登陆注册
19003800000050

第50章

THE STAR OF POLAND

The room in which Desmond found Nur-el-Din was obviously the parlor of the house. Everything in it spoke of that dreary period in art, the middle years of the reign of Victoria the Good. The wall-paper, much mildewed in places, was an ugly shade of green and there were dusty and faded red curtains at the windows and draping the fireplace. Down one side of the room ran a hideous mahogany sideboard, almost as big as a railway station buffet, with a very dirty tablecloth. The chairs were of mahogany, upholstered in worn black horsehair and there were two pairs of fly-blown steel engravings of the largest size on the wall. In the centre of the apartment stood a small round table, covered with a much stained red tablecloth and there was a door in the corner.

The dainty beauty of Nur-el-Din made a very forlorn picture amid the unmatched savagery of this English interior. The dancer, who was wearing the same becoming gray tweed suit in which Desmond had last seen her, was sitting sorrowfully at the table when Desmond entered. At the sight of him she sprang up and ran to meet him with outstretched hands.

"Ah!" she cried, "comme je suis heureuse de vows voir! It is good of you to come!"And then, without any warning, she burst into tears and putting her hands on the man's shoulders, hid her head against his chest and sobbed bitterly.

Desmond took one of her hands, small and soft and warm, and gently disengaged her. His mind was working clearly and rapidly.

He felt sure of himself, sure of his disguise; if this were an exhibition of woman's wiles, it would find him proof; on that he was resolved. Yet, dissolved in tears as she was, with her long lashes glistening and her mouth twitching pitifully, the dancer seemed to touch a chord deep down in his heart.

"Come, come," said Desmond gutturally, with a touch of bonhomie in his voice in keeping with his ample girth, "you mustn't give way like this, my child! What's amiss? Come, sit down here and tell me what's the matter."He made her resume her seat by the table and pulled up one of the horsehair chairs for himself. Nur-el-Din wiped her eyes on a tiny lace handkerchief, but continued to sob and shudder at intervals.

"Marie, my maid," she said in French in a broken voice, "joined me here to-day. She has told me of this dreadful murder!"Desmond stiffened to attention. His mind swiftly reverted to the last woman he had seen cry, to Barbara Mackwayte discovering the loss of the package entrusted to her charge by the woman who sat before him.

"What murder?" he asked, striving to banish any trace of interest from his voice. He loathed the part he had to play. The dancer's distress struck him as genuine.

"The murder of Monsieur Mackwayte," said Nur-el-Din, and her tears broke forth anew.

"I have read of this in the newspapers," said Desmond. "Iremember you told me he was a friend of yours."Briefly, with many sobs, the dancer told him of the silver box which she had entrusted to Barbara Mackwayte's charge.

"And now," she sobbed, "it is lost and all my sacrifice, all my precautions, have been in vain!""But how?" asked Desmond. "Why should you think this box should have been taken? From what I remember reading of this case in the English newspapers there was a burglary at the house, but the thief has been arrested and the property restored. You have only to ask this Miss--what was the name? ah! yes, Mackwayte for your box and she will restore it!""No, no!" Nur-el-Din answered wearily, "you don't understand.

This was no burglary. The man who murdered Monsieur Arthur murdered him to get my silver box.""But," objected Desmond, "a silver box! What value has a trifling object like that? My dear young lady, murder is not done for a silver box!""No, no," Nur-el-Din repeated, "you don't understand! You don't know what that box contained!"Then she relapsed into silence, plucking idly at the shred of cambric she held between her fingers.

Already dusk was falling and the room was full of shadows. The golden radiance of the afternoon had died and eerie wraiths of fog were peering-in at the window.

Desmond held his peace. He felt he was on the threshold of a confession that might rend the veil of mystery surrounding the murder at Seven Kings. He stared fixedly at the ugly red tablecloth, conscious that the big eyes of the girl were searching his face.

"You have honest eyes," she said presently. "I told you that once before... that night we met.at your house... do you remember?

Your eyes are English. But you are a German, hein?""My mother was Irish," said Desmond and felt a momentary relief that, for once, he had been able to speak the truth.

"I want a friend," the girl resumed wearily, "someone that I can trust. But I look around and I find no one. You serve the German Empire, do you not?"Desmond bowed.

"But not the House of Hohenzollern?" the girl cried, her voice trembling with passion.

"I am not of the Emperor's personal service, if that is what you mean, madame," Desmond returned coldly.

"Then, since you are not altogether an iron Prussian," Nur-el-Din resumed eagerly, "you can differentiate. You can understand that there is a difference between working for the cause of Germany and for the personal business of her princes.""But certainly," answered Desmond, "I am not an errand boy nor yet a detective. I regard myself as a German officer doing his duty on the front. We have many fronts besides the Western and the Eastern. England is one.

"Ah," exclaimed the girl, clasping her hands together and looking at him with enraptured eyes, "I see you understand! My friend, Iam much tempted to make a confidant of you!"Desmond looked at her but did not speak. Again he felt that silence was now his only role. He tried hard to fix his mind on his duty; but the man in him was occupied with the woman who looked so appealingly at him.

同类推荐
  • The Man Who Could Not Lose

    The Man Who Could Not Lose

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 医学纲目

    医学纲目

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 问辨录

    问辨录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Bible in Spainl

    The Bible in Spainl

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十四经发挥

    十四经发挥

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 兜转爱上你

    兜转爱上你

    冒冒失失的八卦小记者莫小语,因参加报道一场婚礼。结识了抢亲了穆小云,从而卷入了一场穿越时间的倾城爱恋。女神般但失忆的夏蔷薇,追寻旧爱的穆小云,强势义气的唐嫣,与阴险小人邱阳。看最终谁是真正赢家。
  • 末世之无限能力

    末世之无限能力

    一次单车旅行中,王晨遭遇末世降临的灾难。各种强大的怪物在地球肆掠,而一部分人类也获得了隐藏的天赋,成为了能力者。人类与怪物的对抗正式拉开,为了解救和保护身边的人,王晨迫使自己一步步变得更强,而随着视野的展开,末世的真相渐渐浮出水面,浩瀚星空成为更广阔的战场,蜕变为强者的王晨与伙伴,将代表地球人的声音,向全宇宙宣示自己的地位!ps1:我想写一部轻松诙谐的小说,无拘无束,更要自由自在!无限能力,就是无所不能!让一切遐想变成现实,坚信梦的力量!ps2:(苦逼状)求点击,求收藏,求推荐,求点击,求收藏,求……*******************感谢起点吧【白怪怪】童鞋制作的封面。
  • 弃神魔王奋斗史:魅影魔戒

    弃神魔王奋斗史:魅影魔戒

    这是一个魔王建立伟大后宫的故事,哦,不,是纯洁的魔王和逆推魔王的女王大人浪漫相遇的故事。这是一部禁忌血统少年的奋斗史,其实他并不想找神大人的麻烦,毕竟这真的很麻烦,但是为了那可怕的女王殿下,真抱歉,神大人,请您牺牲一下吧……
  • 壹品皇妃:绝色倾城
  • 故事里的事

    故事里的事

    《最好看的当代名家小小说:故事里的事》收录了作者田洪波写就的六十则小小说,共分为六辑-彩云追月、天空之城、泪光翅膀、带刺玫瑰、烟雨凤凰、断桥残雪。作品大多弃绝修饰,力避娇作,直面人性。在叙述故事时,作者故意弱化写作技巧的运用,敞开心扉,或幽怨倾诉,或直面人生百态,以平实追求自然逼真的艺术效果,读后引人深思。作者善于在平淡的日常生活中发现美和善,能够以小见大,于尺寸篇幅中彰显人生况味。这与当代中学生甚至成年者所需要的精神补给是相契合的。
  • 鬼道之钟馗在世

    鬼道之钟馗在世

    太极分两端,相生相克,日为阳,月为阴,人为正,鬼为邪。贪嗔痴生恶鬼,真善美化钟馗。天道茫茫何所求?魑魅魍魉鬼见愁!天地人间,纵横遨游,驱鬼,驭鬼,食鬼乐,今朝有酒今朝休。道气长存,无生无灭,无始无终,唯尽鬼道,破地狱,方成正果。一个15岁的孩子,失去了8岁以前的记忆,与一个自称是自己爷爷的鬼道士相依为命活到了15岁。爷爷真的是爷爷,小孩又真的只是一个普通的小孩吗?
  • 无双皇王

    无双皇王

    青年歌手,穿越异界,看他怎样在那里崛起……音乐曼妙,舞姿翩跹,哪家宴会少得了“龙吟凤哕”的参加,没有龙吟凤哕在,那宴会还有什么意思……“什么,你说神锋营和灵丹阁是龙无双的?”“有什么大惊小怪的,连龙吟凤哕都是龙无双的呢?”……龙无双的存在,注定羞煞万千天骄,……无双皇王
  • 拽校草恋上冷公主

    拽校草恋上冷公主

    她,是人人畏惧的凌,有着人们不知道的一面回到中国后,遇到了此生的挚爱他,是夜氏集团继承人,因为凌的到来,占据了他的心…………
  • 华严一乘教义分齐章科

    华严一乘教义分齐章科

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 医女

    医女

    一碗强行灌下的堕胎药,让她一尸两命,香消玉殒,不想,迎来了另一个全新的女人!谁能想到这样一个柔弱的女子纤纤素手会掀起怎样一场腥风血雨?白衣蹁跹,风华绝代,她要让所有人知道她再不是以前那一个任人欺凌的柔弱女子,她今后的人生只能由她自己决定!