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A Rogue's Life-Part18_WILKIE COLLINS (1824-1899)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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tried it and had to go away. You go, too."

"'T'othor one?" I repeated. "Another visitor? And when did he



call?"

"Better than an hour ago."



"Was there nobody with him?"

"No. Don't see no visitors. He went. You go, too "



Just as she repeated that exasperating formula of words, a door

opened at the end of the passage. My voice had evidently" target="_blank" title="ad.明显地">evidently reached



the ears of somebody in the back parlor. Who the person was I

could not see, but I heard the rustle of a woman's dress. My



situation was growing desperate, my suspicions were aroused--I

determined to risk everything--and I called softly in the



direction of the open door, "Alicia!"

A voice answered, "Good heavens! Frank?" It was _her_ voice. She



had recognized mine. I pushed past the big servant; in two steps

I was at the end of the passage; in one more I was in the back



parlor.

She was there, standing alone by the side of a table. Seeing my



changed costume and altered face, she turned deadly pale, and

stretched her hand behind her mechanically, as if to take hold of



a chair. I caught her in my arms; but I was afraid to kiss

her--she trembled so when I only touched her.



"Frank!" she said, drawing her head back. "What is it? How did

you find out? For mercy's sake what does it mean?"



"It means, love, that I've come to take care of you for the rest

of your life and mine, if you will only let me. Don't



tremble--there's nothing to be afraid of! Only compose yourself,

and I'll tell you why I am here in this strange disguise. Come,



come, Alicia!--don't look like that at me. You called me Frank

just now, for the first time. Would you have done that, if you



had disliked me or forgotten me?"

I saw her color beginning to come back--the old bright glow



returning to the dear dusky cheeks. If I had not seen them so

near me, I might have exercised some self-control--as it was, I



lost my presence of mind entirely, and kissed her.

She drew herself away half-frightened, half-confused--certainly



not offended, and, apparently, not very likely to faint--which

was more than I could have said of her when I first entered the



room. Before she had time to reflect on the peril and awkwardness

of our position, I pressed the first necessary questions on her



rapidly, one after the other.

"Where is Mrs. Baggs?" I asked first.



Mrs. Baggs was the housekeeper.

Alicia pointed to the closed folding-doors. "In the front parlor;



asleep on the sofa."

"Have you any suspicion who the stranger was who called more than



an hour ago?"

"None. The servant told him we saw no visitors, and he went away,



without leaving his name."

"Have you heard from your father?"



She began to turn pale again, but controlled herself bravely, and

answered in a whisper:



"Mrs. Baggs had a short note from him this morning. It was not

dated; and it only said circumstances had happened which obliged



him to leave home suddenly, and that we were to wait here till be

wrote again, most likely in a few days."



"Now, Alicia," I said, as lightly as I could, "I have the highest

possible opinion of your courage, good-sense, and self-control;



and I shall expect you to keep up your reputation in my eyes,

while you are listening to what I have to tell you."



Saying these words, I took her by the hand and made her sit close

by me; then, breaking it to her as gently and gradually as



possible, I told her all that had happened at the red-brick house

since the evening when she left the dinner-table, and we



exchanged our parting look at the dining-room door.

It was almost as great a trial to me to speak as it was to her to



hear. She suffered so violently, felt such evidentmisery of

shame and terror, while I was relating the strange events which



had occurred in her absence, that I once or twice stopped in

alarm, and almost repented my boldness in telling her the truth.



However, fair-dealing with her, cruel as it might seem at the




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