登陆注册
15488600000007

第7章 CHAPTER II THE BROKEN WILLOW TWIG(3)

Muller left the scene of the crime and walked towards the four houses. Before he reached them he had to pass the garden which belonged to the house with the mansard roof. Right and left of this garden were vacant lots, as well as on the opposite side of the street. Then came to the right and left the four new houses which stood at the beginning of the quiet lane. Muller passed them, turned up a cross street and then down again, into the street running parallel, to the lane, a quiet aristocratic street on which fronted the house with the mansard roof.

A carriage stood in front of this house, two great trunks piled up on the box beside the driver. A young girl and an old man in livery were placing bags and bundles of rugs inside the carriage.

Muller walked slowly toward the carriage. Just as he reached the open gate of the garden he was obliged to halt, to his own great satisfaction. For at this moment a group of people came out from the house, the owners of it evidently, prepared for a journey and surrounded by their servants.

Beside the old man and the young girl, there were two other women, one evidently the housekeeper, the other possibly the cook. The latter was weeping openly and devoutly kissing the hand of her mistress. The housekeeper discovered that a rug was missing and sent the maid back for it, while the old servant helped the lady into the carriage. The door of the carriage was wide open and Muller had a good glimpse of the pale, sweet-faced and delicate-looking young women who leaned back in her corner, shivering and evidently ill. The servants bustled about, making her comfortable, while her husband superintended the work with anxious tenderness. He was a tall, fine-looking man with deep-set grey eyes and a rich, sympathetic voice. He gave his orders to his servants with calm authority, but he also was evidently suffering from the disease of our century - nervousness, for Muller saw that the man's hands clenched feverishly and that his lips were trembling under his drooping moustache.

The maid hastened down with the rug and spread it over her mistress's knees, as the gentleman exclaimed nervously: "Do hurry with that! Do you want us to miss the train?"The butler closed the door of the carriage, the coachman gathered up the reins and raised his whip. The housekeeper bowed low and murmured a few words in farewell and the other servants followed her example with tears in their eyes. "You'll see us again in six weeks," the lady called out and her husband added: "If all goes well." Then he motioned to the waiting driver and the carriage moved off swiftly, turning the corner in a few moments.

The little group of servants returned to the courtyard behind the high gates. Muller, whom they had not noticed, was about to resume his walk, when he halted again. The courtyard of the house led back through a flagged walk to the park-like garden that surrounded it on the sides and rear. Down this walk came a young woman. She came so quickly that one might almost call it running. She was evidently excited about something. Muller imagined what this something might be, and he remained to hear what she had to say. He was not mistaken. The woman, it was Mrs. Schmiedler, the gardener's wife, began her story at once. "Haven't you heard yet?" she said breathlessly. "No, you can't have heard it yet or you wouldn't stand there so quietly, Mrs. Bernauer.""What's the matter?" asked the woman whom Muller took to be the housekeeper.

"They killed a man last night out here! They found his body just now in the lane back of our garden. The janitor from No.1 told me as I was going to the store, so I went right back to look at the place, and I came to tell you, as I didn't think you'd heard it yet."Mrs. Bernauer was evidently a woman of strong constitution and of an equable mind. The other three servants broke out into an excited hubbub of talk while she remained quite indifferent and calm. "One more poor fellow who had to leave the world before he was ready," she remarked calmly, with just the natural touch of pity in her voice that would come to any warm-hearted human being upon hearing of such an occurrence. She did not seem at all excited or alarmed to think that the scene of the crime had been so near.

The other servants were very much more excited and had already rushed off, under the guidance of the gardener's wife, to look at the dreadful spot. Franz, the butler, had quite forgotten to close the front gate in his excitement, and the housekeeper turned to do it now.

"The fools, see them run," she exclaimed half aloud. "As if there was anything for them to do there."The gate closed, Mrs. Bernauer turned and walked slowly to the house. Muller walked on also, going first to the police station to report what he had discovered. Then he went to his own rooms and slept until nearly noon. On his return to the police station he found that notices of the occurrence had already been sent out to the papers.

同类推荐
  • 广志绎

    广志绎

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 快园道古

    快园道古

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 溪山卧游录

    溪山卧游录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 秘传刘伯温家藏接骨金疮禁方

    秘传刘伯温家藏接骨金疮禁方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • Richard III

    Richard III

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 我的老板是阿赖耶

    我的老板是阿赖耶

    老板是阿赖耶怎么办?急,在线等!!!本以为只是一次普通的穿越,没想到还没等搞定身边的女人,就被抓了壮丁。阿赖耶:“悠,妾身的未来全系在你身上哦!”红A:“好好工作,我会帮你照顾妹妹的,不用担心。”悠:“不要啊~~~~~~”穹:“慢死了,怎么还不回来!”
  • 毒妻不下堂

    毒妻不下堂

    上辈子,严清歌体肥,腿瘸,多病。但她只恨自己眼瞎!错认了丈夫和庶妹这对狗男女,被剖腹取子,惨淡而终。重生后,她瘦,她美,她白,她富。唯一剩下的就是报仇了。可是,那个她快意恩仇时,总是跑出来的炎小王爷,是怎么回事?炎小王爷:女人,你有仇,爷当天就给你报了!快跟我回家生孩子去。严清歌:雅蠛蝶!
  • 念念前世情

    念念前世情

    七位无敌属性max女主,被人困在游戏世界了?!哼,就凭你,老娘要逃出去,不是分分钟的事,不过嘛,逗留一下也不错的样子~
  • 反向逆系统

    反向逆系统

    男主角陈曦开启的收美女后宫之路,但是天不遂人缘,在这个世界,宅男也是有尊严的好发,被推也是迫不得已的,不过这都没有关系。毕竟。。毕竟还是做任务重要,是吧。。是吧。。。。
  • 雪的回忆

    雪的回忆

    那个冬天…………………………雪中结下的缘分…………………………那个铭记在心底的回忆
  • 重生多情女王

    重生多情女王

    “什么,你们说的是什么意思。我不认识你们,更不可能和你们结婚了。”搞没搞错。这么多美男都说要嫁给我。我勒个去!“殇儿。怎么了。你不认识我们了吗?”“额。不要再跟着我了,求你们了……”
  • 归墟神图

    归墟神图

    飘飘渺渺无人见,归墟神图如钩镰,往事越千年。秦皇陵墓打开的瞬间,朝着历史抛出了一道钩镰,鼓角争鸣,刀光剑影,上古有着怎样场景?是灿烂的文明还是野蛮无知的蒙昧?南四奇北四帝又有怎样的传说,昆仑西王母,五庄莲花生是神话还是真实,巫术,秘术,神奇的武功它们真的存在吗?他走入上古是意外还是阴谋?当他解开上古的一角,尘封在历史长河中的画卷徐徐打开,向我们展示那曾经的秘密
  • 神奇宝贝之花雨

    神奇宝贝之花雨

    雨,滋润了花。花,给雨填色。花与雨,当花雨降落,将成为传说。玛丽苏文,不喜勿入。
  • 又是春来花开始

    又是春来花开始

    主要刊载本人近期未公开发表过及尚未拍摄的影视剧本
  • 修仙之缘来不易

    修仙之缘来不易

    仙人抚我顶,结发授长生。她是被娇宠长大的大小姐,他是修真界奇葩。本该没有交集的两人因一次意外相遇,开始了他们的故事。