“I suspected her from the first,” explained Anthony. “There was a light inher room on the night of the murder. Afterwards, I wavered. I made in-quiries about her in Brittany, and came back satisfied that she was whatshe represented herself to be. I was a fool. Because the Comtesse deBreteuil had employed a Mademoiselle Brun and spoke1 highly of her, itnever occurred to me that the real Mademoiselle Brun might have beenkidnapped on her way to her new post, and that it might be a substitutetaking her place. Instead I shifted my suspicions to Mr. Fish. It was not un-til he had followed me to Dover, and we had had a mutual2 explanation,that I began to see clearly. Once I knew that he was a Pinkerton’s man,trailing King Victor, my suspicions swung back again to their original ob-ject.
“The thing that worried me most was that Mrs. Revel3 had definitely re-cognized the woman. Then I remembered that it was only after I had men-tioned her being Madame de Breteuil’s governess. And all she had saidwas that that accounted for the fact that the woman’s face was familiar toher. Superintendent4 Battle will tell you that a deliberate plot was formedto keep Mrs. Revel from coming to Chimneys. Nothing more nor less thana dead body, in fact. And though the murder was the work of the Com-rades of the Red Hand, punishing supposed treachery on the part of thevictim, the staging of it, and the absence of the Comrade’s sign manual,pointed to some abler intelligence directing operations. From the first, Isuspected some connexion with Herzoslovakia. Mrs. Revel was the onlymember of the house party who had been to the country. I suspected atfirst that someone was impersonating Prince Michael, but that proved tobe a totally erroneous idea. When I realized the possibility of Mademois-elle Brun’s being an imposter, and added to that the fact that her face wasfamiliar to Mrs. Revel, I began to see daylight. It was evidently very im-portant that she should not be recognized, and Mrs. Revel was the onlyperson likely to do so.”
“But who was she?” said Lord Caterham. “Someone Mrs. Revel hadknown in Herzoslovakia?”
“I think the Baron5 might be able to tell us,” said Anthony.
“I?” The Baron stared at him, then down at the motionless figure.
“Look well,” said Anthony. “Don’t be put off by the makeup6. She was anactress once, remember.”
The Baron stared again. Suddenly he started.
“God in heaven,” he breathed, “it is not possible.”
“What is not possible?” asked George. “Who is the lady? You recognizeher, Baron?”
“No, no, it is not possible.” The Baron continued to mutter. “She waskilled. They were both killed. On the steps of the palace. Her body was re-covered.”
“Mutilated and unrecognizable,” Anthony reminded him. “She managedto put up a bluff7. I think she escaped to America, and has spent a goodmany years lying low in deadly terror of the Comrades of the Red Hand.
They promoted the revolution, remember, and, to use an expressivephrase, they always had it in for her. Then King Victor was released, andthey planned to recover the diamond together. She was searching for itthat night when she came suddenly upon Prince Michael, and he recog-nized her. There was never much fear of her meeting him in the ordinaryway of things. Royal guests don’t come in contact with governesses, andshe could always retire with a convenient migraine, as she did the day theBaron was here.
“However, she met Prince Michael face to face when she least expectedit. Exposure and disgrace stared her in the face. She shot him. It was shewho placed the revolver in Isaacstein’s suitcase, so as to confuse the trail,and she who returned the letters.”
Lemoine moved forward.
“She was coming down to search for the jewel that night, you say,” hesaid. “Might she not have been going to meet her accomplice8, King Victor,who was coming from outside? Eh? What do you say to that?”
Anthony sighed.
“Still at it, my dear Lemoine? How persistent9 you are! You won’t take myhint that I’ve got a trump10 card up my sleeve?”
But George, whose mind worked slowly, now broke in.
“I am still completely at sea. Who was this lady, Baron? You recognizeher, it seems?”
But the Baron drew himself up and stood very straight and stiff.
“You are in error, Mr. Lomax. To my knowledge I have not this ladyseen before. A complete stranger she is to me.”
“But—”
George stared at him—bewildered.
The Baron took him into a corner of the room, and murmured some-thing into his ear. Anthony watched with a good deal of enjoyment,George’s face turning slowly purple, his eyes bulging12, and all the incipientsymptoms of apoplexy. A murmur11 of George’s throaty voice came to him.
“Certainly .?.?. certainly .?.?. by all means .?.?. no need at all .?.?. complicatesituation .?.?. utmost discretion13.”
“Ah!” Lemoine hit the table sharply with his hand. “I do not care aboutall this! The murder of Prince Michael—that was not my affair. I wantKing Victor.”
Anthony shook his head gently.
“I’m sorry for you, Lemoine. You’re really a very able fellow. But, all thesame, you’re going to lose the trick. I’m about to play my trump card.”
He stepped across the room and rang the bell. Tredwell answered it.
“A gentlemen arrived with me this evening, Tredwell.”
“Yes, sir, a foreign gentleman.”
“Quite so. Will you kindly14 ask him to join us here as soon as possible?”
“Yes, sir.”
Tredwell withdrew.
“Entry of the trump card, the mysterious Monsieur X,” remarked An-thony. “Who is he? Can anyone guess?”
“Putting two and two together,” said Herman Isaacstein, “what withyour mysterious hints this morning, and your attitude this afternoon, Ishould say there was no doubt about it. Somehow or other you’ve man-aged to get hold of Prince Nicholas of Herzoslovakia.”
“You think the same, Baron?”
“I do. Unless yet another impostor you have put forward. But that I willnot believe. With me, your dealings most honourable15 have been.”
“Thank you, Baron. I shan’t forget those words. So you are all agreed?”
His eyes swept round the circle of waiting faces. Only Lemoine did notrespond, but kept his eyes fixed16 sullenly17 on the table.
Anthony’s quick ears had caught the sound of footsteps outside in thehall.
“And yet, you know,” he said with a queer smile, “you’re all wrong!”
He crossed swiftly to the door and flung it open.
A man stood on the threshold—a man with a neat black beard, eye-glasses, and a foppish18 appearance slightly marred19 by a bandage round thehead.
“Allow me to present to you the real Monsieur Lemoine of the S?reté.”
There was a rush and a scuffle, and then the nasal tones of Mr. HiramFish rose bland20 and reassuring21 from the window:
“No, you don’t, sonny—not this way. I have been stationed here thiswhole evening for the particular purpose of preventing your escape. Youwill observe that I have you covered well and good with this gun of mine. Icame over to get you, and I’ve got you—but you sure are some lad!”
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1
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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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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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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4
superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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makeup
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| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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trump
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| n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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13
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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14
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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15
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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foppish
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| adj.矫饰的，浮华的 | |
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19
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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20
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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