Chapter3 疑点多米诺 Suspicious Domint

名画失窃案 Problem of the Stolen Rubens

雅克·福特雷尔/Jacques Futrelle

雅克·福特雷尔（Jacques Futrelle，1875—1912），美国推理小说家。在他的推理短篇小说中，最著名的是《思想机器》。脍炙人口的侦探小说为他在侦探小说界赢得了较高的声誉。

Matthew Kale made ffty million dollars out of axle grease, after which he began to patronize the high arts. It was simple enough：he had the money, and Europe had the old masters. His method of buying was simplicity itself. There were five thousand square yards, more or less, in the huge gallery of his marble mansion which were to be covered, so he bought fve thousand square yards, more or less, of art. Some of it was good, some of it fair, and much of it bad. The chief picture of the collection was a Rubens, which he had picked up in Rome for ffty thousand dollars.

Soon after acquiring his collection, Kale decided to make certain alterations in the vast room where the pictures hung. They were all taken down and stored in the ball room, equally vast, with their faces toward the wall. Meanwhile Kale and his family took refuge in a nearby hotel.

It was at this hotel that Kale met Jules de Lesseps. De Lesseps was distinctly French, the sort of Frenchman whose conversation resembles calisthenics. He was nervous, quick, and agile, and he told Kale in confidence that he was not only a painter himself, but was a connoisseur in the high arts. Pompous in the pride of possession, Kale went to a good deal of trouble to exhibit his private collection for de Lesseps‘delectation. It happened in the ball room, and the true artist’s delight shone in the Frenchmans eyes as he handled the pieces which were good. Some of the others made him smile, but it was an inoffensive sort of smile.

With his own hands Kale lifted the precious Rubens and held it before the Frenchmans eyes. It was a“Madonna and Child，”one of those wonderful creations which have endured through the years with all the sparkle and color beauty of their pristine days. Kale seemed disappointed because de Lesseps was not particularly enthusiastic about this picture.

“Why, its a Rubens！”he exclaimed.

“Yes, I see，”replied de Lesseps.

“It cost me ffty thousand dollars.”

“It is perhaps worth more than that，”and the Frenchman shrugged his shoulders as he turned away.

Kale looked at him in chagrin. Could it be that de Lesseps did not understand that it was a Rubens, and that Rubens was a painter?Or was it that he had failed to hear him say that it cost him ffty thousand dollars. Kale was accustomed to seeing people bob their heads and open their eyes when he said ffty thousand dollars；therefore，“Dont you like it?”he asked.

“Very much indeed，”replied de Lesseps，“but I have seen it before. I saw it in Rome just a week or so before you purchased it.”

They rummaged through the pictures, and at last a Whistler was turned up for their inspection. It was one of the famous Thames series, a water color. De Lessepsface radiated excitement, and several times he glanced from the water color to the Rubens as if mentally comparing the exquisitely penciled and colored modern work with the bold, masterly technic of the old.

Kale misunderstood the silence.“I dont think much of this one myself，”he explained apologetically.“It‘s a Whistler, and all that, and it cost me fve thousand dollars, and I sort of had to have it, but still it isn’t just the kind of thing that I like. What do you think of it?”

“I think it is perfectly wonderful！”replied the Frenchman enthusiastically.“It is the essence, the superlative, of modern work. I wonder if it would be possible，”and he turned to face Kale，“for me to make a copy of that?I have some slight skill in painting myself, and dare say I could make a fairly creditable copy of it.”

Kale was flattered. He was more and more impressed each moment with the picture.“Why, certainly，”he replied.“I will have it sent up to the hotel, and you can-”

“No, no, no！”interrupted de Lesseps quickly.“I wouldnt care to accept the responsibility of having the picture in my charge. There is always a danger of fre. But if you would give me permission to come here-this room is large and airy and light, and besides it is quiet-”

“Just as you like，”said Kale magnanimously.“I merely thought the other way would be most convenient for you.”

De Lesseps drew near, and laid one hand on the millionaires arm.“My dear friend，”he said earnestly，“if these pictures were my pictures, I shouldnt try to accommodate anybody where they were concerned. I dare say the collection as it stands cost you-”

“Six hundred and eighty-seven thousand dollars，”volunteered Kale proudly.

“And surely they must be well protected here in your house during your absence?”

“There are about twenty servants in the house while the workmen are making the alterations，”said Kale，“and three of them dont do anything but watch this room. No one can go in or out except by the door we entered-the others are locked and barred-and then only with my permission, or a written order from me. No, sir, nobody can get away with anything in this room.”

“Excellent, excellent！”said de Lesseps admiringly. He smiled a little bit.“I am afraid I did not give you credit for being the far-sighted business man that you are.”He turned and glanced over the collection of pictures abstractedly.“A clever thief, though，”he ventured，“might cut a valuable painting, for instance the Rubens, out of the frame, roll it up, conceal it under his coat, and escape.”

Kale laughed pleasantly and shook his head.

It was a couple of days later at the hotel that de Lesseps brought up the subject of copying the Whistler. He was profuse in his thanks when Kale volunteered to accompany him to the mansion and witness the preliminary stages of the work. They paused at the ball room door.

“Jennings，”said Kale to the liveried servant there，“this is Mr. de Lesseps. He is to come and go as he likes. He is going to do some work in the ball room here. See that he isnt disturbed.”

De Lesseps noticed the Rubens leaning carelessly against some other pictures, with the holy face of the Madonna toward them.“Really, Mr. Kale，”he protested，“that picture is too valuable to be left about like that. If you will let your servants bring me some canvas, I shall wrap it and place it up on the table here off the foor. Suppose there were mice here！”

Kale thanked him. The necessary orders were given, and fnally the picture was carefully wrapped and placed beyond harms reach, whereupon de Lesseps adjusted himself, paper, easel, stool, and all, and began his work of copying. There Kale left him.

Three days later Kale just happened to drop in, and found the artist still at his labor.

“I just dropped by，”he explained，“to see how the work in the gallery was getting along. It will be fnished in another week. I hope I am not disturbing you?”

“Not at all，”said de Lesseps，“I have nearly fnished. See how I am getting along?”He turned the easel toward Kale.

The millionaire gazed from that toward the original which stood on a chair near by, and frank admiration for the artists efforts was in his eyes.“Why, its fne！”he exclaimed.“It‘s just as good as the other one, and I bet you don’t want any fve thousand dollars for it-eh?”

That was all that was said about it at the time. Kale wandered about the house for an hour or so, then dropped into the ball room where the artist was just getting his paraphernalia together, and they walked back to the hotel. The artist carried under one arm his copy of the Whistler, loosely rolled up.

One week passed, and the workmen who had been engaged in refinishing and decorating the gallery had gone. De Lesseps volunteered to assist in the work of rehanging the pictures, and Kale gladly turned the matter over to him. It was in the afternoon of the day this work began that de Lesseps, chatting pleasantly with Kale, ripped loose the canvas which enshrouded the precious Rubens. Then he paused with an exclamation of dismay. The picture was gone；the frame which had held it was empty. A thin strip of canvas around the inside edge showed that a sharp penknife had been used to cut out the painting.

All of these facts came to the attention of Professor Augustus S. F.X.Van Dusen-The Thinking Machine. This was a day or so after Kale had rushed into Detective Mallory‘s office at police headquarters, with the statement that his Rubens had been stolen. He banged his fst down on the detective’s desk and roared at him.“It cost me ffty thousand dollars！”he declared violently.“Why dont you do something?What are you sitting there staring at me for?”

“Dont excite yourself, Mr. Kale，”the detective advised.“I will put my men at work right now to recover the-the-What is a Rubens, anyway?”

“Its a picture！”bellowed Mr. Kale.“A piece of canvas with some paint on it, and it cost me fifty thousand dollars-dont you forget that！”

So the police machinery was set in motion to recover the painting. And in time the matter fell under the watchful eye of Hutchinson Hatch, reporter. He learned the facts preceding the disappearance of the picture, and then called on de Lesseps. He found the artist in a state of excitement bordering on hysteria；an intimation from the reporter of the object of his visit caused de Lesseps to burst into words.

“Mon Dieu！It is outrageous！”he exclaimed.“What can I do?I was the only one in the room for several days. I was the one who took such pains to protect the picture. And now it is gone！The loss is irreparable. What can I do?”

Hatch didnt have any very defnite idea as to just what he could do, so he let him go on.“As I understand it, Mr. de Lesseps，”he interrupted at last，“no one else was in the room, except you and Mr. Kale, all the time you were there?”

“No one else.”

“And I think Mr. Kale said that you were making a copy of some famous water color, werent you?”

“Yes, a Thames scene, by Whistler，”was the reply.“That is it, hanging over the mantel.”

Hatch glanced at the picture admiringly. It was an exquisite copy, and showed the deft touch of a man who was himself an artist of great ability.

De Lesseps read the admiration in his face.“It is not bad，”he said modestly.“I studied with Carolus Duran.”

With all else that was known, and this little additional information, which seemed of no particular value to the reporter, the entire matter was laid before The Thinking Machine. That distinguished man listened from beginning to end without comment.

“Who had access to the room?”he asked fnally.

“That is what the police are working on now，”was the reply.“There are a couple of dozen servants in the house, and I suppose, in spite of Kales rigid orders, there was a certain laxity in their enforcement.”

“Of course that makes it more difficult，”said The Thinking Machine in the perpetually irritated voice which was so distinctly a part of himself.“Perhaps it would be best for us to go to Mr. Kales home and personally investigate.”

Kale received them with the reserve which all rich men show in the presence of representatives of the press. He stared frankly and somewhat curiously at the diminutive figure of the scientist, who explained the object of their visit.

“I guess you fellows cant do anything with this，”the millionaire assured them.“Ive got some regular detectives on it.”

“Is Mr. Mallory here now?”asked“The Thinking Machine”curtly.

“Yes, he is up stairs in the servantsquarters.”

“May we see the room from which the picture was taken?”inquired the scientist, with a suave intonation which Hatch knew well.

Kale granted the permission with a wave of the hand, and ushered them into the ball room, where the pictures had been stored. From the relative center of this room The Thinking Machine surveyed it all. The windows were high. Half a dozen doors leading out into the hallways, to the conservatory, and quiet nooks of the mansion offered innumerable possibilities of access. After this one long comprehensive squint, The Thinking Machine went over and picked up the frame from which the Rubens had been cut. For a long time he examined it. Kales impatience was painfully evident. Finally the scientist turned to him.

“How well do you know Mr. de Lesseps?”he asked.

“Ive known him for only a month or so. Why?”

“Did he bring you letters of introduction, or did you meet him merely casually?”

Kale regarded him with evident displeasure.“My own personal affairs have nothing whatever to do with this matter，”he said pointedly.“Mr. de Lesseps is a gentleman of integrity, and certainly he is the last whom I would suspect of any connection with the disappearance of the picture.”

“That is usually the case，”remarked The Thinking Machine tartly. He turned to Hatch.“Just how good a copy was that he made of the Whistler picture?”he asked.

“I have never seen the original，”Hatch replied，“but the workmanship was superb. Perhaps Mr. Kale wouldnt object to us seeing-”

“Oh, of course not，”said Kale resignedly.“Come in, its in the gallery.”

Hatch submitted the picture to a careful scrutiny.“I should say that the copy is well nigh perfect，”was his verdict.“Of course, in its absence, I couldnt say exactly；but it is certainly a superb work.”

The curtains of a wide door almost in front of them were thrown aside suddenly, and Detective Mallory entered. He carried something in his hand, but at the sight of them concealed it behind him. Unrepressed triumph was in his face.

“Ah, professor, we meet often；dont we?”he said.

“This reporter here and his friend seem to be trying to drag de Lesseps into this affair somehow，”Kale complained to the detective.“I dont want anything like that to happen. He is liable to go out and print anything. They always do.”

The Thinking Machine glared at him unwaveringly, straight in the eye for an instant, then extended his hand toward Mallory.“Where did you fnd it?”he asked.

“Sorry to disappoint you, professor，”said the detective sarcastically，“but this is the time when you were a little late，”and he produced the object which he held behind him.“Here is your picture, Mr. Kale.”

Kale gasped a little in relief and astonishment, and held up the canvas with both hands to examine it.“Fine！”he told the detective.“I‘ll see that you don’t lose anything by this. Why, that thing cost me ffty thousand dollars！”Kale didnt seem able to get over that.

The Thinking Machine leaned forward to squint at the upper right hand corner of the canvas.“Where did you fnd it?”he asked again.

“Rolled up tight, and concealed in the bottom of a trunk in the room of one of the servants，”explained Mallory.“The servants name is Jennings. He is now under arrest.”

“Jennings！”exclaimed Kale.“Why, he has been with me for years.”

“Did he confess?”asked the scientist imperturbably.

“Of course not，”said Mallory.“He says some of the other servants must have hidden it there.”

The Thinking Machine nodded at Hatch.“I think perhaps that is all，”he remarked.“I congratulate you, Mr. Mallory, upon bringing the matter to such a quick and satisfactory conclusion.”

Ten minutes later they left the house and caught a car for the scientists home. Hatch was a little chagrined at the unexpected termination of the affair, and was thoughtfully silent for a time.

“Mallory does show an occasional gleam of human intelligence, doesnt he?”he said at last quizzically.

“Not that I ever noticed，”remarked The Thinking Machine crustily.

“But he found the picture，”Hatch insisted.

“Of course he found it. It was put there for him to fnd.”

“Put there for him to find！”repeated the reporter.“Didnt Jennings steal it?”

“If he did, hes a fool.”

“Well, if he didnt steal it, who put it there?”

“De Lesseps.”

“De Lesseps！”echoed Hatch.“Why the deuce did he steal a ffty thousand-dollar picture and put it in a servants trunk to be found?”

The Thinking Machine twisted around in his seat and squinted at him coldly for a moment.“At times, Mr. Hatch, I am absolutely amazed at your stupidity，”he said frankly.“I can understand it in a man like Mallory, but I have always given you credit for being an astute, quick-witted man.”

Hatch smiled at the reproach. It was not the first time he had heard of it. But nothing bearing on the problem in hand was said until they reached The Thinking Machines apartments.

“The only real question in my mind, Mr. Hatch，”said the scientist then，“is whether or not I should take the trouble to restore Mr. Kales picture at all. He is perfectly satisfed, and will probably never know the difference. So-”

Suddenly Hatch saw something.“Great Scott！”he exclaimed.“Do you mean that the picture that Mallory found was-”

“A copy of the original，”supplemented the scientist.“Personally I know nothing whatever about art；therefore, I could not say from observation that it is a copy, but I know it from the logic of the thing. When the original was cut from the frame, the knife swerved a little at the upper right hand corner. The canvas remaining in the frame told me that. The picture that Mr. Mallory found did not correspond in this detail with the canvas in the frame. The conclusion is obvious.”

“And de Lesseps has the original?”

De Lesseps has the original. How did he get it?In any one of a dozen ways. He might have rolled it up and stuck it under his coat. He might have had a confederate. But I dont think that any ordinary method of theft would have appealed to him. I am giving him credit for being clever, as I must when we review the whole case.

For instance, he asked for permission to copy the Whistler, which you saw was the same size as the Rubens. It was granted. He copied it practically under guard, always with the chance that Mr. Kale himself would drop in. It took him three days to copy it, so he says. He was alone in the room all that time. He knew that Mr. Kale had not the faintest idea of art. Taking advantage of that, what would have been simpler than to have copied the Rubens in oil?He could have removed it from the frame immediately after he canvased it over, and kept it in a position near him where it could be quickly concealed if he was interrupted. Remember, the picture is worth ffty thousand dollars；therefore, was worth the trouble.

“De Lesseps is an artist-we know that-and dealing with a man who knew nothing whatever of art, he had no fears. We may suppose his idea all along was to use the copy of the Rubens as a sort of decoy after he got away with the original. You saw that Mallory didn‘t know the difference, and it was safe for him to suppose that Mr. Kale wouldn’t. His only danger until he could get away gracefully was of some critic or connoisseur, perhaps, seeing the copy. His boldness we see readily in the fact that he permitted himself to discover the theft；that he discovered it after he had volunteered to assist Mr. Kale in the general work of rehanging the pictures in the gallery. Just how he put the picture in Jenning‘s trunk I don’t happen to know. We can imagine many ways.”He lay back in his chair for a minute without speaking, eyes steadily turned upward, fngers placed precisely tip to tip.

“The only thing remaining is to go get the picture. It is in de Lessepsroom now-you told me that-and so we know it is safe. I dare say he knows that if he tried to run away it would inevitably put him under suspicion.”

“But how did he take the picture from the Kales home?”asked Hatch.

“He took it with him probably under his arm the day he left the house with Mr. Kale，”was the astonishing reply.

Hatch was staring at him in amazement. After a moment the scientist arose and passed into the adjoining room, and the telephone bell there jingled. When he joined Hatch again he picked up his hat and they went out together.

De Lesseps was in when their cards went up, and received them. They conversed of the case generally for ten minutes, while the scientists eyes were turned inquiringly here and there about the room. At last there came a knock on the door.

“It is Detective Mallory, Mr. Hatch，”remarked The Thinking Machine.“Open the door for him.”

De Lesseps seemed startled for just one instant, then quickly recovered. Mallorys eyes were full of questions when he entered.

“I should like, Mr. Mallory，”began The Thinking Machine quietly，“to call your attention to this copy of Mr. Kale‘s picture by Whistler-over the mantel here. Isn’t it excellent?You have seen the original?”

Mallory grunted. De Lessepsface, instead of expressing appreciation of the compliment, blanched suddenly, and his hands closed tightly. Again he recovered himself and smiled.

“The beauty of this picture lies not only in its faithfulness to the original，”the scientist went on，“but also in the fact that it was painted under extraordinary circumstances. For instance, I dont know if you know, Mr. Mallory, that it is possible so to combine glue and putty and a few other commonplace things into a paste which would effectually blot out an oil painting, and offer at the same time an excellent surface for water color work.”

“This water color-this copy of Whistler，”continued the scientist evenly-“is painted on such a paste as I have described. That paste in turn covers the original Rubens picture. It can be removed with water without damage to the picture, which is in oil, so that instead of a copy of the Whistler painting, we have an original by Rubens, worth fifty thousand dollars. That is true；isnt it, Mr.de Lesseps?”

There was no reply to the question-none was needed. It was an hour later, after de Lesseps was safely in his cell, that Hatch called up The Thinking Machine on the telephone and asked one question.

“How did you know that the water color was painted over the Rubens?”

“Because it was the only absolutely safe way in which the Rubens could be hopelessly lost to those who were looking for it, and at the same time perfectly preserved，”was the answer of The Thinking Machine，“I told you de Lesseps was a clever man, and a little logic did the rest. Two and two always make four, Mr. Hatch, not sometimes, but all the time.”

马修·科尔在车轴润滑油生意上足足赚了五千万，随后他便开始四处收购名画。原因很简单，他有钱，而欧洲也不缺大师级名作。不过，他收购名画只是为了填满府邸中占地大约五千平方米的艺术厅，所以他总共买了总面积大约五千平方米的画。画的品质参差不齐，大多数都是次品，不过，他也买到了不少好的作品，其中最有名的当属他在罗马花了五万美元买下的鲁本斯的名作。

收购完成之后，科尔打算对这间宽敞的大厅作些许变动。于是，他让人把画全部摘下来，存放在同样宽敞的宴会厅里，并让所有的画都面朝墙壁。同时，科尔和家人则暂住在一家小旅馆内。

就是在这家小旅馆里，科尔和吉尔斯·德·勒赛普斯相遇了。德·勒赛普斯是那种典型的说话细声细气的法国人，神经兮兮的，但是又聪明伶俐。他告诉科尔，自己不但是个画家，而且是个高级艺术鉴赏家，声音中带着神秘。一向为自己的藏品感到自豪的科尔想在这位“专家”面前炫耀一下，于是便带着他在宴会厅内费力地翻看自己的收藏。德·勒赛普斯时而眼中闪现出惊叹的神情，时而只是礼貌地笑一笑，看不出任何感情色彩。

随后，科尔把鲁本斯的名作《圣母子》拿到这个法国人的面前。虽然经历了岁月的洗礼，但是这幅画依然色彩鲜艳、栩栩如生。可令科尔有点儿失望的是，德·勒赛普斯好像并没有对它另眼相看。

“看到了吗？鲁本斯的名作！”他大喊。

“看到了。”德·勒赛普斯回答说。

“我花了五万美元买下的。”

“可能不值这些。”德·勒赛普斯耸了耸肩，移开了目光。

科尔有点儿懊恼地看着他。怎么回事？难道他不知道这是鲁本斯的名作，不知道鲁本斯是个大画家吗？还是没听到这是自己花五万美元买来的？以前他每次提到五万美元的价格的时候，听众们总是目瞪口呆。

“喜欢吗？”科尔问。

“当然，”德·勒赛普斯回答道，“但是我以前见过这幅画，就在罗马，就在你买下它的一周前，我已经看过了。”

他们继续翻看着其他画，突然，一幅惠斯勒的画映入眼帘，这是著名的泰晤士水彩画系列中的一幅。德·勒赛普斯两眼放光地盯着它，还不时地瞟瞟鲁本斯的画，似乎在比较现代作品中的细腻与古老画派的豪放。

科尔却误解了德·勒赛普斯的沉默，他说道：“我也不怎么喜欢这幅画。”他的语气中略带歉意，“只是惠斯勒的一幅风景画而已，我花五千美元买下了它，不过，我自己却不怎么喜欢。你觉得呢？”

“我觉得太棒了，”法国人兴奋地说，“我觉得这是现代作品中的精华，是最完美的一幅。请问，我可不可以……”他转向科尔，“临摹一幅呢？我自认为绘画水平还不错，我肯定可以画得以假乱真。”

科尔被夸得有点儿飘飘然了，渐渐地，他也觉得这幅画确实很不错。“当然可以，”他答道，“我可以把它送到你的旅馆里，然后你可以……”

“不不不，”德·勒赛普斯马上打断他，“旅馆里随时都可能发生火灾，万一出了问题我可负不起责任。如果可以的话，我能不能到这里来？这里宽敞明亮，通风好，而且还很安静……”

“我只是觉得旅馆对你而言更方便一些，”科尔很大度地说，“但是，如果你愿意的话，就在这儿画吧。”

德·勒赛普斯走到科尔的身边，挽着这个有钱人的胳膊，诚恳地说：“我的朋友，如果这些画是我的，我不会让任何人在这里多作停留。我敢说这些画肯定花了你……”

“六十八万七千美元。”科尔骄傲地说道。

“想必你不在家的时候一定是派人严加看管？”

“有二十个佣人负责装修时家里的安全，”科尔答道，“其中有三个人专门负责看管这些画。我们进来的门是这个房间唯一的入口，其他入口都已经用铁棍封住了。只有得到我的允许或者拿着我的书面许可，才能够进来。所以说，没人能偷走这里的任何东西。”

“不错，不错，”德·勒赛普斯微笑着，充满敬佩地说，“我觉得我看待事情可没有你这么强的预见性。”他回过身来漫不经心地看了一下，试探道：“可是，一个聪明的窃贼完全可以把画从画框里割下来，然后卷起来藏在衣服里面带出去。”

科尔笑着摇了摇头。

几天之后，德·勒赛普斯买齐了临摹惠斯勒的画所需的全部物品。科尔则亲自把他送到了宴会厅门口，德·勒赛普斯自然千恩万谢。

“简宁斯，”科尔对一个仆人说道，“这是德·勒赛普斯先生。他要到宴会厅内画几幅画，他可以在这里自由出入。记住，不要让任何人打扰他。”

德·勒赛普斯看到鲁本斯的名作被随意地丢在其他画的旁边，画中的圣母正好面对着他们。“科尔先生，”他抗议道，“这幅如此名贵的画这样放着不大好吧，万一有老鼠呢？请您让仆人拿一块帆布来，我会把它包起来，然后放到这边的桌子上。”

科尔表示感谢，让仆人照办，随后他们把画包起来放在了安全的地方。德·勒赛普斯开始布置作画的物品——纸张、画架、凳子等等，科尔看了一会儿便离开了。

三天之后，当科尔进来的时候，德·勒赛普斯仍然在画板前忙碌着。

“我只是路过，”科尔解释道，“来看看这儿装修得怎么样了。还有一周就完工了。我没打搅到你吧？”

“当然没有，”德·勒赛普斯赶忙说，“我也快完成了。看看，我画得怎么样？”说着，他把画架转向科尔。

这位富豪看了一眼仿作，又转头看了一下原作，眼中流露出敬佩的神色。“哇，太棒了！”他大声说，“简直和真的一样。五千美元你肯定不卖吧？”

他们就聊了这几句。随后，科尔出去转悠了大约一个小时，查看了装修情况，然后又回到了宴会厅。他看见德·勒赛普斯在收拾画画的工具，于是便和他一起回到了旅店。德·勒赛普斯腋下夹着卷起来的惠斯勒水彩画的临摹本。

一周之后，艺术厅装修完毕，施工人员也离开了。德·勒赛普斯主动要求帮科尔把所有的画挂回去，科尔当然开心地答应了。那天下午，他一边挂画，一边和科尔开心地聊天，但是，当他打开包有鲁本斯名画的帆布时，突然目瞪口呆——画不见了！空空的画框上残余的帆布碎片留下了刀子割画的痕迹。

科尔报案一天之后，被称为“思想机器”的奥古斯都S.F.X.范杜森开始关注这件事。画被偷后，科尔焦急地跑到警察局马洛里警官的办公室报案，生气地将双拳砸在马洛里的桌子上，气冲冲地说：“我花了五万美元啊。你怎么不去调查？你坐在这里盯着我干吗？”

“冷静点儿，科尔先生。”警官说，“我马上派人去找你丢的那个……对了，那个鲁本斯到底是什么东西？”

“那是一幅画！”科尔大叫道，“是一块上面画着东西的画布。我花了五万美元，你一定要给我找回来。”

警察们马上开始着手调查。与此同时，哈金森·海奇记者也开始关注这个案子。他了解到画被偷之前的情况，然后便去拜访德·勒赛普斯。门开了，首先映入他眼帘的是这位艺术家那近乎暴怒的眼神。记者的到访令原本就很激动的德·勒赛普斯变得更加神经质，他大声说道：

“老天，太不可思议了！叫我怎么说？除了我之外，那几天没人到过宴会厅；而我也是唯一一个愿意不怕麻烦，去保护这幅画的人！现在画被偷了，损失这么大，我真是跳进黄河都洗不清了。”

海奇不知道此时该说些什么，索性让他继续说下去。最后，海奇打断了他：“德·勒赛普斯先生，据我所知，在这段时间内，除了科尔先生之外，没有其他人去过宴会厅，对吗？”

“没有其他人去过。”

“科尔先生说你在临摹一幅著名的水彩画，是吗？”

“是的，是惠斯勒的，泰晤士风景画之一。”他回答说，“看，就是那幅挂在壁炉上面的画。”

海奇看了一眼，那确实是一幅临摹得非常精美的画，他对德·勒赛普斯的绘画技巧产生了一种敬佩之情。

德·勒赛普斯注意到了海奇脸上的赞美，他谦虚地说：“还不错吧？我的老师是卡罗勒斯·杜伦。”

案件情况就是这样。后面的这则信息对海奇来说，也没有什么特别的价值。现在整个事件都摆在了“思想机器”的面前，在海奇讲述的过程中，这位高人自始至终都没有说话，只是静静地听着。

“谁进过房间？”最后他问。

“警察正在调查呢。”海奇回答，“虽说当时房子里有二十几个佣人，但是我觉得不管科尔的命令多么严格，佣人们总会有松懈的时候。”

“这让案件更加扑朔迷离了，”“思想机器”用他那别具一格的、略微有些不耐烦的语调说道，而这种语调似乎已经成为他本人的一部分，“我们最好能去一趟科尔先生家，单独问问他。”

就像有钱人在面对媒体时一贯表现的那样，科尔显得相当拘谨严肃。可是，他还是有点儿好奇地盯着眼前这位解释来意的矮小的科学家。

“我觉得你们可能束手无策，”这位富豪说道，“警察已经在查了。”

“马洛里先生在这里吗？”“思想机器”无动于衷地问。

“他就在楼上佣人的房间里。”

“我们可不可以查看一下名画失窃的现场？”科学家礼貌地问道。他的这种语气，海奇再熟悉不过了。

科尔挥了挥手，示意他们跟着自己去宴会厅，而那幅画就是从这儿被偷走的。“思想机器”站在屋子中间环视四周——窗户很高；六扇门分别通往大厅，从那儿可以通向温室。大楼僻静的角落里隐藏着任何作案的可能。在仔细观察了好长时间之后，“思想机器”走过去，捡起原先镶有鲁本斯画作的画框，他盯着画框看了很久，科尔有些不耐烦了。最后，科学家转过身来问道：

“你和德·勒赛普斯先生很熟吗？”

“刚认识一个多月吧，怎么了？”

“是有人介绍你们认识的，还是你们自己偶然相识的？”

科尔面带愠色地说：“我的私人关系与案子无关。德·勒赛普斯先生是一位极富涵养的绅士，我永远不会怀疑是他偷走了我的画。”

“不一定。”“思想机器”的语气中有点儿讽刺的意味。随后他转向海奇，问道：“那幅惠斯勒的画，他仿得怎么样？”

“我没见过原作，”海奇回答道，“但是他画得真不错。科尔先生，我们可不可以看看——”

“当然可以，”科尔坦然地说，“跟我来，原作就在艺术厅内。”

海奇从头到尾仔细查看了一下，然后说：“他仿得太逼真了。当然，没看到原作前，我还不敢确定，但是现在，我要说他画得确实很不错。”

“啊哈，教授，我们又见面了。”他说道。

“他们想把德·勒赛普斯先生拉下水，”科尔向马洛里抱怨，“我知道事情绝不是这样，他是一个好人，是我允许他自由出入以便画画的。他们却不相信。”

“思想机器”目不转睛地盯着科尔，眼光中充满了愤怒，随后他向马洛里伸出手。“你在哪里找到的？”他问。

“抱歉，教授，这次你来迟一步。”马洛里的话中流露出强烈的讽刺意味，他把藏在背后的手拿出来，“你的画在这里，科尔先生。”

科尔如释重负，却又惊奇不已。他把画摊开，“很好，”他对警官说，“你终于把它找回来了，它可花了我五万美元。”科尔似乎永远也忘不了这一点。

“思想机器”俯身向前端详了一下画的右上角，再次问道：“你在哪里找到的？”

“它被紧紧地卷起来，藏在了一个佣人房间的箱子底下，”马洛里解释道，“那个佣人叫简宁斯，他现在已经被捕了。”

“简宁斯？”科尔惊呼，“怎么可能？他已经跟我好几年了！”

“他认罪了吗？”教授平静地问。

“当然没有，”马洛里说，“他说一定是别人藏在那里陷害他的。”

“思想机器”对海奇点头示意，随后对马洛里说：“那就这样吧，祝贺你，马洛里先生，这么快就破获了这起案件。”

十分钟后，他们开车返回教授的住所。这种意外的结局使海奇感到有点儿不甘心，于是他们一路都沉默不语。

“马洛里偶尔也会灵光一现，不是吗？”海奇迷惑不解地问。

“我还没见过。”“思想机器”生硬地说。

“但是，他找回了那幅画。”海奇坚持道。

“当然，只不过，那是有人故意放在那儿让他找到的。”

“故意放在那里？”海奇很惊讶，“是简宁斯偷的吗？”

“如果是他偷的，那他就是个白痴。”

“如果不是他，还能是谁？”

“德·勒赛普斯！”

“德·勒赛普斯？”海奇不解，“他偷一幅五万美元的画，然后放在仆人的箱子里故意让人找到，这是什么逻辑？”

“思想机器”转过身来盯着他。“海奇先生，”他直白地说，“有时候我真的为你的愚蠢感到惊讶，但是我一直相信你应该是个聪明机智的人。”

海奇不禁莞尔，这样的责备他已经不是第一次听到了。不过，直到他们到了教授家之后，才又重新开始讨论此案。

“海奇先生，我现在考虑的只有一个问题，”教授说，“那就是我该不该把真相告诉科尔先生。他现在已经满足了，这样他可能永远都不会知道真相，所以——”

“一幅仿制品！”教授补充道，“我个人并不太懂艺术，因此，我无法从专业的角度去评判，但是，从逻辑上来说，它肯定是假的。当原作从画框上被割下来时，在右上角有一点儿扭曲，仔细看一下画布的画，你就会发现这一点，而马洛里找到的画的右上角却没有这道痕迹。所以，结论很明确。”

“德·勒赛普斯偷走了原作？”

毫无疑问是这样的！他有太多的方法可以把画带出去。他可以把画卷起来藏在衣服下面，也可能有一个同党。但是我认为，他不会用这些小儿科的方法。综观整个案件，我认为他相当有头脑。

比如说，他请求临摹惠斯勒的画，而你会发现这幅画和鲁本斯的画大小相同。得到许可之后，他在严密监视下完成了临摹，其间，只有科尔有可能进去。按照他的说法，三天之内他完全是一个人在工作。他知道科尔一点儿都不懂艺术，利用这一点，他可以轻而易举地临摹出一张鲁本斯的画来迷惑科尔。在原画被包起来后，不久他就把原画割了下来，然后放在身边。即使有人进来，他也可以轻松地把它放到隐秘的地方。你知道，那幅画值五万美元，当然值得冒这个险。

“据我们所知，科尔根本不懂艺术，所以作为艺术家的德·勒赛普斯想要糊弄他简直太容易了。我想，他肯定是用自己的仿制品替换掉了真品。你也看到了，马洛里都没看出两幅画的差异，德·勒赛普斯当时肯定能够大胆断定科尔看不出来真假。唯一担心的就是艺术鉴赏家们会看到那幅仿作。所以他主动提出留下来帮助科尔把画挂回去，然后大胆地自己揭露盗窃案。至于他是如何将画放进简宁斯的柜子，我还没有想明白。我们可以设想一些方式。”说完，他将身体靠在椅背上，盯着天花板，手指不停地敲打着扶手，半天都没有说话。

“我们剩下要做的，就是把真画拿回来。照你所说，现在肯定在德·勒赛普斯的家里，所以肯定很安全。而且他自己很明白，如果逃跑的话，就会引起怀疑。”

“可是，他是怎么把画从科尔家带出来的呢？”海奇问。

“与科尔一起离开的那天，他很可能已经把画藏在了袖子里面。”教授答道。

海奇惊讶地盯着他。几分钟后，教授站起来走进隔壁的房间，这时电话铃响了。教授回来后，拿起帽子，然后和海奇一起走了出去。

他们把证件递出去的时候，德·勒赛普斯正好在家，并且接待了他们。在他们谈论该案子的十几分钟内，“思想机器”不断地来回打量着房间内的一切。这时，外面响起了敲门声。

“马洛里警官来了，海奇先生，”“思想机器”说，“请帮他开门。”

“马洛里警官，”“思想机器”平静地说，“我们该好好地欣赏一下壁炉上面这幅惠斯勒的画。多美啊！你还记得看过的原作吗？”

马洛里嘟囔了一声。德·勒赛普斯的脸上没有流露出丝毫因为得到赞美而表现出来的得意之情，相反，他的脸瞬间变得苍白，双手紧握成拳。但是，他很快恢复了平静，面带微笑。

“它的美妙之处不仅仅在于它忠实于原作，”科学家说道，“还在于画家在创作它时所处的特殊的环境。比如，我不知道马洛里警官是否了解，如果把胶水、油灰和其他一些常见的材料和成黏稠物质的话，那就可以很轻松地用它来掩盖油画并作为画布，同时又不会损伤原来的画。”

“这张水彩画，也就是惠斯勒的这幅画，”“思想机器”继续说道，“就是画在我刚才提到的那种物质上的。它的下面就是鲁本斯的画，它可以在不损伤下面油画的前提下被除去。所以，我们看到的并不是惠斯勒的水彩画，而是价值五万美元的鲁本斯的名作。对不对，德·勒赛普斯先生？”

德·勒赛普斯没有回答，也没必要回答。一个小时后，他就被关进了警察局的牢房。而海奇则在电话中问了“思想机器”一个他百思不解的问题：

“你怎么知道水彩画是画在鲁本斯的油画上的？”

“因为这是唯一可以让人找不到鲁本斯的原画，同时还能避免它受到损伤的方法。”“思想机器”答道，“我告诉过你，德·勒赛普斯是个聪明人，动动脑筋就能想到。海奇先生，二加二不是有时才等于四，而是永远等于四。”

知识点

第二次世界大战后，美国迎来了科幻小说的“黄金时代”。核裂变、宇宙航行、彩色电视机、电子计算机等科学技术的飞速发展，进一步催生西方科幻小说的繁荣。经过二三十年的繁荣，科幻小说家对作品的主题、情节以及艺术的方法进行了新的探索。

W词汇笔记

calisthenics[，k?lisθeniks]n.柔软体操；徒手体操

例 The large-scale group calisthenics performance at the opening ceremony was grand and magnificent.

开幕式上的那个大型团体健美体操表演盛大而华丽。

rummage[r?mid?]v.翻查；搜出；翻箱倒柜

例 We rummaged through the drawers.

我们翻查了整个抽屉。

profuse[pr?fu：s]adj.大量的；丰富的；慷慨的；浪费的例He sent me profuse apologies.

他一再向我道歉。

outrageous[autreid??s]adj.令人惊讶的；粗暴的；可恶的

例 I demand an explanation for this outrageous bill.

我要你解释一下这张天价账单。

S小试身手

虽然经历了岁月的洗礼，但是这幅画依然色彩鲜艳，栩栩如生。

他的喜色溢于言表。

译________________________________________

这种意外的结局使海奇感到有点儿不甘心，于是他们一路都沉默不语。

译________________________________________

P短语家族

I just dropped by.

drop by：顺便拜访

造________________________________________

So the police machinery was set in motion to recover the painting.

set in motion：开动；调动；把……发动起来

造________________________________________