The architect, smartly dressed for the occasion in a new frock coat and shining silk hat, stepped forward at the proper moment, dusted the upper surface of the great stone with a brush, and handed the judge a silver trowel. Cook pushed up to them a bucket of mortar10, into which the old man thrust the trowel, and tremblingly bespattered the stone. Then the windlass creaked, and down came the massive block of Indiana limestone11, covering the recess12 into which had been stuffed some records of the present day. Then the architect and Cook busied themselves adjusting the block, while the judge stepped backward to his seat, a look of relief coming over his red face, as if he felt that he had virtually executed the trust left him by his old friend.
As the gathering13 dispersed14, Helen's eyes fell upon a great wooden sign surmounting15 the workmen's shed: THE GRAVES CONSTRUCTION COMPANY—GENERAL CONTRACTORS16—CHICAGO AND NEW YORK.
So this was the company that had finally secured the general contract for the building. As Helen knew, there had been vexatious delays over the bids. The first figures had been very much in excess of the sum the trustees had intended to spend upon the building. They had forced the architect to modify his plans somewhat and to ask for new bids. Pemberton had been especially obstinate18, and Hart had grumbled19 about him to his wife:—
"Why does the old duffer chew the rag over a couple of hundred thousand, when they have over three millions, anyway? It doesn't come out of his pocket!"
At last, after some wrangling20, the trustees had accepted the lowest bid, though it was still considerably21 beyond the figure they had set. Hart regarded it as a triumph: he had saved substantially the integrity of his design, and the Graves Company got the contract.
Now all was serene22. From the hour that the contract was signed, the building rose from nothingness by leaps and bounds. Graves was always rapid in his operations, and for this building he seemed to have made every preparation beforehand. The labor23 situation, which was still unsettled, caused him no delay. His rivals said that he had the leaders in the unions on his pay-rolls, and could build when other contractors were tied up by strikes. Other firms could not get their steel from the mills for months, but Graves had some mysterious way of securing his material when he wanted it. The day after the corner-stone was laid he had an army of men at work; early in June the walls were up to the roof trusses; by the end of July the great edifice24 was completely roofed in, and the plasterers were at work.
The contracts once signed, the judge and Wheeler seemed to regard that their responsibilities were over. Hollister, who had been in poor health latterly, had gone to Europe. But Pemberton was the bane of the architect's life. He visited Hart's office almost daily, looked carefully at every voucher25 before ordering it paid, and spent long afternoons at the works. He examined the building from foundation to roof with his thrifty26 New England eye, and let no detail escape him, stickling over unimportant trifles, and delaying the numerous orders for extras or alterations27. The whole operation of modern building was an unknown language to him. He knew that he was ignorant of what was going on before his eyes, and his helplessness made him improperly28 suspicious of the architect and the contractor17. Many a time he strained Hart's habitual29 tact30. They nearly came to blows over some window frames, which the architect had seen fit to alter without consulting the building committee.
One morning Hart found Pemberton at the school in company with a stranger, who made notes in a little memorandum31 book. The trustee nodded curtly32 to the architect, and, as he was preparing to leave, remarked casually:—
"This is Mr. Trimble, Mr. Hart. Mr. Trimble is an engineer, who has been in my employ from time to time. He will look through the works and make a report. Mr. Trimble will not interfere33 with you in any way, Mr. Hart. He will report to me."
The architect's face grew white with suppressed rage, and his lips trembled as he answered:—
"What is your reason for taking this step, Mr. Pemberton? When I was given the commission, nothing was said about having a superintendent34. If there is to be one, he should report to me. As you know quite well, I have devoted35 my entire time to this building, and given up other work in order that I might be out here every day. I shall speak to the other trustees about this, and I'll not stand the insult, Mr. Pemberton!"
"Tut, tut, no insult, Mr. Hart. You must know that it's quite usual in work of this magnitude for the owners to have their representative at the works. There will be no interference with you or the contractor, if the building goes right."
The architect swallowed his anger for the time, merely answering sulkily: "Mr. Graves will take no orders except from me, of course. The contracts are so drawn37."
"What's that!" Pemberton exclaimed. "I hope there will be no occasion to alter that arrangement."
The architect bowed and left the building.
"Snarling38, prying39 old fogy," he spluttered to his wife, who was waiting outside in the automobile40. "Let him put in his superintendent. I guess we can give him a run for his money."
The woman's heart sank. Somehow this school, this bit of great-hearted idealism on the part of the old man she loved, had thus far stirred up a deal of mud.
Pemberton did not think it necessary to discuss with the architect his reasons for engaging Mr. Trimble as superintendent, but he had what seemed to him sufficient cause to look into the building more thoroughly41 than he was able to himself. After the contract had been let, the trustees had received a number of anonymous42 letters, which made charges that all had not been square in getting the bids for the building. These letters had gone into the waste basket, as mere36 cowardly attacks from some disgruntled contractor. Then, one day while the building was still in the rough, and the tile was going in, Pemberton overheard one of the laborers43 say to his mate:—
"Look at that stuff, now. It ain't no good at all," and the man gave the big yellow tile a kick with his foot; "it's nothin' but dust. Them's rotten bad tiles, I tell yer."
And the other Paddy answered reflectively, scratching his elbow the while:—
"It'll go all the same. Sure, it's more money in his pocket. Ain't that so, boss?"
He appealed to Pemberton, whom he took for one of the passers-by gaping44 idly at the building.
"What do you mean?" the trustee demanded sharply.
"Mane? The less you pay the more you git in this wurld!"
"Hist, you fule," the other one warned, twisting his head in the direction of the boss mason, who was not far away.
Pemberton was not the man to take much thought of a laborer's idle talk. But the words remained in his mind, and a few weeks later, happening to meet the superintendent of a large construction company in the smoking-car of the Forest Park train, he asked the man some questions about fireproof building.
"Why did your people refuse to bid the second time?" he inquired finally.
"They saw it was just a waste of time and money," the man replied frankly45.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why, the job was slated46 for Graves—that was all. It was clear enough to us. There's mighty little that goes out of that office except to Graves."
"Is that so? I asked Mr. Hart particularly to have your company bid on the contracts."
Then the man became confidential47, and explained how a certain ambiguity48 in the wording of the specifications49 made it risky51 for a contractor to bid unless he knew just how the architect would treat him; for the contractor might easily "get stuck" for much more than the possible profits, though bidding in perfect good faith. The man was willing enough to talk, once started on the subject, and in the course of half an hour he explained to the layman52 some of the chicanery53 of the building business.
"So you see, Mr. Pemberton, the contractor, to protect himself when he doesn't know his man, bids pretty high, and then the favored contractor can safely go a good bit lower. He has an understanding with the architect, maybe, and it all depends on how the specifications are going to be interpreted."
And he told other things,—how some of the firms who had bid had since got parts of the general contract from the Graves Company, but with an altered set of specifications.
"It's queer," he ended finally. "We can't see how they'll make a cent on the contract unless Graves is goin' to rot it clear through."
He explained what he meant by "rotting" it,—the use of cheap grades of materials and inferior labor, from the foundation stones to the cornice. In other words, the building would be a "job."
"For those specifications called for a first-class building, and no mistake,—awful heavy steel work, and cabinet finish, and all that. If it's built according to specification50, you're going to have a first-class school all right."
The result of this chance conversation was that after consultation54 with Judge Phillips, Pemberton sent to Boston for the engineer Trimble, whom he knew to be absolutely honest and capable.
When Hart left Pemberton, he went directly to Wheeler's office and exploded to his cousin. His anger at the affront55 offered to him had entirely56 hidden the thought of the disagreeable complications that might follow. He took a high stand with Wheeler about the trustees' lack of confidence in him. But the cool lawyer, after hearing his remonstrances57, said placidly:—
"If Pemberton wants this man Trimble to go over the building, I don't see how you can prevent it. And I don't see the harm in it myself. I suppose everything is all right. See that it is,—that's your business. Pemberton would be a bad man to deal with if he found any crooked58 work. You'd better look sharp after that fellow Graves."
The architect assured his cousin that there was no need to worry on that score. But he began to realize the dangers ahead, and felt a degree of comfort in the fact that Graves had only that week paid him in cash for the second block of his Glenmore hotel "stock." With the previous payment he had now thirty-five thousand dollars lying in his bank, and a large payment on the commission for the school would soon be due him.
Trouble was not long in coming. Trimble, who was a quiet little man, and looked like a bookseller's clerk, was waiting for Hart one morning at the office of the works. He made some pointed59 inquiries60 about the plumbing61 specifications. There seemed to be important discrepancies62 between the copy of the specifications at the works and the copy which Pemberton had given him from the office of the trustees.
"Yes, a good many changes were authorized63. There were good reasons for making them," Hart responded gruffly.
The little man made no remarks; he seemed to have inquired out of curiosity. Then he asked questions about some blue-prints which did not correspond with the written specifications, explaining that he had gone to the mill where the interior finish was being turned out and had found other discrepancies in the details prepared for the woodwork. Hart answered indifferently that he would find a good many such changes, as was customary in all buildings. At this point Graves arrived; he came into the little shanty64 and looked Trimble over without speaking. After the engineer had left, Graves turned to the architect, an ugly frown on his heavy face:—
"Say, is that little cuss goin' to make trouble here?"
Hart explained briefly65 what had happened.
"Do you think we could fix him?" the contractor asked without further comment.
The architect noticed the "we" and sulked.
"I guess you'd better not try. He doesn't look like the kind you could fix. It's just as well that most of the work is done, for it seems to me he means trouble."
"All the finish and decoratin' is comin', ain't it?" the contractor growled66. "I tell you what, if he holds up the mill work, and keeps fussin' round, there'll be more than one kind of trouble. I won't stand no nonsense from your damned trustees." He swore out his disgust and fumed67, until Hart said:—
"Well, you'll have to do the best you can. And I'll try to keep the trustees quiet."
The Glenmore hotel was going up rapidly, and he thought of the twenty thousand dollars which would be coming to him on the completion of that building—if all went well. But if there should be a row, there would be no further profits for him on the hotel.
"The best I can!" Graves broke forth. "I guess you'll have to take care of them. You'd better see your cousin and get him to call this feller off, or there'll be trouble."
"I have seen Wheeler," the architect admitted.
"Well," the contractor blustered68, "if they want a fight, let 'em come on. There'll be a strike on this building in twenty-four hours, I can tell you, and then it'll be years before they can get their school opened."
With this threat the contractor left the office, and Hart went over to the great building, which had become a thorn in his flesh these last weeks. It was not a bad piece of work, after all, as Chicago building was done, he reflected. Even if Graves had cut the work in places, and had made too much money on the steel, the stone, and here and there all over, the edifice would answer its purpose well enough, and the architect had no special interest in the everlasting69 qualities of his structures. Nothing was built to stand for more than a generation in this city. Life moved too swiftly for that.
For several weeks, as the end of August came near, there was a lull70, while Pemberton was in the East on his vacation. The work on the school went forward as before; even the irritation71 of seeing Trimble's face was removed, for he had ceased to visit the works. Then, the first week in September, the storm burst. There came to the architect's office a peremptory72 summons to meet the trustees the next afternoon.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
desolate
|
|
| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
celebrated
|
|
| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
excavated
|
|
| v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
generalizations
|
|
| 一般化( generalization的名词复数 )； 普通化； 归纳； 概论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
thrift
|
|
| adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
mortar
|
|
| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
limestone
|
|
| n.石灰石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
recess
|
|
| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
dispersed
|
|
| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
surmounting
|
|
| 战胜( surmount的现在分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
contractors
|
|
| n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
contractor
|
|
| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
obstinate
|
|
| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
grumbled
|
|
| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
wrangling
|
|
| v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
considerably
|
|
| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
edifice
|
|
| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
voucher
|
|
| n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
thrifty
|
|
| adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
alterations
|
|
| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
improperly
|
|
| 不正确地，不适当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
habitual
|
|
| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
tact
|
|
| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
memorandum
|
|
| n.备忘录，便笺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
curtly
|
|
| adv.简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
interfere
|
|
| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
superintendent
|
|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
snarling
|
|
| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
prying
|
|
| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
automobile
|
|
| n.汽车，机动车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
anonymous
|
|
| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
laborers
|
|
| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
gaping
|
|
| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
frankly
|
|
| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
slated
|
|
| 用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
confidential
|
|
| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
ambiguity
|
|
| n.模棱两可；意义不明确 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
specifications
|
|
| n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
specification
|
|
| n.详述；[常pl.]规格，说明书，规范 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
risky
|
|
| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
layman
|
|
| n.俗人，门外汉，凡人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
chicanery
|
|
| n.欺诈，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
consultation
|
|
| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
affront
|
|
| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
remonstrances
|
|
| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
plumbing
|
|
| n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
discrepancies
|
|
| n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
authorized
|
|
| a.委任的，许可的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
shanty
|
|
| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
briefly
|
|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
fumed
|
|
| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
blustered
|
|
| v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
everlasting
|
|
| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
lull
|
|
| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
irritation
|
|
| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
peremptory
|
|
| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |