登陆注册
5262200000063

第63章 Chapter 12 THE SWEAT OF AN HONEST MAN'S BROW(3)

'Now,' began Lightwood, 'what's your name?'

'Why, there you're rather fast, Lawyer Lightwood,' he replied, in a remonstrant manner. 'Don't you see, Lawyer Lightwood? There you're a little bit fast. I'm going to earn from five to ten thousand pound by the sweat of my brow; and as a poor man doing justice to the sweat of my brow, is it likely I can afford to part with so much as my name without its being took down?'

Deferring to the man's sense of the binding powers of pen and ink and paper, Lightwood nodded acceptance of Eugene's nodded proposal to take those spells in hand. Eugene, bringing them to the table, sat down as clerk or notary.

'Now,' said Lightwood, 'what's your name?'

But further precaution was still due to the sweat of this honest fellow's brow.

'I should wish, Lawyer Lightwood,' he stipulated, 'to have that T'other Governor as my witness that what I said I said.

Consequent, will the T'other Governor be so good as chuck me his name and where he lives?'

Eugene, cigar in mouth and pen in hand, tossed him his card.

After spelling it out slowly, the man made it into a little roll, and tied it up in an end of his neckerchief still more slowly.

'Now,' said Lightwood, for the third time, 'if you have quite completed your various preparations, my friend, and have fully ascertained that your spirits are cool and not in any way hurried, what's your name?'

'Roger Riderhood.'

'Dwelling-place?'

'Lime'us Hole.'

'Calling or occupation?'

Not quite so glib with this answer as with the previous two, Mr Riderhood gave in the definition, 'Waterside character.'

'Anything against you?' Eugene quietly put in, as he wrote.

Rather baulked, Mr Riderhood evasively remarked, with an innocent air, that he believed the T'other Governor had asked him summa't.

'Ever in trouble?' said Eugene.

'Once.' (Might happen to any man, Mr Riderhood added incidentally.)'On suspicion of--'

'Of seaman's pocket,' said Mr Riderhood. 'Whereby I was in reality the man's best friend, and tried to take care of him.'

'With the sweat of your brow?' asked Eugene.

'Till it poured down like rain,' said Roger Riderhood.

Eugene leaned back in his chair, and smoked with his eyes negligently turned on the informer, and his pen ready to reduce him to more writing. Lightwood also smoked, with his eyes negligently turned on the informer.

'Now let me be took down again,' said Riderhood, when he had turned the drowned cap over and under, and had brushed it the wrong way (if it had a right way) with his sleeve. 'I give information that the man that done the Harmon Murder is Gaffer Hexam, the man that found the body. The hand of Jesse Hexam, commonly called Gaffer on the river and along shore, is the hand that done that deed. His hand and no other.'

The two friends glanced at one another with more serious faces than they had shown yet.

'Tell us on what grounds you make this accusation,' said Mortimer Lightwood.

'On the grounds,' answered Riderhood, wiping his face with his sleeve, 'that I was Gaffer's pardner, and suspected of him many a long day and many a dark night. On the grounds that I knowed his ways. On the grounds that I broke the pardnership because I see the danger; which I warn you his daughter may tell you another story about that, for anythink I can say, but you know what it'll be worth, for she'd tell you lies, the world round and the heavens broad, to save her father. On the grounds that it's well understood along the cause'ays and the stairs that he done it. On the grounds that he's fell off from, because he done it. On the grounds that Iwill swear he done it. On the grounds that you may take me where you will, and get me sworn to it. I don't want to back out of the consequences. I have made up MY mind. Take me anywheres.'

'All this is nothing,' said Lightwood.

'Nothing?' repeated Riderhood, indignantly and amazedly.

'Merely nothing. It goes to no more than that you suspect this man of the crime. You may do so with some reason, or you may do so with no reason, but he cannot be convicted on your suspicion.'

'Haven't I said--I appeal to the T'other Governor as my witness--haven't I said from the first minute that I opened my mouth in this here world-without-end-everlasting chair' (he evidently used that form of words as next in force to an affidavit), 'that I was willing to swear that he done it? Haven't I said, Take me and get me sworn to it? Don't I say so now? You won't deny it, Lawyer Lightwood?'

'Surely not; but you only offer to swear to your suspicion, and I tell you it is not enough to swear to your suspicion.'

'Not enough, ain't it, Lawyer Lightwood?' he cautiously demanded.

'Positively not.'

'And did I say it WAS enough? Now, I appeal to the T'other Governor. Now, fair! Did I say so?'

'He certainly has not said that he had no more to tell,' Eugene observed in a low voice without looking at him, 'whatever he seemed to imply.' -'Hah!' cried the informer, triumphantly perceiving that the remark was generally in his favour, though apparently not closely understanding it. 'Fort'nate for me I had a witness!'

'Go on, then,' said Lightwood. 'Say out what you have to say. No after-thought.'

'Let me be took down then!' cried the informer, eagerly and anxiously. 'Let me be took down, for by George and the Draggin I'm a coming to it now! Don't do nothing to keep back from a honest man the fruits of the sweat of his brow! I give information, then, that he told me that he done it. Is THAT enough?'

'Take care what you say, my friend,' returned Mortimer.

'Lawyer Lightwood, take care, you, what I say; for I judge you'll be answerable for follering it up!' Then, slowly and emphatically beating it all out with his open right hand on the palm of his left;'I, Roger Riderhood, Lime'us Hole, Waterside character, tell you, Lawyer Lightwood, that the man Jesse Hexam, commonly called upon the river and along-shore Gaffer, told me that he done the deed. What's more, he told me with his own lips that he done the deed. What's more, he said that he done the deed. And I'll swear it!'

'Where did he tell you so?'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 无恒斗灵

    无恒斗灵

    平凡的少年,怎么创造奇迹?一个外地外来者,谁又了解他的内心。平淡的生活,又因为一女孩而改变。两块冰封之石,又暗藏多大的秘密?
  • 孩子你慢慢来:中外精彩教育故事选读

    孩子你慢慢来:中外精彩教育故事选读

    紧紧围绕人生这个话题,精选古今中外有关佳文佳作、名人轶事、传说故事,均富教育意义,颇具收藏价值,可读可看,可思可考。将精彩哲理故事如颗颗珍珠贯串在人生这根红线上,每则故事后附加一二句短评,使历史故事变为生动教材,让古代中外名人“变活”。
  • 增强孩子思维能力的经典故事(青少年心灵成长直通车)

    增强孩子思维能力的经典故事(青少年心灵成长直通车)

    从成长中可能遇到的问题出发,内容涵盖了勤奋、坚强、自信、乐观等诸多与孩子健康成长密切相关的方面,人选的故事通俗易懂,道理清晰明了,版式活泼多样,容易激发孩子强烈的阅读兴趣,能够起到极好的教育和熏陶作用,对于提高孩子的文化素养、拓展孩子的知识面大有帮助。好习惯成就好未来,孩子从小养成良好的习惯,成就大事业将不再是遥不可及的梦想。
  • BENITO CERENO

    BENITO CERENO

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 仙门有徒初长成

    仙门有徒初长成

    这年头,乞丐也能翻身把仙做。拾掇拾掇,照样有春天桃花烂漫。魔尊这朵桃花太强大,惹不起。上仙这朵桃花也强大,怎么办?还是近水楼台先得师父要紧。仙门有徒初长成,某日,某女面红耳赤眼带桃花:“师父,我……我想犯上!”--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 诅天

    诅天

    数百州土,广袤无边。芸芸众生,万千之灵。万余年前,人族学会吸收灵源,衍生灵力,主宰了三百六十五州之上的一切生灵,而这一切,仅仅是由于一块看起来小巧而不起眼的灵玉……
  • 天生一对:只做你的掌中宝

    天生一对:只做你的掌中宝

    人都说年少时的她飞扬跋扈,唯有他从不在意;五年后她再回来,众人都说她懂事成熟,唯有他,冷淡以对;却在不知不觉中被他逼得只能跟他再续前缘,一同寻找五年前的真相。
  • 股票作手回忆录

    股票作手回忆录

    近期中国股市巨幅震荡,关于股市的各种传言也层出不穷。我们身处时代的巨变中,难免茫然困惑,难辨方向。也许时过境迁,再看这次疯狂的股市巨震,一切都会清晰明了。而在当下,看看杰西·利弗莫尔的故事,更有助于我们认清股市和自己。杰西·利弗莫尔,被称为“百年美股第一人”, 唯一一个影响了三代股神的股票大师,100年股票历史上最叱咤风云的散户。股市从来成王败寇,而利弗莫尔14岁以5美元入市,一生四起四落,在1929年,一个月净赚1亿美元(当年全美国的税收总额为42亿美元),成为股市中的王者。但是多次破产,又多次凤凰涅槃般重生的利弗莫尔却于63岁那一年自杀身亡。
  • 风华无双:至尊召唤师

    风华无双:至尊召唤师

    啼笑皆非穿成狗,从此节操是路人。当一人一狗成为小伙伴,面对险恶人心,只能见招拆招!温柔王爷深情款款?她却只能捂脸而逃;自恋少年颐指气使?她偏要啃下这块硬骨头!因为遇强则强才是她的本能!密探、毒医、术士、赏金猎人,江湖各路奇葩集结,让她和萌宠应接不暇。阴差阳错踏上召唤师的不归途,开了第三只眼后,人生从此逆转,直到她步步走上至尊宝座!风月无边,只见她媚眼如丝地调戏着某男:你可曾想过你也会有今天?【本书每天六更,不定时加更或爆更】
  • 武道狂神

    武道狂神

    耿直带着神秘武道之书穿越到异界,从此废物变天才,张狂昂扬,纵横不败!底层功法?刷选最给力神功,完美契合!武技意境领悟起来太困难?进化成盖世神功就不用领悟了!炼丹救命?我炼丹只用来医天疗地!就这样,耿直打碎风云大陆,打破三千世界,打穿十方维度,打遍满天神灵,打出一条金光灿灿的武道之路!