第 13 节
作者:悟来悟去      更新:2021-02-20 15:46      字数:9322
  and many high compliments to 〃Old Charley〃 upon his sagacity and
  consideration。 As many of the burghers had brought spades with them;
  supposing that they might possibly be called upon to disinter a corpse;
  the drain was easily and speedily effected; and no sooner was the bottom
  visible; than right in the middle of the mud that remained was discovered
  a black silk velvet waistcoat; which nearly every one present immediately
  recognized as the property of Mr。 Pennifeather。 This waistcoat was much
  torn and stained with blood; and there were several persons among the
  party who had a distinct remembrance of its having been worn by its owner
  on the very morning of Mr。 Shuttleworthy's departure for the city; while
  there were others; again; ready to testify upon oath; if required; that
  Mr。 P。 did not wear the garment in question at any period during the
  remainder of that memorable day; nor could any one be found to say that he
  had seen it upon Mr。 P。's person at any period at all subsequent to Mr。
  Shuttleworthy's disappearance。
  Matters now wore a very serious aspect for Mr。 Pennifeather; and it was
  observed; as an indubitable confirmation of the suspicions which were
  excited against him; that he grew exceedingly pale; and when asked what he
  had to say for himself; was utterly incapable of saying a word。 Hereupon;
  the few friends his riotous mode of living had left him; deserted him at
  once to a man; and were even more clamorous than his ancient and avowed
  enemies for his instantaneous arrest。 But; on the other hand; the
  magnanimity of Mr。 Goodfellow shone forth with only the more brilliant
  lustre through contrast。 He made a warm and intensely eloquent defence of
  Mr。 Pennifeather; in which he alluded more than once to his own sincere
  forgiveness of that wild young gentleman  〃the heir of the worthy Mr。
  Shuttleworthy;〃  for the insult which he (the young gentleman) had; no
  doubt in the heat of passion; thought proper to put upon him (Mr。
  Goodfellow)。 〃He forgave him for it;〃 he said; 〃from the very bottom of
  his heart; and for himself (Mr。 Goodfellow); so far from pushing the
  suspicious circumstances to extremity; which he was sorry to say; really
  had arisen against Mr。 Pennifeather; he (Mr。 Goodfellow) would make every
  exertion in his power; would employ all the little eloquence in his
  possession to  to  to  soften down; as much as he could
  conscientiously do so; the worst features of this really exceedingly
  perplexing piece of business。〃
  Mr。 Goodfellow went on for some half hour longer in this strain; very much
  to the credit both of his head and of his heart; but your warm…hearted
  people are seldom apposite in their observations  they run into all
  sorts of blunders; contre…temps and mal apropos…isms; in the
  hot…headedness of their zeal to serve a friend  thus; often with the
  kindest intentions in the world; doing infinitely more to prejudice his
  cause than to advance it。
  So; in the present instance; it turned out with all the eloquence of 〃Old
  Charley〃; for; although he laboured earnestly in behalf of the suspected;
  yet it so happened; somehow or other; that every syllable he uttered of
  which the direct but unwitting tendency was not to exalt the speaker in
  the good opinion of his audience; had the effect to deepen the suspicion
  already attached to the individual whose cause he pleaded; and to arouse
  against him the fury of the mob。
  One of the most unaccountable errors committed by the orator was his
  allusion to the suspected as 〃the heir of the worthy old gentleman Mr。
  Shuttleworthy。〃 The people had really never thought of this before。 They
  had only remembered certain threats of disinheritance uttered a year or
  two previously by the uncle (who had no living relative except the
  nephew); and they had; therefore; always looked upon this disinheritance
  as a matter that was settled  so single…minded a race of beings were the
  Rattleburghers; but the remark of 〃Old Charley〃 brought them at once to a
  consideration of this point; and thus gave them to see the possibility of
  the threats having been nothing more than a threat。 And straightway
  hereupon; arose the natural question of cui bono?  a question that
  tended even more than the waistcoat to fasten the terrible crime upon the
  young man。 And here; lest I may be misunderstood; permit me to digress for
  one moment merely to observe that the exceedingly brief and simple Latin
  phrase which I have employed; is invariably mistranslated and
  misconceived。 〃Cui bono?〃 in all the crack novels and elsewhere;  in
  those of Mrs。 Gore; for example; (the author of 〃Cecil;〃) a lady who
  quotes all tongues from the Chaldaean to Chickasaw; and is helped to her
  learning; 〃as needed;〃 upon a systematic plan; by Mr。 Beckford;  in all
  the crack novels; I say; from those of Bulwer and Dickens to those of
  Bulwer and Dickens to those of Turnapenny and Ainsworth; the two little
  Latin words cui bono are rendered 〃to what purpose?〃 or; (as if quo bono;)
  〃to what good。〃 Their true meaning; nevertheless; is 〃for whose
  advantage。〃 Cui; to whom; bono; is it for a benefit。 It is a purely legal
  phrase; and applicable precisely in cases such as we have now under
  consideration; where the probability of the doer of a deed hinges upon the
  probability of the benefit accruing to this individual or to that from the
  deed's accomplishment。 Now in the present instance; the question cui bono?
  very pointedly implicated Mr。 Pennifeather。 His uncle had threatened him;
  after making a will in his favour; with disinheritance。 But the threat had
  not been actually kept; the original will; it appeared; had not been
  altered。 Had it been altered; the only supposable motive for murder on the
  part of the suspected would have been the ordinary one of revenge; and
  even this would have been counteracted by the hope of reinstation into the
  good graces of the uncle。 But the will being unaltered; while the threat
  to alter remained suspended over the nephew's head; there appears at once
  the very strongest possible inducement for the atrocity; and so concluded;
  very sagaciously; the worthy citizens of the borough of Rattle。
  Mr。 Pennifeather was; accordingly; arrested upon the spot; and the crowd;
  after some further search; proceeded homeward; having him in custody。 On
  the route; however; another circumstance occurred tending to confirm the
  suspicion entertained。 Mr。 Goodfellow; whose zeal led him to be always a
  little in advance of the party; was seen suddenly to run forward a few
  paces; stoop; and then apparently to pick up some small object from the
  grass。 Having quickly examined it he was observed; too; to make a sort of
  half attempt at concealing it in his coat pocket; but this action was
  noticed; as I say; and consequently prevented; when the object picked up
  was found to be a Spanish knife which a dozen persons at once recognized
  as belonging to Mr。 Pennifeather。 Moreover; his initials were engraved
  upon the handle。 The blade of this knife was open and bloody。
  No doubt now remained of the guilt of the nephew; and immediately upon
  reaching Rattleborough he was taken before a magistrate for examination。
  Here matters again took a most unfavourable turn。 The prisoner; being
  questioned as to his whereabouts on the morning of Mr。 Shuttleworthy's
  disappearance; had absolutely the audacity to acknowledge that on that
  very morning he had been out with his rifle deer…stalking; in the
  immediate neighbourhood of the pool where the blood…stained waistcoat had
  been discovered through the sagacity of Mr。 Goodfellow。
  This latter now came forward; and; with tears in his eyes; asked
  permission to be examined。 He said that a stern sense of the duty he owed
  his Maker; not less than his fellow…men; would permit him no longer to
  remain silent。 Hitherto; the sincerest affection for the young man
  (notwithstanding the latter's ill…treatment of himself; Mr。 Goodfellow)
  had induced him to make every hypothesis which imagination could suggest;
  by way of endeavoring to account for what appeared suspicious in the
  circumstances that told so seriously against Mr。 Pennifeather; but these
  circumstances were now altogether too convincing  too damning; he would
  hesitate no longer  he would tell all he knew; although his heart (Mr。
  Goodfellow's) should absolutely burst asunder in the effort。 He then went
  on to state that; on the afternoon of the day previous to Mr。
  Shuttleworthy's departure for the city; that worthy old gentleman had
  mentioned to his nephew; in his hearing (Mr。 Goodfellow's); that his
  object in going to town on the morrow was to make a deposit of an
  unusually large sum of money in the 〃Farmers and Mechanics' Bank;〃 and
  that; then and there; the said Mr。 Shuttleworthy had distinctly avowed to
  the said nephew his irrevocable determination of rescinding the will
  originally made; and of cutting him off with a shilling。 He (the witness)
  now solemnly called upon the accused to state whether what he (the
  witness) had just stated was or was not the truth in every substantial
  particular。 Much to the astonishment of every one present; Mr。
  Pennifeather frankly admitted that it was。
  The magistrate now considered it his duty to send a couple of consta