strange news of uncle sol

captain cuttle, though no sluggard, did not turn out so early on the morning after he had seen sol gills, through the shop-window, writing in the parlour, with the midshipman upon the counter, and rob the grinder making up his bed below it, but that the clocks struck six as he raised himself on his elbow, and took a survey of his little chamber. the captain's eyes must have done severe duty, if he usually opened them as wide on awaking as he did that morning; and were but roughly rewarded for their vigilance, if he generally rubbed them half as hard. but the occasion was no common one, for rob the grinder had certainly never stood in the doorway of captain cuttle's room before, and in it he stood then, panting at the captain, with a flushed and touzled air of bed about him, that greatly heightened both his colour and expression.

'holloa!' roared the captain. 'what's the matter?'

before rob could stammer a word in answer, captain cuttle turned out, all in a heap, and covered the boy's mouth with his hand.

'steady, my lad,' said the captain, 'don't ye speak a word to me as yet!'

the captain, looking at his visitor in great consternation, gently shouldered him into the next room, after laying this injunction upon him; and disappearing for a few moments, forthwith returned in the blue suit. holding up his hand in token of the injunction not yet being taken off, captain cuttle walked up to the cupboard, and poured himself out a dram; a counterpart of which he handed to the messenger. the captain then stood himself up in a corner, against the wall, as if to forestall the possibility of being knocked backwards by the communication that was to be made to him; and having swallowed his liquor, with his eyes fixed on the messenger, and his face as pale as his face could be, requested him to 'heave ahead.'

'do you mean, tell you, captain?' asked rob, who had been greatly impressed by these precautions

'ay!' said the captain.

'well, sir,' said rob, 'i ain't got much to tell. but look here!'

rob produced a bundle of keys. the captain surveyed them, remained in his corner, and surveyed the messenger.

'and look here!' pursued rob.

the boy produced a sealed packet, which captain cuttle stared at as he had stared at the keys.

'when i woke this morning, captain,' said rob, 'which was about a quarter after five, i found these on my pillow. the shop-door was unbolted and unlocked, and mr gills gone.'

'gone!' roared the captain.

'flowed, sir,' returned rob.

the captain's voice was so tremendous, and he came out of his corner with such way on him, that rob retreated before him into another corner: holding out the keys and packet, to prevent himself from being run down.

'"for captain cuttle," sir,' cried rob, 'is on the keys, and on the packet too. upon my word and honour, captain cuttle, i don't know anything more about it. i wish i may die if i do! here's a sitiwation for a lad that's just got a sitiwation,' cried the unfortunate grinder, screwing his cuff into his face: 'his master bolted with his place, and him blamed for it!'

these lamentations had reference to captain cuttle's gaze, or rather glare, which was full of vague suspicions, threatenings, and denunciations. taking the proffered packet from his hand, the captain opened it and read as follows:-

'my dear ned cuttle. enclosed is my will!' the captain turned it over, with a doubtful look - 'and testament - where's the testament?' said the captain, instantly impeaching the ill-fated grinder. 'what have you done with that, my lad?'

'i never see it,' whimpered rob. 'don't keep on suspecting an innocent lad, captain. i never touched the testament.'

captain cuttle shook his head, implying that somebody must be made answerable for it; and gravely proceeded:

'which don't break open for a year, or until you have decisive intelligence of my dear walter, who is dear to you, ned, too, i am sure.' the captain paused and shook his head in some emotion; then, as a re-establishment of his dignity in this trying position, looked with exceeding sternness at the grinder. 'if you should never hear of me, or see me more, ned, remember an old friend as he will remember you to the last - kindly; and at least until the period i have mentioned has expired, keep a home in the old place for walter. there are no debts, the loan from dombey's house is paid off and all my keys i send with this. keep this quiet, and make no inquiry for me; it is useless. so no more, dear ned, from your true friend, solomon gills.' the captain took a long breath, and then read these words written below: '"the boy rob, well recommended, as i told you, from dombey's house. if all else should come to the hammer, take care, ned, of the little midshipman."'

to convey to posterity any idea of the manner in which the captain, after turning this letter over and over, and reading it a score of times, sat down in his chair, and held a court-martial on the subject in his own mind, would require the united genius of all the great men, who, discarding their own untoward days, have determined to go down to posterity, and have never got there. at first the captain was too much confounded and distressed to think of anything but the letter itself; and even when his thoughts began to glance upon the various attendant facts, they might, perhaps, as well have occupied themselves with their former theme, for any light they reflected on them. in this state of mind, captain cuttle having the grinder before the court, and no one else, found it a great relief to decide, generally, that he was an object of suspicion: which the captain so clearly expressed in his visage, that rob remonstrated.

'oh, don't, captain!' cried the grinder. 'i wonder how you can! what have i done to be looked at, like that?'

'my lad,' said captain cuttle, 'don't you sing out afore you're hurt. and don't you commit yourself, whatever you do.'

'i haven't been and committed nothing, captain!' answered rob.

'keep her free, then,' said the captain, impressively, 'and ride easy.

with a deep sense of the responsibility imposed upon him' and the necessity of thoroughly fathoming this mysterious affair as became a man in his relations with the parties, captain cuttle resolved to go down and examine the premises, and to keep the grinder with him. considering that youth as under arrest at present, the captain was in some doubt whether it might not be expedient to handcuff him, or tie his ankles together, or attach a weight to his legs; but not being clear as to the legality of such formalities, the captain decided merely to hold him by the shoulder all the way, and knock him down if he made any objection.

however, he made none, and consequently got to the instrument-maker's house without being placed under any more stringent restraint. as the shutters were not yet taken down, the captain's first care was to have the shop opened; and when the daylight was freely admitted, he proceeded, with its aid, to further investigation.

the captain's first care was to establish himself in a chair in the shop, as president of the solemn tribunal that was sitting within him; and to require rob to lie down in his bed under the counter, show exactly where he discovered the keys and packet when he awoke, how he found the door when he went to try it, how he started off to brig place - cautiously preventing the latter imitation from being carried farther than the threshold - and so on to the end of the chapter. when all this had been done several times, the captain shook his head and seemed to think the matter had a bad look.

next, the captain, with some indistinct idea of finding a body, instituted a strict search over the whole house; groping in the cellars with a lighted candle, thrusting his hook behind doors, bringing his head into violent contact with beams, and covering himself with cobwebs. mounting up to the old man's bed-room, they found that he had not been in bed on the previous night, but had merely lain down on the coverlet, as was evident from the impression yet remaining there.

'and i think, captain,' said rob, looking round the room, 'that when mr gills was going in and out so often, these last few days, he was taking little things away, piecemeal, not to attract attention.'

'ay!' said the captain, mysteriously. 'why so, my lad?'

'why,' returned rob, looking about, 'i don't see his shaving tackle. nor his brushes, captain. nor no shirts. nor yet his shoes.'

as each of these articles was mentioned, captain cuttle took particular notice of the corresponding department of the grinder, lest he should appear to have been in recent use, or should prove to be in present possession thereof. but rob had no occasion to shave, was not brushed, and wore the clothes he had on for a long time past, beyond all possibility of a mistake.

'and what should you say,' said the captain - 'not committing yourself - about his time of sheering off? hey?'

'why, i think, captain,' returned rob, 'that he must have gone pretty soon after i began to snore.'

'what o'clock was that?' said the captain, prepared to be very particular about the exact time.

'how can i tell, captain!' answered rob. 'i only know that i'm a heavy sleeper at first, and a light one towards morning; and if mr gills had come through the shop near daybreak, though ever so much on tiptoe, i'm pretty sure i should have heard him shut the door at all events.

on mature consideration of this evidence, captain cuttle began to think that the instrument-maker must have vanished of his own accord; to which logical conclusion he was assisted by the letter addressed to himself, which, as being undeniably in the old man's handwriting, would seem, with no great forcing, to bear the construction, that he arranged of his own will to go, and so went. the captain had next to consider where and why? and as there was no way whatsoever that he saw to the solution of the first difficulty, he confined his meditations to the second.

remembering the old man's curious manner, and the farewell he had taken of him; unaccountably fervent at the time, but quite intelligible now: a terrible apprehension strengthened on the captain, that, overpowered by his anxieties and regrets for walter, he had been driven to commit suicide. unequal to the wear and tear of daily life, as he had often professed himself to be, and shaken as he no doubt was by the uncertainty and deferred hope he had undergone, it seemed no violently strained misgiving, but only too probable. free from debt, and with no fear for his personal liberty, or the seizure of his goods, what else but such a state of madness could have hurried him away alone and secretly? as to his carrying some apparel with him, if he had really done so - and they were not even sure of that - he might have done so, the captain argued, to prevent inquiry, to distract attention from his probable fate, or to ease the very mind that was now revolving all these possibilities. such, reduced into plain language, and condensed within a small compass, was the final result and substance of captain cuttle's deliberations: which took a long time to arrive at this pass, and were, like some more public deliberations, very discursive and disorderly.

dejected and despondent in the extreme, captain cuttle felt it just to release rob from the arrest in which he had placed him, and to enlarge him, subject to a kind of honourable inspection which he still resolved to exercise; and having hired a man, from brogley the broker, to sit in the shop during their absence, the captain, taking rob with him, issued forth upon a dismal quest after the mortal remains of solomon gills.

not a station-house, or bone-house, or work-house in the metropolis escaped a visitation from the hard glazed hat. along the wharves, among the shipping on the bank-side, up the river, down the river, here, there, everywhere, it went gleaming where men were thickest, like the hero's helmet in an epic battle. for a whole week the captain read of all the found and missing people in all the newspapers and handbills, and went forth on expeditions at all hours of the day to identify solomon gills, in poor little ship-boys who had fallen overboard, and in tall foreigners with dark beards who had taken poison - 'to make sure,' captain cuttle said, 'that it wam't him.' it is a sure thing that it never was, and that the good captain had no other satisfaction.

captain cuttle at last abandoned these attempts as hopeless, and set himself to consider what was to be done next. after several new perusals of his poor friend's letter, he considered that the maintenance of' a home in the old place for walter' was the primary duty imposed upon him. therefore, the captain's decision was, that he would keep house on the premises of solomon gills himself, and would go into the instrument-business, and see what came of it.

but as this step involved the relinquishment of his apartments at mrs macstinger's, and he knew that resolute woman would never hear of his deserting them, the captain took the desperate determination of running away.

'now, look ye here, my lad,' said the captain to rob, when he had matured this notable scheme, 'to-morrow, i shan't be found in this here roadstead till night - not till arter midnight p'rhaps. but you keep watch till you hear me knock, and the moment you do, turn-to, and open the door.'

'very good, captain,' said rob.

'you'll continue to be rated on these here books,' pursued the captain condescendingly, 'and i don't say but what you may get promotion, if you and me should pull together with a will. but the moment you hear me knock to-morrow night, whatever time it is, turn-to and show yourself smart with the door.'

'i'll be sure to do it, captain,' replied rob.

'because you understand,' resumed the captain, coming back again to enforce this charge upon his mind, 'there may be, for anything i can say, a chase; and i might be took while i was waiting, if you didn't show yourself smart with the door.'

rob again assured the captain that he would be prompt and wakeful; and the captain having made this prudent arrangement, went home to mrs macstinger's for the last time.

the sense the captain had of its being the last time, and of the awful purpose hidden beneath his blue waistcoat, inspired him with such a mortal dread of mrs macstinger, that the sound of that lady's foot downstairs at any time of the day, was sufficient to throw him into a fit of trembling. it fell out, too, that mrs macstinger was in a charming temper - mild and placid as a house- lamb; and captain cuttle's conscience suffered terrible twinges, when she came up to inquire if she could cook him nothing for his dinner.

'a nice small kidney-pudding now, cap'en cuttle,' said his landlady: 'or a sheep's heart. don't mind my trouble.'

'no thank'ee, ma'am,' returned the captain.

'have a roast fowl,' said mrs macstinger, 'with a bit of weal stuffing and some egg sauce. come, cap'en cuttle! give yourself a little treat!'

'no thank'ee, ma'am,' returned the captain very humbly.

'i'm sure you're out of sorts, and want to be stimulated,' said mrs macstinger. 'why not have, for once in a way, a bottle of sherry wine?'

'well, ma'am,' rejoined the captain, 'if you'd be so good as take a glass or two, i think i would try that. would you do me the favour, ma'am,' said the captain, torn to pieces by his conscience, 'to accept a quarter's rent ahead?'

'and why so, cap'en cuttle?' retorted mrs macstinger - sharply, as the captain thought.

the captain was frightened to dead 'if you would ma'am,' he said with submission, 'it would oblige me. i can't keep my money very well. it pays itself out. i should take it kind if you'd comply.'

'well, cap'en cuttle,' said the unconscious macstinger, rubbing her hands, 'you can do as you please. it's not for me, with my family, to refuse, no more than it is to ask'

'and would you, ma'am,' said the captain, taking down the tin canister in which he kept his cash' from the top shelf of the cupboard, 'be so good as offer eighteen-pence a-piece to the little family all round? if you could make it convenient, ma'am, to pass the word presently for them children to come for'ard, in a body, i should be glad to see 'em'

these innocent macstingers were so many daggers to the captain's breast, when they appeared in a swarm, and tore at him with the confiding trustfulness he so little deserved. the eye of alexander macstinger, who had been his favourite, was insupportable to the captain; the voice of juliana macstinger, who was the picture of her mother, made a coward of him.

captain cuttle kept up appearances, nevertheless, tolerably well, and for an hour or two was very hardly used and roughly handled by the young macstingers: who in their childish frolics, did a little damage also to the glazed hat, by sitting in it, two at a time, as in a nest, and drumming on the inside of the crown with their shoes. at length the captain sorrowfully dismissed them: taking leave of these cherubs with the poignant remorse and grief of a man who was going to execution.

in the silence of night, the captain packed up his heavier property in a chest, which he locked, intending to leave it there, in all probability for ever, but on the forlorn chance of one day finding a man sufficiently bold and desperate to come and ask for it. of his lighter necessaries, the captain made a bundle; and disposed his plate about his person, ready for flight. at the hour of midnight, when brig place was buried in slumber, and mrs macstinger was lulled in sweet oblivion, with her infants around her, the guilty captain, stealing down on tiptoe, in the dark, opened the door, closed it softly after him, and took to his heels

pursued by the image of mrs macstinger springing out of bed, and, regardless of costume, following and bringing him back; pursued also by a consciousness of his enormous crime; captain cuttle held on at a great pace, and allowed no grass to grow under his feet, between brig place and the instrument-maker's door. it opened when he knocked - for rob was on the watch - and when it was bolted and locked behind him, captain cuttle felt comparatively safe.

'whew!' cried the captain, looking round him. 'it's a breather!'

'nothing the matter, is there, captain?' cried the gaping rob.

'no, no!' said captain cuttle, after changing colour, and listening to a passing footstep in the street. 'but mind ye, my lad; if any lady, except either of them two as you see t'other day, ever comes and asks for cap'en cuttle, be sure to report no person of that name known, nor never heard of here; observe them orders, will you?'

'i'll take care, captain,' returned rob.

'you might say - if you liked,' hesitated the captain, 'that you'd read in the paper that a cap'en of that name was gone to australia, emigrating, along with a whole ship's complement of people as had all swore never to come back no more.

rob nodded his understanding of these instructions; and captain cuttle promising to make a man of him, if he obeyed orders, dismissed him, yawning, to his bed under the counter, and went aloft to the chamber of solomon gills.

what the captain suffered next day, whenever a bonnet passed, or how often he darted out of the shop to elude imaginary macstingers, and sought safety in the attic, cannot be told. but to avoid the fatigues attendant on this means of self-preservation, the captain curtained the glass door of communication between the shop and parlour, on the inside; fitted a key to it from the bunch that had been sent to him; and cut a small hole of espial in the wall. the advantage of this fortification is obvious. on a bonnet appearing, the captain instantly slipped into his garrison, locked himself up, and took a secret observation of the enemy. finding it a false alarm, the captain instantly slipped out again. and the bonnets in the street were so very numerous, and alarms were so inseparable from their appearance, that the captain was almost incessantly slipping in and out all day long.

captain cuttle found time, however, in the midst of this fatiguing service to inspect the stock; in connexion with which he had the general idea (very laborious to rob) that too much friction could not be bestowed upon it, and that it could not be made too bright. he also ticketed a few attractive-looking articles at a venture, at prices ranging from ten shillings to fifty pounds, and exposed them in the window to the great astonishment of the public.

after effecting these improvements, captain cuttle, surrounded by the instruments, began to feel scientific: and looked up at the stars at night, through the skylight, when he was smoking his pipe in the little back parlour before going to bed, as if he had established a kind of property in them. as a tradesman in the city, too, he began to have an interest in the lord mayor, and the sheriffs, and in public companies; and felt bound to read the quotations of the funds every day, though he was unable to make out, on any principle of navigation, what the figures meant, and could have very well dispensed with the fractions. florence, the captain waited on, with his strange news of uncle sol, immediately after taking possession of the midshipman; but she was away from home. so the captain sat himself down in his altered station of life, with no company but rob the grinder; and losing count of time, as men do when great changes come upon them, thought musingly of walter, and of solomon gills, and even of mrs macstinger herself, as among the things that had been.

卡特尔船长昨天夜里曾经从店铺窗子里看到所尔·吉尔斯在客厅里写东西，海军军官候补生站在柜台上，磨工罗布在柜台下面铺床铺；他虽然并不是一个懒人，但是这一天早上他起得不是很早，直到时钟敲打了六下，他才支着胳膊肘，欠起身来，对他的小房间四处看了看；如果船长平时醒来的时候，眼睛也像这天早上张得这么大，那么它们一定是担负着严重的任务；如果他平时也像这天早上这么猛烈地揉它们，那么它们的警觉性就得到很差的酬劳了。可是现在的情况是异乎寻常的，因为磨工罗布以前从来没有在卡特尔船长卧室的门口出现过，然而现在他却站在那里，气喘吁吁地望着船长，脸孔通红，蓬头散发，好像刚刚从床上起来似的，这大大地影响了他的脸色和表情。

“喂！”船长大声喊叫道，“发生了什么事了？”

罗布张口结舌，一个字也没能答出来的时候，卡特尔船长就慌慌张张地下了床，用手捂住孩子的嘴巴。

“别急，我的孩子，”船长说道，“现在一个字也别跟我说！”

船长向他发出了这条禁令之后，十分惊恐地望着他的来访者，轻轻地推着他的肩膀，把他推到隔壁的房间里；卡特尔船长不见了一会儿之后，又穿着蓝色的服装回来。他一边举着手表示禁令还没有解除，一边走向碗柜给他自己倒了一杯酒，他又把另一杯递给前来传送消息的人。然后船长站在一个角落里，背靠着墙，仿佛是要预防自己可能被即将听到的消息惊吓得往后倒下似的；接着，他吞下了酒，眼睛一动不动地盯住传信人，脸色极度苍白地请他“收起曳索，使船前进吧！”

“船长，您的意思是不是说告诉您？”罗布问道，这些预防措施给他留下了强烈的印象。

“是的！”船长说道。

“好吧，先生，”罗布说道，“我没有好多话要说的。不过请看这里！”

罗布取出一串钥匙。船长仔细地看了看，继续站在角落里，又打量着前来传递讯息的人。

“再看这里！”罗布继续说道。

孩子取出一个封好的小包裹。卡特尔张大眼睛看着它，就跟刚才张大眼睛看着钥匙一样。

“我今天早上醒来的时候，船长，”罗布说道，“那是五点一刻光景，我在枕头上发现了这些东西。店铺的门没有闩上，也没有上锁。吉尔斯先生走了！”

“走了！”船长大声喊道。

“悄悄地走了，先生，”罗布回答道。

船长的声音非常可怕，他从角落里直冲冲地向罗布跑来，罗布就退缩到另一个角落里，递出钥匙和包包，免得被他撞倒。

“‘给卡特尔船长’，先生，”罗布喊道，“是写在钥匙上，也写在包裹上的。说实话，我敢用荣誉向您保证，卡特尔船长，我再也不知道别的了。如果我知道的话，我但愿自己就死掉。一个刚刚找到工作的小伙子想不到竟会落到这样的下场，”不幸的磨工用袖头擦着脸孔，哭道，“他的主人逃跑了，他却受到了责怪！”

这些怨言是由于卡特尔船长的注视，或者正确地说，是由于他瞪着眼睛所引起的，因为在他的眼光中充满了怀疑、威胁和责难。船长从他手中取过包裹，打开它，念着以下的字句：

“我亲爱的内德·卡特尔，这里所附的是我的一般遗嘱！”船长用怀疑的眼光把纸翻过来，“和处理财产的遗嘱——处理财产的遗嘱在哪里？”船长立即责问倒霉的磨工，“我的孩子，你把它弄到哪里去了？”

“我从来没有看见它，”罗布啜泣道，“请别怀疑一个清白无辜的孩子，船长。处理财产的遗嘱，我从来没有碰到过！”

卡特尔船长摇摇头，意味着得有人对这负责，又继续念道。

“一年之内或者在你得到我亲爱的沃尔特的确凿消息之前，请别打开它。我相信，内德，沃尔特也是你亲爱的人。”船长停了一下，激动地点点头，然后，为了在这难堪的时刻维持他的尊严，非常严厉地看着磨工，“如果你再也听不到我的消息，再也看不到我的话，那么，内德，你就记住一位老朋友吧，正像他将会亲切地记住你一样，直到生命的最后时刻；至少在我所说的期限来到之前，请在老地方为沃尔特保留一个家。我已没有债务，从董贝公司借来的钱已经还清，我所有的钥匙连同这个包包一并交给你。请不要声张，也不要打听我的下落；那样做是徒劳无益的。好了，没有别的话要说的了，内德，你的忠实的朋友，所罗门·吉尔斯。”船长深深地吸了一口气，然后再念以下的字句：“罗布这孩子，我跟你说过，董贝公司推荐得不错。内德，如果所有其余的东西都要拿去拍卖的话，那么那个小小的海军军官候补生你得好好看管着。”

船长把这封信翻来翻去，念了二十来次之后，坐到椅子里，在心中对这问题进行了一场军事审判；要把船长这时的神态描述出来，为后世所记忆，是需要一切厌弃不幸的当代、决心面向后世、但却未能如愿以偿的伟大天才人物的共同努力才能做到的。最初，船长因为过于惊慌失措和伤心苦恼，所以除了想到这封信之外，不能再想到别的事情了；甚至当他的思想开始转到各种伴随发生的事实时，他在脑子里也许还依旧盘旋着原先的主题，而很少考虑这些伴随发生的事实。卡特尔船长在这样一种心情下，只有磨工一人在他的法庭上，而没有其他任何人；当他决定把磨工作为怀疑对象来进行审判时，心中感到极大的安慰；他把他的这种想法在脸容上表露得清清楚楚，因此罗布就提出了抗议。

“啊，别这样，船长！”磨工喊道，“我真不明白，您怎么能这样！我做了什么事啦，您要这样看着我？”

“我的孩子，”卡特尔船长说道，“还没有伤害你什么，你就别吵吵嚷嚷，不论你做了什么，都别忙着表白自己！”

“我没有做什么，也没有表白什么，船长！”罗布回答道。

“那就从容自在，”船长给人以深刻印象地说道，“不必紧张。”

卡特尔船长深深感觉到自己所负的责任，也有必要把这桩神秘的事情彻底调查清楚；像他这样一个与当事人有关系的人本就应该这么做的，所以他就决定让磨工跟他在一起，深入到老人家里去考察一番。考虑到这个年轻人目前已处于被逮捕状态，船长犹豫不决，究竟把他戴上手铐，或者把他的踝骨捆绑起来，或者在他的腿上悬挂一个重物，是不是得当；但是船长不明白这样做在手续上是否合法，所以决定只是一路上抓住他的肩膀，如果他要有一点反抗，那么就把他打倒在地。

可是罗布没有任何反抗，因此对他没有施加其他严厉的紧急措施，就到达仪器制造商的家了。由于百叶窗还遮蔽着，船长首先关心的是让店铺开着；当阳光充分射进来以后，他就着手进一步的调查。

船长第一桩事是在店铺中的一张椅子里坐下，担任他心目中的庄严的法庭庭长，并要求罗布躺在柜台下面的床铺上，丝毫不差地指点出他醒来时在什么地方发现了钥匙和包包，他怎么发觉门没有闩上，他怎么出发到布里格广场——船长谨慎地禁止他在重现这最后一幕情景时跑出门槛之外——，等等。当所有这一切表演了好几次之后，船长摇摇头，似乎觉得这件事情状况不妙。

接着，船长不很肯定地想到可能找到尸体，就动手对整个住宅进行严密的搜查；他把钩子插在门后，拿着一支点着的蜡烛在地窖中摸索，这时他的头和梁木猛烈地碰撞，蜘蛛网缠绕住他的身子。他们从地窖中走上来，走进老人的卧室时，发现他昨天夜里没有上床睡觉，而仅仅在被单上面躺了一下，这从依旧留在那里的印痕中可以明显地看出。

“我想，船长，”罗布环视着房间，说道，“最近几天吉尔斯先生进进出出十分频繁，他把小件物品一件一件地拿出去，这样做是为了避免引起注意。”

“是吗！”船长神秘地说道，“为什么你这样想呢，我的孩子？”

“嗯，比方说，”罗布向四下里看着，说道，“我没有看到他刮胡子的用具，也没看到他的刷子，船长，还有他的衬衫，他的鞋子，也都没有看到。”

这些物品每提到一件，卡特尔船长就把磨工身上装束的相应部分格外注意察看了一下，想看看他是不是最近使用了它们或现在已把它们占为己有；可是罗布用不着刮胡子，头发也显然没有梳刷过，身上的衣服是他过去长期穿着的，这丝毫也不错。

“那么，——你别忙着表白自己，——”船长说，“他什么时候开航的，这你怎么说？”

“唔，我想，船长，”罗布回答道，“他一定在我开始打鼾以后很快就走了。”

“那是在几点钟？”船长问，他打算查清确切的时间。

“我怎么能回答这个问题呢？船长！”罗布答道，“我只知道，我刚入睡的时候睡得很深沉，但快到早晨的时候我是容易清醒的；如果吉尔斯先生临近天亮时穿过店铺的话，那么哪怕他是踮着脚尖走路，我也完全能肯定，我无论如何也是能听到他关门的。”

卡特尔船长对这证词进行了冷静的思考以后，开始想；仪器制造商一定是自己有意隐匿不见了；那封写给他本人的信也帮助他得出这个合乎逻辑的结论；那封信既然是老人亲笔写的，那就似乎不必牵强附会就可以解释：他自己已经打定主意要走，所以也就这样走掉了。船长接着得考虑他走到哪里去和他为什么要走。由于他看不到第一个问题有任何解决的途径，所以他就只是在第二个问题上思考。

船长回想起老人那稀奇古怪的神态和跟他告别时的情形——他当时热情得令人莫名其妙，但现在却是容易理解的了——，这时候他心中加深了一种可怕的忧虑：老人受不了对沃尔特挂念和忧愁的沉重压力，被驱使走上自杀的道路。正像他本人经常所说的，他适应不了日常生活的劳累，情况明暗不定，希望渺茫无期，又无疑使他灰心丧气，因此这样的忧虑不仅不是极不自然的，相反地却是太有可能了。

他已经没有债务，不用害怕失去个人自由或没收他的财物，除了这种精神失常的状态之外，还有什么别的原因使他孑然一身，急急忙忙地、偷偷摸摸地从家里跑出去呢？至于他如果真的带走一些物品的话——他们甚至对这一点也还不是很肯定的——，那么，船长判断，他这样做可能是为了防止对他进行调查追究，转移对他可能死亡的疑虑或者是为了使那些现在正在反复琢磨着所有这些可能性的人们放心。如果用明白的语言和简洁的形式叙述出来的话，那么卡特尔船长思考的最后结果和主要内容就是这样一些。卡特尔船长是经过很长时间的思考才得到这个结论的；就像其他一些比较公开的思考一样，它们是很散漫、很混乱的。

卡特尔船长垂头丧气、灰心失望到了极点；他曾经使罗布处于被逮捕状态，他觉得现在应当解除他的这种状态，并在对他进行体面的监督（这是他决定仍要进行的）之后，把他释放。船长从经纪人布罗格利那里雇来了一个人在他们外出期间看守店铺，然后就带着罗布一道出发，忧心忡忡地去寻找所罗门·吉尔斯的遗骸。

在这个都城中，没有一个派出所，没有一处无名尸体招领处，没有一个救贫院，那顶上了光的硬帽子不曾前去访问过。在码头上，在岸边的船的中间，在河流的上游，在河流的下游，这里，那里，每一个地点，它都像史诗描写的战役中的英雄的钢盔一般，在人群稠密的地方闪耀着亮光。船长整个星期念着所有报纸和传单中找到人和丢失人的消息，一天中的每个小时都走着远路，去把那些掉进水里的可怜的年轻的见习船员、那些服毒自杀的、长着黑胡子、身材高大的外国人仔细辨认，究竟是不是所罗门·吉尔斯。“查查确实，”卡特尔船长说，“那不是他。”这倒是千真万确，并不是他，善良的船长得不到其他安慰。

卡特尔船长终于放弃了这些毫无希望的尝试，考虑他下一步该做什么。他把他可怜的朋友的信重新细读了几次之后认为，“在老地方为沃尔特保留一个家”，这是托付给他的主要责任。因此，船长决定移居到所罗门·吉尔斯家中，经营仪器生意，看看这样做有什么结果。

但是采取这个步骤需要从麦克斯廷杰太太家的房间中搬出来，而他知道那位独断专行的女人是决不肯答应他把房间退掉的。所以他决定不顾一切，偷偷地逃走。

“我的孩子，现在你听着，”船长想好这个巧妙的计划后，对罗布说，“在明天夜间，也许还是半夜之前，在这个锚地将看不到我。但是，请你一直在这里看守着，直到你听到我敲门，那时候请你立刻跑来把门打开。”

“我一定遵命，船长，”罗布说道。

“你还跟过去一样在这里记帐，”船长平易近人地继续说道，“不用说，如果你和我配合得好，你甚至还可能得到提升。不过，明天夜间，你只要一听到我敲门，不论那是什么时候，你就得快手快脚地跑来，把门打开。”

“我一定这么做，船长，”罗布回答道。

“因为你知道，”船长解释道，他又重新回到原来的话题，想让这个指示牢牢地印刻在罗布的头脑中，“说不定后面会有人追来。如果你不快手快脚地把门打开，我在门外等待的时候就可能会被逮住。”

罗布重新向船长保证，他将会动作敏捷，清醒机警。船长作了这番谨慎周到的安排之后，最后一次回到麦克斯廷杰太太的住所。

船长知道，他是最后一次待在那里；在他蓝色的背心下面正隐藏着残酷无情的决心。这样一种感觉，使他在心中对麦克斯廷杰太太感到非常害怕；这一天不论在什么时候，只要一听到这位太太在楼下的脚步声，都可以使他直打哆嗦。再说，这天又碰巧麦克斯廷杰太太的脾气又极好，就像小羊羔一般温厚善良，心平气和；当她上楼来问她能为他准备点什么晚饭的时候，卡特尔船长的良心受到了可怕的责备。

“用腰子做个美味的小布丁怎么样，卡特尔船长？”他的房东太太问道，“要不就来个羊心。我做起来费事些，这您可不用担心。”

“不，谢谢您，夫人。”船长回答道。

“一只烤鸡，”麦克斯廷杰太太说道，“鸡肚子里再填些小牛肉和来点鸡蛋调味汁。好啦，卡特尔船长！您痛痛快快地吃一顿吧！”

“不，谢谢您，夫人，”船长很低声下气地回答道。

“我相信您的心情不好，需要提提神。”麦克斯廷杰太太说道，“为什么不偶尔喝一瓶雪利酒1呢？”

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1雪利酒（sherrywine）：西班牙南部地方产的白葡萄酒。

“好吧，夫人，”船长回答道，“如果您肯赏光也喝一、两杯，我想我可以试一试。您肯不肯给我帮个忙，夫人，”船长说道，这时他已被他的良心撕成碎片了，“接受我一个季度的预付房租？”

“为什么这样，卡特尔船长？”麦克斯廷杰太太问道，船长觉得她词锋尖锐。

船长吓得要死。“如果您肯接受的话，夫人，”他恭恭敬敬地说道，“那么你就帮了我的忙。我手头存不住钱。它们总是哗哗地流出去。如果您肯答应的话，那么我真会感谢不尽。”

“好吧，卡特尔船长，”蒙在鼓里的麦克斯廷杰太太搓着手说道，“您爱怎么办就怎么办吧，我和我的一家人不应该拒绝您，就像不应该向您提出这个要求一样。”

“您肯不肯再行个好，夫人，”船长从碗柜最上一层的搁板上取下他存放现金的锡罐，说道，“让我送给您的孩子们每人十八个便士？如果您肯行个方便，夫人，那就请立刻吩咐这些孩子们一齐都上这里来；我将很高兴看到他们。”

当这些天真烂熳的小麦克斯廷杰们蜂拥来到的时候，他们像许多短剑一样刺进了船长的胸膛；他们对他那种他受之有愧的无限信任使他的心都要碎了；他所宠爱的亚历山大·麦克斯廷杰的眼光使他难以忍受；模样长得活像母亲的朱莉安娜·麦克斯廷杰的声音使他心亏胆怯。

尽管这样，卡特尔船长把场面支撑得还不错；他在一、两个小时内受到了小麦克斯廷杰们残酷的、粗暴的折磨。这些小家伙们在儿戏中把他的上了光的帽子损坏了一点，因为他们两个一起坐在里面，就像坐在鸟窠里一样，还用鞋子像打鼓似地踩踏着帽顶的里面。最后船长伤心地打发他们回去，就像一个就要被处决死刑的人一样，怀着深沉的悔恨与悲痛和这些小天使们告别。

船长在寂静的夜间把比较重的财产装在一只箱子里，上了锁，打算把它留下，十之八九就永远留在那里了，因为以后要找一个胆大包天的人，能不顾一切地跑来把它取走，这种机会几乎是不会有的。船长把比较轻的东西打成一个包裹，并把餐具塞在衣袋里，准备逃走。午夜，当布里格广场正在酣睡，麦克斯廷杰太太身旁围躺着婴儿，正香甜甜地沉没在迷迷蒙蒙的状态之中的时候，犯罪的船长踮着脚尖，在黑暗中偷偷地下了楼，打开门，轻轻地把它关上，然后拔起脚来就跑。

卡特尔船长仿佛看到麦克斯廷杰太太从床上跳起，不顾穿衣服，就从后面赶来，把他抓回去；她的这个形象一直在紧追着他，他已犯下了弥天大罪的感觉也在紧追着他，所以从布里格广场到仪器制造商的家门之间，他一直迈开大步，飞快奔跑，脚步践踏到的地方野草就休想长出来了。他一敲门，门就开了——因为罗布正在值夜——；当把门闩上、上了锁之后，卡特尔船长才觉得自己比较安全了。

“哎呀！”船长向四周看看，喊道，“这真是叫人直喘大气的激烈运动啊！”

“出什么事了没有，船长？”目瞪口呆的罗布问道。

“没有，没有，”卡特尔船长脸色发白，听着街道上走过的脚步声之后说，“不过，我的孩子，你得记住：除了那天你看到的那两位小姐外，如果有什么女人跑来打听卡特尔船长的话，你一定要对她说，这里根本不知道有这样一个人，从来也没听说起过他。你要遵照这些命令行事，听见没有？”

“我会提防的，船长，”罗布回答道。

“你可以说——如果你愿意的话，”船长迟疑不定地说，“你在报纸上念到一则消息，有一个同姓的船长已经移居到澳大利亚去了，同去的还有整船的人，他们全都发誓再也不回来了。”

罗布点点头，表示明白这些指示；卡特尔船长答应如果他遵从这些命令的话，那么他就把他教养成一个有出息的人，然后就把直打呵欠的孩子打发到柜台下面去睡觉，他自己则上楼到所罗门·吉尔斯的房间里去。

第二天，每当一顶女帽从窗口走过的时候，船长就多么胆战心惊地害怕，或者他多少次从店铺中冲出，避开想象中的麦克斯廷杰们，到顶楼中寻求安全，这一切都是不能用笔墨形容的。但是为了避免采取这种自卫方式所产生的疲劳，船长就在店铺通接客厅之间的玻璃门里面挂上帘子，从老人交给他的一串钥匙中间取出一把套在门上，又在墙上挖了一个用来侦察的小洞。这套防御工事的好处是显而易见的。船长一看到女帽出现，就立即溜进他的堡垒，把自己锁在里面，然后偷偷地观察敌人。当发现这是一场虚惊时，船长就立即溜了出来。街上的女帽非常之多，它们每一出现又必定要引起一场惊慌，所以船长几乎整天都不断地溜进溜出。

不过在这使人疲劳不堪的紧张活动中间，卡特尔船长倒找到时间来检点存货。在检点过程中，他得到一个概念（对罗布来说，这是很累人的），就是：货品擦得愈久、愈亮就愈好。然后他在几个外表引人注目的物品上贴上标签，瞎估乱猜地标上价格，从十五先令到五十镑。他把它们陈列在橱窗中，使公众大为惊奇。

卡特尔船长完成了这些改进后，被包围在仪器中间，开始觉得自己也跟科学沾边了。夜间，当他上床睡觉之前，在小后客厅中抽着烟斗的时候，他通过天窗仰望群星，仿佛它们已成为他的财产似的。作为一个在城市里做生意的人，他开始对市长、郡长和同业公会发生了兴趣；他还觉得每天应当阅读有价证券行情表，虽然不能根据航海的原理看懂这些数字的意义；对他来说，没有那些小数也是完全可以的。卡特尔船长在占有了海军军官候补生之后，就立即带着所尔舅舅的奇怪消息前去拜访弗洛伦斯，但是她却已经离开家了。这样，船长就在他的新的生活岗位上安定下来，除了磨工罗布之外，没有别的伴侣。他就像生活中发生了极大变化的人们一样，记不清日子是怎么过去的；他默默地思念着沃尔特，思念着所罗门·吉尔斯，甚至在回顾往事时，还想到那位麦克斯廷杰太太。