Chapter 23 Mr. Flint's Return

 Mr. Crawford was something more than an ordinary real estate dealer¹. He was thorough and painstaking² in whatever he undertook.

 

In his private office he had a library of volumes relating to architecture, practical building, real estate, law, etc. This Andy discovered, and he asked his employer if he might borrow books therefrom.

 

Mr. Crawford seemed pleased, but he asked:

 

"Do you think you will feel any interest in such dry volumes?"

 

"I shall not read for interest, but for improvement," answered Andy. "If I am to follow up this business I want to find out all I can about it."

 

"You are an unusually sensible boy," said Mr. Crawford. "I am sure you will succeed."

 

"I mean to, if it is possible."

 

From this time John Crawford felt an added interest in Andy, and took pains to push him forward, and gave him practical information about real estate.

 

"How do you like Andy, John?" asked Mrs. Mason, not long afterward³.

 

"He is a treasure. He does credit to your recommendation."

 

"I am very much pleased to hear you say so. I consider him a remarkable⁴ boy. Roy gets much higher marks at school since Andy began to help him in his lessons."

 

One day Andy was sent up to the Grand Central Depot⁵ on an errand. He arrived just as a train came in from the West. What was his surprise to see Mr. Flint getting out of a parlor⁶ car.

 

"Mr. Flint!" he cried, joyfully⁷.

 

"Andy!" exclaimed the jeweler. "It seems pleasant to see a home face. But how do you happen to be up here at this time? Did Mr. Rich send you?"

 

"Then you have not heard--" began Andy.

 

"Heard what?"

 

"That I have been discharged from your store."

 

"When did this happen?" asked the jeweler, abruptly⁸.

 

"About two weeks ago."

 

"Rich never wrote me about it. Who is in your place?"

 

"John Crandall."

 

"His nephew? The boy I discharged?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

Mr. Flint's face assumed a stern look.

 

"This will have to be explained," he said. "What was the pretext⁹ for discharging you?"

 

"Dishonesty. He charged me with stealing a gold watch and pawning¹¹ it."

 

"Ridiculous!"

 

"Then you don't believe me guilty?"

 

"Certainly not."

 

"Thank you, Mr. Flint."

 

"Tell me the circumstances."

 

"Please excuse me now, Mr. Flint. I am in a real estate office, and am on an errand. If you like, I will call at your house and explain. In the meantime I will let Mr. Rich give you his version."

 

"Call this evening, Andy."

 

"It will have to be between seven and half-past seven, as I have a pupil in the evening."

 

"Come to supper at my house, as soon after six as possible."

 

"Very well, sir."

 

Mr. Flint had telegraphed to Simon Rich of his coming, but through some mistake the telegram did not reach him, so that he was quite taken by surprise when his employer entered the store.

 

"I had no idea you were anywhere near New York, Mr. Flint," he said.

 

"Didn't you get my telegram from Buffalo¹², Mr. Rich?"

 

"No, sir. I hope you are well."

 

Just then John Crandall came in from an errand.

 

"You here!" said the jeweler. "Where is Andy Grant?"

 

"I was obliged to discharge him," replied Rich, nervously¹³.

 

"Why?"

 

"Very much to my surprise I discovered that he had stolen a gold watch from the case."

 

"What evidence had you of it?"

 

"I found the pawn¹⁰ ticket in his pocket. He pawned¹⁴ it on Third Avenue."

 

"This surprises me very much," said the jeweler, quietly. "Andrew did not strike me as a dishonest boy."

 

"I was amazed, sir. I could hardly believe my eyes."

 

"What led you to search for the ticket?"

 

"I knew that the watch must have been taken either by him or John, who came into the shop occasionally. I accordingly searched both."

 

"And you found the ticket in Andrew's pocket?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"What did he say? Did he admit the theft?"

 

"No; he brazened it out, but of course the evidence was overwhelming."

 

"So you discharged him?"

 

"Yes; I did not dare to have him remain."

 

"And you engaged your nephew in his place?"

 

"Yes, sir. John happened to be here, and knew something of the duties, so I engaged him temporarily, subject, of course, to your approval."

 

"Where is Andrew now? Have you seen him since?"

 

"John saw him one day. Where was it, John?"

 

"On Broadway, near the St. Denis Hotel. He said he had a place."

 

"Where?"

 

"In a real estate office."

 

"I suppose you gave him no recommendation, Mr. Rich?"

 

"No, sir; I couldn't do it conscientiously¹⁵. Of course, now that you have returned, if you are dissatisfied with John's being here, we can advertise for another boy."

 

"I will take a day to consider it. I shall only stay here half an hour and then go up to the house."

 

When Mr. Flint left the store, Simon Rich said:

 

"The old man took Andy's discharge more quietly than I anticipated."

 

"Do you think he will let me stay, Uncle Simon?"

 

"I can't tell yet. One thing I must tell you--you won't stay long unless you turn over a new leaf and attend to your duties."

 

"I'll do that, never fear! What I am afraid of is, that Andy will come around and tell a lot of lies."

 

"I don't think it will work. You see, the pawn ticket was found in his pocket. He can't get over that very well."

 

John knew more than his uncle of the nature of Andy's defense¹⁶, and he could not help feeling apprehensive¹⁷.

 

Soon after six o'clock Andy made his appearance at Mr. Flint's house, where he was cordially received.

 

"I have heard the story of Mr. Rich, Andy," he said. "Now let me have your defense."

 

"I can give it very briefly¹⁸. The watch was pawned by John Crandall. Of course it was given him by Mr. Rich."

 

"How did you find that out?"

 

"I went around to the pawnbroker's, and obtained a description of the boy who pawned the watch. It tallied¹⁹ exactly with John's appearance. That was not all. I met, the same day, a boy named Jimmy Callahan. He saw John coming out of the pawnbroker's the day before the charge was made against me."

 

"That is pretty conclusive²⁰. Can you explain how the ticket was put in your pocket?"

 

"No, sir; that puzzles me."

 

"It could easily be done, no doubt. Now, do you want to return to my employ?"

 

"No, sir, I think not. I am in a real estate office, and I think there is more chance for me to rise."

 

"How did you obtain the position?"

 

"Through Mrs. Mason, of West Fifty-sixth Street. She has been a very good friend to me. The gentleman who employs me is her brother."

 

"I shall be sorry to lose you, Andy, but I wish you to consult your own interest. As to John Crandall, I shall discharge him at once. I will not permit him to profit by the conspiracy²¹ against you. Can you stay this evening?"

 

"No, sir. I am helping²² Mrs. Mason's son, Roy, in his Latin lessons. For this I am paid five dollars per week."

 

"You seem to be very well provided for, I must say."

 

"Yes, sir, I have been fortunate."

 

The next day Mr. Flint notified Simon Rich that he was acquainted with the manner in which evidence had been procured²³ against Andy. Then he turned to the nephew.

 

"The watch was pawned by you, John," he said, "under the direction of your uncle."

 

"No, sir," said John. "If Andy Grant has told you this he has told a lie."

 

"The matter is easily settled. Come around with me to the pawnbroker's."

 

John stammered²⁴ and finally confessed.

 

"Of course I cannot retain your services after this. You, Mr. Rich, may remain till the end of the month. I shall then feel obliged to make a change."

 

Never were two conspirators²⁵ more quickly punished. Simon Rich repented²⁶ bitterly yielding to the temptation to injure Andy. His malice²⁷ had recoiled²⁸ upon himself.

1 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

2 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

3 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

4 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

6 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

7 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

8 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

9 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

10 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

11 pawning   

v.典当，抵押( pawn的现在分词 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch. 他正在考虑抵押他的手表。 来自辞典例句
• My clothes were excellent, and I had jewellery; but I never even thought of pawning them. 我的衣服是很讲究的，我有珠宝；但是我从没想到要把它们当掉。 来自辞典例句

12 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

13 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

14 pawned   

v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• He pawned his gold watch to pay the rent. 他抵当了金表用以交租。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has redeemed her pawned jewellery. 她赎回了当掉的珠宝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 conscientiously   

adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实

参考例句：

• He kept silent,eating just as conscientiously but as though everything tasted alike. 他一声不吭，闷头吃着，仿佛桌上的饭菜都一个味儿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She discharged all the responsibilities of a minister conscientiously. 她自觉地履行部长的一切职责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 apprehensive   

adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的

参考例句：

• She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
• He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。

18 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

19 tallied   

v.计算，清点( tally的过去式和过去分词 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• The girl tallied them with her eyes for a moment. 新娘用目光把这些化妆品清点了一下。 来自教父部分
• His account of the accident tallied with hers. 他对事故的陈述和她的相吻合。 来自辞典例句

20 conclusive   

adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的

参考例句：

• They produced some fairly conclusive evidence.他们提供了一些相当确凿的证据。
• Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的。

21 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

22 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

23 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

24 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

25 conspirators   

n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conspirators took no part in the fighting which ensued. 密谋者没有参加随后发生的战斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The French conspirators were forced to escape very hurriedly. 法国同谋者被迫匆促逃亡。 来自辞典例句

26 repented   

对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He repented his thoughtlessness. 他后悔自己的轻率。
• Darren repented having shot the bird. 达伦后悔射杀了那只鸟。

27 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

28 recoiled   

v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回

参考例句：

• She recoiled from his touch. 她躲开他的触摸。
• Howard recoiled a little at the sharpness in my voice. 听到我的尖声，霍华德往后缩了一下。 来自《简明英汉词典》