Chick made his way dizzily across the room and turned the key in the lock. He knew the meaning of the move. The noise of the struggle might have been heard, and if so, the room might be invaded at any moment. It was evident that the chief did not wish such an interruption. As soon as Chick had locked the door, he returned to his chief’s side.
“Now, watch this fellow,” the detective directed. “Don’t let him make even a move to get up.”
As he spoke1, Nick got to his feet, and, striding to the wall, switched on a couple more lights, flooding the room.
Follansbee lay where he had been left, but his evil eyes searched the features of the pajama-clad detective. Seemingly he had guessed his identity, but had failed to verify his suspicions from the bearded face.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “And what does this mean?”
“Stay where you are!” he advised. “I have my eye on you, you know.”
“It’s too much trouble to take off this beard, Follansbee,” Nick replied evenly. “I hardly think that’s necessary, anyhow. I have a notion you could guess at my name without much trouble, and that the guess would be right. I am Nick Carter, not at yours—but at James Stone’s—service.”
There was a tense, dramatic silence; then suddenly, with a curious, gurgling sound, another figure came to the stage.
Stone, swinging himself out of bed, rose to his feet unsteadily. The blind, vacant look had vanished. A perplexed5, troubled frown had taken its place, and Stone turned his head slowly, eying each of the occupants of the room in turn.
“What is this?” he asked, in a hesitating voice. “What does it mean?”
Follansbee screwed himself round on the floor and faced the man. Chick caught the look on the doctor’s face, and guessed what he was up to.
“No, you don’t,” he remarked, stooping down and jerking Follansbee about by the collar. “Keep your eyes off him and cut out your Svengali tricks.”
There was no doubt that Stone was coming out from the influence of the spell which had been laid upon him, but he would doubtless have succumbed6 again had it not been for Chick’s quick move. As it was, he had already looked at Follansbee and recognized him.
The ex-miner passed his hands across his eyes. “I thought I’d seen the last of you,” he jerked out. “I remember leaving your house, but after that—after that——”
“I seem to recognize you,” he went on. “I wonder if you are my friend. Can you explain?”
A look of hope sprang into the detective’s eyes, and he nodded his head eagerly.
“I think I can,” he answered. “You have been made a victim of a cold-blooded rascal8. I need not tell you what happened at the Hotel Windermere, I suppose?”
“I know—I know,” he said, dropping back quickly on the side of his bed. “I—I tried to murder poor old Win. But you saved me from that, didn’t you?”
He looked appealingly at Follansbee. The latter could no longer bear his ignominious11 position on the floor. With a look of defiance12 he scrambled13 to his feet, and Carter and his assistant allowed him to do so, although they ranged themselves on either side of him.
Follansbee knew that he was in desperate straits, but he believed that his star was not yet ready to set. He made one mistake, however; for he imagined that Winthrop Crawford had been inoculated14 with the deadly disease.
“You are mistaken,” he said daringly. “By this time Crawford must be suffering from the disease that you placed in his veins15.”
“No, no, no! You don’t mean that—you can’t mean it!” Stone broke out, in a horrified16 voice. “You told me that the syringe was filled with a harmless liquid.”
A groan18 burst from the lips of the tall man, and his lean figure seemed to shrivel. “Then Heaven help me!” he moaned. “I’ve killed the man I love best in the world.”
“No, you have not!”
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1
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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2
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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3
prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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4
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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5
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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6
succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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7
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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8
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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9
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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10
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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11
ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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12
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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13
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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14
inoculated
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| v.给…做预防注射( inoculate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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16
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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17
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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18
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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