st. ives-第47章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
'Why; true;' said I: 'I had not thought of that。'
'I warrant you;' cried Romaine; 'you had supposed it was nothing to
be the hero of an interesting notice in the journals! You had
supposed; as like as not; it was a form of secrecy! But not so in
the least。 A part of England is already buzzing with the name of
Champdivers; a day or two more and the mail will have carried it
everywhere: so wonderful a machine is this of ours for
disseminating intelligence! Think of it! When my father was born
… but that is another story。 To return: we had here the elements
of such a combustion as I dread to think of … your cousin and the
journal。 Let him but glance an eye upon that column of print; and
where were we? It is easy to ask; not so easy to answer; my young
friend。 And let me tell you; this sheet is the Viscount's usual
reading。 It is my conviction he had it in his pocket。'
'I beg your pardon; sir;' said I。 'I have been unjust。 I did not
appreciate my danger。'
'I think you never do;' said he。
'But yet surely that public scene … ' I began。
'It was madness。 I quite agree with you;' Mr。 Romaine interrupted。
'But it was your uncle's orders; Mr。 Anne; and what could I do?
Tell him you were the murderer of Goguelat? I think not。'
'No; sure!' said I。 'That would but have been to make the trouble
thicker。 We were certainly in a very ill posture。'
'You do not yet appreciate how grave it was;' he replied。 'It was
necessary for you that your cousin should go; and go at once。 You
yourself had to leave to…night under cover of darkness; and how
could you have done that with the Viscount in the next room? He
must go; then; he must leave without delay。 And that was the
difficulty。'
'Pardon me; Mr。 Romaine; but could not my uncle have bidden him
go?' I asked。
'Why; I see I must tell you that this is not so simple as it
sounds;' he replied。 'You say this is your uncle's house; and so
it is。 But to all effects and purposes it is your cousin's also。
He has rooms here; has had them coming on for thirty years now; and
they are filled with a prodigious accumulation of trash … stays; I
dare say; and powder…puffs; and such effeminate idiocy … to which
none could dispute his title; even suppose any one wanted to。 We
had a perfect right to bid him go; and he had a perfect right to
reply; 〃Yes; I will go; but not without my stays and cravats。 I
must first get together the nine…hundred…and…ninety…nine chestsfull
of insufferable rubbish; that I have spent the last thirty years
collecting … and may very well spend the next thirty hours a…
packing of。〃 And what should we have said to that?'
'By way of repartee?' I asked。 'Two tall footmen and a pair of
crabtree cudgels; I suggest。'
'The Lord deliver me from the wisdom of laymen!' cried Romaine。
'Put myself in the wrong at the beginning of a lawsuit? No;
indeed! There was but one thing to do; and I did it; and burned my
last cartridge in the doing of it。 I stunned him。 And it gave us
three hours; by which we should make haste to profit; for if there
is one thing sure; it is that he will be up to time again to…morrow
in the morning。'
'Well;' said I; 'I own myself an idiot。 Well do they say; AN OLD
SOLDIER; AN OLD INNOCENT! For I guessed nothing of all this。'
'And; guessing it; have you the same objections to leave England?'
he inquired。
'The same;' said I。
'It is indispensable;' he objected。
'And it cannot be;' I replied。 'Reason has nothing to say in the
matter; and I must not let you squander any of yours。 It will be
enough to tell you this is an affair of the heart。'
'Is it even so?' quoth Romaine; nodding his head。 'And I might
have been sure of it。 Place them in a hospital; put them in a jail
in yellow overalls; do what you will; young Jessamy finds young
Jenny。 O; have it your own way; I am too old a hand to argue with
young gentlemen who choose to fancy themselves in love; I have too
much experience; thank you。 Only; be sure that you appreciate what
you risk: the prison; the dock; the gallows; and the halter …
terribly vulgar circumstances; my young friend; grim; sordid;
earnest; no poetry in that!'
'And there I am warned;' I returned gaily。 'No man could be warned
more finely or with a greater eloquence。 And I am of the same
opinion still。 Until I have again seen that lady; nothing shall
induce me to quit Great Britain。 I have besides … '
And here I came to a full stop。 It was upon my tongue to have told
him the story of the drovers; but at the first word of it my voice
died in my throat。 There might be a limit to the lawyer's
toleration; I reflected。 I had not been so long in Britain
altogether; for the most part of that time I had been by the heels
in limbo in Edinburgh Castle; and already I had confessed to
killing one man with a pair of scissors; and now I was to go on and
plead guilty to having settled another with a holly stick! A wave
of discretion went over me as cold and as deep as the sea。
'In short; sir; this is a matter of feeling;' I concluded; 'and
nothing will prevent my going to Edinburgh。'
If I had fired a pistol in his ear he could not have been more
startled。
'To Edinburgh?' he repeated。 'Edinburgh? where the very paving…
stones know you!'
'Then is the murder out!' said I。 'But; Mr。 Romaine; is there not
sometimes safety in boldness? Is it not a common…place of strategy
to get where the enemy least expects you? And where would he
expect me less?'
'Faith; there is something in that; too!' cried the lawyer。 'Ay;
certainly; a great deal in that。 All the witnesses drowned but
one; and he safe in prison; you yourself changed beyond recognition
… let us hope … and walking the streets of the very town you have
illustrated by your … well; your eccentricity! It is not badly
combined; indeed!'
'You approve it; then?' said I。
'O; approve!' said he; 'there is no question of approval。 There is
only one course which I could approve; and that were to escape to
France instanter。'
'You do not wholly disapprove; at least?' I substituted。
'Not wholly; and it would not matter if I did;' he replied。 'Go
your own way; you are beyond argument。 And I am not sure that you
will run more danger by that course than by any other。 Give the
servants time to get to bed and fall asleep; then take a country
cross…road and walk; as the rhyme has it; like blazes all night。
In the morning take a chaise or take the mail at pleasure; and
continue your journey with all the decorum and reserve of which you
shall be found capable。'
'I am taking the picture in;' I said。 'Give me time。 'Tis the
TOUT ENSEMBLE I must see: the whole as opposed to the details。'
'Mountebank!' he murmured。
'Yes; I have it now; and I see myself with a servant; and that
servant is Rowley;' said I。
'So as to have one more link with your uncle?' suggested the
lawyer。 'Very judicious!'
'And; pardon me; but that is what it is;' I exclaimed。 'Judicious
is the word。 I am not making a deception fit to last for thirty
years; I do not found a palace in the living granite for the night。
This is a shelter tent … a flying picture … seen; admired; and gone
again in the wink of an eye。 What is wanted; in short; is a
TROMPE…L'OEIL that shall be good enough for twelve hours at an inn:
is it not so?'
'It is; and the objection holds。 Rowley is but another danger;'
said Romaine。
'Rowley;' said I; 'will pass as a servant from a distance … as a
creature seen poised on the dicky of a bowling chaise。 He will
pass at hand as a smart; civil fellow one meets in the inn
corridor; and looks back at; and asks; and is told; 〃Gentleman's
servant in Number 4。〃 He will pass; in fact; all round; excep