There was a slump1 in the shipping2 market, and men who were otherwise decent citizens wailed3 for one hour of glorious war, when Kenyon Line Deferred4 had stood at 88 1/2, and even so poor an organization as Siddons Steam Packets Line had been marketable at 3 3/8.
Two bareheaded men came down the busy street, their hands thrust into their trousers pockets, their sleek5, well-oiled heads bent6 in dejection.
No word they spoke7, keeping step with the stern precision of soldiers. Together they wheeled through the open doors of the Commercial Trust Building, together they left-turned into the elevator, and simultaneously8 raised their heads to examine its roof, as though in its panelled ceiling was concealed9 some Delphic oracle10 who would answer the riddle11 which circumstances had set them.
They dropped their heads together and stood with sad eyes, regarding the attendant's leisurely12 unlatching of the gate. They slipped forth13 and walked in single file to a suite14 of offices inscribed15 "Pole Brothers, Brokers," and, beneath, "The United Merchant Shippers' Corporation," and passed through a door which, in addition to this declaration, bore the footnote "Private."
Here the file divided, one going to one side of a vast pedestal desk and one to the other. Still with their hands pushed deep into their pockets, they sank, almost as at a word of command, each into his cushioned chair, and stared at one another across the table.
They were stout16 young men of the middle thirties, clean-shaven and ruddy. They had served their country in the late War, and had made many sacrifices to the common cause. One had worn uniform and one had not. Joe had occupied some mysterious office which permitted and, indeed, enjoined17 upon him the wearing of the insignia of captain, but had forbidden him to leave his native land. The other had earned a little decoration with a very big title as a buyer of boots for Allied18 nations. Both had subscribed19 largely to War Stock, and a reminder20 of their devotion to the cause of liberty was placed to their credit every half-year.
But for these, war, with its horrific incidents, its late hours, its midnight railway journeys by trains on which sleeping berths21 could not be had for love or money, its food cards and statements of excess profits, was past. The present held its tragedy so poignant22 as to overshadow that breathless terrifying moment when peace had come and found the firm with the sale of the Fairy Line of cargo23 steamers uncompleted, contracts unsigned, and shipping stock which had lived light-headedly in the airy spaces, falling deflated24 on the floor of the house.
The Fairy Line was not a large line. It was, in truth, a small line. It might have been purchased for two hundred thousand pounds, and nearly was. To-day it might be acquired for one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, and yet it wasn't.
"Joe," said the senior Mr. Pole, in a voice that came from his varnished25 boots, "we've got to do something with Fairies."
"Curse this War!" said Joe in cold-blooded even tones. "Curse the Kaiser! A weak-kneed devil who might at least have stuck to it for another month! Curse him for making America build ships, curse him for----"
"Joe," said the stout young man on the other side of the table, shaking his head sadly, "it is no use cursing, Joe. We knew that they were building ships, but the business looked good to me. If Turkey hadn't turned up her toes and released all that shipping----"
"Curse Turkey!" said the other, with great calmness. "Curse the Sultan and Enver and Taalat, curse Bulgaria and Ferdinand----"
"Put in one for the Bolsheviks, Joe," said his brother urgently, "and I reckon that gets the lot in trouble. Don't start on Austria, or we'll find ourselves cursing the Jugo-Slavs."
He sighed deeply, pursed his lips, and looked at his writing-pad intently.
Joe and Fred Pole had many faults, which they freely admitted, such as their generosity26, their reckless kindness of heart, their willingness to do their worst enemies a good turn, and the like. They had others which they never admitted, but which were none the less patent to their prejudiced contemporaries.
But they had virtues27 which were admirable. They were, for example, absolutely loyal to one another, and were constant in their mutual28 admiration29 and help. If Joe made a bad deal, Fred never rested until he had balanced things against the beneficiary. If Fred in a weak moment paid a higher price to the vendor30 of a property than he, as promoter, could afford, it was Joe who took the smug vendor out to dinner and, by persuasion31, argument, and the frank expression of his liking32 for the unfortunate man, tore away a portion of his ill-gotten gains.
"I suppose," said Joe, concluding his minatory33 exercises, and reaching for a cigar from the silver box which stood on the table midway between the two, "I suppose we couldn't hold Billing to his contract. Have you seen Cole about it, Fred?"
The other nodded slowly.
"Cole says that there is no contract. Billing offered to buy the ships, and meant to buy them, undoubtedly34; but Cole says that if you took Billing into court, the judge would chuck his pen in your eye."
"Would he now?" said Joe, one of whose faults was that he took things literally35. "But perhaps if you took Billing out to dinner, Fred----"
"He's a vegetarian36, Joe"--he reached in his turn for a cigar, snipped37 the end and lit it--"and he's deaf. No, we've got to find a sucker, Joe. I can sell the _Fairy May_ and the _Fairy Belle_: they're little boats, and are worth money in the open market. I can sell the wharfage and offices and the goodwill38----"
"What's the goodwill worth, Fred?"
"About fivepence net," said the gloomy Fred. "I can sell all these, but it is the _Fairy Mary_ and the _Fairy Tilda_ that's breaking my heart. And yet, Joe, there ain't two ships of their tonnage to be bought on the market. If you wanted two ships of the same size and weight, you couldn't buy 'em for a million--no, you couldn't. I guess they must be bad ships, Joe."
Joe had already guessed that.
"I offered 'em to Saddler, of the White Anchor," Fred went on, "and he said that if he ever started collecting curios he'd remember me. Then I tried to sell 'em to the Coastal39 Cargo Line--the very ships for the Newcastle and Thames river trade--and he said he couldn't think of it now that the submarine season was over. Then I offered 'em to young Topping, who thinks of running a line to the West Coast, but he said that he didn't believe in Fairies or Santa Claus or any of that stuff."
There was silence.
"Who named 'em _Fairy Mary_ and _Fairy Tilda_?" asked Joe curiously40.
"Don't let's speak ill of the dead," begged Fred; "the man who had 'em built is no longer with us, Joe. They say that joy doesn't kill, but that's a lie, Joe. He died two days after we took 'em over, and left all his money--all our money--to a nephew."
"I didn't know that," said Joe, sitting up.
"I didn't know it myself till the other day, when I took the deed of sale down to Cole to see if there wasn't a flaw in it somewhere. I've wired him."
"Who--Cole?"
"No, the young nephew. If we could only----"
He did not complete his sentence, but there was a common emotion and understanding in the two pairs of eyes that met.
"Who is he--anybody?" asked Joe vaguely41.
Fred broke off the ash of his cigar and nodded.
"Anybody worth half a million is somebody, Joe," he said seriously. "This young fellow was in the Army. He's out of it now, running a business in the City--'Schemes, Ltd.,' he calls it. Lots of people know him--shipping people on the Coast. He's got a horrible nickname."
"What's that, Fred?"
"Bones," said Fred, in tones sufficiently42 sepulchral43 to be appropriate, "and, Joe, he's one of those bones I want to pick."
There was another office in that great and sorrowful City. It was perhaps less of an office than a boudoir, for it had been furnished on the higher plan by a celebrated44 firm of furnishers and decorators, whose advertisements in the more exclusive publications consisted of a set of royal arms, a photograph of a Queen Anne chair, and the bold surname of the firm. It was furnished with such exquisite45 taste that you could neither blame nor praise the disposition46 of a couch or the set of a purple curtain.
The oxydized silver grate, the Persian carpets, the rosewood desk, with its Venetian glass flower vase, were all in harmony with the panelled walls, the gentlemanly clock which ticked sedately47 on the Adam mantelpiece, the Sheraton chairs, the silver--or apparently48 so--wall sconces, the delicate electrolier with its ballet skirts of purple silk.
All these things were evidence of the careful upbringing and artistic49 yearnings of the young man who "blended" for the eminent50 firm of Messrs. Worrows, By Appointment to the King of Smyrna, His Majesty51 the Emperor ---- (the blank stands for an exalted52 name which had been painted out by the patriotic53 management of Worrows), and divers54 other royalties55.
The young man who sat in the exquisite chair, with his boots elevated to and resting upon the olive-green leather of the rosewood writing-table, had long since grown familiar with the magnificence in which he moved and had his being. He sat chewing an expensive paper-knife of ivory, not because he was hungry, but because he was bored. He had entered into his kingdom brimful of confidence and with unimagined thousands of pounds to his credit in the coffers of the Midland and Somerset Bank.
He had brought with him a bright blue book, stoutly56 covered and brassily locked, on which was inscribed the word "Schemes."
That book was filled with writing of a most private kind and of a frenzied57 calculation which sprawled58 diagonally over pages, as for example:
Buy up old houses . . . . . . . . . say 2,000 pounds.
Pull them down . . . . . . . . . . . say 500 pounds.
Erect59 erect 50 Grand Flats . . . . . say 10,000 pounds.
Paper, pante, windows, etc. . . . . say 1,000 pounds.
------
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,000 pounds.
50 Flats let at 80 pounds per annum. 40,000 lbs.
Net profit . . . . . . . . . . . . . say 50 per cent.
NOTE.--For good middel class familys steady steady people. By this means means doing good turn to working classes solving houseing problem and making money which can be distribbuted distribbutted to the poor.
Mr. Augustus Tibbetts, late of H.M. Houssa Rifles, was, as his doorplate testified, the Managing Director of "Schemes, Ltd." He was a severe looking young man, who wore a gold-rimmed monocle on his grey check waistcoat and occasionally in his left eye. His face was of that brick-red which spoke of a life spent under tropical suns, and when erect he conveyed a momentary60 impression of a departed militarism.
He uncurled his feet from the table, and, picking up a letter, read it through aloud--that is to say, he read certain words, skipped others, and substituted private idioms for all he could not or would not trouble to pronounce.
"Dear Sir," (he mumbled), "as old friends of your dear uncle, and so on and so forth, we are taking the first opportunity of making widdly widdly wee.... Our Mr. Fred Pole will call upon you and place himself widdly widdly wee--tum tiddly um tum.--Yours truly."
Mr. Tibbetts frowned at the letter and struck a bell with unnecessary violence. There appeared in the doorway61 a wonderful man in scarlet62 breeches and green zouave jacket. On his head was a dull red tarbosh, on his feet scarlet slippers63, and about his waist a sash of Oriental audacity64. His face, large and placid65, was black, and, for all his suggestiveness of the brilliant East, he was undoubtedly negroid.
The costume was one of Mr. Tibbetts's schemes. It was faithfully copied from one worn by a gentleman of colour who serves the Turkish coffee at the Wistaria Restaurant. It may be said that there was no special reason why an ordinary business man should possess a bodyguard66 at all, and less reason why he should affect one who had the appearance of a burlesque67 Othello, but Mr. Augustus Tibbetts, though a business man, was not ordinary.
"Bones"--for such a name he bore without protest in the limited circles of his friendship--looked up severely68.
"Ali," he demanded, "have you posted the ledger69?"
"Sir," said Ali, with a profound obeisance70, "the article was too copious71 for insertion in aperture72 of collection box, so it was transferred to the female lady behind postal73 department counter."
Bones leapt up, staring.
"Goodness gracious, Heavens alive, you silly old ass--you--you haven't posted it--in the post?"
"Sir," said Ali reproachfully, "you instructed posting volume in exact formula. Therefore I engulfed74 it in wrappings and ligatures of string, and safely delivered it to posting authority."
Bones sank back in his chair.
"It's no use--no use, Ali," he said sadly, "my poor uncivilized savage75, it's not your fault. I shall never bring you up to date, my poor silly old josser. When I say 'post' the ledger, I mean write down all the money you've spent on cabs in the stamp book. Goodness gracious alive! You can't run a business without system, Ali! Don't you know that, my dear old image? How the dooce do you think the auditors76 are to know how I spend my jolly old uncle's money if you don't write it down, hey? Posting means writing. Good Heavens"--a horrid77 thought dawned on him--"who did you post it to?"
"Lord," said Ali calmly, "destination of posted volume is your lordship's private residency."
All's English education had been secured in the laboratory of an English scientist in Sierra Leone, and long association with that learned man had endowed him with a vocabulary at once impressive and recondite78.
Bones gave a resigned sigh.
"I'm expecting----" he began, when a silvery bell tinkled79.
It was silvery because the bell was of silver. Bones looked up, pulled down his waistcoat, smoothed back his hair, fixed80 his eye-glass, and took up a long quill81 pen with a vivid purple feather.
"Show them in," he said gruffly.
"Them" was one well-dressed young man in a shiny silk hat, who, when admitted to the inner sanctum, came soberly across the room, balancing his hat.
"Ah, Mr. Pole--Mr. Fred Pole." Bones read the visitor's card with the scowl82 which he adopted for business hours. "Yes, yes. Be seated, Mr. Pole. I shall not keep you a minute."
He had been waiting all the morning for Mr. Pole. He had been weaving dreams from the letter-heading above Mr. Pole's letter.
Ships ... ships ... house-flags ... brass-buttoned owners....
He waved Mr. Fred to a chair and wrote furiously. This frantic83 pressure of work was a phenomenon which invariably coincided with the arrival of a visitor. It was, I think, partly due to nervousness and partly to his dislike of strangers. Presently he finished, blotted84 the paper, stuck it in an envelope, addressed it, and placed it in his drawer. Then he took up the card.
"Mr. Pole?" he said.
"Mr. Pole," repeated that gentleman.
"Mr. _Fred_ Pole?" asked Bones, with an air of surprise.
"Mr. Fred Pole," admitted the other soberly.
Bones looked from the card to the visitor as though he could not believe his eyes.
"We have a letter from you somewhere," he said, searching the desk. "Ah, here it is!" (It was, in fact, the only document on the table.) "Yes, yes, to be sure. I'm very glad to meet you."
He rose, solemnly shook hands, sat down again and coughed. Then he took up the ivory paper-knife to chew, coughed again as he detected the lapse85, and put it down with a bang.
"I thought I'd like to come along and see you, Mr. Tibbetts," said Fred in his gentle voice; "we are so to speak, associated in business."
"Indeed?" said Bones. "In-deed?"
"You see, Mr. Tibbetts," Fred went on, with a sad smile, "your lamented86 uncle, before he went out of business, sold us his ships. He died a month later."
He sighed and Bones sighed.
"Your uncle was a great man, Mr. Tibbetts," he said, "one of the greatest business men in this little city. What a man!"
"Ah!" said Bones, shaking his head mournfully.
He had never met his uncle and had seldom heard of him. Saul Tibbetts was reputedly a miser87, and his language was of such violence that the infant Augustus was invariably hurried to the nursery on such rare occasions as old Saul paid a family visit. His inheritance had come to Bones as in a dream, from the unreality of which he had not yet awakened88.
"I must confess, Mr. Tibbetts," said Fred, "that I have often had qualms89 of conscience about your uncle, and I have been on the point of coming round to see you several times. This morning I said to my brother, 'Joe,' I said, 'I'm going round to see Tibbetts.' Forgive the familiarity, but we talk of firms like the Rothschilds and the Morgans without any formality."
"Naturally, naturally, naturally," murmured Bones gruffly.
"I said: 'I'll go and see Tibbetts and get it off my chest. If he wants those ships back at the price we paid for them, or even less, he shall have them.' 'Fred,' he said, 'you're too sensitive for business.' 'Joe,' I said, 'my conscience works even in business hours.'"
A light dawned on Bones and he brightened visibly.
"Ah, yes, my dear old Pole," he said almost cheerily, "I understand. You diddled my dear old uncle--bless his heart--out of money, and you want to pay it back. Fred"--Bones rose and extended his knuckly90 hand--"you're a jolly old sportsman, and you can put it there!"
"What I was going to say----" began Fred seriously agitated91.
"Not a word. We'll have a bottle on this. What will you have--ginger-beer or cider?"
Mr. Fred suppressed a shudder92 with difficulty.
"Wait, wait, Mr. Tibbetts," he begged; "I think I ought to explain. We did not, of course, knowingly rob your uncle----"
"No, no, naturally," said Bones, with a facial contortion93 which passed for a wink94. "Certainly not. We business men never rob anybody. Ali, bring the drinks!"
"We did not consciously rob him," continued Mr. Fred desperately95, "but what we did do---- ah, this is my confession96!"
"You borrowed a bit and didn't pay it back. Ah, naughty!" said Bones. "Out with the corkscrew, Ali. What shall it be--a cream soda97 or non-alcoholic ale?"
Mr. Fred looked long and earnestly at the young man.
"Mr. Tibbetts," he said, and suddenly grasped the hand of Bones, "I hope we are going to be friends. I like you. That's my peculiarity--I like people or I dislike them. Now that I've told you that we bought two ships from your uncle for one hundred and forty thousand pounds when we knew--yes, positively98 knew--they were worth at least twenty thousand pounds more--now I've told you this, I feel happier."
"Worth twenty thousand pounds more?" said Bones thoughtfully. Providence99 was working overtime100 for him, he thought.
"Of anybody's money," said Fred stoutly. "I don't care where you go, my dear chap. Ask Cole--he's the biggest shipping lawyer in this city--ask my brother, who, I suppose, is the greatest shipping authority in the world, or--what's the use of asking 'em?--ask yourself. If you're not Saul Tibbetts all over again, if you haven't the instinct and the eye and the brain of a shipowner--why, I'm a Dutchman! That's what I am--a Dutchman!"
He picked up his hat and his lips were pressed tight--a gesture and a grimace101 which stood for grim conviction.
"What are they worth to-day?" asked Bones, after a pause.
"What are they worth to-day?" Mr. Fred frowned heavily at the ceiling. "Now, what are they worth to-day? I forget how much I've spent on 'em--they're in dock now."
Bones tightened102 _his_ lips, too.
"They're in dock now?" he said. He scratched his nose. "Dear old Fred Pole," he said, "you're a jolly old soul. By Jove that's not bad! 'Pole' an' 'soul' rhyme--did you notice it?"
Fred had noticed it.
"It's rum," said Bones, shaking his head, "it is rum how things get about. How did you know, old fellow-citizen, that I was going in for shippin'?"
Mr. Fred Pole did not know that Bones was going in for shipping, but he smiled.
"There are few things that happen in the City that I _don't_ know," he admitted modestly.
"The Tibbetts Line," said Bones firmly, "will fly a house-flag of purple and green diagonally--that is, from corner to corner. There will be a yellow anchor in a blue wreath in one corner and a capital T in a red wreath in the other."
"Original, distinctly original," said Fred in wondering admiration. "Wherever did you get that idea?"
"I get ideas," confessed Bones, blushing, "some times in the night, sometimes in the day. The fleet"--Bones liked the sound of the word and repeated it--"the fleet will consist of the _Augustus_, the _Sanders_--a dear old friend of mine living at Hindhead--the _Patricia_--another dear old friend of mine living at Hindhead, too--in fact, in the same house. To tell you the truth, dear old Fred Pole, she's married to the other ship. And there'll be the _Hamilton_, another precious old soul, a very, very, very, very dear friend of mine who's comin' home shortly----"
"Well, what shall we say, Mr. Tibbetts?" said Fred, who had an early luncheon103 appointment. "Would you care to buy the two boats at the same price we gave your uncle for them?"
Bones rang his bell.
"I'm a business man, dear old Fred," said he soberly. "There's no time like the present, and I'll fix the matter--_now!_"
He said "now" with a ferociousness104 which was intended to emphasize his hard and inflexible105 business character.
Fred came into the private office of Pole & Pole after lunch that day, and there was in his face a great light and a peace which was almost beautiful.
But never beamed the face of Fred so radiantly as the countenance106 of the waiting Joe. He lay back in his chair, his cigar pointing to the ceiling.
"Well, Fred?"--there was an anthem107 in his voice.
"Very well, Joe." Fred hung up his unnecessary umbrella.
"I've sold the _Fairies_!"
Joe said it and Fred said it. They said it together. There was the same lilt of triumph in each voice, and both smiles vanished at the identical instant.
"_You've_ sold the _Fairies_!" they said.
They might have been rehearsing this scene for months, so perfect was the chorus.
"Wait a bit, Joe," said Fred; "let's get the hang of this. I understand that you left the matter to me."
"I did; but, Fred, I was so keen on the idea I had that I had to nip in before you. Of course, I didn't go to him as Pole & Pole----"
"To him? What him?" asked Fred, breathing hard.
"To What's-his-name--Bones."
Fred took his blue silk handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed108 his face.
"Go on, Joe," he said sadly
"I got him just before he went out to lunch. I sent up the United Merchant Shippers' card--it's our company, anyway. Not a word about Pole & Pole."
"Oh, no, of course not!" said Fred.
"And, my boy,"--this was evidently Joe's greatest achievement, for he described the fact with gusto--"not a word about the names of the ships. I just sold him two steamers, so and so tonnage, so and so classification----"
"For how much?"
Fred was mildly curious. It was the curiosity which led a certain political prisoner to feel the edge of the axe109 before it beheaded him.
"A hundred and twenty thousand!" cried Joe joyously110. "He's starting a fleet, he says. He's calling it the Tibbetts Line, and bought a couple of ships only this morning."
Fred examined the ceiling carefully before he spoke.
"Joe," he said, "was it a firm deal? Did you put pen to paper?"
"You-bet-your-dear-sweet-life," said Joe, scornful at the suggestion that he had omitted such an indispensable part of the negotiation111.
"So did I, Joe," said Fred. "Those two ships he bought were the two _Fairies_."
There was a dead silence.
"Well," said Joe uneasily, after a while, "we can get a couple of ships----"
"Where, Joe? You admitted yesterday there weren't two boats in the world on the market."
Another long silence.
"I did it for the best, Fred."
Fred nodded
"Something must be done. We can't sell a man what we haven't got. Joe, couldn't you go and play golf this afternoon whilst I wangle this matter out?"
Joe nodded and rose solemnly. He took down his umbrella from the peg112 and his shiny silk hat from another peg, and tiptoed from the room.
From three o'clock to four Mr. Fred Pole sat immersed in thought, and at last, with a big, heavy sigh, he unlocked his safe, took out his cheque-book and pocketed it.
Bones was on the point of departure, after a most satisfactory day's work, when Fred Pole was announced.
Bones greeted him like unto a brother--caught him by the hand at the very entrance and, still holding him thus, conducted him to one of his beautiful chairs.
"By Jove, dear old Fred," he babbled113, "it's good of you, old fellow--really good of you! Business, my jolly old shipowner, waits for no man. Ali, my cheque-book!"
"A moment--just a moment, dear Mr. Bones," begged Fred. "You don't mind my calling you by the name which is already famous in the City?"
"Personally, I prefer Tibbetts," said Fred.
"Personally, dear old Fred, so do I," admitted Bones.
"I've come on a curious errand," said Fred in such hollow tones that Bones started. "The fact is, old man, I'm----"
He hung his head, and Bones laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
"Anybody is liable to get that way, my jolly old roysterer," he said. "Speakin' for myself, drink has no effect upon me--due to my jolly old nerves of iron an' all that sort of thing."
"I'm ashamed of myself," said Fred.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, my poor old toper," said Bones honestly in error. "Why, I remember once----"
"As a business man, Mr. Tibbetts," said Fred bravely, "can you forgive sentiment?"
"Sentiment! Why, you silly old josser, I'm all sentiment, dear old thing! Why, I simply cry myself to sleep over dear old Charles What's-his-name's books!"
"It's sentiment," said Fred brokenly. "I just can't--I simply can't part with those two ships I sold you."
"Hey?" said Bones.
"They were your uncle's, but they have an association for me and my brother which it would be--er--profane to mention. Mr. Tibbetts, let us cry off our bargain."
Bones sniffed115 and rubbed his nose.
"Business, dear old Fred," he said gently. "Bear up an' play the man, as dear old Francis Drake said when they stopped him playin' cricket. Business, old friend. I'd like to oblige you, but----"
He shook his head rapidly
Mr. Fred slowly produced his cheque-book and laid it on the desk with the sigh of one who was about to indite116 his last wishes.
"You shall not be the loser," he said, with a catch in his voice, for he was genuinely grieved. "I must pay for my weakness. What is five hundred pounds?"
"What is a thousand, if it comes to that, Freddy?" said Bones. "Gracious goodness, I shall be awfully117 disappointed if you back out--I shall be so vexed118, really."
"Seven hundred and fifty?" asked Fred, with pleading in his eye.
"Make it a thousand, dear old Fred," said Bones; "I can't add up fifties."
So "in consideration" (as Fred wrote rapidly and Bones signed more rapidly) "of the sum of one thousand pounds (say L1,000), the contract as between &c., &c.," was cancelled, and Fred became again the practical man of affairs.
"Dear old Fred," said Bones, folding the cheque and sticking it in his pocket, "I'm goin' to own up--frankness is a vice119 with me--that I don't understand much about the shippin' business. But tell me, my jolly old merchant, why do fellers sell you ships in the mornin' an' buy 'em back in the afternoon?"
"Business, Mr. Tibbetts," said Fred, smiling, "just big business."
Bones sucked an inky finger.
"Dinky business for me, dear old thing," he said. "I've got a thousand from you an' a thousand from the other Johnny who sold me two ships. Bless my life an' soul----"
"The other fellow," said Fred faintly--"a fellow from the United Merchant Shippers?"
"That was the dear lad," said Bones.
"And has he cried off his bargain, too?"
"Positively!" said Bones. "A very, very nice, fellow. He told me I could call him Joe--jolly old Joe!"
"Jolly old Joe!" repeated Fred mechanically, as he left the office, and all the way home he was saying "Jolly old Joe!"
收听单词发音 |
1
slump
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| n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌 | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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7
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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8
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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9
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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10
oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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11
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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12
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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13
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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14
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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15
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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17
enjoined
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| v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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19
subscribed
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| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
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20
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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21
berths
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| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
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22
poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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23
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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24
deflated
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| adj. 灰心丧气的 | |
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25
varnished
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| 浸渍过的，涂漆的 | |
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26
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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27
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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28
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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29
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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30
vendor
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| n.卖主；小贩 | |
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31
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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32
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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33
minatory
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| adj.威胁的；恫吓的 | |
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34
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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35
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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36
vegetarian
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| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
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37
snipped
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| v.剪( snip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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39
coastal
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| adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的 | |
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40
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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41
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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42
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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43
sepulchral
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| adj.坟墓的，阴深的 | |
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44
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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45
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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46
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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47
sedately
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| adv.镇静地，安详地 | |
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48
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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49
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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50
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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51
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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52
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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53
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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54
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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55
royalties
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| 特许权使用费 | |
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56
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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57
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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58
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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59
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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60
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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61
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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62
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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63
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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64
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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65
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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66
bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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67
burlesque
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| v.嘲弄，戏仿；n.嘲弄，取笑，滑稽模仿 | |
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68
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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69
ledger
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| n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿 | |
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70
obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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71
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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72
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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73
postal
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| adj.邮政的，邮局的 | |
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74
engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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76
auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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77
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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78
recondite
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| adj.深奥的，难解的 | |
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79
tinkled
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| （使）发出丁当声，（使）发铃铃声( tinkle的过去式和过去分词 )； 叮当响着发出，铃铃响着报出 | |
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80
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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81
quill
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| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 | |
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82
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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83
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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84
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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85
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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86
lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
miser
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| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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88
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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89
qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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90
knuckly
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| n.（指人）指关节；（指动物）膝关节，肘；铰结，肘形接；铜指节套vt.用指关节打、压、碰、擦 | |
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91
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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92
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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93
contortion
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| n.扭弯，扭歪，曲解 | |
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94
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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95
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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96
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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97
soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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98
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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99
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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100
overtime
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| adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地 | |
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101
grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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102
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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103
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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104
ferociousness
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105
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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106
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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107
anthem
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| n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌 | |
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108
dabbed
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| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
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109
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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110
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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111
negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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112
peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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113
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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114
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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115
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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116
indite
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| v.写（文章，信等）创作 | |
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117
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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118
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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119
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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