“So that’s that,” said Anthony, finishing off his glass and replacing it on thetable. “What boat were you going on?”
“Granarth Castle.”
“Passage booked in your name, I suppose, so I’d better travel as JamesMcGrath. We’ve outgrown3 the passport business, haven’t we.
“No odds4 either way. You and I are totally unlike, but we’d probablyhave the same description on one of those blinking things. Height six feet,hair brown, eyes blue, nose ordinary, chin ordinary—”
“Not so much of this ‘ordinary’ stunt5. Let me tell you that Castle’s selec-ted me out of several applicants6 solely7 on account of my pleasing appear-ance and nice manners.”
Jimmy grinned.
“I noticed your manners this morning.”
“The devil you did.”
Anthony rose and paced up and down the room. His brow was slightlywrinkled, and it was some minutes before he spoke8.
“Jimmy,” he said at last. “Stylptitch died in Paris. What’s the point ofsending a manuscript from Paris to London via Africa?”
Jimmy shook his head helplessly.
“I don’t know.”
“Why not do it up in a nice little parcel and send it by post?”
“Sounds a damn sight more sensible, I agree.”
“Of course,” continued Anthony, “I know that kings and queens and gov-ernment officials are prevented by etiquette9 from doing anything in asimple, straightforward10 fashion. Hence King’s Messengers and all that. Inmedieval days you gave a fellow a signet ring as a sort of open sesame.
‘The King’s Ring! Pass, my lord!’ And usually it was the other fellow whohad stolen it. I always wonder why some bright lad never hit on the ex-pedient of copying the ring—making a dozen or so, and selling them at ahundred ducats apiece. They seem to have had no initiative in the MiddleAges.”
Jimmy yawned.
“My remarks on the Middle Ages don’t seem to amuse you. Let us getback to Count Stylptitch. From France to England via Africa seems a bitthick even for a diplomatic personage. If he merely wanted to ensure thatyou should get a thousand pounds he could have left it you in his will.
Thank God neither you nor I are too proud to accept a legacy12! Stylptitchmust have been barmy.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”
Anthony frowned and continued his pacing.
“Have you read the thing at all?” he asked suddenly.
“Read what?”
“The manuscript.”
“Good Lord, no. What do you think I want to read a thing of that kindfor?”
Anthony smiled.
“I just wondered, that’s all. You know a lot of trouble has been caused bymemoirs. Indiscreet revelations, that sort of thing. People who have beenclose as an oyster15 all their lives seem positively16 to relish17 causing troublewhen they themselves shall be comfortably dead. It gives them a kind ofmalicious glee. Jimmy, what sort of a man was Count Stylptitch? You methim and talked to him, and you’re a pretty good judge of raw humannature. Could you imagine him being a vindictive18 old devil?”
Jimmy shook his head.
“It’s difficult to tell. You see, that first night he was distinctly canned,and the next day he was just a high-toned old boy with the most beautifulmanners overwhelming me with compliments till I didn’t know where tolook.”
“And he didn’t say anything interesting when he was drunk?”
Jimmy cast his mind back, wrinkling his brows as he did so.
“He said he knew where the Koh-i-noor was,” he volunteered doubt-fully.
“Oh, well,” said Anthony, “we all know that. They keep it in the Tower,don’t they? Behind thick plate glass and iron bars, with a lot of gentlemenin fancy dress standing19 round to see you don’t pinch anything.”
“That’s right,” agreed Jimmy.
“Did Stylptitch say anything else of the same kind? That he knew whichcity the Wallace Collection was in, for instance?”
Jimmy shook his head.
“Hm!” said Anthony.
He lit another cigarette, and once more began pacing up and down theroom.
“You never read the papers, I suppose, you heathen?” he threw outpresently.
“Not very often,” said McGrath simply. “They’re not about anything thatinterests me as a rule.”
“Thank heaven I’m more civilized20. There have been several mentions ofHerzoslovakia lately. Hints at a royalist restoration.”
“Nicholas IV didn’t leave a son,” said Jimmy. “But I don’t suppose for aminute that the Obolovitch dynasty is extinct. There are probably shoalsof young ’uns knocking about, cousins and second cousins and third cous-ins once removed.”
“So that there wouldn’t be any difficulty in finding a king?”
“Not in the least, I should say,” replied Jimmy. “You know, I don’t won-der at their getting tired of republican institutions. A full-blooded, virilepeople like that must find it awfully21 tame to pot at presidents after beingused to kings. And talking of kings, that reminds me of something else oldStylptitch let out that night. He said he knew the gang that was after him.
They were King Victor’s people, he said.”
“What?” Anthony wheeled round suddenly.
A short grin widened on McGrath’s face.
“Just a mite22 excited, aren’t you, Gentleman Joe?” he drawled.
“Don’t be an ass2, Jimmy. You’ve just said something rather important.”
He went over to the window and stood there looking out.
“Who is this King Victor, anyway?” demanded Jimmy. “Another Balkanmonarch?”
“No,” said Anthony slowly. “He isn’t that kind of a king.”
“What is he, then?”
There was a pause, and then Anthony spoke.
“He’s a crook23, Jimmy. The most notorious jewel thief in the world. Afantastic, daring fellow, not to be daunted24 by anything. King Victor wasthe nickname he was known by in Paris. Paris was the headquarters of hisgang. They caught him there and put him away for seven years on a minorcharge. They couldn’t prove the more important things against him. He’llbe out soon—or he may be out already.”
“Do you think Count Stylptitch had anything to do with putting himaway? Was that why the gang went for him? Out of revenge?”
“I don’t know,” said Anthony. “It doesn’t seem likely on the face of it.
King Victor never stole the crown jewels of Herzoslovakia as far as I’veheard. But the whole thing seems rather suggestive, doesn’t it? The deathof Stylptitch, the memoirs13, and the rumours26 in the papers—all vague butinteresting. And there’s a further rumour25 to the effect that they’ve foundoil in Herzoslovakia. I’ve a feeling in my bones, James, that people are get-ting ready to be interested in that unimportant little country.”
“What sort of people?”
“Hebraic people. Yellow-faced financiers in city offices.”
“What are you driving at with all this?”
“Trying to make an easy job difficult, that’s all.”
“You can’t pretend there’s going to be any difficulty in handing over asimple manuscript at a publisher’s office?”
“No,” said Anthony regretfully. “I don’t suppose there’ll be anything dif-ficult about that. But shall I tell you, James, where I propose to go with mytwo hundred and fifty pounds?”
“South America?”
“No, my lad, Herzoslovakia. I shall stand in with the republic, I think.
Very probably I shall end up as president.”
“Why not announce yourself as the principal Obolovitch and be a kingwhilst you’re about it?”
“No, Jimmy. Kings are for life. Presidents only take on the job for fouryears or so. It would quite amuse me to govern a kingdom like Herzoslov-akia for four years.”
“The average for kings is even less, I should say,” interpolated Jimmy.
“It will probably be a serious temptation to me to embezzle27 your shareof the thousand pounds. You won’t want it, you know, when you get backweighed down with nuggets. I’ll invest it for you in Herzoslovakian oilshares. You know, James, the more I think of it, the more pleased I amwith this idea of yours. I should never have thought of Herzoslovakia ifyou hadn’t mentioned it. I shall spend one day in London, collecting thebooty, and then away by the Balkan Express!”
“You won’t get off quite as fast as that. I didn’t mention it before, but I’vegot another little commission for you.”
Anthony sank into a chair and eyed him severely28.
“I knew all along that you were keeping something dark. This is wherethe catch comes in.”
“Not a bit. It’s just something that’s got to be done to help a lady.”
“Once and for all, James, I refuse to be mixed up in your beastly love af-fairs.”
“It’s not a love affair. I’ve never seen the woman. I’ll tell you the wholestory.”
“If I’ve got to listen to more of your long, rambling29 stories, I shall have tohave another drink.”
His host complied hospitably30 with this demand, then began the tale.
“It was when I was up in Uganda. There was a dago there whose life Ihad saved—”
“If I were you, Jimmy, I should write a short book entitled ‘Lives I haveSaved.’ This is the second I’ve heard of this evening.”
“Oh, well, I didn’t really do anything this time. Just pulled the dago outof the river. Like all dagos, he couldn’t swim.”
“Wait a minute, has this story anything to do with the other business?”
“Nothing whatever, though, oddly enough, now I remember it, the manwas a Herzoslovakian. We always called him Dutch Pedro, though.”
Anthony nodded indifferently.
“Any name’s good enough for a dago,” he remarked. “Get on with thegood work, James.”
“Well, the fellow was sort of grateful about it. Hung around like a dog.
About six months later he died of fever. I was with him. Last thing, just ashe was pegging31 out, he beckoned32 me and whispered some excited jargonabout a secret—a gold mine, I thought he said. Shoved an oilskin packetinto my hand which he’d always worn next his skin. Well, I didn’t thinkmuch of it at the time. It wasn’t until a week afterwards that I opened thepacket. Then I was curious, I must confess. I shouldn’t have thought thatDutch Pedro would have had the sense to know a gold mine when he sawit—but there’s no accounting33 for luck—”
“And at the mere11 thought of gold, your heart beat pitterpat as always,”
interrupted Anthony.
“I was never so disgusted in my life. Gold mine, indeed! I daresay it mayhave been a gold mine to him, the dirty dog. Do you know what it was? Awoman’s letters—yes, a woman’s letters, and an Englishwoman at that.
The skunk34 had been blackmailing35 her—and he had the impudence36 to passon his dirty bag of tricks to me.”
“I like to see your righteous heat, James, but let me point out to you thatdagos will be dagos. He meant well. You had saved his life, he bequeathedto you a profitable source of raising money—your high-minded Britishideals did not enter his horizon.”
“Well, what the hell was I to do with the things? Burn ’em, that’s what Ithought at first. And then it occurred to me that there would be that poordame, not knowing they’d been destroyed, and always living in a quakeand a dread38 lest that dago should turn up again one day.”
“You’ve more imagination than I gave you credit for, Jimmy,” observedAnthony, lighting39 a cigarette. “I admit that the case presented more diffi-culties than were at first apparent. What about just sending them to herby post?”
“Like all women, she’d put no date and no address on most of the letters.
There was a kind of address on one—just one word. ‘Chimneys.’ ”
Anthony paused in the act of blowing out his match, and he dropped itwith a quick jerk of the wrist as it burned his finger.
“Chimneys?” he said. “That’s rather extraordinary.”
“Why, do you know it?”
“It’s one of the stately homes of England, my dear James. A place wherekings and queens go for weekends, and diplomatists forgather and dip-lome.”
“That’s one of the reasons why I’m so glad that you’re going to Englandinstead of me. You know all these things,” said Jimmy simply. “A josserlike myself from the backwoods of Canada would be making all sorts ofbloomers. But someone like you who’s been to Eton and Harrow—”
“Only one of them,” said Anthony modestly.
“Will be able to carry it through. Why didn’t I send them to her, yousay? Well, it seemed to me dangerous. From what I could make out, sheseemed to have a jealous husband. Suppose he opened the letter by mis-take. Where would the poor dame37 be then? Or she might be dead—the let-ters looked as though they’d been written some time. As I figured it out,the only thing was for someone to take them to England and put them intoher own hands.”
Anthony threw away his cigarette, and coming across to his friend,clapped him affectionately on the back.
“You’re a real knight-errant, Jimmy,” he said. “And the backwoods ofCanada should be proud of you. I shan’t do the job half as prettily40 as youwould.”
“You’ll take it on, then?”
“Of course.”
McGrath rose, and going across to a drawer, took out a bundle of lettersand threw them on the table.
“Here you are. You’d better have a look at them.”
“Is it necessary? On the whole, I’d rather not.”
“Well, from what you say about this Chimneys place, she may have beenstaying there only. We’d better look through the letters and see if there’sany clue as to where she really hangs out.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
They went through the letters carefully, but without finding what theyhad hoped to find. Anthony gathered them up again thoughtfully.
“Poor little devil,” he remarked. “She was scared stiff.”
Jimmy nodded.
“Do you think you’ll be able to find her all right?” he asked anxiously.
“I won’t leave England till I have. You’re very concerned about this un-known lady, James?”
Jimmy ran his finger thoughtfully over the signature.
“It’s a pretty name,” he said apologetically. “Virginia Revel14.”
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收听单词发音
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1
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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3
outgrown
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| 长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的过去分词 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过 | |
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4
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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5
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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6
applicants
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| 申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 ) | |
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7
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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8
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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9
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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11
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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12
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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13
memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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14
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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15
oyster
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| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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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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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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mite
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| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
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crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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24
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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27
embezzle
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| vt.贪污，盗用；挪用(公款；公物等) | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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pegging
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| n.外汇钉住，固定证券价格v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的现在分词 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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32
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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34
skunk
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| n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥 | |
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35
blackmailing
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| 胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的现在分词 ) | |
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impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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39
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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40
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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