福尔摩斯探案主要内容 福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part10

福尔摩斯探案经典:《恐怖谷》第4章Part10  

"By its light you saw that some terrible incident had occurred?"
"Exactly."
"You at once rang for help?"
"Yes."
"And it arrived very speedily?"
"Within a minute or so."
"And yet when they arrived they found that the candle was out and that the lamp had been lighted. That seems very remarkable."
Again Barker showed some signs of indecision.
"I don't see that it was remarkable
Mr. Holmes
" he answered after a pause. "The candle threw a very bad light. My first thought was to get a better one. The lamp was on the table; so I lit it."
"And blew out the candle?"
"Exactly."
Holmes asked no further question
and Barker
with a deliberate look from one to the other of us
which had
as it seemed to me
something of defiance in it
turned and left the room.
Inspector MacDonald had sent up a note to the effect that he would wait upon Mrs. Douglas in her room; but she had replied that she would meet us in the dining room. She entered now
a tall and beautiful woman of thirty
reserved and self-possessed to a remarkable degree
very different from the tragic and distracted figure I had pictured. It is true that her face was pale and drawn
like that of one who has endured a great shock; but her manner was posed
and the finely moulded hand which she rested upon the edge of the table was as steady as my own. Her sad
appealing eyes travelled from one to the other of us with a curiously inquisitive expression. That questioning gaze transformed itself suddenly into abrupt speech.
"Have you found anything out yet?" she asked. Was it my imagination that there was an undertone of fear rather than of hope in the question?
"We have taken every possible step
Mrs. Douglas
" said the inspector. "You may rest assured that nothing will be neglected."
"Spare no money
" she said in a dead
even tone. "It is my desire that every possible effort should be made."
"Perhaps you can tell us something which may throw some light upon the matter."
"I fear not; but all I know is at your service."
"We have heard from Mr. Cecil Barker that you did not actually see--that you were never in the room where the tragedy occurred?"
"No
he turned me back upon the stairs. He begged me to return to my room."
"Quite so. You had heard the shot
and you had at once e down."
"I put on my dressing gown and then came down."
"How long was it after hearing the shot that you were stopped on the stair by Mr. Barker?"
"It may have been a couple of minutes. It is so hard to reckon time at such a moment. He implored me not to go on. He assured me that I could do nothing. Then Mrs. Allen
the housekeeper
led me upstairs again. It was all like some dreadful dream."
"Can you give us any idea how long your husband had been downstairs before you heard the shot?"