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