Dressed appropriately, Tuppence duly sallied forth1 for her “afternoonout.” Albert was in temporary abeyance2, but Tuppence went herself to thestationer’s to make quite sure that nothing had come for her. Satisfied onthis point, she made her way to the Ritz. On inquiry3 she learnt thatTommy had not yet returned. It was the answer she had expected, but itwas another nail in the coffin4 of her hopes. She resolved to appeal to Mr.
Carter, telling him when and where Tommy had started on his quest, andasking him to do something to trace him. The prospect5 of his aid revivedher mercurial6 spirits, and she next inquired for Julius Hersheimmer. Thereply she got was to the effect that he had returned about half an hourago, but had gone out immediately.
Tuppence’s spirits revived still more. It would be something to see Ju-lius. Perhaps he could devise some plan for finding out what had becomeof Tommy. She wrote her note to Mr. Carter in Julius’s sitting room, andwas just addressing the envelope when the door burst open.
“What the hell —” began Julius, but checked himself abruptly7. “I begyour pardon, Miss Tuppence. Those fools down at the office would have itthat Beresford wasn’t here any longer—hadn’t been here since Wednes-day. Is that so?”
Tuppence nodded.
“You don’t know where he is?” she asked faintly.
“I? How should I know? I haven’t had one darned word from him,though I wired him yesterday morning.”
“I expect your wire’s at the office unopened.”
“But where is he?”
“I don’t know. I hoped you might.”
“I tell you I haven’t had one darned word from him since we parted atthe depot8 on Wednesday.”
“What depot?”
“Waterloo. Your London and South Western road.”
“Waterloo?” frowned Tuppence.
“Why, yes. Didn’t he tell you?”
“I haven’t seen him either,” replied Tuppence impatiently. “Go on aboutWaterloo. What were you doing there?”
“He gave me a call. Over the phone. Told me to get a move on, andhustle. Said he was trailing two crooks10.”
“Oh!” said Tuppence, her eyes opening. “I see. Go on.”
“I hurried along right away. Beresford was there. He pointed11 out thecrooks. The big one was mine, the guy you bluffed12. Tommy shoved a ticketinto my hand and told me to get aboard the cars. He was going to sleuththe other crook9.” Julius paused. “I thought for sure you’d know all this.”
“Julius,” said Tuppence firmly, “stop walking up and down. It makes megiddy. Sit down in that armchair, and tell me the whole story with as fewfancy turns of speech as possible.”
Mr. Hersheimmer obeyed.
“Sure,” he said. “Where shall I begin?”
“Where you left off. At Waterloo.”
“Well,” began Julius, “I got into one of your dear old-fashioned first-classBritish compartments13. The train was just off. First thing I knew a guardcame along and informed me mightily14 politely that I wasn’t in a smokingcarriage. I handed him out half a dollar, and that settled that. I did a bit ofprospecting along the corridor to the next coach. Whittington was thereright enough. When I saw the skunk15, with his big sleek16 fat face, andthought of poor little Jane in his clutches, I felt real mad that I hadn’t got agun with me. I’d have tickled17 him up some.
“We got to Bournemouth all right. Whittington took a cab and gave thename of an hotel. I did likewise, and we drove up within three minutes ofeach other. He hired a room, and I hired one too. So far it was all plainsailing. He hadn’t the remotest notion that anyone was on to him. Well, hejust sat around in the hotel lounge, reading the papers and so on, till it wastime for dinner. He didn’t hurry any over that either.
“I began to think that there was nothing doing, that he’d just come onthe trip for his health, but I remembered that he hadn’t changed for din-ner, though it was by way of being a slap-up hotel, so it seemed likelyenough that he’d be going out on his real business afterwards.
“Sure enough, about nine o’clock, so he did. Took a car across the town—mighty pretty place by the way, I guess I’ll take Jane there for a spellwhen I find her—and then paid it off and struck out along those pine-woods on the top of the cliff. I was there too, you understand. We walked,maybe, for half an hour. There’s a lot of villas18 all the way along, but by de-grees they seemed to get more and more thinned out, and in the end wegot to one that seemed the last of the bunch. Big house it was, with a lot ofpiny grounds around it.
“It was a pretty black night, and the carriage drive up to the house wasdark as pitch. I could hear him ahead, though I couldn’t see him. I had towalk carefully in case he might get on to it that he was being followed. Iturned a curve and I was just in time to see him ring the bell and get ad-mitted to the house. I just stopped where I was. It was beginning to rain,and I was soon pretty near soaked through. Also, it was almighty19 cold.
“Whittington didn’t come out again, and by and by I got kind of restive,and began to mooch around. All the ground floor windows were shutteredtight, but upstairs, on the first floor (it was a two-storied house) I noticed awindow with a light burning and the curtains not drawn20.
“Now, just opposite to that window, there was a tree growing. It wasabout thirty foot away from the house, maybe, and I sort of got it into myhead that, if I climbed up that tree, I’d very likely be able to see into thatroom. Of course, I knew there was no reason why Whittington should bein that room rather than in any other—less reason, in fact, for the bettingwould be on his being in one of the reception rooms downstairs. But Iguess I’d got the hump from standing21 so long in the rain, and anythingseemed better than going on doing nothing. So I started up.
“It wasn’t so easy, by a long chalk! The rain had made the boughsmighty slippery, and it was all I could do to keep a foothold, but bit by bit Imanaged it, until at last there I was level with the window.
“But then I was disappointed. I was too far to the left. I could only seesideways into the room. A bit of curtain, and a yard of wallpaper was all Icould command. Well, that wasn’t any manner of good to me, but just as Iwas going to give it up, and climb down ignominiously22, someone insidemoved and threw his shadow on my little bit of wall—and, by gum, it wasWhittington!
“After that, my blood was up. I’d just got to get a look into that room. Itwas up to me to figure out how. I noticed that there was a long branchrunning out from the tree in the right direction. If I could only swarmabout halfway23 along it, the proposition would be solved. But it was mightyuncertain whether it would bear my weight. I decided24 I’d just got to riskthat, and I started. Very cautiously, inch by inch, I crawled along. Thebough creaked and swayed in a nasty fashion, and it didn’t do to think ofthe drop below, but at last I got safely to where I wanted to be.
“The room was medium-sized, furnished in a kind of bare hygienic way.
There was a table with a lamp on it in the middle of the room, and sittingat that table, facing towards me, was Whittington right enough. He wastalking to a woman dressed as a hospital nurse. She was sitting with herback to me, so I couldn’t see her face. Although the blinds were up, thewindow itself was shut, so I couldn’t catch a word of what they said. Whit-tington seemed to be doing all the talking, and the nurse just listened. Nowand then she nodded, and sometimes she’d shake her head, as though shewere answering questions. He seemed very emphatic—once or twice hebeat with his fist on the table. The rain had stopped now, and the sky wasclearing in that sudden way it does.
“Presently, he seemed to get to the end of what he was saying. He got up,and so did she. He looked towards the window and asked something—Iguess it was whether it was raining. Anyway, she came right across andlooked out. Just then the moon came out from behind the clouds. I wasscared the woman would catch sight of me, for I was full in the moonlight.
I tried to move back a bit. The jerk I gave was too much for that rotten oldbranch. With an almighty crash, down it came, and Julius P. Hersheimmerwith it!”
“Oh, Julius,” breathed Tuppence, “how exciting! Go on.”
“Well, luckily for me, I pitched down into a good soft bed of earth—but itput me out of action for the time, sure enough. The next thing I knew, Iwas lying in bed with a hospital nurse (not Whittington’s one) on one sideof me, and a little black-bearded man with gold glasses, and medical manwritten all over him, on the other. He rubbed his hands together, andraised his eyebrows25 as I stared at him. ‘Ah!’ he said. ‘So our young friendis coming round again. Capital. Capital.’
“I did the usual stunt26. Said: ‘What’s happened?’ And ‘Where am I?’ But Iknew the answer to the last well enough. There’s no moss27 growing on mybrain. ‘I think that’ll do for the present, sister,’ said the little man, and thenurse left the room in a sort of brisk well-trained way. But I caught herhanding me out a look of deep curiosity as she passed through the door.
“That look of hers gave me an idea. ‘Now then, doc,’ I said, and tried tosit up in bed, but my right foot gave me a nasty twinge as I did so. ‘A slightsprain,’ explained the doctor. ‘Nothing serious. You’ll be about again in acouple of days.’
“I noticed you walked lame,” interpolated Tuppence.
Julius nodded, and continued:
“ ‘How did it happen?’ I asked again. He replied dryly. ‘You fell, with aconsiderable portion of one of my trees, into one of my newly-plantedflower beds.’
“I liked the man. He seemed to have a sense of humour. I felt sure thathe, at least, was plumb28 straight. ‘Sure, doc,’ I said, ‘I’m sorry about the tree,and I guess the new bulbs will be on me. But perhaps you’d like to knowwhat I was doing in your garden?’ ‘I think the facts do call for an explana-tion,’ he replied. ‘Well, to begin with, I wasn’t after the spoons.’
“He smiled. ‘My first theory. But I soon altered my mind. By the way,you are an American, are you not?’ I told him my name. ‘And you?’ ‘I amDr. Hall, and this, as you doubtless know, is my private nursing home.’
“I didn’t know, but wasn’t going to put him wise. I was just thankful forthe information. I liked the man, and I felt he was straight, but I wasn’t go-ing to give him the whole story. For one thing he probably wouldn’t havebelieved it.
“I made up my mind in a flash. ‘Why, doctor,’ I said, ‘I guess I feel analmighty fool, but I owe it to you to let you know that it wasn’t the BillSikes business I was up to.’ Then I went on and mumbled29 out somethingabout a girl. I trotted30 out the stern guardian31 business, and a nervousbreakdown, and finally explained that I had fancied I recognized heramong the patients at the home, hence my nocturnal adventures.
“I guess it was just the kind of story he was expecting. ‘Quite a romance,’
he said genially33, when I’d finished. ‘Now, doc,’ I went on, ‘will you be frankwith me? Have you here now, or have you had here at any time, a younggirl called Jane Finn?’ He repeated the name thoughtfully. ‘Jane Finn?’ hesaid. ‘No.’
“I was chagrined34, and I guess I showed it. ‘You are sure?’ ‘Quite sure, Mr.
Hersheimmer. It is an uncommon35 name, and I should not have been likelyto forget it.’
“Well, that was flat. It laid me out for a space. I’d kind of hoped mysearch was at an end. ‘That’s that,’ I said at last. ‘Now, there’s another mat-ter. When I was hugging that darned branch I thought I recognized an oldfriend of mine talking to one of your nurses.’ I purposely didn’t mentionany name because, of course, Whittington might be calling himself some-thing quite different down here, but the doctor answered at once. ‘Mr.
Whittington, perhaps?’ ‘That’s the fellow,’ I replied. ‘What’s he doing downhere? Don’t tell me his nerves are out of order?’
“Dr. Hall laughed. ‘No. He came down to see one of my nurses, NurseEdith, who is a niece of his.’ ‘Why, fancy that!’ I exclaimed, ‘Is he stillhere?’ ‘No, he went back to town almost immediately.’ ‘What a pity!’ I ejac-ulated. ‘But perhaps I could speak to his niece—Nurse Edith, did you sayher name was?’
“But the doctor shook his head. ‘I’m afraid that, too, is impossible. NurseEdith left with a patient tonight also.’ ‘I seem to be real unlucky,’ I re-marked. ‘Have you Mr. Whittington’s address in town? I guess I’d like tolook him up when I get back.’ ‘I don’t know his address. I can write toNurse Edith for it if you like.’ I thanked him. ‘Don’t say who it is wants it.
I’d like to give him a little surprise.’
“That was about all I could do for the moment. Of course, if the girl wasreally Whittington’s niece, she might be too cute to fall into the trap, but itwas worth trying. Next thing I did was to write out a wire to Beresfordsaying where I was, and that I was laid up with a sprained36 foot, and tellinghim to come down if he wasn’t busy. I had to be guarded in what I said.
However, I didn’t hear from him, and my foot soon got all right. It wasonly ricked, not really sprained, so today I said good-bye to the little doc-tor chap, asked him to send me word if he heard from Nurse Edith, andcame right away back to town. Say, Miss Tuppence, you’re looking mightypale?”
“It’s Tommy,” said Tuppence. “What can have happened to him?”
“Buck up, I guess he’s all right really. Why shouldn’t he be? See here, itwas a foreign-looking guy he went off after. Maybe they’ve gone abroad—to Poland, or something like that?”
Tuppence shook her head.
“He couldn’t without passports and things. Besides I’ve seen that man,Boris Something, since. He dined with Mrs. Vandemeyer last night.”
“Mrs. Who?”
“I forgot. Of course you don’t know all that.”
“I’m listening,” said Julius, and gave vent32 to his favourite expression.
“Put me wise.”
Tuppence thereupon related the events of the last two days. Julius’s as-tonishment and admiration37 were unbounded.
“Bully for you! Fancy you a menial. It just tickles38 me to death!” Then headded seriously: “But say now, I don’t like it, Miss Tuppence, I sure don’t.
You’re just as plucky39 as they make ’em, but I wish you’d keep right out ofthis. These crooks we’re up against would as soon croak40 a girl as a manany day.”
“Do you think I’m afraid?” said Tuppence indignantly, valiantly41 repress-ing memories of the steely glitter in Mrs. Vandemeyer’s eyes.
“I said before you were darned plucky. But that doesn’t alter facts.”
“Oh, bother me!” said Tuppence impatiently. “Let’s think about what canhave happened to Tommy. I’ve written to Mr. Carter about it,” she added,and told him the gist42 of her letter.
Julius nodded gravely.
“I guess that’s good as far as it goes. But it’s for us to get busy and dosomething.”
“What can we do?” asked Tuppence, her spirits rising.
“I guess we’d better get on the track of Boris. You say he’s been to yourplace. Is he likely to come again?”
“He might. I really don’t know.”
“I see. Well, I guess I’d better buy a car, a slap-up one, dress as a chauf-feur and hang about outside. Then if Boris comes, you could make somekind of signal, and I’d trail him. How’s that?”
“Splendid, but he mightn’t come for weeks.”
“We’ll have to chance that. I’m glad you like the plan.” He rose.
“Where are you going?”
“To buy the car, of course,” replied Julius, surprised. “What make do youlike? I guess you’ll do some riding in it before we’ve finished.”
“Oh,” said Tuppence faintly. “I like Rolls-Royces, but—”
“Sure,” agreed Julius. “What you say goes. I’ll get one.”
“But you can’t at once,” cried Tuppence. “People wait ages sometimes.”
“Little Julius doesn’t,” affirmed Mr. Hersheimmer. “Don’t you worryany. I’ll be round in the car in half an hour.”
Tuppence got up.
“You’re awfully43 good, Julius. But I can’t help feeling that it’s rather a for-lorn hope. I’m really pinning my faith to Mr. Carter.”
“Then I shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Just an idea of mine.”
“Oh, but he must do something. There’s no one else. By the way, I forgotto tell you of a queer thing that happened this morning.”
And she narrated44 her encounter with Sir James Peel Edgerton. Juliuswas interested.
“What did the guy mean, do you think?” he asked.
“I don’t quite know,” said Tuppence meditatively45. “But I think that, in anambiguous, legal, without prejudicish lawyer’s way, he was trying to warnme.”
“Why should he?”
“I don’t know,” confessed Tuppence. “But he looked kind, and simplyawfully clever. I wouldn’t mind going to him and telling him everything.”
Somewhat to her surprise, Julius negatived the idea sharply.
“See here,” he said, “we don’t want any lawyers mixed up in this. Thatguy couldn’t help us any.”
“Well, I believe he could,” reiterated46 Tuppence obstinately47.
“Don’t you think it. So long. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
Thirty- five minutes had elapsed when Julius returned. He took Tup-pence by the arm, and walked her to the window.
“There she is.”
“Oh!” said Tuppence with a note of reverence48 in her voice, as she gazeddown at the enormous car.
“She’s some pacemaker, I can tell you,” said Julius complacently49.
“How did you get it?” gasped50 Tuppence.
“She was just being sent home to some bigwig.”
“Well?”
“I went round to his house,” said Julius. “I said that I reckoned a car likethat was worth every penny of twenty thousand dollars. Then I told himthat it was worth just about fifty thousand dollars to me if he’d get out.”
“Well?” said Tuppence, intoxicated51.
“Well,” returned Julius, “he got out, that’s all.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
abeyance
|
|
| n.搁置，缓办，中止，产权未定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
inquiry
|
|
| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
coffin
|
|
| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
prospect
|
|
| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
mercurial
|
|
| adj.善变的，活泼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
depot
|
|
| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
crook
|
|
| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
crooks
|
|
| n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
bluffed
|
|
| 以假象欺骗，吹牛( bluff的过去式和过去分词 )； 以虚张声势找出或达成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
compartments
|
|
| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
mightily
|
|
| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
skunk
|
|
| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
sleek
|
|
| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
tickled
|
|
| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
villas
|
|
| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
almighty
|
|
| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
ignominiously
|
|
| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
halfway
|
|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
stunt
|
|
| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
plumb
|
|
| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
mumbled
|
|
| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
trotted
|
|
| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
guardian
|
|
| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
vent
|
|
| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
genially
|
|
| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
chagrined
|
|
| adj.懊恼的，苦恼的v.使懊恼，使懊丧，使悔恨( chagrin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
uncommon
|
|
| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
sprained
|
|
| v.&n. 扭伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
tickles
|
|
| （使）发痒( tickle的第三人称单数 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
plucky
|
|
| adj.勇敢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
croak
|
|
| vi.嘎嘎叫，发牢骚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
valiantly
|
|
| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
gist
|
|
| n.要旨；梗概 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
awfully
|
|
| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
narrated
|
|
| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
meditatively
|
|
| adv.冥想地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
reiterated
|
|
| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
obstinately
|
|
| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
reverence
|
|
| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
complacently
|
|
| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
intoxicated
|
|
| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |