官术网_书友最值得收藏!

第1章 BOOK I:AS SEEN BY TWO STRANGERS(1)

I"A remarkable man!"

It was not my husband speaking,but some passerby.However,Ilooked up at George with a smile,and found him looking down at me with much the same humour.We had often spoken of the odd phrases one hears in the street,and how interesting it would be sometimes to hear a little more of the conversation.

"That's a case in point,"he laughed,as he guided me through the crowd of theatre-goers which invariably block this part of Broadway at the hour of eight."We shall never know whose eulogy we have just heard.'A remarkable man!'There are not many of them.""No,"was my somewhat indifferent reply.It was a keen winter night and snow was packed upon the walks in a way to throw into sharp relief the figures of such pedestrians as happened to be walking alone."But it seems to me that,so far as general appearance goes,the one in front answers your description most admirably."I pointed to a man hurrying around the corner just ahead of us.

"Yes,he's remarkably well built.I noticed him when he came out of the Clermont."This was a hotel we had just passed.

"But it's not only that.It's his height,his very striking features,his expression -"I stopped suddenly,gripping George's arm convulsively in a surprise he appeared to share.We had turned the corner immediately behind the man of whom we were speaking and so had him still in full view.

"What's he doing?"I asked,in a low whisper.We were only a few feet behind."Look!look!don't you call that curious?"My husband stared,then uttered a low,"Rather."The man ahead of us,presenting in every respect the appearance of a gentleman,had suddenly stooped to the kerb and was washing his hands in the snow,furtively,but with a vigour and purpose which could not fail to arouse the strangest conjectures in any chance onlooker.

"Pilate!"escaped my lips,in a sort of nervous chuckle.But George shook his head at me.

"I don't like it,"he muttered,with unusual gravity."Did you see his face?"Then as the man rose and hurried away from us down the street,"I should like to follow him.I do believe -"But here we became aware of a quick rush and sudden clamour around the corner we had just left,and turning quickly,saw that something had occurred on Broadway which was fast causing a tumult.

"What's the matter?"I cried."What can have happened?Let's go see,George.Perhaps it has something to do with our man.

My husband,with a final glance down the street at the fast disappearing figure,yielded to my importunity,and possibly to some new curiosity of his own.

"I'd like to stop that man first,"said he."But what excuse have I?He may be nothing but a crank,with some crack-brained idea in his head.We'll soon know;for there's certainly something wrong there on Broadway.""He came out of the Clermont,"I suggested.

"I know.If the excitement isn't there,what we've just seen is simply a coincidence."Then,as we retraced our steps to the corner "Whatever we hear or see,don't say anything about this man.It's after eight,remember,and we promised Adela that we would be at the house before nine.""I'll be quiet."

"Remember."

It was the last word he had time to speak before we found ourselves in the midst of a crowd of men and women,jostling one another in curiosity or in the consternation following a quick alarm.All were looking one way,and,as this was towards the entrance of the Clermont,it was evident enough to us that the alarm had indeed had its origin in the very place we had anticipated.I felt my husband's arm press me closer to his side as we worked our way towards the entrance,and presently caught a warning sound from his lips as the oaths and confused cries everywhere surrounding us were broken here and there by articulate words and we heard:

"Is it murder?"

"The beautiful Miss Challoner!"

"A millionairess in her own right!"

"Killed,they say."

"No,no!suddenly dead;that's all."

"George,what shall we do?"I managed to cry into my husband's ear.

"Get out of this.There is no chance of our reaching that door,and I can't have you standing round any longer in this icy slush.""But -but is it right?"I urged,in an importunate whisper.

"Should we go home while he -"

"Hush!My first duty is to you.We will go make our visit;but to-morrow -""I can't wait till to-morrow,"I pleaded,wild to satisfy my curiosity in regard to an event in which I naturally felt a keen personal interest.

He drew me as near to the edge of the crowd as he could.There were new murmurs all about us.

"If it's a case of heart-failure,why send for the police?"asked one.

"It is better to have an officer or two here,"grumbled another.

"Here comes a cop."

"Well,I'm going to vamoose."

"I'll tell you what I'll do,"whispered George,who,for all his bluster was as curious as myself."We will try the rear door where there are fewer persons.Possibly we can make our way in there,and if we can,Slater will tell us all we want to know."Slater was the assistant manager of the Clermont,and one of George's oldest friends.

"Then hurry,"said I."I am being crushed here."George did hurry,and in a few minutes we were before the rear entrance of the great hotel.There was a mob gathered here also,but it was neither so large nor so rough as the one on Broadway.

Yet I doubt if we should have been able to work our way through it if Slater had not,at that very instant,shown himself in the doorway,in company with an officer to whom he was giving some final instructions.George caught his eye as soon as he was through with the man,and ventured on what I thought a rather uncalled for plea.

"Let us in,Slater,"he begged."My wife feels a little faint;she has been knocked about so by the crowd."The manager glanced at my face,and shouted to the people around us to make room.I felt myself lifted up,and that is all I remember of this part of our adventure.For,affected more than I realised by the excitement of the event,I no sooner saw the way cleared for our entrance than I made good my husband's words by fainting away in earnest.

為你推薦
奪嫡
會員

【古風(fēng)群像+輕松搞笑+高甜寵妻】【有仇必報小驕女X腹黑病嬌九皇子】《與君歡》作者古言甜寵新作!又名《山河美人謀》??腃P的皇帝、吃瓜的朝臣、大事小事都要彈劾一下的言官……古風(fēng)爆笑群像,笑到停不下來!翻開本書,看悍婦和病嬌如何聯(lián)手撬動整個天下!未婚夫又渣又壞,還打算殺人滅口。葉嬌準(zhǔn)備先下手為強(qiáng),順便找個背鍋俠。本以為這個背鍋俠是個透明病弱的“活死人”,沒想到傳言害人,他明明是一個表里不一、心機(jī)深沉的九皇子。在葉嬌借九皇子之名懲治渣男后。李·真九皇子·策:“請小姐給個封口費吧。”葉嬌心虛:“你要多少?”李策:“一百兩。”葉嬌震驚,你怎么不去搶!?。?/p>

月落 2.5萬讀過
長安的荔枝(雷佳音、岳云鵬主演影視劇原著小說)
會員

同名實體書新鮮上市,馬伯庸歷史短小說“見微”系列神作!大唐天寶十四年,長安城小吏李善德突然接到一個任務(wù):要在貴妃誕日之前,從嶺南運來新鮮荔枝。荔枝保鮮期只有三天,而嶺南距長安五千余里,山水迢迢,這是個不可能完成的任務(wù)。為了家人,李善德只得放手一搏……古裝版社畜求生記,帝國夾縫中的小人物史詩。

馬伯庸 7.2萬讀過
龍族Ⅴ:悼亡者的歸來
會員

《龍族第2季》7月18日起每周五10點,騰訊視頻熱播中!熱血龍族,少年歸來!這是地獄中的魔王們相互撕咬。鐵劍和利爪撕裂空氣,留下霜凍和火焰的痕跡,血液剛剛飛濺出來,就被高溫化作血紅色的蒸汽,沖擊波在長長的走廊上來來去去,早已沒有任何完整的玻璃,連這座建筑物都搖搖欲墜。

江南 3420萬讀過
劍來(1-49冊)出版精校版
會員

大千世界,無奇不有。我陳平安,唯有一劍,可搬山,斷江,倒海,降妖,鎮(zhèn)魔,敕神,摘星,摧城,開天!我叫陳平安,平平安安的平安,我是一名劍客。走北俱蘆洲,問劍正陽山,赴大驪皇城,至蠻荒天下。斬大妖,了恩怨,會舊人,歸故鄉(xiāng)??套謩忾L城,陳平安再開青萍劍宗!

烽火戲諸侯 2.8萬讀過
天亮了,你就回來了
會員

《夏有喬木雅望天堂》作者籽月闊別3年全新力作,電子書全文首發(fā)。穿越時空元氣少女VS風(fēng)度翩翩優(yōu)質(zhì)大叔。如果愛人突然消失,你會等幾年?江倩兮撞上時空折疊,短短10個小時,外界已過了23年,好不容易追到手的新婚丈夫,轉(zhuǎn)眼變成陌生大叔?!完美言情男主再添一員猛將:顧池!少年時,他是腹黑學(xué)霸,牢牢抓住姐姐的心。新婚時,他是甜美奶狗,撒嬌男人最好命。愛人無故失蹤,他在漫長等待里事業(yè)有成,溫潤不油膩的優(yōu)質(zhì)大叔誰能拒絕?

籽月 11萬讀過
主站蜘蛛池模板: 彰化市| 黔东| 保山市| 焦作市| 阳信县| 枞阳县| 曲靖市| 满城县| 临泉县| 夹江县| 惠来县| 台东市| 锦州市| 堆龙德庆县| 东海县| 建宁县| 遵化市| 宜都市| 济阳县| 广昌县| 莎车县| 嘉义县| 呼伦贝尔市| 安康市| 广南县| 尤溪县| 托克托县| 广汉市| 长子县| 屯昌县| 海口市| 吴江市| 泾川县| 琼结县| 通化县| 礼泉县| 四会市| 象州县| 昌黎县| 普宁市| 汕头市|