福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第11章Part7

Her suspicions became certainties. "It's to another woman," she cried. "I know it! Why else should you hold it from me? Was it to your wife that you were writing? How am I to know that you are not a married man--you, a stranger, that nobody knows?"
"I am not married, Ettie. See now, I swear it! You're the only one woman on earth to me. By the cross of Christ I swear it!"
He was so white with passionate earnestness that she could not but believe him.
"Well, then," she cried, "why will you not show me the letter?"
"I'll tell you, acushla," said he. "I'm under oath not to show it, and just as I wouldn't break my word to you so I would keep it to those who hold my promise. It's the business of the lodge, and even to you it's secret. And if I was scared when a hand fell on me, can't you understand it when it might have been the hand of a detective?"
She felt that he was telling the truth. He gathered her into his arms and kissed away her fears and doubts.
"Sit here by me, then. It's a queer throne for such a queen; but it's the best your poor lover can find. He'll do better for you some of these days, I'm thinking. Now your mind is easy once again, is it not?"
"How can it ever be at ease, Jack, when I know that you are a criminal among criminals, when I never know the day that I may hear you are in court for murder? 'McMurdo the Scowrer,' that's what one of our boarders called you yesterday. It went through my heart like a knife."
"Sure, hard words break no bones."
"But they were true."
"Well, dear, it's not so bad as you think. We are but poor men that are trying in our own way to get our rights."
Ettie threw her arms round her lover's neck. "Give it up, Jack! For my sake, for God's sake, give it up! It was to ask you that I came here to-day. Oh, Jack, see--I beg it of you on my bended knees! Kneeling here before you I implore you to give it up!"
He raised her and soothed her with her head against his breast. "Sure, my darlin', you don't know what it is you are asking. How could I give it up when it would be to break my oath and to desert my comrades? If you could see how things stand with me you could never ask it of me. Besides, if I wanted to, how could I do it? You don't suppose that the lodge would let a man go free with all its secrets?"
"I've thought of that, Jack. I've planned it all. Father has saved some money. He is weary of this place where the fear of these people darkens our lives. He is ready to go. We would fly together to Philadelphia or New York, where we would be safe from them."
McMurdo laughed. "The lodge has a long arm. Do you think it could not stretch from here to Philadelphia or New York?"
"Well, then, to the West, or to England, or to Germany, where father came from--anywhere to get away from this Valley of Fear!"
McMurdo thought of old Brother Morris. "Sure, it is the second time I have heard the valley so named," said he. "The shadow does indeed seem to lie heavy on some of you."

伊蒂更加懷疑了。“那是給另一個女人寫的，"她叫嚷道，“我知道了！你爲什麼不讓我看？那是給你妻子寫的信吧？我怎能確定你是一個未婚男子呢？你是一個外來人，沒有一個人瞭解你。”
“我沒有結過婚，伊蒂。瞧，我現在發誓！你是世上我唯一愛的女子。我對耶穌的十字架發誓！”
麥克默多面色蒼白，激動懇摯地辯白說，伊蒂只得相信他。
“好，那麼，"伊蒂說道，“你爲什麼不願讓我看那封信呢？”
“我告訴你說，我親愛的，"麥克默多說道，“我曾宣誓不給別人看這封信，正象我不會破壞我對你發過的誓言一樣。因此，我要對接受我誓言的人守信用。這是會裏的事務，即使對你也要保守祕密。當你把一隻手放到我肩上時，我之所以受到驚嚇，因爲這可能是一隻偵探的手啊，難道連這你還不明白嗎？”
伊蒂覺得他說的都是實話。麥克默多把她抱在懷裏親吻，來驅散她的驚恐和懷疑。
“那麼，請坐在我身旁。這是王后的奇異寶座，不過這已是你貧窮的情人所能給你的最好的東西了。我想，將來總有一天他會讓你得到幸福的。現在你精神好一點了嗎？”
“當我知道你是罪犯中的一員時，當我不曉得哪一天會聽到法庭審理你的殺人案件時，我的精神怎麼能有一時期刻的安寧呢？昨天，我們的一個房客這樣稱呼你，說什麼'麥克默多這個死酷黨人'。這簡直象一把刀子扎到我心裏一樣啊！”
“確實，讓他們說去好了，沒什麼了不起。”
“可是他們說的是實話。”
“好，親愛的，事情不是象你想得那麼壞。我們不過是一些窮人，試圖用我們的手段，爭取我們的權力罷了。”
伊蒂雙臂摟住她情人的頸項。"放棄它吧！傑克，爲了我，爲了上帝，放棄它吧！今天我就是爲了求你纔到這兒來的。噢，傑克，看，我跪下來求求你！我跪在你面前懇求你放棄它！”
麥克默多抱起伊蒂，把她的頭放在胸前，撫慰她道：“當然，我親愛的，你不知道你的要求意味着什麼。如果意味着破壞我的誓言，背離我的同夥，我怎麼能放棄它呢？假如你能明白我乾的是什麼事，你就不會向我要求這個了。再說，即使我想這樣做，我又怎能做得到呢？你不想一想，死酷黨能容許一個人攜帶它的一切祕密隨便走掉嗎？”
“我想到這點了，傑克。我完全計劃好了。父親儲蓄了一些錢。他早已厭倦了這個地方，在這裏那些人的恐怖行爲使我們的生活暗淡無光。父親已經準備離開。我們一起逃往費城，或是去紐約，到那裏我們就安全了，不必再怕他們。”
麥克默多笑了笑，說道：“這個會黨手伸得很長。你以爲它不能從這裏伸到費城或紐約去嗎？”
“好，那麼，我們去西方，或是去英國，或是去德國，爸爸就是那裏人。只要離開這'恐怖谷'，到哪裏都行。”
麥克默多想到了老莫里斯兄弟。“真的，我聽到這樣稱呼這座山谷，這已是第二次了，"麥克默多說道，“這陰霾看來確實壓在你們許多人頭上。”