile was housed for the night in these strange quarters.
When Nicol Brinn returned to Hillside, he found the garage locked and the lights extinguished. Standing41 under a moss-grown wall which sheltered him from the house, from his case he selected a long black cigar, lighted it with care and, having his hands thrust in the pockets of his light overcoat and the cigar protruding42 aggressively from the left corner of his mouth, he moved along to an angle of the wall and stared reflectively at the silent house.
A mental picture arose of a secret temple in the shadow of the distant Himalayas. Was it credible43 that this quiet country house, so typical of rural England, harboured that same dread44 secret which he had believed to be locked away in those Indian hills? Could he believe that the dark and death-dealing power which he had seen at work in the East was now centred here, within telephone-call of London?
The fate of Sir Charles Abingdon and of Paul Harley would seem to indicate that such was the case. Beyond doubt, the document of which Rama Dass had spoken was some paper in the possession of the late Sir Charles. Much that had been mysterious was cleared up. He wondered why it had not occurred to him from the first that Sir Charles’s inquiry45, which he had mentioned to Paul Harley, respecting Fire-Tongue, had been due to the fact that the surgeon had seen the secret mark upon his arm after the accident in the Haymarket. He remembered distinctly that his sleeve had been torn upon that occasion. He could not imagine, however, what had directed the attention of the organization to Sir Charles, and for what reason his death had been decided upon.
He rolled his cigar from corner to corner of his mouth, staring reflectively with lack-lustre eyes at the silent house before him. In the moonlight it made a peaceful picture enough. A cautious tour of the place revealed a lighted window upon the first floor. Standing in the shadow of an old apple tree, Nicol Brinn watched the blind of this window minute after minute, patiently waiting for a shadow to appear upon it; and at last his patience was rewarded.
A shadow appeared—the shadow of a woman!
Nicol Brinn dropped his cigar at his feet and set his heel upon it. A bitter-sweet memory which had been with him for seven years arose again in his mind. There is a kind of mountain owl20 in certain parts of northern India which possesses a curiously46 high, plaintive47 note. He wondered if he could remember and reproduce that note.
He made the attempt, repeating the cry three times. At the third repetition the light in the first floor window went out. He heard the sound of the window being gently opened. Then a voice—a voice which held the sweetest music in the world for the man who listened below—spoke softly:
“Nicol!”
“Naida!” he called. “Come down to me. You must. Don’t answer. I will wait here.”
“Promise you will let me return!”
He hesitated.
“Promise!”
“I promise.”
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收听单词发音
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1
opportune
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| adj.合适的，适当的 | |
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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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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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4
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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5
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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7
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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8
limousine
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| n.豪华轿车 | |
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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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10
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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11
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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12
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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14
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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15
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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16
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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17
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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18
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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detour
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| n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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23
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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29
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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30
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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31
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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32
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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35
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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36
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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retracing
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| v.折回( retrace的现在分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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38
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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39
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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40
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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41
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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42
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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43
credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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44
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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45
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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46
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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47
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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