太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > adventure05 >

第4节

adventure05-第4节

小说: adventure05 字数: 每页4000字

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!



〃'It was there at the Norman Conquest in all

probability;' he answered。  'It has a girth of

twenty…three feet。'



〃'Have you any old elms?' I asked。



〃'There used to be a very old one over yonder but it

was struck by lightning ten years ago; and we cut down

the stump;'



〃'You can see where it used to be?'



〃'Oh; yes。'



〃'There are no other elms?'



〃'No old ones; but plenty of beeches。'



〃'I should like to see where it grew。'



〃We had driven up in a dogcart; and my client led me

away at once; without our entering the house; to the

scar on the lawn where the elm had stood。  It was

nearly midway between the oak and the house。  My

investigation seemed to be progressing。



〃'I suppose it is impossible to find out how high the

elm was?' I asked。



〃'I can give you it at once。  It was sixty…four feet。'



〃'How do you come to know it?' I asked; in surprise。



〃'When my old tutor used to give me an exercise in

trigonometry; it always took the shape of measuring

heights。  When I was a lad I worked out every tree and

building in the estate。'



〃This was an unexpected piece of luck。  My data were

coming more quickly than I could have reasonably

hoped。



〃'Tell me;' I asked; 'did your butler ever ask you

such a question?'



〃Reginald Musgrave looked at me in astonishment。  'Now

that you call it to my mind;' he answered; 'Brunton

did ask me about the height of the tree some months

ago; in connection with some little argument with the

groom;'



〃This was excellent news; Watson; for it showed me

that I was on the right road。  I looked up at the sun。 

It was low in the heavens; and I calculated that in

less than an hour it would lie just above the topmost

branches of the old oak。  One condition mentioned in

the Ritual would then be fulfilled。  And the shadow of

the elm must mean the farther end of the shadow;

otherwise the trunk would have been chosen as the

guide。  I had; then; to find where the far end of the

shadow would fall when the sun was just clear of the

oak。〃



〃That must have been difficult; Holmes; when the elm

was no longer there。〃



〃Well; at least I knew that if Brunton could do it; I

could also。  Besides; there was no real difficulty。  I

went with Musgrave to his study and whittled myself

this peg; to which I tied this long string with a knot

at each yard。  Then I took two lengths of a

fishing…rod; which came to just six feet; and I went

back with my client to where the elm had been。  The

sun was just grazing the top of the oak。  I fastened

the rod on end; marked out the direction of the

shadow; and measured it。  It was nine feet in length。



〃Of course the calculation now was a simple one。  If a

rod of six feet threw a shadow of nine; a tree of

sixty…four feet would throw one of ninety…six; and the

line of the one would of course the line of the other。 

I measured out the distance; which brought me almost

to the wall of the house; and I thrust a peg into the

spot。  You can imagine my exultation; Watson; when

within two inches of my peg I saw a conical depression

in the ground。  I knew that it was the mark made by

Brunton in his measurements; and that I was still upon

his trail。



〃From this starting…point I proceeded to step; having

first taken the cardinal points by my pocket…compass。 

Ten steps with each foot took me along parallel with

the wall of the house; and again I marked my spot with

a peg。  Then I carefully paced off five to the east

and two to the south。  It brought me to the very

threshold of the old door。  Two steps to the west

meant now that I was to go two paces down the

stone…flagged passage; and this was the place

indicated by the Ritual。



〃Never have I felt such a cold chill of

disappointment; Watson。  For a moment is seemed to me

that there must be some radical mistake in my

calculations。  The setting sun shone full upon the

passage floor; and I could see that the old; foot…worn

gray stones with which it was paved were firmly

cemented together; and had certainly not been moved

for many a long year。  Brunton had not been at work

here。  I tapped upon the floor; but it sounded the

same all over; and there was no sign of any crack or

crevice。  But; Fortunately; Musgrave; who had begun to

appreciate the meaning of my proceedings; and who was

now as excited as myself; took out his manuscript to

check my calculation。



〃'And under;' he cried。  'You have omitted the 〃and

under。〃'



〃I had thought that it meant that we were to dig; but

now; of course; I saw at once that I was wrong。 

'There is a cellar under this then?' I cried。



〃'Yes; and as old as the house。  Down here; through

this door。'



〃We went down a winding stone stair; and my companion;

striking a match; lit a large lantern which stood on a

barrel in the corner。  In an instant it was obvious

that we had at last come upon the true place; and that

we had not been the only people to visit the spot

recently。



〃It had been used for the storage of wood; but the

billets; which had evidently been littered over the

floor; were now piled at the sides; so as to leave a

clear space in the middle。  In this space lay a large

and heavy flagstone with a rusted iron ring in the

centre to which a thick shepherd's…check muffler was

attached。



〃'By Jove!' cried my client。  'That's Brunton's

muffler。  I have seen it on him; and could swear to

it。  What has the villain been doing here?'



〃At my suggestion a couple of the county police were

summoned to be present; and I then endeavored to raise

the stone by pulling on the cravat。  I could only move

it slightly; and it was with the aid of one of the

constables that I succeeded at last in carrying it to

one side。  A black hole yawned beneath into which we

all peered; while Musgrave; kneeling at the side;

pushed down the lantern。



〃A small chamber about seven feet deep and four feet

square lay open to us。  At one side of this was a

squat; brass…bound wooden box; the lid of which was

hinged upwards; with this curious old…fashioned key

projecting from the lock。  It was furred outside by a

thick layer of dust; and damp and worms had eaten

through the wood; so that a crop of livid fungi was

growing on the inside of it。  Several discs of metal;

old coins apparently; such as I hold here; were

scattered over the bottom of the box; but it contained

nothing else。



〃At the moment; however; we had no thought for the old

chest; for our eyes were riveted upon that which

crouched beside it。  It was the figure of a man; clad

in a suit of black; who squatted down upon him hams

with his forehead sunk upon the edge of the box and

his two arms thrown out on each side of it。  The

attitude had drawn all the stagnant blood to the face;

and no man could have recognized that distorted

liver…colored countenance; but his height; his dress;

and his hair were all sufficient to show my client;

when we had drawn the body up; that it was indeed his

missing butler。  He had been dead some days; but there

was no wound or bruise upon his person to show how he

had met his dreadful end。  When his body had been

carried from the cellar we found ourselves still

confronted with a problem which was almost as

formidable as that with which we had started。



〃I confess that so far; Watson; I had been

disappointed in my investigation。  I had reckoned upon

solving the matter when once I had found the place

referred to in the Ritual; but now I was there; and

was apparently as far as ever from knowing what it was

which the family had concealed with such elaborate

precautions。  It is true that I had thrown a light

upon the fate of Brunton; but now I had to ascertain

how that fate had come upon him; and what part had

been played in the matter by the woman who had

disappeared。  I sat down upon a keg in the corner and

thought the whole matter carefully over。



〃You know my methods in such cases; Watson。  I put

myself in the man's place and; having first gauged his

intelligence; I try to imagine how I should myself

have proceeded under the same circumstances。  In this

case the matter was simplified by Brunton's

intelligence being quite first…rate; so that it was

unnecessary to make any allowance for the personal

equation; as the astronomers have dubbed it。  He know

that something valuable was concealed。  He had spotted

the place。  He found that the stone which covered it

was just too heavy for a man to move unaided。  What

would he do next?  He could not get help from outside;

even if he had some one whom he could trust; without

the unbarring of doors and considerable risk of

detection。  It was better; if he could; to have his

helpmate inside the house。  But whom could he ask? 

This girl had been devoted to him。  A man always finds

it hard to realize that he may have finally lost a

wo

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的