CHAPTER VII. DEAN FINDS A CLEW.

 Dean was inclined to agree with his companion. The story told by his uncle was so preposterous¹ that it could be explained only on the hypothesis that the speaker's mind was unbalanced.

"Did you fall out of the wagon², neighbor Dunham?" asked Mr. Gould.

"I don't know. I must have fainted."

"If you had fallen out you would have been hurt. Are you bruised³ anywhere?"

"No, I don't feel hurt."

"It's queer, Dean," said Mr. Gould, with a puzzled look. "I can't make it out."

"I think the robber must have taken me out of the buggy, and set me down under the tree."

"After taking your thousand dollars?"

"Yes, it is hard that I should lose it. I was countin' on what I would do with it. I thought I would pay off the mortgage on my house."

"Who holds the mortgage?"

"Squire⁴ Bates."

Again Dean and Mr. Gould exchanged looks.47 Neither put any confidence in the story told by the victim.

Adin Dunham was invited to take a seat in the buggy, Dean resigning his place and sitting behind. So they reached home.

"Go in, Dean, and tell your aunt what has happened, so that she needn't be frightened when she sees your uncle," said Mr. Gould.

Dean obeyed instructions.

"Aunt," said Dean, "you are not to be frightened, but uncle met with an accident. He isn't hurt!" he added, noticing the quick look of alarm, "but he says he has been robbed."

"Robbed! Has he lost the thousand dollars?" exclaimed Mrs. Dunham in a trembling voice.

"Did he really have a thousand dollars?" said Dean. "I thought he might be under a delusion⁵."

"Then he says he has lost it?"

"Yes."

"Heaven help us to bear this terrible blow!" ejaculated Mrs. Dunham, sinking into a chair. "I wish he had taken you with him."

"I wish so, too. I don't believe one robber would have been a match for us both."

Here Adin Dunham entered the house. He looked ten years older than when he left it in the morning, and there was a vacant look in the eyes.

"Wife!" he said feebly, "it's all gone! Some villain⁶ has robbed me of the thousand dollars."

"But you, Adin, were you hurt? You look sick."

48

"My head doesn't feel right. I think it's the shock."

"I'll get you some hot tea directly. You'll feel better after taking it."

"I hope so. Oh, Sarah, I didn't expect such a blow as this."

"Try not to think of it now. Get well first, and then we'll see what we can do to find the robber."

"I know him now!"

"You know who robbed you!" said his wife, stopping short in her surprise.

"Yes."

"Who was it? Any one livin' round here?"

"It was Squire Bates."

A terrible suspicion entered the mind of the poor wife. It was clear to her that her husband's mind was unhinged. As soon as she had a chance she went out to where Dean and Mr. Gould were standing⁷ in the yard.

"Did Mr. Dunham tell you who robbed him?" she asked.

"Yes, aunt," answered Dean. "He said it was Squire Bates."

"He just told me so. What do you think of it, neighbor Gould?"

"I think your husband is upset by his accident," answered Gould, cautiously. "We'll wait and see what he says to-morrow."

"I guess you're right."

"You see he fainted away, and it's likely he hasn't49 fairly come to. At first I thought it wasn't true about the thousand dollars."

"That is true. He received it to-day from the new hotel company for some land he sold them."

"It's too bad, Mrs. Dunham. I'll do my part towards finding out the villain that robbed your poor husband."

"Uncle says he knew the squire by his teeth," said Dean, thoughtfully.

"They certainly are very peculiar⁸ teeth."

"Did you ever know anyone else having such teeth?" asked Dean.

"No, except the squire's boy."

"Yes, Brandon's teeth are just like his father's. But of course the thief wasn't Brandon."

"Look here, Dean," said Mr. Gould quickly, "I hope you don't pay any attention to that foolish story of your uncle. He was thinking of Squire Bates, as he intended to pay him up the mortgage which he holds, and he naturally pictured him with the teeth which are his most prominent feature, so to speak. I don't fancy the squire myself, but I think he is in better business than disguising himself and robbing his neighbors."

"No doubt you are right, Mr. Gould," said Dean; but in spite of his words, and absurd as he admitted the suspicion to be, he could not help dwelling⁹ upon his uncle's story.

The next day Adin Dunham kept his bed. The shock to his system was such that his strength gave away, and the doctor was summoned.

50

"Adin," said his wife, anxious to clear up her doubts as to his sanity¹⁰, "can you describe the man that robbed you?"

"Why should I describe him? You know how he looks as well as I do."

"How should I know, Adin?"

"It was Squire Bates, I tell you. You know how he looks."

The poor woman went out of the room, and raised her apron¹¹ to her eyes.

"Poor Adin is clean upset!" she murmured. "It isn't enough that he's lost his money, he must lose his mind too. Misfortunes never come singly, as my poor old father used to say.

"Dean," she continued when they were alone, "your uncle still sticks to his story that Squire Bates robbed him."

"Aunt Sarah," answered Dean gravely, "a thousand dollars would tempt¹² almost anybody!"

"Dean, you don't mean to hint that the squire would rob anybody!"

"I don't know, aunt. A good many strange things happen in the world."

"I begin to think you are as crazy as your uncle!" said Mrs. Dunham almost angrily.

"Suppose neither of us should be crazy, aunt!"

Mrs. Dunham shook her head. She was surprised that so sensible a boy as Dean should give credence¹³ to the absurd delusion of her husband.

Meanwhile Dean had come to a conclusion as to what to do. He would visit the place where the51 robbery took place—his uncle had described it so accurately¹⁴ that there would be no mistaking it—and see whether there was anything to be learned there.

He found an opportunity the very next afternoon. He did not say anything to his aunt, for it would only have excited her unduly¹⁵. Besides, he thought it very possible that he would have to return without any information, and might be laughed at.

It was a considerable walk to the place indicated, but he reached it in due time. He was afraid he would meet some one who would ask him his object, but it was a lonely spot, and only one team passed. He saw it in time to dodge¹⁶ into the woods, and so avoided questioning.

When the team had passed on he came out to the road. He could see the exact position of the buggy at the time it was stopped by the robber, and he found the tree under which his uncle was placed in an unconscious condition.

"I have satisfied my curiosity," he said to himself, "but that is all. I haven't got any information."

Just then his sharp eyes fell upon a small bright object on the ground about three feet from the tree. He pounced¹⁷ upon it eagerly and picked it up.

It was a sleeve button, apparently¹⁸ gold. Just in the center was a black initial letter. This letter was B!

Dean's eyes lighted up.

"This may lead to something," he said to himself quietly, as he slipped the button into his pocket.

1 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

2 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

3 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

4 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

5 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

6 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

7 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。

8 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

9 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

10 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

11 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

12 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

13 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。

14 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

15 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

16 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

17 pounced   

v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击）

参考例句：

• As soon as I opened my mouth, the teacher pounced on me. 我一张嘴就被老师抓住呵斥了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police pounced upon the thief. 警察向小偷扑了过去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。