第 6 节
作者:
套牢 更新:2021-04-30 16:06 字数:9321
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lame。
Slinkton pulled out his handkerchief; assuaged the pain in his smarting
eyes; and dabbled the blood on his forehead。 He was a long time about it;
and I saw that in the doing of it; a tremendous change came over him;
occasioned by the change in Beckwith; … who ceased to pant and tremble;
sat upright; and never took his eyes off him。 I never in my life saw a face
in which abhorrence and determination were so forcibly painted as in
Beckwith's then。
'Look at me; you villain;' said Beckwith; 'and see me as I really am。 I
took these rooms; to make them a trap for you。 I came into them as a
drunkard; to bait the trap for you。 You fell into the trap; and you will
never leave it alive。 On the morning when you last went to Mr。
Sampson's office; I had seen him first。 Your plot has been known to both
of us; all along; and you have been counter… plotted all along。 What?
Having been cajoled into putting that prize of two thousand pounds in
your power; I was to be done to death with brandy; and; brandy not
proving quick enough; with something quicker? Have I never seen you;
when you thought my senses gone; pouring from your little bottle into my
glass? Why; you Murderer and Forger; alone here with you in the dead
of night; as I have so often been; I have had my hand upon the trigger of a
pistol; twenty times; to blow your brains out!'
This sudden starting up of the thing that he had supposed to be his
imbecile victim into a determined man; with a settled resolution to hunt
him down and be the death of him; mercilessly expressed from head to
foot; was; in the first shock; too much for him。 Without any figure of
speech; he staggered under it。 But there is no greater mistake than to
suppose that a man who is a calculating criminal; is; in any phase of his
guilt; otherwise than true to himself; and perfectly consistent with his
whole character。 Such a man commits murder; and murder is the natural
culmination of his course; such a man has to outface murder; and will do it
with hardihood and effrontery。 It is a sort of fashion to express surprise
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that any notorious criminal; having such crime upon his conscience; can so
brave it out。 Do you think that if he had it on his conscience at all; or had
a conscience to have it upon; he would ever have committed the crime?
Perfectly consistent with himself; as I believe all such monsters to be;
this Slinkton recovered himself; and showed a defiance that was
sufficiently cold and quiet。 He was white; he was haggard; he was
changed; but only as a sharper who had played for a great stake and had
been outwitted and had lost the game。
'Listen to me; you villain;' said Beckwith; 'and let every word you hear
me say be a stab in your wicked heart。 When I took these rooms; to
throw myself in your way and lead you on to the scheme that I knew my
appearance and supposed character and habits would suggest to such a
devil; how did I know that? Because you were no stranger to me。 I
knew you well。 And I knew you to be the cruel wretch who; for so much
money; had killed one innocent girl while she trusted him implicitly; and
who was by inches killing another。'
Slinkton took out a snuff…box; took a pinch of snuff; and laughed。
'But see here;' said Beckwith; never looking away; never raising his
voice; never relaxing his face; never unclenching his hand。 'See what a
dull wolf you have been; after all! The infatuated drunkard who never
drank a fiftieth part of the liquor you plied him with; but poured it away;
here; there; everywhere … almost before your eyes; who bought over the
fellow you set to watch him and to ply him; by outbidding you in his bribe;
before he had been at his work three days … with whom you have observed
no caution; yet who was so bent on ridding the earth of you as a wild beast;
that he would have defeated you if you had been ever so prudent … that
drunkard whom you have; many a time; left on the floor of this room; and
who has even let you go out of it; alive and undeceived; when you have
turned him over with your foot … has; almost as often; on the same night;
within an hour; within a few minutes; watched you awake; had his hand at
your pillow when you were asleep; turned over your papers; taken samples
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from your bottles and packets of powder; changed their contents; rifled
every secret of your life!'
He had had another pinch of snuff in his hand; but had gradually let it
drop from between his fingers to the floor; where he now smoothed it out
with his foot; looking down at it the while。
'That drunkard;' said Beckwith; 'who had free access to your rooms at
all times; that he might drink the strong drinks that you left in his way and
be the sooner ended; holding no more terms with you than he would hold
with a tiger; has had his master…key for all your locks; his test for all your
poisons; his clue to your cipher… writing。 He can tell you; as well as you
can tell him; how long it took to complete that deed; what doses there were;
what intervals; what signs of gradual decay upon mind and body; what
distempered fancies were produced; what observable changes; what
physical pain。 He can tell you; as well as you can tell him; that all this was
recorded day by day; as a lesson of experience for future service。 He can
tell you; better than you can tell him; where that journal is at this moment。'
Slinkton stopped the action of his foot; and looked at Beckwith。
'No;' said the latter; as if answering a question from him。 'Not in the
drawer of the writing…desk that opens with a spring; it is not there; and it
never will be there again。'
'Then you are a thief!' said Slinkton。
Without any change whatever in the inflexible purpose; which it was
quite terrific even to me to contemplate; and from the power of which I
had always felt convinced it was impossible for this wretch to escape;
Beckwith returned;
'And I am your niece's shadow; too。'
With an imprecation Slinkton put his hand to his head; tore out some
hair; and flung it to the ground。 It was the end of the smooth walk; he
destroyed it in the action; and it will soon be seen that his use for it was
past。
Beckwith went on: 'Whenever you left here; I left here。 Although I
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understood that you found it necessary to pause in the completion of that
purpose; to avert suspicion; still I watched you close; with the poor
confiding girl。 When I had the diary; and could read it word by word; … it
was only about the night before your last visit to Scarborough; … you
remember the night? you slept with a small flat vial tied to your wrist; … I
sent to Mr。 Sampson; who was kept out of view。 This is Mr。 Sampson's
trusty servant standing by the door。 We three saved your niece among
us。'
Slinkton looked at us all; took an uncertain step or two from the place
where he had stood; returned to it; and glanced about him in a very curious
way; … as one of the meaner reptiles might; looking for a hole to hide in。 I
noticed at the same time; that a singular change took place in the figure of
the man; … as if it collapsed within his clothes; and they consequently
became ill…shapen and ill…fitting。
'You shall know;' said Beckwith; 'for I hope the knowledge will be
bitter and terrible to you; why you have been pursued by one man; and