CHAPTER XL. HARTLEY SURPRISED.

 After calling at Donovan's, on the day when Dan recovered Althea, John Hartley crossed the Courtlandt street ferry, and took a train to Philadelphia with Blake, his accomplice¹ in the forged certificates. The two confederates had raised some Pennsylvania railway certificates, which they proposed to put on the Philadelphia market.

 

They spent several days in the Quaker City, and thus Hartley heard nothing of the child's escape.

 

Donovan did not see fit to inform him, as this would stop the weekly remittance² for the child's board, and, moreover, draw Hartley's indignation down upon his head.

 

One day, in a copy of the New York Herald³, which he purchased at the news-stand in the Continental⁴ Hotel, Hartley observed the arrival of Harriet Vernon at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.

 

"I thought she would come," he said to himself, with a smile. "I have her in my power at last. She must submit to my terms, or lose sight of the child altogether."

 

[Pg 280]

 

"Blake," he said, aloud, "I must take the first train to New York."

 

"Why, what's up, partner?" asked Blake, in surprise. "Anything gone wrong?"

 

"On the contrary, I see a chance of making a good haul."

 

"How?"

 

"Not in our line. It's some private business of my own."

 

"All right. I wish you success. When will you return?"

 

"That I can't exactly say. I will write or telegraph you."

 

In the evening of the same day Mrs. Vernon sat in her room at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. A servant brought up a card bearing the name of John Hartley.

 

"He is prompt," she said to herself, with a smile. "Probably he has not heard of Althea's escape from the den⁵ to which he carried her. I will humor him, in that case, and draw him out."

 

"I will see the gentleman in the parlor⁶," she said.

 

Five minutes later she entered the ladies' parlor. Hartley rose to receive her with a smile of conscious power, which told Harriet Vernon that he was ignorant of the miscarriage⁷ of his plans.

 

"I heard of your unexpected arrival, Mrs. [Pg 281]Vernon," he commenced, "and have called to pay my respects."

 

"Your motive⁸ is appreciated, John Hartley," she said, coldly. "I expected to see you."

 

"That's pleasant," he said, mockingly. "May I beg to apologize for constraining⁹ you to cross the Atlantic?"

 

"Don't apologize; you have merely acted out your nature."

 

"Probably that is not meant to be complimentary¹⁰. However, it can't be helped."

 

"I suppose you have something to say to me, John Hartley," said Mrs. Vernon, seating herself. "Pray proceed."

 

"You are quite right. I wrote you that I had ferreted out your cunningly devised place of concealment¹¹ for my daughter."

 

"You did."

 

He looked at her a little puzzled. She seemed very cool and composed, whereas he expected she would be angry and disturbed.

 

"We may as well come to business at once," he said. "If you wish to recover the charge of your ward¹², you must accede¹³ to my terms."

 

"State them."

 

"They are expressed in my letter to you. You[Pg 282] must agree to pay me a thousand dollars each quarter."

 

"It strikes me you are exorbitant¹⁴ in your demands."

 

"I don't think so. At any rate, the money won't come out of you. It will come from my daughter's income."

 

"So you would rob your daughter, John Hartley?"

 

"Rob my daughter!" he exclaimed, angrily. "She will have enough left. Is she to live in luxury, and with thousands to spare, while I, her only living parent, wander penniless and homeless about the world."

 

"I might sympathize with you, if I did not know how you have misused¹⁵ the gifts of fortune, and embittered¹⁶ the existence of my poor sister. As it is, it only disgusts me."

 

"I don't want you sympathy, Harriet Vernon," he said, roughly. "I want four thousand dollars a year."

 

"Suppose I decline to let you have it?"

 

"Then you must take the consequences," he said, quickly.

 

"What are to be the consequences?" she asked, quietly.

 

"That you and Althea will be forever separated. She shall never see you again."

 

[Pg 283]

 

He looked at her intently to see the effect of his threat.

 

Harriet Vernon was as cool and imperturbable¹⁷ as ever.

 

"Have you been in New York for a week past?" she asked, as he thought, irrelevantly¹⁸.

 

"Why do you ask?"

 

"I have a reason."

 

"No, I have not."

 

"So I thought."

 

"Why did you think so?"

 

"Because you don't appear to know what has happened."

 

"What has happened?" he asked, uneasily.

 

"Mr. Donovan can tell you. As for me, I bid you good-evening."

 

A wild fear took possession of him.

 

"What do you mean?" he demanded, hurriedly.

 

"I mean, John Hartley, that you are not as shrewd as you imagine. I mean that a boy has foiled you; and while you were doubtless laughing at his simplicity¹⁹, he has proved more than a match for you. You have no claim upon me, and I must decline your disinterested²⁰ proposal."

 

She left the room, leaving him crest-fallen and stupefied.

 

[Pg 284]

 

"Has Donovan betrayed me?" he muttered. "I will soon find out."

 

He started for Brooklyn immediately, and toward eleven o'clock entered the saloon at Donovan's.

 

"Where is the child?" he demanded, sternly.

 

The rubicund²¹ host turned pale.

 

"She's gone," he cried, "but I couldn't help it, Mr. Hartley. On my honor, I couldn't."

 

"How did it happen? Tell me at once."

 

The story was told, Donovan ending by invoking²² curses upon the boy who had played such a trick upon him.

 

"You're a fool!" said Hartley, roughly. "I am ashamed of you, for allowing a boy to get the best of you."

 

"That boy's a fox," said Donovan. "He's a match for the old one, he is. I'd like to break his neck for him."

 

"It's not too late. I may get hold of the girl again," mused²³ Hartley, as he rose to go. "If I do, I won't put her in charge of such a dunderhead."

 

He left Donovan's and returned to New York, but he had hardly left the Fulton ferry-boat when he was tapped on the shoulder by an officer.

 

"I want you," he said.

 

"What for?" asked Hartley, nervously²⁴.

 

[Pg 285]

 

"A little financial irregularity, as they call it in Wall street. You may know something about some raised railroad certificates!"

 

"Confusion!" muttered Hartley. "Luck is dead against me."

1 accomplice   

n.从犯，帮凶，同谋

参考例句：

• She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。
• He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。

2 remittance   

n.汇款，寄款，汇兑

参考例句：

• Your last month's salary will be paid by remittance.最后一个月的薪水将通过汇寄的方式付给你。
• A prompt remittance would be appreciated.速寄汇款不胜感激。

3 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

4 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

5 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

6 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

7 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

8 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。

9 constraining   

强迫( constrain的现在分词 )； 强使； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• He was constraining his mind not to wander from the task. 他克制着不让思想在工作时开小差。
• The most constraining resource in all of these cases is venture capital. 在所有这些情况下最受限制的资源便是投入资本。

10 complimentary   

adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的

参考例句：

• She made some highly complimentary remarks about their school.她对他们的学校给予高度的评价。
• The supermarket operates a complimentary shuttle service.这家超市提供免费购物班车。

11 concealment   

n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒

参考例句：

• the concealment of crime 对罪行的隐瞒
• Stay in concealment until the danger has passed. 把自己藏起来，待危险过去后再出来。

12 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

13 accede   

v.应允，同意

参考例句：

• They are ready to accede to our request for further information.我们要是还需要资料，他们乐于随时提供。
• In a word,he will not accede to your proposal in the meeting.总而言之，他不会在会中赞成你的提议。

14 exorbitant   

adj.过分的；过度的

参考例句：

• More competition should help to drive down exorbitant phone charges.更多的竞争有助于降低目前畸高的电话收费。
• The price of food here is exorbitant. 这儿的食物价格太高。

15 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 embittered   

v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• These injustices embittered her even more. 不公平使她更加受苦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The artist was embittered by public neglect. 大众的忽视于那位艺术家更加难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 imperturbable   

adj.镇静的

参考例句：

• Thomas,of course,was cool and aloof and imperturbable.当然，托马斯沉着、冷漠，不易激动。
• Edward was a model of good temper and his equanimity imperturbable.爱德华是个典型的好性子，他总是沉着镇定。

18 irrelevantly   

adv.不恰当地，不合适地；不相关地

参考例句：

• To-morrow!\" Then she added irrelevantly: \"You ought to see the baby.\" 明天，”随即她又毫不相干地说：“你应当看看宝宝。” 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比
• Suddenly and irrelevantly, she asked him for money. 她突然很不得体地向他要钱。 来自互联网

19 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

20 disinterested   

adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的

参考例句：

• He is impartial and disinterested.他公正无私。
• He's always on the make,I have never known him do a disinterested action.他这个人一贯都是唯利是图，我从来不知道他有什么无私的行动。

21 rubicund   

adj.(脸色)红润的

参考例句：

• She watched the colour drain from Colin's rubicund face.她看见科林原本红润的脸渐渐失去了血色。
• His rubicund face expressed consternation and fatigue.他那红通的脸显得又惊惶又疲乏。

22 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

23 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

24 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。