“My dear fellow, my dear fellow,” said Tuppence, and waved a heavilybuttered muffin.
Tommy looked at her for a minute or two, then a broad grin spread overhis face and he murmured.
“We do have to be so very careful.”
“That’s right,” said Tuppence, delighted. “You guessed. I am the famousDr. Fortune and you are Superintendent1 Bell.”
“Why are you being Reginald Fortune?”
“Well, really because I feel like a lot of hot butter.”
“That is the pleasant side of it,” said Tommy. “But there is another. Youwill have to examine horribly smashed faces and very extra dead bodies agood deal.”
In answer Tuppence threw across a letter. Tommy’s eyebrows2 rose inastonishment.
“Randolph Wilmott, the American Ambassador. I wonder what hewants.”
“We shall know tomorrow at eleven o’clock.”
Punctually to the time named, Mr. Randolph Wilmott, United States Am-bassador to the Court of St. James, was ushered3 into Mr. Blunt’s office. Hecleared his throat and commenced speaking in a deliberate and character-istic manner.
“I have come to you, Mr. Blunt—By the way, it is Mr. Blunt himself towhom I am speaking, is it not?”
“Certainly,” said Tommy. “I am Theodore Blunt, the head of the firm.”
“I always prefer to deal with heads of departments,” said Mr. Wilmott.
“It is more satisfactory in every way. As I was about to say, Mr. Blunt, thisbusiness gets my goat. There’s nothing in it to trouble Scotland Yard about—I’m not a penny the worse in any way, and it’s probably all due to asimple mistake. But all the same, I don’t see just how that mistake arose.
There’s nothing criminal in it, I dare say, but I’d like just to get the thingstraightened out. It makes me mad not to see the why and wherefore of athing.”
“Absolutely,” said Tommy.
Mr. Wilmott went on. He was slow and given to much detail. At lastTommy managed to get a word in.
“Quite so,” he said, “the position is this. You arrived by the liner No-madic a week ago. In some way your kitbag and the kitbag of another gen-tleman, Mr. Ralph Westerham, whose initials are the same as yours, gotmixed up. You took Mr. Westerham’s kitbag, and he took yours. Mr. West-erham discovered the mistake immediately, sent round your kitbag to theEmbassy, and took away his own. Am I right so far?”
“That is precisely4 what occurred. The two bags must have been practic-ally identical, and with the initials R.W. being the same in both cases, it isnot difficult to understand that an error might have been made. I myselfwas not aware of what had happened until my valet informed me of themistake, and that Mr. Westerham—he is a Senator, and a man for whom Ihave a great admiration—had sent round for his bag and returned mine.”
“Then I don’t see—”
“But you will see. That’s only the beginning of the story. Yesterday, as itchanced, I ran up against Senator Westerham, and I happened to mentionthe matter to him jestingly. To my great surprise, he did not seem to knowwhat I was talking about, and when I explained, he denied the story abso-lutely. He had not taken my bag off the ship in mistake for his own—infact, he had not travelled with such an article amongst his luggage.”
“What an extraordinary thing!”
“Mr. Blunt, it is an extraordinary thing. There seems no rhyme or reasonin it. Why, if any one wanted to steal my kitbag, he could do so easilyenough without resorting to all this roundabout business. And anyway, itwas not stolen, but returned to me. On the other hand, if it were taken bymistake, why use Senator Westerham’s name? It’s a crazy business—butjust for curiosity I mean to get to the bottom of it. I hope the case is not tootrivial for you to undertake?”
“Not at all. It is a very intriguing5 little problem, capable as you say, ofmany simple explanations, but nevertheless baffling on the face of it. Thefirst thing, of course, is the reason of the substitution, if substitution it was.
You say nothing was missing from your bag when it came back into yourpossession?”
“My man says not. He would know.”
“What was in it, if I may ask?”
“Mostly boots.”
“Boots,” said Tommy, discouraged.
“Yes,” said Mr. Wilmott. “Boots. Odd, isn’t it?”
“You’ll forgive my asking you,” said Tommy, “but you didn’t carry anysecret papers, or anything of that sort sewn in the lining6 of a boot orscrewed into a false heel?”
The Ambassador seemed amused by the question.
“Secret diplomacy7 hasn’t got to that pitch, I hope.”
“Only in fiction,” said Tommy with an answering smile, and a slightlyapologetic manner. “But you see, we’ve got to account for the thing some-how. Who came for the bag—the other bag, I mean?”
“Supposed to be one of Westerham’s servants. Quite a quiet, ordinaryman, so I understand. My valet saw nothing wrong with him.”
“Had it been unpacked9, do you know?”
“That I can’t say. I presume not. But perhaps you’d like to ask the valet afew questions? He can tell you more than I can about the business.”
“I think that would be the best plan, Mr. Wilmott.”
The Ambassador scribbled10 a few words on a card and handed it toTommy.
“I opine that you would prefer to go round to the Embassy and makeyour inquiries11 there? If not, I will have the man, his name is Richards, bythe way—sent round here.”
“No, thank you, Mr. Wilmott. I should prefer to go to the Embassy.”
The Ambassador rose, glancing at his watch.
“Dear me, I shall be late for an appointment. Well, goodbye, Mr. Blunt. Ileave the matter in your hands.”
He hurried away. Tommy looked at Tuppence, who had been scribblingdemurely on her pad in the character of the efficient Miss Robinson.
“What about it, old thing?” he asked. “Do you see, as the old bird put it,any rhyme or reason in the proceedings12?”
“None whatever,” replied Tuppence cheerily.
“Well, that’s a start, anyway! It shows that there is really something verydeep at the back of it.”
“You think so?”
“It’s a generally accepted hypothesis. Remember Sherlock Holmes andthe depth the butter had sunk into the parsley—I mean the other wayround. I’ve always had a devouring13 wish to know all about that case. Per-haps Watson will disinter it from his notebook one of these days. Then Ishall die happy. But we must get busy.”
“Quite so,” said Tuppence. “Not a quick man, the esteemed14 Wilmott, butsure.”
“She knows men,” said Tommy. “Or do I say he knows men. It is so con-fusing when you assume the character of a male detective.”
“Oh, my dear fellow, my dear fellow!”
“A little more action, Tuppence, and a little less repetition.”
“A classic phrase cannot be repeated too often,” said Tuppence with dig-nity.
“Have a muffin,” said Tommy kindly15.
“Not at eleven o’clock in the morning, thank you. Silly case, this. Boots—you know. Why boots?”
“Well,” said Tommy. “Why not?”
“It doesn’t fit. Boots.” She shook her head. “All wrong. Who wants otherpeople’s boots? The whole thing’s mad.”
“Possibly they got hold of the wrong bag,” suggested Tommy.
“That’s possible. But if they were after papers, a despatch16 case would bemore likely. Papers are the only things one thinks of in connection withambassadors.”
“Boots suggest footprints,” said Tommy thoughtfully. “Do you think theywanted to lay a trail of Wilmott’s footsteps somewhere?”
Tuppence considered the suggestion, abandoning her role, then shookher head.
“It seems wildly impossible,” she said. “No, I believe we shall have toresign ourselves to the fact that the boots have nothing to do with it.”
“Well,” said Tommy with a sigh, “the next step is to interview friendRichards. He may be able to throw some light on the mystery.”
On production of the Ambassador’s card, Tommy was admitted to theEmbassy, and presently a pale young man, with a respectful manner and asubdued voice, presented himself to undergo examination.
“I am Richards, sir. Mr. Wilmott’s valet. I understood you wished to seeme?”
“Yes, Richards. Mr. Wilmott called on me this morning, and suggestedthat I should come round and ask you a few questions. It is this matter ofthe kitbag.”
“Mr. Wilmott was rather upset over the affair, I know, sir. I can hardlysee why, since no harm was done. I certainly understood from the manwho called for the other bag that it belonged to Senator Westerham, but ofcourse, I may have been mistaken.”
“What kind of man was he?”
“Middle-aged. Grey hair. Very good class, I should say—most respect-able. I understood he was Senator Westerham’s valet. He left Mr.
Wilmott’s bag and took away the other.”
“Had it been unpacked at all?”
“Which one, sir?”
“Well, I meant the one you brought from the boat. But I should like toknow about the other as well — Mr. Wilmott’s own. Had that been un-packed, do you fancy?”
“I should say not, sir. It was just as I strapped17 it up on the boat. I shouldsay the gentleman—whoever he was—just opened it—realised it wasn’this, and shut it up again.”
“Nothing missing? No small article?”
“I don’t think so, sir. In fact, I’m quite sure.”
“And now the other one. Had you started to unpack8 that?”
“As a matter of fact, sir, I was just opening it at the very moment SenatorWesterham’s man arrived. I’d just undone18 the straps19.”
“Did you open it at all?”
“We just unfastened it together, sir, to be sure no mistake had beenmade this time. The man said it was all right, and he strapped it up againand took it away.”
“What was inside? Boots also?”
“No, sir, mostly toilet things, I fancy. I know I saw a tin of bath salts.”
Tommy abandoned that line of research.
“You never saw anyone tampering20 with anything in your master’s cabinon board ship, I suppose?”
“Oh, no, sir.”
“Never anything suspicious of any kind?”
“And what do I mean by that, I wonder,” he thought to himself with atrace of amusement. “Anything suspicious—just words!”
But the man in front of him hesitated.
“Now that I remember it—”
“Yes,” said Tommy eagerly. “What?”
“I don’t think it could have anything to do with it. But there was a younglady.”
“Yes? A young lady, you say, what was she doing?”
“She was taken faint, sir. A very pleasant young lady. Miss EileenO’Hara, her name was. A dainty-looking lady, not tall, with black hair. Justa little foreign-looking.”
“Yes?” said Tommy, with even greater eagerness.
“As I was saying, she was taken queer. Just outside Mr. Wilmott’s cabin.
She asked me to fetch the doctor. I helped her to the sofa, and then wentoff for the doctor. I was some time finding him, and when I found him andbrought him back, the young lady was nearly all right again.”
“Oh!” said Tommy.
“You don’t think, sir—”
“It’s difficult to know what to think,” said Tommy noncommittally. “Wasthis Miss O’Hara travelling alone?”
“Yes, I think so, sir.”
“You haven’t seen her since you landed?”
“No, sir.”
“Well,” said Tommy, after a minute or two spent in reflection. “I thinkthat’s all. Thank you, Richards.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Back at the office of the Detective Agency, Tommy retailed21 his conversa-tion with Richards to Tuppence, who listened attentively22.
“What do you think of it, Tuppence?”
“Oh, my dear fellow, we doctors are always sceptical of a sudden faint-ness! So very convenient. And Eileen as well as O’Hara. Almost too impos-sibly Irish, don’t you think?”
“It’s something to go upon at last. Do you know what I am going to do,Tuppence? Advertise for the lady.”
“What?”
“Yes, any information respecting Miss Eileen O’Hara known to havetravelled such and such a ship and such and such a date. Either she’ll an-swer it herself if she’s genuine, or someone may come forward to give usinformation about her. So far, it’s the only hope of a clue.”
“You’ll also put her on her guard, remember.”
“Well,” said Tommy, “one’s got to risk something.”
“I still can’t see any sense in the thing,” said Tuppence, frowning. “If agang of crooks23 get hold of the Ambassador’s bag for an hour or two, andthen send it back, what possible good can it do them. Unless there are pa-pers in it they want to copy, and Mr. Wilmott swears there was nothing ofthe kind.”
Tommy stared at her thoughtfully.
“You put these things rather well, Tuppence,” he said at last. “You’vegiven me an idea.”
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收听单词发音
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1
superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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2
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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3
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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5
intriguing
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| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
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6
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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7
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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8
unpack
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| vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货 | |
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9
unpacked
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| v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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10
scribbled
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| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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11
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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12
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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13
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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14
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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15
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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16
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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17
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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19
straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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20
tampering
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| v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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retailed
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| vt.零售（retail的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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23
crooks
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| 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 ) | |
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