I paused in the dusky passage before tapping at the closed door of this room. The whole place was faintly stringent3 with the atmosphere that comes from a poor habit of ventilation—an atmosphere like that emitted from crumbling4 old leather-bound folios. A ragged5 strip of carpet, so trodden up its middle to the very string as to give the impression of a cinder-path running between dully flowering borders, climbed the flight of stairs before me, and stretched itself upon the landing above in an exhausted6 condition.
In a shallow alcove7 to one side of me stood a gaunt and voiceless old grandfather clock. A gas-browned bust8 of Pitt, rendered ridiculous by a perfect skull-cap of dust, stood on a bracket over a door opposite and a few anatomical prints of a dark and melancholy9 cast broke the monotony of the yellow walls.
Rendered none the less depressed10 in my errand by these dismal11 surroundings, I pulled myself together and tapped roundly on the doctor’s door. No response followed. I knocked again and again, without result. At length I turned the handle and stepped of my own accord into the room.
He was sitting at the table, half his body sprawled12 over it and an empty tumbler rolled from one of his hands. Overhead, the row of murderers’ busts13 looked down upon him with every variety of unclean expression, and seemed to prick14 their ears with sightless rapture15 over that bestial16 music of his soul.
The doors of a high cabinet, that in other brief visits I had never seen but closely locked, now stood open behind him, revealing row upon row of shelves, whereon hundreds of coins of many metals lay nicely arranged upon cotton wool. A few of these, also, lay about him on the table, and it was evident that a drunken slumber17 had overcome him while reviewing his mighty18 collection.
So deep was he in stupor19 that it was not until I hammered and shook the very table that he so much as stirred, and it was only after I had slipped round and jogged him roughly on the shoulder that he came to himself.
Then he dragged his long body up, swaying a little at first, and turning a stupid glazed21 eye on me two or three times and from me to the scattered22 coins and back again.
“Thieves!” he yelled. “Thieves!”
“That’ll do,” I said, coolly. “I’m not the thief in this house, Dr. Crackenthorpe.”
“What are you doing here?” he cried in a furious voice. “How did you get in? What do you want?”
“I want a word with you—I’ll tell you what when you’re quieter. As to getting in? I knocked half a dozen times and could get no answer. So I walked in.”
“Curse the baggage!” he muttered. “Can’t I rely upon one of them? I’ll twist her pretty neck for this.”
“You need twist nothing on my account. If I had failed to catch you now I would have dogged you for the opportunity.”
“Oh, that’s it, is it?” he said, with a laugh and a savage24 sneer25. “Well, state your business and be off.”
He spoke26 ferociously27, but on the instant, seeing my eye caught by something lying on that part of the table his body had covered, dived for it and had it in his grasp. Then with a backward sweep of his hand he closed the cabinet doors and stood facing me.
“Now, sir,” he said.
“Dr. Crackenthorpe,” I answered, “you won’t bully28 me away from my purpose. I’m a better man than you, and a stronger, I believe; but I won’t begin by threatening.”
“And that’s very kind,” he put in mockingly. “Still we’d better come to business, don’t you think?”
“I’m coming to it and straight. What’s that you’ve got in your hand?”
“What I intend to keep there. Is that all?”
“It’s a cameo you stole from my father. Don’t take the trouble to deny it.”
“I don’t take any trouble on your account, my good fellow. It’s a cameo, as you very properly observe, but it happens to belong to me.”
“By thieving, I’ll swear. Now, Dr. Crackenthorpe, I intend to make you disgorge that cameo, together with one or two other trifles you’ve coerced29 my father into handing over to you.”
“Further than that, I intend to put a stop here and at once to that blackmailing31 process you’ve carried on for a number of years.”
“Blackmailing’s a very good word. It implies a reciprocity of interests. And how are you going to do all this?”
“You shall hear at the assizes, maybe.”
He gave a laugh—quite rich for him; walked to the table, picked up deliberately32 the coins lying strewn there; stepped to the cabinet, deposited all therein; shut and locked it, and put the key in his pocket.
“Now, Mr. Bookbinder,” he said, facing me again, “you’ve a very pretty intelligence; but you’ve not acquired in London that knowledge of the nine points of the law without which the tenth is empty talk. Here’s a truism, also, that’s escaped your matured observation, and it’s called ‘be sure of your facts before you speak.’”
“Am I not?” I cried, contemptuously.
“We’ll see. Even a Crichton may suffer trifling33 lapses34 of memory. Let me lead yours back to that melancholy morning of your departure from the parent nest. Let me recall to you the gist36 of a few sentences that passed between your father and myself prior to the advent37 of your amiable38 brother, who was so hard on you. Some mention of a lost trifle was made then, I believe, and permission given me to keep it if I happened to alight upon it. Wasn’t that so?”
“I can remember something of the sort,” I muttered, gloomily.
“Ah, so far so good. Now, supposing that lost trifle were the very trinket your most observant eyes just now caught sight of?—I don’t say it was; but we will presume so, for the sake of argument—supposing it were, should I not be entitled to consider it my own?”
“You may be lying,” I said, angrily. “Probably you are. Where did you find it?”
“That is as much outside the question as your very offensive manner.”
“You’ve always been the bane of our house. What do I care what you think of my manner? The sharper it cuts, the better pleased am I. You’ve worked upon moods and weaknesses of the old man with your infernal cunning and got him under your thumb, as you think. Don’t be too sure. You’ll find an enemy of very different caliber39 in me. There’s a law for blackmailers, though you mayn’t think it.”
He cocked his head on one side a moment, like a vile41 carrion42 crow; then came softly and pushed a lean finger at my breast.
“And a law for fratricides,” he said, quietly.
I laughed so disdainfully that he forgot himself on the instant in a wild burst of fury.
“Toad! Filthy43, poisonous viper44!” he yelled. “You think to combat me with your pitiful little sword of brass45! Have I overlooked your insolence46, d’ye think? Speak a word further—one word, you pestilent dog, and I’ll smash you, body and soul, as I smash this glass!”
In his rabid frenzy47 he actually seized and threw upon the floor the tumbler from which he had lately been drinking, and, putting his heavy heel on it, crushed it into a thousand fragments.
“Oh!” he moaned, his breath chattering48 like a dry leaf in the wind, “I’ll be even with you, my friend—I’ll be even with you! You dare—you dare—you dare! You, the poor dependent on my bounty49, whom I could wither50 with a word. The law you call upon so glibly51 has a long arm for murderers. You think a little lapse35 of years has made you safe”—he laughed wildly—“safe? Holy saints in heaven! I’ve only to step over to the police station—five minutes—and you’re laid by the heels and a pretty collar weaving for your neck.”
“Harkee!” he cried. “I can do that and at a word I would! Now, d’ye set your little tin plate against my bludgeon?”
“Yes,” I said.
He seemed to doubt my answer, as if his ears had misinterpreted it, for he went on:
“If you value your life keep out of my way. Take the lesson from your father. He knew what I could do if I chose; and he took the best means in his power to buy my silence.”
I gave a cry of fierce triumph.
“So—the secret is out! It was to save me, as he thought, that my father parted with his treasure!”
The blackmailer40 gave no answer.
“You are a contemptible54, dastardly poltroon,” I said, with all the coldest scorn I could muster55.
He started back a little.
“If I had killed my brother in good reality, I would go to my hanging with joy if the only alternative were buying my safety from such a slimy, crawling reptile56 as you!”
“If?” he echoed, with a pale effort at another laugh.
“‘If’ was what I said. Pretty doctor you, not to know, as I have since found out, that the boy died by other means than drowning!”
In an ungovernable burst of fury I took him by the throat and drove him back against the table—and he offered no resistance.
“You dog!” I cried. “Oh, you dog, you dog! You did know it, of course, and you had the devil’s heart to lie to my father and beat him down in the dust for your own filthy ends! Had I a hand in my brother’s death? You know I had not any more than you—perhaps not so much!”
“Why,” I cried, staring at him standing58 cowering59 and sullen60 before me. “Had you, if the truth were known? You were in the house that night!”
He choked once or twice and, smoothing down the apple in his throat with a nervous hand, came out of his corner a pace or two.
“You can put two and two together,” he said in a shrill61 voice, defiant62 still, but with a whining63 ring in it. “What interest could I possibly have in murdering your brother? For the rest—you may be right.”
“Yes,” he said, with a recovering grin, “I think I can.”
“And now,” said he, “I intend to trade upon the truth.”
I forced myself to face round upon him again. “The boy,” he said, looking down hatefully and shifting some papers on the table with his finger-tips, “it was obvious to any but the merest ignoramus, never died of drowning.”
“How then?”
“From the appearances—of strangulation, I should say.”
“Strangulation? Who——”
“Do you want these trifles back? Ask your father first why he had Modred’s braces65 in his pocket the morning after? He was very drunk that night—furiously drunk; and he left me alone in the parlor66 for awhile.”
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1
gadding
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| n.叮搔症adj.蔓生的v.闲逛( gad的现在分词 )；游荡；找乐子；用铁棒刺 | |
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latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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stringent
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| adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的 | |
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crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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12
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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13
busts
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| 半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕 | |
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14
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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15
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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22
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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23
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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24
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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25
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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26
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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ferociously
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| 野蛮地，残忍地 | |
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28
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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29
coerced
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| v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配 | |
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30
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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31
blackmailing
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| 胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的现在分词 ) | |
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32
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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33
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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34
lapses
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| n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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35
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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36
gist
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| n.要旨；梗概 | |
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37
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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38
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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39
caliber
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| n.能力；水准 | |
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40
blackmailer
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| 敲诈者，勒索者 | |
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41
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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42
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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43
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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44
viper
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| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
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45
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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46
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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47
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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48
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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49
bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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50
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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51
glibly
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| adv.流利地，流畅地；满口 | |
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52
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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53
manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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54
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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55
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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56
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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57
spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
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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59
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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60
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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61
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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62
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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63
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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64
plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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65
braces
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| n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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66
parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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