關燈 巨大 直達底部
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第78部分

ve read the figures wrong—it may be two thousand!”

“It is written in letters; not figures;—twenty thousand。”

I again felt rather like an individual of but average gastronomical powers sitting down to feast alone at a table spread with provisions for a hundred。 Mr。 Rivers rose now and put his cloak on。

“If it were not such a very wild night;” he said; “I would send Hannah down to keep you pany: you look too desperately miserable to be left alone。 But Hannah; poor woman! could not stride the drifts so well as I: her legs are not quite so long: so I must e’en leave you to your sorrows。 Good…night。”

He was lifting the latch: a sudden thought occurred to me。 “Stop one minute!” I cried。

“Well?”

“It puzzles me to know why Mr。 Briggs wrote to you about me; or how he knew you; or could fancy that you; living in such an out…of…the… way place; had the power to aid in my discovery。”

“Oh! I am a clergyman;” he said; “and the clergy are often appealed to about odd matters。” Again the latch rattled。

“No; that does not satisfy me!” I exclaimed: and indeed there was something in the hasty and unexplanatory reply which; instead of allaying; piqued my curiosity more than ever。

“It is a very strange piece of business;” I added; “I must know more about it。”

“Another time。”

“No; to…night!—to…night!” and as he turned from the door; I placed myself between it and him。 He looked rather embarrassed。

“You certainly shall not go till you have told me all;” I said。

“I would rather not just now。”

“You shall!—you must!”

“I would rather Diana or Mary informed you。”

Of course these objections wrought my eagerness to a climax: gratified it must be; and that without delay; and I told him so。