Tales of Terror and Mystery/Tales of Terror and Mystery (Артур Конан Дойл). Страница 137 из 137

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How

could

I

expose

him

without

injuring

her

—

and

how

far

was

I

justified

in

exposing

him

when

he

had

voluntarily

put

himself

into

my

power

?

I

thought

and

thought

until

at

last

I

formed

a

resolution

which

may

seem

to

you

to

be

a

foolish

one

,

and

yet

,

if

I

had

to

do

it

again

,

I

believe

it

would

be

the

best

course

open

to

me

.

"

My

idea

was

to

return

the

stones

without

anyone

being

the

wiser

.

With

my

keys

I

could

get

into

the

museum

at

any

time

,

and

I

was

confident

that

I

could

avoid

Simpson

,

whose

hours

and

methods

were

familiar

to

me

.

I

determined

to

take

no

one

into

my

confidence

—

not

even

my

daughter

—

whom

I

told

that

I

was

about

to

visit

my

brother

in

Scotland

.

I

wanted

a

free

hand

for

a

few

nights

,

without

inquiry

as

to

my

comings

and

goings

.

To

this

end

I

took

a

room

in

Harding

Street

that

very

night

,

with

an

intimation

that

I

was

a

Pressman

,

and

that

I

should

keep

very

late

hours

.

"

That

night

I

made

my

way

into

the

museum

,

and

I

replaced

four

of

the

stones

.

It

was

hard

work

,

and

took

me

all

night

.

When

Simpson

came

round

I

always

heard

his

footsteps

,

and

concealed

myself

in

the

mummy

-

case

.

I

had

some

knowledge

of

gold

-

work

,

but

was

far

less

skilful

than

the

thief

had

been

.

He

had

replaced

the

setting

so

exactly

that

I

defy

anyone

to

see

the

difference

.

My

work

was

rude

and

clumsy

.

However

,

I

hoped

that

the

plate

might

not

be

carefully

examined

,

or

the

roughness

of

the

setting

observed

,

until

my

task

was

done

.

Next

night

I

replaced

four

more

stones

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And

tonight

I

should

have

finished

my

task

had

it

not

been

for

the

unfortunate

circumstance

which

has

caused

me

to

reveal

so

much

which

I

should

have

wished

to

keep

concealed

.

I

appeal

to

you

,

gentlemen

,

to

your

sense

of

honour

and

of

compassion

,

whether

what

I

have

told

you

should

go

any

farther

or

not

.

My

own

happiness

,

my

daughter

’

s

future

,

the

hopes

of

this

man

’

s

regeneration

,

all

depend

upon

your

decision

.

"

Which

is

,

"

said

my

friend

,

"

that

all

is

well

that

ends

well

and

that

the

whole

matter

ends

here

and

at

once

.

Tomorrow

the

loose

settings

shall

be

tightened

by

an

expert

goldsmith

,

and

so

passes

the

greatest

danger

to

which

,

since

the

destruction

of

the

Temple

,

the

urim

and

thummim

has

been

exposed

.

Here

is

my

hand

,

Professor

Andreas

,

and

I

can

only

hope

that

under

such

difficult

circumstances

I

should

have

carried

myself

as

unselfishly

and

as

well

.

"

Just

one

footnote

to

this

narrative

.

Within

a

month

Elise

Andreas

was

married

to

a

man

whose

name

,

had

I

the

indiscretion

to

mention

it

,

would

appeal

to

my

readers

as

one

who

is

now

widely

and

deservedly

honoured

.

But

if

the

truth

were

known

that

honour

is

due

not

to

him

,

but

to

the

gentle

girl

who

plucked

him

back

when

he

had

gone

so

far

down

that

dark

road

along

which

few

return

.

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