CHAPTER XIII. PERCY GETS RID OF THE BILL.

 When Percy Marlowe left the grocery store with the stolen bill in his hand, he was tremulous with excitement and agitation¹. He felt that he had committed a crime, and he was almost tempted² to go back and replace the money. But it was possible that its loss had already been discovered, and he might be connected with it. He felt that it would be89 safe to get as far away as possible from the store.

 

"Nobody will suspect me," he said to himself, plucking up courage.

 

Then there was the pleasant thought that he could pay up his debt to Reginald Ward³, and have ten dollars left over. It would be very comfortable to have ten dollars to spend, and Percy, whose conscience was not sensitive, began to consider what would be the pleasantest way of disposing of it. He soon came to a decision on this point, having, like most boys, rather a talent for spending money.

 

"I'll go round by the hotel," he said to himself, "and if I find Reg there I'll pay him what I owe him and get it off my mind."

 

Percy walked around to the Lake House, and found Reginald Ward in the billiard room. Ward treated him rather coldly.

 

"Good-morning, Percy," he said.

 

"Good-morning, Reg."

 

"I hope you have come prepared to pay me what you owe me. I may have to go back to New York to-morrow."

 

"I wish he would," thought Percy. "Then, if there's any trouble about this money, he will be well out of the way, and nobody can find out about it."

 

"I can pay you to-night," said Percy.90

 

"You can? You're a trump⁴!" said Reginald, in gratified surprise.

 

"Suppose we go up to your room," went on Percy nervously⁵, "and don't talk about it here. I don't want anybody to know that I am owing you any money."

 

"I understand. The governor wouldn't like it, hey?"

 

"No, he'd be awful mad."

 

"Follow me, then, Percy," and Ward led the way up to his room.

 

"Lock the door," said Percy.

 

"Seems to me we are mighty⁶ mysterious," commented Ward, laughing. "Oh, well; anything to accommodate. Now, where are the spondulicks?"

 

"Can you change a twenty-dollar bill?" asked Percy.

 

"Whew! you are wealthy," said Ward, in surprise. "Let me see!" and he opened his pocket book. "Much as ever," he replied, after investigating the contents. "Here is a five, a two, a silver dollar, and I think I can make up two dollars in small change. It'll take up about all I've got."

 

"Then perhaps you'd rather wait till I have a chance to get the bill changed," suggested Percy.

 

"Not much," returned Reginald, with a91 crafty⁷ smile. "'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,' as somebody says. I am willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of getting the debt paid."

 

"Oh, well; just as you say," rejoined Percy, secretly glad to get the tell-tale bill out of his possession, and to replace it in his pocket with the smaller bills and silver which Ward proposed to give him.

 

When the transfer was made, Ward asked, "Where did you raise the twenty, Percy?"

 

Now it was that Percy looked embarrassed.

 

"It is some money I had given to me a long while ago," he answered with hesitation⁸.

 

"Oh!" exclaimed Ward, evidently incredulous.

 

"I promised not to use it, but to keep it saved up," continued Percy, "and I meant to; but you wanted me to pay what I owed you, and so——"

 

"You acted like an honest young man," said Ward, finishing his sentence for him.

 

"Yes."

 

There was a peculiar⁹ smile on Reginald Ward's face, but he did not think it best to question Percy's statement. His money had been paid him, and that was all he cared for.

 

"Percy's found it in his father's desk, I reckon," he said to himself, "but that doesn't concern me. I've got my money and that's more than I expected."

 

"By the way, Reg," said Percy hurriedly, "don't mention to any one my paying you this money."

 

"Why not?"

 

"It would be found out that I had been playing cards for money, and there'd be no end of a row. Besides, then it would come out that I had parted with this bill."

 

"All right, Percy. I'll keep mum. Won't you go down and have a game of billiards¹⁰?"

 

"Not to-night. I'm rather tired."

 

"That boy's got something on his mind," thought Reginald Ward.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 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。

6 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

7 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

8 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

9 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。

10 billiards   

n.台球

参考例句：

• John used to divert himself with billiards.约翰过去总打台球自娱。
• Billiards isn't popular in here.这里不流行台球。