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the man who was thursday-第16节

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n Syme's mirth which made many half…drunken men look round。

〃What yer laughing at; guv'nor?〃 asked one wondering labourer from the docks。

〃At myself;〃 answered Syme; and went off again into the agony of his ecstatic reaction。

〃Pull yourself together;〃 said the Professor; 〃or you'll get hysterical。 Have some more beer。 I'll join you。〃

〃You haven't drunk your milk;〃 said Syme。

〃My milk!〃 said the other; in tones of withering and unfathomable contempt; 〃my milk! Do you think I'd look at the beastly stuff when I'm out of sight of the bloody anarchists? We're all Christians in this room; though perhaps;〃 he added; glancing around at the reeling crowd; 〃not strict ones。 Finish my milk? Great blazes! yes; I'll finish it right enough!〃 and he knocked the tumbler off the table; making a crash of glass and a splash of silver fluid。

Syme was staring at him with a happy curiosity。

〃I understand now;〃 he cried; 〃of course; you're not an old man at all。〃

〃I can't take my face off here;〃 replied Professor de Worms。 〃It's rather an elaborate make…up。 As to whether I'm an old man; that's not for me to say。 I was thirty…eight last birthday。〃

〃Yes; but I mean;〃 said Syme impatiently; 〃there's nothing the matter with you。〃

〃Yes;〃 answered the other dispassionately。 〃I am subject to colds。〃

Syme's laughter at all this had about it a wild weakness of relief。 He laughed at the idea of the paralytic Professor being really a young actor dressed up as if for the foot…lights。 But he felt that he would have laughed as loudly if a pepperpot had fallen over。

The false Professor drank and wiped his false beard。

〃Did you know;〃 he asked; 〃that that man Gogol was one of us?〃

〃I? No; I didn't know it;〃 answered Syme in some surprise。 〃But didn't you?〃

〃I knew no more than the dead;〃 replied the man who called himself de Worms。 〃I thought the President was talking about me; and I rattled in my boots。〃

〃And I thought he was talking about me;〃 said Syme; with his rather reckless laughter。 〃I had my hand on my revolver all the time。〃

〃So had I;〃 said the Professor grimly; 〃so had Gogol evidently。〃

Syme struck the table with an exclamation。

〃Why; there were three of us there!〃 he cried。 〃Three out of seven is a fighting number。 If we had only known that we were three!〃

The face of Professor de Worms darkened; and he did not look up。

〃We were three;〃 he said。 〃If we had been three hundred we could still have done nothing。〃

〃Not if we were three hundred against four?〃 asked Syme; jeering rather boisterously。

〃No;〃 said the Professor with sobriety; 〃not if we were three hundred against Sunday。〃

And the mere name struck Syme cold and serious; his laughter had died in his heart before it could die on his lips。 The face of the unforgettable President sprang into his mind as startling as a coloured photograph; and he remarked this difference between Sunday and all his satellites; that their faces; however fierce or sinister; became gradually blurred by memory like other human faces; whereas Sunday's seemed almost to grow more actual during absence; as if a man's painted portrait should slowly come alive。

They were both silent for a measure of moments; and then Syme's speech came with a rush; like the sudden foaming of champagne。

〃Professor;〃 he cried; 〃it is intolerable。 Are you afraid of this man?〃

The Professor lifted his heavy lids; and gazed at Syme with large; wide…open; blue eyes of an almost ethereal honesty。

〃Yes; I am;〃 he said mildly。 〃So are you。〃

Syme was dumb for an instant。 Then he rose to his feet erect; like an insulted man; and thrust the chair away from him。

〃Yes;〃 he said in a voice indescribable; 〃you are right。 I am afraid of him。 Therefore I swear by God that I will seek out this man whom I fear until I find him; and strike him on the mouth。 If heaven were his throne and the earth his footstool; I swear that I would pull him down。〃

〃How?〃 asked the staring Professor。 〃Why?〃

〃Because I am afraid of him;〃 said Syme; 〃and no man should leave in the universe anything of which he is afraid。〃

De Worms blinked at him with a sort of blind wonder。 He made an effort to speak; but Syme went on in a low voice; but with an undercurrent of inhuman exaltation

〃Who would condescend to strike down the mere things that he does not fear? Who would debase himself to be merely brave; like any common prizefighter? Who would stoop to be fearlesslike a tree? Fight the thing that you fear。 You remember the old tale of the English clergyman who gave the last rites to the brigand of Sicily; and how on his death…bed the great robber said; 'I can give you no money; but I can give you advice for a lifetime: your thumb on the blade; and strike upwards。' So I say to you; strike upwards; if you strike at the stars。〃

The other looked at the ceiling; one of the tricks of his pose。

〃Sunday is a fixed star;〃 he said。

〃You shall see him a falling star;〃 said Syme; and put on his hat。

The decision of his gesture drew the Professor vaguely to his feet。

〃Have you any idea;〃 he asked; with a sort of benevolent bewilderment; 〃exactly where you are going?〃

〃Yes;〃 replied Syme shortly; 〃I am going to prevent this bomb being thrown in Paris。〃

〃Have you any conception how?〃 inquired the other。

〃No;〃 said Syme with equal decision。

〃You remember; of course;〃 resumed the soi…disant de Worms; pulling his beard and looking out of the window; 〃that when we broke up rather hurriedly the whole arrangements for the atrocity were left in the private hands of the Marquis and Dr。 Bull。 The Marquis is by this time probably crossing the Channel。 But where he will go and what he will do it is doubtful whether even the President knows; certainly we don't know。 The only man who does know is Dr。 Bull。

〃Confound it!〃 cried Syme。 〃And we don't know where he is。〃

〃Yes;〃 said the other in his curious; absent…minded way; 〃I know where he is myself。〃

〃Will you tell me?〃 asked Syme with eager eyes。

〃I will take you there;〃 said the Professor; and took down his own hat from a peg。

Syme stood looking at him with a sort of rigid excitement。

〃What do you mean?〃 he asked sharply。 〃Will you join me? Will you take the risk?〃

〃Young man;〃 said the Professor pleasantly; 〃I am amused to observe that you think I am a coward。 As to that I will say only one word; and that shall be entirely in the manner of your own philosophical rhetoric。 You think that it is possible to pull down the President。 I know that it is impossible; and I am going to try it;〃 and opening the tavern door; which let in a blast of bitter air; they went out together into the dark streets by the docks。

Most of the snow was melted or trampled to mud; but here and there a clot of it still showed grey rather than white in the gloom。 The small streets were sloppy and full of pools; which reflected the flaming lamps irregularly; and by accident; like fragments of some other and fallen world。 Syme felt almost dazed as he stepped through this growing confusion of lights and shadows; but his companion walked on with a certain briskness; towards where; at the end of the street; an inch or two of the lamplit river looked like a bar of flame。

〃Where are you going?〃 Syme inquired。

〃Just now;〃 answered the Professor; 〃I am going just round the corner to see whether Dr。 Bull has gone to bed。 He is hygienic; and retires early。〃

〃Dr。 Bull!〃 exclaimed Syme。 〃Does he live round the corner?〃

〃No;〃 answered his friend。 〃As a matter of fact he lives some way off; on the other side of the river; but we can tell from here whether he has gone to bed。〃

Turning the corner as he spoke; and facing the dim river; flecked with flame; he pointed with his stick to the other bank。 On the Surrey side at this point there ran out into the Thames; seeming almost to overhang it; a bulk and cluster of those tall tenements; dotted with lighted windows; and rising like factory chimneys to an almost insane height。 Their special poise and position made one block of buildings especially look like a Tower of Babel with a hundred eyes。 Syme had never seen any of the sky…scraping buildings in America; so he could only think of the buildings in a dream。

Even as he stared; the highest light in this innumerably lighted turret abruptly went out; as if this black Argus had winked at him with one of his innumerable eyes。

Professor de Worms swung round on his heel; and struck his stick against his boot。

〃We are too late;〃 he said; 〃the hygienic Doctor has gone to bed。〃

〃What do you mean?〃 asked Syme。 〃Does he live over there; then?〃

〃Yes;〃 said de Worms; 〃behind that particular window which you can't see。 Come along and get some dinner。 We must call on him tomorrow morning。〃

Without further parley; he led the way through several by…ways until they came out into the flare and clamour of the East India Dock Road。 The Professor; who seemed to know his way about the neighbourhood; proceeded to a place where the line of lighted shops fell back into a sort of abrupt twilight and quiet; in which an old white inn; all out of repair; stood back some twenty feet from the road。

〃You can find good English inns left by accident everywhere; like fossils;〃 

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