出逃的囚犯-巴斯克維爾獵犬

巴斯克維爾獵犬目錄9 出逃的囚犯 The Escaped Prisoner Mr Stapleton came to the Hall and met Sir Henry that same afternoon.The next morning he took us to the place where the evil Sir Hugo died.Then we had lunch at the House.Sir Henry clearly thought Miss Stapleton was very beautiful.His eyes followed her everywhere.He liked her very much,and I was sure that she felt the same about him.He spoke about her again and again as we walked home.After the first meeting,we met the Stapletons almost every day.
After a short time it was clear that Sir Henry had fallen deeply in love with the beautiful Miss Stapleton.At first I thought that Stapleton would be very pleased if his sister mar ried Sir Henry.However,I soon realized that he did not want their friendship to grow into love.He did everything he could to make sure that they were never alone.On one or two occa sions they did manage to meet alone,but Stapleton followed them and was not pleased to see them together.
I soon met another neighbour of Sir Henry's.His name was Mr Frankland,and he lived about four miles to the south of the Hall.He was an old man with a red face and white hair.He had two hobbies.The first was arguing.He argued with everybody.The second hobby was studying the stars.For this he had a very big telescope.For several days he had been watching the moor through the telescope.He wanted to find Selden,the escaped murderer.Nobody had seen the prisoner for a fortnight,and we all thought that he had probably left the moor.
A few nights later I was woken by a noise at about two in the morning.I heard someone walking softly outside my door.I got up,opened the door and looked out.I saw Barrymore moving carefully and quietly away from me.I followed him,as quietly as I could.He went into one of the empty bedrooms and left the door open.I went quietly up to the door and looked in side.
Barrymore was standing at the window.He was holding a light in his hand and looking out onto the moor.He stood without moving for a few minutes and then he put out the light.
I went quickly back to my room.A few minutes later I heard Barrymore go softly by.
The next morning I told Sir Henry what I had seen.
'We must follow him and find out what he is doing,'said Sir Henry.'He won't hear us if we move carefully.'
That night we sat in Sir Henry's room and waited.At about three o'clock in the morning we heard the sound of footsteps outside the bedroom.We looked out and saw Barrymore.We followed him as quietly as we could.He went into the same room as before.We reached the door and looked in.There was Barrymore,with the light in his hand,looking out across the moor,exactly as I had seen him on the night before.
Sir Henry walked into the room and said:'What are you do ing here,Barrymore?'
Barrymore turned round quickly,surprise and horror on his face.
'Nothing,Sir,'he said.The shadows on the wall from his light were jumping up and down as his hand shook.'It was the window,sir.I go round at night to see that they are closed,and this one wasn't shut.'
'Come now,Barrymore,'said Sir Henry.'No lies.What were you doing with that light?You were holding it up to the window.'
I suddenly had an idea.'I think he was sending a message,' I said.'Let's see if there's an answer from someone on the moor.'
I held the light up to the window,and looked out into the darkness.Suddenly a light answered from the moor.
'There it is,'I cried.I waved my light backwards and for wards across the window.The light on the moor answered by moving in the same way.
'Now,Barrymore,who is your friend on the moor?What's going on?'
'That's my business,'said Barrymore,'I won't tell you.'
'Are you making some criminal plan against me?'Sir Henry said.
'No,it's nothing against you,sir,'said a voice behind us.It was Mrs Barrymore.She had followed us and was standing at the door.'He's doing it for me.My unhappy brother is cold and hungry on the moor.We cannot let him die.Our light is to tell him that food is ready for him.His light shows us where to take it.'
'Then your brother is…'began Sir Henry.
'The escaped prisoner,sir.Selden,the murderer.He is my younger brother.He has done evil things,but to me he is still the little boy I loved and cared for.I had to help him.Every thing my husband has done has been for me.Please don't take his job from him.It's not his fault.'
Sir Henry turned to Barrymore and said:
'I cannot blame you for helping your wife.Go to bed,and we'll talk about this in the morning.'
The Barrymores left us.
'The murderer is waiting out there by that light,' said Sir Henry.'He's a danger to everyone.I'm going to catch him.If you want to come with me,Watson,fetch your revolver and let's go.'
We left the Hall immediately.
'We must surprise him and catch him.'said Sir Henry.'He's a dangerous man.Now,Watson,what would Holmes say about this?Do you remember what the old papers said? They said the Devil does his work when the world is dark.'
Just as he spoke there came a strange cry from across the moor.It was the same cry I had heard when I was with Staple ton on the edge of the Great Grimpen Marsh.
'What is that noise?'asked Sir Henry.He stopped and put his hand on my arm to hold me back.
'I've heard it before,'I said.'Stapleton says it's the cry of a bird.'
'Watson,'said Sir Henry,his voice shaking,'it is the cry of a hound.What do the local people say it is?'
'They say it is the cry of the Hound of the Baskervilles,'I replied.
'Can there possibly be some truth in the story?'said Sir Henry.'Am I really in danger from such an evil thing?I think I am as brave as most men,but that sound froze my blood.But we have come out to catch that prisoner,and the Devil himself will not make me turn back.'
It was difficult to cross the moor in the dark,but at last we reached the light.It was standing on a rock.Suddenly an evil face,more like an animal than a man,looked at us from behind the rock.The escaped prisoner saw us and screamed as he turned to run.
Sir Henry and I were both good runners and very healthy men,but we soon realized that we had no chance of catching Selden.He knew the way,and was running for his life.Soon we had lost him in the dark,so we stopped and sat down,breathing heavily,to rest.
At that moment a very strange thing happened.The moon was low upon our right,and in its light we could see the top of a hill.On that hill,with the moon behind him,stood a tall,thin man.He was standing perfectly still.He was watching us.
It was not Selden,who had been running away from that hill.This man was much taller.With a cry of surprise I turned to Sir Henry.As I turned,the man disappeared.
I wanted to go across to the hill and search for him,but we were tired and I remembered that Sir Henry might be in dan ger.So we went back to Baskerville Hall.
Who was the tall man I had seen standing against the moon? Was he an enemy,or a friend who was watching over us?
I wished more and more that Holmes could leave London and come to Baskerville Hall.I wrote to him every few days and gave him the details of everything that happened and everyone I met. 斯臺普頓先生於當日下午前來莊園拜訪亨利爵士。第二天早晨，他帶著我們去看了那個罪惡的雨果出事的地點。然後，我們在格林盆宅邸吃了午飯。亨利爵士顯然認為斯臺普頓小姐很漂亮。他的目光一直追隨著她。他非常喜歡她，我還敢肯定她對他也有此同感。在我們回家的路上，他屢次談到了她。自從第一次見面之後，我們便幾乎每天都能見到斯臺普頓兄妹。
不久之後，亨利爵士深深地愛上了漂亮的斯臺普頓小姐，這點已相當明顯了。我起初以為斯臺普頓會為他的妹妹與亨利爵士的結合而大為高興的。然而，我不久之後便意識到他並不想讓他們之間的友誼發展為愛情。他想盡辦法避免他倆有獨處的機會。他們曾有一兩次想方設法單獨見面了，可是斯臺普頓跟蹤了他們，見他們在一起時並不高興。
我很快又遇到了亨利爵士的另一位鄰居。他是福蘭克蘭先生，住在莊園以南約四英裏遠的地方。他是一位面色紅潤、頭發銀白的老人。他有兩個癖好。其一是爭辯。他會和所有的人爭論一番。其二是研究星相。他為此買了個很大的望遠鏡。數天來他一直在用這架望遠鏡註視著沼地。他希望能發現塞爾登，那位逃犯。兩周以來沒人見過那位囚犯，大家都以為他可能已經離開沼地了。
幾天之後的一個晚上，我在淩晨兩點鐘左右時被一聲響聲弄醒了。我聽見有人在我的門外輕聲走動。我爬起身來，打開房門並向外張望。我看到白瑞摩正小心謹慎而又悄無聲息地從我這邊走開。我盡量無聲無息地跟著他。他走進了一間沒人住的臥室並把房門就那麽開著。我悄悄地走到房門跟前並向裏邊瞧去。
白瑞摩正站在窗戶旁。他手裏拿著蠟燭，透過窗戶盯著外面的沼地。他一動不動地站了幾分鐘，然後弄滅了蠟燭。
我趕快回到了我的房中。幾分鐘之後我聽到白瑞摩輕輕地走過我的門口。
第二天早晨我將我所看到的情景告給了亨利爵士。
“我們得跟蹤他並看看他在幹些什麽，”亨利爵士說道。“要是我們小心走動的話他是不會聽見我們的。”
那天晚上我們坐在亨利爵士的房間裏等著。大約在淩晨3點鐘時，我們聽到了臥室外面的腳步聲。我們向外望去，看到了白瑞摩。我們盡量無聲無息地跟蹤著他。他同前一次一樣，又到了那個房間裏。我們來到房門旁邊向裏望去。白瑞摩手裏拿著蠟燭，正望著窗外的沼地。這和我前一天夜裏看到的情景一模一樣。
亨利爵士走進屋裏並且說道：“你在這裏幹什麽呢，白瑞摩？”
白瑞摩趕快轉過身來，臉上露出又驚又怕的神色。
“沒幹什麽，爵爺，”他說道。由於他的手抖動著，墻壁上燭光裏的人影也不停地上下跳動著。“是由於窗戶，爵爺。我在夜間巡視是想看看窗戶是否都已關好了，而這個窗戶並沒關好。”
“得了吧，白瑞摩，”亨利爵士說道。“不要撒謊。你用那個蠟燭幹什麽？你剛才可是把它舉在窗口了。”
我突然靈機一動。“我想他那時是在傳送信號，”我說道。“我們來看一下沼地上是否有人回答信號。”
我把蠟燭高舉向窗口並註視著漆黑的外面。突然之間，一個光點從沼地那邊回應著。
“就在那兒，”我喊道。我在窗戶邊前後晃動著蠟燭。沼地上的燈光也以同樣的方式移動著以回應我們。
“我說，白瑞摩，沼地上的你的那個朋友是誰？發生著什麽事情？”
“那是我個人的事，”白瑞摩說道。“我不會告訴您的。”
“你是在搞什麽陰謀加害我嗎？”亨利爵士說道。
“不，爵爺，不是害您呀！”從我們身後傳來了一個聲音。此人是白瑞摩太太。她一直跟蹤著我們，現在正站在門口。“是為了我他才這麽幹的。我那不幸的弟弟正在沼地上忍饑受凍。我們不能讓他死。這燭光是告訴他食物已經給他準備好了。他那邊的燈光則向我們表明我們該把食物送到什麽地點。”
“那麽說，你的弟弟是……”亨利爵士開口道。
“是那個潛逃的罪犯，爵爺。塞爾登，那個殺人兇手。他是我弟弟，他幹了許多壞事。但是對我來講他依舊是我曾愛護過的那個小男孩。我得幫他。我丈夫所做的一切都是為了我。請別把他辭掉。這不是他的過錯。”
亨利爵士轉向白瑞摩，並說道：
“你幫你太太的忙，我不能為此怪你。去上床睡覺吧，我們明早再談這件事。”
白瑞摩夫婦從我們這兒走開了。
“那個殺人兇手正在外邊的那個亮光旁等著呢，”亨利爵士說道。“他對大家都是個危險。我要去抓住他。如果您想和我一道去的話，華生，那就去取您的左輪****，然後咱們就去吧。”
我們馬上離開了莊園。
“我們必須出其不意地將其抓獲，”亨利爵士說道。“他是個危險人物。我說，華生，這樣幹福爾摩斯會說什麽呢？您還記得那份古老的手稿怎麽說的嗎？說惡魔興於黑夜。”
他正說話的當中，沼地上傳來了一聲奇怪的叫聲。就是我在格林盆大泥潭邊緣與斯臺普頓在一起時聽到的那種聲音。
“那是什麽聲音？”亨利爵士問道。他停下了腳步，抓住我的胳膊把我往回拽。
“我以前聽到過這種聲音，”我說道。“斯臺普頓說這是一種鳥的叫聲。”
“華生，”亨利爵士說道，他的聲音這時顫抖著。“這是獵犬的叫聲。當地人把它叫什麽呢？”
“他們說這是巴斯克維爾獵犬的叫聲，”我回答道。
“難道那個故事中真有幾分真實的成分嗎？”亨利爵士說道。“我真的正受到那個邪惡的東西的威脅嗎？我認為我與大多數人一樣勇敢，可是這個聲音使我毛骨悚然。不過，我們是來抓罪犯的，惡魔本人也不能把我嚇回頭。”
要在黑暗之中走過沼地是件難事，但是我們最終還是到達了光亮所在之處。蠟燭被擱在了一塊巖石之上。突然之間，一張邪惡的、與其說是人長的不如說是野獸般的面孔從巖石後面探出來張望著我們。這個逃犯看到我們便尖叫著轉身逃開了。
我和亨利爵士都是飛毛腿，身體又很健康，可是我們很快便意識到已沒機會抓獲塞爾登了。他既識路又在逃命。不久之後我們便在黑暗之中看不到他了，因此我們便停下腳步，喘著粗氣坐下來休息一番。
就在那時，發生了一件非常奇怪的事情。月亮低懸在我們右側的空中，我們在月光下看到一座小山的尖頂。在山頂上站著一個又高又瘦的男子，他背後的天幕上掛著一輪月亮。他一動不動地站著。他正註視著我們。
此人並非塞爾登，塞爾登已從那座山的旁邊跑遠了。此人要比他高得多。我驚叫一聲，向亨利爵士轉過身去。就在我轉身時此人便消失了。
我本想去小山那邊搜尋一番的，但是我們已精疲力盡了，我還想到亨利爵士可能有危險。於是我們便回巴斯克維爾莊園去了。
我所看到的這位背對月亮而站立的高個男人是誰？他是敵人還是密切註視著我們的朋友？
我越來越希望福爾摩斯能夠從倫敦脫身到巴斯克維爾莊園來。每隔不幾天我便給他寫封信，詳盡地告訴他有關這兒所發生的每件事情以及我所見到的每位人士的情況。