In the end Commander Haydock, taking in the situation with commend-able Naval1 rapidity, drove the car, Tommy sat beside him, and behindwere Bletchley, Mrs. Sprot and Tuppence. Not only did Mrs. Sprot cling toher, but Tuppence was the only one (with the exception of Carl vonDeinim) who knew the mysterious kidnapper2 by sight.
The Commander was a good organiser and a quick worker. In next to notime he had filled up the car with petrol, tossed a map of the district and alarger scale map of Leahampton itself to Bletchley and was ready to startoff.
Mrs. Sprot had run upstairs again, presumably to her room to get a coat.
But when she got into the car and they had started down the hill she dis-closed to Tuppence something in her handbag. It was a small pistol.
She said quietly:
“I got it from Major Bletchley’s room. I remembered his mentioning oneday that he had one.”
Tuppence looked a little dubious3.
“You don’t think that—?”
Mrs. Sprot said, her mouth a thin line:
“It may come in useful.”
Tuppence sat marvelling4 at the strange forces maternity5 will set loose inan ordinary commonplace young woman. She could visualise Mrs. Sprot,the kind of woman who would normally declare herself frightened todeath of firearms, coolly shooting down any person who had harmed herchild.
They drove first, on the Commander’s suggestion, to the railway station.
A train had left Leahampton about twenty minutes earlier and it was pos-sible that the fugitives6 had gone by it.
At the station they separated, the Commander taking the ticket collector,Tommy the booking office, and Bletchley the porters outside. Tuppenceand Mrs. Sprot went into the ladies’ room on the chance that the womanhad gone in there to change her appearance before taking the train.
One and all drew a blank. It was now more difficult to shape a course.
In all probability, as Haydock pointed7 out, the kidnappers8 had had a carwaiting, and once Betty had been persuaded to come away with the wo-man, they had made their getaway in that. It was here, as Bletchley poin-ted out once more, that the cooperation of the police was so vital. Itneeded an organisation9 of that kind who could send out messages all overthe country, covering the different roads.
Mrs. Sprot merely shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together.
Tuppence said:
“We must put ourselves in their places. Where would they have waitedin the car? Somewhere as near Sans Souci as possible, but where a carwouldn’t be noticed. Now let’s think. The woman and Betty walk down thehill together. At the bottom is the esplanade. The car might have beendrawn up there. So long as you don’t leave it unattended you can stopthere for quite a while. The only other places are the car park in James’sSquare, also quite near, or else one of the small streets that lead off fromthe esplanade.”
It was at that moment that a small man, with a diffident manner andpince nez, stepped up to them and said, stammering10 a little:
“Excuse me .?.?. No offence, I hope .?.?. but I c-ccouldn’t help overhearingwhat you were asking the porter just now” (he now directed his remarksto Major Bletchley). “I was not listening, of course, just come down to seeabout a parcel—extraordinary how long things are delayed just now—movements of troops, they say—but really most difficult when it’s perish-able—the parcel, I mean—and so, you see, I happened to overhear—andreally it did seem the most wonderful coincidence. .?.?.”
Mrs. Sprot sprang forward. She seized him by the arm.
“You’ve seen her? You’ve seen my little girl?”
“Oh really, your little girl, you say? Now fancy that—”
Mrs. Sprot cried: “Tell me.” And her fingers bit into the little man’s armso that he winced11.
Tuppence said quickly:
“Please tell us anything you have seen as quickly as you can. We shall bemost grateful if you would.”
“Oh, well, really, of course, it may be nothing at all. But the descriptionfitted so well—”
Tuppence felt the woman beside her trembling, but she herself strove tokeep her manner calm and unhurried. She knew the type with which theywere dealing—fussy, muddle-headed, diffident, incapable12 of going straightto the point and worse if hurried. She said:
“Please tell us.”
“It was only—my name is Robbins, by the way, Edward Robbins—”
“Yes, Mr. Robbins?”
“I live at Whiteways in Ernes Cliff Road, one of those new houses on thenew road—most labour saving, and really every convenience, and a beau-tiful view and the downs only a stone’s throw away.”
Tuppence quelled13 Major Bletchley, who she saw was about to break out,with a glance, and said:
“And you saw the little girl we are looking for?”
“Yes, I really think it must be. A little girl with a foreign-looking woman,you said? It was really the woman I noticed. Because, of course, we are allon the lookout14 nowadays for Fifth Columnists15, aren’t we? A sharp lookout,that is what they say, and I always try to do so, and so, as I say, I noticedthis woman. A nurse, I thought, or a maid—a lot of spies came over here inthat capacity, and this woman was most unusual looking and walking upthe road and on to the downs—with a little girl—and the little girl seemedtired and rather lagging, and half-past seven, well, most children go to bedthen, so I looked at the woman pretty sharply. I think it flustered16 her. Shehurried up the road, pulling the child after her, and finally picked her upand went on up the path out on to the cliff, which I thought strange, youknow, because there are no houses there at all—nothing—not until you getto Whitehaven—about five miles over the downs—a favourite walk forhikers. But in this case I thought it odd. I wondered if the woman was go-ing to signal, perhaps. One hears of so much enemy activity, and she cer-tainly looked uneasy when she saw me staring at her.”
Commander Haydock was back in the car and had started the engine.
He said:
“Ernes Cliff Road, you say. That’s right the other side of the town, isn’tit?”
“Yes, you go along the esplanade and past the old town and then up—”
The others had jumped in, not listening further to Mr. Robbins.
Tuppence called out:
“Thank you, Mr. Robbins,” and they drove off, leaving him staring afterthem with his mouth open.
They drove rapidly through the town, avoiding accidents more by goodluck than by skill. But the luck held. They came out at last at a mass ofstraggling building development, somewhat marred17 by proximity18 to thegas works. A series of little roads led up towards the downs, stopping ab-ruptly a short way up the hill. Ernes Cliff Road was the third of these.
Commander Haydock turned smartly into it and drove up. At the endthe road petered out on to bare hillside, up which a footpath19 meanderedupwards.
“Better get out and walk here,” said Bletchley.
Haydock said dubiously20:
“Could almost take the car up. Ground’s firm enough. Bit bumpy21 but Ithink she could do it.”
Mrs. Sprot cried:
“Oh yes, please, please .?.?. We must be quick.”
The Commander murmured to himself:
“Hope to goodness we’re after the right lot. That little pipsqueak mayhave seen any woman with a kid.”
The car groaned22 uneasily as it ploughed its way up over the roughground. The gradient was severe, but the turf was short and springy. Theycame out without mishap23 on the top of the rise. Here the view was unin-terrupted till it rested in the distance on the curve of Whitehaven Bay.
Bletchley said:
“Not a bad idea. The woman could spend the night up here if need be,drop down into Whitehaven tomorrow morning and take a train there.”
Haydock said:
“No sign of them as far as I can see.”
He was standing24 up holding some field glasses that he had thoughtfullybrought with him to his eyes. Suddenly his figure became tense as he fo-cused the glasses on two small moving dots.
“Got ’em, by Jove. .?.?.”
He dropped into the driver’s seat again and the car bucketed forward.
The chase was a short one now. Shot up in the air, tossed from side to side,the occupants of the car gained rapidly on those two small dots. Theycould be distinguished25 now—a tall figure and a short one—nearer still, awoman holding a child by the hand—still nearer, yes, a child in a greengingham frock. Betty.
Mrs. Sprot gave a strangled cry.
“All right now, my dear,” said Major Bletchley, patting her kindly26.
“We’ve got ’em.”
They went on. Suddenly the woman turned and saw the car advancingtowards her.
With a cry she caught up the child in her arms and began running.
She ran, not forwards, but sideways towards the edge of the cliff.
The car, after a few yards, could not follow; the ground was too unevenand blocked with big boulders27. It stopped and the occupants tumbled out.
Mrs. Sprot was out first and running wildly after the two fugitives.
The others followed her.
When they were within twenty yards, the other woman turned at bay.
She was standing now at the very edge of the cliff. With a hoarse28 cry sheclutched the child closer.
Haydock cried out:
“My God, she’s going to throw the kid over the cliff. .?.?.”
The woman stood there, clutching Betty tightly. Her face was disfiguredwith a frenzy29 of hate. She uttered a long hoarse sentence that none ofthem understood. And still she held the child and looked from time to timeat the drop below—not a yard from where she stood.
It seemed clear that she was threatening to throw the child over thecliff.
All of them stood there, dazed, terrified, unable to move for fear of pre-cipitating a catastrophe30.
Haydock was tugging31 at his pocket. He pulled out a service revolver.
He shouted: “Put that child down—or I fire.”
The foreign woman laughed. She held the child closer to her breast. Thetwo figures were moulded into one.
Haydock muttered:
“I daren’t shoot. I’d hit the child.”
Tommy said:
“The woman’s crazy. She’ll jump over with the child in another mo-ment.”
Haydock said again, helplessly:
“I daren’t shoot—”
But at that moment a shot rang out. The woman swayed and fell, thechild still clasped in her arms.
The men ran forward, Mrs. Sprot stood swaying, the smoking pistol inher hands, her eyes dilated32.
She took a few stiff steps forward.
Tommy was kneeling by the bodies. He turned them gently. He saw thewoman’s face — noted33 appreciatively its strange wild beauty. The eyesopened, looked at him, then went blank. With a sigh, the woman died, shotthrough the head.
Unhurt, little Betty Sprot wriggled34 out and ran towards the womanstanding like a statue.
Then, at last, Mrs. Sprot crumpled35. She flung away the pistol anddropped down, clutching the child to her.
She cried:
“She’s safe—she’s safe—oh, Betty—Betty.” And then, in a low, awedwhisper:
“Did I—did I—kill her?”
Tuppence said firmly:
“Don’t think about it—don’t think about it. Think about Betty. Just thinkabout Betty.”
Mrs. Sprot held the child close against her, sobbing36.
Tuppence went forward to join the men.
Haydock murmured:
“Bloody miracle. I couldn’t have brought off a shot like that. Don’t be-lieve the woman’s ever handled a pistol before either—sheer instinct. Amiracle, that’s what it is.”
Tuppence said:
“Thank God! It was a near thing!” And she looked down at the sheerdrop to the sea below and shuddered37.
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收听单词发音
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1
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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kidnapper
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| n.绑架者，拐骗者 | |
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dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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4
marvelling
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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maternity
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| n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的 | |
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6
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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7
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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8
kidnappers
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| n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 ) | |
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9
organisation
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| n.组织，安排，团体，有机休 | |
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10
stammering
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的现在分词 ) | |
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11
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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13
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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15
columnists
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| n.专栏作家( columnist的名词复数 ) | |
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16
flustered
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| adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词) | |
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17
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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18
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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19
footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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21
bumpy
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| adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的 | |
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22
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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23
mishap
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| n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸 | |
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24
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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25
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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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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27
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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28
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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29
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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30
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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31
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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32
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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34
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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35
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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36
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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37
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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