CHAPTER XVI. WHAT BECAME OF THE STOLEN NOTE.

 Among the attentive¹ listeners at Bert's trial was a tall young man with light hair and pallid² complexion³, upon whose thin face there played a shrewd smile. He seemed unusually interested, as was indeed the case, for he strongly suspected that he knew who was the actual purloiner⁴ of the stolen twenty-dollar bill. It is hardly necessary to say that the young man was Percy's friend, Reginald Ward⁵.

 

When the landlord gave his testimony⁶, he was no longer in doubt, for he had himself noticed the letters I. W. on the back of the bank-bill.

 

As he left the court-room, he saw Percy lingering near the door.

 

"Come with me, Percy," he said, linking his arm with that of the boy. "I have something to say to you."

 

"I have an engagement," pleaded Percy, trying to release himself. "I will call round this afternoon."

 

"I can't wait till afternoon," said Reginald decidedly. "I must speak to you now on a matter of importance."109

 

"How did the trial come out?"

 

"The boy was acquitted⁷."

 

"I thought he would be."

 

"Why?" asked Reginald Ward, eyeing Percy curiously⁸.

 

"Because I don't think he would steal."

 

"Is he a friend of yours?"

 

"No; he is only a working boy."

 

"Still you think he is honest?"

 

"Oh, yes."

 

"How then do you account for the bill's being stolen?"

 

Percy shrugged⁹ his shoulders.

 

"I don't feel sure that any bill was stolen," he said. "I don't think much of old Jones. I dare say he made up the story."

 

"That is hardly likely. What object could he have?"

 

"He wanted to get hold of Bert Barton's bill. Where did Bert get it from? Did he say?"

 

"He said it was left in an envelope by some old uncle of his."

 

"Uncle Jacob?"

 

"Yes; I think that was the name."

 

"I didn't think the old man had so much money to spare."

 

"You seem to know him then?"

 

"I have heard of him."110

 

By this time they had reached the hotel, and Reginald asked Percy to come up to his room.

 

"What was it you wanted to speak to me about?" asked Percy, as he took a seat at the window.

 

"I wanted to tell you that the stolen bill came from Mr. Holbrook. Mr. Jones testified to this effect, and Mr. Holbrook also."

 

"Well, what of that?"

 

"Mr. Holbrook described the bill and stated that the letters I. W. were written in red ink on the reverse side."

 

Percy began to see the point, and waited anxiously for Reginald to continue.

 

Ward drew from his pocket the twenty-dollar bill, and held it up to open view.

 

"This is the bill you paid me last evening," he said. "You will observe the letters I. W. as described by the landlord. Now, where did you get this bill?" he asked searchingly.

 

Drops of perspiration¹⁰ stood on Percy's forehead, and he hesitated to reply. Finally an inspiration came to him, and he said, "I picked it up in the street, near the grocery store. The thief must have dropped it."

 

"You didn't tell me that when you paid it to me."111

 

"No, I didn't think it necessary. I was anxious to get out of debt to you."

 

"Percy Marlowe, that statement of yours won't pass muster¹¹. Weren't you in the grocery store last evening?"

 

"No—yes," stammered¹² Percy.

 

"And you saw this bill on Mr. Jones's desk—yes or no?"

 

"I don't see what right you have to question me," said Percy sullenly¹³.

 

"Because you have paid me stolen money, and if I keep it I am likely to get into trouble. Indeed, I came very near it this morning. I was on the point of paying it to Mr. Holbrook for my board. You can imagine that he would have recognized it at once."

 

"I don't see as you are to blame."

 

"No, I am not; but if the bill were known to be in my possession, the only thing I could do would be to state from whom I received it."

 

"You wouldn't do that!" said Percy, in alarm.

 

"I should have to. But I don't mean to run the risk. I will give you back the bill, and you must return me the ten dollars I gave you in change."

 

"But what can I do with the bill?"112

 

"That is your lookout¹⁴. Of course you will still owe me ten dollars."

 

Reluctantly Percy drew out the ten dollars he had received in change, not having yet spent any of it, and Reginald Ward gave him back the unlucky bill. Percy thrust it quickly into his vest pocket.

 

"Now, Percy," said Reginald, "let me advise you as a friend to get that bill out of your possession as soon as possible. If it is traced to you, you will get into hot water."

 

"I can't pass it here."

 

"You have no right to pass it anywhere."

 

"You could pass it in New York."

 

Reginald Ward considered a moment, but shook his head. "No, it would be too dangerous," he said. "It might be traced to me, and it would be known that I have been in Lakeville. I should have to expose you to screen myself."

 

"Then what would you advise me to do?"

 

"Get it back to Mr. Jones in some way. Here, take an envelope, inclose the bill, and mark the grocer's name on it. Then drop it somewhere, and the thing will be done; Jones will be happy and you will be safe."

 

"All right!"

 

Percy followed Reginald's advice, and then put the letter in his pocket.113

 

"When are you going back to New York?" he asked.

 

"To-morrow. I will leave you my address, and hope you will have the honesty to pay me what you owe me as soon as possible."

 

"Yes, I will, but I am afraid that won't be soon."

 

"You ought to make an effort to pay me."

 

"It isn't as if I really owed it to you. It is money I have lost at cards."

 

"If you are a boy of honor," said Reginald impressively, "you will feel that such debts ought to be paid above all others."

 

"Why should they?" asked Percy, and there will be many others who will be disposed to echo the question. "Why should gambling¹⁵ debts take precedence of honest obligations?" It is not necessary to repeat Reginald's explanation, as it was shallow and sophistical.

 

Two hours later Sam Doyle, a young Irish boy, espied¹⁶, under a bush by the roadside, what seemed to be a letter. He picked it up, and, though his education was by no means extensive, he made out the name of Mr. Jones.

 

"Shure Mr. Jones must have dropped it out of his pocket," he said. "I'll carry it to him."

 

He entered the store, and attracted the attention of the grocer, who was behind the114 counter, and in a bad humor, smarting still from his loss of twenty dollars.

 

"Clear out, you Sam Doyle!" he said, "unless you want to buy something. I don't want any boys loafing round my store."

 

"Is this your envelope, Mr. Jones?" asked Sam, producing the envelope.

 

"Give it to me."

 

Mr. Jones read his name on the envelope in some wonder and tore it open. What was his amazement¹⁷ and delight when he saw the lost bill!

 

"Where did you get this, Sam?" he asked.

 

"I found it under a bush by the side of the road, near the blacksmith's shop."

 

"When?"

 

"Shure it wasn't more'n five minutes."

 

"Do you know what was in the envelope?"

 

"No."

 

"You are sure no one gave you the letter to hand to me?" said the grocer, with a searching glance.

 

"Shure, I found it."

 

"Well, I'm glad to get it. You are a good boy to bring it to me. Here's ten cents."

 

Sam took the money, as much surprised as pleased, for the grocer was considered, and justly, a very mean man.

 

"Thank you, Mr. Jones," he said.115

 

"You are sure that Bert Barton didn't give you the letter?"

 

"Yes, sir. I haven't seen Bert since mornin'."

 

"Did you see any other boy near?"

 

"Yes, sir, I saw Percy Marlowe."

 

"Did he speak to you?"

 

"Yes, sir; he asked me what I'd got in my hand."

 

"What did you say?"

 

"I showed him the letter."

 

"Did he say anything to you then?"

 

"He told me it was for you, and he said I'd better take it right over to your store."

 

"He gave you good advice. Wait a minute, and I'll do up a pound of sugar and send it to your mother as a present."

 

"What's come to the old man?" thought Sam. "Shure he's gettin' generous in his old age!"

 

"I wish I knew who took that bill," thought the grocer meditatively¹⁸. "However I've got it back, and that's the main thing."

 

When Percy dropped the envelope, he remained near at hand, and seeing Sam pick it up, instructed him to carry it to the grocer. He then breathed a sigh of relief, and felt that he was lucky to get out of a bad scrape so safely.

1 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

2 pallid   

adj.苍白的，呆板的

参考例句：

• The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来，照着尸体那张苍白的脸。
• His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。

3 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

4 purloiner   

[法] 小偷，窃盗者

参考例句：

5 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。

6 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

7 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

8 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

9 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 perspiration   

n.汗水；出汗

参考例句：

• It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
• The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

11 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

12 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

13 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。

14 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

15 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

16 espied   

v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• One day a youth espied her as he was hunting.She saw him and recognized him as her own son, mow grown a young man. 一日，她被一个正在行猎的小伙子看见了，她认出来这个猎手原来是自己的儿子，现在已长成为一个翩翩的少年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In a little while he espied the two giants. 一会儿就看见了那两个巨人。 来自辞典例句

17 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

18 meditatively   

adv.冥想地

参考例句：

• The old man looked meditatively at the darts board. 老头儿沉思不语，看着那投镖板。 来自英汉文学
• "Well,'said the foreman, scratching his ear meditatively, "we do need a stitcher. “这--"工头沉思地搔了搔耳朵。 "我们确实需要一个缝纫工。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹