福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第5章Part2

The account of Mrs. Allen, the housekeeper, was, so far as it went, a corroboration of that of her fellow servant. The housekeeper's room was rather nearer to the front of the house than the pantry in which Ames had been working. She was preparing to go to bed when the loud ringing of the bell had attracted her attention. She was a little hard of hearing. Perhaps that was why she had not heard the shot; but in any case the study was a long way off. She remembered hearing some sound which she imagined to be the slamming of a door. That was a good deal earlier--half an hour at least before the ringing of the bell. When Mr. Ames ran to the front she went with him. She saw Mr. Barker, very pale and excited, come out of the study. He intercepted Mrs. Douglas, who was coming down the stairs. He entreated her to go back, and she answered him, but what she said could not be heard.
"Take her up! Stay with her!" he had said to Mrs. Allen.
She had therefore taken her to the bedroom, and endeavoured to soothe her. She was greatly excited, trembling all over, but made no other attempt to go downstairs. She just sat in her dressing gown by her bedroom fire, with her head sunk in her hands. Mrs. Allen stayed with her most of the night. As to the other servants, they had all gone to bed, and the alarm did not reach them until just before the police arrived. They slept at the extreme back of the house, and could not possibly have heard anything.
So far the housekeeper could add nothing on cross-examination save lamentations and expressions of amazement.
Cecil Barker succeeded Mrs. Allen as a witness. As to the occurrences of the night before, he had very little to add to what he had already told the police. Personally, he was convinced that the murderer had escaped by the window. The bloodstain was conclusive, in his opinion, on that point. Besides, as the bridge was up, there was no other possible way of escaping. He could not explain what had become of the assassin or why he had not taken his bicycle, if it were indeed his. He could not possibly have been drowned in the moat, which was at no place more than three feet deep.
In his own mind he had a very definite theory about the murder. Douglas was a reticent man, and there were some chapters in his life of which he never spoke. He had emigrated to America when he was a very young man. He had prospered well, and Barker had first met him in California, where they had become partners in a successful mining claim at a place called Benito Canon. They had done very well; but Douglas had suddenly sold out and started for England. He was a widower at that time. Barker had afterwards realized his money and come to live in London. Thus they had renewed their friendship. Douglas had given him the impression that some danger was hanging over his head, and he had always looked upon his sudden departure from California, and also his renting a house in so quiet a place in England, as being connected with this peril. He imagined that some secret society, some implacable organization, was on Douglas's track, which would never rest until it killed him. Some remarks of his had given him this idea; though he had never told him what the society was, nor how he had come to offend it. He could only suppose that the legend upon the placard had some reference to this secret society.
"How long were you with Douglas in California?" asked Inspector MacDonald.
"Five years altogether."

女管家艾伦太太的说法，充其量也不过是进一步证实了与她共事的男管家的证词。女管家的卧室到前厅比到艾姆斯收拾银器的餐具室要近一些，她正准备睡觉，忽听一阵铃声大作。她有点儿耳聋，所以没有听到枪声，不过，无论如何，书房是离得很远的。她记得听到一种声响，她把它当作砰的一下关门声。这还是早得多的事，至少在铃响半小时以前。在艾姆斯跑到前厅时，她是同艾姆斯一起去的。她看到巴克先生从书房出来，脸色苍白，神情激动。巴克先生看到道格拉斯夫人下楼，就截住了她，劝她转回楼上。道格拉斯夫人答了话，但听不见她都说了些什么。
“扶她上去，陪着她，"巴克先生对艾伦太太说道。
所以艾伦太太把道格拉斯夫人扶到卧室，并竭力安慰她。道格拉斯夫人大受惊恐，浑身发抖，但也没有表示要再下楼去。她只是穿着睡衣，双手抱着头，坐在卧室壁炉旁边。艾伦太太几乎整晚都陪着她。至于其他仆人，都已入睡了，不曾受到惊恐，直到警察到来之前，他们才知道出了事。他们都住在庄园最后面的地方，所以多半也听不到什么声音。
至于女管家艾伦太太，她除了悲伤和吃惊以外，在盘问中一点也没有补充出什么新情况。
艾伦太太说完，塞西尔·巴克先生作为目击者，接着讲述了当时的情况。至于那晚发生的事情，除了他已经告诉警察的以外，补充的情况非常少。他个人确信，凶手是从窗户逃走的。他的意见是，窗台上的血迹就是这一论点的确凿证据。此外，因为吊桥已经拉起来，也没有其他方法可以逃走。但他却不能解释刺客的情况是怎样的，假如自行车确实是刺客的，为什么他不骑走呢？刺客不可能淹死在护城河里，因为河水没有超过三英尺深的地方。
巴克先生认为，关于凶手，他有一种非常明确的看法。道格拉斯是一个沉默寡言的人，对他以前的生活，有些部分他从来不曾对人讲过。他还非常年轻时，就从爱尔兰移居到美洲了。他的景况日渐富裕，巴克是在加利福尼亚州和他初次相识，他们便合伙在该州一个叫做贝尼托坎营的地方经营矿业。事业很成功，不料道格拉斯突然把它变卖，动身到英国来了。那时他正在鳏居。巴克随后也把产业变卖了，迁到伦敦来住。于是他们的友谊又重新恢复起来。道格拉斯给他的印象是：总有一种迫在眉睫的危险在威胁着他。道格拉斯突然离开加利福尼亚，在英国这么平静的地方租下房子，巴克先生一直认为都与这种危险有关。巴克先生料想一定有个什么秘密团体，或是说一个决不饶人的组织，一直在追踪道格拉斯，不把他杀死誓不罢休。尽管道格拉斯从来没讲过那是一种什么团体，也没讲过怎样得罪了他们，但道格拉斯的只言片语使巴克产生了上述想法。他仅能推测这张卡片上的字一定和那个秘密团体有些关系。
“你在加利福尼亚和道格拉斯一起住了多长时间？"警官麦克唐纳问道。
“一共五年。”