I was not summoned to Sir Eustace’s presence until late in the afternoon.
Eleven-o’clock tea and a substantial lunch had been served to me in myown apartment, and I felt fortified1 for further conflict.
Sir Eustace was alone. He was walking up and down the room, therewas a gleam in his eye and a restlessness in his manner which did not es-cape me. He was exultant2 about something. There was a subtle change inhis manner towards me.
“I have news for you. Your young man is on his way. He will be here ina few minutes. Moderate your transports—I have something more to say.
You attempted to deceive me this morning. I warned you that you wouldbe wise to stick to the truth, and up to a certain point you obeyed me.
Then you ran off the rails. You attempted to make me believe that the dia-monds were in Harry3 Rayburn’s possession. At the time I accepted yourstatement because it facilitated my task—the task of inducing you to decoyHarry Rayburn here. But, my dear Anne, the diamonds have been in mypossession ever since I left the Falls—though I only discovered the factyesterday.”
“You know!” I gasped4.
“It may interest you to hear that it was Pagett who gave the show away.
He insisted on boring me with a long pointless story about a wager5 and atin of films. It didn’t take me long to put two and two together — Mrs.
Blair’s distrust of Colonel Race, her agitation6, her entreaty7 that I wouldtake care of her souvenirs for her. The excellent Pagett had already un-fastened the cases through an excess of zeal8. Before leaving the hotel, Isimply transferred all the rolls of films to my own pocket. They are in thecorner there. I admit that I haven’t had time to examine them yet, but I no-tice that one is of a totally different weight to the others, rattles9 in a pecu-liar fashion, and has evidently been stuck down with seccotine, which willnecessitate the use of a tin opener. The case seems clear, does it not? Andnow, you see, I have you both nicely in the trap .?.?. It’s a pity that youdidn’t take kindly11 to the idea of becoming Lady Pedler.”
I did not answer. I stood looking at him.
There was the sound of feet on the stairs, the door was flung open, andHarry Rayburn was hustled12 into the room between two men. Sir Eustaceflung me a look of triumph.
“According to plan,” he said softly. “You amateurs will pit yourselvesagainst professionals.”
“What’s the meaning of this?” cried Harry hoarsely13.
“It means that you have walked into my parlour—said the spider to thefly,” remarked Sir Eustace facetiously14. “My dear Rayburn, you are ex-traordinarily unlucky.”
“You said I could come safely, Anne.”
“Do not reproach her, my dear fellow. That note was written at my dic-tation, and the lady could not help herself. She would have been wiser notto write it, but I did not tell her so at the time. You followed her instruc-tions, went to the curioshop, were taken through the secret passage fromthe back room—and found yourself in the hands of your enemies!”
Harry looked at me. I understood his glance and edged nearer to Sir Eu-stace.
“Yes,” murmured the latter, “decidedly you are not lucky! This is—let mesee, the third encounter.”
“You are right,” said Harry. “This is the third encounter. Twice you haveworsted me—have you never heard that the third time the luck changes?
This is my round—cover him, Anne.”
I was all ready. In a flash I had whipped the pistol out of my stockingand was holding it to his head. The two men guarding Harry sprang for-ward, but his voice stopped them.
“Another step—and he dies! If they come any nearer, Anne, pull the trig-ger—don’t hesitate.”
“I shan’t,” I replied cheerfully. “I’m rather afraid of pulling it, anyway.”
I think Sir Eustace shared my fears. He was certainly shaking like a jelly.
“Stay where you are,” he commanded, and the men stopped obediently.
“Tell them to leave the room,” said Harry.
Sir Eustace gave the order. The men filed out, and Harry shot the boltacross the door behind them.
“Now we can talk,” he observed grimly, and, coming across the room, hetook the revolver out of my hand.
Sir Eustace uttered a sigh of relief and wiped his forehead with ahandkerchief.
“I’m shockingly out of condition,” he observed. “I think I must have aweak heart. I am glad that revolver is in competent hands. I didn’t trustMiss Anne with it. Well, my young friend, as you say, now we can talk. I’mwilling to admit that you stole a march upon me. Where the devil that re-volver came from I don’t know. I had the girl’s luggage searched when shearrived. And where did you produce it from now? You hadn’t got it on youa minute ago?”
“Yes, I had,” I replied. “It was in my stocking.”
“I don’t know enough about women. I ought to have studied themmore,” said Sir Eustace sadly. “I wonder if Pagett would have knownthat?”
Harry rapped sharply on the table.
“Don’t play the fool. If it weren’t for your grey hairs, I’d throw you out ofthe window. You damned scoundrel! Grey hairs, or no grey hairs, I—”
He advanced a step or two, and Sir Eustace skipped nimbly behind thetable.
“The young are always so violent,” he said reproachfully. “Unable to usetheir brains, they rely solely16 on their muscles. Let us talk sense. For themoment you have the upper hand. But that state of affairs cannot con-tinue. The house is full of my men. You are hopelessly outnumbered. Yourmomentary ascendancy17 has been gained by an accident—”
“Has it?”
Something in Harry’s voice, a grim raillery, seemed to attract Sir Eu-stace’s attention. He stared at him.
“Has it?” said Harry again. “Sit down, Sir Eustace, and listen to what Ihave to say.” Still covering him with the revolver, he went on: “The cardsare against you this time. To begin with, listen to that!”
That was a dull banging at the door below. There were shouts, oaths,and then a sound of firing. Sir Eustace paled.
“What’s that?”
“Race—and his people. You didn’t know, did you, Sir Eustace, that Annehad an arrangement with me by which we should know whether commu-nications from one to the other were genuine? Telegrams were to besigned ‘Andy,’ letters were to have the word ‘and’ crossed out somewherein them. Anne knew that your telegram was a fake. She came here of herown free will, walked deliberately18 into the snare19, in the hope that shemight catch you in your own trap. Before leaving Kimberley she wiredboth to me and to Race. Mrs. Blair has been in communication with usever since. I received the letter written at your dictation, which was justwhat I expected. I had already discussed the probabilities of a secret pas-sage leading out of the curioshop with Race, and he had discovered theplace where the exit was situated20.”
There was a screaming, tearing sound, and a heavy explosion whichshook the room.
“They’re shelling this part of the town. I must get you out of here, Anne.”
A bright light flared21 up. The house opposite was on fire. Sir Eustace hadrisen and was pacing up and down. Harry kept him covered with the re-volver.
“So you see, Sir Eustace, the game is up. It was you yourself who verykindly provided us with the clue of your whereabouts. Race’s men werewatching the exit of the secret passage. In spite of the precautions youtook, they were successful in following me here.”
Sir Eustace turned suddenly.
“Very clever. Very creditable. But I’ve still a word to say. If I’ve lost thetrick, so have you. You’ll never be able to bring the murder of Nadinahome to me. I was in Marlow on that day, that’s all you’ve got against me.
No one can prove that I even knew the woman. But you knew her, youhad a motive22 for killing23 her—and your record’s against you. You’re a thief,remember, a thief. There’s one thing you don’t know, perhaps. I’ve got thediamonds. And here goes—”
With an incredibly swift movement, he stooped, swung up his arm andthrew. There was a tinkle24 of breaking glass, as the object went through thewindow and disappeared into the blazing mass opposite.
“There goes your only hope of establishing your innocence25 over theKimberley affair. And now we’ll talk. I’ll drive a bargain with you. You’vegot me cornered. Race will find all he needs in this house. There’s a chancefor me if I can get away. I’m done for if I stay, but so are you, young man!
There’s a skylight in the next room. A couple of minutes’ start and I shallbe all right. I’ve got one or two little arrangements all ready made. You letme out of the way, and give me a start—and I leave you a signed confes-sion that I killed Nadina.”
“Yes, Harry,” I cried. “Yes, yes, yes!”
He turned a stern face on me.
“No, Anne, a thousand times, no. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I do. It solves everything.”
“I’d never be able to look Race in the face again. I’ll take my chance, butI’m damned if I’ll let this slippery old fox get away. It’s no good, Anne. Iwon’t do it.”
Sir Eustace chuckled26. He accepted defeat without the least emotion.
“Well, well,” he remarked. “You seem to have met your master, Anne.
But I can assure you both that moral rectitude does not always pay.”
There was a crash of rending27 wood, and footsteps surged up the stairs.
Harry drew back the bolt. Colonel Race was the first to enter the room. Hisface lit at the sight of us.
“You’re safe, Anne. I was afraid—” He turned to Sir Eustace. “I’ve beenafter you for a long time, Pedler—and at last I’ve got you.”
“Everybody seems to have gone completely mad,” declared Sir Eustaceairily. “These young people have been threatening me with revolvers andaccusing me of the most shocking things. I don’t know what it’s all about.”
“Don’t you? It means that I’ve found the ‘Colonel.’ It means that on Janu-ary 8th last you were not at Cannes, but at Marlow. It means that whenyour tool, Madame Nadina, turned against you, you planned to do awaywith her—and at last we shall be able to bring the crime home to you.”
“Indeed? And from whom did you get all this interesting information?
From the man who is even now being looked for by the police? His evid-ence will be very valuable.”
“We have other evidence. There is someone else who knew that Nadinawas going to meet you at the Mill House.”
Sir Eustace looked surprised. Colonel Race made a gesture with hishand. Arthur Minks28 alias29 the Rev15. Edward Chichester alias Miss Pettigrewstepped forward. He was pale and nervous, but he spoke30 clearly enough:
“I saw Nadina in Paris the night before she went over to England. I wasposing at the time as a Russian Count. She told me of her purpose. Iwarned her, knowing what kind of man she had to deal with, but she didnot take my advice. There was a wireless31 message on the table. I read it.
Afterwards I thought I would have a try for the diamonds myself. In Jo-hannesburg Mr. Rayburn accosted32 me. He persuaded me to come over tohis side.”
Sir Eustace looked at him. He said nothing, but Minks seemed visibly towilt.
“Rats always leave a sinking ship,” observed Sir Eustace. “I don’t carefor rats. Sooner or later, I destroy vermin.”
“There’s just one thing I’d like to tell you, Sir Eustace,” I remarked. “Thattin you threw out of the window didn’t contain the diamonds. It had com-mon pebbles33 in it. The diamonds are in a perfectly34 safe place. As a matterof fact they’re in the big giraffe’s stomach. Suzanne hollowed it out, putthe diamonds in with cotton wool, so that they wouldn’t rattle10, andplugged it up again.”
Sir Eustace looked at me for some time. His reply was characteristic:
“I always did hate that blinking giraffe,” he said. “It must have been in-stinct.”
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1
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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4
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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5
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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6
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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8
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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9
rattles
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| （使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧 | |
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10
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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11
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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12
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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13
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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14
facetiously
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| adv.爱开玩笑地；滑稽地，爱开玩笑地 | |
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15
rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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16
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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ascendancy
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| n.统治权，支配力量 | |
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18
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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19
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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21
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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23
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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24
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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25
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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26
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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28
minks
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| n.水貂( mink的名词复数 )；水貂皮 | |
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29
alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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30
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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31
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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32
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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33
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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34
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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