修道院公学（23）

At eleven o'clock next morning my friend and I were walking up the famous yew avenue of Holdernesse Hall. We were ushered through the magnificent Elizabethan doorway and into his Grace's study. There we found Mr. James Wilder, demure and courtly, but with some trace of that wild terror of the night before still lurking in his furtive eyes and in his twitching features.

“You have come to see his Grace? I am sorry; but the fact is that the Duke is far from well. He has been very much upset by the tragic news. We received a telegram from Dr. Huxtable yesterday afternoon, which told us of your discovery.”

“I must see the Duke, Mr. Wilder.”

“But he is in his room.”

“Then I must go to his room.”

“I believe he is in his bed.”

“I will see him there.”

Holmes's cold and inexorable manner showed the secretary that it was useless to argue with him.

“Very good, Mr. Holmes; I will tell him that you are here.”

After half an hour's delay the great nobleman appeared. His face was more cadaverous than ever, his shoulders had rounded, and he seemed to me to be an altogether older man than he had been the morning before. He greeted us with a stately courtesy and seated himself at his desk, his red beard streaming down on to the table.

“Well, Mr. Holmes?” said he.

But my friend's eyes were fixed upon the secretary, who stood by his master's chair.

“I think, your Grace, that I could speak more freely in Mr. Wilder's absence.”

The man turned a shade paler and cast a malignant glance at Holmes.

“If your Grace wishes—”

“Yes, yes; you had better go. Now, Mr. Holmes, what have you to say?”

My friend waited until the door had closed behind the retreating secretary.

第二天早上十一点钟，我的朋友和我已经走到霍尔得芮斯府著名的紫杉林荫道上。仆人引导我们经过伊丽莎白式的门厅，进入公爵的书房。我们见到王尔得先生，文雅而又有礼貌，但是在他的诡秘的眼睛和颤一动的面容中，仍然潜藏着昨天夜里那种极度恐惧的痕迹。

“您是来见公爵的吧？很遗憾，公爵身一体很不舒适，不幸的消息使他一直不安。我们昨天下午收到贺克斯塔布尔博士打来的电报，告诉了我们您发现的事情。”

“王尔得先生，我必须见公爵。”

“但是他在卧室。”

“我到卧室去见他。”

福尔摩斯以冷静坚决的态度，向这位秘书表明，劝阻他是无用的。

“好吧，福尔摩斯先生，我告诉他您在这里。”

等了一小时之后，这位伟大的贵族才出现。他面色死灰，耸着双肩，我觉得他好象比前天上午老了许多。他庄严地和我们寒暄过后，便坐在书桌旁，他红一润的一胡一须垂洒在桌上。

但是我朋友的眼睛却盯在秘书身上，他正站在公爵的椅子旁边。

“公爵，我想要是王尔得先生不在场，我可以谈得随便一些。”

秘书的脸色变得更苍白了，并且恶狠狠地看了福尔摩斯一眼。

“要是公爵您愿意……”

“是的，是的，你最好走开。福尔摩斯先生，您要说什么呢？”

我的朋友等待退出去的秘书把门完全关好，才说：