Two weeks had passed away. Joseph had come and gone. In the company of Esther and his parents he had spent three sad and happy days in Bournemouth, happy because he was in the society of those he loved, sad because he was so soon to part from them. Rachel's health was improved, and it touched Aaron deeply to observe how she clung to her son and Esther, as though she were seeking in them a recompense for what she was losing in Ruth. He exerted himself to be bright and cheerful, and flattered himself that he was succeeding; but, indeed, during these days he was not the only one who was playing a part. Rachel was also exerting herself to hide the cloud which was hanging over her spirits because of the prolonged absence of Ruth, as to whom both she and Aaron seemed now to have entered into a loving conspiracy2 of silence.
With Joseph Aaron was compelled to be more open, and to the young man and his affianced he imparted the news of Ruth's secret marriage.
"I have not yet broken it to your dear mother," said Aaron, "in consequence of the state of her health. But she is growing stronger every day, and when you are gone I will break it to her gently." He turned to Esther, and said, "You stand now in Ruth's place, and in you I also have gained a daughter. Do not let this news distress3 you. Be true to each other, be steadfast4 to the old faith, and all will be well. And be careful to say nothing to the dear mother. Leave that task to me."
The carrying out of his intention to retire into private life, and to entirely5 give up the important business transactions in which he had been engaged for so many years, rendered it necessary that he should be in London the greater part of these two weeks; and Mr. Moss6, who was endeavouring to get his own affairs in order, was his constant companion during this time. The private distribution of so large a sum of money as Aaron had set apart for charity was no easy matter, and the officers of the institutions which were the richer for his benevolence7 used much persuasion8 to induce him to make his benefactions public; but on this point he was resolved. The other important matter which occupied him was the transference of his existing contracts. His great rival, Mr. Poynter, was especially anxious to obtain a share of this business, and with that object in view he called upon Aaron. But the two men could not agree; it was not a question of terms, but a question as to certain stipulations with respect to wages and hours of labour which Aaron insisted upon.
"Surely," protested Mr. Poynter, "you do not arrogate9 the right to dictate10 to other employers what they shall pay their workmen?"
"Not at all," Aaron replied, "where I am not concerned. But these contracts are mine; numbers of the workmen have been in my employ for years, and I must protect them."
"Protect them!" exclaimed Mr. Poynter, angrily. "Against me!"
"Against all," said Aaron, firmly, "who would pay workmen less than a fair living wage, and would put too severe a strain upon bone and muscle."
"Bone and muscle!" cried Mr. Poynter. "Bone and fiddlesticks! You are talking common cant11, Mr. Cohen."
The interview grew stormy, and did not last much longer. When Mr. Poynter departed it was with a burning anger against Aaron, and with a burning desire for revenge. From that moment he looked about for the means of compassing this revenge. "If I could only bring him down!" he thought, "if I could only bring him down!"
At the end of the fortnight Aaron was in London, his labours over, and at this time his own fortune amounted to something over forty-five thousand pounds, a larger sum than he had anticipated would be left to him.
It must be mentioned that Ruth and her husband had just returned to London, as he was informed by letter, their honeymoon12 trip having come suddenly to an end in consequence of Ruth's indisposition It was she who wrote to him, and she was so earnest in the expression of her wish that he would come and see her, that he had sent her a telegram saying that he would call at eight or nine o'clock, by which time he expected to be free. He would have called earlier, but he had an appointment with Mr. Moss at six, his intention being to make to his old friend a full disclosure of his secret respecting Ruth. On the following day Rachel and Esther were coming back to London, as Rachel did not wish to remain longer in Bournemouth.
Aaron was waiting now in his study for Mr. Moss. The cares and sorrows of the past few months had left their mark upon him. The grey hairs had multiplied fast, the lines in his face had deepened, and in the kind eyes and benevolent13 countenance14 there was a touch of childlike pathos15, as though the strong man had suddenly grown weak, and was mutely appealing for mercy.
Mr. Moss's face was flushed with excitement as he entered the room with an evening paper in his hand.
"Have you heard the rumour16, Cohen?" he asked, excitedly.
"What rumour?" inquired Aaron, rising to meet his friend.
"About your bank, the Colonial Alliance?"
"No, I have heard nothing. I have not been out of the house since the morning."
"It came on me like a thunderclap, but it cannot be true."
"What cannot be true, Mr. Moss?" Aaron spoke17 quite calmly.
"Well, there's nothing definite, but you know there has been something like a panic in the City."
"I am aware of it, but it cannot affect me. I have no investments now, with the solitary18 exception of my bank shares. All my affairs are settled, and what is left of my fortune is in the bank until I decide how to invest it."
Mr. Moss groaned19 "I wish you had it safely tied up in consols. Is all your money there?"
"Every shilling. The only investments I have not realised are the shares I hold in the bank."
"That makes it all the worse. The shareholders20 are liable to the depositors?"
"Certainly--to the extent of the unpaid21 portion of their shares. Perhaps beyond that--I am not quite sure."
The flush had died out of Mr. Moss's face, which was now white with apprehension22. "They're calling it out in the streets; but here's the paper."
He pointed23 to a paragraph, which stated that one of the largest banks in the City had closed its doors half an hour before its time, and that the panic had in consequence reached an alarming height.
"There is no name mentioned, Mr. Moss."
"No, Cohen, no; but I passed through the City on my way here, and the name of the bank was on every one's lips. If your bank stops payment tomorrow how will you stand?"
"If it stops payment for sufficient cause," said Aaron, in a steady voice, "I shall be a ruined man."
"Good heavens! And you can speak of it so calmly!"
"Why not? To work myself into a frenzy24 will not help me. There are worse misfortunes."
"I cannot imagine them, Cohen. Ruined? Absolutely ruined?"
"Absolutely ruined," answered Aaron, with a smile.
"And it is only yesterday that you were----" He could not continue, and Aaron took up his words.
"It is only yesterday that I was on the top of the tree. A dangerous height, Mr. Moss, but I must bear the fall. If, when they climb the ladder of fortune, men would but be careful to make the lower rungs secure! But prosperity makes them reckless. Do not look so mournful. Happiness is as easily found in poverty as in riches."
"It may be, after all, a false alarm," groaned Mr. Moss.
"Let us hope so; though there is no smoke without a fire. We will wait till to-morrow."
"Will you not come with me to the City now to ascertain25 whether it is true or false?"
"No. It will only trouble me, and it will not affect the result. I will wait till to-morrow."
So marked was the contrast between his cheerful and Mr. Moss's despondent26 mood that it really seemed as if it were his friend's fortune that was imperilled instead of his own. He was standing27 by the door, and hearing a knock he opened it.
"I beg your pardon, sir," said the servant, "but this gentleman is below, and wants to see Mr. Moss."
Aaron took the card without looking at it, and handed it to Mr. Moss, who exclaimed,--
"Dr. Spenlove! What can he want here?"
"Show the gentleman up," said Aaron to the servant, after a moment's consideration.
"Had I not better see him alone?" asked Mr. Moss.
"If you have no objection," replied Aaron, "I should prefer that you receive him here in my presence."
They both seemed to scent28 a coming danger, but Aaron appeared to hail it gladly, while Mr. Moss would rather have avoided it.
"A thousand apologies," said Dr. Spenlove to Aaron upon his entrance, "for intruding29 upon you; but hearing that Mr. Moss had come to your house I took the liberty of following him. My errand is an urgent one."
"I am happy to see you, Dr. Spenlove," Aaron responded; "if your business with Mr. Moss is not quite private you can speak freely before me."
"I think," said Dr. Spenlove, half hesitating, "that it is quite private."
"I have a distinct reason," continued Aaron, as though Dr. Spenlove had not spoken, "for making the suggestion; it is more than likely that I have a distinct connection with your business, and this must be my excuse for wishing to be present. If it is of an incident in the past you wish to speak, when you and Mr. Moss were acquainted in Portsmouth----"
"How singular that you should have guessed it!" exclaimed Dr. Spenlove. "It is such an incident that brings me here."
"The time was winter," pursued Aaron, "the season an inclement30 one. I remember it well. For some days the snow had been falling----"
"Yes, yes. It was a terrible season for the poor."
"For one especially, a lady driven into misfortune, and who had no friend but a stern and honourable31 gentleman who would only lift her from the depths into which she had fallen on the condition that she submitted to a cruel sacrifice. His demand was that she should give her infant into the care of strangers, and that only in the event of his death should she be free to seek to know its fate. Is that the incident, Dr. Spenlove?"
"It is. I see you know all, and with Mr. Moss's consent I will speak openly." Mr. Moss looked at Aaron, who nodded, and Dr. Spenlove continued. "There is no need to recall all the particulars of that bitter night when you so kindly32 assisted me in the search for the unhappy mother and her child."
"None at all," said Mr. Moss; "they are very vivid in my memory."
"And in mine. Your kindness has not been forgotten either by me or by the lady whose life, and whose child's life, were saved by you. He shakes his head in deprecation, Mr. Cohen, but what I say is true. Had he not, out of the kindness of his heart, accompanied me, these two hapless human beings would have perished in the snow. I had a motive33 to serve; he had none. On the night we parted in Portsmouth, Mr. Moss, you were on the point of seeking a home for the poor babe, for whom"--he turned to Aaron--"a liberal provision was made."
"I am acquainted with every detail of the strange story," said Aaron. "I was residing in Gosport at the time."
Dr. Spenlove gave him a startled look. "It was in Gosport he hoped to find this home, with a friend of whom he spoke in the highest terms. The commission entrusted34 to me by Mr. Gordon--I perceive you are familiar with the name--ended on that night, and what remained to be done was in the hands of Mr. Moss and Mr. Gordon's lawyers. The following morning I came to London, where I have resided ever since. From that day until two or three weeks ago Mr. Moss and I have not met. It was here in your house, Mr. Cohen, that, seeing him for the first time after so long an interval35, I made inquiries36 concerning the infant entrusted to him. He informed me that she died very shortly, as I understood, after she entered her new home. I was not surprised to hear it; the exposure on that bitter night was sufficiently37 severe to kill a child much older. In order that my visit to Mr. Moss to-night may be properly understood I will relate in a few words the subsequent history of the mother. She married Mr. Gordon, and accompanied him to Australia, where she has resided for twenty years. She has had no children by him, and is now a widow, and very wealthy. Unknown to Mr. Gordon she, in her last interview with me, entrusted to me a small iron casket--it was one I gave her, and I can identify it--in which she deposited some articles, of the nature of which I was ignorant. She entreated38 me to take steps that this box should be delivered to the people who received her child into their home, and to obtain from them a promise that if the child lived till she was twenty-one years of age it was to be handed over to her, or, in the event of her child dying or of herself claiming the box at any future time, to be handed over to her. I informed Mr. Moss of the mother's desire, and he promised that it should be attended to. I have looked over some old papers, and I find that, had the child lived, she would be twenty-one in the course of a couple of months. But the child is dead, and the mother has appealed to me to obtain the box which she delivered into my charge."
"The mother has appealed to you!" exclaimed Aaron. "In person?"
"In person," replied Dr. Spenlove. "She has returned to England, and is at this moment awaiting me in my carriage below. It is not the only appeal she has made to me. She is overwhelmed with grief at the news of her child's death, and I have the sincerest pity for her. She desires to know where her child is buried. Mr. Gordon's lawyers, it appears, were so bound to secrecy40 by their client that they do not feel warranted in giving her any information or assistance. She has communicated with another firm of lawyers in London, who are unable to assist her. As a last resource she has come to me to entreat39 my aid, which, in the circumstances, I cannot refuse to give her. My errand is now fully41 explained. Mr. Moss, will you see the poor lady, and give her the information she has a right to demand?"
"I will reply for my friend," said Aaron. "Dr. Spenlove, I was the person to whose care the child was entrusted. The casket is in this house, and it is for me to satisfy her. Will you step down and ask her to come up, or shall I send a servant to her?"
"It will be best for me to go," said Dr. Spenlove. "How strangely things turn out! It is fortunate that I came here to seek Mr. Moss."
"I must speak to Mrs. Gordon alone, without witnesses," said Aaron. "You and Mr. Moss will not mind waiting in the adjoining room for a few minutes? The poet's words are true: 'There is a Providence that shapes our ends, rough-hew them as we will.' The mother may have cause to bless this night."
He bent42 his head humbly43 and solemnly as Dr. Spenlove and Mr. Moss left the room together.
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收听单词发音
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1
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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7
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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arrogate
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| v.冒称具有...权利，霸占 | |
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dictate
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| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
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cant
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| n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔 | |
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honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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16
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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18
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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19
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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shareholders
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| n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 ) | |
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21
unpaid
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| adj.未付款的，无报酬的 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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29
intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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30
inclement
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| adj.严酷的，严厉的，恶劣的 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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34
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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36
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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37
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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40
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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41
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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42
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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