CHAPTER IX. MIKE'S THEFT IS DISCOVERED.

 Dan was standing¹ in front of the Astor House, talking to a boy acquaintance, when his mother tottered² up to him in a state of great nervous agitation³.

 

"Why, mother, what's the matter?" asked Dan, in surprise. "What brings you out this afternoon?"

 

"Oh, Dan!" she gasped⁴, "are you hurt?"

 

Dan opened his eyes in wonder. It occurred to him that his mother must have lost her mind.

 

"Hurt!" he repeated.

 

"Yes; they told me you were run over, and had your leg broken."

 

"My leg broken! Who told you so?"

 

"Mike Rafferty."

 

"Then I wish I had him here," said Dan, indignantly; "I'd let him know whether my leg is broken or not. You bet I would!"

 

"Haven't you been run over, then?"

 

"Not that I know of, and I guess it couldn't be done without my knowing it."

 

"I am so glad, so relieved!" sighed Mrs. [Pg 70]Mordaunt. "I don't know how I got here, I was so agitated⁵."

 

"When did Mike Rafferty tell you this cock-and-bull story, mother?" asked Dan.

 

"Only a few minutes ago. He said you had been taken into a drug store, and wanted me to come right over."

 

"It's a mean trick he played on you, mother," said Dan, indignantly. "I don't see what made him do it."

 

"Nor I," said Mrs. Mordaunt. "He must have meant it as a joke."

 

"A pretty poor joke. I'll get even with him for that."

 

"I don't mind it now, Dan, since I have you safe. I am ready to forgive him. He didn't know how much he was distressing⁶ me."

 

"Then he ought to have known. You may forgive him if you want to; I sha'n't."

 

"I will go home now, Dan. I feel a good deal happier than I did when I was hurrying over here."

 

"I will go with you, mother. I have sold my papers, and sha'n't work any more this afternoon. Where did you leave Mike? I hope I can come across him soon."

 

"I left him at the door of our room."

 

[Pg 71]

 

"Did you lock the door when you came away, mother?" asked Dan.

 

"No; I believe not."

 

"Then let us go home at once. Some one might get in."

 

"There isn't much to take, Dan," said Mrs. Mordaunt, with a faint smile.

 

"There is our rent money, mother."

 

"I didn't think of that."

 

"We shall be in a pretty pickle⁷ if that is lost."

 

"You don't think Mike would take it do you, Dan?"

 

"I think he would if he knew where to find it."

 

"I wish I had brought it with me," said Mrs. Mordaunt, in a tone of anxiety.

 

"Don't fret⁸, mother; I guess it's all right."

 

"Perhaps you had better go home at once without waiting for me, Dan. You can go quicker."

 

"All right; I'll do it. Where is the money?"

 

"In my pocket-book, in the drawer of the work-table."

 

"Are the drawers locked?"

 

"No."

 

"Then hereafter you'd better lock them. Well, I'll be off, and will meet you at the room."

 

Dan was not long in reaching his humble⁹ home. The more he thought of it, the more he distrusted[Pg 72] Mike, and feared that he might have had a sinister¹⁰ design in the deception¹¹ he had practiced upon his mother. To lose the rent money would be a serious matter. Mr. Grab hated him, he knew full well, and would show no mercy, while in the short time remaining it would be quite impossible to make up the necessary sum.

 

Dan sprang up the stairs, several at a bound, and made his way at once to the little work-table. He pulled the drawer open without ceremony, and in feverish¹² haste rummaged¹³ about until, to his great joy, he found the pocket-book.

 

His heart gave a joyous¹⁴ bound.

 

"It's all right, after all," he said. "Mike isn't so bad as I thought him."

 

He opened the pocket-book, and his countenance¹⁵ fell. There was a twenty-five cent scrip in one of the compartments¹⁶, and that was all.

 

"He's stolen the money, after all," he said, his heart sinking. "What are we going to do now?"

 

He waited till his mother reached home. She looked inquiringly at him. One glance told her what had happened.

 

"Is it gone, Dan?" she gasped.

 

"That is all that is left," answered Dan, holding up the scrip.

 

"Mike could not be wicked enough to take it."

 

[Pg 73]

 

"Couldn't he, though? You don't know him as I do, mother. He's a mean thief, and he sent you off to have a clear field. I wish you had locked the door."

 

"I couldn't think of that, or anything else, Dan, when I thought you were hurt."

 

"That's why he told you."

 

"What can we do, Dan? Mr. Grab will be angry when he finds we can't pay him."

 

"I will try to find Mike; and if I do, I will get the money if I can. That's the first thing."

 

Dan went up stairs at once, and knocked at Mrs. Rafferty's door.

 

She came to the door, her arms dripping with suds, for she had been washing.

 

"Is it you, Dan?" she said. "And how is your mother to-day?"

 

"Is Mike in?" asked Dan, abruptly¹⁷, too impatient to answer the question.

 

"No; he went out quarter of an hour ago."

 

"Did he tell you where he was going, Mrs. Rafferty?"

 

"Yes, he did. He said he was going over to Brooklyn to see if he could get a job, shure. Did you want him?"

 

"Yes, I did, Mrs. Rafferty. I'm sorry to tell you that Mike has played a bad trick on my mother."

 

[Pg 74]

 

"Oh, whirra, whirra, what a bye he is!" wailed¹⁸ Mrs. Rafferty. "He's always up to something bad. Sorra bit of worruk he does, and I at the wash-tub all day long."

 

"He's a bad son to you, Mrs. Rafferty."

 

"So he is, Dan, dear. I wish he was like you. And what kind of trick has he played on your good mother?"

 

"He told her that I had been run over and broken my leg. Of course she went out to find me, thinking it was all true, and while she was away he took the money from her pocket-book."

 

Some mothers would have questioned this statement, but Mrs. Rafferty knew to her cost that Mike was capable of stealing, having been implicated¹⁹ in thefts on several occasions.

 

"Was it much, Dan?" she asked.

 

"Six or seven dollars. I can't say just how much."

 

"Oh, what a bad bye! I don't know what to do wid him, shure."

 

"It was the money we were to pay our rent with to-morrow," continued Dan. "It is a very serious matter."

 

"I wish I could make it up to you, Dan, dear. It's a shame it is."

 

"You are an honest woman, Mrs. Rafferty, but you[Pg 75] ought not to make it up. I wish I could find Mike. Do you think he has really gone to Brooklyn."

 

"Shure, I don't know. He said so."

 

"He might have done it as a blind, just to put me on the wrong scent²⁰."

 

"So he might, shure."

 

"Well, Mrs. Rafferty, I can't stop any longer. I'll try to find him."

 

He went down stairs and told his mother what he had discovered or failed to discover.

 

"Don't wait supper for me, mother," he said. "I'm going in search of Mike."

 

"You won't fight with him, Dan?" said Mrs. Mordaunt, anxiously.

 

"I can't promise, mother. I will only agree to be prudent²¹. I am not going to submit to the loss without trying to get the money back, you may be sure of that."

 

So Dan went down stairs, considerably²² perplexed²³ in mind. Mike was sure to keep out of the way for a time at least, anticipating that Dan would be upon his track. While our hero was searching for him, he would have plenty of opportunities of spending the money of which he had obtained unlawful possession. To punish him without regaining²⁴ the contents of the lost pocket-book would be an empty triumph. In the[Pg 76] street below Dan espied²⁵ Terence Quinn, an acquaintance of Mike.

 

"How are you, Terence?" he said. "Have you seen anything of Mike?"

 

"I saw him only a few minutes ago."

 

"Where did he go?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"I want to see him on business."

 

"I'll tell you where he'll be this evening."

 

"Where?"

 

"He's going to the Old Bowery, and I'm goin' wid him."

 

"Does he treat?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Where did he get the money?"

 

"He didn't tell me," said Terence.

 

"He's taken the rent money. I'm sure of it now," said Dan to himself. "I wish I knew where to find him."

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 tottered   

v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠

参考例句：

• The pile of books tottered then fell. 这堆书晃了几下，然后就倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wounded soldier tottered to his feet. 伤员摇摇晃晃地站了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

4 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

6 distressing   

a.使人痛苦的

参考例句：

• All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
• It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。

7 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

8 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

9 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

10 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

11 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

12 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

13 rummaged   

翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查

参考例句：

• I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

14 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

15 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

16 compartments   

n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层

参考例句：

• Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

18 wailed   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

19 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》

20 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

21 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

22 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

23 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

24 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

25 espied   

v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• One day a youth espied her as he was hunting.She saw him and recognized him as her own son, mow grown a young man. 一日，她被一个正在行猎的小伙子看见了，她认出来这个猎手原来是自己的儿子，现在已长成为一个翩翩的少年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In a little while he espied the two giants. 一会儿就看见了那两个巨人。 来自辞典例句