CHAPTER X. DAN AS A DETECTIVE.

 Dan quickly decided¹ that if Mike had been going to Brooklyn, he would not have announced it under the circumstances.

 

"He meant to send me there on a wild-goose chase," he reflected. "I am not quite so green as he takes me to be."

 

Dan could not decide as easily where Mike had gone. Hood² says in his poem of "The Lost Heir,"

 

"A boy as is lost in London streets is like a needle in a bundle of hay."

A hunt for a boy in the streets of New York is about equally hopeless. But Dan did not despair.

 

"I'll just stroll round a little," he said to himself. "Maybe I'll find him."

 

Dan bent³ his steps toward the Courtlandt-street Ferry.

 

"Perhaps Mike has gone to Jersey⁴ City," he said to himself. "Anyway, I'll go over there."

 

It was not an expensive journey. Six cents would defray Dan's expenses both ways, and he was willing[Pg 78] to incur⁵ this expense. He meant to look about him, as something might turn up by which he could turn an honest penny.

 

Something did turn up.

 

Near him in the cabin of the ferry-boat sat a gentleman of middle age, who seemed overloaded⁶ with baggage. He had two heavy carpet-bags, a satchel⁷, and a bundle, at which he looked from time to time with a nervous and uncomfortable glance. When the boat touched shore he tried to gather his various pieces of luggage, but with indifferent success. Noticing his look of perplexity, Dan approached him, and said, respectfully:

 

"Can't I assist you, sir?"

 

"I wish you would, my boy," said the gentleman, relieved.

 

"All right, sir. I'll take one of the carpet-bags and the satchel, if you like."

 

"Thank you; that will do nicely."

 

So the two left the boat together.

 

"Where are you going, sir?" asked Dan.

 

"Do you know the wharf⁸ of the Cunard steamers?" asked the gentleman.

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Is it far off?"

 

"Not more than five or six minutes' walk," answered Dan.

 

[Pg 79]

 

"Can you help me as far as that with my luggage?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I will make it worth your while, and you will be doing me a great favor besides. I was brought down to the ferry, but the rascally⁹ hackman demanded five dollars more to carry me across and land me at the Cunard pier¹⁰. He thought I would have to submit to this imposition, but I was so indignant that I tried to handle all my luggage myself. I don't know how I should have managed without you."

 

"I won't charge you so much, sir," said Dan, smiling.

 

"It isn't for the money I cared so much as for the imposition. I would rather pay you ten dollars than the hackman five."

 

"Be careful, sir," said Dan, smiling, "or I may take advantage of your liberal offer."

 

The gentleman smiled in turn.

 

"You don't look like a boy that would take advantage of a traveler."

 

"You can't judge from appearances, sir. I have been robbed of six dollars to-day, and I might try to make it up that way."

 

"You have been robbed! How?"

 

Dan briefly¹¹ related the circumstances.

 

"Was it all the money your mother had?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

[Pg 80]

 

"How did you happen to be coming across the ferry?"

 

"I thought Mike might be here somewhere."

 

By this time they were in sight of the Cunard wharf.

 

"Were you ever on a Cunard steamer?" asked the gentleman.

 

"No, sir."

 

"Help me on board with my luggage, and I will show you about."

 

"I thought the steamers generally left in the morning," said Dan.

 

"So they do; but to-day the tide did not serve till later."

 

Dan helped Mr. Stevens down below with his luggage, and assisted him in storing them in his stateroom. He surveyed with interest the cabin, the deck, the dining-saloon, and the various arrangements.

 

"Well," said the gentleman, smiling, "how do you like it?"

 

"First-rate, sir."

 

"Do you think you would like to be going with me?"

 

"Yes, sir, but for my mother."

 

"Of course, it won't do to desert her; otherwise I might be tempted¹² to make you an offer. I am sure you would be very useful to me."

 

[Pg 81]

 

"I should like it very much, if mother did not need me."

 

Dan went up stairs with Mr. Stevens, and remained till visitors were warned that it was time to go ashore¹³.

 

"I must go, sir," he said.

 

Mr. Stevens drew a five-dollar bill from his vest pocket and handed it to Dan.

 

"I haven't any change, sir," said Dan.

 

"None is required," said the gentleman, smiling.

 

"Do you really mean to give me five dollars, sir?"

 

"That is what the hackman wanted to charge me."

 

"But it was too much."

 

"It was too much for him; it is not too much for you, if I am willing to give it to you."

 

"You are very kind, sir," said Dan, almost doubting the reality of his good fortune.

 

"It will prove that I spoke¹⁴ truly when I said I didn't care for the amount of money, only for the imposition. I am really very glad to give it to you. Good-by, my boy."

 

He offered his hand. Dan shook it heartily¹⁵, and, wishing him a pleasant voyage, descended¹⁶ the gangplank.

 

"That is almost as much as Mike robbed me of," he said to himself. "How lucky I came over to Jersey City! Now, if I could only get back part of[Pg 82] the money Mike robbed me of, I should be the better off for his mean trick."

 

Dan did not immediately return to New York. He had been so fortunate that he decided to spend the rest of the afternoon as he liked.

 

He walked on for ten minutes, Mike being temporarily out of his mind, when his attention was suddenly drawn¹⁷ to him. Just in front of him he saw Mike himself swaggering along, with a ten-cent cigar in his mouth, and both hands thrust deep in his trousers pockets. He was strolling along in fancied security, not dreaming of the near presence of the boy whom he had so meanly robbed.

 

Dan's eyes sparkled when he recognized his enemy, and hastening his pace, he put his hand on Mike's shoulder.

 

Mike turned quickly, and his countenance¹⁸ changed when he saw Dan.

 

"Has he found it out?" suggested his guilty conscience. "Anyway, he can't prove anything. I'll bluff¹⁹ him off."

 

"Hallo, Dan!" he said, in affected²⁰ cordiality. "What brings you over here?"

 

"What brings you over here, Mike?" asked Dan, significantly.

 

"I'm looking for a job," said Mike.

 

"You look like it," retorted Dan, "with both[Pg 83] hands in your pockets and a cigar in your mouth! Times seem to be good with you. How much did that cigar cost?"

 

"I don't know," answered Mike, with unblushing falsehood. "A man gave it to me for holdin' his hoss."

 

Mike was never at a loss for a plausible²¹ lie.

 

"I thought you bought it."

 

"I haven't got any money."

 

"Did they let you over the ferry free, then?"

 

"Oh, I had money enough for that."

 

"I guess you have got more."

 

"No, I haven't. Ten cents was all I had."

 

"Then how are you going to take Terence Quinn to the theater to-night?" asked Dan.

 

Even Mike's brazen²² effrontery²³ was hardly prepared to meet this unexpected question.

 

"What do you mane?" he stammered²⁴.

 

"Terence told me you had invited him."

 

"Then he lies!" said Mike, his self-assurance returning. "He invited me."

 

"Look here, Mike Rafferty," said Dan, out of patience; "that won't go down! Terence told the truth. I know where you got the money you were going to treat him with."

 

"Where, then?"

 

"From my mother's pocket-book."

 

[Pg 84]

 

"It's a lie!" blustered²⁵ Mike.

 

"It's the truth, and if you don't hand over what's left without making any more trouble, I'll have you arrested."

 

"You can't. We're in Jersey——"

 

"I shall have you arrested as soon as you get home."

 

"I didn't take the money," said Mike, sullenly²⁶.

 

"You did, and you know it," said Dan, firmly. "Give me what you have left, and I'll make no trouble about it. If you don't, you're booked for another term at the island."

 

Mike tried to save his ill-gotten gains, but Dan was persistent²⁷, and finally extracted from him four dollars and a half. The rest Mike pretended he had spent. He was sly enough, however, to have saved enough to take him to the Old Bowery.

 

On the whole, Dan was satisfied, considering the five dollars he had received on the Cunard steamer, but he could not forbear giving Mike a farewell shot.

 

"How did it happen, Mike, that you took the Jersey Ferry to Brooklyn?"

 

Mike did not deign²⁸ a reply.

 

"That is my first appearance as a detective," thought Dan. "It seems to pay."

1 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。

2 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

3 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 incur   

vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇

参考例句：

• Any costs that you incur will be reimbursed in full.你的所有花费都将全额付还。
• An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.一个企业为了维持营业,就不得不承担一定的费用和开支。

6 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

7 satchel   

n.(皮或帆布的)书包

参考例句：

• The school boy opened the door and flung his satchel in.那个男学生打开门，把他的书包甩了进去。
• She opened her satchel and took out her father's gloves.打开书箱，取出了她父亲的手套来。

8 wharf   

n.码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• We fetch up at the wharf exactly on time.我们准时到达码头。
• We reached the wharf gasping for breath.我们气喘吁吁地抵达了码头。

9 rascally   

adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地

参考例句：

• They said Kelso got some rascally adventurer, some Belgian brute, to insult his son-in-law in public. 他们说是凯尔索指使某个下贱的冒险家，一个比利时恶棍，来当众侮辱他的女婿。
• Ms Taiwan: Can't work at all, but still brag and quibble rascally. 台湾小姐：明明不行，还要硬拗、赖皮逞强。

10 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

11 briefly   

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。

12 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

13 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

14 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。

15 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

16 descended   

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。

17 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

18 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。

19 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

20 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

21 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

22 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

23 effrontery   

n.厚颜无耻

参考例句：

• This is a despicable fraud . Just imagine that he has the effrontery to say it.这是一个可耻的骗局. 他竟然有脸说这样的话。
• One could only gasp at the sheer effrontery of the man.那人十足的厚颜无耻让人们吃惊得无话可说。

24 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

25 blustered   

v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹

参考例句：

• He blustered his way through the crowd. 他吆喝着挤出人群。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The wind blustered around the house. 狂风呼啸着吹过房屋周围。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

26 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。

27 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

28 deign   

v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事)

参考例句：

• He doesn't deign to talk to unimportant people like me. 他不肯屈尊和像我这样不重要的人说话。
• I would not deign to comment on such behaviour. 这种行为不屑我置评。