Chapter 29 The Interest Is Paid

 Andy was surprised by the squire¹'s words. He could not conjecture² what business Squire Carter could have with him.

 

"First," said the squire, "may I ask, Mr. Grant, whether you can pay the interest on the mortgage which I hold when it comes due?"

 

"I have only twenty-five dollars at my command now, Squire Carter. Perhaps something may turn up between now and next Tuesday."

 

"That is extremely likely," said the squire, in a tone of sarcasm³.

 

"Have you anything to propose? Are you willing to wait a month?"

 

"No, sir; I am not. It will be extreme folly⁴ on my part. Do you expect to come into a fortune within thirty days?"

 

"No, sir."

 

"So I presume. However, I have a plan to propose. I did intend to say that I would allow you fifty dollars for your two best cows. But even that would not pay the deficit⁵. I believe your son owns a boat."

 

"I do," said Andy, looking up. He began to understand the squire's plan.

 

"I am willing to allow twenty dollars for it, as my son has taken a fancy to it, and his own boat was destroyed through the malice⁶ of a tramp. This, with fifty dollars for your two cows, would pay the interest all but twenty dollars, which you say you are able to pay in cash."

 

"Squire Carter, my cows are of a choice breed, and are worth fifty dollars each."

 

"They would not fetch that sum. Indeed, twenty-five dollars each is all that you would have any chance of getting. If you doubt it, you may try to get an offer elsewhere."

 

"What should I do without the cows? I depend on the butter and milk I obtain from them for a good part of my cash income."

 

"That is your lookout," said the squire, shrugging his shoulders.

 

"You don't appear to have much consideration for me."

 

"Business is business, Mr. Grant. You owe me ninety dollars. If you can't pay me in one form, you must in another."

 

"I would like to say a word, Squire Carter," said Andy. "The boat for which you offer twenty dollars cost Mr. Gate seventy-five."

 

"I don't believe it."

 

"I have his word for it."

 

"Very likely, but it wouldn't be the first case where a man overstated the price of his purchase."

 

"Mr. Gale⁷ would not deceive me in that way."

 

"Have it as you like. The boat is second-hand⁸ now, and worth far less than when it was new," persisted the squire.

 

"There is considerable difference between twenty dollars and seventy-five."

 

"Well, I might stretch a point and call it twenty-five, as Conrad is desirous of having the boat. In that case there would be five dollars coming to you, which you would doubtless find very handy."

 

"I think I shall have to decline your offer, Squire Carter."

 

"And leave your poor father in trouble? I thought better of you."

 

Squire Carter was surprised to find that both Andy and his father were cool, and apparently⁹ not suffering anxiety. He had thought they would be sad, and would resort to entreaties¹⁰.

 

"Does it strike you, Squire Carter, that you are trying to drive a very hard bargain with my father and myself? You offer a very low sum for the cows and for my boat."

 

"If you can get more anywhere else, you are quite at liberty to do so," said the squire, in a tone of indifference¹¹.

 

He felt that father and son were in his power, and that he would have his own way in the end.

 

"I don't think we shall sell at all," said Andy, calmly.

 

"What!" ejaculated the squire. "Not sell at all? Do you think I will allow the interest to remain unpaid¹²?"

 

"The interest will be paid."

 

"How? Where will you get the money?"

 

"I will supply my father with what he needs."

 

"You talk like a fool!" said the squire, sharply. "Do you think I will allow myself to be humbugged by a boy?"

 

"No, sir; but you can rely upon what I say."

 

"Have you borrowed the money from Mr. Gale?"

 

"I have not seen Mr. Gale for several months. He does not know of my father's pecuniary¹³ trouble. If he did, I think he would come to his and my assistance. As to the boat, I value it not only on account of its intrinsic worth, but because he gave it to me. Conrad cannot have it."

 

Squire Carter was much irritated. Besides, he did not believe that Andy would really be able to furnish his father with the help he needed.

 

"I am not easily deceived, Andrew Grant," he said. "It is useless for me to remain here any longer. I will only say that if the interest is not paid on Tuesday next, your father must take the consequences."

 

"He is ready to pay it now--before it is due--if you will give him a receipt."

 

"Wh--what!" ejaculated the squire, in amazement¹⁴.

 

"I mean what I say. Father, will you give the squire writing materials and ask him to make out a receipt?"

 

"Is this--straight? Are you really able to pay the interest now?"

 

"Yes, sir. You need have no fear on that score. When my father wrote me about his difficulty I procured¹⁵ the money, and I have it here."

 

Half incredulous, Squire Carter made out the receipt, and a roll of bills was handed to him. He counted them carefully, and put them in his wallet.

 

"The money is correct," he said, stiffly. "I am glad you are able to pay it."

 

"Thanks to Andy here," said his father, with a grateful look at his son.

 

"All is well so far, but if your son has borrowed the money it will have to be repaid."

 

"I didn't borrow it, Squire Carter."

 

"Do you mean to say that you have been able to save it up out of your boy's wages?"

 

"I received it from my employer for special services."

 

Squire Carter left the house not altogether satisfied. He had received his interest, but he had hoped to profit by the farmer's needs, and get what would have been of considerably¹⁶ greater value than the money. In this he had been disappointed.

 

"But six months hence interest will be due again," he reflected, by way of consolation¹⁷. "This time the Grants were lucky, but won't be so all the time. Besides, when the mortgage falls due it will take more help than the boy can give to settle it."

 

When the squire reached home, he found Conrad waiting to see him.

 

"Well, pa," he said, "am I going to have the boat?"

 

"No," answered his father, shortly.

 

"Why not? You said you would get it for me."

 

"They wouldn't sell."

 

"Then how will they pay the interest?"

 

"It is paid already."

 

Conrad opened his eyes wide with amazement.

 

"Where did the money come from?"

 

"The boy advanced it to his father."

 

"You must be joking, pa. Where could Andy get ninety dollars?"

 

"He only had to supply seventy. As to where it came from I can't tell. You had better ask him."

 

"So I will. It's a shame I can't have the boat."

 

"He wants too much for it."

 

"How much does he want?"

 

"I don't know. If he will let you have it for thirty dollars, you can buy it."

 

"Thank you, pa. It's the same as mine. A boy like Andy can't afford to refuse thirty dollars."

 

"I don't know. He seems a mighty¹⁸ independent sort of boy."

 

Conrad lost no time in trying to purchase the boat of Andy, but of course without success.

 

"I would rather keep it myself," was the reply.

 

"But you can't use it."

 

"Not at present, perhaps, but I may be able to some time. Besides, Mr. Gale gave it to me, and I shouldn't be willing to part with it. At any rate, I wouldn't sell for thirty dollars."

 

"Never mind, Conrad," said his father. "When the next interest is payable¹⁹, Andrew will probably be glad to accept your offer."

 

Andy enjoyed the short visit home. He managed to see the boys with whom he was most intimate, and promised to look out for positions in the city for two of them. At home his presence was a source of comfort and joy to his mother. It gladdened him to see the bright look on her face, which had been grave and anxious when he arrived.

 

On Monday, morning he set out for New York on an early train, feeling that his visit had been in every way a success. Several boys were at the station to see him off, but among them he did not perceive Conrad Carter. 

1 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

2 conjecture   

n./v.推测，猜测

参考例句：

• She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
• This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

3 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

4 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 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。

7 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

8 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 entreaties   

n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He began with entreaties and ended with a threat. 他先是恳求，最后是威胁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves. 暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

12 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

13 pecuniary   

adj.金钱的；金钱上的

参考例句：

• She denies obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.她否认通过欺骗手段获得经济利益。
• She is so independent that she refused all pecuniary aid.她很独立，所以拒绝一切金钱上的资助。

14 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

15 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》

16 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

17 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

18 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

19 payable   

adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的

参考例句：

• This check is payable on demand.这是一张见票即付的支票。
• No tax is payable on these earnings.这些收入不须交税。