Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination - Edogawa Rampo [35]
MAN : So you decided to take that pistol for your own protection.
GIRL: Yes, I took it out of the desk and kept it with me all the time. At night I even slept with it.
MAN: The existence of that pistol was unfortunate. Because if it had not existed. . .
GIRL: That's when I asked you what would happen to me if a man stole into my bedroom at night and I shot him, even if he hadn't been planning any crime. Remember?
MAN: Yes, and if I remember correctly I told you this would constitute self-defense and would not be considered a crime. Later on I was sorry I'd told you this.
GIRL: And then, sure enough, he finally came. It was past midnight. He climbed over the fence and stole into the house through the kitchen window. The first thing I knew, I saw my bedroom door opening slowly, and then I saw him. It was him, all right. He wore the same blue overcoat. His felt hat was pulled low, and his dark glasses covered his eyes—and that awful mustache! Now was the time! I pretended to be asleep, but stole a glance at him—and gripped the pistol. . . .
MAN: And then?
GIRL: I could almost hear my heart beating. I wanted —oh, how I wanted—to pull the trigger, but I waited. He was standing there in the doorway, both hands in his pockets. Somehow I felt that he knew I was only pretending to be asleep. For what seemed like an hour we both watched each other. I wanted to scream, to leap out of bed and flee, but I gritted my teeth and held myself in check.
MAN: And then?
GIRL: Suddenly he began to move toward my bed. I peeped out from under the bedclothes and saw his face looming beside the night lamp. He was cleverly disguised, but I could see that he was definitely Saito. His eyes behind the dark glasses seemed to be smiling. Gradually, his face came closer and closer. . . . I couldn't see the knife in his hand, but there was no mistaking that he meant to kill me. I turned the pistol slowly under the covers and aimed at his heart. Then I pulled the trigger. . . . That's what brought you and the maid running in, but by that time I had fainted.
MAN : As soon as I saw the dead man, I knew what had happened. The knife was lying beside him.
GIRL : So the police came, and a few days later you and I were summoned to the procurators office. I told the whole story from beginning to end, with you as a witness, and they soon released me. It was the knife you'd found on the floor that proved I had killed Saito in self-defense. . . . After that I had a nervous breakdown and spent a month in bed. How I appreciated the way you came to see me every day, taking the place of the friends and relatives I didn't have. . . . You even took care of that matter of Saito's mistress for me. . . .
MAN: And now, just imagine, a year has already passed. And we've already been married for over five months. . . . Well, let's get back to the inn.
GIRL: No. There's more to talk about.
MAN: Really? What else is there to say? Haven't we already covered the ground completely?
GIRL: Yes, but so far we've only touched the surface of things.
MAN: The surface of things? It seems to me that we've analyzed the matter quite thoroughly.
GIRL: But you forget, my dear, that behind one curtain there's always another. . . .
MAN: For the life of me I don't know what you mean. You're acting strangely today.
GIRL: You're afraid, aren't you?
The man's face twitches, but his eyes remain expressionless. As for the girl, her eyes gleam, and her lips stretch into a malicious smile.
GIRL: If it were possible for a man to force another to commit a serious crime merely by the power of suggestion, what great satisfaction he must derive. . . . Using an unsuspecting puppet to carry out his designs, he