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CHAPTER XIV. THE MISSING WILL.
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 An hour after the depart of the colonel there was an unexpected arrival.
 
A well-dressed gentleman descended1 the stairs gingerly, looked about him with fastidious disdain2, and walked up to the bar.
 
Tim Bolton was filling an order, and did not immediately observe him.
 
When at length he turned around he exclaimed, in some surprise:
 
“Mr. Waring!”
 
“Yes, Bolton, I have found my way here.”
 
“I have been expecting you.”
 
“I came to you for some information.”
 
“Well, ask your questions: I don’t know whether I can answer them.”
 
“First, where is my Cousin Florence?”
 
“How should I know? She wasn’t likely to place herself under my protection.”
 
“She’s with that boy of yours—Dodger3, I believe you call him. Where is he?”
 
“Run away,” answered Bolton, briefly4.
 
“Do you mean that you don’t know where he is?”
 
“Yes, I do mean that. I haven’t set my eyes on him since that night.”
 
“What do you mean by such negligence5? Do you remember who he is?”
 
“Certainly I do.”
 
“Then why do you let him get of your reach?”
 
“How could I help it? Here I am tied down to this bar day and night! I’m nearly dead for want of sleep.”
 
“It would be better to close up your place for a week and look after him.”
 
“Couldn’t do it. I should lose all my trade. People would say I was closed up.”
 
“And have you done nothing toward his recovery?”
 
“Yes, I have sent out two men in search of him.”
 
“Have you any idea where he is, or what he is doing?”
 
“Yes, he has been seen in front of the Astor House, selling papers. I have authorized6 my agent, if he sees him again, to follow him home, and find out where he lives.”
 
“That is good! Astor House? I may see him myself.”
 
“But why do you want to see him? Do you want to restore him to his rights?”
 
“Hush!” said Curtis, glancing around him apprehensively7. “What we say may be overheard and excite suspicion. One thing may be secured by finding him—the knowledge of Florence’s whereabouts.”
 
“What makes you think she and the boy are together?”
 
“He came for her trunk. I was away from home, or I would not have let it go——”
 
“It is strange that they two are together, considering their relationship.”
 
“That is what I am afraid they will find out. She may tell him of the mysterious disappearance8 of her cousin, and he——”
 
“That reminds me,” interrupted Bolton. “He told Hooker—Hooker was the man that saw him in front of the Astor House—that he didn’t believe I was his father. He said he thought I must have stolen him when he was a young kid.”
 
“Did he say that?” asked Curtis, in evident alarm.
 
“Yes, so Hooker says.”
 
“If he has that idea in his head, he may put two and two together, and guess that he is the long-lost cousin of Florence. Tim, the boy must be got rid of.”
 
“If you mean what I think you do, Mr. Waring, I’m not with you. I won’t consent to harm the boy.”
 
“You said that before. I don’t mean anything that will shock your tender heart, Bolton,” said Curtis, with a sneer9. “I mean carried to a distance—Europe or Australia, for instance. All I want is to keep him out of New York till my uncle is dead. After that I don’t care what becomes of him.”
 
“That’s better. I’ve no objection to that. How is the old gentleman?”
 
“He grieved so much at first over the girl’s loss, that I feared he would insist on her being recalled at once. I soothed10 him by telling him that he had only to remain firm, and she would come around, and yield to his wishes.”
 
“Do you think she will?” asked Tim, doubtfully.
 
“I intend she shall!” said Curtis, significantly. “Bolton, I love the girl all the more for her obstinate11 refusal to wed12 me. I have made up my mind to marry her with her consent, or without it.”
 
“I thought it was only the estate you were after?”
 
“I want the estate and her with it. Mark my words, Bolton, I will have both!”
 
“You will have the estate, no doubt; Mr. Linden has made his will in your favor, has he not?” and Bolton looked intently in the face of his visitor.
 
“Hark you, Bolton, there is a mystery I cannot fathom13. My uncle made two wills. In the earlier, he left the estate to Florence and myself, if we married; otherwise, to me alone.”
 
“That is satisfactory.”
 
“Yes, but there was another, in which the estate goes to the son, if living. That will has disappeared.”
 
“Is it possible?” asked Bolton, in astonishment14. “When was it missed?”
 
“On the night of the burglary.”
 
“Then you think——”
 
“That the boy, Dodger, has it. Good Heavens! if he only knew that by this will the estate goes to him!” and Waring wiped the perspiration15 from his brow.
 
“You are sure he did not give you the will?” he demanded, eying Bolton sharply.
 
“I have not seen him since the night of the robbery.”
 
“If he has read the will, it may lead to dangerous suspicions.”
 
“He would give it to your cousin, Florence, would he not?”
 
“Perhaps so. Bolton, you must get the boy back, and take the will from him, if you can.”
 
“I will do my best; but you must remember that Dodger is no longer a small kid. He is a boy of eighteen, strong and well grown. He wouldn’t be easy to manage. Besides, as long as he doesn’t know that he has any interest in the will, his holding it won’t do any harm. Is the old gentleman likely to live long?”
 
“I don’t know. I sometimes hope—— Pshaw! why should I play the hypocrite when speaking to you? Surely it is no sin to wish him better off, since he can’t enjoy life!”
 
“He might if Florence and his son were restored to him.”
 
“What do you mean, Bolton?” asked Curtis, suspiciously.
 
“What could I mean? It merely occurred to me,” said Bolton, innocently. “You say he is quiet, thinkin’ the girl will come around?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“Suppose time passes, and she doesn’t? Won’t he try to find her? As she is in the city, that won’t be hard.”
 
“I shall represent that she has left the city.”
 
“For any particular point?”
 
“No, that is not necessary.”
 
“And then?”
 
“If he worries himself into the grave, so much the better for me.”
 
“There is no halfway16 about you, Mr. Curtis Waring.”
 
“Why should there be? Listen, Bolton; I have set my all on this cast. I am now thirty-six, and still I am dependent upon my uncle’s bounty17. I am in debt, and some of my creditors18 are disposed to trouble me. My uncle is worth—I don’t know how much, but I think half a million. What does he get out of it? Food and clothes, but not happiness. If it were mine, all the avenues of enjoyment19 would be open to me. That estate I must have.”
 
“Suppose you get it, what is there for me?” asked Bolton.
 
“I will see that you are recompensed if you help me to it.”
 
“Will you put that in writing?”
 
“Do you take me for a fool? To put it in writing would be to place me in your power! You can trust me.”
 
“Well, perhaps so,” said Tim Bolton, slowly.
 
“At any rate you will have to. Well, good-night. I will see you again. In the meantime try to find the boy.”
 
Tim Bolton followed him with his eyes, as he left the saloon.
 
“What would he say,” said Bolton to himself, “if he knew that the will he so much wishes to find is in my hands, and that I hold him in my power already?”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
2 disdain KltzA     
n.鄙视,轻视;v.轻视,鄙视,不屑
参考例句:
  • Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
  • A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。
3 dodger Ku9z0c     
n.躲避者;躲闪者;广告单
参考例句:
  • They are tax dodgers who hide their interest earnings.他们是隐瞒利息收入的逃税者。
  • Make sure she pays her share she's a bit of a dodger.她自己的一份一定要她付清--她可是有点能赖就赖。
4 briefly 9Styo     
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。
5 negligence IjQyI     
n.疏忽,玩忽,粗心大意
参考例句:
  • They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
  • The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。
6 authorized jyLzgx     
a.委任的,许可的
参考例句:
  • An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。
7 apprehensively lzKzYF     
adv.担心地
参考例句:
  • He glanced a trifle apprehensively towards the crowded ballroom. 他敏捷地朝挤满了人的舞厅瞟了一眼。 来自辞典例句
  • Then it passed, leaving everything in a state of suspense, even the willow branches waiting apprehensively. 一阵这样的风过去,一切都不知怎好似的,连柳树都惊疑不定的等着点什么。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
8 disappearance ouEx5     
n.消失,消散,失踪
参考例句:
  • He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
  • Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。
9 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
10 soothed 509169542d21da19b0b0bd232848b963     
v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦
参考例句:
  • The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿。
  • The soft modulation of her voice soothed the infant. 她柔和的声调使婴儿安静了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
11 obstinate m0dy6     
adj.顽固的,倔强的,不易屈服的,较难治愈的
参考例句:
  • She's too obstinate to let anyone help her.她太倔强了,不会让任何人帮她的。
  • The trader was obstinate in the negotiation.这个商人在谈判中拗强固执。
12 wed MgFwc     
v.娶,嫁,与…结婚
参考例句:
  • The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
  • The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。
13 fathom w7wy3     
v.领悟,彻底了解
参考例句:
  • I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
  • What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。
14 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
15 perspiration c3UzD     
n.汗水;出汗
参考例句:
  • It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了,我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
  • The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。
16 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
参考例句:
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
17 bounty EtQzZ     
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。
18 creditors 6cb54c34971e9a505f7a0572f600684b     
n.债权人,债主( creditor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。


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