the haunted bookshop(闹鬼的书店)-第21章
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and razor on the wash…basin； laid hairbrushes and O。 Henry on the bureau。
Feeling rather serio…comic he loaded his small revolver and hipped it。 It
was six o'clock； and he wound his watch。 He was a little uncertain what to
do： whether to keep a vigil at the window with the opera glasses； or go
down in the street where he could watch the bookshop more nearly。 In
the excitement of the adventure he had forgotten all about the cut on his
scalp； and felt quite chipper。 In leaving Madison Avenue he had
attempted to excuse the preposterousness of his excursion by thinking that
a quiet week…end in Brooklyn would give him an opportunity to jot down
some tentative ideas for Daintybits advertising copy which he planned to
submit to his chief on Monday。 But now that he was here he felt the
impossibility of attacking any such humdrum task。 How could he sit down
in cold blood to devise any 〃attention…compelling〃 lay…outs for Daintybits
Tapioca and Chapman's Cherished Saratoga Chips； when the daintiest bit
of all was only a few yards away？ For the first time was made plain to him
the amazing power of young women to interfere with the legitimate
commerce of the world。 He did get so far as to take out his pad of writing
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paper and jot down
CHAPMAN'S CHERISHED CHIPS
These delicate wafers； crisped by a secret process； cherish in their
unique tang and flavour all the life…giving nutriment that has made the
potato the King of VegetablesBut the face of Miss Titania kept coming
between his hand and brain。 Of what avail to flood the world with
Chapman Chips if the girl herself should come to any harm？ 〃Was this the
face that launched a thousand chips？〃 he murmured； and for an instant
wished he had brought The Oxford Book of English Verse instead of O。
Henry。
A tap sounded at his door； and Mrs。 Schiller appeared。 〃Telephone for
you； Mr。 Gilbert；〃 she said。
〃For ME？〃 said Aubrey in amazement。 How could it be for him； he
thought； for no one knew he was there。
〃The party on the wire asked to speak to the gentleman who arrived
about half an hour ago； and I guess you must be the one he means。〃
〃Did he say who he is？〃 asked Aubrey。
〃No； sir。〃
For a moment Aubrey thought of refusing to answer the call。 Then it
occurred to him that this would arouse Mrs。 Schiller's suspicions。 He ran
down to the telephone； which stood under the stairs in the front hall。
〃Hello；〃 he said。
〃Is this the new guest？〃 said a voicea deep； gargling kind of voice。
〃Yes；〃 said Aubrey。
〃Is this the gentleman that arrived half an hour ago with a handbag？〃
〃Yes； who are you？〃
〃I'm a friend；〃 said the voice； 〃I wish you well。〃
〃How do you do； friend and wellwisher；〃 said Aubrey genially。
〃I schust want to warn you that Gissing Street is not healthy for you；〃
said the voice。
〃Is that so？〃 said Aubrey sharply。 〃Who are you？〃
〃I am a friend；〃 buzzed the receiver。 There was a harsh； bass note in
the voice that made the diaphragm at Aubrey's ear vibrate tinnily。 Aubrey
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grew angry。
〃Well； Herr Freund；〃 he said； 〃if you're the wellwisher I met on the
Bridge last night； watch your step。 I've got your number。〃
There was a pause。 Then the other repeated； ponderously； 〃I am a
friend。 Gissing Street is not healthy for you。〃 There was a click； and he
had rung off。
Aubrey was a good deal perplexed。 He returned to his room； and sat
in the dark by the window； smoking a pipe and thinking； with his eyes on
the bookshop。
There was no longer any doubt in his mind that something sinister was
afoot。 He reviewed in memory the events of the past few days。
It was on Monday that a bookloving friend had first told him of the
existence of the shop on Gissing Street。 On Tuesday evening he had
gone round to visit the place； and had stayed to supper with Mr。 Mifflin。
On Wednesday and Thursday he had been busy at the office； and the idea
of an intensive Daintybit campaign in Brooklyn had occurred to him。 On
Friday he had dined with Mr。 Chapman； and had run into a curious string
of coincidences。 He tabulated them：
（1） The Lost ad in the Times on Friday morning。
（2） The chef in the elevator carrying the book that was supposed to be
losthe being the same man Aubrey had seen in the bookshop on Tuesday
evening。
（3） Seeing the chef again on Gissing Street。
（4） The return of the book to the bookshop。
（5） Mifflin had said that the book had been stolen from him。 Then why
should it be either advertised or returned？
（6） The rebinding of the book。
（7） Finding the original cover of the book in Weintraub's drug store。
（8） The affair on the Bridge。
（9） The telephone message from 〃a friend〃a friend with an obviously
Teutonic voice。
He remembered the face of anger and fear displayed by the Octagon
chef when he had spoken to him in the elevator。 Until this oddly
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menacing telephone message； he could have explained the attack on the
Bridge as merely a haphazard foot…pad enterprise； but now he was forced
to conclude that it was in some way connected with his visits to the
bookshop。 He felt； too； that in some unknown way Weintraub's drug
store had something to do with it。 Would he have been attacked if he had
not taken the book cover from the drug store？ He got the cover out of his
bag and looked at it again。 It was of plain blue cloth； with the title stamped
in gold on the back； and at the bottom the lettering London： Chapman
and Hall。 From the width of the backstrap it was evident that the book
had been a fat one。 Inside the front cover the figure 60 was written in red
pencil this he took to be Roger Mifflin's price mark。 Inside the back
cover he found the following notations
vol。 3166； 174； 210； 329； 349 329 ff。 cf。 W。 W。
These references were written in black ink； in a small； neat hand。
Below them； in quite a different script and in pale violet ink； was written
153 （3） 1； 2
〃I suppose these are page numbers；〃 Aubrey thought。 〃I think I'd
better have a look at that book。〃
He put the cover in his pocket and went out for a bite of supper。 〃It's a
puzzle with three sides to it；〃 he thought； as he descended the crepitant
stairs； 〃The Bookshop； the Octagon； and Weintraub's； but that book seems
to be the clue to the whole business。〃
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Chapter VIII
Aubrey Goes to the Movies； and Wishes he Knew More German
A few doors from the bookshop was a small lunchroom named after
the great city of Milwaukee； one of those pleasant refectories where the
diner buys his food at the counter and eats it sitting in a flat…armed chair。
Aubrey got a bowl of soup； a cup of coffee； beef stew； and bran muffins；
and took them to an empty seat by the window。 He ate with one eye on the
street。 From his place in the corner he could command the strip of
pavement in front of Mifflin's shop。 Halfway through the stew he saw
Roger come out onto the pavement and begin to remove the books from
the boxes。
After finishing his supper he lit one of his 〃mild but they satisfy〃
cigarettes and sat in the comfortable warmth of a near…by radiator。 A large
black cat lay sprawled on the next chair。 Up at the service counter there
was a pleasant clank of stout crockery as occasional customers came in
and ordered their victuals。 Aubrey began to feel a relaxation swim
through his veins。 Gissing Street was very bright and orderly in its
Saturday evening bustle。 Certainly it was grotesque to imagine
melodrama hanging about a second…hand bookshop in Brooklyn。 The
revolver felt absurdly lumpy and uncomfortable in his hip pocket。 What a
different aspect a little hot supper gives to affairs！ The most resolute
idealist or assassin had better write his poems or plan his atrocities before
the evening meal。 After the narcosis of that repast the spirit falls into a
softer mood； eager only to be amused。 Even Milton would hardly have
had the inhuman fortitude to sit down to the manuscript of Paradise Lost
right after supper。 Aubrey began to wonder if his unpleasant suspicions
had not been overdrawn。 He thought how delightful it would be to stop
in at the bookshop and ask Titania to go to the movies with him。
Curious magic of thought！ The idea was still sparkling in his mind
when he saw Titania and Mrs。 Mifflin emerge from the bookshop and pass
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briskly in front of the lunchroom。 They were talking and laughing
merrily。 Titania's face； shining with young vitality； seemed to him more
〃attention…compelling〃 than any ten…point Caslon type…arrangement he had
ever seen。 He admired the layout of her face from the standpoint of his
cherished technique。 〃Just enough ‘white space；'〃 he thought； 〃to set off
her eyes as the ‘centre of interest。' Her features aren't this modern bold…
face stuff； set solid；〃 he said to himself； thinking typographically。
〃They're rather French old…style italic； slightly leaded。 Set on 22…point
body； I guess。 Old man Chapman's a pretty good typefounder； you have to
hand it to him。〃
He smiled at this conceit； seized hat and coat； and
