the red house mystery-第20章

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〃Has　Cayley　got　to　be　out　of　the　house　for　the　other　thing　too？〃　

〃Well；　I　think　he　ought　to　be。〃　

〃I　say；　is　it　anything　rather　exciting？〃　

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〃I　don't　know。　It　might　be　rather　interesting。　I　daresay　I　could　do　it　
at　some　other　time；　but　I　rather　fancy　it　at　three　o'clock；　somehow。　I've　
been　specially　keeping　it　back　for　then。〃　

〃I　say；　what　fun！　You　do　want　me；　don't　you？〃　

〃Of　course　I　do。　Only；　Bill　don't　talk　about　things　inside　the　house；　
unless　I　begin。　There's　a　good　Watson。〃　

〃I　won't。　I　swear　I　won't。〃　

They　had　come　to　the　pond　…　Mark's　lake　…　and　they　walked　silently　
round　it。　When　they　had　made　the　circle；　Antony　sat　down　on　the　grass；　
and　relit　his　pipe。　Bill　followed　his　example。　

〃Well；　Mark　isn't　there；〃　said　Antony。　

〃No；〃　said　Bill。　〃At　least；　I　don't　quite　see　why　you　know　he　isn't。〃　

〃It　isn't　'knowing；'　it's　'guessing；'〃　said　Antony　rapidly。　〃It's　much　
easier　to　shoot　yourself　than　to　drown　yourself；　and　if　Mark　had　wanted　to　
shoot　himself　in　the　water；　with　some　idea　of　not　letting　the　body　be　found；　
he'd　have　put　big　stones　in　his　pockets；　and　the　only　big　stones　are　near　the　
water's　edge；　and　they　would　have　left　marks；　and　they　haven't；　and　
therefore　he　didn't；　and　oh；　bother　the　pond；　that　can　wait　till　this　
afternoon。　Bill；　where　does　the　secret　passage　begin？〃　

〃Well；　that's　what　we've　got　to　find　out；　isn't　it？〃　

〃Yes。　You　see；　my　idea　is　this。〃　

He　explained　his　reasons　for　thinking　that　the　secret　of　the　passage　
was　concerned　in　some　way　with　the　secret　of　Robert's　death；　and　went　
on：　

〃My　theory　is　that　Mark　discovered　the　passage　about　a　year　ago　the　
time　when　he　began　to　get　keen　on　croquet。　The　passage　came　out　into　
the　floor　of　the　shed；　and　probably　it　was　Cayley's　idea　to　put　a　croquet…
box　over　the　trap…door；　so　as　to　hide　it　more　completely。　You　know；　when　
once　you've　discovered　a　secret　yourself；　it　always　seems　as　if　it　must　be　
so　obvious　to　everybody　else。　I　can　imagine　that　Mark　loved　having　this　
little　secret　all　to　himself　and　to　Cayley；　of　course；　but　Cayley　wouldn't　
count　and　they　must　have　had　great　fun　fixing　it　up；　and　making　it　more　
difficult　for　other　people　to　find　out。　Well　then；　when　Miss　Norris　was　
going　to　dress…up；　Cayley　gave　it　away。　Probably　he　told　her　that　she　

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could　never　get　down　to　the　bowling…green　without　being　discovered；　and　
then　perhaps　showed　that　he　knew　there　was　one　way　in　which　she　could　
do　it；　and　she　wormed　the　secret　out　of　him　somehow。〃　

〃But　this　was　two　or　three　days　before　Robert　turned　up。　

〃Exactly。　I　am　not　suggesting　that　there　was　anything　sinister　about　
the　passage　in　the　first　place。　It　was　just　a　little　private　bit　of　romance　
and　adventure　for　Mark；　three　days　ago。　He　didn't　even　know　that　Robert　
was　coming。　But　somehow　the　passage　has　been　used　since；　in　
connexion　with　Robert。　Perhaps　Mark　escaped　that　way；　perhaps　he's　
hiding　there　now。　And　if　so；　then　the　only　person　who　could　give　him　
away　was　Miss　Norris。　And　she　of　course　would　only　do　it　innocently　
not　knowing　that　the　passage　had　anything　to　do　with　it。〃　

〃So　it　was　safer　to　have　her　out　of　the　way？〃　

〃Yes。〃　

〃But；　look　here；　Tony；　why　do　you　want　to　bother　about　this　end　of　it？　
We　can　always　get　in　at　the　bowling…green　end。〃　

〃I　know；　but　if　we　do　that　we　shall　have　to　do　it　openly。　It　will　mean　
breaking　open　the　box；　and　letting　Cayley　know　that　we've　done　it。　You　
see；　Bill；　if　we　don't　find　anything　out　for　ourselves　in　the　next　day　or　two；　
we've　got　to　tell　the　police　what　we　have　found　out；　and　then　they　can　
explore　the　passage　for　themselves。　But　I　don't　want　to　do　that　yet。〃　

〃Rather　not。　

〃So　we've　got　to　carry　on　secretly　for　a　bit。　It's　the　only　way。〃　He　
smiled　and　added；　〃And　it's　much　more　fun。〃　

〃Rather！〃　Bill　chuckled　to　himself。　

〃Very　well。　Where　does　the　secret　passage　begin？〃　

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CHAPTER　XI　

The　Reverend　Theodore　Ussher　

〃There's　one　thing；　which　we　have　got　to　realize　at　once；〃　said　

Antony；　〃and　that　is　that　if　we　don't　find　it　easily；　we　shan't　find　it　at　all。〃　

〃You　mean　that　we　shan't　have　time？〃　

〃Neither　time　nor　opportunity。　Which　is　rather　a　consoling　thought　to　

a　lazy　person　like　me。〃　

〃But　it　makes　it　much　harder；　if　we　can't　really　look　properly。〃　

〃Harder　to　find；　yes；　but　so　much　easier　to　look。　For　instance；　the　

passage　might　begin　in　Cayley's　bedroom。　Well；　now　we　know　that　it　

doesn't。〃　

〃We　don't　know　anything　of　the　sort；〃　protested　Bill。　

〃We　…　know　for　the　purposes　of。　our　search。　Obviously　we　can't　go　

tailing　into　Cayley's　bedroom　and　tapping　his　wardrobes；　and　obviously；　
therefore；　if　we　are　going　to　look　for　it　at　all；　we　must　assume　that　it　
doesn't　begin　there。〃　

〃Oh；　I　see。〃　Bill　chewed　a　piece　of　grass　thoughtfully。　〃Anyhow；　it　

wouldn't　begin　on　an　upstairs　floor；　would　it？〃　

〃Probably　not。　Well；　we're　getting　on。〃　

〃You　can　wash　out　the　kitchen　and　all　that　part　of　the　house；〃　said　Bill；　

after　more　thought。　〃We　can't　go　there。〃　

〃Right。　And　the　cellars；　if　there　are　any。〃　

〃Well；　that　doesn't　leave　us　much。〃　

〃No。　Of　course　it's　only　a　hundred…to…one　chance　that　we　find　it；　but　

what　we　want　to　consider　is　which　is　the　most　likely　place　of　the　few　
places　in　which　we　can　look　safely。〃　

〃All　it　amounts　to；〃　said　Bill；　〃is　the　living…rooms　downstairs　dining…

room；　library；　hail；　billiard…room　and　the　office　rooms。〃　

〃Yes；　that's　all。〃　

〃Well；　the　office　is　the　most　likely；　isn't　it？〃　

〃Yes。　Except　for　one　thing。〃　

〃What's　that？〃　

〃Well；　it's　on　the　wrong　side　of　the　house。　One　would　expect　the　

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passage　to　start　from　the　nearest　place　to　which　it　is　going。　Why　make　it　
longer　by　going　under　the　house　first？〃　

〃Yes；　that's　true。　Well；　then；　you　think　the　dining…room　or　the　
library？〃　

〃Yes。　And　the　library　for　choice。　I　mean　for　our　choice。　There　are　
always　servants　going　into　dining…rooms。　We　shouldn't　have　much　of　a　
chance　of　exploring　properly　in　there。　Besides；　there's　another　thing　to　
remember。　Mark　has　kept　this　a　secret　for　a　year。　Could　he　have　kept　it　
a　secret　in　the　dining…room？　Could　Miss　Norris　have　got　into　the　dining…
room　and　used　the　secret　door　just　after　dinner　without　being　seen？　It　
would　have　been　much　too　risky。〃　

Bill　got　up　eagerly。　

〃Come　along；〃　he　said；　〃let's　try　the　library。　If　Cayley　comes　in；　we　
can　always　pretend　we're　choosing　a　book。〃　

Antony　got　up　slowly；　took　his　arm　and　walked　back　to　the　house　with　
him。　

The　library　was　worth　going　into；　passages　or　no　passages。　Antony　
could　never　resist　another　person's　bookshelves。　As　soon　as　he　went　into　
the　room；　he　found　himself　wandering　round　it　to　see　what　books　the　
owner　read；　or　（more　likely）　did　not　read；　but　kept　for　the　air　which　they　
lent　to　the　house。　Mark　had　prided　himself　on　his　library。　It　was　a　
mixed　collection　of　books。　Books　which　he　had　inherited　both　from　his　
father　and　from　his　patron；　books　which　he　had　bought　because　he　was　
interested　in　them　or；　if　not　in　them；　in　the　authors　to　whom　he　wished　to　
lend　his　patronage；　books　which　he　had　ordered　in　beautifully　bound　
editions；　partly　because　they　looked　well　on　his　shelves；　lending　a　noble　
colour　to　his　rooms；　partly　because　no　man　of　culture　should　ever　be　
without　them；　old　editions；　new　editions；　expensive　books；　cheap　books　a　
library　in　which　everybody；　whatever　his　taste；　could　be　sure　of　finding　
something　to　suit　him。　

〃And　which　is　your　particular　fancy；　Bill？〃　said　Antony；　looking　from　
one　shelf　to　another。　〃Or　are　you　always　playing　billiards？〃　

〃I　have　a　look　at　'Badminton'　sometimes；〃　said　Bill。　

〃It's　over　in　that　corner　there。〃　He　waved　a　hand。　

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〃Over　here？〃　said　Antony；　going　to　it。　

〃Yes。〃　He　corrected　himself　suddenly。　…　〃Oh；　no；　it's　not。　It's　over　
there　on　the　right　now。　Mark　had　a　grand　re…arrangement　of　his　library　
about　a　year　ago。　It　took　him　more　than　a　week；　he　told　us。　He'