登陆注册
15419800000043

第43章

"Stop where you are?" he said."Why should you stop any longer where you are? What power can force you now to stop in this miserable cell?""The question rather is," said the old lady, with composure, "what power can force me to go anywhere else?"We both stared wildly at her and she stared tranquilly at us both.

At last I said, "Do you really mean to say that we are to leave you here?""I suppose you don't intend to tie me up," she said, "and carry me off? I certainly shall not go otherwise.""But, my dear madam," cried out Rupert, in a radiant exasperation, "we heard you with our own ears crying because you could not get out.""Eavesdroppers often hear rather misleading things," replied the captive grimly."I suppose I did break down a bit and lose my temper and talk to myself.But I have some sense of honour for all that.""Some sense of honour?" repeated Rupert, and the last light of intelligence died out of his face, leaving it the face of an idiot with rolling eyes.

He moved vaguely towards the door and I followed.But I turned yet once more in the toils of my conscience and curiosity."Can we do nothing for you, madam?" I said forlornly.

"Why," said the lady, "if you are particularly anxious to do me a little favour you might untie the gentlemen upstairs."Rupert plunged heavily up the kitchen staircase, shaking it with his vague violence.With mouth open to speak he stumbled to the door of the sitting-room and scene of battle.

"Theoretically speaking, that is no doubt true," Mr Burrows was saying, lying on his back and arguing easily with Basil; "but we must consider the matter as it appears to our sense.The origin of morality...""Basil," cried Rupert, gasping, "she won't come out.""Who won't come out?" asked Basil, a little cross at being interrupted in an argument.

"The lady downstairs," replied Rupert."The lady who was locked up.

She won't come out.And she says that all she wants is for us to let these fellows loose.""And a jolly sensible suggestion," cried Basil, and with a bound he was on top of the prostrate Burrows once more and was unknotting his bonds with hands and teeth.

"A brilliant idea.Swinburne, just undo Mr Greenwood."In a dazed and automatic way I released the little gentleman in the purple jacket, who did not seem to regard any of the proceedings as particularly sensible or brilliant.The gigantic Burrows, on the other hand, was heaving with herculean laughter.

"Well," said Basil, in his cheeriest way, "I think we must be getting away.We've so much enjoyed our evening.Far too much regard for you to stand on ceremony.If I may so express myself, we've made ourselves at home.Good night.Thanks so much.Come along, Rupert.""Basil," said Rupert desperately, "for God's sake come and see what you can make of the woman downstairs.I can't get the discomfort out of my mind.I admit that things look as if we had made a mistake.But these gentlemen won't mind perhaps...""No, no," cried Burrows, with a sort of Rabelaisian uproariousness.

"No, no, look in the pantry, gentlemen.Examine the coal-hole.Make a tour of the chimneys.There are corpses all over the house, Iassure you."

This adventure of ours was destined to differ in one respect from others which I have narrated.I had been through many wild days with Basil Grant, days for the first half of which the sun and the moon seemed to have gone mad.But it had almost invariably happened that towards the end of the day and its adventure things had cleared themselves like the sky after rain, and a luminous and quiet meaning had gradually dawned upon me.But this day's work was destined to end in confusion worse confounded.Before we left that house, ten minutes afterwards, one half-witted touch was added which rolled all our minds in cloud.If Rupert's head had suddenly fallen off on the floor, if wings had begun to sprout out of Greenwood's shoulders, we could scarcely have been more suddenly stricken.And yet of this we had no explanation.We had to go to bed that night with the prodigy and get up next morning with it and let it stand in our memories for weeks and months.As will be seen, it was not until months afterwards that by another accident and in another way it was explained.For the present I only state what happened.

When all five of us went down the kitchen stairs again, Rupert leading, the two hosts bringing up the rear, we found the door of the prison again closed.Throwing it open we found the place again as black as pitch.The old lady, if she was still there, had turned out the gas: she seemed to have a weird preference for sitting in the dark.

Without another word Rupert lit the gas again.The little old lady turned her bird-like head as we all stumbled forward in the strong gaslight.Then, with a quickness that almost made me jump, she sprang up and swept a sort of old-fashioned curtsey or reverence.Ilooked quickly at Greenwood and Burrows, to whom it was natural to suppose this subservience had been offered.I felt irritated at what was implied in this subservience, and desired to see the faces of the tyrants as they received it.To my surprise they did not seem to have seen it at all: Burrows was paring his nails with a small penknife.Greenwood was at the back of the group and had hardly entered the room.And then an amazing fact became apparent.

It was Basil Grant who stood foremost of the group, the golden gaslight lighting up his strong face and figure.His face wore an expression indescribably conscious, with the suspicion of a very grave smile.His head was slightly bent with a restrained bow.It was he who had acknowledged the lady's obeisance.And it was he, beyond any shadow of reasonable doubt, to whom it had really been directed.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 红莲止杀

    红莲止杀

    从黑暗归来,江克踏上复仇之路。这条路上没有朋友,只有敌人,哪怕将世界拖入黑暗也不停止脚步。
  • 妖神战之魅妖

    妖神战之魅妖

    在这神佛界,谁敢多说一个字,除了她,堕入妖道又如何,成妖她依然可以成神。就算没了身体又如何,照样可以再创身体。恩怨之中,有恩必报,有仇就别怪我心狠手辣,等了这么久,你们就算是我成神路上的阻碍,我也会一一踏平,不信,来战。作者原名:玖阑夜大人,因为该名已被注册,更名言者川,望大家见谅!感谢!
  • 嗜爱如命:总裁,请拉灯

    嗜爱如命:总裁,请拉灯

    “这只是一场交易。”她望着天花板,竭力让自己的语调平淡,却挡不住男人炙热的眼神,仿佛要烙下属于他的印记。她要结婚要离开他,男人笑着封断她所有退路,“安浅,你只能是我的!”
  • 穿越到现代的英雄们

    穿越到现代的英雄们

    一个默默无闻的高中毕业生,在一个偶然的机会邂逅了因为某些原因被派送到现代的英雄们,到底会发生怎样有趣的故事呢。
  • 守护甜心之迷离梦境

    守护甜心之迷离梦境

    【放心入坑】“恨不过是一场轮回的执念,我恨你,你恨我,最终我们都成为了它的牺牲品。”仰望,嘴角那残忍的弧度还在微微颤抖。风掠过,微凉,樱花半开琉璃暖,青叶萋萋犹遮面……破开那枯血的茧,蝴蝶扇动着翅膀迷失在荆棘丛,那些抹杀一切的痛,囚禁所有的笼,不过是给她准备的黑洞。烈红的落英零碎了一地,触目惊心,正如折断的蝶翼。一场扑朔迷离的梦境,背叛和信任,只是一念之差。少女冰冷的血色瞳眸终于流下了眼泪,原来,恨到最后才发现,这只是一次凄美的游戏,而她,只是游戏中的棋子。【这是一个残缺的梦境,失去的是快乐和温馨,残留的全都是痛苦与不堪(第一卷略苏请耐心看完)】
  • 仙之座

    仙之座

    古老的仙座落入人世间,每隔一个时代就会出现一次。这时候的圣君就会想法设法的让他们的子孙来登上仙之宝座,如此横行霸道。到底何人破解?这个时候的人群之中出现一个紫发少年,他会与强大而又可怕的圣君来一场怎样的恶斗?能否登上那个仙座?突破成仙。让我们拭目以待。
  • 重生:帝王红颜

    重生:帝王红颜

    她一身智谋,一袭红衣,为了爱人,甘愿放弃心中大志,一心陪伴,未想,换来的是一纸休书,一句,情与权,他选择权。???为了他的野心,他毁她家族,杀她双亲,剑指她的胸口,而她,凄然一笑,语气悲愤的说道:霍曦城,就算我化作厉鬼,我也必让你此生不得安宁!!!???上天赐予她重生的机会,她是异国公主,却因战败联姻,从未想过他们之间再次见面已是物是人非,她是重生后的窦萱颜,盛阳国的七公主,他却已经从王爷变成一国主宰,天元国的皇帝,但变得只是身份,那份恨却永远不会因为身份的转换而改变!???他,天远国储君欧阳允浩,将来的霸主不可一世,却一心爱着她,为她绒马一生。
  • 莫离别殇莫可殇

    莫离别殇莫可殇

    一次又一次的背叛,一次又一次的伤痛,一次又一次的忍耐,最终心还是死了,或者说是已经不敢再爱了,盛着伞看着落花“流水无情但他却甚似有意”
  • 相爱不言深

    相爱不言深

    为了将出柜的老公掰直,她借酒壮胆准备坐实夫妻之实,却不料岀师未捷,她竟强错了人。傅言深,绝对强势腹黑,她招惹了他,他就绝不容她退缩,一步步将她困死在他所设下的牢笼里。傅言深,榕城传奇人物,一生只倾心一人,偏偏这个人的心,比世间任何一物都难求!“宝贝,给我生孩子吧。”“生了你就放我走?”“嗯!”“那一言为定?”“一言为定!”男人悄悄掩下眼底满是算计的精光,放了她?她想得倒美,生支足球队再来和他谈!
  • 万世轮回塔

    万世轮回塔

    万世轮回塔大四学生石磊带着万世轮回塔穿越到了天云大陆,万世轮回塔中有着八十一万个位面,主角拥有着进入各个位面得到物品并带出来的能力。在器灵的帮助下开始了彪悍人生......科技文明,修真文明,生物文明,能量文明等等尽在万世轮回塔中。带你走进不一样的世界,这里还有不一样的位面战争以及种族战争,开启一个全新的战争模式,努力创造一个小说模式,期待您的阅读,您将和我一起伴随主角开出一片新天空........