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第14节

classic mystery and detective stories-第14节

小说: classic mystery and detective stories 字数: 每页4000字

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electricity; and these may produce electric wonders。  But the

wonders differ from Normal Science in this;they are alike

objectless; purposeless; puerile; frivolous。  They lead on to no

grand results; and therefore the world does not heed; and true

sages have not cultivated them。  But sure I am; that of all I saw

or heard; a man; human as myself; was the remote originator; and I

believe unconsciously to himself as to the exact effects produced;

for this reason: no two persons; you say; have ever told you that

they experienced exactly the same thing。  Well; observe; no two

persons ever experience exactly the same dream。  If this were an

ordinary imposture; the machinery would be arranged for results

that would but little vary; if it were a supernatural agency

permitted by the Almighty; it would surely be for some definite

end。  These phenomena belong to neither class; my persuasion is;

that they originate in some brain now far distant; that that brain

had no distinct volition in anything that occurred; that what does

occur reflects but its devious; motley; ever…shifting; half…formed

thoughts; in short; that it has been but the dreams of such a brain

put into action and invested with a semisubstance。  That this brain

is of immense power; that it can set matter into movement; that it

is malignant and destructive; I believe; some material force must

have killed my dog; the same force might; for aught I know; have

sufficed to kill myself; had I been as subjugated by terror as the

dog;had my intellect or my spirit given me no countervailing

resistance in my will。〃



〃It killed your dog;that is fearful!  Indeed it is strange that

no animal can be induced to stay in that house; not even a cat。

Rats and mice are never found in it。〃



〃The instincts of the brute creation detect influences deadly to

their existence。  Man's reason has a sense less subtle; because it

has a resisting power more supreme。  But enough; do you comprehend

my theory?〃



〃Yes; though imperfectly;and I accept any crotchet (pardon the

word); however odd; rather than embrace at once the notion of

ghosts and hobgoblins we imbibed in our nurseries。  Still; to my

unfortunate house; the evil is the same。  What on earth can I do

with the house?〃



〃I will tell you what I would do。  I am convinced from my own

internal feelings that the small; unfurnished room at right angles

to the door of the bedroom which I occupied; forms a starting point

or receptacle for the influences which haunt the house; and I

strongly advise you to have the walls opened; the floor removed;

nay; the whole room pulled down。  I observe that it is detached

from the body of the house; built over the small backyard; and

could be removed without injury to the rest of the building。〃



〃And you think; if I did that〃



〃You would cut off the telegraph wires。  Try it。  I am so persuaded

that I am right; that I will pay half the expense if you will allow

me to direct the operations。〃



〃Nay; I am well able to afford the cost; for the rest allow me to

write to you。〃



About ten days after I received a letter from Mr。 J telling me

that he had visited the house since I had seen him; that he had

found the two letters I had described; replaced in the drawer from

which I had taken them; that he had read them with misgivings like

my own; that he had instituted a cautious inquiry about the woman

to whom I rightly conjectured they had been written。  It seemed

that thirty…six years ago (a year before the date of the letters)

she had married; against the wish of her relations; an American of

very suspicions character; in fact; he was generally believed to

have been a pirate。  She herself was the daughter of very

respectable tradespeople; and had served in the capacity of a

nursery governess before her marriage。  She had a brother; a

widower; who was considered wealthy; and who had one child of about

six years old。  A month after the marriage the body of this brother

was found in the Thames; near London Bridge; there seemed some

marks of violence about his throat; but they were not deemed

sufficient to warrant the inquest in any other verdict that that of

〃found drowned。〃



The American and his wife took charge of the little boy; the

deceased brother having by his will left his sister the guardian of

his only child;and in event of the child's death the sister

inherited。  The child died about six months afterwards;it was

supposed to have been neglected and ill…treated。  The neighbors

deposed to have heard it shriek at night。  The surgeon who had

examined it after death said that it was emaciated as if from want

of nourishment; and the body was covered with livid bruises。  It

seemed that one winter night the child had sought to escape; crept

out into the back yard; tried to scale the wall; fallen back

exhausted; and been found at morning on the stones in a dying

state。  But though there was some evidence of cruelty; there was

none of murder; and the aunt and her husband had sought to palliate

cruelty by alleging the exceeding stubbornness and perversity of

the child; who was declared to be half…witted。  Be that as it may;

at the orphan's death the aunt inherited her brother's fortune。

Before the first wedded year was out; the American quitted England

abruptly; and never returned to it。  He obtained a cruising vessel;

which was lost in the Atlantic two years afterwards。  The widow was

left in affluence; but reverses of various kinds had befallen her:

a bank broke; an investment failed; she went into a small business

and became insolvent; then she entered into service; sinking lower

and lower; from housekeeper down to maid…of…all…work;never long

retaining a place; though nothing decided against her character was

ever alleged。  She was considered sober; honest; and peculiarly

quiet in her ways; still nothing prospered with her。  And so she

had dropped into the workhouse; from which Mr。 J had taken her;

to be placed in charge of the very house which she had rented as

mistress in the first year of her wedded life。



Mr。 J added that he had passed an hour alone in the unfurnished

room which I had urged him to destroy; and that his impressions of

dread while there were so great; though he had neither heard nor

seen anything; that he was eager to have the walls bared and the

floors removed as I had suggested。  He had engaged persons for the

work; and would commence any day I would name。



The day was accordingly fixed。  I repaired to the haunted house;

we went into the blind; dreary room; took up the skirting; and then

the floors。  Under the rafters; covered with rubbish; was found a

trapdoor; quite large enough to admit a man。  It was closely nailed

down; with clamps and rivets of iron。  On removing these we

descended into a room below; the existence of which had never been

suspected。  In this room there had been a window and a flue; but

they had been bricked over; evidently for many years。  By the help

of candles we examined this place; it still retained some moldering

furniture;three chairs; an oak settle; a table;all of the

fashion of about eighty years ago。  There was a chest of drawers

against the wall; in which we found; half rotted away; old…

fashioned articles of a man's dress; such as might have been worn

eighty or a hundred years ago by a gentleman of some rank; costly

steel buckles and buttons; like those yet worn in court dresses; a

handsome court sword; in a waistcoat which had once been rich with

gold lace; but which was now blackened and foul with damp; we found

five guineas; a few silver coins; and an ivory ticket; probably for

some place of entertainment long since passed away。  But our main

discovery was in a kind of iron safe fixed to the wall; the lock of

which it cost us much trouble to get picked。



In this safe were three shelves and two small drawers。  Ranged on

the shelves were several small bottles of crystal; hermetically

stopped。  They contained colorless; volatile essences; of the

nature of which I shall only say that they were not poisons;

phosphor and ammonia entered into some of them。  There were also

some very curious glass tubes; and a small pointed rod of iron;

with a large lump of rock crystal; and another of amber;also a

loadstone of great power。



In one of the drawers we found a miniature portrait set in gold;

and retaining the freshness of its colors most remarkably;

considering the length of time it had probably been there。  The

portrait was that of a man who might be somewhat advanced in middle

life; perhaps forty…seven or forty…eight。  It was a remarkable

face;a most impressive face。  If you could fancy some mighty

serpent transformed into man; preserving in the human lineaments

the old serpent type; you would have a better idea of that

countenance than long descriptions can convey: the width and

flatness of frontal; the tapering elegance of contour disg

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