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第18章

by shore and sedge(沙滩和苔草旁)-第18章

小说: by shore and sedge(沙滩和苔草旁) 字数: 每页3500字

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when you first kem here you asked me if you could hev that 'er loft that 

the Frenchman had down stairs。〃 

     〃No;   I   don't   remember   it;〃   said   Renshaw   almost   rudely。   〃But;〃   he 

added;   after   a   pause;   with   an   air   of   a   man   obliged   to   revive   a   stale   and 

unpleasant memory; 〃if I didwhat about it?〃 

     〃Nuthin'; only that you kin hev it to…morrow; ez that 'ere Frenchman is 

movin' out;〃 responded Nott。 〃I thought you was sorter keen about it when 

you first kem。〃 

     〃Umph!       we'll  talk  about    it  to…morrow。〃     Something      in  the  look   of 

wearied perplexity with which Mr。 Nott was beginning to regard his own 

mal   a   propos   presence;   arrested   the   young   man's   attention。   〃What's   the 

reason   you didn't sell   this old   ship   long   ago;  take   a  decent   house in   the 



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town;   and   bring   up   your   daughter   like   a   lady?〃   he   asked   with   a   sudden 

blunt good humor。 But even this implied blasphemy against the habitation 

he worshiped did not prevent Mr。 Nott from his usual misconstruction of 

the question。 

     〃I reckon; now; Rosey's got high…flown ideas of livin' in a castle with 

ruins; eh?〃 he said cunningly。 

     〃Haven't heard her say;〃 returned Renshaw abruptly。 〃Good…night。〃 

     Firmly   convinced   that   Rosey   had   been   unable   to   conceal   from   Mr。 

Renshaw        the  influence     of  her   dreams     of  a   castellated    future   with    de 

Ferrieres; he regained the cabin。 Satisfying himself that his daughter had 

retired;   he   sought   his   own   couch。   But   not   to   sleep。   The   figure   of   de 

Ferrieres;   standing   in   the   ship   side   and   melting   into   the   outer   darkness; 

haunted him; and compelled him in dreams to rise and follow him through 

the   alleys   and   by…ways   of   the   crowded   city。 Again;   it   was   a   part   of   his 

morbid   suspicion   that   he   now   invested   the   absent   man   with   a   potential 

significance   and   an   unknown   power。 What   deep…laid plans   might   he   not 

form   to   possess   himself   of   Rosey;   of   which   he;   Abner   Nott;   would   be 

ignorant? Unchecked by the restraint of a father's roof he would now give 

full license to his power。 〃Said he'd take his Honor with him;〃   muttered 

Abner to himself in the dim watches of the night; 〃lookin' at that sayin' in 

its right light; it looks bad。〃 



                                                   V 



       The elaborately untruthful account which Mr。 Nott gave his daughter 

of    de  Ferrieres's    sudden     departure     was    more    fortunate    than    his  usual 

equivocations。 While it disappointed and slightly mortified her; it did not 

seem   to   her   inconsistent   with   what   she   already   knew   of   him。   〃Said   his 

doctor   had   ordered   him   to   quit   town   under   an   hour;   owing   to   a   comin' 

attack of hay fever; and he had a friend from furrin parts waitin' him at the 

Springs; Rosey;〃 explained Nott; hesitating between his desire to avoid his 

daughter's eyes and his wish to observe her countenance。 

     〃Was   he   worse?I   mean   did   he   look   badly;   father?〃   inquired   Rosey 

thoughtfully。 

     〃I reckon not exackly bad。 Kinder looked ez if he mout be worse soon 



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ef he didn't hump hisself。〃 

     〃Did   you   see   him?in   his   room?〃   asked   Rosey   anxiously。   Upon   the 

answer to this simple question depended the future confidential relations 

of   father   and   daughter。   If   her   father   had   himself   detected   the   means   by 

which his lodger existed; she felt that her own obligations to secrecy had 

been removed。 But Mr。 Nott's answer disposed of this vain hope。 It was a 

response after his usual fashion to the question he IMAGINED she artfully 

wished to ask; i。 e。 if he had discovered their rendezvous of the previous 

night。   This   it   was   part   of   his   peculiar   delicacy   to   ignore。   Yet   his   reply 

showed that he had been unconscious of the one miserable secret that he 

might have read easily。 

     〃I   was   there   an   hour   or  sohim   and   me    alonediscussin'   trade。    I 

reckon he's got a good thing outer that curled horse hair; for I see he's got 

in an invoice o' cushions。 I've stored 'em all in the forrard bulkhead until 

he sends for 'em; ez Mr。 Renshaw hez taken the loft。〃 

     But although Mr。 Renshaw had taken the loft; he did not seem in haste 

to occupy it。 He spent part of the morning in uneasily pacing his room; in 

occasional sallies into the street from which he purposelessly returned; and 

once or twice in distant and furtive contemplation of Rosey at work in the 

galley。 This last observation was not unnoticed by the astute Nott; who at 

once conceiving that he was nourishing a secret and hopeless passion for 

Rosey; began to consider whether it was not his duty to warn the young 

man of her preoccupied affections。 But Mr。 Renshaw's final disappearance 

obliged him to withhold his confidence till morning。 

     This time Mr。 Renshaw left the ship with the evident determination of 

some   settled   purpose。   He   walked   rapidly   until   he   reached   the   counting… 

house of Mr。 Sleight; when he was at once shown into a private office。 In a 

few moments Mr。 Sleight; a brusque but passionless man; joined him。 

     〃Well;〃 said Sleight; closing the door carefully。 〃What news?〃 

     〃None;〃 said Renshaw bluntly。 〃Look here; Sleight;〃 he added; turning 

to him suddenly。 〃Let me out of this game。 I don't like it。〃 

     〃Does that mean you've found nothing?〃 asked Sleight; sarcastically。 

     〃It means that I haven't looked for anything; and that I don't intend to 

without the full knowledge of that dd fool who owns the ship。〃 



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     〃You've changed your mind since you wrote that letter;〃 said Sleight 

coolly;   producing   from   a   drawer   the   note   already   known   to   the   reader。 

Renshaw mechanically extended his hand to take it。 Mr。 Sleight dropped 

the letter   back   into the   drawer;   which   he quietly  locked。 The   apparently 

simple act dyed Mr。 Renshaw's cheek with color; but it vanished quickly; 

and with it any token of his previous embarrassment。 He looked at Sleight 

with    the   convinced     air  of   a  resolute   man     who    had   at  last  taken   a 

disagreeable step but was willing to stand by the consequences。 

     〃I HAVE changed my mind;〃 he said coolly。 〃I found out that it was 

one thing to go down there as a skilled prospector might go to examine a 

mine that was to be valued according to his report of the indications; but 

that it was entirely another thing to go and play the spy in a poor devil's 

house     in  order   to  buy   something     he   didn't  know     he  was    selling  and 

wouldn't sell if he did。〃 

     〃And   something   that   the   man   HE   bought   of   didn't   think   of   selling; 

something HE himself never paid for; and never expected to buy;〃 sneered 

Sleight。 

     〃But something that WE expect to buy from our knowledge of all this; 

and it is that which makes all the difference。〃 

     〃But you knew all this before。〃 

     〃I   never saw   it   in   this   light   before!   I  never  thought   of it   until   I   was 

living there face to face with the old fool I was intending to overreach。 I 

never was SURE of it until this morning; when he actually turned out one 

of his lodgers that I might have the very room I required to play off our 

little game in comfortably。 When he did that; I made up my mind to drop 

the whole thing; and I'm here to do it。〃 

     〃And let somebody else take the responsibilitywith the percentage 

unless you've also felt it your duty to warn Nott too;〃 said Sleight with a 

sneer。 

     〃You     only   dare   say   that   to  me;   Sleight;〃    said   Renshaw      quietly; 

〃because you have in that drawer an equal evidence of my folly and my 

confidence; but if you are wise you will not presume too far on either。 Let 

us   see   how    we   stand。   Through     the  yarn   of  a  drunken     captain   and   a 

mutinous sailor you became aware of an unclaimed shipment of treasure; 



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concealed in an unknown ship that entered this harbor。 You are enabled; 

through me; to corroborate some facts and identify the ship。 You proposed 

to   me;   as   a   speculation;   to   identify   the   treasure   if   possible   before   you 

purchased       the   ship。   I   accepted     the   offer   without     consideration;       on 

consideration I now decline it; but without prejudice or loss to any one but 

myself。 As   to   your   insinuation   I   need   not   remind   you   that   my   presence 

here to…day refutes it。 I would not require your permission to make a much 

better bargain with a good natured fool like Nott than I could with you。 Or 

if I did not care for the business I could have warned the girl〃 

     〃The girlwhat girl?〃 

     Renshaw bit his lip but answered boldly; 〃The old man's daughtera 

poor girlwhom this act would rob as well as her father。〃 

     Sleight looked at his companion attentively。 〃You might have said so 

at first; and let up on this camp…meetin' exhortation。 Well thenadmitting 

you've   got   the   old   man   and   the   young   girl   on   the   same   string;   and   that 

you've   played   it   pretty   low   down   in   the   short   time   you've   been   thereI 

suppose; Dick Renshaw; I've got to see your bluff。 Well; how much is it! 

What's the figure you and she have settled on?〃 

     For an instant Mr。 Sleight was in physical danger。 But before he had 

finished     speaking     Renshaw's      quick    sense    of  the   ludicrous    had    so  far 

overcome his first indignation as to enable him even to admire the perfect 

moral insensibility of his companion。 As he rose and walked towards the 

door; he half wondered that he had ever treated the affair seriously。 With a 

smile he replied: 

     〃Far   from   bluffing;   Sleight;   I   am   throwing   my   cards   on   the   table。 

Consider   that   I've   passed   out。   Let   some   other   man   take   my   hand。   Rake 

down   the   pot   if   you   like;   old   man;   I   leave   for   Sacramento   to…   night。 

Adios。〃 

     When   the   door   had      closed   behind     him   Mr。   Sle

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