. And as we walked off again, she'd tell me about some move she'd spotted that neither player had seen. "Amazingly dim," she'd murmur, shaking her head,jordans for sale. This had all helped get me fascinated, and I was soon longing to become engrossed myself in those ornate pieces. So when I'd found a chess set at a Sale and decided to buy it--despite it costing an awful lot of tokens--I was counting on Ruth's help.
For the next several days, though, she sighed whenever I brought the subject up, or pretended she had something else really urgent to do. When I finally cornered her one rainy afternoon, and we set out the board in the billiards room, she proceeded to show me a game that was a vague variant on draughts. The distinguishing feature of chess, according to her, was that each piece moved in an L-shape--I suppose she'd got this from watching the knight--rather than in the leap-frogging way of draughts. I didn't believe this, and I was really disappointed,http://www.rolexsubmarinerreplicausa.com/, but I made sure to say nothing and went along with her for a while. We spent several minutes knocking each other's pieces off the board, always sliding the attacking piece in an "L." This continued until the time I tried to take her and she claimed it wouldn't count because I'd slid my piece up to hers in too straight a line.
At this, I stood up, packed up the set and walked off. I never said out loud that she didn't know how to play--disappointed as I was, I knew not to go that far--but my storming off was, I suppose, statement enough for her.
It was maybe a day later,imitation rolex watches, I came into Room 20 at the top of the house, where Mr,http://www.rolexsubmarinerreplica.info/. George had his poetry class. I don't remember if it was before or after the class, or how full the room was. I remember having books in my hands, and that as I moved towards where Ruth and the others were talking, there was a strong patch of sun across the desk-lids they were sitting on.
I could see from the way they had their heads together they were discussing secret guard stuff, and although, as I say, the row with Ruth had been only the day befo
2012年12月30日星期日
2012年12月18日星期二
缇庡浗浼楃 American Gods_227
"
"By 'they' you mean the black hats?"
"Exactly. I'm afraid the House on the Rock is now out of bounds. It's a little difficult, but we'll cope. Now it's just stamping our feet and flag-waving,best replica rolex watches, caracole and saunter until the action starts-a little later than any of us expected. I think they'll hold off until spring. Nothing big can happen until then,foamposite for cheap."
"How come?"
"Because they may babble on about micromilliseconds and virtual worlds and paradigm shifts and what-have-you, but they still inhabit this planet and are still bound by the cycle of the year. These are the dead months. A victory in these months is a dead victory."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Shadow,imitation rolex watches. That was not entirely true. He had a vague idea, and he hoped it was wrong.
"It's going to be a bad winter, and you and I are going to use our time as wisely as we can. We shall rally our troops and pick our battleground."
"Okay," said Shadow. He knew that Wednesday was telling him the truth, or a part of a truth. War was coming. No, that was not it: the war had already begun. The battle was coming. "Mad Sweeney said that he was working for you when we met him that first night. He said that before he died."
"And would I have wanted to employ someone who could not even best a sad case like that in a bar fight? But never fear, you've repaid my faith in you a dozen times over. Have you ever been to Las Vegas?"
"Las Vegas,chanel, Nevada?"
"That's the one."
"No."
"We're flying in there from Madison later tonight, on a gentleman's red-eye, a charter plane for high rollers. I've convinced them that we should be on it."
"Don't you ever get tired of lying?" asked Shadow. He said it gently, curiously.
"Not in the slightest. Anyway, it's true. We are playing for the highest stakes of all. It shouldn't take us more than a couple of hours to get to Madison, the roads are clear. So lock your door and turn off the heaters. It would be a terrible thing if you burned down the house in your absence."
"Who are we going to see in Las Vegas?"
Wednesda
"By 'they' you mean the black hats?"
"Exactly. I'm afraid the House on the Rock is now out of bounds. It's a little difficult, but we'll cope. Now it's just stamping our feet and flag-waving,best replica rolex watches, caracole and saunter until the action starts-a little later than any of us expected. I think they'll hold off until spring. Nothing big can happen until then,foamposite for cheap."
"How come?"
"Because they may babble on about micromilliseconds and virtual worlds and paradigm shifts and what-have-you, but they still inhabit this planet and are still bound by the cycle of the year. These are the dead months. A victory in these months is a dead victory."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Shadow,imitation rolex watches. That was not entirely true. He had a vague idea, and he hoped it was wrong.
"It's going to be a bad winter, and you and I are going to use our time as wisely as we can. We shall rally our troops and pick our battleground."
"Okay," said Shadow. He knew that Wednesday was telling him the truth, or a part of a truth. War was coming. No, that was not it: the war had already begun. The battle was coming. "Mad Sweeney said that he was working for you when we met him that first night. He said that before he died."
"And would I have wanted to employ someone who could not even best a sad case like that in a bar fight? But never fear, you've repaid my faith in you a dozen times over. Have you ever been to Las Vegas?"
"Las Vegas,chanel, Nevada?"
"That's the one."
"No."
"We're flying in there from Madison later tonight, on a gentleman's red-eye, a charter plane for high rollers. I've convinced them that we should be on it."
"Don't you ever get tired of lying?" asked Shadow. He said it gently, curiously.
"Not in the slightest. Anyway, it's true. We are playing for the highest stakes of all. It shouldn't take us more than a couple of hours to get to Madison, the roads are clear. So lock your door and turn off the heaters. It would be a terrible thing if you burned down the house in your absence."
"Who are we going to see in Las Vegas?"
Wednesda
娴峰簳涓や竾閲_Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea_334
ousness toward me. Then I saw no more of him for some days and again lived on board in seclusion,foamposite for cheap.
On January 16 the Nautilus seemed to have fallen asleep just a few meters beneath the surface of the water. Its electric equipment had been turned off, and the motionless propeller let it ride with the waves. I assumed that the crew were busy with interior repairs, required by the engine's strenuous mechanical action.
My companions and I then witnessed an unusual sight. The panels in the lounge were open, and since the Nautilus's beacon was off,rolex submariner replica, a hazy darkness reigned in the midst of the waters. Covered with heavy clouds, the stormy sky gave only the faintest light to the ocean's upper strata.
I was observing the state of the sea under these conditions,imitation rolex watches, and even the largest fish were nothing more than ill-defined shadows, when the Nautilus was suddenly transferred into broad daylight. At first I thought the beacon had gone back on and was casting its electric light into the liquid mass. I was mistaken, and after a hasty examination I discovered my error.
The Nautilus had drifted into the midst of some phosphorescent strata, which, in this darkness, came off as positively dazzling. This effect was caused by myriads of tiny, luminous animals whose brightness increased when they glided over the metal hull of our submersible. In the midst of these luminous sheets of water, I then glimpsed flashes of light, like those seen inside a blazing furnace from streams of molten lead or from masses of metal brought to a white heat--flashes so intense that certain areas of the light became shadows by comparison, in a fiery setting from which every shadow should seemingly have been banished. No, this was no longer the calm emission of our usual lighting! This light throbbed with unprecedented vigor and activity! You sensed that it was alive,http://www.cheapfoampositesone.us/!
In essence, it was a cluster of countless open-sea infusoria, of noctiluca an eighth of an inch wide, actual globules of transparent jelly equipped with a threadlike tentacle, up to 25,000
On January 16 the Nautilus seemed to have fallen asleep just a few meters beneath the surface of the water. Its electric equipment had been turned off, and the motionless propeller let it ride with the waves. I assumed that the crew were busy with interior repairs, required by the engine's strenuous mechanical action.
My companions and I then witnessed an unusual sight. The panels in the lounge were open, and since the Nautilus's beacon was off,rolex submariner replica, a hazy darkness reigned in the midst of the waters. Covered with heavy clouds, the stormy sky gave only the faintest light to the ocean's upper strata.
I was observing the state of the sea under these conditions,imitation rolex watches, and even the largest fish were nothing more than ill-defined shadows, when the Nautilus was suddenly transferred into broad daylight. At first I thought the beacon had gone back on and was casting its electric light into the liquid mass. I was mistaken, and after a hasty examination I discovered my error.
The Nautilus had drifted into the midst of some phosphorescent strata, which, in this darkness, came off as positively dazzling. This effect was caused by myriads of tiny, luminous animals whose brightness increased when they glided over the metal hull of our submersible. In the midst of these luminous sheets of water, I then glimpsed flashes of light, like those seen inside a blazing furnace from streams of molten lead or from masses of metal brought to a white heat--flashes so intense that certain areas of the light became shadows by comparison, in a fiery setting from which every shadow should seemingly have been banished. No, this was no longer the calm emission of our usual lighting! This light throbbed with unprecedented vigor and activity! You sensed that it was alive,http://www.cheapfoampositesone.us/!
In essence, it was a cluster of countless open-sea infusoria, of noctiluca an eighth of an inch wide, actual globules of transparent jelly equipped with a threadlike tentacle, up to 25,000
2012年12月8日星期六
I quite admit that I crowded my wares into the market too quickly — because the reading world could
I quite admit that I crowded my wares into the market too quickly — because the reading world could not want such a quantity of matter from the hands of one author in so short a space of time,homepage. I had not been quite so fertile as the unfortunate gentleman who disgusted the publisher in Paternoster Row — in the story of whose productiveness I have always thought there was a touch of romance — but I had probably done enough to make both publishers and readers think that I was coming too often beneath their notice. Of publishers, however, I must speak collectively, as my sins were, I think, chiefly due to the encouragement which I received from them individually. What I wrote for the Cornhill Magazine, I always wrote at the instigation of Mr. Smith,replica gucci wallets. My other works were published by Messrs. Chapman & Hall, in compliance with contracts made by me with them, and always made with their good-will. Could I have been two separate persons at one and the same time, of whom one might have been devoted to Cornhill and the other to the interests of the firm in Piccadilly, it might have been very well — but as I preserved my identity in both places, I myself became aware that my name was too frequent on titlepages.
Critics, if they ever trouble themselves with these pages, will, of course, say that in what I have now said I have ignored altogether the one great evil of rapid production — namely, that of inferior work. And of course if the work was inferior because of the too great rapidity of production, the critics would be right. Giving to the subject the best of my critical abilities, and judging of my own work as nearly as possible as I would that of another, I believe that the work which has been done quickest has been done the best. I have composed better stories — that is, have created better plots — than those of The Small House at Allington and Can You Forgive Her? and I have portrayed two or three better characters than are to be found in the pages of either of them; but taking these books all through, I do not think that I have ever done better work. Nor would these have been improved by any effort in the art of story telling, had each of these been the isolated labour of a couple of years. How short is the time devoted to the manipulation of a plot can be known only to those who have written plays and novels; I may say also, how very little time the brain is able to devote to such wearing work. There are usually some hours of agonising doubt, almost of despair — so at least it has been with me — or perhaps some days,moncler jackets men. And then, with nothing settled in my brain as to the final development of events, with no capability of settling anything, but with a most distinct conception of some character or characters, I have rushed at the work as a rider rushes at a fence which he does not see. Sometimes I have encountered what, in hunting language, we call a cropper. I had such a fall in two novels of mine, of which I have already spoken — The Bertrams and Castle Richmond. I shall have to speak of other such troubles,ugg bailey button triplet 1873 boots. But these failures have not arisen from over-hurried work. When my work has been quicker done — and it has sometimes been done very quickly — the rapidity has been achieved by hot pressure, not in the conception, but in the telling of the story. Instead of writing eight pages a day, I have written sixteen; instead of working five days a week, I have worked seven. I have trebled my usual average, and have done so in circumstances which have enabled me to give up all my thoughts for the time to the book I have been writing. This has generally been done at some quiet spot among the mountains — where there has been no society, no hunting, no whist, no ordinary household duties. And I am sure that the work so done has had in it the best truth and the highest spirit that I have been able to produce. At such times I have been able to imbue myself thoroughly with the characters I have had in hand. I have wandered alone among the rocks and woods, crying at their grief, laughing at their absurdities, and thoroughly enjoying their joy. I have been impregnated with my own creations till it has been my only excitement to sit with the pen in my hand, and drive my team before me at as quick a pace as I could make them travel.
Critics, if they ever trouble themselves with these pages, will, of course, say that in what I have now said I have ignored altogether the one great evil of rapid production — namely, that of inferior work. And of course if the work was inferior because of the too great rapidity of production, the critics would be right. Giving to the subject the best of my critical abilities, and judging of my own work as nearly as possible as I would that of another, I believe that the work which has been done quickest has been done the best. I have composed better stories — that is, have created better plots — than those of The Small House at Allington and Can You Forgive Her? and I have portrayed two or three better characters than are to be found in the pages of either of them; but taking these books all through, I do not think that I have ever done better work. Nor would these have been improved by any effort in the art of story telling, had each of these been the isolated labour of a couple of years. How short is the time devoted to the manipulation of a plot can be known only to those who have written plays and novels; I may say also, how very little time the brain is able to devote to such wearing work. There are usually some hours of agonising doubt, almost of despair — so at least it has been with me — or perhaps some days,moncler jackets men. And then, with nothing settled in my brain as to the final development of events, with no capability of settling anything, but with a most distinct conception of some character or characters, I have rushed at the work as a rider rushes at a fence which he does not see. Sometimes I have encountered what, in hunting language, we call a cropper. I had such a fall in two novels of mine, of which I have already spoken — The Bertrams and Castle Richmond. I shall have to speak of other such troubles,ugg bailey button triplet 1873 boots. But these failures have not arisen from over-hurried work. When my work has been quicker done — and it has sometimes been done very quickly — the rapidity has been achieved by hot pressure, not in the conception, but in the telling of the story. Instead of writing eight pages a day, I have written sixteen; instead of working five days a week, I have worked seven. I have trebled my usual average, and have done so in circumstances which have enabled me to give up all my thoughts for the time to the book I have been writing. This has generally been done at some quiet spot among the mountains — where there has been no society, no hunting, no whist, no ordinary household duties. And I am sure that the work so done has had in it the best truth and the highest spirit that I have been able to produce. At such times I have been able to imbue myself thoroughly with the characters I have had in hand. I have wandered alone among the rocks and woods, crying at their grief, laughing at their absurdities, and thoroughly enjoying their joy. I have been impregnated with my own creations till it has been my only excitement to sit with the pen in my hand, and drive my team before me at as quick a pace as I could make them travel.
I said I was very well
I said I was very well, and hoped he was. I was sufficiently ill at ease, Heaven knows; but it was not in my nature to complain much at that time of my life, so I said I was very well, and hoped he was.
'I am,' said the stranger, 'thank Heaven, quite well. I have received a letter from Mr. Murdstone, in which he mentions that he would desire me to receive into an apartment in the rear of my house,LINK, which is at present unoccupied - and is, in short, to be let as a - in short,' said the stranger, with a smile and in a burst of confidence, 'as a bedroom - the young beginner whom I have now the pleasure to -' and the stranger waved his hand, and settled his chin in his shirt-collar.
'This is Mr. Micawber,' said Mr. Quinion to me.
'Ahem!' said the stranger, 'that is my name.'
'Mr. Micawber,' said Mr. Quinion, 'is known to Mr. Murdstone. He takes orders for us on commission, when he can get any. He has been written to by Mr. Murdstone, on the subject of your lodgings, and he will receive you as a lodger.'
'My address,' said Mr. Micawber, 'is Windsor Terrace, City Road. I - in short,' said Mr. Micawber, with the same genteel air, and in another burst of confidence - 'I live there.'
I made him a bow.
'Under the impression,' said Mr. Micawber, 'that your peregrinations in this metropolis have not as yet been extensive, and that you might have some difficulty in penetrating the arcana of the Modern Babylon in the direction of the City Road, - in short,' said Mr. Micawber, in another burst of confidence,cheap foamposites, 'that you might lose yourself - I shall be happy to call this evening, and install you in the knowledge of the nearest way.'
I thanked him with all my heart,replica gucci bags, for it was friendly in him to offer to take that trouble.
'At what hour,' said Mr. Micawber, 'shall I -'
'At about eight,' said Mr. Quinion,replica montblanc pens.
'At about eight,' said Mr. Micawber. 'I beg to wish you good day, Mr. Quinion. I will intrude no longer.'
So he put on his hat, and went out with his cane under his arm: very upright, and humming a tune when he was clear of the counting-house.
Mr. Quinion then formally engaged me to be as useful as I could in the warehouse of Murdstone and Grinby, at a salary, I think, of six shillings a week. I am not clear whether it was six or seven. I am inclined to believe, from my uncertainty on this head, that it was six at first and seven afterwards. He paid me a week down (from his own pocket, I believe), and I gave Mealy sixpence out of it to get my trunk carried to Windsor Terrace that night: it being too heavy for my strength, small as it was. I paid sixpence more for my dinner, which was a meat pie and a turn at a neighbouring pump; and passed the hour which was allowed for that meal, in walking about the streets.
At the appointed time in the evening, Mr. Micawber reappeared. I washed my hands and face, to do the greater honour to his gentility, and we walked to our house, as I suppose I must now call it, together; Mr. Micawber impressing the name of streets, and the shapes of corner houses upon me, as we went along, that I might find my way back, easily, in the morning.
'I am,' said the stranger, 'thank Heaven, quite well. I have received a letter from Mr. Murdstone, in which he mentions that he would desire me to receive into an apartment in the rear of my house,LINK, which is at present unoccupied - and is, in short, to be let as a - in short,' said the stranger, with a smile and in a burst of confidence, 'as a bedroom - the young beginner whom I have now the pleasure to -' and the stranger waved his hand, and settled his chin in his shirt-collar.
'This is Mr. Micawber,' said Mr. Quinion to me.
'Ahem!' said the stranger, 'that is my name.'
'Mr. Micawber,' said Mr. Quinion, 'is known to Mr. Murdstone. He takes orders for us on commission, when he can get any. He has been written to by Mr. Murdstone, on the subject of your lodgings, and he will receive you as a lodger.'
'My address,' said Mr. Micawber, 'is Windsor Terrace, City Road. I - in short,' said Mr. Micawber, with the same genteel air, and in another burst of confidence - 'I live there.'
I made him a bow.
'Under the impression,' said Mr. Micawber, 'that your peregrinations in this metropolis have not as yet been extensive, and that you might have some difficulty in penetrating the arcana of the Modern Babylon in the direction of the City Road, - in short,' said Mr. Micawber, in another burst of confidence,cheap foamposites, 'that you might lose yourself - I shall be happy to call this evening, and install you in the knowledge of the nearest way.'
I thanked him with all my heart,replica gucci bags, for it was friendly in him to offer to take that trouble.
'At what hour,' said Mr. Micawber, 'shall I -'
'At about eight,' said Mr. Quinion,replica montblanc pens.
'At about eight,' said Mr. Micawber. 'I beg to wish you good day, Mr. Quinion. I will intrude no longer.'
So he put on his hat, and went out with his cane under his arm: very upright, and humming a tune when he was clear of the counting-house.
Mr. Quinion then formally engaged me to be as useful as I could in the warehouse of Murdstone and Grinby, at a salary, I think, of six shillings a week. I am not clear whether it was six or seven. I am inclined to believe, from my uncertainty on this head, that it was six at first and seven afterwards. He paid me a week down (from his own pocket, I believe), and I gave Mealy sixpence out of it to get my trunk carried to Windsor Terrace that night: it being too heavy for my strength, small as it was. I paid sixpence more for my dinner, which was a meat pie and a turn at a neighbouring pump; and passed the hour which was allowed for that meal, in walking about the streets.
At the appointed time in the evening, Mr. Micawber reappeared. I washed my hands and face, to do the greater honour to his gentility, and we walked to our house, as I suppose I must now call it, together; Mr. Micawber impressing the name of streets, and the shapes of corner houses upon me, as we went along, that I might find my way back, easily, in the morning.
2012年12月5日星期三
“他从没有提过什么人的名字吗
“他从没有提过什么人的名字吗?”
“提到过的。三年前,他打猎时出了点意外,在发烧中,曾经说过胡话。我记得他不断说起一个名字,他说的时候,很是愤怒,而且有些恐怖。这人的名字是麦金蒂——身主麦金蒂。后来他病好了,replica gucci wallets,我问他,身主麦金蒂是谁,他主管谁的身体?他哈哈一笑回答说,‘谢天谢地,他可不管我的身体。'我从他那里得到的全部情况也就是这些了。不过,身主麦金蒂和'恐怖谷'之间一定是有关系的。”
“还有一点,"警官麦克唐纳说道,“你是在伦敦一家公寓里和道格拉斯先生相识的,并且在那儿和他订的婚,是吗?关于你们的婚事,有什么恋爱过程,有什么秘密的或是神秘的事吗?”
“恋爱过程是有的,总是要有恋爱过程的。可是没有什么神秘的。”
“他没有情敌吗?”
“没有,那时我根本还没有男朋友。”
“你当然听说过,他的结婚戒指被人拿走了。这件事和你有什么关系吗?假定是他过去生活里的仇人追踪到这里并下了毒手,那么,把他的结婚戒指拿走的原因可能是什么呢?”
一瞬间,我敢说道格拉斯夫人唇边掠过一丝微笑。
“这我实在说不上,"她回答道,“这可实在是一件非常离奇古怪的事。”
“好,我们不再多耽误你了,在这样的时刻来打扰你,我们很是抱歉,"麦克唐纳说道,“当然,还有一些其它问题,以后遇到时,我们再来问你吧。”
她站了起来。我看到,象刚才一样,她又用轻捷而带有疑问的眼光扫视了我们一下:“你们对我的证词有什么看法呢?”这个问题真象是她已说出来一样。然后,她鞠了一躬,裙边轻扫地面,走出了房间。
“她真是一个美丽的女人——一个非常美丽的女人,"在她关上门以后,麦克唐纳沉思地说道,“巴克这个人一定常常到这里来的。他大概是个起受女人青睐的男子。他承认死者是个爱吃醋的人。他可能最清楚道格拉斯的醋意何来。还有结婚戒指的事。你无法放过这些问题。对这个从死者手中夺走结婚戒指的人……福尔摩斯先生,你有什么看法?”
我的朋友坐在那里,两手托着下巴,深深地陷入沉思。这时他站起身来,拉响了传呼铃。
“艾姆斯,"当管家走进来时,福尔摩斯说道,“塞西尔•巴克先生现在在哪儿?”
“我去看看,先生。”
艾姆斯一会儿就回来了,告诉我们巴克先生在花园里。
“艾姆斯,你可记得昨晚你和巴克先生在书房时,他脚上穿的是什么?”
“记得,福尔摩斯先生。他穿的是一双拖鞋。在他要去报警时,我才把长统靴子交给他。”
“现在这双拖鞋在哪里,cheap foamposites?”
“现在还在大厅的椅子底下。”
“很好,艾姆斯,我们要知道哪些是巴克先生的脚印,哪些是外来的脚印,这当然很重要了。”
“是的,先生。我可以说我注意到了那双拖鞋上已经染有血迹了,连我的鞋子上也是一样。”
“根据当时室内情况来看,那是很自然的。很好,艾姆斯。如果我们要找你,我们会再拉铃的,ugg bailey button triplet 1873 boots。”
几分钟以后,我们来到书房里。福尔摩斯已经从大厅里拿来那双毡拖鞋。果然象艾姆斯说的那样,两只鞋底上都有黑色的血迹。
“奇怪!"福尔摩斯站在窗前,Fake Designer Handbags,就着阳光仔细察看,自言自语道,“真是非常奇怪!”
福尔摩斯象猫似地猛跳过去,俯身把一只拖鞋放在窗台的血迹上。完全吻合。他默默地朝着几个同事笑了笑。
麦克唐纳兴奋得失去体统。他用地方口音象棍棒敲在栏杆上一样喋喋不休地讲起来。他大声喊道:“老兄!这是毫无疑义的了!是巴克自己印在窗上的。这比别的靴印要宽得多。我记得你说过是一双八字脚,而答案就在这里。不过,这是玩的什么把戏呢,福尔摩斯先生,这是什么把戏呢?”
“是啊,这是什么把戏呢?"我的朋友沉思地重复着麦克唐纳的话。
怀特•梅森捂着嘴轻声地笑着,又以职业上特有的那种满意的心情搓着他那双肥大的手,满意地大声叫道:“我说过这桩案子了不起。果真一点不假啊。”
Part 1 Chapter 6 A Dawning Light
The three detectives had many matters of detail into which to inquire; so I returned alone to our modest quarters at the village inn. But before doing so I took a stroll in the curious old-world garden which flanked the house. Rows of very ancient yew trees cut into strange designs girded it round. Inside was a beautiful stretch of lawn with an old sundial in the middle, the whole effect so soothing and restful that it was welcome to my somewhat jangled nerves.
In that deeply peaceful atmosphere one could forget, or remember only as some fantastic nightmare, that darkened study with the sprawling, bloodstained figure on the floor. And yet, as I strolled round it and tried to steep my soul in its gentle balm, a strange incident occurred, which brought me back to the tragedy and left a sinister impression in my mind.
I have said that a decoration of yew trees circled the garden. At the end farthest from the house they thickened into a continuous hedge. On the other side of this hedge, concealed from the eyes of anyone approaching from the direction of the house, there was a stone seat. As I approached the spot I was aware of voices, some remark in the deep tones of a man, answered by a little ripple of feminine laughter.
An instant later I had come round the end of the hedge and my eyes lit upon Mrs. Douglas and the man Barker before they were aware of my presence. Her appearance gave me a shock. In the dining-room she had been demure and discreet. Now all pretense of grief had passed away from her. Her eyes shone with the joy of living, and her face still quivered with amusement at some remark of her companion. He sat forward, his hands clasped and his forearms on his knees, with an answering smile upon his bold, handsome face. In an instant--but it was just one instant too late--they resumed their solemn masks as my figure came into view. A hurried word or two passed between them, and then Barker rose and came towards me.
“提到过的。三年前,他打猎时出了点意外,在发烧中,曾经说过胡话。我记得他不断说起一个名字,他说的时候,很是愤怒,而且有些恐怖。这人的名字是麦金蒂——身主麦金蒂。后来他病好了,replica gucci wallets,我问他,身主麦金蒂是谁,他主管谁的身体?他哈哈一笑回答说,‘谢天谢地,他可不管我的身体。'我从他那里得到的全部情况也就是这些了。不过,身主麦金蒂和'恐怖谷'之间一定是有关系的。”
“还有一点,"警官麦克唐纳说道,“你是在伦敦一家公寓里和道格拉斯先生相识的,并且在那儿和他订的婚,是吗?关于你们的婚事,有什么恋爱过程,有什么秘密的或是神秘的事吗?”
“恋爱过程是有的,总是要有恋爱过程的。可是没有什么神秘的。”
“他没有情敌吗?”
“没有,那时我根本还没有男朋友。”
“你当然听说过,他的结婚戒指被人拿走了。这件事和你有什么关系吗?假定是他过去生活里的仇人追踪到这里并下了毒手,那么,把他的结婚戒指拿走的原因可能是什么呢?”
一瞬间,我敢说道格拉斯夫人唇边掠过一丝微笑。
“这我实在说不上,"她回答道,“这可实在是一件非常离奇古怪的事。”
“好,我们不再多耽误你了,在这样的时刻来打扰你,我们很是抱歉,"麦克唐纳说道,“当然,还有一些其它问题,以后遇到时,我们再来问你吧。”
她站了起来。我看到,象刚才一样,她又用轻捷而带有疑问的眼光扫视了我们一下:“你们对我的证词有什么看法呢?”这个问题真象是她已说出来一样。然后,她鞠了一躬,裙边轻扫地面,走出了房间。
“她真是一个美丽的女人——一个非常美丽的女人,"在她关上门以后,麦克唐纳沉思地说道,“巴克这个人一定常常到这里来的。他大概是个起受女人青睐的男子。他承认死者是个爱吃醋的人。他可能最清楚道格拉斯的醋意何来。还有结婚戒指的事。你无法放过这些问题。对这个从死者手中夺走结婚戒指的人……福尔摩斯先生,你有什么看法?”
我的朋友坐在那里,两手托着下巴,深深地陷入沉思。这时他站起身来,拉响了传呼铃。
“艾姆斯,"当管家走进来时,福尔摩斯说道,“塞西尔•巴克先生现在在哪儿?”
“我去看看,先生。”
艾姆斯一会儿就回来了,告诉我们巴克先生在花园里。
“艾姆斯,你可记得昨晚你和巴克先生在书房时,他脚上穿的是什么?”
“记得,福尔摩斯先生。他穿的是一双拖鞋。在他要去报警时,我才把长统靴子交给他。”
“现在这双拖鞋在哪里,cheap foamposites?”
“现在还在大厅的椅子底下。”
“很好,艾姆斯,我们要知道哪些是巴克先生的脚印,哪些是外来的脚印,这当然很重要了。”
“是的,先生。我可以说我注意到了那双拖鞋上已经染有血迹了,连我的鞋子上也是一样。”
“根据当时室内情况来看,那是很自然的。很好,艾姆斯。如果我们要找你,我们会再拉铃的,ugg bailey button triplet 1873 boots。”
几分钟以后,我们来到书房里。福尔摩斯已经从大厅里拿来那双毡拖鞋。果然象艾姆斯说的那样,两只鞋底上都有黑色的血迹。
“奇怪!"福尔摩斯站在窗前,Fake Designer Handbags,就着阳光仔细察看,自言自语道,“真是非常奇怪!”
福尔摩斯象猫似地猛跳过去,俯身把一只拖鞋放在窗台的血迹上。完全吻合。他默默地朝着几个同事笑了笑。
麦克唐纳兴奋得失去体统。他用地方口音象棍棒敲在栏杆上一样喋喋不休地讲起来。他大声喊道:“老兄!这是毫无疑义的了!是巴克自己印在窗上的。这比别的靴印要宽得多。我记得你说过是一双八字脚,而答案就在这里。不过,这是玩的什么把戏呢,福尔摩斯先生,这是什么把戏呢?”
“是啊,这是什么把戏呢?"我的朋友沉思地重复着麦克唐纳的话。
怀特•梅森捂着嘴轻声地笑着,又以职业上特有的那种满意的心情搓着他那双肥大的手,满意地大声叫道:“我说过这桩案子了不起。果真一点不假啊。”
Part 1 Chapter 6 A Dawning Light
The three detectives had many matters of detail into which to inquire; so I returned alone to our modest quarters at the village inn. But before doing so I took a stroll in the curious old-world garden which flanked the house. Rows of very ancient yew trees cut into strange designs girded it round. Inside was a beautiful stretch of lawn with an old sundial in the middle, the whole effect so soothing and restful that it was welcome to my somewhat jangled nerves.
In that deeply peaceful atmosphere one could forget, or remember only as some fantastic nightmare, that darkened study with the sprawling, bloodstained figure on the floor. And yet, as I strolled round it and tried to steep my soul in its gentle balm, a strange incident occurred, which brought me back to the tragedy and left a sinister impression in my mind.
I have said that a decoration of yew trees circled the garden. At the end farthest from the house they thickened into a continuous hedge. On the other side of this hedge, concealed from the eyes of anyone approaching from the direction of the house, there was a stone seat. As I approached the spot I was aware of voices, some remark in the deep tones of a man, answered by a little ripple of feminine laughter.
An instant later I had come round the end of the hedge and my eyes lit upon Mrs. Douglas and the man Barker before they were aware of my presence. Her appearance gave me a shock. In the dining-room she had been demure and discreet. Now all pretense of grief had passed away from her. Her eyes shone with the joy of living, and her face still quivered with amusement at some remark of her companion. He sat forward, his hands clasped and his forearms on his knees, with an answering smile upon his bold, handsome face. In an instant--but it was just one instant too late--they resumed their solemn masks as my figure came into view. A hurried word or two passed between them, and then Barker rose and came towards me.
Yielding to it
"What?"
"Yielding to it."
"You laugh, but you don't know what it is all about. Have you read Rousseau?"
"Yes."
"Do you remember that he asks the reader somewhere what he would do if he could make a fortune by killing an old mandarin somewhere in China by mere force of wishing it, and without stirring from Paris?"
"Yes."
"Well, then?"
"Pshaw! I am at my thirty-third mandarin."
"Seriously, though. Look here, suppose you were sure that you could do it, and had only to give a nod. Would you do it?"
"Is he well ctricken in years, this mandarin of yours? Pshaw! after all, young or old, paralytic, or well and sound, my word for it,Replica Designer Handbags. . . . Well, then. Hang it, no!"
"You are a good fellow, Bianchon. But suppose you loved a woman well enough to lose your soul in hell for her, and that she wanted money for dresses and a carriage, and all her whims, in fact?"
"Why, here you are taking away my reason, and want me to reason!"
"Well, then, Bianchon, I am mad; bring me to my senses. I have two sisters as beautiful and innocent as angels, and I want them to be happy. How am I to find two hundred thousand francs apiece for them in the next five years? Now and then in life, you see, you must play for heavy stakes, and it is no use wasting your luck on low play."
"But you are only stating the problem that lies before every one at the outset of his life, and you want to cut the Gordian knot with a sword. If that is the way of it, dear boy, you must be an Alexander, or to the hulks you go. For my own part, I am quite contented with the little lot I mean to make for myself somewhere in the country, when I mean to step into my father's shoes and plod along,Moncler Outlet. A man's affections are just as fully satisfied by the smallest circle as they can be by a vast circumference. Napoleon himself could only dine once, and he could not have more mistresses than a house student at the Capuchins. Happiness, old man, depends on what lies between the sole of your foot and the crown of your head; and whether it costs a million or a hundred louis,replica gucci wallets, the actual amount of pleasure that you receive rests entirely with you, and is just exactly the same in any case. I am for letting that Chinaman live."
"Thank you, Bianchon; you have done me good. We will always be friends."
"I say," remarked the medical student, as they came to the end of a broad walk in the Jardin des Plantes, "I saw the Michonneau and Poiret a few minutes ago on a bench chatting with a gentleman whom I used to see in last year's troubles hanging about the Chamber of Deputies; he seems to me, in fact, to be a detective dressed up like a decent retired tradesman. Let us keep an eye on that couple; I will tell you why some time. Good-bye; it is nearly four o'clock, and I must be in to answer to my name."
When Eugene reached the lodging-house, he found Father Goriot waiting for him.
"Here," cried the old man, "here is a letter from her. Pretty handwriting, eh?"
Eugene broke the seal and read:-
"Sir,--I have heard from my father that you are fond of Italian music. shall be delighted if you will do me the pleasure of accepting a seat in my box. La Fodor and Pellegrini will sing on Saturday, so I am sure that you will not refuse me,nike foamposites. M. de Nucingen and I shall be pleased if you will dine with us; we shall be quite by ourselves. If you will come and be my escort, my husband will be glad to be relieved from his conjugal duties. Do not answer, but simply come.--Yours sincerely, D. DE N."
"Yielding to it."
"You laugh, but you don't know what it is all about. Have you read Rousseau?"
"Yes."
"Do you remember that he asks the reader somewhere what he would do if he could make a fortune by killing an old mandarin somewhere in China by mere force of wishing it, and without stirring from Paris?"
"Yes."
"Well, then?"
"Pshaw! I am at my thirty-third mandarin."
"Seriously, though. Look here, suppose you were sure that you could do it, and had only to give a nod. Would you do it?"
"Is he well ctricken in years, this mandarin of yours? Pshaw! after all, young or old, paralytic, or well and sound, my word for it,Replica Designer Handbags. . . . Well, then. Hang it, no!"
"You are a good fellow, Bianchon. But suppose you loved a woman well enough to lose your soul in hell for her, and that she wanted money for dresses and a carriage, and all her whims, in fact?"
"Why, here you are taking away my reason, and want me to reason!"
"Well, then, Bianchon, I am mad; bring me to my senses. I have two sisters as beautiful and innocent as angels, and I want them to be happy. How am I to find two hundred thousand francs apiece for them in the next five years? Now and then in life, you see, you must play for heavy stakes, and it is no use wasting your luck on low play."
"But you are only stating the problem that lies before every one at the outset of his life, and you want to cut the Gordian knot with a sword. If that is the way of it, dear boy, you must be an Alexander, or to the hulks you go. For my own part, I am quite contented with the little lot I mean to make for myself somewhere in the country, when I mean to step into my father's shoes and plod along,Moncler Outlet. A man's affections are just as fully satisfied by the smallest circle as they can be by a vast circumference. Napoleon himself could only dine once, and he could not have more mistresses than a house student at the Capuchins. Happiness, old man, depends on what lies between the sole of your foot and the crown of your head; and whether it costs a million or a hundred louis,replica gucci wallets, the actual amount of pleasure that you receive rests entirely with you, and is just exactly the same in any case. I am for letting that Chinaman live."
"Thank you, Bianchon; you have done me good. We will always be friends."
"I say," remarked the medical student, as they came to the end of a broad walk in the Jardin des Plantes, "I saw the Michonneau and Poiret a few minutes ago on a bench chatting with a gentleman whom I used to see in last year's troubles hanging about the Chamber of Deputies; he seems to me, in fact, to be a detective dressed up like a decent retired tradesman. Let us keep an eye on that couple; I will tell you why some time. Good-bye; it is nearly four o'clock, and I must be in to answer to my name."
When Eugene reached the lodging-house, he found Father Goriot waiting for him.
"Here," cried the old man, "here is a letter from her. Pretty handwriting, eh?"
Eugene broke the seal and read:-
"Sir,--I have heard from my father that you are fond of Italian music. shall be delighted if you will do me the pleasure of accepting a seat in my box. La Fodor and Pellegrini will sing on Saturday, so I am sure that you will not refuse me,nike foamposites. M. de Nucingen and I shall be pleased if you will dine with us; we shall be quite by ourselves. If you will come and be my escort, my husband will be glad to be relieved from his conjugal duties. Do not answer, but simply come.--Yours sincerely, D. DE N."
2012年12月4日星期二
hundred thousand francs again by some stroke of business
hundred thousand francs again by some stroke of business. With your capital and your brains you should be able to accumulate as large a fortune as you could wish. ERGO, in six months you will have made your own fortune, and our old friend Vautrin's, and made an amiable woman very happy, to say nothing of your people at home,fake uggs for sale, who must blow on their fingers to warm them, in the winter, for lack of firewood. You need not be surprised at my proposal, nor at the demand I make. Forty-seven out of every sixty great matches here in Paris are made after hust such a bargain as this. The Chamber of Notaries compels my gentleman to----"
"What must I do?" said Rastignac, eagerly interrupting Vautrin's speech.
"Next to nothing," returned the other, with a slight involuntary movement, the suppressed exultation of the angler when he feels a bite at the end of his line. "Follow me carefully! The heart of a girl whose life is wretched and unhappy is a sponge that will thirstily absorb love; a dry sponge that swells at the first drop of sentiment. If you pay court to a young girl whose existence is a compound of loneliness, despair, and poverty,replica gucci bags, and who has no suspicion that she will come into a fortune, good Lord! it is quint and quatorze at piquet; it is knowing the numbers of the lottery before-hand; it is speculating in the funds when you have news from a sure source; it is building up a marriage on an indestructible foundation. The girl may come in for millions, and she will fling them, as if they were so many pebbles, at your feet. 'Take it, my beloved! Take it, Alfred, Adolphe, Eugene!' or whoever it was that showed his sense by sacrificing himself for her. And as for sacrificing himself, this is how I understand it. You sell a coat that is getting shabby, so that you can take her to the Cadran bleu, treat her to mushrooms on toast, and then go to the Ambigu-Comique in the evening; you pawn your watch to buy her a shawl. I need not remind you of the fiddle-faddle sentimentality that goes down so well with all women; you spill a few drops of water on your stationery, for instance,Moncler outlet online store; those are the tears you shed while far away from her. You look to me as if you were perfectly acquainted with the argot of the heart. Paris, you see, is like a forest in the New World, where you have to deal with a score of varieties of savages--Illinois and Hurons, who live on the proceed of their social hunting. You are a hunter of millions; you set your snares; you use lures and nets; there are many ways of hunting. Some hunt heiresses, others a legacy; some fish for souls, yet others sell their clients, bound hand and foot. Every one who comes back from the chase with his gamebag well filled meets with a warm welcome in good society. In
justice to this hospitable part of the world, it must be said that you have to do with the most easy and good-natured of great cities. If the proud aristocracies of the rest of Europe refuse admittance among their ranks to a disreputable millionaire, Paris stretches out a hand to him, goes to his banquets,nike shox torch ii, eats his dinners, and hobnobs with his infamy."
"What must I do?" said Rastignac, eagerly interrupting Vautrin's speech.
"Next to nothing," returned the other, with a slight involuntary movement, the suppressed exultation of the angler when he feels a bite at the end of his line. "Follow me carefully! The heart of a girl whose life is wretched and unhappy is a sponge that will thirstily absorb love; a dry sponge that swells at the first drop of sentiment. If you pay court to a young girl whose existence is a compound of loneliness, despair, and poverty,replica gucci bags, and who has no suspicion that she will come into a fortune, good Lord! it is quint and quatorze at piquet; it is knowing the numbers of the lottery before-hand; it is speculating in the funds when you have news from a sure source; it is building up a marriage on an indestructible foundation. The girl may come in for millions, and she will fling them, as if they were so many pebbles, at your feet. 'Take it, my beloved! Take it, Alfred, Adolphe, Eugene!' or whoever it was that showed his sense by sacrificing himself for her. And as for sacrificing himself, this is how I understand it. You sell a coat that is getting shabby, so that you can take her to the Cadran bleu, treat her to mushrooms on toast, and then go to the Ambigu-Comique in the evening; you pawn your watch to buy her a shawl. I need not remind you of the fiddle-faddle sentimentality that goes down so well with all women; you spill a few drops of water on your stationery, for instance,Moncler outlet online store; those are the tears you shed while far away from her. You look to me as if you were perfectly acquainted with the argot of the heart. Paris, you see, is like a forest in the New World, where you have to deal with a score of varieties of savages--Illinois and Hurons, who live on the proceed of their social hunting. You are a hunter of millions; you set your snares; you use lures and nets; there are many ways of hunting. Some hunt heiresses, others a legacy; some fish for souls, yet others sell their clients, bound hand and foot. Every one who comes back from the chase with his gamebag well filled meets with a warm welcome in good society. In
justice to this hospitable part of the world, it must be said that you have to do with the most easy and good-natured of great cities. If the proud aristocracies of the rest of Europe refuse admittance among their ranks to a disreputable millionaire, Paris stretches out a hand to him, goes to his banquets,nike shox torch ii, eats his dinners, and hobnobs with his infamy."
But his pace quickened slightly and they were soon inside
But his pace quickened slightly and they were soon inside, on somewhat safer turf.
He hoped. They were greeted by paid greeters; coats were taken; smiles were offered; friendly cameras appeared; old pals materialized,Moncler outlet online store; and they were soon lost in the warm cluster of seriously rich people pretending to enjoy one another's company.
Brianna found her soul mate, another anorexic trophy with the same unusual body-everything superbly starved but the ridiculous breasts. Carl went straight for the bar, and almost made it before he was practically tackled by the one jerk he hoped to avoid.
"Carl, ole boy, bad news down south I hear,LINK," the man boomed as loudly as possible.
"Yes, very bad," Carl said in a much lower voice as he grabbed a champagne flute and began to drain it,Fake Designer Handbags.
Pete Flint was number 228 on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. Carl was number 310, and each man knew exactly where the other fit on the roster. Numbers 87 and 141 were also in the crowd, along with a host of unranked contenders.
"Thought your boys had things under control," Flint pressed on, slurping a tall glass full of either scotch or bourbon. He somehow managed a frown while working hard to conceal his delight.
"Yes, we thought so, too," Carl said, wishing he could slap the fat jowls twelve inches away.
"What about the appeal?" Flint asked gravely.
"We're in great shape.”
At last year's auction, Flint had valiantly hung on to the frenzied end and walked away with the Brain After Gunshot, a $6 million artistic waste but one that launched the MuAb's current capital campaign. No doubt he would be in the hunt for tonight's grand prize.
"Good thing we shorted Krane last week," he said.
Carl started to curse him but kept his cool. Flint ran a hedge fund famous for its daring. Had he really shorted Krane Chemical in anticipation of a bad verdict? Carl's puzzled glare concealed nothing.
"Oh yes," Flint went on, pulling on his glass and smacking his lips. "Our man down there said you were screwed.”
"We'll never pay a dime," Carl said gamely.
"You'll pay in the morning, ole boy. We're betting Krane's stock drops 20 percent.”
And with that he turned and walked away, leaving Carl to finish off his drink and lunge for another. Twenty percent? Carl's laser-quick mind did the math. He owned 45 percent of the outstanding common shares of Krane Chemical, a company with a market value of $3.2 billion, based on the day's closing price. A 20 percent decline would cost him 1280 million, on paper. No real cash losses, of course, but still a rough day around the office.
Ten percent was more like it, he thought. The boys in finance agreed with him.
Could Flint's hedge fund short a significant chunk of Krane's stock without Carl knowing about it? He stared at a confused bartender and pondered the question. Yes, it was possible, but not likely. Flint was simply rubbing a little salt,replica louis vuitton handbags.
He hoped. They were greeted by paid greeters; coats were taken; smiles were offered; friendly cameras appeared; old pals materialized,Moncler outlet online store; and they were soon lost in the warm cluster of seriously rich people pretending to enjoy one another's company.
Brianna found her soul mate, another anorexic trophy with the same unusual body-everything superbly starved but the ridiculous breasts. Carl went straight for the bar, and almost made it before he was practically tackled by the one jerk he hoped to avoid.
"Carl, ole boy, bad news down south I hear,LINK," the man boomed as loudly as possible.
"Yes, very bad," Carl said in a much lower voice as he grabbed a champagne flute and began to drain it,Fake Designer Handbags.
Pete Flint was number 228 on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. Carl was number 310, and each man knew exactly where the other fit on the roster. Numbers 87 and 141 were also in the crowd, along with a host of unranked contenders.
"Thought your boys had things under control," Flint pressed on, slurping a tall glass full of either scotch or bourbon. He somehow managed a frown while working hard to conceal his delight.
"Yes, we thought so, too," Carl said, wishing he could slap the fat jowls twelve inches away.
"What about the appeal?" Flint asked gravely.
"We're in great shape.”
At last year's auction, Flint had valiantly hung on to the frenzied end and walked away with the Brain After Gunshot, a $6 million artistic waste but one that launched the MuAb's current capital campaign. No doubt he would be in the hunt for tonight's grand prize.
"Good thing we shorted Krane last week," he said.
Carl started to curse him but kept his cool. Flint ran a hedge fund famous for its daring. Had he really shorted Krane Chemical in anticipation of a bad verdict? Carl's puzzled glare concealed nothing.
"Oh yes," Flint went on, pulling on his glass and smacking his lips. "Our man down there said you were screwed.”
"We'll never pay a dime," Carl said gamely.
"You'll pay in the morning, ole boy. We're betting Krane's stock drops 20 percent.”
And with that he turned and walked away, leaving Carl to finish off his drink and lunge for another. Twenty percent? Carl's laser-quick mind did the math. He owned 45 percent of the outstanding common shares of Krane Chemical, a company with a market value of $3.2 billion, based on the day's closing price. A 20 percent decline would cost him 1280 million, on paper. No real cash losses, of course, but still a rough day around the office.
Ten percent was more like it, he thought. The boys in finance agreed with him.
Could Flint's hedge fund short a significant chunk of Krane's stock without Carl knowing about it? He stared at a confused bartender and pondered the question. Yes, it was possible, but not likely. Flint was simply rubbing a little salt,replica louis vuitton handbags.
2012年12月2日星期日
This was Darrell's brother
"This was Darrell's brother?"
"Yes,LINK."
"So, he wasn't really your uncle?"
"I thought he was. Why are you asking so many questions, Pastor?"
"I'm trying to pass the time, Travis, and I'm trying to stay awake. Since I met you Monday morning, I have slept very little. I'm exhausted, and we have a long way to go."
"I don't like all these questions."
"Well, what exactly do you think you're about to hear in Texas? We show up, you claim to be the real murderer, and then you announce that you really don't like questions. Come on, Travis."
Several miles passed without a word,shox torch 2. Travis stared to his right, at nothing but the darkness, and lightly tapped his cane with his fingertips. He had shown no signs of severe headaches for at least an hour,moncler jackets men. Keith glanced at the speedometer and realized he was doing eighty, ten over, enough for a ticket anywhere in Kansas. He slowed down and, to keep his mind going, played out the scene in which a state trooper pulled him over, checked his ID, checked Boyette's, then called for backup. A fleeing felon. A wayward Lutheran minister aiding the fleeing felon. Blue lights all over the road. Handcuffs. A night in jail, maybe in the same cell with his friend, a man who wouldn't be the least bit bothered by another night behind bars. What would Keith tell his boys?
He began to nod again. There was a phone call he had to make, and there was no good time to make it. The call was guaranteed to engage his mind at such a level that sleep would be forgotten momentarily. He removed his cell phone from his pocket and speed-dialed Matthew Burns. It was almost 2:00 a.m. Evidently, Matthew was a sound sleeper. It took eight rings to rouse him.
"This better be good," he growled.
"Good morning, Matthew. Sleep well?"
"Fine, Father. Why the hell are you calling me?"
"Watch your language, son. Look, I'm on the road headed for Texas, traveling with a man named Travis Boyette, a nice gentleman who visited our church last Sunday. You may have seen him. Walks with a cane. Anyway, Travis here has a confession to make to the authorities in Texas, a small town called Slone, and we're dashing off to stop an execution."
Matthew's voice cleared quickly. "Have you lost your mind, Keith? You've got that guy in the car?"
"Oh yes, left Topeka about an hour ago. The reason I'm calling, Matt, is to ask for your help."
"I'll give you some help, Keith. Free advice. Turn that damned car around and get back here."
"Thanks, Matt, but look, in a few hours I'll need you to make a couple of phone calls to Slone, Texas."
"What does Dana say about this?"
"Fine, fine. I'll need you to call the police, the prosecutor, and maybe a defense lawyer. I'll be calling them too, Matt, but since you're a prosecutor, they might listen to you."
"Are you still in Kansas?"
"Yes, I-35."
"Don't cross the state line, Keith. Please."
"Well,fake uggs online store, that might make it rather difficult to get to Texas, don't you think?"
"Don't cross the state line!"
"Get some sleep. I'll call you back around six, and we'll start working the phones, okay?"
Keith closed his phone, punched voice mail, and waited. Ten seconds later it buzzed. Matthew was calling back.
"Yes,LINK."
"So, he wasn't really your uncle?"
"I thought he was. Why are you asking so many questions, Pastor?"
"I'm trying to pass the time, Travis, and I'm trying to stay awake. Since I met you Monday morning, I have slept very little. I'm exhausted, and we have a long way to go."
"I don't like all these questions."
"Well, what exactly do you think you're about to hear in Texas? We show up, you claim to be the real murderer, and then you announce that you really don't like questions. Come on, Travis."
Several miles passed without a word,shox torch 2. Travis stared to his right, at nothing but the darkness, and lightly tapped his cane with his fingertips. He had shown no signs of severe headaches for at least an hour,moncler jackets men. Keith glanced at the speedometer and realized he was doing eighty, ten over, enough for a ticket anywhere in Kansas. He slowed down and, to keep his mind going, played out the scene in which a state trooper pulled him over, checked his ID, checked Boyette's, then called for backup. A fleeing felon. A wayward Lutheran minister aiding the fleeing felon. Blue lights all over the road. Handcuffs. A night in jail, maybe in the same cell with his friend, a man who wouldn't be the least bit bothered by another night behind bars. What would Keith tell his boys?
He began to nod again. There was a phone call he had to make, and there was no good time to make it. The call was guaranteed to engage his mind at such a level that sleep would be forgotten momentarily. He removed his cell phone from his pocket and speed-dialed Matthew Burns. It was almost 2:00 a.m. Evidently, Matthew was a sound sleeper. It took eight rings to rouse him.
"This better be good," he growled.
"Good morning, Matthew. Sleep well?"
"Fine, Father. Why the hell are you calling me?"
"Watch your language, son. Look, I'm on the road headed for Texas, traveling with a man named Travis Boyette, a nice gentleman who visited our church last Sunday. You may have seen him. Walks with a cane. Anyway, Travis here has a confession to make to the authorities in Texas, a small town called Slone, and we're dashing off to stop an execution."
Matthew's voice cleared quickly. "Have you lost your mind, Keith? You've got that guy in the car?"
"Oh yes, left Topeka about an hour ago. The reason I'm calling, Matt, is to ask for your help."
"I'll give you some help, Keith. Free advice. Turn that damned car around and get back here."
"Thanks, Matt, but look, in a few hours I'll need you to make a couple of phone calls to Slone, Texas."
"What does Dana say about this?"
"Fine, fine. I'll need you to call the police, the prosecutor, and maybe a defense lawyer. I'll be calling them too, Matt, but since you're a prosecutor, they might listen to you."
"Are you still in Kansas?"
"Yes, I-35."
"Don't cross the state line, Keith. Please."
"Well,fake uggs online store, that might make it rather difficult to get to Texas, don't you think?"
"Don't cross the state line!"
"Get some sleep. I'll call you back around six, and we'll start working the phones, okay?"
Keith closed his phone, punched voice mail, and waited. Ten seconds later it buzzed. Matthew was calling back.
Destiny had assigned Margaret Slocum to a very narrow sphere
Destiny had assigned Margaret Slocum to a very narrow sphere; it had shut her up in an obscure New England manufacturing village, with no society, strictly speaking, and no outlets whatever to large experiences,ugg bailey button triplet 1873 boots. To her father's affection, Richard's friendship, and her household duties she was forced to look for her happiness. If life held wider possibilities for her, she had not dreamed of them. She looked up to Richard with respect,--perhaps with a dash of sentiment in the respect; there was something at once gentle and virile in his character which she admired and leaned upon; in his presence the small housekeeping troubles always slipped from her; but her heart, to use a pretty French phrase, had not consciously spoken,--possibly it had murmured a little, incoherently, to itself, but it had not spoken out aloud, as perhaps it would have done long ago if an impediment had been placed in the way of their intimacy. With all her subtler intuitions,replica louis vuitton handbags, Margaret was as far as Richard from suspecting the strength and direction of the current with which they were drifting. Freedom, habit, and the nature of their environment conspired to prolong this mutual lack of perception. The hour had sounded, however, when these two were to see each other in a different light.
One Monday morning in March, at the close of the three years in question, as Richard mouinted the outside staircase leading to his studio in the extension, the servant-maid beckoned to him from the kitchen window.
Margaret had failed to come to the studio the previous Saturday afternoon. Richard had worked at cross-purposes and returned to his boarding-house vaguely dissatisfied, as always happened to him on those rare occasions when she missed the appointment; but he had thought little of the circumstance. Nor had he been disturbed on Sunday at seeing the Slocum pew vacant during both services. The heavy snow-storm which had begun the night before accounted for at least Margaret's absence.
"Mr. Slocum told me to tell you that he shouldn't be in the yard to-day," said the girl. "Miss Margaret is very ill."
"Ill!" Richard repeated, and the smile with which he had leaned over the rail towards the window went out instantly on his lip.
"Dr. Weld was up with her until five o'clock this morning," said the girl, fingering the corner of her apron. "She's that low."
"What is the matter?"
"It's a fever."
"What kind of fever?"
"I don't mind me what the doctor called it. He thinks it come from something wrong with the drains."
"He didn't say typhoid?"
"Yes, that's the name of it."
Richard ascended the stairs with a slow step, and a moment afterwards stood stupidly in the middle of the workshop. "Margaret is going to die," he said to himself, giving voice to the dark foreboding that had instantly seized upon him, and in a swift vision he saw the end of all that simple, fortunate existence which he had lived without once reflecting it could ever end. He mechanically picked up a tool from the table, and laid it down again. Then he seated himself on the low bench between the windows. It was Margaret's favorite place; it was not four days since she sat there reading to him. Already it appeared long ago,--years and years ago,moncler jackets men. He could hardly remember when he did not have this heavy weight on his heart. His life of yesterday abruptly presented itself to him as a reminiscence,nike shox torch 2; he saw now how happy that life had been, and how lightly he had accepted it. It took to itself all that precious quality of things irrevocably lost.
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