The first person that Anthony saw as he alighted from his train on the fol-lowing afternoon was Superintendent1 Battle. His face broke into a smile.
“I’ve returned according to contract,” he remarked. “Did you comedown here to assure yourself of the fact?”
Battle shook his head.
“I wasn’t worrying about that, Mr. Cade. I happen to be going to London,that’s all.”
“You have such a trustful nature, Battle.”
“Do you think so, sir?”
“No. I think you’re deep—very deep. Still waters, you know, and all thatsort of thing. So you’re going to London?”
“I am, Mr. Cade.”
“I wonder why.”
The detective did not reply.
“You’re so chatty,” remarked Anthony. “That’s what I like about you.”
A far-off twinkle showed in Battle’s eyes.
“What about your own little job, Mr. Cade?” he inquired. “How did thatgo off?”
“I’ve drawn4 blank, Battle. For the second time I’ve been proved hope-lessly wrong. Galling5, isn’t it?”
“What was the idea, sir, if I may ask?”
“I suspected the French governess, Battle. A: upon the grounds of her be-ing the most unlikely person, according to the canons of the best fiction. B:
because there was a light in her room on the night of the tragedy.”
“That wasn’t much to go upon.”
“You are quite right. It was not. But I discovered that she had only beenhere a short time, and I also found a suspicious Frenchman spying roundthe place. You know all about him, I suppose?”
“You mean the man who calls himself, M. Chelles? Staying at the Crick-eters? A traveller in silk.”
“That’s it, is it? What about him? What does Scotland Yard think?”
“His actions have been suspicious,” said Superintendent Battle expres-sionlessly.
“Very suspicious, I should say. Well, I put two and two together. Frenchgoverness in the house, French stranger outside. I decided6 that they werein league together, and I hurried off to interview the lady with whom Ma-demoiselle Brun had lived for the last ten years. I was fully7 prepared tofind that she had never heard of any such person as Mademoiselle Brun,but I was wrong, Battle. Mademoiselle is the genuine article.”
Battle nodded.
“I must admit,” said Anthony, “that as soon as I spoke8 to her I had an un-easy conviction that I was barking up the wrong tree. She seemed so abso-lutely the governess.”
Again Battle nodded.
“All the same, Mr. Cade, you can’t always go by that. Women especiallycan do a lot with makeup9. I’ve seen quite a pretty girl with the colour ofher hair altered, a sallow complexion10 stain, slightly reddened eyelids11 and,most efficacious of all, dowdy12 clothes, who would fail to be identified bynine people out of ten who had seen her in her former character. Menhaven’t got quite the same pull. You can do something with the eyebrows,and of course different sets of false teeth alter the whole expression. Butthere are always the ears—there’s an extraordinary lot of character inears, Mr. Cade.”
“Don’t look so hard at mine, Battle,” complained Anthony. “You makeme quite nervous.”
“I’m not talking of false beards and greasepaint,” continued the superin-tendent. “That’s only for books. No, there are very few men who can es-cape identification and put it over on you. In fact there’s only one man Iknow who has a positive genius for impersonation. King Victor. Everheard of King Victor, Mr. Cade?”
There was something so sharp and sudden about the way the detectiveput the question that Anthony checked the words that were rising to hislips.
“King Victor?” he said reflectively instead. “Somehow, I seem to haveheard the name.”
“One of the most celebrated13 jewel thieves in the world. Irish father,French mother. Can speak five languages at least. He’s been serving a sen-tence, but his time was up a few months ago.”
“Really? And where is he supposed to be now?”
“Well, Mr. Cade, that’s what we’d rather like to know.”
“The plot thickens,” said Anthony lightly. “No chance of his turning uphere, is there? But I suppose he wouldn’t be interested in political mem-oirs—only in jewels.”
“There’s no saying,” said Superintendent Battle. “For all we know, hemay be here already.”
“Disguised as the second footman? Splendid. You’ll recognize him by hisears and cover yourself with glory.”
“Quite fond of your little joke, aren’t you, Mr. Cade? By the way, what doyou think of that curious business at Staines?”
“Staines?” said Anthony. “What’s been happening at Staines?”
“It was in Saturday’s papers. I thought you might have seen about it.
Man found by the roadside shot. A foreigner. It was in the papers againtoday, of course.”
“I did see something about it,” said Anthony carelessly. “Not suicide, ap-parently.”
“No. There was no weapon. As yet the man hasn’t been identified.”
“You seem very interested,” said Anthony, smiling. “No connexion withPrince Michael’s death, is there?”
His hand was quite steady. So were his eyes. Was it his fancy that Super-intendent Battle was looking at him with peculiar14 intentness?
“Seems to be quite an epidemic15 of that sort of thing,” said Battle. “But,well, I daresay there’s nothing in it.”
He turned away, beckoning16 to a porter as the London train came thun-dering in. Anthony drew a faint sigh of relief.
He strolled across the park in an unusually thoughtful mood. He pur-posely chose to approach the house from the same direction as that fromwhich he had come on the fateful Thursday night, and as he drew near toit he looked up at the windows cudgelling his brains to make sure of theone where he had seen the light. Was he quite sure that it was the secondfrom the end?
And, doing so, he made a discovery. There was an angle at the corner ofthe house in which was a window set farther back. Standing17 on one spot,you counted this window as the first, and the first one built out over theCouncil Chamber18 as the second, but move a few yards to the right and thepart built out over the Council Chamber appeared to be the end of thehouse. The first window was invisible, and the two windows of the roomsover the Council Chamber would have appeared the first and second fromthe end. Where exactly had he been standing when he had seen the lightflash up?
Anthony found the question very hard to determine. A matter of a yardor so made all the difference. But one point was made abundantly clear. Itwas quite possible that he had been mistaken in describing the light asocurring in the second room from the end. It might equally well have beenthe third.
Now who occupied the third room? Anthony was determined19 to findthat out as soon as possible. Fortune favoured him. In the hall Tredwellhad just set the massive silver urn2 in its place on the tea tray. Nobody elsewas there.
“Hullo, Tredwell,” said Anthony. “I wanted to ask you something. Whohas the third room from the end on the west side? Over the Council Cham-ber, I mean.”
Tredwell reflected for a minute or two.
“That would be the American gentleman’s room, sir. Mr. Fish.”
“Oh, is it? Thank you.”
“Not at all, sir.”
Tredwell prepared to depart, then paused. The desire to be the first toimpart news makes even pontifical20 butlers human.
“Perhaps you have heard, sir, of what occurred last night?”
“Not a word,” said Anthony. “What did occur last night?”
“An attempt at robbery, sir!”
“Not really? Was anything taken?”
“No sir. The thieves were dismantling21 the suits of armour22 in the CouncilChamber when they were surprised and forced to flee. Unfortunately theygot clear away.”
“That’s very extraordinary,” said Anthony. “The Council Chamber again.
Did they break in that way?”
“It is supposed, sir, that they forced the window.”
Satisfied with the interest his information had aroused, Tredwell re-sumed his retreat, but brought up short with a dignified23 apology.
“I beg your pardon, sir. I didn’t hear you come in, and didn’t know youwere standing just behind me.”
Mr. Isaacstein, who had been the victim of the impact, waved his handin a friendly fashion.
“No harm done, my good fellow. I assure you no harm done.”
Tredwell retired24 looking contemptuous, and Isaacstein came forwardand dropped into an easy chair.
“Hullo, Cade, so you’re back again. Been hearing all about last night’slittle show?”
“Yes,” said Anthony. “Rather an exciting weekend, isn’t it?”
“I should imagine that last night was the work of local men,” said Isaac-stein. “It seems a clumsy, amateurish25 affair.”
“Is there anyone about here who collects armour?” asked Anthony. “Itseems a curious thing to select.”
“Very curious,” agreed Mr. Isaacstein. He paused a minute, and thensaid slowly: “The whole position here is very unfortunate.”
There was something almost menacing in his tone.
“I don’t quite understand,” said Anthony.
“Why are we all being kept here in this way? The inquest was over yes-terday. The Prince’s body will be removed to London, where it is beinggiven out that he died of heart failure. And still nobody is allowed to leavethe house. Mr. Lomax knows no more than I do. He refers me to Superin-tendent Battle.”
“Superintendent Battle has something up his sleeve,” said Anthonythoughtfully. “And it seems the essence of his plan that nobody shouldleave.”
“But, excuse me, Mr. Cade, you have been away.”
“With a string tied to my leg. I’ve no doubt that I was shadowed thewhole time. I shouldn’t have been given a chance of disposing of the re-volver or anything of that kind.”
“Ah, the revolver,” said Isaacstein thoughtfully. “That has not yet beenfound, I think?”
“Not yet.”
“Possibly thrown into the lake in passing.”
“Very possibly.”
“Where is Superintendent Battle? I have not seen him this afternoon.”
“He’s gone to London. I met him at the station.”
“Gone to London? Really? Did he say when he would be back?”
“Early tomorrow, so I understand.”
Virginia came in with Lord Caterham and Mr. Fish. She smiled a wel-come at Anthony.
“So you’re back, Mr. Cade. Have you heard all about our adventures lastnight?”
“Why, trooly, Mr. Cade,” said Hiram Fish. “It was a night of strenuousexcitement. Did you hear that I mistook Mrs. Revel26 for one of the thugs?”
“And in the meantime,” said Anthony, “the thug?—”
“Got clear away,” said Mr. Fish mournfully.
“Do pour out,” said Lord Caterham to Virginia. “I don’t know whereBundle is.”
Virginia officiated. Then she came and sat down near Anthony.
“Come to the boathouse after tea,” she said in a low voice. “Bill and Ihave got a lot to tell you.”
Then she joined lightly in the general conversation.
The meeting at the boathouse was duly held.
Virginia and Bill were bubbling over with their news. They agreed that aboat in the middle of the lake was the only safe place for confidential27 con-versation. Having paddled out a sufficient distance, the full story of lastnight’s adventure was related to Anthony. Bill looked a little sulky. Hewished Virginia would not insist on bringing this Colonial fellow into it.
“It’s very odd,” said Anthony, when the story was finished. “What doyou make of it?” he asked Virginia.
“I think they were looking for something,” she returned promptly28. “Theburglar idea is absurd.”
“They thought the something, whatever it was, might be concealed30 inthe suits of armour, that’s clear enough. But why tap the panelling? Thatlooks more as though they were looking for a secret staircase, or some-thing of that kind.”
“There’s a priest’s hole at Chimneys, I know,” said Virginia. “And I be-lieve there’s a secret staircase as well. Lord Caterham would tell us allabout it. What I want to know is, what can they have been looking for?”
“It can’t be the memoirs,” said Anthony. “They’re a great bulky package.
It must have been something small.”
“George knows, I expect,” said Virginia. “I wonder whether I could get itout of him. All along I’ve felt there was something behind all this.”
“You say there was only one man,” pursued Anthony, “but that theremight possibly be another, as you thought you heard someone going to-wards the door as you sprang to the window.”
“The sound was very slight,” said Virginia. “It might have been just myimagination.”
“That’s quite possible, but in case it wasn’t your imagination the secondperson must have been an inmate31 of the house. I wonder now—”
“What are you wondering at?” asked Virginia.
“The thoroughness of Mr. Hiram Fish, who dresses himself completelywhen he hears screams for help downstairs.”
“There’s something in that,” agreed Virginia. “And then there’s Isaac-stein, who sleeps throught it all. That’s suspicious too. Surely he couldn’t?”
“There’s that fellow Boris,” suggested Bill. “He looks an unmitigated ruf-fian. Michael’s servant, I mean.”
“Chimneys is full of suspicious characters,” said Virginia. “I daresay theothers are just as suspicious of us. I wish Superintendent Battle hadn’tgone to London. I think it’s rather stupid of him. By the way, Mr. Cade, I’veseen that peculiar-looking Frenchman about once or twice, spying roundthe park.”
“It’s a mix- up,” confessed Anthony. “I’ve been away on a wild- goosechase. Made a thorough ass3 of myself. Look here, to me the whole ques-tion seems to resolve itself into this: did the men find what they were look-ing for last night?”
“Supposing they didn’t?” said Virginia. “I’m pretty sure they didn’t, as amatter of fact.”
“Just this, I believe they’ll come again. They know, or they soon willknow, that Battle’s in London. They’ll take the risk and come again to-night.”
“Do you really think so?”
“It’s a chance. Now we three will form a little syndicate. Eversleigh and Iwill conceal29 ourselves with due precautions in the Council Chamber—”
“What about me?” interrupted Virginia. “Don’t think you’re going toleave me out of it.”
“Listen to me, Virginia,” said Bill. “This is men’s work—”
“Don’t be an idiot, Bill. I’m in on this. Don’t you make any mistake aboutit. The syndicate will keep watch tonight.”
It was settled thus, and the details of the plan were laid. After the partyhad retired to bed, first one and then another of the syndicate crept down.
They were all armed with powerful electric torches, and in the pocket ofAnthony’s coat lay a revolver.
Anthony had said that he believed another attempt to resume the searchwould be made. Nevertheless, he did not expect that the attempt would bemade from outside. He believed that Virginia had been correct in herguess that someone had passed her in the dark the night before, and as hestood in the shadow of an old oak dresser it was towards the door and notthe window that his eyes were directed. Virginia was crouching32 behind afigure in armour on the opposite wall, and Bill was by the window.
The minutes passed, at interminable length. One o’clock chimed, thenthe half hour, then two, then half hour. Anthony felt stiff and cramped33. Hewas coming slowly to the conclusion that he had been wrong. No attemptwould be made tonight.
And then he stiffened34 suddenly, all his senses on the alert. He had hearda footstep on the terrace outside. Silence again, and then a low scratchingnoise at the window. Suddenly it ceased, and the window swung open. Aman stepped across the still into the room. He stood quite still for a mo-ment, peering round as though listening. After a minute or two, seeminglysatisfied, he switched on a torch he carried, and turned it rapidly roundthe room. Apparently35 he saw nothing unusual. The three watchers heldtheir breath.
He went over to the same bit of panelled wall he had been examiningthe night before.
And then a terrible knowledge smote36 Bill. He was going to sneeze! Thewild race through the dew-laden park the night before had given him achill. All day he had sneezed intermittently37. A sneeze was due now, andnothing on earth would stop it.
He adopted all the remedies he could think of. He pressed his upper lip,swallowed hard, threw back his head and looked at the ceiling. As a lastresort he held his nose and pinched it violently. It was of no avail. Hesneezed.
A stifled38, checked, emasculated sneeze, but a startling sound in thedeadly quiet of the room.
The stranger sprang round, and in the same minute, Anthony acted. Heflashed on his torch, and jumped full for the stranger. In another minutethey were down on the floor together.
“Lights,” shouted Anthony.
Virginia was ready at the switch. The lights came on true and full to-night. Anthony was on top of his man. Bill leant down to give him a hand.
“And now,” said Anthony, “let’s see who you are, my fine fellow.”
He rolled his victim over. It was the neat, dark-bearded stranger fromthe Cricketers.
“Very nice indeed,” said an approving voice.
They all looked up startled. The bulky form of Superintendent Battlewas standing in the open doorway39.
“I thought you were in London, Superintendent Battle,” said Anthony.
Battle’s eyes twinkled.
“Did you sir?” he said. “Well, I thought it would be a good thing if I wasthought to be going.”
“And it has been,” agreed Anthony, looking down at his prostrate40 foe41.
To his surprise there was a slight smile on the stranger’s face.
“May I get up, gentlemen?” he inquired. “You are three to one.”
Anthony kindly42 hauled him on to his legs. The stranger settled his coat,pulled up his collar, and directed a keen look at Battle.
“I demand pardon,” he said, “but do I understand that you are a repres-entative from Scotland Yard?”
“That’s right,” said Battle.
“Then I will present to you my credentials43.” He smiled rather ruefully. “Iwould have been wise to do so before.”
He took some papers from his pocket and handed them to the ScotlandYard detective. At the same time, he turned back the lapel of his coat andshowed something pinned there.
Battle gave an exclamation44 of astonishment45. He looked through the pa-pers and handed them back with a little bow.
“I’m sorry you’ve been manhandled, monsieur,” he said, “but youbrought it on yourself, you know.”
He smiled, noting the astonished expression on the faces of the others.
“This is a colleague we have been expecting for some time,” he said. “M.
Lemoine, of the S?reté in Paris.”
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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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urn
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| n.（有座脚的）瓮；坟墓；骨灰瓮 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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galling
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| adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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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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makeup
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| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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dowdy
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| adj.不整洁的；过旧的 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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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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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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pontifical
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| adj.自以为是的，武断的 | |
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dismantling
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| （枪支）分解 | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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amateurish
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| n.业余爱好的，不熟练的 | |
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revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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intermittently
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| adv.间歇地；断断续续 | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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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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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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