百万英镑 Part 3

Part Three: The Letter When I left the eating place, I hurried to the house of the two gentlemen. I wanted to correct the mistake they had made. I was very nervous. When I arrived, the same servant opened the door. I asked for the two gentlemen. "They are gone," the servant said. "Gone? Gone where?" "Oh, on a journey." "But, where did they go?" "To the Continent , I think." "The Continent?" "Yes, sir." "When will they return?" "In a month." "A month! Oh, this is awful ! How can I talk to them? It's extremely important." "I can't help you. I don't know where they are, sir." "Then I must see a member of the family." "All the family are away. They're in Egypt and India, I think." "Before leaving, the two gentlemen made an enormous mistake. They will certainly return home tonight. Tell them that I came here to correct the mistake. I will return tomorrow." "I'll tell them if I see them. But I won't see them! Sir, you must not worry because everything is all right. They will be here on time , and they will see you then. Good-bye." I was confused. My head was in a fog . I did not understand what the servant told me. The letter I remembered the letter! This is what it said: You are an intelligent and honest man. You are also poor and a stranger. In this envelope you will find some money. It is yours only for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, return to this house, I have a bet on you. If I win this bet, you can have any job with any salary that you want. There were no signature , no address, no date on the letter. How strange! I didn't know what to think. I went to a park, sat down and thought about what to do. After an hour, I reached the decision that follows. The two old gentlemen are playing a game that I don't understand. They are betting on me. (But, at that time, I didn't know anything about the details of the bet.) If I go to the Bank of England to return the banknote, the bank will ask me lots of questions. If I tell the truth, no one will believe me. They will put me in an asylum . If I tell a lie, the police will put me in prison. I can't even give it to anyone, because no honest person will want it. I can do only one thing: I must keep the bill for a whole month. And, I must not lose it. If I help the old man to win his bet, he will give me the job I want. The idea of an important job with a big salary made me happy. With this exciting idea in mind, I began walking down the streets of London.