CHAPTER XIII. PETER KIRBY.

 If Brandon had supposed the stranger would prove an unwelcome visitor to his father, he would have been undeceived if he could have been present at the interview between them.

"What, Kirby!" said the squire¹, as the new arrival entered his study.

"Yes, it is I, captain," answered Peter Kirby, sinking into an arm-chair. "You seem comfortably fixed² here."

"Yes; I have tried to make myself comfortable."

"And I understand you go by the name of squire?"

"How did you learn that?"

"From a boy who guided me here."

"I hope you did not express any surprise."

"Oh, no! I did nothing to arouse suspicion. Are you a justice of the peace?"

"Yes."

"And perhaps preside over trials?"

"Well, yes, sometimes."

"Ha, ha!"

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"What are you laughing at?" demanded the squire irritably³.

"It is a good joke. Suppose the good people here were acquainted with your real character?"

"Hush⁴; this is no time for jesting. You might be overheard. Now, what news?"

"Well, there isn't much. Things have been pretty quiet. You haven't been at any of our meetings lately?"

"No; I did not care to excite suspicion. I've been engaged in a little enterprise on my own account."

"What, here?"

"Yes."

"What was it?" asked Kirby with interest.

"I learned that one of my neighbors—a simple minded carpenter—was to receive a considerable sum of money, which I had reason to think he would bring home in person. I disguised myself, lay in wait for him, and took the whole."

"How much was there?"

"A thousand dollars!"

"Excellent! And you have it here?"

"Yes. It happened to be in fifty-dollar bills, and I have not dared to use any of it lest it should be traced to me. Besides, there is one who suspects me of having been implicated⁵ in the affair?"

"Is it a person likely to prove dangerous?"

"I don't know. It is a boy."

"A boy! How should a boy be likely to suspect you?"

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"I will tell you. It is a nephew of the man who lost the money. Near the scene of the robbery he found a sleeve button marked with my initial, which I had the ill luck to drop."

"Does he know it is yours?"

"Yes, my son recognized it in his possession, and unfortunately let out that it was mine. I at once sent for the boy, asked to see the button, and admitted it was mine."

"How then did you explain?"

"I am coming to that. I told him that both buttons had been stolen from me, probably by a tramp who had been seen prowling round my house, and that I presumed the same man had robbed his uncle."

"Very ingenious, upon my word! You always were a man of ideas, captain. I suppose this allayed⁶ his suspicions."

"Not wholly, though it puzzled him. I must tell you that while I was relieving the uncle of his money, though otherwise disguised I unfortunately opened my mouth."

"And showed your teeth?"

"Precisely⁷. I have often had occasion to regret that Nature supplied me with such ugly looking tusks⁸, for they are a dangerous means of identification. I understand the carpenter—one Adin Dunham—has spoken of this, but it seemed absurd to those who heard him that a man in my position should be a robber, and it was taken as a proof that he was out of his head. I strengthened this impression by taking88 a foremost part in raising a subscription⁹ for the carpenter to compensate¹⁰ him partially¹¹ for his loss, and myself contributed fifty dollars."

"Out of the man's own money?" asked Kirby laughing.

"No, I didn't venture to use one of the fifty dollars. I used other money which I had."

"Then you have the money by you still?"

"Yes."

Squire Bates rose from his seat, locked the door, and then opening a small cabinet drew out a roll of bills—which he counted before his visitor.

"See," he said, "Here are twenty bills, amounting in all to a thousand dollars."

Peter Kirby's eyes brightened covetously¹² as he eyed this large sum of money.

"It was a good haul for one man to make, in a quiet place like this," he said.

"So I flatter myself," said Squire Bates complacently¹³.

"But I can't help expressing my surprise at your burying yourself in such a small, out of the way place. If you were in one of our large cities, for instance, it would be much more convenient, and the rest of the band could communicate with you better."

Squire Bates rose and paced the room thoughtfully.

"That is true," he said, after a pause, "but you must remember also that I should stand a better chance of being recognized in a large and important place, where there is a well disciplined and efficient89 police force and an organized body of detectives. No one would think of looking for me in a small, unimportant village like Waterford, where I pass as the village lawyer, and have a commission as justice of the peace."

"How do you sustain the part of a lawyer?"

"I have a few law books, and there was a time in earlier years—I think I was nineteen—when I passed six months in the office of a lawyer, where I picked up some of the rudiments¹⁴ of practical jurisprudence."

"Where was that?"

"In a Western town, not far from Chicago. Here no very complicated matters come before me. I am perfectly¹⁵ competent to draft a will, to write out a deed, make out a lease, and so on—that is all that is required of me."

"You must find it very dull living here. I couldn't stand it."

"I must live somewhere, and you must remember that I have a wife and son who are entirely¹⁶ ignorant of my real character."

"They suppose you to be a lawyer?"

"Yes."

"I saw your son outside. It was easy to recognize him as your son."

"Why?"

Peter Kirby touched his teeth with a significant gesture.

"He has your teeth," he said. "They are a perfect facsimile."

"Yes," said the squire soberly. "He too is cursed with this deformity."

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"Still, as teeth, I have no doubt they are strong and—durable."

"Yes, they will last me all my life. I have no excuse for having them extracted, and procuring¹⁷ an artificial set. Yet I want to do it, if I were not a coward as regards dentists. But, to come back to business. I shall hand you these bills, and ask you to exchange them for bills of other denominations¹⁸. You can send them to me in an express package."

"There will be some risk about this, won't there, as it is known that the stolen money was in fifty-dollar bills?"

"Not if you go far enough away. I shall want you to go to Chicago on other business which I will communicate to you. There you will have no difficulty in effecting the change."

"I suppose I am to have a commission?"

"Yes; you can retain fifty dollars."

"That is small, captain," said Kirby, in a tone of discontent.

"It may be, but I have other work for you to do which will increase your remunerations."

"What sort of work?"

"I have already told you of a boy in the village who suspects me of being implicated in the robbery."

"Yes."

"I mean you to take him with you."

"What, and to abduct¹⁹ him? That will be difficult and dangerous."

"No, you are to offer him lucrative²⁰ employment, and he will go with you willingly. Then you are to91 get him into trouble, involve him in a crime perhaps, and he won't dare to come back. I learn from Brandon that he is anxious to obtain a position. However, I will give you detailed²¹ instructions how to proceed."

1 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。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 irritably   

ad.易生气地

参考例句：

• He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
• On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

5 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》

6 allayed   

v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His fever is allayed, but his appetite is still flatted. 他发烧减轻了，但食欲仍然不振。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His fever was allayed by the medicine. 这药剂使他退烧了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

8 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

9 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

10 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

11 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

12 covetously   

adv.妄想地，贪心地

参考例句：

• The State of Wu always covetously eyed the State of Zhao. 吴国一直雄视着赵国，虎视眈眈。 来自互联网
• He is staring at her covetously. 他贪婪地望着她。 来自互联网

13 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

14 rudiments   

n.基础知识，入门

参考例句：

• He has just learned the rudiments of Chinese. 他学汉语刚刚入门。
• You do not seem to know the first rudiments of agriculture. 你似乎连农业上的一点最起码的常识也没有。

15 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

16 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

17 procuring   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
• She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句

18 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 abduct   

vt.诱拐，拐带，绑架

参考例句：

• The police caught the man who tried to abduct the boy for ransom.警察抓住了那个企图拐走这男孩以便勒索赎金的家伙。
• The news that we see those use network abduct children sometimes filled with apprehension.我们有时看到那些利用网络诱拐儿童的新闻都心惊肉跳。

20 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

21 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。