At 2:30 a little party met together in the Council Chamber1: Bundle, Vir-ginia, Superintendent2 Battle, M. Lemoine and Anthony Cade.
“No good waiting until we can get hold of Mr. Lomax,” said Battle. “Thisis the kind of business one wants to get on with quickly.”
“If you’ve got any idea that Prince Michael was murdered by someonewho got in this way, you’re wrong,” said Bundle. “It can’t be done. Theother end’s blocked completely.”
“There is no question of that, milady,” said Lemoine quickly. “It is quitea different search that we make.”
“Looking for something, are you?” asked Bundle quickly. “Not the his-toric whatnot, by any chance?”
Lemoine looked puzzled.
“Explain yourself, Bundle,” said Virginia encouragingly. “You can whenyou try.”
“The thingummybob,” said Bundle. “The historic diamond of purpleprinces that was pinched in the dark ages before I grew to years of discre-tion.”
“Who told you this, Lady Eileen?” asked Battle.
“I’ve always known. One of the footmen told me when I was twelveyears old.”
“A footman,” said Battle. “Lord! I’d like Mr. Lomax to have heard that!”
“Is it one of George’s closely guarded secrets?” asked Bundle. “How per-fectly screaming! I never really thought it was true. George always was anass—he must know that servants know everything.”
She went across to the Holbein portrait, touched a spring concealedsomewhere at the side of it, and immediately, with a creaking noise, a sec-tion of the panelling swung inwards, revealing a dark opening.
“Entrez, messieurs et mesdames,” said Bundle dramatically. “Walk up,walk up, walk up, dearies. Best show of the season, and only a tanner.”
Both Lemoine and Battle were provided with torches. They entered thedark aperture3 first, the others close on their heels.
“Air’s nice and fresh,” remarked Battle. “Must be ventilated somehow.”
He walked on ahead. The floor was rough uneven4 stone, but the wallswere bricked. As Bundle had said, the passage extended for a bare hun-dred yards. Then it came to an abrupt5 end with a fallen heap of masonry6.
Battle satisfied himself that there was no way of egress7 beyond, and thenspoke over his shoulder.
“We’ll go back, if you please. I wanted just to spy out the land, so tospeak.”
In a few minutes they were back again at the panelled entrance.
“We’ll start from here,” said Battle. “Seven straight, eight left, threeright. Take the first as paces.”
He paced seven steps carefully, and bending down examined theground.
“About right, I should fancy. At one time or another, there’s been a chalkmark made here. Now then, eight left. That’s not paces, the passage is onlywide enough to go Indian file, anyway.”
“Say it in bricks,” suggested Anthony.
“Quite right, Mr. Cade. Eight bricks from the bottom or the top on theleft-hand side. Try from the bottom first—it’s easier.”
He counted up eight bricks.
“Now three to the right of that. One, two, three—Hullo—Hullo, what’sthis?”
“I shall scream in a minute,” said Bundle, “I know I shall. What is it?”
Superintendent Battle was working at the brick with the point of hisknife. His practised eye had quickly seen that this particular brick was dif-ferent from the rest. A minute or two’s work, and he was able to pull itright out. Behind was a small dark cavity. Battle thrust in his hand.
Everyone waited in breathless expectancy8.
Battle drew out his hand again.
He uttered an exclamation9 of surprise and anger.
The others crowded round and stared uncomprehendingly at the threearticles he held. For a moment it seemed as though their eyes must havedeceived them.
A card of small pearl buttons, a square of coarse knitting, and a piece ofpaper on which were inscribed10 a row of capital E’s!
“Well,” said Battle. “I’m—I’m danged. What’s the meaning of this?”
“Mon Dieu,” muttered the Frenchman. “?a, c’est un peu trop fort!”
“But what does it mean?” cried Virginia, bewildered.
“Mean?” said Anthony. “There’s only one thing it can mean. The lateCount Stylptitch must have had a sense of humour! This is an example ofthat humour. I may say that I don’t consider it particularly funny myself.”
“Do you mind explaining your meaning a little more clearly, sir?” saidthe Superintendent Battle.
“Certainly. This was the Count’s little joke. He must have suspected thathis memorandum11 had been read. When the crooks12 came to recover thejewel, they were to find instead this extremely clever conundrum13. It’s thesort of thing you pin on to yourself at Book Teas, when people have toguess what you are.”
“It has a meaning, then?”
“I should say, undoubtedly14. If the Count had meant to be merely offens-ive, he would have put a placard with ‘Sold’ on it, or a picture of a donkeyor something crude like that.”
“A bit of knitting, some capital E’s, and a lot of buttons,” muttered Battlediscontendedly.
“C’est inou?,” said Lemoine angrily.
“Cipher No. 2,” said Anthony. “I wonder whether Professor Wynwoodwould be any good at this one?”
“When was this passage last used, milady?” asked the Frenchman ofBundle.
Bundle reflected.
“I don’t believe anyone’s been into it for over two years. The priest’shole is the show exhibit for Americans and tourists generally.”
“Curious,” murmured the Frenchman.
“Why curious?”
Lemoine stooped and picked up a small object from the floor.
“Because of this,” he said. “This match has not lain here for two years—not even two days.”
“Any of you ladies or gentlemen drop this, by any chance?” he asked.
He received a negative all round.
“Well, then,” said Superintendent Battle, “we’ve seen all there is to see.
We might as well get out of here.”
The proposal was assented15 to by all. The panel had swung to, but Bundleshowed them how it was fastened from the inside. She unlatched it, swungit noiselessly open, and sprang through the opening, alighting in the Coun-cil Chamber with a resounding17 thud.
“Damn!” said Lord Caterham, springing up from an armchair in whichhe appeared to have been taking forty winks18.
“Poor old Father,” said Bundle. “Did I startle you?”
“I can’t think,” said Lord Caterham, “why nobody nowadays ever sitsstill after a meal. It’s a lost art. God knows Chimneys is big enough buteven here there doesn’t seem to be a single room where I can be sure of alittle peace. Good Lord, how many of you are there? Reminds me of thepantomimes I used to go to as a boy when hordes19 of demons20 used to popup out of trapdoors.”
“Demon No. 7,” said Virginia, approaching him, and patting him on thehead. “Don’t be cross. We’re just exploring secret passages, that’s all.”
“There seems to be a positive boom in secret passages today,” grumbledLord Caterham, not yet completely mollified. “I’ve had to show that fellowFish round them all this morning.”
“When was that?” asked Battle quickly.
“Just before lunch. It seems he’d heard of the one in here. I showed himthat, and then took him up to the White Gallery, and we finished up withthe priest’s hole. But his enthusiasm was waning21 by that time. He lookedbored to death. But I made him go through with it.” Lord Caterhamchuckled at the remembrance.
Anthony put a hand on Lemoine’s arm.
“Come outside,” he said softly. “I want to speak to you.”
The two men went out together through the window. When they hadgone a sufficient distance from the house, Anthony drew from his pocketthe scrap22 of paper that Boris had given him that morning.
“Look here,” he said. “Did you drop this?”
Lemoine took it and examined it with some interest.
“No,” he said. “I have never seen it before. Why?”
“Quite sure?”
“Absolutely sure, monsieur.”
“That’s very odd.”
He repeated to Lemoine what Boris had said. The other listened withclose attention.
“No, I did not drop it. You say he found it in that clump23 of trees?”
“Well, I assumed so, but he did not actually say so.”
“It is just possible that it might have fluttered out of M. Isaacstein’s suit-case. Question Boris again.” He handed the paper back to Anthony. After aminute or two he said: “What exactly do you know of this man Boris?”
Anthony shrugged24 his shoulders.
“I understood he was the late Prince Michael’s trusted servant.”
“It may be so, but make it your business to find out. Ask someone whoknows, such as the Baron25 Lolopretjzyl. Perhaps this man was engaged buta few weeks ago. For myself, I have believed him honest. But who knows?
King Victor is quite capable of making himself into a trusted servant at amoment’s notice.”
“Do you really think—”
Lemoine interrupted him.
“I will be quite frank. With me, King Victor is an obsession26. I see himeverywhere. At this moment even I ask myself—this man who is talking tome, this M. Cade, is he, perhaps, King Victor?”
“Good Lord,” said Anthony, “you have got it badly.”
“What do I care for the diamond? For the discovery of the murderer ofPrince Michael? I leave those affairs to my colleague of Scotland Yardwhose business it is. Me, I am in England for one purpose, and one pur-pose only, to capture King Victor and capture him red-handed. Nothingelse matters.”
“Think you’ll do it?” asked Anthony, lighting16 a cigarette.
“How should I know?” said Lemoine, with sudden despondency.
“Hm!” said Anthony.
They had regained27 the terrace. Superintendent Battle was standing28 nearthe French window in a wooden attitude.
“Look at poor old Battle,” said Anthony. “Let’s go and cheer him up.” Hepaused a minute, and said, “You know, you’re an odd fish in some ways,M. Lemoine.”
“In what ways, M. Cade?”
“Well,” said Anthony, “in your place, I should have been inclined to notedown that address that I showed you. It may be of no importance—quiteconceivably. On the other hand, it might be very important indeed.”
Lemoine looked at him for a minute or two steadily29. Then, with a slightsmile, he drew back the cuff30 of his left coat sleeve. Pencilled on the whiteshirt cuff beneath were the words “Hurstmere, Langly Road, Dover.”
“I apologize,” said Anthony. “And I retire worsted.”
He joined Superintendent Battle.
“You look very pensive31, Battle,” he remarked.
“I’ve got a lot to think about, Mr. Cade.”
“Yes, I expect you have.”
“Things aren’t dovetailing. They’re not dovetailing at all.”
“Very trying,” sympathized Anthony. “Never mind, Battle, if the worstcomes to the worst, you can always arrest me. You’ve got my guilty foot-prints to fall back upon, remember.”
But the superintendent did not smile.
“Got any enemies here that you know of, Mr. Cade?” he asked.
“I’ve an idea that the third footman doesn’t like me,” replied Anthonylightly. “He does his best to forget to hand me the choicest vegetables.
Why?”
“I’ve been getting anonymous32 letters,” said Superintendent Battle. “Orrather an anonymous letter, I should say.”
“About me?”
Without answer Battle took a folded sheet of cheap notepaper from hispocket, and handed it to Anthony. Scrawled33 on it in an illiterate34 handwrit-ing were the words:
Look out for Mr. Cade. He isn’t wot he seems.
Anthony handed it back with a light laugh.
“That all? Cheer up, Battle. I’m really a king in disguise, you know.”
He went into the house, whistling lightly as he walked along. But as heentered his bedroom and shut the door behind him, his face changed. Itgrew set and stern. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared moodilyat the floor.
“Things are getting serious,” said Anthony to himself. “Something mustbe done about it. It’s all damned awkward. .?.?.”
He sat there for a minute or two, then strolled to the window. For a mo-ment or two he stood looking out aimlessly and then his eyes became sud-denly focused on a certain spot, and his face lightened.
“Of course,” he said. “The rose garden! That’s it! The rose garden.”
He hurried downstairs again and out into the garden by a side door. Heapproached the rose garden by a circuitous35 route. It had a little gate ateither end. He entered by the far one, and walked up to the sundial whichwas on a raised hillock in the exact centre of the garden.
Just as Anthony reached it, he stopped dead and stared at another occu-pant of the rose garden who seemed equally surprised to see him.
“I didn’t know that you were interested in roses, Mr. Fish,” said Anthonygently.
“Sir,” said Mr. Fish, “I am considerably36 interested in roses.”
They looked at each other warily37, as antagonists38 seek to measure theiropponents’ strength.
“So am I,” said Anthony.
“Is that so?”
“In fact, I dote upon roses,” said Anthony airily.
A very slight smile hovered39 upon Mr. Fish’s lips, and at the same timeAnthony also smiled. The tension seemed to relax.
“Look at this beauty now,” said Mr. Fish, stooping to point out a particu-larly fine bloom. “Madame Abel Chatenay, I pressoom it to be. Yes, I amright. This white rose, before the war, was known as Frau Carl Drusky.
They have, I believe, renamed it. Oversensitive, perhaps, but truly patri-otic. The La France is always popular. Do you care for red roses at all, Mr.
Cade? A bright scarlet40 rose now—”
Mr. Fish’s slow, drawling voice, was interrupted. Bundle was leaningout of a first-floor window.
“Care for a spin to town, Mr. Fish? I’m just off.”
“Thank you, Lady Eileen, but I am vurry happy here.”
“Sure you won’t change your mind, Mr. Cade?”
Anthony laughed and shook his head. Bundle disappeared.
“Sleep is more in my line,” said Anthony, with a wide yawn. “A goodafter-luncheon nap!” He took out a cigarette. “You haven’t got a match,have you?”
Mr. Fish handed him a matchbox. Anthony helped himself, and handedback the box with a word of thanks.
“Roses,” said Anthony, “are all very well. But I don’t feel particularlyhorticultural this afternoon.”
With a disarming41 smile, he nodded cheerfully.
A thundering noise sounded from just outside the house.
“Pretty powerful engine she’s got in that car of hers,” remarked An-thony. “There, off she goes.”
They had a view of the car speeding down the long drive.
Anthony yawned again, and strolled towards the house.
He passed in through the door. Once inside, he seemed as thoughchanged to quicksilver. He raced across the hall, out through one of thewindows on the farther side, and across the park. Bundle, he knew, had tomake a big detour42 by the lodge43 gates, and through the village.
He ran desperately44. It was a race against time. He reached the park walljust as he heard the car outside. He swung himself up and dropped intothe road.
“Hi!” cried Anthony.
In her astonishment45, Bundle swerved46 half across the road. She managedto pull up without accident. Anthony ran after the car, opened the door,and jumped in beside Bundle.
“I’m coming to London with you,” he said. “I meant to all along.”
“Extraordinary person,” said Bundle. “What’s that you’ve got in yourhand?”
“Only a match,” said Anthony.
He regarded it thoughtfully. It was pink, with a yellow head. He threwaway his unlighted cigarette, and put the match carefully into his pocket.
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收听单词发音
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1
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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egress
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| n.出去；出口 | |
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expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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memorandum
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| n.备忘录，便笺 | |
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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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conundrum
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| n.谜语；难题 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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winks
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| v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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obsession
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| n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感) | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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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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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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circuitous
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| adj.迂回的路的，迂曲的，绕行的 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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antagonists
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| 对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药 | |
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hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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disarming
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| adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒 | |
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detour
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| n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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44
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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46
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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