CHAPTER XXXVI ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

Mrs. Harvey Middleton sat in her boudoir, trying to read a novel. But it failed to interest her. She felt uneasy, she scarcely knew why. The evening previous she had been at the Haymarket Theater, and had been struck by a boy’s face. Ten feet from her sat Tony, with his friend, George Spencer. He looked wonderfully like his father as she remembered him, and she was startled. She did not know Tony, but Rugg’s angry warning struck her.

Was he right? Can this be the boy I have so much reason to dread¹?” she asked herself.

She was thinking of this when the servant entered the room with a card.

C. Barry,” she repeated, “wishes to see Mrs. Middleton on business of the greatest importance.”

“Ask him to come up,” she said, uneasily.

It was the lawyer, as the reader may have suspected.

Mrs. Middleton,” he said, with a bow. “I must apologize for my intrusion.”

“You say your business is important?” said the lady.

It is—of the first importance.”

“Explain yourself, I beg.”

“I appear before you, madam, in behalf of your late husband’s cousin, Anthony Middleton, who is the heir of the estate which you hold in trust.”

It was out now, and Mrs. Middleton was at bay.

There is no such person,” she said. “The boy you refer to is dead.”

“What proof have you of his decease?”

“I have the sworn statement of the man who saw him die.”

“And this man’s name?”

“Is Rudolph Rugg.”

“I thought so. Mr. Rugg swore falsely. He is ready to contradict his former statement.”

“He has been tampered² with!” exclaimed Mrs. Middleton, pale with passion.

That may be,” said the lawyer; but he added, significantly: “Not by us.”

“The boy is an impostor,” said Mrs. Middleton, hotly. “I will not surrender the estate.”

“I feel for your disappointment, madam; but I think you are hasty.”

“Who will believe the statement of a common tramp?”

“You relied upon it before, madam. But we have other evidence,” continued the lawyer.

What other evidence?”

“The striking resemblance of my young friend to the family.”

“Was—was he at the Haymarket Theater last evening?” asked the lady.

He was. Did you see him?”

“I saw the boy I suppose you mean. He had a slight resemblance to Mr. Middleton.”

“He is his image.”

“Suppose—suppose this story to be true, what do you offer me?” asked Mrs. Middleton, sullenly³.

An income of three hundred pounds from the estate,” said the lawyer. “If the matter comes to court, this Rugg, I am bound to tell you, has an ugly story to tell, in which you are implicated⁴.”

Mrs. Middleton knew well enough what it meant. If the conspiracy⁵ should be disclosed, she would be ostracized⁶ socially. She rapidly made up her mind.

Mr. Barry,” she said, “I will accept your terms, on a single condition.”

“Name it, madam.”

“That you will give me six weeks’ undisturbed possession of the estate, keeping this matter secret meanwhile.”

“If I knew your motive⁷ I might consent.”

“I will tell you in confidence. Within that time I am to be married. The abrupt⁸ disclosure of this matter might break off the marriage.”

“May I ask the name of the bridegroom?”

“Capt. Gregory Lovell.”

The lawyer smiled. He knew of Capt. Lovell, and owed him a grudge⁹. He suspected that the captain was mercenary in his wooing, and he thought that it would be a fitting revenge to let matters go on.

I consent, upon my own responsibility,” he said.

Thank you,” said Mrs. Middleton, with real gratitude¹⁰.

She would not lose the man she loved after all.

A month later the marriage of Capt. Gregory Lovell, of her majesty’s service, and Mrs. Harvey Middleton, of Middleton Hall, was celebrated¹¹. There was a long paragraph in the morning Post, and Mrs. Lovell was happy.

When, a week later, at Paris, the gallant¹² captain was informed of the trick that had been played upon him, there was a terrible scene. He cursed his wife, and threatened to leave her.

But, Gregory, I have three hundred pounds income,” she pleaded. “We can live abroad.”

“And I have sold myself for that paltry¹³ sum!” he said, bitterly.

But he concluded to make the best of a bad bargain. Between them they had an income of five hundred pounds, and on this they made shift abroad, where living is cheap. But the marriage was not happy. He was brutal¹⁴ at times, and his wife realized sadly that he had never loved her. But she has all the happiness she deserves, and so has he.

Rudolph drank himself to death in six months. So the income which he was to receive made but a slight draft upon the Middleton estate.

And Tony! No longer Tony the Tramp, but the Hon. Anthony Middleton, of Middleton Hall—he has just completed a course at Oxford¹⁵, and is now the possessor of an education which will help fit him for the responsibilities he is to assume. His frank, off-hand manner makes him an immense favorite with the circle to which he now belongs. He says little of his early history, and it is seldom thought of now. He has made a promise to his good friend, George Spencer, to visit the United States this year, and will doubtless do so. He means at that time to visit once more the scenes with which he became familiar when he was only Tony the Tramp.

THE END

1 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

2 tampered   

v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• The records of the meeting had been tampered with. 会议记录已被人擅自改动。 来自辞典例句
• The old man's will has been tampered with. 老人的遗嘱已被窜改。 来自辞典例句

3 sullenly   

不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地

参考例句：

• 'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。
• Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

4 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 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。

6 ostracized   

v.放逐( ostracize的过去式和过去分词 )；流放；摈弃；排斥

参考例句：

• He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike. 他因拒绝支持罢工而受到同事的排斥。
• The family were ostracized by the neighborhood. 邻居们都不理睬那一家人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

8 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

9 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

10 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

11 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

12 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

13 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。

14 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

15 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。