Still, he did not lose his presence of mind utterly3, nor was he willing to surrender at{115} discretion4, though it did occur to him that he was in an uncommonly5 tight place.
More for the sake of gaining time to think than because he really needed the information, he asked, with a calmness which he did not feel:
“What do you mean, sir?”
“What do I mean?” repeated his companion, with a sneer6. “If you are not a fool, you ought to know what I mean.”
“I suppose you are playing a joke on me,” said Andy, innocently.
“Does this look like a joke?” asked the young man, with a significant nod at the pistol which he held in his hand.
“Is it loaded?” asked Andy.
“Loaded?” retorted the other. “I could blow off the roof of your head with it.”
“I hope you won’t, then,” said our hero, looking anxiously in advance, hoping to see some approaching vehicle.
If so, he would be safe, for his companion, desperate though he might be, would not venture in that case to risk capture and the long term of imprisonment7 to which such a daring attempt at highway robbery would expose him to.
“I have no time for fooling!” said the young man, sharply. “Give me that money you have{116} in your possession, or it will be the worse for you.”
“What money?” asked Andy.
“The money you are carrying to Cranston to deposit in the bank for the old women in Hamilton.”
“Where could he have found out about it?” thought Andy. “I wish somebody would come along.”
Anything to gain time!
“Pray don’t take it from me, Mr. Robber!” said Andy, pretending to be overcome with terror. “They will think I took it.”
“I can’t help that.”
“And they will have me put in jail. Oh, don’t take it from me!”
“The boy is pretty well scared,” said the robber to himself. “I didn’t think he would wilt8 down so easily. He seems a little soft.”
“I’ll attend to that,” he said aloud. “I’ll write them an anonymous9 letter, saying that I took it from you.”
“That will be better,” said Andy, seeming relieved.
“Then hand it over.”
“I won’t exactly give it to you,” said Andy; “but you can take it.”
So saying, he drew a large wallet from his inside pocket, and, before his companion could{117} grasp it, threw it some rods away by the roadside.
“There,” he said; “you see I didn’t give it to you, though I can’t help your taking it.”
“All right!” said Andy. “You’ll be sure to write to Miss Peabody that I couldn’t help giving you the money?”
“Oh, yes! What a simpleton he is!” thought the highwayman, as he sprang from the buggy, and hurried in the direction of the wallet, now some little distance back.
As soon as he had gotten rid of his companion, Andy brought down his whip with emphasis on the back of his spirited horse, and dashed over the road at great speed.
The young man smiled as he heard the flying wheels.
“He’s pretty well scared,” he thought. “Well, he can go to Cranston as fast as he pleases, now that I have what I was after.”
He stooped and picked up the wallet, and opened it to feast his eyes on the thick roll of bank bills, but was overcome with rage, fury and disappointment when he found that the supposed treasure consisted only of rolls of{118} brown paper, so folded as to swell13 out the wallet and give the impression of value.
“The artful young scoundrel!” he exclaimed, between his closed teeth. “He has made a fool of me, and I all the time looked upon him as a simpleton. What shall I say to Hogan, who put me up to this job?”
He had a momentary14 idea of pursuing Andy, but by this time the buggy was a long distance ahead, and every minute was increasing the distance.
To pursue it with any expectation of overtaking it would have been the merest folly15. It was hard to give up so rich a prize, but there seemed no help for it.
“I wish I could wring16 the young rascal’s neck,” thought the baffled highwayman. “He was fooling me all the time, and now he is chuckling17 over the trick he has played upon me. How shall I meet Hogan?”
Continuing his walk for five minutes, he came to a secluded19 spot, where, under a tree, reclined an old acquaintance of ours—in brief, Mr. Michael Hogan.
Hogan’s face was red and inflamed20, and his eyes were sore. He was suffering from the{119} severe scalding which had rewarded his attempt to enter the house of the Misses Peabody.
He looked up quickly as he heard the approach of his confederate, and demanded, eagerly:
“Well, Bill, did you see the boy?”
“Yes, I saw him.”
“And you have got the money?” asked Hogan, with like eagerness.
“Give it to me.”
“You are welcome to all you can find in it.”
Hogan opened the wallet quickly. When he saw the contents, he turned upon his confederate with lowering brow.
“What does this mean?” he demanded, in a harsh voice.
“It means that I have been fooled,” said Bill, bitterly.
“Who has fooled you?” asked Hogan, with an angry look.
“The boy! I tell you, Hogan, he’s a smart one.”
“I don’t understand this. I believe you are deceiving me,” said the older man, suspiciously.
“Didn’t you take out the bills and replace them with worthless paper?”
“No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t dare play such a trick on you. I know you are a desperate and reckless man, and I wouldn’t try it.”
“Then will you explain this foolery?” said Hogan, sharply. “Why did you let the boy palm off this worthless paper on you?”
“I’ll tell you all about it,” said Bill, convinced that his personal safety required him to allay23 the evident suspicion of the old man.
Thereupon he told the story, which is already familiar to the reader.
“You’re a fool!” said Hogan, with bitter harshness. “Bah! are you not a match for a boy of sixteen?”
“He may be only sixteen,” said Bill, doggedly24; “but he’s no baby, I can tell you that! As to not being a match for him, you know something about that.”
Mike Hogan sprang to his feet, livid with fury at this allusion25 to what was, with him, a very sore subject.
“If you dare to mention that affair again,” he said, “I’ll brain you!” and he looked quite capable of carrying out his threat.
“We ought to be revenged upon him,” declared Bill, hurriedly, anxious to divert the{121} wrath26 of the elder man into a channel less menacing to himself. “I have a plan——”
“Out with it!”
“The boy will have to come back along the same road.”
“Well?”
“Let’s lie in wait for him.”
“But he will have deposited the money in the bank. It will do no good——”
“Not in the way of money, but you can be revenged upon him for the way he treated you the other night.”
This allusion evoked27 another oath from the desperate and angry ruffian, but on the whole the plan pleased him. He thirsted for revenge upon the boy to whom he was indebted, not alone for foiling him in his attempted robbery, but who had entailed28 upon him so much physical suffering.
“There’s something in that,” he said. “If I get hold of him, I will give him something to remember me by!”
The lawless pair posted themselves near the road, yet in concealment29, and waited impatiently for the return of Andy from the Cranston Bank.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
proximity
|
|
| n.接近，邻近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
hesitation
|
|
| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
discretion
|
|
| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
uncommonly
|
|
| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
sneer
|
|
| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
imprisonment
|
|
| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
wilt
|
|
| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
anonymous
|
|
| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
glistened
|
|
| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
plethoric
|
|
| adj.过多的，多血症的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
12
reins
|
|
| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
swell
|
|
| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
momentary
|
|
| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
folly
|
|
| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
wring
|
|
| n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
chuckling
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
secluded
|
|
| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
inflamed
|
|
| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
deceptive
|
|
| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
sullenly
|
|
| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
allay
|
|
| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
doggedly
|
|
| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
allusion
|
|
| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
wrath
|
|
| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
evoked
|
|
| [医]诱发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
entailed
|
|
| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
concealment
|
|
| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |