2.2 I ê soán-te̍k ē-sái kóng sī ti̍t-kak
Tī tiām-chēng ê sî, i hoan-thâu su-khó Elizabeth ê Robin. Robin ū siáⁿ sîn-pì? Oh, tio̍h. Tong-jiân sī Amy Robsart.
M̄-koh, i tùi Amy Robsart bô chhù-bī. I bô iàu-ì Amy Robsart án-chóaⁿ ùi lâu-thui siak lo̍h-lâi, a̍h sī ūi siáⁿ-mih.
Hiah-ê chhun ê lâng-bīn hō͘ i tō͘-kòe chi̍t-ê khoài-lo̍k ê ē-tàu. Tī chìn-ji̍p Kéng-kài chin chá í-chêng, i tō tùi lâng-bīn tio̍h-bê, á tī lâi-kàu Yard chit kúi-nî, chit-ê hèng-chhù m̄-nā sī kò-jîn gô͘-lo̍k, mā ū choan-gia̍p ê iu-sè.
Chho͘ lâi ê sî, bat chi̍t-pái hām Tok-chhat Tiúⁿ chham-ka chi̍t-ê lia̍t-tūi chí-jīn. He m̄-sī i ê àn-kiāⁿ, in khì hia sī ūi pa̍t-hāng gia̍p-bū, tān in lâu tī āu-bīn khòaⁿ, chi̍t-ê cha-po͘ kap chi̍t-ê cha-bó͘ hun-pia̍t kiâⁿ kòe chi̍t-lia̍t 12-ê gōa-māu phó͘x bô te̍k-teng ê lâng bīn-chêng, chhōe in boeh jīn ê lâng.
“Tó chi̍t-ê sī ‘Iú..ê,’ lí chai bô?” Tiúⁿ..ê khin-siaⁿ tùi i kóng.
“Góa m̄-chai,” Grant kóng, “m̄-koh góa ē-sái ioh.”
“Ioh? Lí ioh tó chi̍t-ê?”
“Tò-pêng sǹg lâi tē-3 ê.”
“I hoān siáⁿ chōe?”
“Góa m̄-chai. Chi̍t sut-á to m̄-chai.”
Chú-koán kō͘ hó-sńg ê gán-sîn lia̍h i khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē. Tān, tán hit-ê cha-po͘ kap cha-bó͘ lóng bô hoat-tō͘ chí-jīn jīm-hô lâng, lī-khui liáu-āu, hit-lia̍t lâng sì-sòaⁿ chò khai-káng ê lâng-tīn, ná chéng-lí ām-niá, tiâu-chéng nekutái, chún-pī boeh tńg-khì ke-lō͘, tī hông tiàu-chi̍p lâi hia̍p-chō͘ Chip-hoat liáu-āu, tńg-khì goân-pún ê ji̍t-siông sè-kài. Ûi-it bô tāng ê, sī ùi tò-pêng sǹg lâi tē-3 hit-ê lâng. Hit-ê tò-pêng tē-3 lâng koaix tī hia tán ah-sàng oân lâi chhōa i tńg-khì kaⁿ-pâng.
“Chán lah!” Tok-chhat Tiúⁿ kóng. “12 hun chi 1 ê ki-hōe, lí chò ū-kàu. Piáu-hiān chin hó. I kā lí ê lâng ùi hit-tīn lâng tiong-kan kéng chhut-lâi,” i hiòng tong-tē ê Tok-chhat kái-soeh kóng.
“Lí kám bat I?” Tok-chhat mn̄g, sió-khóa tio̍h-kiaⁿ. “Chiū goán só͘ chai, i kòe-khì m̄-bat jiá tāi-chì.”
“M̄-bat, góa m̄-bat kìⁿ-kòe i. Góa sīm-chì m̄-chai i hoān siáⁿ chōe.”
“Nā án-ne, lí ná ē kéng I?”
Grant tiû-tû chi̍t-ē, chiah khai-sí hun-sek ka-tī ê kéng-soán kòe-têng. Chit lāi-bīn bô thui-lí. I bô án-ne kóng:
“Chit-ê lâng ê bīn ū chit-chióng a̍h hit-chióng te̍k-teng, só͘-í i sī hiâm-hoān.”
I ê soán-te̍k cpt ē-sái kóng sī ti̍t-kak ê; lí-iû chāi tī i ê chiâm ì-sek. Lo̍h-bóe, tī thàm-thó chiâm ì-sek liáu-āu, i hoah chhut-siaⁿ:
“I sī 12 lâng tiong-kan, ûi-it bīn bô jiâu-hûn ê lâng.”
Ta̍k-ê thiaⁿ tio̍h lóng chhiò chhut-lâi. Tān Grant, it-tàn kā tāi-chì thiah-bêng, i í-keng khòaⁿ tio̍h ka-tī ê ti̍t-kak án-chóaⁿ ūn-chok, mā jīn-bat pōe-āu ê lí-lō͘.
“Che tiāⁿ-tio̍h chin hàm-kó͘, sū-si̍t m̄-sī án-ne,” i kóng. “Bīn téng choân bô jiâu-hûn ê tōa-lâng, he it-tēng sī pe̍h-chhi.”
“Freeman chiah m̄-sī pe̍h-chhi, góa kā lí kóng,” Tok-chhat chhah-o͘ē kóng. “I sī chi̍t-ê cheng-bêng ê nǹg-cchǹg sió-kiáⁿ, siong-sìn góa.”
“Góa ê ì-sù m̄-sī án-ne. Góa ê ì-sù sī, pe̍h-chhi bô chek-jīm kám. Pe̍h-chhi sī khiàm-khoeh chek-jīm kám ê piau-chún. Tūi-ngó͘ lāi-bīn ê 12-ê lâng, nî-hòe lóng tī 30-thóng, tān kî-tiong kan-ta chi̍t-ê ū bô chek-jīm kám ê bīn. Só͘-í, góa chek-khek kéng i.”
Án-ne liáu-āu, che tō chiâⁿ-chò Yard ê chi̍t-ê sió chhiò-ōe: “Grant khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē tō ē jīn-chhut chōe-hoān.” Chō͘-lí Kéng-bū Chhù-tiúⁿ bat án-ne kún-chhiò kóng:
“Mài kā góa kóng, lí siong-sìn ū ‘chōe-hoān bīn’ chit-chióng mi̍h-kiāⁿ, Tok-chhat.”
M̄-koh, Grant kóng, bô, i bô hiah-nī thian-chin. “Jû-kó kan-ta ū chi̍t-chióng hoān-chōe, sian-siⁿ, hoān-sè ē-ēng tit. Tān, hoān-chōe ê chéng-lūi kap jîn-sèng pêⁿ to-iūⁿ, kéng-chhat nā siūⁿ boeh kā lâng-bīn hun-lūi, i sûi tō hām-lo̍h khùn-lân. Jīm-hô chi̍t-kang tī 5, 6 tiám tiong-kan, lí khì Bond Ke se̍h chi̍t-liàn, tō ē-tàng khòaⁿ chhut seks kòe-tō͘ cha-bó͘ ê bīn seⁿ-chò siáⁿ-khoán, tān-sī London miâ-siaⁿ siōng thàu ê sek-chêng-kông khòaⁿ khí-lâi soah ná chhiūⁿ léng pengx ê sèng-jîn neh.”
“Chòe-kīn bô hiah-nī sèng-jîn khoán ah lah; kīn-lâi yi lim siuⁿ chē ah,” Chō͘-lí Chhù-tiúⁿ kóng, chi̍t-ē sûi chai hit-ê lú-sū sī kóng siáng; jiân-āu ōe-tê choán kàu pa̍t-hāng khì.
M̄-koh Grant tùi lâng-bīn ê chhù-bī kè-sio̍k chûn-chāi, koh put-toān khok-tōa, it-ti̍t kàu chiâⁿ-chò chi̍t-ê ū ì-sek ê gián-kiù: chi̍t-chióng kò-àn kì-lo̍k kap pí-kàu ê sū-hāng. Tō ná i só͘ kóng ê, kā bīn kui-lūi sī bô khó-lêng, tān tùi kok-pia̍t lâng-bīn ê te̍k-teng chò biô-siá sī ū khó-lêng. Kí-lē, tī chi̍t-pún chhut-miâ sím-phòaⁿ ê têng-ìn pún ni̍h, ū àn-kiāⁿ lāi-bīn chú-iàu kak-sek ê siòng-phìⁿ hō͘ tāi-chiòng chham-khó, chi̍t-khòaⁿ tō chai-iáⁿ tó chi̍t-ê sī pī-kò, tó chi̍t-ê sī hoat-koaⁿ.
Ū-sî, chiū bīn-māu lâi khòaⁿ, lu̍t-su ká-ná kap pī-kò se̍k ê hoān-lâng tiàu-ōaⁿ só͘-chāi – pit-kèng lu̍t-su sī jîn-sèng ê chi̍t-ê chhiat-bīn, ū in ê kek-chêng kap tam-sim, kap sè-kài ê lângx kāng-khoán. Tān hoat-koaⁿ ū chi̍t-chióng te̍k-chit: chiàⁿ-ti̍t, chhiau-jiân. Só͘-í, sīm-chì bô tì ké thâu-mo͘, lí mā bē kā hoat-koaⁿ hut chò pī-kò se̍k ê lâng, in-ūi pī-kò bô chiàⁿ-ti̍t kap chhiau-jiân.
Marta ê James, hông ùi “sió keh-keng” khiú chhut-lâi, hián-jiân sńg kah chin hoaⁿ-hí, chi̍t tōa tui ê chōe-hoān a̍h siū-hāi-chiá ê siòng-phìⁿ mā hō͘ Grant hóx hiáng-siū kui ē-tàu, it-ti̍t kàu Sè-lia̍p Chí sàng tê ji̍p-lâi. Tī i chéng-lí chiah-ê chóa-phìⁿ, chún-pī khǹg-ji̍p só-kūi ê sî, i ê chhiú bong-tio̍h chi̍t-tiuⁿ liu-lo̍h heng-khám, lak tī chhn̂g-toaⁿ, kui ē-po͘ bô chù-ì tio̍h ê chóa. I kā he khioh khí-lâi khòaⁿ.
He sī chi̍t-tiuⁿ cha-po͘ lâng ōe-siōng. Chi̍t-ê tì thian-gô jiông bō-á, chhēng 15 sè-kí bóe-kî khui-chhe sok-sin té-saⁿ ê cha-po͘ lâng. Chi̍t-ê tāi-iok 35 a̍h 36 hòe ê cha-po͘ lâng, sán-thiu, chhùi-chhiu thì kah chin chheng-khì. I ûi chi̍t-tiâu kòa móa chu-pó ê niá-khian, koh tng-teh kòa chi̍t-kha chhiú-chí kàu i ê chiàⁿ-chhiú bóe chéng-thâu-á. M̄-koh, i bô teh khòaⁿ hit-kha chhiú-chí. I khòaⁿ hiòng khang-hi.
Kui ē-po͘ Grant só͘ khòaⁿ ê ōe-siōng tiong-kan, chit-tiuⁿ siōng te̍k-pia̍t. Bē-su ōe-ka chīn-la̍t boeh kā bó͘-chióng siáⁿ piáu-hiān tī ōe-pò͘ téng-bīn, tān i ê châi-tiāu bô-kàu kā he choán-ōaⁿ chò sek-liāu. Ōe-ka pāi tī he ba̍k-chiu ê gán-sîn – he siōng-kài khip-ín lâng koh to̍k-te̍k ê piáu-chêng. Koh ū he chhùi: i m̄-chai boeh án-chóaⁿ hō͘ he po̍hx koh khoah ê chhùi-tûn khòaⁿ khí-lâi ē tín-tāng, só͘-tì chhùi chhâx, sī chi̍t-ê sit-pāi. I ōe liáu siōng sêng-kong ê pō͘-hūn sī bīn-pō͘ ê kut-kè: kiông-chòng ê koàn-kut, koàn-kut ē-bīn ê lap-o, ē-hâi siuⁿ tōa hián bē-chhut khùi-la̍t.
Grant tī hian chit-tiuⁿ chóa chìn-chêng thêng lo̍h-lâi, koh kā he bīn khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē. Sī hoat-koaⁿ? Kun-jîn? Ông-chú? Sī chi̍t-ê koàn-sì taⁿ tōa chek-jīm, tùi pún-sin khoân-ui hū-chek ê lâng. Kòe-thâu chīn-chek ê lâng. Kāu chhau-hoân; hoān-sè sī oân-bí chú-gī chiá. Chi̍t-ê tùi tōa siat-kè pàng ē-khui, tān tùi sè-chiat kè-kàu ê lâng.
Sī ūi khùi-iông ê khó-lêng hoān-chiá. Mā sī chū gín-á sî sin-thé tō lám ê lâng. I ê bīn ū hit-chióng gín-á sî siū-khó͘ só͘ lâu lo̍h-lâi ê kóng bē-chhut ê, bô hoat-tō͘ biô͘-siá ê hûn-jiah. Sui-bóng bô chhiūⁿ pái-kha-á ê bīn hiah bêng-hián, tān kāng-khoán pī-bián bē tiāu. Chit pō͘-hūn, ōe-ka chin lí-kái, mā kō͘ sek-liāu kā piáu-hiān chhut-lâi ah. Ē-bīn ba̍k-phôe sío-khóa chéng, ná chhiūⁿ khùn siuⁿ kòe-thâu ê gín-á; phôe-hu ê bûn-lí; lāu-lâng sîn-thài hián-chhut tī siàu-liân bīn.
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2.2 伊 ê 選擇 會使講 是直覺
Tī 恬靜 ê 時, 伊翻頭 思考 Elizabeth ê Robin. Robin 有啥 神祕?
Oh, 著. 當然是 Amy Robsart.
毋過, 伊對 Amy Robsart 無趣味. 伊無要意 Amy Robsart 按怎 ùi 樓梯 siak 落來, 抑是 為啥物.
Hiah-ê 賰 ê 人面 hō͘ 伊 度過一个 快樂 ê 下晝. Tī 進入警界 真早以前, 伊 tō 對人面 著迷, á tī 來到 Yard 這幾年, 這个興趣 毋但 是 個人娛樂, mā 有 專業 ê 優勢.
初來 ê 時, bat 一擺和督察長 參加一个 列隊指認. He 毋是 伊 ê 案件, in 去 hia 是為別項業務, 但 in 留 tī 後面看, 一个查埔 kap 一个查某 分別行過 一列 12 个 外貌 phó͘x 無特徵 ê 人面前, 揣 in 欲認 ê 人.
“佗一个是 ‘友..ê,’ 你知無?” Tiúⁿ..ê 輕聲 對伊講.
“我毋知,” Grant 講, “毋過 我 ē-sái 臆.”
“臆? 你臆 佗一个?”
“倒爿算來 第 3 个.”
“伊犯 啥罪?”
“我毋知. 一屑仔 to 毋知.”
主管 kō͘ 好耍 ê 眼神 掠伊看一下. 但, 等彼个查埔 kap 查某 lóng 無法度 指認任何人, 離開了後, 彼列人 四散做 開講 ê 人陣, ná 整理頷領, 調整 nekutái, 準備欲 轉去街路, tī hông 召集來 協助執法 了後, 轉去 原本 ê 日常世界. 唯一無動 ê, 是 ùi 倒爿算來 第 3 彼个人. 彼个 倒爿第 3 人 koaix tī hia 等押送員 來𤆬伊 轉去監房.
“讚 lah!” 督察長講. “12 分之 1 ê 機會, 你做有到. 表現真好. 伊 kā 你 ê 人 ùi 彼陣人中間 揀出來,” 伊向當地 ê 督察 解說講.
“你 kám bat 伊?” 督察問, 小可著驚. “就阮所知, 伊過去 m̄-bat 惹代誌.”
“M̄-bat, 我 m̄-bat 見過伊. 我甚至毋知 伊犯啥罪.”
“若 án-ne, 你那會 揀伊?”
Grant 躊躇一下, 才開始分析 ka-tī ê 揀選過程. Chit 內面無推理. 伊無 án-ne 講:
“這个人 ê 面有 這種 a̍h 彼種特徵, 所以 伊是嫌犯.”
伊 ê 選擇 cpt 會使講是 直覺 ê; 理由在 tī 伊 ê 潛意識. 落尾, tī 探討 潛意識 了後, 伊喝出聲:
“伊是 12 人中間, 唯一 面無皺痕 ê 人.”
逐个聽著 lóng 笑出來. 但 Grant, 一旦 kā 代誌拆明, 伊已經看著 ka-tī ê 直覺 按怎運作, mā jīn-bat 背後 ê 理路.
“這定著 真譀古, 事實 毋是 án-ne,” 伊講. “面頂 全無皺痕 ê 大人, he 一定 是白痴.”
“Freeman 才毋是 白痴, 我 kā 你講,” 督察插話 講. “伊是 一个精明 ê 軁鑽 小囝, 相信我.”
“我 ê 意思毋是 án-ne. 我 ê 意思是, 白痴 無責任感. 白痴是 欠缺 責任感 ê 標準. 隊伍內面 ê 12 个人, 年歲 lóng tī 30 捅, 但 其中 干焦一个 有 無責任感 ê 面. 所以, 我 即刻 揀伊.”
Án-ne 了後, che tō 成做 Yard ê 一个 小笑話: “Grant 看一下 tō 會認出 罪犯.” 助理 警務處長 bat án-ne 滾笑講:
“莫 kā 我講, 你相信 有 ‘罪犯面’ 這種物件, 督察.”
毋過, Grant 講, 無, 伊無 hiah-nī 天真. “如果 干焦有 一種犯罪, 先生, 凡勢 會用得. 但, 犯罪 ê 種類 kap 人性 平多樣, 警察 若想欲 kā 人面分類, 伊隨 tō 陷落困難. 任何一工 tī 5, 6 點中間, 你去 Bond 街 踅一輾, tō 會當看出 seks 過度 查某 ê 面 生做啥款, 但是 London 名聲 上透 ê 色情狂 看起來 煞 ná 像 冷 pengx ê 聖人 neh.”
“最近無 hiah-nī 聖人款 ah lah; 近來 她啉 siuⁿ 濟 ah,,” 助理處長 講, 一下隨知 彼个女士 是講 siáng; 然後 話題 轉到 別項去.
毋過 Grant 對 人面 ê 趣味 繼續存在, koh 不斷擴大, 一直到 成做 一个 有意識 ê 研究: 一種 個案記錄 kap 比較 ê 事項. Tō ná 伊所講 ê, kā 面歸類 是無可能, 但 對各別 人面 ê 特徵 做描寫 是有可能. 舉例, tī 一本 出名審判 ê 重印本 ni̍h, 有 案件內面 主要角色 ê 相片 hō͘ 大眾參考, 一看 tō 知影 佗一个 是被告, 佗一个 是法官.
有時, 就面貌 來看, 律師 ká-ná kap 被告席 ê 犯人 調換所在 - 畢竟 律師是 人性 ê 一个切面, 有 in ê 激情 kap 擔心, kap 世界 ê lângx 仝款. 但 法官有 一種特質: 正直, 超然. 所以, 甚至 無戴 假頭毛, 你 mā 袂 kā 法官 hut 做 被告席 ê 人, 因為被告 無正直 kap 超然.
Marta ê James, hông ùi “小隔間” 搝出來, 顯然 耍 kah 真歡喜, 一大堆 ê 罪犯 a̍h 受害者 ê 相片 mā hō͘ Grant hóx 享受 規下晝, 一直到 Sè-lia̍p Chí 送茶 入來. Tī 伊整理 chiah-ê 紙片, 準備 囥入鎖櫃 ê 時, 伊 ê 手摸著 一張 溜落胸坎, lak tī 床單, 規下晡 無注意著 ê 紙. 伊 kā he 抾起來看.
彼是 一張 查埔人 畫像. 一个戴 天鵝絨 帽仔, 穿 15 世紀尾期 開叉 束身短衫 ê 查埔人. 一个大約 35 a̍h 36 歲 ê 查埔人, 瘦抽, 喙鬚剃 kah 真清氣. 伊圍 一條 掛滿珠寶 ê 領圈, koh tng-teh 掛 一跤手只 到 伊 ê 正手 尾指頭仔. 毋過, 伊無 teh 看 hit 跤手只. 伊看向 空虛.
規下晡 Grant 所看 ê 畫像中間, 這張 上特別. 袂輸 畫家 盡力欲 kā 某種啥 表現 tī 畫布頂面, 但 伊 ê 才調 無夠 kā he 轉換 做色料. 畫家 敗 tī he 目睭 ê 眼神 - he 上蓋 吸引人 koh 獨特 ê 表情. Koh 有 he 喙: 伊毋知 欲按怎 hō͘ he po̍hx koh 闊 ê 喙唇 看起來 會振動, 所致 喙 chhâx, 是 一个失敗. 伊畫了 上成功 ê 部份 是面部 ê 骨架: 強壯 ê 顴骨, 顴骨下面 ê lap-o, 下頦 siuⁿ 大 顯袂出 氣力.
Grant tī 掀 這張紙 進前 停落來, koh kā he 面 看一下. 是 法官? 軍人? 王子? 是一个 慣勢 擔大責任, 對本身權威 負責 ê 人. 過頭盡責 ê 人. 厚操煩; 凡勢是 完美 主義者. 一个 對大設計 放會開, 但 對細節 計較 ê 人.
是 胃潰瘍 ê 可能患者. Mā 是 自囡仔時 身體 tō 荏 ê 人. 伊 ê 面 有彼種 囡仔時 受苦 所留落來 ê 講袂出 ê, 無法度 描寫 ê 痕跡. 雖罔 無像 跛跤仔 ê 面 hiah 明顯, 但 仝款 避免袂掉. 這部份, 畫家真理解, mā kō͘ 色料 kā 表現出來 ah. 下面目皮 小可腫, ná 像 睏 siuⁿ 過頭 ê 囡仔; 皮膚 ê 紋理; 老人神態 顯出 tī 少年面.
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2.2
In the silence he went back to considering Elizabeth’s Robin. What mystery was there about Robin?
Oh, yes. Amy Robsart, of course.
Well, he wasn’t interested in Amy Robsart. He didn’t care how she had fallen down stairs, or why.
But he spent a very happy afternoon with the rest of the faces. Long before he had entered the Force he had taken a delight in faces, and in his years at the Yard that interest had proved both a private entertainment and a professional advantage. /
He had once in his early days dropped in with his Superintendent at an identification parade. It was not his case, and they were both there on other business, but they lingered in the background and watched while a man and a woman, separately, walked down the line of twelve nondescript men, looking for the one they hoped to recognise.
‘Which is Chummy, do you know?’ the Super had whispered to him.
‘I don’t know,’ Grant had said, ‘but I can guess.’
‘You can? Which do you make it?’
[Pg 25]‘The third from the left.’
‘What is the charge?’
‘I don’t know. Don’t know anything about it.’
His chief had cast him an amused glance. But when both the man and the woman had failed to identify anyone and had gone away, and the line broke into a chattering group, hitching collars and settling ties preparatory to going back to the street and the world of everyday from which they had been summoned to assist the Law, the one who did not move was the third man from the left. The third man from the left waited submissively for his escort and was led away to his cell again.
‘Strewth!’ the Superintendent had said. ‘One chance out of twelve, and you made it. That was good going. He picked your man out of the bunch,’ he said in explanation to the local Inspector.
‘Did you know him?’ the Inspector said, a little surprised. ‘He’s never been in trouble before, as far as we know.’
‘No, I never saw him before. I don’t even know what the charge is.’
‘Then what made you pick him?’
Grant had hesitated, analysing for the first time his process of selection. It had not been a matter of reasoning. He had not said: /
‘That man’s face has this characteristic or that characteristic, therefore he is the accused person.’ /
His choice had been almost instinctive; the reason was in his subconscious. At last, having delved into his subconscious, he blurted: /
‘He was the only one of the twelve with no lines on his face.’
They had laughed at that. But Grant, once he had pulled the thing into the light, saw how his instinct had[Pg 26] worked and recognised the reasoning behind it. /
‘It sounds silly, but it isn’t,’ he had said. ‘The only adult entirely without face lines is the idiot.’
‘Freeman’s no idiot, take it from me,’ the Inspector broke in. ‘A very wide-awake wide boy he is, believe me.’
‘I didn’t mean that. I mean that the idiot is irresponsible. The idiot is the standard of irresponsibility. All those twelve men in that parade were thirty-ish, but only one had an irresponsible face. So I picked him at once.’
After that it had become a mild joke at the Yard that Grant could ‘pick them at sight’. And the Assistant Commissioner had once said teasingly: /
‘Don’t tell me that you believe that there is such a thing as a criminal face, Inspector.’
But Grant had said no, he wasn’t as simple as that. ‘If there was only one kind of crime, sir, it might be possible; but crimes being as wide as human nature, if a policeman started to put faces into categories he would be sunk. You can tell what the normal run of over-sexed women look like by a walk down Bond Street any day between five and six, and yet the most notorious nymphomaniac in London looks like a cold saint.’
‘Not so saintly of late; she’s drinking too much these days,’ the A.C. had said, identifying the lady without difficulty; and the conversation had gone on to other things.
But Grant’s interest in faces had remained and enlarged until it became a conscious study. A matter of case records and comparisons. It was, as he had said, not possible to put faces into any kind of category, but it was[Pg 27] possible to characterise individual faces. In a reprint of a famous trial, for instance, where photographs of the principal actors in the case were displayed for the public’s interest, there was never any doubt as to which was the accused and which the judge.
Occasionally, one of the counsel might on looks have changed places with the prisoner in the dock—counsel were after all a mere cross-section of humanity, as liable to passion and greed as the rest of the world, but a judge had a special quality; an integrity and a detachment. So, even without a wig, one did not confuse him with the man in the dock, who had had neither integrity nor detachment.
Marta’s James, having been dragged from his cubby-hole’, had evidently enjoyed himself, and a fine selection of offenders, or their victims, kept Grant entertained until The Midget brought his tea. As he tidied the sheets together to put them away in his locker his hand came in contact with one that had slipped off his chest and had lain all the afternoon unnoticed on the counterpane. He picked it up and looked at it.
It was the portrait of a man. A man dressed in the velvet cap and slashed doublet of the late fifteenth century. A man about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, lean and clean shaven. He wore a rich jewelled collar, and was in the act of putting a ring on the little finger of his right hand. But he was not looking at the ring. He was looking off into space.
Of all the portraits Grant had seen this afternoon this was the most individual. It was as if the artist had striven to put on canvas something that his talent was not sufficient to translate into paint. The expression in the eyes—that most arresting and individual expression—had[Pg 28] defeated him. So had the mouth: he had not known how to make lips so thin and so wide look mobile, so the mouth was wooden and a failure. What he had best succeeded in was in the bone structure of the face: the strong cheekbones, the hollows below them, the chin too large for strength.
Grant paused in the act of turning the thing over, to consider the face a moment longer. A judge? A soldier? A prince? Someone used to great responsibility, and responsible in his authority. Someone too-conscientious. A worrier; perhaps a perfectionist. A man at ease in a large design, but anxious over details. /
A candidate for gastric ulcer. Someone, too, who had suffered ill-health as a child. He had that incommunicable, that indescribable look that childhood suffering leaves behind it; less positive than the look on a cripple’s face, but as inescapable. This the artist had both understood and translated into terms of paint. The slight fullness of the lower eyelid, like a child that has slept too heavily; the texture of the skin; the old-man look in a young face.
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