04-01-04-三十九级台阶 [15]
， and I've had the police after me for two days. You do what you like. Ned Ainslie's finished. '
I could hear doubt in his voice when he next spoke.
'Would you be kind enough to tell me what you've been do－ing for the last few days？'
I can't. I haven't eaten for two days. Give me something to eat and I'll tell you the truth. 'I put on my best begging voice.
Some food was brought to me， and while I was eating， he said something to me in German. I stared at him stupidly. Then I told him my story. I was a sailor，and I had left my ship in Edinburgh to travel across Scotland to see my brother. I had found a car in a river and taken some money from it. But the police were now chasing me.
'They can have their money back，'I cried. ' It's only brought me trouble！'
'You're good at lying，Hannay，'he said.
I started to get very angry. 'My name's Ainslie and I don't know anybody called Hannay. I'd rather have the police than you and your guns and your Hannays. No，I'm sorry，sir，I'm grateful for the food，but I'd like to go now. '
I could see that he was not sure. He had never seen me，and I suppose I did not look like my photograph.
'I won't let you go. If you are Mr Ainslie，then you'll soon be able to prove it. If you're not，then I have a surprise for you. '
He rang a bell，and a third servant appeared.
'I want the car in five minutes，'he said. 'There will be three for lunch. '
Then he looked at me， and that was the most frightening thing of all. His eyes were unnatural-bright，cold and evil. I tried to stare back，and even to smile.
'You'll know me next time we meet，' I said.
'Karl，'he said，speaking in German. 'Put this man in the back room until I return. '
I was taken out of the room with a gun at each ear.
* * *
The back room was very dark and full of old bottles and boxes. The windows had shutters on the outside. The key turned in the door，and I could hear the feet of the guards outside.
I sat down feeling very unhappy. The old man had gone to collect his friends，the men who had talked to me when I was the roadman. They would soon discover that I was not the roadman，nor Mr Ainslie，but Richard Hannay. I began to wish I had been found by the police；I would feel safer with them than with this man and his two friends.
They were coming for lunch，so I had only two hours. I tried the windows but they would not move. I felt the boxes and bottles，and then found a door in the wall. It was a cup－board door， and it was locked. I had nothing else to do so I pulled on it until it opened.
There were a lot of things inside. On one shelf there were some matches， and I used them to look more closely. At the back of one shelf was a strong wooden box. I broke it open and found， to my surprise，some fuses and several small square packets of explosive.
I knew that with these I could blow the house up. The problem was that I didn't know how much to use. If I used too much， I would blow myself up. But if I didn't use them at all，I would be dead in three hours.
I put one of the squares of explosive near the door， and put a fuse from there to the other side of the room. I lit the fuse and hid behind some boxes. There was silence for five seconds…
The wall exploded into a bright yellow light， something fell on my left arm， and I became unconscious.
I was unconscious for only a few seconds. Then I stood up，trying not to breathe the yellow smoke. The window had been blown out and I climbed out into the garden. Across the gar－den there were some buildings，and one was an old tower. I felt too ill to go very far，and that seemed the best hiding place.
The climb up the outside of that tower was the most difficult thing I ever did. My head felt terrible， and the smoke had made me very sick， but in the end I managed it， and lay down at the top. Then I became unconscious again.
When I woke up，my head was burning and the sun was shining into my face. I lay for a long time without moving. I could hear men talking. I looked through a hole in the wall and saw men with guns. There was the bald man and I thought I could see the fat one too.
I could hear doubt in his voice when he next spoke.
'Would you be kind enough to tell me what you've been do－ing for the last few days？'
I can't. I haven't eaten for two days. Give me something to eat and I'll tell you the truth. 'I put on my best begging voice.
Some food was brought to me， and while I was eating， he said something to me in German. I stared at him stupidly. Then I told him my story. I was a sailor，and I had left my ship in Edinburgh to travel across Scotland to see my brother. I had found a car in a river and taken some money from it. But the police were now chasing me.
'They can have their money back，'I cried. ' It's only brought me trouble！'
'You're good at lying，Hannay，'he said.
I started to get very angry. 'My name's Ainslie and I don't know anybody called Hannay. I'd rather have the police than you and your guns and your Hannays. No，I'm sorry，sir，I'm grateful for the food，but I'd like to go now. '
I could see that he was not sure. He had never seen me，and I suppose I did not look like my photograph.
'I won't let you go. If you are Mr Ainslie，then you'll soon be able to prove it. If you're not，then I have a surprise for you. '
He rang a bell，and a third servant appeared.
'I want the car in five minutes，'he said. 'There will be three for lunch. '
Then he looked at me， and that was the most frightening thing of all. His eyes were unnatural-bright，cold and evil. I tried to stare back，and even to smile.
'You'll know me next time we meet，' I said.
'Karl，'he said，speaking in German. 'Put this man in the back room until I return. '
I was taken out of the room with a gun at each ear.
* * *
The back room was very dark and full of old bottles and boxes. The windows had shutters on the outside. The key turned in the door，and I could hear the feet of the guards outside.
I sat down feeling very unhappy. The old man had gone to collect his friends，the men who had talked to me when I was the roadman. They would soon discover that I was not the roadman，nor Mr Ainslie，but Richard Hannay. I began to wish I had been found by the police；I would feel safer with them than with this man and his two friends.
They were coming for lunch，so I had only two hours. I tried the windows but they would not move. I felt the boxes and bottles，and then found a door in the wall. It was a cup－board door， and it was locked. I had nothing else to do so I pulled on it until it opened.
There were a lot of things inside. On one shelf there were some matches， and I used them to look more closely. At the back of one shelf was a strong wooden box. I broke it open and found， to my surprise，some fuses and several small square packets of explosive.
I knew that with these I could blow the house up. The problem was that I didn't know how much to use. If I used too much， I would blow myself up. But if I didn't use them at all，I would be dead in three hours.
I put one of the squares of explosive near the door， and put a fuse from there to the other side of the room. I lit the fuse and hid behind some boxes. There was silence for five seconds…
The wall exploded into a bright yellow light， something fell on my left arm， and I became unconscious.
I was unconscious for only a few seconds. Then I stood up，trying not to breathe the yellow smoke. The window had been blown out and I climbed out into the garden. Across the gar－den there were some buildings，and one was an old tower. I felt too ill to go very far，and that seemed the best hiding place.
The climb up the outside of that tower was the most difficult thing I ever did. My head felt terrible， and the smoke had made me very sick， but in the end I managed it， and lay down at the top. Then I became unconscious again.
When I woke up，my head was burning and the sun was shining into my face. I lay for a long time without moving. I could hear men talking. I looked through a hole in the wall and saw men with guns. There was the bald man and I thought I could see the fat one too.