The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker (books to read in your 20s TXT) 📕

to me a good fellow as well as an

enthusiast. By the way, it will be necessary to be a little guarded as

to whom you speak regarding any information which he may give you.”

 

“Of course!” he answered. “Indeed I should not dream of saying anything

to anybody, excepting yourself. We have to remember that when Mr.

Trelawny recovers he may not like to think that we have been chattering

unduly over his affairs.”

 

“Look here!” I said, “why not stay for a while: and I shall ask him to

come and have a pipe with us. We can then talk over things.”

 

He acquiesced: so I went to the room where Mr. Corbeck was, and brought

him back with me. I thought the detectives were pleased at his going.

On the way to my room he said:

 

“I don’t half like leaving those things there, with only those men to

guard them. They’re a deal sight too precious to be left to the police!”

 

From which it would appear that suspicion was not confined to Sergeant

Daw.

 

Mr. Corbeck and Doctor Winchester, after a quick glance at each other,

became at once on most friendly terms. The traveller professed his

willingness to be of any assistance which he could, provided, he added,

that it was anything about which he was free to speak. This was not

very promising; but Doctor Winchester began at once:

 

“I want you, if you will, to translate some hieroglyphic for me.”

 

“Certainly, with the greatest pleasure, so far as I can. For I may tell

you that hieroglyphic writing is not quite mastered yet; though we are

getting at it! We are getting at it! What is the inscription?”

 

“There are two,” he answered. “One of them I shall bring here.”

 

He went out, and returned in a minute with the mummy cat which he had

that evening introduced to Silvio. The scholar took it; and, after a

short examination, said:

 

“There is nothing especial in this. It is an appeal to Bast, the Lady

of Bubastis, to give her good bread and milk in the Elysian Fields.

There may be more inside; and if you will care to unroll it, I will do

my best. I do not think, however, that there is anything special. From

the method of wrapping I should say it is from the Delta; and of a late

period, when such mummy work was common and cheap. What is the other

inscription you wish me to see?”

 

“The inscription on the mummy cat in Mr. Trelawny’s room.”

 

Mr. Corbeck’s face fell. “No!” he said, “I cannot do that! I am, for

the present at all events, practically bound to secrecy regarding any of

the things in Mr. Trelawny’s room.”

 

Doctor Winchester’s comment and my own were made at the same moment. I

said only the one word “Checkmate!” from which I think he may have

gathered that I guessed more of his idea and purpose than perhaps I had

intentionally conveyed to him. He murmured:

 

“Practically bound to secrecy?”

 

Mr. Corbeck at once took up the challenge conveyed:

 

“Do not misunderstand me! I am not bound by any definite pledge of

secrecy; but I am bound in honour to respect Mr. Trelawny’s confidence,

given to me, I may tell you, in a very large measure. Regarding many of

the objects in his room he has a definite purpose in view; and it would

not be either right or becoming for me, his trusted friend and

confidant, to forestall that purpose. Mr. Trelawny, you may know—or

rather you do not know or you would not have so construed my remark—is

a scholar, a very great scholar. He has worked for years toward a

certain end. For this he has spared no labour, no expense, no personal

danger or self-denial. He is on the line of a result which will place

him amongst the foremost discoverers or investigators of his age. And

now, just at the time when any hour might bring him success, he is

stricken down!”

 

He stopped, seemingly overcome with emotion. After a time he recovered

himself and went on:

 

“Again, do not misunderstand me as to another point. I have said that

Mr. Trelawny has made much confidence with me; but I do not mean to lead

you to believe that I know all his plans, or his aims or objects. I

know the period which he has been studying; and the definite historical

individual whose life he has been investigating, and whose records he

has been following up one by one with infinite patience. But beyond

this I know nothing. That he has some aim or object in the completion

of this knowledge I am convinced. What it is I may guess; but I must

say nothing. Please to remember, gentlemen, that I have voluntarily

accepted the position of recipient of a partial confidence. I have

respected that; and I must ask any of my friends to do the same.”

 

He spoke with great dignity; and he grew, moment by moment, in the

respect and esteem of both Doctor Winchester and myself. We understood

that he had not done speaking; so we waited in silence till he

continued:

 

“I have spoken this much, although I know well that even such a hint as

either of you might gather from my words might jeopardise the success of

his work. But I am convinced that you both wish to help him—and his

daughter,” he said this looking me fairly between the eyes, “to the best

of your power, honestly and unselfishly. He is so stricken down, and

the manner of it is so mysterious that I cannot but think that it is in

some way a result of his own work. That he calculated on some set-back

is manifest to us all. God knows! I am willing to do what I can, and to

use any knowledge I have in his behalf. I arrived in England full of

exultation at the thought that I had fulfilled the mission with which he

had trusted me. I had got what he said were the last objects of his

search; and I felt assured that he would now be able to begin the

experiment of which he had often hinted to me. It is too dreadful that

at just such a time such a calamity should have fallen on him. Doctor

Winchester, you are a physician; and, if your face does not belie you,

you are a clever and a bold one. Is there no way which you can devise

to wake this man from his unnatural stupor?”

 

There was a pause; then the answer came slowly and deliberately:

 

“There is no ordinary remedy that I know of. There might possibly be

some extraordinary one. But there would be no use in trying to find it,

except on one condition.”

 

“And that?”

 

“Knowledge! I am completely ignorant of Egyptian matters, language,

writing, history, secrets, medicines, poisons, occult powers—all that go

to make up the mystery of that mysterious land. This disease, or

condition, or whatever it may be called, from which Mr. Trelawny is

suffering, is in some way connected with Egypt. I have had a suspicion

of this from the first; and later it grew into a certainty, though

without proof. What you have said tonight confirms my conjecture, and

makes me believe that a proof is to be had. I do not think that you

quite know all that has gone on in this house since the night of the

attack—of the finding of Mr. Trelawny’s body. Now I propose that we

confide in you. If Mr. Ross agrees, I shall ask him to tell you. He is

more skilled than I am in putting facts before other people. He can

speak by his brief; and in this case he has the best of all briefs, the

experience of his own eyes and ears, and the evidence that he has

himself taken on the spot from participators in, or spectators of, what

has happened. When you know all, you will, I hope, be in a position to

judge as to whether you can best help Mr. Trelawny, and further his

secret wishes, by your silence or your speech.”

 

I nodded approval. Mr. Corbeck jumped up, and in his impulsive way held

out a hand to each.

 

“Done!” he said. “I acknowledge the honour of your confidence; and on

my part I pledge myself that if I find my duty to Mr. Trelawny’s wishes

will, in his own interest, allow my lips to open on his affairs, I shall

speak so freely as I may.”

 

Accordingly I began, and told him, as exactly as I could, everything

that had happened from the moment of my waking at the knocking on the

door in Jermyn Street. The only reservations I made were as to my own

feeling toward Miss Trelawny and the matters of small import to the main

subject which followed it; and my conversations with Sergeant Daw, which

were in themselves private, and which would have demanded discretionary

silence in any case. As I spoke, Mr. Corbeck followed with breathless

interest. Sometimes he would stand up and pace about the room in

uncontrollable excitement; and then recover himself suddenly, and sit

down again. Sometimes he would be about to speak, but would, with an

effort, restrain himself. I think the narration helped me to make up my

own mind; for even as I talked, things seemed to appear in a clearer

light. Things big and little, in relation of their importance to the

case, fell into proper perspective. The story up to date became

coherent, except as to its cause, which seemed a greater mystery than

ever. This is the merit of entire, or collected, narrative. Isolated

facts, doubts, suspicions, conjectures, give way to a homogeneity which

is convincing.

 

That Mr. Corbeck was convinced was evident. He did not go through any

process of explanation or limitation, but spoke right out at once to the

point, and fearlessly like a man:

 

“That settles me! There is in activity some Force that needs special

care. If we all go on working in the dark we shall get in one another’s

way, and by hampering each other, undo the good that any or each of us,

working in different directions, might do. It seems to me that the

first thing we have to accomplish is to get Mr. Trelawny waked out of

that unnatural sleep. That he can be waked is apparent from the way the

Nurse has recovered; though what additional harm may have been done to

him in the time he has been lying in that room I suppose no one can

tell. We must chance that, however. He has lain there, and whatever

the effect might be, it is there now; and we have, and shall have, to

deal with it as a fact. A day more or less won’t hurt in the long-run.

It is late now; and we shall probably have tomorrow a task before us

that will require our energies afresh. You, Doctor, will want to get to

your sleep; for I suppose you have other work as well as this to do

tomorrow. As for you, Mr. Ross, I understand that you are to have a

spell of watching in the sick-room tonight. I shall get you a book

which will help to pass the time for you. I shall go and look for it in

the library. I know where it was when I was here last; and I don’t

suppose Mr. Trelawny has used it since. He knew long ago all that was

in it which was or might be of interest to him. But it will be

necessary, or at