Chapter 11

      A tall man, with a sallow complexion¹, and heavily-bearded face, stood on the deck of a Cunard steamer,only a few miles distant from New York harbor.

　　``It's three years since I have seen America,'' hesaid to himself, thoughtfully. ``I suppose I ought tofeel a patriotic² fervor³ about setting foot once moreon my native shore, but I don't believe in nonsense.

　　I would be content to live in Europe all my life, ifmy uncle's fortune were once in my possession. Iam his sole heir, but he persists in holding on tohis money bags, and limits me to a paltry⁴ three thousanda year. I must see if I can't induce him to giveme a good, round sum on account--fifty thousand,at least--and then I can wait a little more patientlytill he drops off.''

　　``When shall we reach port, captain?'' he asked,as he passed that officer.

　　``In four hours, I think, Mr. Wade⁵.''

　　``So this is my birthday,'' he said to himself.

　　``Thirty five years old to-day. Half my life gone,and I am still a dependent on my uncle's bounty⁶.

　　Suppose he should throw me off--leave me out inthe cold--where should I be? If he should find theboy--but no, there is no chance of that. I havetaken good care of that. By the way, I must lookhim up soon--cautiously, of course--and see whathas become of him. He will grow up a laborer⁷ ormechanic and die without a knowledge of his birth,while I fill his place and enjoy his inheritance.''

　　At six o'clock the vessel⁸ reached the Quarantine.

　　Most of the passengers decided⁹ to remain on boardone night more, but John Wade was impatient, and,leaving his trunks, obtained a small boat, and soontouched the shore.

　　It was nearly eight when John Wade landed inthe city. It was half-past eight when he stood onthe steps of his uncle's residence and rang the bell.

　　``Is my uncle is Mr. Wharton--at home?'' heasked of the servant who answered the bell.

　　``Yes, sir.''

　　``I am his nephew, just arrived from Europe. Lethim know that I am here, and would like to seehim.''

　　The servant, who had never before seen him,having only been six months in the house, regarded himwith a great deal of curiosity, and then went to dohis biddng.

　　``My nephew arrived!'' exclaimed Mr. Wharton, insurprise. ``Why, he never let me know he was coming.''

　　``Will you see him, sir?''

　　``To be sure! Bring him in at once.''

　　``My dear uncle!'' exclaimed John Wade, witheffusion, for he was a polite man, and could act when itsuited his interests to do so, ``I am glad to see you.

　　How is your health?''

　　``I am getting older every day, John.''

　　``You don't look a day older, sir,'' said John, whodid not believe what he said, for he could plainlysee that his uncle had grown older since he last sawhim.

　　``You think so, John, but I feel it. Your comingis a surprise. You did not write that you intendedsailing.''

　　``I formed the determination very suddenly, sir.''

　　``Were you tired of Europe?''

　　``No; but I wanted to see you, sir.''

　　``Thank you, John,'' said his uncle, pressing hisnephew's hand. ``I am glad you think so much ofme. Did you have a pleasant voyage?''

　　``Rather rough, sir.''

　　``You have had no supper, of course? If you willring the bell, the housekeeper¹⁰ will see that some isgot ready for you.''

　　``Is Mrs. Bradley still in your employ, uncle?''

　　``Yes, John. I am so used to her that I shouldn'tknow how to get along without her.''

　　Hitherto John Wade had been so occupied with hisuncle that he had not observed Frank. But at thismoment our hero coughed, involuntarily, and JohnWade looked at him. He seemed to be singularlyaffected. He started perceptibly, and his sallow faceblanched, as his eager eyes were fixed¹¹ on the boy'sface.

　　``Good heavens!'' he muttered to himself. ``Who isthat boy? How comes he here?''

　　Frank noticed his intent gaze, and wondered at it,but Mr. Wharton's eyesight was defective¹², and hedid not perceive his nephew's excitement.

　　``I see you have a young visitor, uncle,'' said JohnWade.

　　``Oh, yes,'' said Mr. Wharton, with a kindly¹³ smile.

　　``He spends all his evenings with me.''

　　``What do you mean, sir?'' demanded John Wade,with sudden suspicion and fear. ``He seems veryyoung company for----''

　　``For a man of my years,'' said Mr. Wharton,finishing the sentence. ``You are right, John. But, yousee, my eyes are weak, and I cannot use them forreading in the evening, so it occurred to me to engagea reader.''

　　``Very true,'' said his nephew. He wished toinquire the name of the boy whose appearance had sopowerfully impressed him but he determined¹⁴ not todo so at present. What information he sought hepreferred to obtain from the housekeeper.

　　``He seemed surprised, as if he had seen me somewhere before, and recognized me,'' thought Frank,``but I don't remember him. If I had seen his facebefore, I think I should remember it.''

　　``Don't come out, uncle.'' said John Wade, whensummoned to tea by the housekeeper. ``Mrs. Bradleyand I are going to have a chat by ourselves, andI will soon return.''

　　``You are looking thin, Mr. John,'' said Mrs Bradley.

　　``Am I thinner than usual? I never was verycorpulent, you know. How is my uncle's health? Hesays he is well.''

　　``He is pretty well, but he isn't as young as hewas.''

　　``I think he looks older,'' said John. ``But that isnot surprising--at his age. He is seventy, isn't he?''

　　``Not quite. He is sixty-nine.''

　　``His father died at seventy-one.''

　　``Yes.''

　　``But that is no reason why my uncle should notlive till eighty. I hope he will.''

　　``We all hope so,'' said the housekeeper; but sheknew, while she spoke¹⁵, that if, as she supposed, Mr.

　　Wharton's will contained a generous legacy¹⁶ for her,his death would not afflict¹⁷ her much. She suspectedalso that John Wade was waiting impatiently forhis uncle's death, that he might enter upon hisinheritance. Still, their little social fictions must bekept up, and so both expressed a desire for his continuedlife, though neither was deceived as to theother's real feeling on the subject.

　　``By the way, Mrs. Bradley,'' said John Wade,``how came my uncle to engage that boy to read tohim?''

　　``He was led into it, sir,'' said the housekeeper,with a great deal of indignation, ``by the boy himself.

　　He's an artful and designing fellow, you mayrely upon it.''

　　``What's his name?''

　　``Frank Fowler.''

　　``Fowler! Is his name Fowler?'' he repeated, witha startled expression.

　　``Yes, sir,'' answered the housekeeper, rathersurprised at his manner. ``You don't know anythingabout him, do you?''

　　``Oh, no,'' said John Wade, recovering his composure.

　　``He is a perfect stranger to me; but I onceknew a man of that name, and a precious rascal¹⁸ hewas. When you mentioned his name, I thought hemight be a son of this man. Does he say his fatheris alive?''

　　``No; he is dead, and his mother, too, so the boysays.''

　　``You haven't told me how my uncle fell in withhim?''

　　``It was an accident. Your uncle fell in gettingout of a Broadway stage, and this boy happened tobe near, and seeing Mr. Wharton was a rich gentleman,he helped him home, and was invited in. Thenhe told some story about his poverty, and so workedupon your uncle's feelings that he hired him to readto him at five dollars a week.''

　　``Is this all the boy does?''

　　``No; he is cash-boy in a large store on Broadway.

　　He is employed there all day, and he is here only inthe evenings.''

　　``Does my uncle seem attached to him?'' askedJohn.

　　``He's getting fond of him, I should say. The otherday he asked me if I didn't think it would be a goodthing to take him into the house and give him aroom. I suppose the boy put it into his head.''

　　``No doubt. What did you say?''

　　``I opposed it. I told him that a boy would be agreat deal of trouble in the family.''

　　``You did right, Mrs. Bradley. What did my unclesay?''

　　``He hinted about taking him from the store andletting him go to school. The next thing would behis adopting him. The fact is, Mr. John, the boy isso artful that he knows just how to manage youruncle. No doubt he put the idea into Mr. Wharton'shead, and he may do it yet.''

　　``Does my uncle give any reason for the fancy hehas taken to the boy?'' demanded John``Yes,'' said the housekeeper. ``He has taken itinto his head that the boy resembles your cousin,George, who died abroad. You were with him, Ibelieve?''

　　``Yes, I was with him. Is the resemblance strong?

　　I took very little notice of him.''

　　``You can look for yourself when you go back,''

　　answered the housekeeper.

　　``What else did my uncle say? Tell me all.''

　　``He said: `What would I give, Mrs. Bradley, ifI had such a grandson? If George's boy had lived,he would have been about Frank's age. And,'' continuedthe housekeeper, ``I might as well speakplainly. You're my master's heir, or ought to be;but if this artful boy stays here long, there's noknowing what your uncle may be influenced to do.

　　If he gets into his dotage¹⁹, he may come to adopt him,and leave the property away from you.''

　　``I believe you are quite right. The danger exists,and we must guard against it. I see you don't likethe boy,'' said John Wade.

　　``No, I don't. He's separated your uncle and me.

　　Before he came, I used to spend my evenings in thelibrary, and read to your uncle. Besides, when Ifound your uncle wanted a reader, I asked him totake my nephew, who is a salesman in the very samestore where that boy is a cash-boy, but although I'vebeen twenty years in this house I could not get him togrant the favor, which he granted to that boy, whomhe never met till a few weeks ago.''

　　``Mrs. Bradley, I sympathize with you,'' said hercompanion. ``The boy is evidently working againstus both. You have been twenty years in my uncle'sservice. He ought to remember you handsomely inhis will. If I inherit the property, as is my right,your services shall be remembered,'' said John Wade.

　　``Thank you, Mr. John,'' said the gratified housekeeper.

　　``That secures her help,'' thought John, in his turn.

　　``She will now work hard for me. When the timecomes, I can do as much or as little for her as Iplease.''

　　``Of course, we must work together against thisinterloper, who appears to have gained a dangerousinfluence over my uncle.''

　　``You can depend upon me, Mr. John,'' said Mrs.

　　Bradley.

　　``I will think it over, and tell you my plan,'' saidJohn Wade. ``But my uncle will wonder at my appetite.

　　I must go back to the library. We will speakof this subject again.''

1 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

2 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

3 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。

4 paltry   

adj.无价值的，微不足道的

参考例句：

• The parents had little interest in paltry domestic concerns.那些家长对家里鸡毛蒜皮的小事没什么兴趣。
• I'm getting angry;and if you don't command that paltry spirit of yours.我要生气了，如果你不能振作你那点元气。

5 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

6 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

7 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

8 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

11 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

12 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。

13 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

14 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

15 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

17 afflict   

vt.使身体或精神受痛苦，折磨

参考例句：

• I wish you wouldn't afflict me with your constant complains.我希望你不要总是抱怨而使我苦恼。
• There are many illnesses,which afflict old people.有许多疾病困扰着老年人。

18 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

19 dotage   

n.年老体衰；年老昏聩

参考例句：

• Even in his dotage,the Professor still sits on the committee.即便上了年纪，教授仍然是委员会的一员。
• Sarah moved back in with her father so that she could look after him in his dotage.萨拉搬回来与父亲同住，好在他年老时照顾他。