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非洲的百万富翁|Millionaire in Africa

第六章　德国教授|Chapter VI The Episode of the German Professor

属类： 双语小说 【分类】双语小说 -[作者: 格兰特-艾伦] 阅读：[7511]
《非洲的百万富翁》讲述了骗子克雷上校与查尔斯爵士斗智斗勇的故事.克雷上校通过伪装成不同的身份,如墨西哥先知,小牧师理查德·佩普洛·布拉巴宗,施莱尔马赫教授等欺骗查尔斯,令查尔斯防不胜防.而案情的揭露则是通过克雷上校在事后给查尔斯发来的羞辱信,把他实施作案的过程揭露出来的.最终,克雷上校受到了法律的制裁
《 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 》
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那年冬天，我那尊贵的内兄在伦敦几乎没什么闲工夫来操心克雷上校此类蝇头小事。他在南非的利益受到了威胁，这威胁非同小可、毫无征兆，足以使他倾家荡产，可谓一个晴天霹雳。

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虽然查尔斯做点黄金生意，也做点土地生意，不过主要精力还是在钻石生意上。说实话，我这辈子只有一次见到他对诗歌抱有那么一丁点兴趣。当时，碰巧有一天，我在吟诵这两行诗：

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世上有多少纯净明媚的玉石，

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淹没在深不可测的幽幽海底。

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他立刻摩挲着双手，兴奋地低声说道：“这一点我还从没想到过。我们可以成立一个大西洋勘探联合有限公司。”他满脑子想的都是钻石，因此，当他意识到科学的飞速进步，也许会让他心爱的宝石某一天变得无人问津时，你也能猜得出他该有多么震惊。钻石贬值这件烦心事一直折磨着他，而那年冬天，他与那场可怕的灾难擦肩而过。

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事情经过是这样的。

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一天下午，我同查尔斯一起沿着皮卡迪利广场散步，去他的俱乐部——他是帕玛街克罗伊斯富翁俱乐部的知名会员——在快到伯林顿馆时，猜猜我们撞见了谁？阿道弗斯·科德里爵士，他是响当当的矿物学家，皇家学会的领导人物。他向我们点头问好，非常高兴。“好哇，凡德里夫特，”他喊道，嗓门大得出奇，有些刺耳，“我今天正想找你。早上好，温特沃斯。对了，最近钻石生意怎么样，富翁爵士？不过，你以后得老实点了。有件事和你们这些点石成金的富人有关。有没有听过施莱尔马赫那了不起的新发现？估计会让你的钻石王国就像热锅上的蚂蚁那样煎熬难耐。”

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我能看到，查尔斯的身体在衣服的遮掩下扭动，他十分不安。科德里这种身份的人，竟然在皮卡迪利广场公然说出这些话，还这么大嗓门儿，不管有没有什么根据，都足以成为别人眼中敏感的晴雨表，让克罗地多普公司股价走低一两个点。

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“嘘，嘘！”查尔斯一脸严肃地提醒他，那语气中充满惊恐，当有人咒骂金钱时，他就常常这种口气，“再也不要这么大声喊了！整个伦敦都听见了。”

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阿道弗斯爵士极为友善地挽过查尔斯的胳膊。查尔斯最讨厌别人挽他胳膊了。

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“走，同我一起去雅典娜神庙俱乐部，”他继续道，嗓门儿还是那么大，“到那儿，我把一切都告诉你。这个发现非常有意思，能让钻石就像粪土一样一文不值，估计能把南非彻底踩到脚下。”

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查尔斯任由他拉扯着自己向前走，不这样做也没辙。阿道弗斯爵士还在不停地说，只是声音略低了一些，看到查尔斯没发话制止，他就更加口无遮拦。事情让人忧心忡忡，但他却讲得津津有味。据他说，貌似耶拿有一位叫施莱尔马赫的教授，是“宝石化学这方面仍然健在的、最伟大的权威专家”，教授最近发明了，或者说声称自己发明了一套制造人工宝石的方法，已经取得了令人难以置信、无可挑剔的成果。

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查尔斯稍稍撇了撇嘴，说道：“哦，我知道这回事儿，之前也听说过。都是些非常次的钻石，非常小，一分钱也不值，虽然制造成本巨大，但根本不值一看。科德里，你清楚，我也是久经沙场了，才不会上这个当。讲点有意思的事情吧！”

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阿道弗斯爵士从口袋里掏出一小块切割好的钻石。“这块能不能称得上顶级钻石？”他一边咧着嘴笑，一边把钻石递给查尔斯，说道：“就在我眼皮底下制作的——成本相当低！”

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查尔斯立刻站住，靠在圣詹姆士广场的栏杆上，拿着便携放大镜仔细检验起来。说得没错，事实就摆在那儿，这就是一小块精美的钻石，质量上乘。

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“就在你眼皮底下做出来的？”查尔斯大声问道，还是不敢相信，“在哪儿？在耶拿吗？”

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“不是在耶拿，就在伦敦做的，就是昨晚，我和格雷博士亲眼所见，英国皇家学会主席还打算在各位会员面前展示一番。”这些话简直就是晴天霹雳！

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查尔斯深吸一口气，决然地说：“再也不能这么胡闹下去了。必须把这事消灭在萌芽状态！老兄，这可不行，事关一些重要人物，咱们可不能这么瞎糊弄。”

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“你是什么意思？”科德里问，十分震惊。

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查尔斯一动不动地盯着他。我偷偷地瞥了一眼，从查尔斯的眼中很明显能看出他十分害怕。“这家伙在哪儿？”他问，“他是自己过来的吗？还是让别人代他过来的？”

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“他就在伦敦，”阿道弗斯爵士答道，“现在在我家里，他说不论是谁，只要因为科学研究而对钻石感兴趣，他都会乐于展示。我们提议，让他今晚在兰卡斯特门做一番展示。你要不要顺便过来看看？”

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他要不要“顺便”过来看看？“顺便”到这么一个重要的场合！他能不过来吗？他紧张地一把抓住科德里的胳膊，颤抖着说道：“听着，科德里，这件事会影响到十分重要的一伙人。做事不要鲁莽，也不能糊涂。记住，这会影响到公司股票的涨跌。”他说“股票”这个词时那种深深的敬意，我很难用三言两语描述得清楚。这是他信仰中的关键字眼。

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“我觉得，这很有可能。”阿道弗斯爵士冷冰冰地答道，流露出一位纯粹的科学家对金钱损失的漠然态度。

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查尔斯虽然语气温和，但不容半点商议，说道：“现在，想一想，这么重大的责任落在了你肩上，市场的走势也取决于你。绝对不能让其他外人前来观看这次实验，要是你愿意，叫几位矿物学家和专家过来就行了。不过一定记得，要邀请一些利益受到威胁的人作为代表。我会亲自到场——本来我约了别人一起吃晚饭，不过可以推掉，就说我身体不适。我建议你应该请一下莫森海默，还有小菲普森。他们可作为采矿业的代表，你和那些矿物学家作为科学界的代表。最重要的是，不要乱说，看在老天的分儿上，在事情没有定论前，不要说长道短。告诉施莱尔马赫，别让他在伦敦到处胡乱吹嘘自己的成果。”

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“我们对此事都守口如瓶，这也是施莱尔马赫的要求。”科德里答道，比刚才严肃多了。

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查尔斯厉声责备道：“那你刚才还在皮卡迪利广场扯着嗓子叫唤，这就是你所谓的守口如瓶吗？”

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不过，夜幕降临之前，一切都按照查尔斯的意思安排妥当了。我们于是前往兰卡斯特门，真心希望那德国教授捣鼓不出什么名堂来。

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他的外表引人注目，从他瘦长的身材能看出来，以前个儿挺高，不过由于成天埋头钻研，俯身围着坩埚转来转去，现在腰也弯了，背也驼了，头发早早地变白了，在前额披散着，但双目炯炯有神，说出的话很有远见。他同科学家们亲切握手，像是老相识，但对于南非利益的代表们，他只是远远地鞠个躬。接着，他操着一口德式英语开始讲话了，碰到不会说的词时，时不时地用那沾满化学药品的脏手比画说明，好让别人明白他的意思。他的指甲很难看，不过，不得不说，由于老是做些精细的操作，他的手指是男人中最为纤细灵巧的。他立刻转入正题，同样带着浓重的口音，简要地向我们说明，他“现菜，要通过侧宠新方法，为各位糙出一些次量上乘，大恰满意的窜石”。

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他拿出仪器，向大家解释——用他的话说，是“且释”——他的新方法。“窜石，没什么大不了，”他说道，“只不过是结晶碳罢了。”他知道如何将之制成晶体“侧求是秘密所菜”。那些科学家仔细地检查了他那些盆盆罐罐。之后，他放入一定的原材料，就在众目睽睽之下，忙碌起来。一共有三种不同的方法，他用每种方法都能同时造出两块钻石。他说，自己的方法了不起的地方在于用时短、成本低。他还（面露讥讽地）笑道，他在四十五分钟之内就能造出一块目前市价为两百英镑的钻石。“大恰等一下马上求能看到，”他说道，“求用侧些浅单的仪器。”

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倒进去的那些东西不断地起泡冒烟，教授则不停地搅拌。整个房间充满了难闻的气味儿，像是羽毛烧焦了。科学家们，一个个你压我，我压你，都急切地伸直了脖子，尤其是文—卫文恩，眼睛眨都不眨一下。四十五分钟后，教授仍然面带微笑，开始清空那些仪器，从里面倒出大量的灰土，或者说粉末，他简单地称之为“副产品”，接着用拇指和另一根手指从炼锅中取出一小块白色的晶体，显然没有经过水的打磨，有点粗糙，表面像是长了瘤一样。

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每一口小锅中都做出了两块这种钻石，他在我们面前得意扬扬地举着，说道：“侧个，是尘蹭的窜石，每块的成本十四先令六便士！”接着他把第二个锅中的两块拿了出来，更加高兴地说道：“侧个，每块成本十一先令求便士！”最后他拿起第三个锅中的两块钻石，在惊异的众人眼前晃来晃去，激动地喊道：“侧个，成本不到三先令八便士！”

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大家把钻石传来传去，一探究竟。因为它们很粗糙，还没切割，因此不能判断价值几何。不过，有件事错不了，科学家们在最开始的时候，一直紧紧地盯着，保证施莱尔马赫没有提前把这些钻石放进去；在取钻石的时候，也盯得很紧，确定他是老老实实地从坩埚中取出来的，没动什么手脚。

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“我现在把它们发下去。”教授说道，语气很轻松，好像发的不是钻石，而是豌豆。说话的同时看看四周，挑中了我内兄。“一颗给查尔斯瘸士，”边说边递了过来，“一颗给莫森海默先生，菜给菲普森先生一颗——你们是窜石生意的代表。然后呢，也给阿道弗斯爵士、格雷博士、费恩—费凡先生每人各一颗，代表的是科学切。你们可以及时腔它们切割，并去此做一份报告。后天，我们还会菜侧个地方欠面。”

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查尔斯瞪着他，眼中充满了责备。这触动了他内心最深处的道德感。“教授，”他说，声音很严肃，有警告的意味，“你有没有想过，你要是成功了，就会让成千上万英镑的宝贵财产灰飞烟灭？”

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教授耸了耸肩。“侧对我又沉样呢？”他反问道，带着些好奇与鄙视，“我不搞亲融，我是科学恰，我求痴识，不求钱财。”

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“真是开眼界了！”查尔斯喊道，“真开眼界了！我这辈子还从没见过这么怪的人！对别人的请求竟如此置若罔闻！”

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大家早早地散了。那些科学家高兴得有些得意忘形，钻石生意的代表们则都阴沉着脸。如果这是真的，他们预计市场即将经历一次暴跌。所有人的眼神都暗淡下来。这件事情太可怕了。

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查尔斯同教授一道朝着回家的方向走。他谨慎地对教授旁敲侧击，要是有必要，得出多少钱，才能让他就此事封口不谈。虽然阿道弗斯爵士让我们所有人都暂时保密——好像真有此必要似的，不过，查尔斯还是想知道，施莱尔马赫得要多少钱，才不会将这一发现公布于众。可那德国人并不为所动。

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“不行，不行，”他答道，显然生气了，“你不懂，我不错买卖。侧是化学现象。考虑到它的理论恰迟，我们必须腔它发表出来。我不菜乎什么钱不钱，我根本没时签浪费菜蹭钱上。”

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“像他这么虚度一生，想想都可怕。”查尔斯后来对我说道。

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确实，教授好像什么都不关心，除了那个毫无实用价值的问题——不是他能不能造出上等的钻石，而是能不能用纯粹的碳元素造出晶状物！

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查尔斯在约定的那天晚上又来到兰卡斯特门，我注意到，他当时完全沉浸在痛苦的思索之中，神情有些反常。我还从未见过他如此焦急。

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钻石已经切割成形，切割的工匠在每颗钻石上面都略微做了记号，用以表示净度。接着出现了一件令人费解的事情。说来也怪，分发给三位钻石大王的钻石，每颗都是最次、最不值钱的，而交给科学家的那三颗，颗颗都是最纯净、最上等的。

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说实话，出现这种巧合，怎能不让人起疑心？钻石利益的代表们用余光盯着彼此，以探究竟，接着突然垂下眼来：他们都在相互回避。是不是每个人都把施莱尔马赫造的晶石偷偷换成了天然的残次矿石呢？貌似还真是这样。我承认，一时间我自己都有点相信事实肯定如此。不过，转念间，我又改变了想法。像查尔斯这种品行端正、这么有高度原则的人，会为了点蝇头小利，而用这下三烂的伎俩吗？——况且，即便他这么做了，莫森海默也这么做了，但交到科学家手中的钻石就足以证明这次实验是真实的、成功的。

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不过，不得不说，查尔斯仍心虚地看着莫森海默，而莫森海默也心虚地盯着菲普森，当时在威斯敏斯特市再也找不出比他们仨更尴尬、脸色更难看的人了。

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接着，阿道弗斯爵士开始讲话——或者说，叫演说更合适。他的嗓门还是那么大，那么刺耳。他说，我们在座的诸位在当天晚上以及前一天晚上，都见证了科学史上一个新时代的诞生。施莱尔马赫教授是他的家乡萨克森为之感到骄傲的人之一，不过他现在是英国人，只能略为遗憾地说，这个发现（同很多其他发现一样）原本是可以“在德国做出来的”。尽管如此，施莱尔马赫教授仍是科学家们的高贵典范，在他眼里，金子只不过是一种化学符号为Au的稀有金属，而钻石也不过是碳元素在众多同素异形体中最稀有的一种表现形态。他没有仰仗着这个发现去大赚一笔，他根本不理会那些卑鄙的、贪婪的资本家。能将碳元素还原到钻石这一晶体状态，他也就心满意足了，他所要的只不过是科学界的认可。不过，考虑到那些金融界的绅士的感受，他们一心只在乎晶体状态的碳的现价——换句话说，也就是在钻石上的利益——最后决定，大家当前一定要严守这个秘密，前来观看实验的这几位，谁也不能公开透露真相。要等到教授本人以及皇家学会的一个小规模的委员会亲自抽时间调查，验证教授这些高明的、巧妙的方法——这种调查验证也是博学的教授所期望、所建议的。（他点头表示同意。）之后，如果这方法通过了检验，那么再怎么遮遮掩掩，也都无济于事了。到时候，钻石的价格肯定会立刻暴跌，比铅玻璃还便宜，金融界再怎么反对也都是徒劳的。百万富翁改变不了自然规律。同时，由于查尔斯爵士的钻石生意做得风生水起，这一点有目共睹，考虑到查尔斯的意见，大家一致同意，不向报社走漏任何风声，也不在公共场合提起这套高明的、简单的工艺的任何字眼。他张口“高明”，闭口“高明”。现在，他代表英国矿物学界，对我们尊敬的嘉宾施莱尔马赫教授表示祝贺，祝贺他为我们光辉而闪耀的钻石珠宝科学事业做出了真正光辉而闪耀的贡献。

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大家都鼓掌祝贺。这是个尴尬的时刻。查尔斯爵士咬着嘴唇，莫森海默阴沉着脸，小菲普森的表情也就不在此加以描述了。（因为我明白，这本书也许会在各家传阅。）接着，大家庄严地承诺要死守秘密，之后就散了。

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我注意到，我内兄在门口有点明显地要避开莫森海默，而菲普森则迅速地跳进马车。我们俩上车坐好之后，查尔斯郁郁地向车夫吼了声：“回家！”在回梅费尔的路上，查尔斯一直躺在座椅上，双唇紧闭，一个字都未说。

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在查尔斯休息前，台球室没有别人，我壮着胆子问他：“查尔斯，要不要明天把戈尔康达的股票全部清仓？”“清仓”这个词，无须我多费口舌解释，是交易所的行话，意思是甩卖掉不想要的证券。我突然想到，如果这项发明真的变成了现实，今后几周内没人会愿意买进克罗地多普的A股。

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他严厉地瞪着我，说道：“温特沃斯，你这笨蛋！”（除非有时非常生气，他从不叫我“温特沃斯”，私下里他通常叫我“西”——“西摩”的简称。）“在这个关头，我能全部卖光自己的股票，毁掉公众对克罗地多普公司的信心吗？作为董事——作为董事长——我这么做合适吗？公正吗？先生，我先问问你，这么做我能对得起自己的良心吗？”

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“查尔斯，”我说，“你说得对，你这么做称得上高风亮节。你不会为了一己私利，而去牺牲那些信任你的人的利益。唉，金融界中到哪儿去找这么正派的人去！”我不由自主地叹了口气，因为我脑海里浮现的全都是解放者、大救星。

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这时，我也思忖着：“我不是什么董事，没人把信任压在我身上。我得首先考虑到亲爱的伊莎贝尔和孩子。趁着暴跌还没开始，我明天得把手中为数不多的一点克罗地多普公司的股票全部卖掉，这些股票，当时还是查尔斯好心帮我弄到手的。”

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查尔斯凭着他那非凡的经商本能，好像察觉到了我的想法，因为他突然转过身，对着我严厉地说道：“听着，西，记住，你是我妹夫，也是我的秘书。明天整个伦敦都会监视咱俩的一言一行。如果你卖掉了所有的股票，那些股票交易人肯定会知道，他们就会怀疑是不是出了什么状况，这样的话公司就会遭殃。当然，你自己的财产，你想怎么处置就怎么处置，我无权干涉，不能命令你该怎么做不该怎么做。不过，作为戈尔康达公司的董事长，我一定要确保那些孤儿寡母的财产不能在这次危机中有任何闪失，他们把一切都压在了这上面。”他的声音似乎有些颤抖，“因此，虽然我不喜欢威胁别人，”他继续说道，“但我还是要事先警告你：如果你把手中的股票都变卖了，不管是公开地还是偷偷摸摸地卖，你就再也不是我秘书了，我会给你六个月的薪水作为代通知金，让你马上卷铺盖走人。”

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“知道了，查尔斯。”我顺从地答道。不过，我在脑海中也斗争了一番：到底是放弃这艘正在沉没的巨轮拿到现钱好呢，还是坚定地站在朋友身旁，支持他去对抗教授的那套科学好？经过头脑中一番简短的、激烈的权衡之后，我可以很自豪地说，我选择了友谊和感恩。我敢保证，不论钻石价格是涨是跌，查尔斯这种人总能排除万难，最终取得成功，于是我决定支持他！

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那一夜，我几乎无眠，内心一直无法平静。早饭时，查尔斯看起来也是面容憔悴、郁郁寡欢。他早早地叫了马车，直奔伦敦。

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齐普赛街有些拥堵。查尔斯又急躁又紧张，干脆从车上跳下来走过去。我则陪着他一起走。快到伍德街时，以前偶然认识的一个人拦住了我们。

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“我觉得，我还是告诉你一声为好，”他说，生怕别人听到，“根据最可靠的消息，耶拿的施莱尔马赫教授——”

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“谢了，”查尔斯粗暴地说，“我听说了——全是些胡说八道。”

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他匆忙前行，在一两码远的地方，一位经纪人在我们面前停了下来。

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“您好哇，查尔斯爵士！”他带着些嘲弄的语气叫道，“关于钻石的这些消息是怎么回事？克罗地多普公司今天表现怎么样？是坐拥金山银山，还是狼狈不堪？”

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查尔斯身子挺得笔直，一脸威严地回道：“我不明白你在说什么。”

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“哦，您当时不是也在场吗？”那人大声说道，“昨天晚上，在阿道弗斯爵士家里！哦，对了，这消息已经传遍了。耶拿的施莱尔马赫成功地造出了最完美的钻石，每颗只需六便士，足以同南非那些久负盛名的钻石相媲美。他们说，不到六周，金伯利就会成为一块哀鸿遍野的不毛之地。怀特查佩尔的每个小贩都会将科依诺尔钻石钉在外套上当扣子用；柏蒙西的每个姑娘去看最喜欢的杂耍时都会佩戴同凡德里夫特夫人一样的首饰。戈尔康达股票要暴跌。阴险，真够阴险的。我看出来了；不过，我们也都知道了！”

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查尔斯继续向前走，甚是反感。那人的嘴脸可恶至极。快到银行时，我们碰到了一位极为体面的股票经纪人。

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“哎呀，查尔斯爵士，”他说道，“您来啦！嗯，这消息有点没头没脑，对不对？要我来看，建议你不必太在意。今天早上，您公司的股价将会暴跌。不过，明天就会涨起来，相信我，在还没证实那项发现是真是假之前，股价每时每刻都会波动。我敢保证，这段时间股票交易人可要忙坏了。一会儿这么说，一会儿又那么说。谣言，到处是谣言。在阿道弗斯爵士没有证实以前，都不知道该相信谁。”

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我们继续朝议院方向走去。查尔斯一路上忧心忡忡。我们一路上看到，大家都在讨论当下发生的这件事。要想让别人知道什么事情，与其在显眼处张贴告示，还不如让知情人严守秘密要来得奏效。有些人在我们耳边悄声低语，告诉我们这一爆炸性新闻，生怕别人听到；有些人则是扯着嗓门宣布这一消息，一副得意忘形的样子。大家普遍认为克罗地多普公司要完了，越及早抽身，损失越小。

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查尔斯大步前行，一副将军派头；只不过，这位将军像是拿破仑，战场失利后，厚着脸皮面对从莫斯科的败退。他态度坚决，最后走到办公区，摆手示意我回去，接着不见了踪影。他要在里面商讨许久之后，才出来同我碰面。

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那一整天，整个伦敦到处都在谈论着戈尔康达公司，都在小声嘀咕：“暴跌，戈尔康达的股票要暴跌了。”各位经纪人事情多得忙不过来，只不过几乎所有人都在卖出，没人买进。可查尔斯仍如磐石般坚定，他的经纪人也是。“我不愿意卖出，”他固执地说，“整体情况正在好转。这只不过是场骗局。就我而言，我相信施莱尔马赫教授是被别人骗了，或者他在骗我们。一周之后，谣言就会被揭穿，股价就会回升。”不管问及什么问题，他手下芬戈摩尔家的那些经纪人都众口一词：“查尔斯爵士对戈尔康达公司的稳定十分有信心，不会卖出公司股票，以免增加恐慌。”

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所有人都说他是好样的，真是好样的！他自己就像块花岗岩，屹立在交易所，风浪汹涌扑来，全被击得粉碎。他不但对股票暴跌置若罔闻，而且还大张旗鼓地将一些零星的少量股票全部买进，以便恢复公众的信心。

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“我还会继续买进，来赚上一笔，”查尔斯说道，语气轻松，“不过，因为昨晚我也碰巧在阿道弗斯爵士家，大家也许会认为，是我促成了这次谣言的散播，造成股价暴跌，这样我就可以在大家恐慌时以极低的价格买进，为的是自己的利益。董事会主席，应该同恺撒的妻子一样，容不得别人半点怀疑。因此，我会时不时地买进一些，但是会适可而止，让大家知道，至少我对克罗地多普公司的未来抱有信心。”

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他当天晚上回家时，看起来比任何时候都要疲惫不堪。第二天也是一样，股价仍断断续续向下跌。一会儿传言四起，说阿道弗斯爵士已经宣布整个事件是场骗局，这时股价稍微稳定一点；一会儿，又有人爆料说，这些钻石已经一车一车地投放到了柏林的市场上，于是，胆子小点的老妇人们就一通电报发给经纪人，让他们不管有何种风险，一定要把股票立刻变现。那天可真够糟心的，我永远忘不了。

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第三天早上，突然间，一切都奇迹般地恢复了正常。正当我们纳闷这背后到底发生了什么时，查尔斯收到了阿道弗斯·科德里爵士的电报：

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“那人是个骗子，根本不是施莱尔马赫。刚接到耶拿的电报，说施莱尔马赫教授根本不认识此人。我并非存心给你添麻烦，抱歉。速来见我。”

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“并非存心给你添麻烦，抱歉。”查尔斯火冒三丈，气得发疯。阿道弗斯爵士在这四十八小时内，把股票市场搅得昏天黑地，差不多有十来位殷实的股票交易人近乎倾家荡产。整个伦敦都受到了剧烈震动，议院也快乱套了。可现在——他为此事道的歉，就像是谁参加晚宴时迟到了十分钟一样！查尔斯跳上马车，急急忙忙去见他。他怎敢向这些富人引见这个骗子，说他是施莱尔马赫教授？阿道弗斯爵士耸了耸肩，说那家伙到这儿来说自己在耶拿是位了不起的化学家；他一头长长的白发，还有点驼背，也没什么理由怀疑他在说谎啊。（我这时想到，查尔斯当时轻信大卫·格兰顿阁下还有莱本斯坦伯爵的理由同这也差不多。）不过，这家伙设这么一个不同寻常的骗局，有什么企图呢？查尔斯再清楚不过了。很明显，这么做就是想搅乱钻石市场，我们也意识到（不过已经太迟了）这一切的幕后主使都是——克雷上校，他不过乔装成了“众多同素异形体中”的另一种形象。查尔斯的愿望成真了，的的确确又在伦敦碰到了他的宿敌。

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现在我们清楚了整个事件。克雷上校，就像碳元素一样，有不同的“形态”。毫无疑问，他用出色的手法，把从仪器中倒出来的一堆不成形的东西调换成了真钻石，这一切都发生在他拿着做出来的晶体四处走动，一颗颗发给科学界以及钻石生意的代表，供大家检验的空当儿。他打开坩埚时，我们当然都仔细地盯着他，不过当我们看到确实造出了什么东西时，也就心满意足了，便放松了警惕，于是就忘了观察他是不是真的将这些东西分发下去。骗子能得手，总要靠着暂时转移别人的注意力或者他人的一时疏忽。和以前一样，他的诡计得逞后，就消失得无影无踪了。就像伯爵还有先知那样，像一道烟似的凭空消失了，再也没有任何消息。

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查尔斯回到家，比以往任何时候都大为光火。我不明白他为什么会这样。他看似十分忧郁，仿佛损失了成千上万英镑。我试着安慰他：“虽然戈尔康达公司暂时有些损失，”我说，“不过，想想你如此坚定，力挽狂澜，在恐慌中都没有损失一分一毫，这也值得宽慰了。不过，当然，我替那些孤儿寡母感到难过。但，如果是克雷上校在幕后操纵了市场，至少这次受损失的不是你。”

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查尔斯对我怒目而视，毫不掩饰轻蔑之意，吓得我向后一缩。“温特沃斯，你个笨蛋！”他又训了我一次，接着便沉默不语。

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“可是，你没有把股票清仓卖出啊！”我说。

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他直直地盯着我，最终说道：“要是我打算全部卖出，我能告诉你吗？或者，我会通过芬戈摩尔那位经常为我办事的经纪人公开卖出，这可能吗？这样一来，全世界都会知道了，那戈尔康达就完了。既然如此，我不想告诉你这头蠢驴我到底损失了多少。不过，我的确全部卖出了，不知哪位交易人立刻全部买进，现款结清，今早又再次卖出；事已至此，也不可能找得到他了。他没等账单到，就立刻付了款，卖出的时候也是如此。现在我明白了所发生的一切，也知道这一切是如何巧妙地加以伪装和掩饰的了。不过，我今天最想告诉你的是——这是迄今为止，克雷上校从我身上捞的最大的一笔。要是他愿意，就可以靠此度过余生了。我的希望是，这也许会让他此生心满意足，就此罢手；不过话又说回来，世上谁也不嫌钱多。”

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“你全部卖出了！”我叫道，“你，公司的董事长！你舍他人抽身而去！你的信誉呢？那些信任你的孤儿寡母怎么办？”

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查尔斯起身，对着我，以最严肃的口吻说道：“西摩·温特沃斯，你跟了我这么多年，可谓占尽先机。你也见过巨额融资，可你居然还问这种问题！我觉得你这辈子永远、永远都不可能明白商业的本质。”

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That winter in town my respected brother-in-law had little time on his hands to bother himself about trifes like Colonel Clay. A thunderclap burst upon him.He saw his chief interest in South Africa threatened by a serious, an unexpected, and a crushing danger.

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Charles does a little in gold, and a little in land；but his principal operations have always lain in the direction of diamonds. Only once in my life, indeed, have I seen him pay the slightest attention to poetry, and that was when I happened one day to recite the lines：—

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Full many a gem of purest ray serene

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The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear.

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He rubbed his hands at once and murmured enthusiastically，“I never thought of that. We might get up an Atlantic Exploration Syndicate, Limited.”So attached is he to diamonds.You may gather, therefore, what a shock it was to that gigantic brain to learn that science was rapidly reaching a point where his favourite gems might become all at once a mere drug in the market.Depreciation is the one bugbear that perpetually torments Sir Charles’s soul；that winter he stood within measurable distance of so appalling a calamity.

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It happened after this manner.

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We were strolling along Piccadilly towards Charles’s club one afternoon—he is a prominent member of the Cr?sus, in Pall Mall—when, near Burlington House, whom should we happen to knock up against but Sir Adolphus Cordery, the famous mineralogist, and leading spirit of the Royal Society！He nodded to us pleasantly.“Halloa, Vandrift，”he cried, in his peculiarly loud and piercing voice；“you’re the very man I wanted to meet to-day.Good morning, Wentworth.Well, how about diamonds now, Sir Gorgius?You’ll have to sing small.It’s all up with you Midases.Heard about this marvellous new discovery of Schleiermacher’s?It’s calculated to make you diamond kings squirm like an eel in a frying-pan.”

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I could see Charles wriggle inside his clothes. He was most uncomfortable.That a man like Cordery should say such things, in so loud a voice, on no matter how little foundation, openly in Piccadilly, was enough in itself to make a sensitive barometer such as Cloetedorp Golcondas go down a point or two.

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“Hush, hush！”Charles said solemnly, in that awed tone of voice which he always assumes when Money is blasphemed against.“Please don’t talk quite so loud！All London can hear you.”

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Sir Adolphus ran his arm through Charles’s most amicably. There’s nothing Charles hates like having his arm taken.

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“Come along with me to the Athen?um，”he went on, in the same stentorian voice，“and I’ll tell you all about it.Most interesting discovery.Makes diamonds cheap as dirt.Calculated to supersede South Africa altogether.”

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Charles allowed himself to be dragged along. There was nothing else possible.Sir Adolphus continued, in a somewhat lower key, induced upon him by Charles’s mute look of protest.It was a disquieting story.He told it with gleeful unction.It seems that Professor Schleiermacher, of Jena，“the greatest living authority on the chemistry of gems，”he said, had lately invented, or claimed to have invented, a system for artifcially producing diamonds, which had yielded most surprising and unexceptionable results.

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Charles’s lip curled slightly.“Oh, I know the sort of thing，”he said.“I’ve heard of it before. Very inferior stones, quite small and worthless, produced at immense cost, and even then not worth looking at.I’m an old bird, you know, Cordery；not to be caught with chaff.Tell me a better one！”

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Sir Adolphus produced a small cut gem from his pocket.“How’s that for the frst water?”he inquired, passing it across, with a broad smile, to the sceptic.“Made under my own eyes—and quite inexpensively！”

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Charles examined it close, stopping short against the railings in St. James’s Square to look at it with his pocket-lens.There was no denying the truth.It was a capital small gem of the fnest quality.

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“Made under your own eyes?”he exclaimed, still incredulous.“Where, my dear sir?—at Jena?”

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The answer was a thunderbolt from a blue sky.“No, here in London；last night as ever was；before myself and Dr. Gray；and about to be exhibited by the President himself at a meeting of Fellows of the Royal Society.”

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Charles drew a long breath.“This nonsense must be stopped，”he said frmly—“it must be nipped in the bud. It won’t do, my dear friend；we can’t have such tampering with important Interests.”

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“How do you mean?”Cordery asked, astonished.

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Charles gazed at him steadily. I could see by the furtive gleam in my brother-in-law’s eye he was distinctly frightened.“Where is the fellow?”he asked.“Did he come himself, or send over a deputy?”

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“Here in London，”Sir Adolphus replied.“He’s staying at my house；and he says he’ll be glad to show his experiments to anybody scientifcally interested in diamonds. We propose to have a demonstration of the process to-night at Lancaster Gate.Will you drop in and see it?”

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Would he“drop in”and see it?“Drop in”at such a function！Could he possibly stop away?Charles clutched the enemy’s arm with a nervous grip.“Look here, Cordery，”he said, quivering；“this is a question affecting very important Interests. Don’t do anything rash.Don’t do anything foolish.Remember that Shares may rise or fall on this.”He said“Shares”in a tone of profound respect that I can hardly even indicate.It was the crucial word in the creed of his religion.

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“I should think it very probable，”Sir Adolphus replied, with the callous indifference of the mere man of science to fnancial suffering.

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Sir Charles was bland, but peremptory.“Now, observe，”he said，“a grave responsibility rests on your shoulders. The Market depends upon you.You must not ask in any number of outsiders to witness these experiments.Have a few mineralogists and experts, if you like；but also take care to invite representatives of the menaced Interests.I will come myself—I’m engaged to dine out, but I can contract an indisposition；and I should advise you to ask Mosenheimer, and, say, young Phipson.They would stand for the mines, as you and the mineralogists would stand for science.Above all, don’t blab；for Heaven’s sake, let there be no premature gossip.Tell Schleiermacher not to go gassing and boasting of his success all over London.”

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“We are keeping the matter a profound secret, at Schleiermacher’s own request，”Cordery answered, more seriously.

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“Which is why，”Charles said, in his severest tone，“you bawled it out at the very top of your voice in Piccadilly！”

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However, before nightfall, everything was arranged to Charles’ssatisfaction；and off we went to Lancaster Gate, with a profound expectation that the German professor would do nothing worth seeing.

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He was a remarkable-looking man, once tall, I should say, from his long, thin build, but now bowed and bent with long devotion to study and leaning over a crucible. His hair, prematurely white, hung down upon his forehead, but his eye was keen and his mouth sagacious.He shook hands cordially with the men of science, whom he seemed to know of old, whilst he bowed somewhat distantly to the South African interest.Then he began to talk, in very German-English, helping out the sense now and again, where his vocabulary failed him, by waving his rather dirty and chemical-stained hands demonstratively about him.His nails were a sight, but his fngers, I must say, had the delicate shape of a man’s accustomed to minute manipulation.He plunged at once into the thick of the matter, telling us briefy in his equally thick accent that he“now brobosed by his new brocess to make for us some goot and sadisfactory tiamonds.”

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He brought out his apparatus, and explained—or, as he said，“eggsblained”—his novel method.“Tiamonds，”he said，“were nozzing but pure crystalline carbon.”He knew how to crystallise it—“zat was all ze secret.”The men of science examined the pots and pans carefully. Then he put in a certain number of raw materials, and went to work with ostentatious openness.There were three distinct processes, and he made two stones by each simultaneously.The remarkable part of his methods, he said, was their rapidity and their cheapness.In three-quarters of an hour（and he smiled sardonically）he could produce a diamond worth at current prices two hundred pounds sterling.“As you shall now see me berform，”he remarked，“viz zis simple abbaradus.”

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The materials fizzed and fumed. The Professor stirred them.An unpleasant smell like burnt feathers pervaded the room.The scientifc mencraned their necks in their eagerness, and looked over one another；Vane-Vivian, in particular, was all attention.After three-quarters of an hour, the Professor, still smiling, began to empty the apparatus.He removed a large quantity of dust or powder, which he succinctly described as“by-broducts，”and then took between fnger and thumb from the midst of each pan a small white pebble, not water-worn apparently, but slightly rough and wart-like on the surface.

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From one pair of the pannikins he produced two such stones, and held them up before us triumphantly.“Zese，”he said，“are genuine tiamonds, manufactured at a gost of fourteen shillings and siggspence abiece！”Then he tried the second pair.“Zese，”he said, still more gleefully，“are broduced at a gost of eleffen and ninebence！”Finally, he came to the third pair, which he positively brandished before our astonished eyes.“And zese，”he cried, transported，“haff gost me no more zan tree and eightbence！”

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They were handed round for inspection. Rough and uncut as they stood, it was, of course, impossible to judge of their value.But one thing was certain.The men of science had been watching close at the frst, and were sure Herr Schleiermacher had not put the stones in；they were keen at the withdrawal, and were equally sure he had taken them honestly out of the pannikins.

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“I vill now disdribute zem，”the Professor remarked in a casual tone, as if diamonds were peas, looking round at the company. And he singled out my brother-in-law.“One to Sir Charles！”he said, handing it；“one to Mr.Mosenheimer；one to Mr.Phibson—as representing the tiamond interest.Zen, one each to Sir Atolphus, to Dr.Gray, to Mr.Fane-Fiffan, as representing science.You will haff zem cut and rebort upon zem in due gourse.We meet again at zis blace ze day afder do-morrow.”

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Charles gazed at him reproachfully. The profoundest chords of his moral nature were stirred.“Professor，”he said, in a voice of solemn warning，“are you aware that, if you have succeeded, you have destroyed the value of thousands of pounds’worth of precious property?”

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The Professor shrugged his shoulders.“Fot is dat to me?”he inquired, with a curious glance of contempt.“I am not a fnancier！I am a man of science. I seek to know；I do not seek to make a fortune.”

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“Shocking！”Charles exclaimed.“Shocking！I never before in my life beheld so strange an instance of complete insensibility to the claims of others！”

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We separated early. The men of science were coarsely jubilant.The diamond interest exhibited a corresponding depression.If this news were true, they foresaw a slump.Every eye grew dim.It was a terrible business.

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Charles walked homeward with the Professor. He sounded him gently as to the sum required, should need arise, to purchase his secrecy.Already Sir Adolphus had bound us all down to temporary silence—as if that were necessary；but Charles wished to know how much Schleiermacher would take to suppress his discovery.The German was immovable.

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“No, no！”he replied, with positive petulance.“You do not unterstant. I do not buy and sell.Zis is a chemical fact.We must bublish it for the sake off its seoretical falue.I do not care for wealse.I haff no time to waste in making money.”

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“What an awful picture of a misspent life！”Charles observed to me afterwards.

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And, indeed, the man seemed to care for nothing on earth but the abstract question—not whether he could make good diamonds or not, but whether he could or could not produce a crystalline form of pure carbon！On the appointed night Charles went back to Lancaster Gate, as I could not fail to remark, with a strange air of complete and painful preoccupation. Never before in his life had I seen him so anxious.

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The diamonds were produced, with one surface of each slightly scored by the cutters, so as to show the water. Then a curious result disclosed itself.Strange to say, each of the three diamonds given to the three diamond kings turned out to be a most inferior and valueless stone；while each of the three intrusted to the care of the scientifc investigators turned out to be a fne gem of the purest quality.

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I confess it was a sufficiently suspicious conjunction. The three representatives of the diamond interest gazed at each other with inquiring side-glances.Then their eyes fell suddenly：they avoided one another.Had each independently substituted a weak and inferior natural stone for Professor Schleiermacher’s manufactured pebbles?It almost seemed so.For a moment, I admit, I was half inclined to suppose it.But next second I changed my mind.Could a man of Sir Charles Vandrift’s integrity and high principle stoop for lucre’s sake to so mean an expedient?—not to mention the fact that, even if he did, and if Mosenheimer did likewise, the stones submitted to the scientifc men would have amply suffced to establish the reality and success of the experiments！

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Still, I must say, Charles looked guiltily across at Mosenheimer, and Mosenheimer at Phipson, while three more uncomfortable or unhappy-faced men could hardly have been found at that precise minute in the City of Westminster.

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Then Sir Adolphus spoke—or, rather, he orated. He said, in his loud and grating voice, we had that evening, and on a previous evening, been present at the conception and birth of an Epoch in the History of Science.Professor Schleiermacher was one of those men of whom his nativeSaxony might well be proud；while as a Briton he must say he regretted somewhat that this discovery, like so many others, should have been“Made in Germany.”However, Professor Schleiermacher was a specimen of that noble type of scientifc men to whom gold was merely the rare metal Au, and diamonds merely the element C in the scarcest of its manifold allotropic embodiments.The Professor did not seek to make money out of his discovery.He rose above the sordid greed of capitalists.Content with the glory of having traced the element C to its crystalline origin, he asked no more than the approval of science.However, out of deference to the wishes of those fnancial gentlemen who were oddly concerned in maintaining the present price of C in its crystalline form—in other words, the diamond interest—they had arranged that the secret should be strictly guarded and kept for the present；not one of the few persons admitted to the experiments would publicly divulge the truth about them.This secrecy would be maintained till he himself, and a small committee of the Royal Society, should have time to investigate and verify for themselves the Professor’s beautiful and ingenious processes—an investigation and verification which the learned Professor himself both desired and suggested.（Schleiermacher nodded approval.）When that was done, if the process stood the test, further concealment would be absolutely futile.The price of diamonds must fall at once below that of paste, and any protest on the part of the fnancial world would, of course, be useless.The laws of Nature were superior to millionaires.Meanwhile, in deference to the opinion of Sir Charles Vandrift, whose acquaintance with that fascinating side of the subject nobody could deny, they had consented to send no notices to the Press, and to abstain from saying anything about this beautiful and simple process in public.He dwelt with horrid gusto on that epithet“beautiful.”And now, in the name of British mineralogy, he mustcongratulate Professor Schleiermacher, our distinguished guest, on his truly brilliant and crystalline contribution to our knowledge of brilliants and of crystalline science.

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Everybody applauded. It was an awkward moment.Sir Charles bit his lip.Mosenheimer looked glum.Young Phipson dropped an expression which I will not transcribe.（I understand this work may circulate among families.）And after a solemn promise of death-like secrecy, the meeting separated.

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I noticed that my brother-in-law somewhat ostentatiously avoided Mosenheimer at the door；and that Phipson jumped quickly into his own carriage.“Home！”Charles cried gloomily to the coachman as we took our seats in the brougham. And all the way to Mayfair he leaned back in his seat, with close-set lips, never uttering a syllable.

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Before he retired to rest, however, in the privacy of the billiard-room, I ventured to ask him：“Charles, will you unload Golcondas to-morrow?”Which, I need hardly explain, is the slang of the Stock Exchange for getting rid of undesirable securities. It struck me as probable that, in the event of the invention turning out a reality, Cloetedorp A’s might become unsaleable within the next few weeks or so.

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He eyed me sternly.“Wentworth，”he said，“you’re a fool！”（Except on occasions when he is very angry, my respected connection never calls me“Wentworth”；the familiar abbreviation，“Sey”—derived from Seymour—is his usual mode of address to me in private.）“Is it likely I would unload, and wreck the confdence of the public in the Cloetedorp Company at such a moment?As a director—as Chairman—would it be just or right of me?I ask you, sir, could I reconcile it to my conscience?”

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“Charles，”I answered，“you are right. Your conduct is noble.You will not save your own personal interests at the expense of those who haveput their trust in you.Such probity is, alas！very rare in fnance！”And I sighed involuntarily；for I had lost in Liberators.

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At the same time I thought to myself，“I am not a director. No trust is reposed in me.I have to think frst of dear Isabel and the baby.Before the crash comes I will sell out to-morrow the few shares I hold, through Charles’s kindness, in the Cloetedorp Golcondas.”

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With his marvellous business instinct, Charles seemed to divine my thought, for he turned round to me sharply.“Look here, Sey，”he remarked, in an acidulous tone，“recollect, you’re my brother-in-law. You are also my secretary.The eyes of London will be upon us to-morrow.If you were to sell out, and operators got to know of it, they’d suspect there was something up, and the company would suffer for it.Of course, you can do what you like with your own property.I can’t interfere with that.I do not dictate to you.But as Chairman of the Golcondas, I am bound to see that the interests of widows and orphans whose All is invested with me should not suffer at this crisis.”His voice seemed to falter.“Therefore, though I don’t like to threaten，”he went on，“I am bound to give you warning：if you sell out those shares of yours, openly or secretly, you are no longer my secretary；you receive forthwith six months’salary in lieu of notice, and—you leave me instantly.”

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“Very well, Charles，”I answered, in a submissive voice；though I debated with myself for a moment whether it would be best to stick to the ready money and quit the sinking ship, or to hold fast by my friend, and back Charles’s luck against the Professor’s science. After a short, sharp struggle within my own mind, I am proud to say, friendship and gratitude won.I felt sure that, whether diamonds went up or down, Charles Vandrift was the sort of man who would come to the top in the end in spite of everything.And I decided to stand by him！

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I slept little that night, however. My mind was a whirlwind.At breakfast Charles also looked haggard and moody.He ordered the carriage early, and drove straight into the City.

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There was a block in Cheapside. Charles, impatient and nervous, jumped out and walked.I walked beside him.Near Wood Street a man we knew casually stopped us.

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“I think I ought to mention to you，”he said, confidentially，“that I have it on the very best authority that Schleiermacher, of Jena—”

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“Thank you，”Charles said, crustily，“I know that tale, and—there’s not a word of truth in it.”

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He brushed on in haste. A yard or two farther a broker paused in front of us.

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“Halloa, Sir Charles！”he called out, in a bantering tone.“What’s all this about diamonds?Where are Cloetedorps to-day?Is it Golconda, or Queer Street?”

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Charles drew himself up very stiff.“I fail to understand you，”he answered, with dignity.

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“Why, you were there yourself，”the man cried.“Last night at Sir Adolphus’s！Oh yes, it’s all over the place；Schleiermacher of Jena has succeeded in making the most perfect diamonds—for sixpence apiece—as good as real—and South Africa’s ancient history. In less than six weeks Kimberley, they say, will be a howling desert.Every costermonger in Whitechapel will wear genuine Koh-i-noors for buttons on his coat；every girl in Bermondsey will sport a rivière like Lady Vandrift’s to her favourite music-hall.There’s a slump in Golcondas.Sly, sly, I can see；but we know all about it！”

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Charles moved on, disgusted. The man’s manners were atrocious.Near the Bank we ran up against a most respectable jobber.

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“Ah, Sir Charles，”he said；“you here?Well, this is strange news, isn’t it?For my part, I advise you not to take it too seriously. Your stock will go down, of course, like lead this morning.But it’ll rise to-morrow, mark my words, and fluctuate every hour till the discovery’s proved or disproved for certain.There’s a fne time coming for operators, I feel sure.Reports this way and that.Rumours, rumours, rumours.And nobody will know which way to believe till Sir Adolphus has tested it.”

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We moved on towards the House. Black care was seated on Sir Charles’s shoulders.As we drew nearer and nearer, everybody was discussing the one fact of the moment.The seal of secrecy had proved more potent than publication on the housetops.Some people told us of the exciting news in confdential whispers；some proclaimed it aloud in vulgar exultation.The general opinion was that Cloetedorps were doomed, and that the sooner a man cleared out the less was he likely to lose by it.

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Charles strode on like a general；but it was a Napoleon brazening out his retreat from Moscow. His mien was resolute.He disappeared at last into the precincts of an offce, waving me back, not to follow.After a long consultation he came out and rejoined me.

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All day long the City rang with Golcondas, Golcondas. Everybody murmured，“Slump, slump in Golcondas.”The brokers had more business to do than they could manage；though, to be sure, almost every one was a seller and no one a buyer.But Charles stood frm as a rock, and so did his brokers.“I don’t want to sell，”he said, doggedly.“The whole thing is trumped up.It’s a mere piece of jugglery.For my own part, I believe Professor Schleiermacher is deceived, or else is deceiving us.In another week the bubble will have burst, and prices will restore themselves.”His brokers, Finglemores, had only one answer to all inquiries：“Sir Charles has every confidence in the stability of Golcondas, and doesn’t wish tosell or to increase the panic.”

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All the world said he was splendid, splendid！There he stationed himself on’Change like some granite stack against which the waves roll and break themselves in vain. He took no notice of the slump, but ostentatiously bought up a few shares here and there so as to restore public confdence.

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“I would buy more，”he said, freely，“and make my fortune；only, as I was one of those who happened to spend last night at Sir Adolphus’s, people might think I had helped to spread the rumour and produce the slump, in order to buy in at panic rates for my own advantage. A chairman, like C?sar’s wife, should be above suspicion.So I shall only buy up just enough, now and again, to let people see I, at least, have no doubt as to the frm future of Cloetedorps.”

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He went home that night, more harassed and ill than I have ever seen him. Next day was as bad.The slump continued, with varying episodes.Now, a rumour would surge up that Sir Adolphus had declared the whole affair a sham, and prices would steady a little；now, another would break out that the diamonds were actually being put upon the market in Berlin by the cart-load, and timid old ladies would wire down to their brokers to realise off-hand at whatever hazard.It was an awful day.I shall never forget it.

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The morning after, as if by miracle, things righted themselves of a sudden. While we were wondering what it meant, Charles received a telegram from Sir Adolphus Cordery：—

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“The man is a fraud. Not Schleiermacher at all.Just had a wire from Jena saying the Professor knows nothing about him.Sorry unintentionally to have caused you trouble.Come round and see me.”

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“Sorry unintentionally to have caused you trouble.”Charles wasbeside himself with anger. Sir Adolphus had upset the share-market for forty-eight mortal hours, half-ruined a round dozen of wealthy operators, convulsed the City, upheaved the House, and now—he apologised for it as one might apologise for being late ten minutes for dinner！Charles jumped into a hansom and rushed round to see him.How had he dared to introduce the impostor to solid men as Professor Schleiermacher?Sir Adolphus shrugged his shoulders.The fellow had come and introduced himself as the great Jena chemist；he had long white hair, and a stoop in the shoulders.What reason had he for doubting his word?（I reflected to myself that on much the same grounds Charles in turn had accepted the Honourable David Granton and Graf von Lebenstein.）Besides, what object could the creature have for this extraordinary deception?Charles knew only too well.It was clear it was done to disturb the diamond market, and we realised, too late, that the man who had done it was—Colonel Clay, in“another of his manifold allotropic embodiments！”Charles had had his wish, and had met his enemy once more in London！

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We could see the whole plot. Colonel Clay was polymorphic, like the element carbon！Doubtless, with his extraordinary sleight of hand, he had substituted real diamonds for the shapeless mass that came out of the apparatus, in the interval between handing the pebbles round for inspection, and distributing them piecemeal to the men of science and representatives of the diamond interest.We all watched him closely, of course, when he opened the crucibles；but when once we had satisfed ourselves that something came out, our doubts were set at rest, and we forgot to watch whether he distributed those somethings or not to the recipients.Conjurers always depend upon such momentary distractions or lapses of attention.As usual, too, the Professor had disappeared into space the moment his trick was once well performed.He vanished likesmoke, as the Count and Seer had vanished before, and was never again heard of.

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Charles went home more angry than I have ever beheld him. I couldn’t imagine why.He seemed as deeply hipped as if he had lost his thousands.I endeavoured to console him.“After all，”I said，“though Golcondas have suffered a temporary loss, it’s a comfort to think that you should have stood so frm, and not only stemmed the tide, but also prevented yourself from losing anything at all of your own through panic.I’m sorry, of course, for the widows and orphans；but if Colonel Clay has rigged the market, at least it isn’t you who lose by it this time.”

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Charles withered me with a fierce scowl of undisguised contempt.“Wentworth，”he said once more，“you are a fool！”Then he relapsed into silence.

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“But you declined to sell out，”I said.

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He gazed at me fxedly.“Is it likely，”he asked at last，“I would tell you if I meant to sell out?or that I’d sell out openly through Finglemore, my usual broker?Why, all the world would have known, and Golcondas would have been fnished. As it is, I don’t desire to tell an ass like you exactly how much I’ve lost.But I did sell out, and some unknown operator bought in at once, and closed for ready money, and has sold again this morning；and after all that has happened, it will be impossible to track him.He didn’t wait for the account：he settled up instantly.And he sold in like manner.I know now what has been done, and how cleverly it has all been disguised and covered；but the most I’m going to tell you to-day is just this—it’s by far the biggest haul Colonel Clay has made out of me.He could retire on it if he liked.My one hope is, it may satisfy him for life；but, then, no man has ever had enough of making money.”

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“You sold out！”I exclaimed.“You, the Chairman of the company！You deserted the ship！And how about your trust?How about the widows and orphans confded to you?”

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Charles rose and faced me.“Seymour Wentworth，”he said, in his most solemn voice，“you have lived with me for years and had every advantage. You have seen high fnance.Yet you ask me that question！It’s my belief you will never, never understand business！”

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序号 英文/音标 中文解释 更多操作

Africa

[’æfrɪkə]

n.非洲

recite

[rɪ’saɪt]

vt.背诵;朗诵;叙述;列举

serene

[sə’riːn]

adj.安详的;宁静的;平静的Serene.adj.尊贵的

unfathomed

[ˌʌn’fæðəmd]

adj.深不可测的;无法理解的

calamity

[kə’læməti]

n.灾难;不幸事件

barometer

[bə’rɒmɪtə(r)]

n.气压计;晴雨表

awe

[ɔː]

n.敬畏;恐惧

amicably

[’æmɪkəbli]

adv.友善地;和平地

unexceptionable

[ˌʌnɪk’sepʃənəbl]

adj.〈正式或文〉无可挑剔的;无可指责的

chaff

[tʃɑːf]

n.谷壳;糠;揶揄

inexpensive

[ˌɪnɪk’spensɪv]

adj.廉价的;便宜的

incredulous

[ɪn’kredjələs]

adj.怀疑的;不轻信的

thunderbolt

[’θʌndəbəʊlt]

n.雷电;晴天霹雳;(突然且具毁灭性的猛烈行动的)人或物

tamper

[’tæmpə(r)]

v.干预;玩弄;贿赂;篡改

gleam

[ɡliːm]

v.闪烁;隐约地闪现

Lancaster

[ˈlæŋkɪstə*]

兰喀斯特式(飞)机

creed

[kriːd]

n.宗教信仰;信念

indifference

[ɪn’dɪfrəns]

n.不重视;无兴趣;漠不关心

gossip

[’ɡɒsɪp]

n.流言蜚语;爱说长道短的人;闲话

Piccadilly

[ˌpɪkə’dɪli]

n.皮卡迪利大街(伦敦一街道名)

manipulation

[məˌnɪpju’leɪʃn]

n.操纵;控制;篡改

sardonically

[sɑː’dɒnɪkli]

adv.讽刺地(嘲笑地;挖苦地)

brandish

[’brændɪʃ]

v.挥;挥舞

Herr

[heə]

n. 先生

solemn

[’sɒləm]

adj.庄严的;严肃的;隆重的

contempt

[kən’tempt]

n.轻视;轻蔑

insensibility

[ɪnˌsensə’bɪləti]

n.无意识;无感觉;冷漠

slump

[slʌmp]

v.大幅度下跌;猛然瘫坐;使倒下

immovable

[ɪ’muːvəbl]

a. 不可动的；坚定的；不变的;

petulance

[’petjuləns]

n.发脾气;生气;易怒;暴躁;性急

misspend

[ˌmɪs’spend]

v.浪费(时间、金钱等)

preoccupation

[priˌɒkju’peɪʃn]

n.占据思想;全神贯注;心里总想着的事物

intrust

[ɪn’trʌst]

vt.信赖;信托;交托.

amply

[’æmpli]

adv.足够地;详细地;充分地

Westminster

[’westmɪnstə(r)]

威斯敏斯特

crystalline

[’krɪstəlaɪn]

adj.水晶(般)的;水晶做的;透明的

secrecy

[’siːkrəsi]

n.秘密;保密;隐蔽

syllable

[’sɪləbl]

n.音节

undesirable

[ˌʌndɪ’zaɪərəbl]

adj.不受欢迎的;不良的;不合意的;讨厌的

reconcile

[’rekənsaɪl]

v.调和;和解;妥协;一致

liberator

[’lɪbəreɪtə(r)]

n.解放者;释放者

lieu

[luː]

n.代替

felted

[’feltɪd]

v. 把 ... 制成毡(使 ... 粘结)

carriage

[’kærɪdʒ]

n.四轮马车

impatient

[ɪm’peɪʃnt]

adj.不耐烦的;急躁的

crustily

[’krʌstɪlɪ]

adv.硬著;恶意地

Queer

[kwɪə(r)]

a. 古怪的，奇怪的;

jobber

[’dʒɒbə(r)]

n.做零活者;批发商;股票经纪人

disprove

[ˌdɪs’pruːv]

v.证明 ... 是不对的;提出 ... 的反证

sooner

[’suːnə]

adv. soon的比较级

rejoin

[ˌriː’dʒɔɪn]

v.(使)再结合;再加入;反驳

jugglery

[’dʒʌglərɪ]

n.戏法;奇术;诈欺

ostentatious

[ˌɒsten’teɪʃəs]

adj.炫耀的;浮夸的;浮华的;豪华的

telegram

[’telɪɡræm]

电报;

unintentional

[ˌʌnɪn’tenʃənl]

adj.非故意的;无心的

embodiment

[ɪm’bɒdimənt]

n.化身;体现

Seer

[sɪə(r)]

n.预言者;先知;占卜者;观看者

rig

[rɪɡ]

【1】 n.装备;帆具;服装;钻井架;钻塔 【2】vt. 【贬】操纵；作弊;

relapse

[rɪ’læps]

v.复发;再陷入;故态复萌

Colonel

[’kɜːnl]

n.上校

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