30 Mystery & Investigation. Морис Леблан

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ said Mr. Bruff. With that one word of comment on the reply that I had made to him, he took another turn up and down the room.

      "In plain English," he said, "my house is to be turned into a trap to catch Rachel; with a bait to tempt her, in the shape of an invitation from my wife and daughters. If you were anybody else but Franklin Blake, and if this matter was one atom less serious than it really is, I should refuse point-blank. As things are, I firmly believe Rachel will live to thank me for turning traitor to her in my old age. Consider me your accomplice. Rachel shall be asked to spend the day here; and you shall receive due notice of it."

      "When? To-morrow?"

      "To-morrow won't give us time enough to get her answer. Say the day after."

      "How shall I hear from you?"

      "Stay at home all the morning and expect me to call on you."

      I thanked him for the inestimable assistance which he was rendering to me, with the gratitude that I really felt; and, declining a hospitable invitation to sleep that night at Hampstead, returned to my lodgings in London.

      Of the day that followed, I have only to say that it was the longest day of my life. Innocent as I knew myself to be, certain as I was that the abominable imputation which rested on me must sooner or later be cleared off, there was nevertheless a sense of self-abasement in my mind which instinctively disinclined me to see any of my friends. We often hear (almost invariably, however, from superficial observers) that guilt can look like innocence. I believe it to be infinitely the truer axiom of the two that innocence can look like guilt. I caused myself to be denied all day, to every visitor who called; and I only ventured out under cover of the night.

      The next morning, Mr. Bruff surprised me at the breakfast-table. He handed me a large key, and announced that he felt ashamed of himself for the first time in his life.

      "Is she coming?"

      "She is coming to-day, to lunch and spend the afternoon with my wife and my girls."

      "Are Mrs. Bruff, and your daughters, in the secret?"

      "Inevitably. But women, as you may have observed, have no principles. My family don't feel my pangs of conscience. The end being to bring you and Rachel together again, my wife and daughters pass over the means employed to gain it, as composedly as if they were Jesuits."

      "I am infinitely obliged to them. What is this key?"

      "The key of the gate in my back-garden wall. Be there at three this afternoon. Let yourself into the garden, and make your way in by the conservatory door. Cross the small drawing-room, and open the door in front of you which leads into the music-room. There, you will find Rachel—and find her, alone."

      "How can I thank you!"

      "I will tell you how. Don't blame me for what happens afterwards."

      With those words, he went out.

      I had many weary hours still to wait through. To while away the time, I looked at my letters. Among them was a letter from Betteredge.

      I opened it eagerly. To my surprise and disappointment, it began with an apology warning me to expect no news of any importance. In the next sentence the everlasting Ezra Jennings appeared again! He had stopped Betteredge on the way out of the station, and had asked who I was. Informed on this point, he had mentioned having seen me to his master Mr. Candy. Mr. Candy hearing of this, had himself driven over to Betteredge, to express his regret at our having missed each other. He had a reason for wishing particularly to speak to me; and when I was next in the neighbourhood of Frizinghall, he begged I would let him know. Apart from a few characteristic utterances of the Betteredge philosophy, this was the sum and substance of my correspondent's letter. The warm-hearted, faithful old man acknowledged that he had written "mainly for the pleasure of writing to me."

      I crumpled up the letter in my pocket, and forgot it the moment after, in the all-absorbing interest of my coming interview with Rachel.

      As the clock of Hampstead church struck three, I put Mr. Bruff's key into the lock of the door in the wall. When I first stepped into the garden, and while I was securing the door again on the inner side, I own to having felt a certain guilty doubtfulness about what might happen next. I looked furtively on either side of me; suspicious of the presence of some unexpected witness in some unknown corner of the garden. Nothing appeared, to justify my apprehensions. The walks were, one and all, solitudes; and the birds and the bees were the only witnesses.

      I passed through the garden; entered the conservatory; and crossed the small drawing-room. As I laid my hand on the door opposite, I heard a few plaintive chords struck on the piano in the room within. She had often idled over the instrument in this way, when I was staying at her mother's house. I was obliged to wait a little, to steady myself. The past and present rose side by side, at that supreme moment—and the contrast shook me.

      After the lapse of a minute, I roused my manhood, and opened the door.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQEAYABgAAD/4QC+RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABgESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAVgEbAAUAAAABAAAAXgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAITAAMAAAABAAEAAIdpAAQAAAABAAAAZgAA AAAAAABgAAAAAQAAAGAAAAABAAaQAAAHAAAABDAyMTCRAQAHAAAABAECAwCgAAAHAAAABDAxMDCg AQADAAAAAf//AACgAgAEAAAAAQAABYKgAwAEAAAAAQAACMoAAAAAAAD/4Q3iaHR0cDovL25zLmFk b2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49J++7vycgaWQ9J1c1TTBNcENlaGlIenJl U3pOVGN6a2M5ZCc/Pg0KPHg6eG1wbWV0YSB4bWxuczp4PSJhZG9iZTpuczptZXRhLyI+DQoJPHJk ZjpSREYgeG1sbnM6cmRmPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8xOTk5LzAyLzIyLXJkZi1zeW50YXgt bnMjIj4NCgkJPHJkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbiByZGY6YWJvdXQ9IiIgeG1sbnM6QXR0cmliPSJodHRw Oi8vbnMuYXR0cmlidXRpb24uY29tL2Fkcy8xLjAvIj4NCgkJCTxBdHRyaWI6QWRzPg0KCQkJCTxy ZGY6U2VxPg0KCQkJCQk8cmRmOmxpIHJkZjpwYXJzZVR5cGU9IlJlc291cmNlIj4NCgkJCQkJCTxB dHRyaWI6Q3JlYXRlZD4yMDIxLTA3LTExPC9BdHRyaWI6Q3JlYXRlZD4NCgkJCQkJCTxBdHRyaWI6 RXh0SWQ+NmE3ZTlhNmItNjY5YS00YmYwLTkxMDktYzNiODRhNmE5YjZmPC9BdHRyaWI6RXh0SWQ+ DQoJCQkJCQk8QXR0cmliOkZiSWQ+NTI1MjY1OTE0MTc5NTgwPC9BdHRyaWI6RmJJZD4NCgkJCQkJ CTxBdHRyaWI6VG91Y2hUeXBlPjI8L0F0dHJpYjpUb3VjaFR5cGU+DQoJCQkJCTwvcmRmOmxpPg0K CQkJCTwvcmRmOlNlcT4NCgkJCTwvQXR0cmliOkFkcz4NCgkJPC9yZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24+DQoJ CTxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHhtbG5zOmRjPSJodHRwOi8vcHVybC5vcmcv ZGMvZWxlbWVudHMvMS4xLyI+DQoJCQk8ZGM6dGl0bGU+DQoJCQkJPHJkZjpBbHQ+DQoJCQkJCTxy ZGY6bGkgeG1sOmxhbmc9IngtZGVmYXVsdCI+UGxhdG88L3JkZjpsaT4NCgkJCQk8L3JkZjpBbHQ+ DQoJCQk8L2RjOnRpdGxlPg0KCQk8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4NCgkJPHJkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlv biByZGY6YWJvdXQ9IiIgeG1sbnM6cGRmPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3BkZi8xLjMvIj4N CgkJCTxwZGY6QXV0aG9yPnJlZG5vczk0PC9wZGY6QXV0aG9yPg0KCQk8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlv bj4NCgkJPHJkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbiByZGY6YWJvdXQ9IiIgeG1sbnM6eG1wPSJodHRwOi8vbnMu YWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIj4NCgkJCTx4bXA6Q3JlYXRvclRvb2w+Q2FudmE8L3htcDpDcmVh dG9yVG9vbD4NCgkJPC9yZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24+DQoJPC9yZGY6UkRGPg0KPC94OnhtcG1ldGE+ DQog СКАЧАТЬ