【导读】 《三十九级台阶》被改编成电影，于1935年在美国上映。讲述了加拿大人汉纳意外被卷入间谍战，他不得不一次次的躲避追踪和暗杀，并要在有限的时间里找出真相。
I sat down in an armchair and felt very sick.After about five minutes I started shaking.The poor white face with its staring eyes was too much for me，so I got a tablecloth and covered it.Then I took the whisky bottle and drank several mouthfuls.I had seen men die violently before.I had killed a few myself in the Matabele War; but this was different.After a few more minutes I managed to calm myself down a little.I looked at my watch and saw that it was halfpast ten.I searched the flat carefully，but there was nobody there.Then I locked the doors and windows.
By this time I was beginning to think more clearly.It looked bad for me—that was clear.It was now certain that Scudder's story was true—the proof was lying under the tablecloth.His enemies had found him and made sure of his silence.But he had been in my flat for four days，and they must think he had told his story to me.So I would be the next to die.It might be that night，or the next day，or the day after，but it was sure to happen.
Then I thought of another problem.I could call the police now，or go to bed and wait for Paddock to discover the body and call them in the morning.But what would the police think? What story would I tell them about Scudder? I had lied to Paddock about him，and my story would be hard to believe.They would arrest me for murder，and I had no real friends in England to help me.Perhaps that was part of the plan.An English prison would be a safe place for me until the 15th of June.
Even if the police did believe my story，I would still be helping Scudder's enemies.Karolides would stay at home，which was what they wanted.Scudder's death had made me certain that his story was true; now I felt responsible for continuing his work.I hated to see a good man beaten，and if I carried on in Scudder's place，the murderers might not win.
I decided I must disappear，and remain hidden until just before the 15th of June.Then I must contact some government people and tell them Scudder's story.I wished he had told me more，and that I had listened more carefully to what he had told me.There was a risk that the government would not believe me，but it was my best chance.Perhaps more evidence would appear which would help me to make my story believable.
It was now the 24th of May，so I had twenty days of hiding.Two groups of people would be looking for me—Scudder's enemies，who would want to kill me，and the police，who would want me for Scudder's murder.There was going to be a chase，and，surprisingly，I was almost happy about this.I did not want to sit in one place and wait.If I could move，the situation did not seem so bad.
