The morning of November 2nd dawned wet and gloomy. It was so dark in
the dining room of the house in Elvaston Square that they had to have the
lights on for breakfast.
Iris1, contrary to her habit, had come down instead of having her coffee
and toast sent up to her and sat there white and ghostlike pushing un-
eaten food about her plate. George rustled2 his Times with a nervy hand
and at the other end of the table Lucilla Drake wept copiously3 into a
handkerchief.
“I know the dear boy will do something dreadful. He’s so sensitive—and
he wouldn’t say it was a matter of life and death if it wasn’t.”
Rustling4 his paper, George said sharply:
“Please don’t worry, Lucilla. I’ve said I’ll see to it.”
“I know, dear George, you are always so kind. But I do feel any delay
might be fatal. All these inquiries5 you speak of making—they will all take
time.”
“No, no, we’ll hurry them through.”
“He says: ‘without fail by the 3rd’ and tomorrow is the 3rd. I should
never forgive myself if anything happened to the darling boy.”
“It won’t.” George took a long drink of coffee.
“And there is still that Conversion6 Loan of mine—”
“Look here, Lucilla, you leave it all to me.”
“Don’t worry, Aunt Lucilla,” put in Iris. “George will be able to arrange it
all. After all, this has happened before.”
“Not for a long time” (“Three months,” said George), “not since the poor
boy was deceived by those dreadful swindling friends of his on that horrid8
ranch9.”
George wiped his moustache on his napkin, got up, patted Mrs. Drake
kindly10 on the back as he made his way out of the room.
“Now do cheer up, my dear. I’ll get Ruth to cable right away.”
As he went out in the hall, Iris followed him.
“George, don’t you think we ought to put off the party tonight? Aunt Lu-
cilla is so upset. Hadn’t we better stay at home with her?”
“Certainly not!” George’s pink face went purple. “Why should that
damned swindling young crook11 upset our whole lives? It’s blackmail12—
sheer blackmail, that’s what it is. If I had my way, he shouldn’t get a
penny.”
“Aunt Lucilla would never agree to that.”
“Lucilla’s a fool—always has been. These women who have children
when they’re over forty never seem to learn any sense. Spoil the brats13
from the cradle by giving them every damned thing they want. If young
Victor had once been told to get out of this mess by himself it might have
been the making of him. Now don’t argue, Iris. I’ll get something fixed14 up
before tonight so that Lucilla can go to bed happy. If necessary we’ll take
her along with us.”
“Oh, no, she hates restaurants—and gets so sleepy, poor darling. And
she dislikes the heat and the smoky air gives her asthma15.”
“I know. I wasn’t serious. Go and cheer her up, Iris. Tell her everything
will be all right.”
He turned away and out of the front door. Iris turned slowly back to-
wards17 the dining room. The telephone rang and she went to answer it.
“Hallo—who?” Her face changed, its white hopelessness dissolved into
pleasure. “Anthony!”
“Anthony himself. I rang you up yesterday but couldn’t get you. Have
you been putting in a spot of work with George?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, George was so pressing over his invitation to your party tonight.
Quite unlike his usual style of ‘hands off my lovely ward16!’ Absolutely in-
sistent that I should come. I thought perhaps it was the result of some tact-
ful work on your part.”
“No—no—it’s nothing to do with me.”
“A change of heart all on his own?”
“Not exactly. It’s—”
“Hallo—have you gone away?”
“No, I’m here.”
“You were saying something. What’s the matter, darling? I can hear you
sighing through the telephone. Is anything the matter?”
“No—nothing. I shall be all right tomorrow. Everything will be all right
tomorrow.”
“What touching18 faith. Don’t they say ‘tomorrow never comes?’ ”
“Don’t.”
“Iris—something is the matter?”
“No, nothing. I can’t tell you. I promised, you see.”
“Tell me, my sweet.”
“No—I can’t really. Anthony, will you tell me something?”
“If I can.”
“Were you—ever in love with Rosemary?”
A momentary19 pause and then a laugh.
“So that’s it. Yes, Iris, I was a bit in love with Rosemary. She was very
lovely, you know. And then one day I was talking to her and I saw you
coming down the staircase—and in a minute it was all over, blown away.
There was nobody but you in the world. That’s the cold sober truth. Don’t
brood over a thing like that. Even Romeo, you know, had his Rosaline be-
fore7 he was bowled over for good and all by Juliet.”
“Thank you, Anthony. I’m glad.”
“See you tonight. It’s your birthday, isn’t it?”
“Actually not for a week—it’s my birthday party though.”
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it.”
“I’m not.”
“I suppose George knows what he’s doing, but it seems to me a crazy
idea to have it at the same place where—”
“Oh, I’ve been to the Luxembourg several times since—since Rosemary
—I mean, one can’t avoid it.”
“No, and it’s just as well. I’ve got a birthday present for you, Iris. I hope
you’ll like it. Au revoir.”
He rang off.
Iris went back to Lucilla Drake, to argue, persuade and reassure20.
George, on his arrival at his office, sent at once for Ruth Lessing.
His worried frown relaxed a little as she entered, calm and smiling, in
her neat black coat and skirt.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Ruth. Trouble again. Look at this.”
She took the cable he held out.
“Victor Drake again!”
“Yes, curse him.”
She was silent a minute, holding the cable. A lean, brown face wrinkling
up round the nose when he laughed. A mocking voice saying, “the sort of
girl who ought to marry the Boss . . .” How vividly21 it all came back.
She thought:
“It might have been yesterday. . . .”
George’s voice recalled her.
“Wasn’t it about a year ago that we shipped him out there?”
She reflected.
“I think so, yes. Actually I believe it was October 27th.”
“What an amazing girl you are. What a memory!”
She thought to herself that she had a better reason for remembering
than he knew. It was fresh from Victor Drake’s influence that she had
listened to Rosemary’s careless voice over the phone and decided22 that she
hated her employer’s wife.
“I suppose we’re lucky,” said George, “that he’s lasted as long as he has
out there. Even if it did cost us fifty pounds three months ago.”
“Three hundred pounds now seems a lot.”
“Oh, yes. He won’t get as much as that. We’ll have to make the usual in-
vestigations.”
“I’d better communicate with Mr. Ogilvie.”
Alexander Ogilvie was their agent in Buenos Aires — a sober, hard
headed Scotsman.
“Yes. Cable at once. His mother is in a state, as usual. Practically hyster-
ical. Makes it very difficult with the party tonight.”
“Would you like me to stay with her?”
“No.” He negatived the idea emphatically. “No, indeed. You’re the one
person who’s got to be there. I need you, Ruth.” He took her hand. “You’re
too unselfish.”
“I’m not unselfish at all.”
She smiled and suggested:
“Would it be worth trying telephonic communication with Mr. Ogilvie?
We might get the whole thing cleared up by tonight.”
“A good idea. Well worth the expense.”
“I’ll get busy at once.”
Very gently she disengaged her hand from his and went out.
George dealt with various matters awaiting his attention.
At half past twelve he went out and took a taxi to the Luxembourg.
Charles, the notorious and popular headwaiter, came towards him,
bending his stately head and smiling in welcome.
“Good morning, Mr. Barton.”
“Good morning, Charles. Everything all right for tonight?”
“I think you will be satisfied, sir.”
“The same table?”
“The middle one in the alcove23, that is right, is it not?”
“Yes—and you understand about the extra place?”
“It is all arranged.”
“And you’ve got the—the rosemary?”
“Yes, Mr. Barton. I’m afraid it won’t be very decorative24. You wouldn’t
like some red berries incorporated—or say a few chrysanthemums25?”
“No, no, only the rosemary.”
“Very good, sir. You would like to see the menu. Giuseppe.”
With a flick26 of the thumb Charles produced a smiling little middle-aged27
Italian.
“The menu for Mr. Barton.”
It was produced.
Oysters28, Clear Soup, Sole Luxembourg, Grouse29, Poires Hélène, Chicken
Livers in Bacon.
George cast an indifferent eye over it.
“Yes, yes, quite all right.”
He handed it back. Charles accompanied him to the door.
Sinking his voice a little, he murmured:
“May I just mention how appreciative30 we are, Mr. Barton, that you are—
er—coming back to us?”
A smile, rather a ghastly smile, showed on George’s face. He said:
“We’ve got to forget the past—can’t dwell on the past. All that is over
and done with.”
“Very true, Mr. Barton. You know how shocked and grieved we were at
the time. I’m sure I hope that Mademoiselle will have a very happy birth-
day party and that everything will be as you like it.”
Gracefully31 bowing, Charles withdrew and darted32 like an angry dragon-
fly on some very inferior grade of waiter who was doing the wrong thing
at a table near the window.
George went out with a wry33 smile on his lips. He was not an imaginative
enough man to feel a pang34 of sympathy for the Luxembourg. It was not,
after all, the fault of the Luxembourg that Rosemary had decided to com-
mit suicide there or that someone had decided to murder her there. It had
been decidedly hard on the Luxembourg. But like most people with an
idea, George thought only of that idea.
He lunched at his club and went afterwards to a directors’ meeting.
On his way back to the office, he put through a phone call to a Maida
Vale number from a public call box. He came out with a sigh of relief.
Everything was set according to schedule.
He went back to the office.
Ruth came to him at once.
“About Victor Drake.”
“Yes?”
“I’m afraid it’s rather a bad business. A possibility of criminal prosecu-
tion. He’s been helping35 himself to the firm’s money over a considerable
period.”
“Did Ogilvie say so?”
“Yes. I got through to him this morning and he got a call through to us
this afternoon ten minutes ago. He says Victor was quite brazen36 about the
whole thing.”
“He would be!”
“But he insists that they won’t prosecute37 if the money is refunded38. Mr.
Ogilvie saw the senior partner and that seems to be correct. The actual
sum in question is one hundred and sixty-five pounds.”
“So that Master Victor was hoping to pocket a clear hundred and thirty-
five on the transaction?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Well, we’ve scotched39 that, at any rate,” said George with grim satisfac-
tion.
“I told Mr. Ogilvie to go ahead and settle the business. Was that right?”
“Personally I should be delighted to see that young crook go to prison—
but one has to think of his mother. A fool—but a dear soul. So Master Vic-
tor scores as usual.”
“How good you are,” said Ruth.
“Me?”
“I think you’re the best man in the world.”
He was touched. He felt pleased and embarrassed at the same time. On
an impulse he picked up her hand and kissed it.
“Dearest Ruth. My dearest and best of friends. What would I have done
without you?”
They stood very close together.
She thought: “I could have been happy with him. I could have made him
happy. If only—”
He thought: “Shall I take Race’s advice? Shall I give it all up? Wouldn’t
that really be the best thing?”
Indecision hovered40 over him and passed. He said:
“9:30 at the Luxembourg.”
点击
收听单词发音
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1
iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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2
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3
copiously
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| adv.丰富地，充裕地 | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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5
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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6
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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7
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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8
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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9
ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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10
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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11
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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12
blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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13
brats
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| n.调皮捣蛋的孩子( brat的名词复数 ) | |
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14
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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15
asthma
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| n.气喘病，哮喘病 | |
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16
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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17
wards
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| 区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态 | |
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18
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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19
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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20
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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21
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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22
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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23
alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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24
decorative
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| adj.装饰的，可作装饰的 | |
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25
chrysanthemums
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| n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 ) | |
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26
flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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27
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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28
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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29
grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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30
appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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31
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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32
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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34
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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35
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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37
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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38
refunded
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| v.归还，退还( refund的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
scotched
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| v.阻止( scotch的过去式和过去分词 )；制止（车轮）转动；弄伤；镇压 | |
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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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