福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part8
"You have no reason to think it was criminal?"
"On the contrary, I never met a straighter man in my life."
"Was there anything curious about his life in California?"
"He liked best to stay and to work at our claim in the mountains. He would never go where other men were if he could help it. That's why I first thought that someone was after him. Then when he left so suddenly for Europe I made sure that it was so. I believe that he had a warning of some sort. Within a week of his leaving half a dozen men were inquiring for him."
"What sort of men?"
"Well, they were a mighty hard-looking crowd. They came up to the claim and wanted to know where he was. I told them that he was gone to Europe and that I did not know where to find him. They meant him no good--it was easy to see that."
"Were these men Americans--Californians?"
"Well, I don't know about Californians. They were Americans, all right. But they were not miners. I don't know what they were, and was very glad to see their backs."
"That was six years ago?"
"Nearer seven."
"And then you were together five years in California, so that this business dates back not less than eleven years at the least?"
"That is so."
"It must be a very serious feud that would be kept up with such earnestness for as long as that. It would be no light thing that would give rise to it."
"I think it shadowed his whole life. It was never quite out of his mind."
"But if a man had a danger hanging over him, and knew what it was, don't you think he would turn to the police for protection?"
"Maybe it was some danger that he could not be protected against. There's one thing you should know. He always went about armed. His revolver was never out of his pocket. But, by bad luck, he was in his dressing gown and had left it in the bedroom last night. Once the bridge was up, I guess he thought he was safe."
"I should like these dates a little clearer," said MacDonald. "It is quite six years since Douglas left California. You followed him next year, did you not?"
"That is so."
"And he had been married five years. You must have returned about the time of his marriage."
"About a month before. I was his best man."
"Did you know Mrs. Douglas before her marriage?"
"No, I did not. I had been away from England for ten years."
"But you have seen a good deal of her since."
Barker looked sternly at the detective.
“你可認爲他做過犯罪的事麼？”
“恰恰相反，在我一生裏，從來沒遇到過象他這樣正直的人。”
“他在加利福尼亞州時，生活上有什麼古怪的地方嗎？”
“他最喜歡到山裏來，來我們的礦區工作。他總是儘可能不到生人多的地方去。所以我才首先想到有人在追蹤他。後來，當他那麼突然地離開那裏到歐洲去，我愈發相信是這麼回事了。我相信他曾經接到某種警告。在他走後的一星期裏，曾有五六個人向我打聽過他的行蹤。”
“是些什麼人呢？”
“嗯，是一羣看來非常冷酷無情的人。他們來到礦區，打聽道格拉斯在什麼地方。我告訴他們說，他已經到歐洲去了，我也不知道他住在什麼地方。不難看出，他們對他不懷好意。”
“這些人是美國人，也是加利福尼亞人吧？”
“這個，對於加利福尼亞人，我不太瞭解。但他們確實都是美國人，不過他們不是礦工。我不知道他們是些什麼人，只巴不得他們快點走開。”
“那是六年以前的事吧？”
“將近七年了。”
“這麼說，你們在加利福尼亞一起住了五年，所以，這樁事不是至少有十一年了麼？”
“是這樣。”
“其中一定有不共戴天的冤仇，隔了這麼長的時間，還不能忘懷。形成冤仇的原因看來決不是小事。”
“我以爲這就是道格拉斯一生中的隱患，使他永遠難以忘懷。”
“不過，一個人大難臨頭，而且知道是怎樣的危難，你想，他哪有不求警察保護的道理呢？”
“也許這種危險是別人無法保護他的。有一件事你們應當知道。他出門總是帶着武器的。他的手槍從來不離開他的衣袋。但是，不幸的是，昨晚他只穿着睡衣，把手槍留在臥室裏了。我猜想，他一定以爲吊橋一拉起來，他就安全了。”
麥克唐納說道：“我希望再把年代弄清楚些。道格拉斯離開加利福尼亞州整六年了。你不是在第二年就隨之而來了嗎？”
“是的。”
“他再婚已經有五年了。你一定是在他結婚前後那年回來的吧。”
“大約在他結婚前一個月。我還是他的男儐相呢。”
“道格拉斯夫人結婚以前，你認識她嗎？”
“不，我不認識她。我離開英國已經有十年了。”
“可是從那以後，你常常和她見面吧？”
巴克嚴肅地望着那個偵探。
