福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part7

"Have you seen all you want of the study?" asked White Mason as we reentered the house.
"For the time," said the inspector, and Holmes nodded.
"Then perhaps you would now like to hear the evidence of some of the people in the house. We could use the dining room, Ames. Please come yourself first and tell us what you know."
The butler's account was a simple and a clear one, and he gave a convincing impression of sincerity. He had been engaged five years before, when Douglas first came to Birlstone. He understood that Mr. Douglas was a rich gentleman who had made his money in America. He had been a kind and considerate employer--not quite what Ames was used to, perhaps; but one can't have everything. He never saw any signs of apprehension in Mr. Douglas: on the contrary, he was the most fearless man he had ever known. He ordered the drawbridge to be pulled up every night because it was the ancient custom of the old house, and he liked to keep the old ways up. Mr. Douglas seldom went to London or left the village; but on the day before the crime he had been shopping at Tunbridge Wells. He (Ames) had observed some restlessness and excitement on the part of Mr. Douglas that day; for he had seemed impatient and irritable, which was unusual with him. He had not gone to bed that night; but was in the pantry at the back of the house, putting away the silver, when he heard the bell ring violently. He heard no shot; but it was hardly possible he would, as the pantry and kitchens were at the very back of the house and there were several closed doors and a long passage between. The housekeeper had come out of her room, attracted by the violent ringing of the bell. They had gone to the front of the house together. As they reached the bottom of the stairs he had seen Mrs. Douglas coming down it. No, she was not hurrying; it did not seem to him that she was particularly agitated. Just as she reached the bottom of the stair Mr. Barker had rushed out of the study. He had stopped Mrs. Douglas and begged her to go back.
"For God's sake, go back to your room!" he cried. "Poor Jack is dead! You can do nothing. For God's sake, go back!"
After some persuasion upon the stairs Mrs. Douglas had gone back. She did not scream. She made no outcry whatever. Mrs. Allen, the housekeeper, had taken her upstairs and stayed with her in the bedroom. Ames and Mr. Barker had then returned to the study, where they had found everything exactly as the police had seen it. The candle was not lit at that time; but the lamp was burning. They had looked out of the window; but the night was very dark and nothing could be seen or heard. They had then rushed out into the hall, where Ames had turned the windlass which lowered the drawbridge. Mr. Barker had then hurried off to get the police.
Such, in its essentials, was the evidence of the butler.
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."
"He was a bachelor, you say?"
"A widower."
"Have you ever heard where his first wife came from?"
"No, I remember his saying that she was of German extraction, and I have seen her portrait. She was a very beautiful woman. She died of typhoid the year before I met him."
"You don't associate his past with any particular part of America?"
"I have heard him talk of Chicago. He knew that city well and had worked there. I have heard him talk of the coal and iron districts. He had travelled a good deal in his time."
"Was he a politician? Had this secret society to do with politics?"
"No, he cared nothing about politics."

我们重新回到屋里时，怀特·梅森问道：“你们对书房要检查的地方，都检查完了吗？”
“暂时就算完了，"警官麦克唐纳回答道，福尔摩斯也点了点头。
“那么，现在你们愿意听听庄园里一些人的证词吗？我们就利用这间餐室吧，艾姆斯，请你先来把你所知道的事情告诉我们。”
管家的叙述简单、明了，给人一种诚实可靠的印象。他还是在五年前道格拉斯先生刚到伯尔斯通时受雇的。他知道道格拉斯先生是一个很有钱的绅士，是在美洲致富的。道格拉斯先生是一位和蔼可亲、善于体贴人的主人——或许艾姆斯对这个不完全习惯，不过，一个人不能事事具备。他从来没见过道格拉斯先生有过什么惊恐的迹象 ，相反，道格拉斯先生是他所见过的最大胆的人。道格拉斯先生之所以叫人每晚把吊桥拉起，只是因为这是古老庄园的古老的习俗，道格拉斯先生喜欢把这种古老的习俗保持下去。道格拉斯先生很少到伦敦去，也难得离开村子，不过，在被害的头一天，曾到滕布里奇韦尔斯市去买过东西。那天，艾姆斯发现道格拉斯先生有些坐卧不安，情绪激动，看来他是一反往常，变得性情急躁，容易发火。发案那天晚上，艾姆斯还没有就寝，正在房后面的餐具室里收拾银器，忽然听到铃声大作。他没有听到枪声，因为餐具室和厨房在庄园的最后面，中间还隔着几重关着的门和一条长廊，所以确实很难听到。艾伦太太也因为听到急促的铃声，赶忙跑出来，他们就一起跑到前厅。他们跑到楼下时，艾姆斯看到道格拉斯太太正从楼梯上走下来。不，她走得并不急，艾姆斯觉得，道格拉斯太太并不显得特别惊慌。她一到楼下，巴克先生就从书房里冲了出来，他极力阻拦道格拉斯太太，央求她回到楼上去。
“看在上帝面上，你快回自己房里去吧！"巴克先生喊道，“可怜的杰克已经死了，你也无能为力了。看在上帝面上，快回去吧！”
巴克先生劝说了一会儿，道格拉斯太太就回到楼上去了。她既没有尖叫，也没有大喊大闹。女管家艾伦太太陪她上了楼，一起留在卧室里。艾姆斯和巴克先生回到书房，他们所看①杰克为约翰的爱称，死者的全名为约翰·道格拉斯。——译者注到的屋内一切情况，完全和警署来人所看到的一样。那时烛光已经熄灭了，可是油灯还点着呢。他们从窗里向外望，但那天晚上非常黑，什么东西也看不见，听不到。后来他们奔到大厅，艾姆斯在这里摇动卷扬机放下吊桥，巴克先生就匆匆地赶到警署去了。
这就是管家艾姆斯的简要证词。
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。”
“你说，他是一个单身汉吗？”
“那时他是个鳏夫。”
“你可曾听说他前妻的来历吗？”
“没有，我只记得他说过她是德国血统，我也看到过她的像片，是一个很美丽的女子。就在我和道格拉斯结识的前一年，她得伤寒病死去了。”
“你知不知道道格拉斯过去和美国的某一地区有密切关系？”
“我听他讲过芝加哥。他对这个城市很热悉，并且在那里作过事。我听他讲过产煤和产铁的一些地区。他生前周游过很多地方。”
“他是政治家吗？这个秘密团体和政治有关系吗？”
“不，他根本不关心政治。”