CHAPTER XXXIX. CONCLUSION.

 Bert arrived in New York in due time, accompanied by Ralph Harding. They received a cordial welcome from Uncle Jacob.

 

"You shall not regret your testimony¹ in behalf of John Barton," he said to Harding. "I will see that you are protected."

 

"Uncle Jacob," said Bert, "I have twenty dollars left of the amount you gave me for expenses. Here it is."

 

"Keep it, Bert. You will need it."

 

"But, Uncle Jacob, I have already put you to too great expense. If you were a rich man——"

 

Jacob Marlowe smiled.

 

"I can spare the money," he said. "Don't trouble yourself on that score. You have done yourself great credit, Bert, and shown great shrewdness in your expedition in search of Mr.277 Harding. I am not sure that you would not make a good detective."

 

"I have no ambition in that direction, Uncle Jacob. I hope to get a little better education, and then to devote myself to business."

 

"I think you will have an opportunity to do both, Bert."

 

"Do you think you can get me a place of some kind in New York? I know, of course, that I must work before I can afford to study."

 

"We will speak of that later. Now I have to propose that we all go down to Lakeville to meet your father and mother, and incidentally to have an interview with Albert Marlowe."

 

"Do you wish me to go, too?" asked Ralph Harding.

 

"By all means! You are the most important member of the party."

 

Toward noon of the next day the three reached Lakeville. Uncle Jacob and Ralph Harding secured rooms at the hotel, and then repaired to the little cottage.

 

We will precede them.

 

It was in the spirit of revenge that the squire² had telegraphed to Brooklyn, and after278 he had done so he half regretted it. If John Barton were re-arrested, he would undoubtedly³ try to incriminate the squire himself, and the mere⁴ accusation⁵ would do him harm. It would be best if Barton could be frightened into making his escape, and this very act would seem like a confession⁶ of guilt⁷.

 

"Yes, that will be best," thought the squire. "Barton will never dare to come back, and we shall be spared the scandal of a trial."

 

He took his hat and cane⁸, and set out for the Barton cottage.

 

Mrs. Barton opened the door.

 

"Is your husband in?" asked the squire.

 

"Yes."

 

"I would like to see him on very important business."

 

"I will see you," said John Barton, who had overheard the squire's words.

 

"Well?" he said, as Marlowe entered the sitting-room⁹.

 

"I have come to urge you to leave Lakeville," began the squire, abruptly¹⁰. "There is no time to be lost."

 

"Why should I leave Lakeville?"279

 

"You don't want to be arrested, I take it?"

 

"Is there any danger of it?"

 

"Yes; I telegraphed yesterday to Robert Manning that you were here. Officers of the law may arrive at any time."

 

"Why did you betray me?" asked Barton, quietly.

 

"Because I thought it my duty. I had no right to shield a criminal."

 

"Then why have you put me on my guard?"

 

"For your wife's sake."

 

"I am surprised at your consideration. You showed very little when you discharged my boy from your factory."

 

"That was a matter of business. But there is no time to waste in discussion. I advise you to go to the station at once. A train will leave for New York in half an hour, and you may be able to escape before the arrival of the officers."

 

"But I don't want to escape."

 

"Are you mad?" demanded the squire, impatiently. "Do you want to spend a term of years in prison?"

 

"Heaven forbid!"280

 

"Then profit by my warning, and escape while there is time."

 

"No. If I am arrested I will stand trial."

 

"Have you taken leave of your senses?"

 

"No; I wish to prove my innocence¹¹."

 

"What chance have you of that?"

 

"The testimony of Ralph Harding——"

 

"What!" exclaimed Squire Marlowe, rising in great agitation¹². "Where is Ralph Harding?"

 

"Here!" was the unexpected reply, and Uncle Jacob entered the room, accompanied by Bert and Mr. Harding.

 

Albert Marlowe turned his gaze from one to another in ill-concealed dismay.

 

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, hoarsely¹³. "Have you been hatching up a plot against me?"

 

"No," answered Uncle Jacob with dignity. "It is our object to relieve John Barton from the stigma¹⁴ upon his fair name. In doing so it may be necessary to fasten the crime upon the guilty party. Who that is, you know as well as I do."

 

"No one will credit the testimony of that281 man!" said the squire, pointing scornfully at Ralph Harding.

 

"Don't be too sure of that! His story is plain and straightforward¹⁵, and I think it will impress the court that way."

 

"Albert has been urging me to escape," said John Barton. "He has set the officers on my track."

 

"Has he done this?" asked Uncle Jacob, sharply.

 

"So he says."

 

At this moment a knock was heard at the door, and there was a new and unexpected arrival, which produced a sensation.

 

It was Robert Manning, of Brooklyn.

 

"You telegraphed to me, Mr. Marlowe," he said. "This man, I believe, is John Barton."

 

"You are right, sir," responded Barton, calmly.

 

"I might have brought with me an officer and an order of arrest, but I have chosen instead to offer to drop all action against you if you will restore the bonds or their equivalent. I have no wish to be revenged, but I want reparation."282

 

"As I never took your bonds, I am not the person to apply to," replied Barton.

 

"Then perhaps you will have the kindness to tell me who did take the bonds," said Manning, incredulously.

 

"I will do that," responded Ralph Harding, coming forward. "There he stands!"

 

"It is a lie!" interposed the squire, hoarsely.

 

"It is true. You hired me to put a five-hundred dollar bond into John Barton's pocket while you appropriated the remainder. It was this that enabled you to go into business for yourself in Lakeville. It was in this way that you got together your wealth."

 

Albert Marlowe was overwhelmed, and did not immediately reply.

 

"I think I remember you," said Robert Manning. "It was your testimony that weighed so heavily against Mr. Barton."

 

"And it has weighed heavily upon my conscience ever since. I have at last determined¹⁶ to tell the truth."

 

"What have you to say to this, Mr. Marlowe?" asked Manning pointedly¹⁷.

 

"It is a lie," answered the squire, feebly.283

 

"You are willing to have the matter go to trial?"

 

"Albert," put in Uncle Jacob, "it appears to me that you are in a bad box. Ralph Harding's testimony is sure to convict you. Will you take my advice?"

 

"What is it?" asked the squire, sullenly¹⁸.

 

"Accept the offer made to John Barton under a misapprehension. Repay to Mr. Manning the value of the stolen bonds——"

 

"With interest attached," interposed Manning.

 

"And he will drop the matter. Am I right, Mr. Manning?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"It will amount to about double the original sum—say twelve thousand dollars."

 

"I can't raise so large an amount in cash."

 

"You are worth more?"

 

"Yes; but not in ready money."

 

"I will advance it to you, and take a bill of sale of the factory and your house," said Uncle Jacob.

 

All eyes were turned upon the old man in amazement¹⁹.284

 

"But where will you get the money?" gasped²⁰ the squire.

 

"I can raise ten times that sum, if necessary."

 

"But I thought you were a poor man?"

 

"I never told you so. I said I had five hundred dollars; but I didn't add that I am worth at least two hundred thousand dollars more. That was my secret!"

 

"You said that you invested all your money in some mining shares that depreciated²¹ to nothing."

 

"I foresaw the decline, and sold out at a small loss."

 

"Why did you deceive us?" asked the squire, irritably²².

 

"I wanted to test you all. When you thought me poor, you gave me my walking ticket; but Mary here," and Uncle Jacob glanced affectionately at Mrs. Barton, "gave me a warm welcome, though she thought me nearly as poor as herself. I shall not forget it. Bert also did not look down upon his old uncle, even though he had little to expect from him."285

 

"But, Uncle Jacob," said Bert, "why, if you are so rich, do you work for twelve dollars a week?"

 

"It was a harmless deception²³, Bert," he replied. "I am at the head of the office where you think me employed, and president of one of the richest mines on the Pacific Coast."

 

"Mr. Marlowe," said the squire, not venturing upon the familiar name of Uncle Jacob, "instead of advancing money on my house, factory, and stock, are you willing to buy them outright²⁴?"

 

"At what sum do you value them?"

 

"Fifteen thousand dollars."

 

"It is a bargain," said Uncle Jacob promptly²⁵.

 

"You may feel disposed to run the business yourself."

 

"It is out of my line. I shall make a free gift of the whole to John Barton, who, I suppose, is quite capable of taking your place."

 

"How can I thank you?" said Mr. Barton, much moved.

 

"By making Mary happy. Now, Mr. Manning, if you and Albert Marlowe will call to-286morrow at my office in New York we will complete the business. John, I shall not need you; but Bert will go with me and bring you back the deeds of the property I propose to transfer to you."

 

That evening was a happy one in the Barton cottage, but there was vain regret and dissatisfaction at the home of Albert Marlowe. Too late they all regretted that they had received Uncle Jacob so coldly, and so forfeited²⁶, in all probability, their chances of sharing his wealth. Percy's great regret was that that Barton boy should be lifted above him.

 

A month later, and the changes had taken place. The Bartons moved to Squire Marlowe's handsome house, and John Barton was installed as owner and head of the shoe factory. Bert was placed at an academy, where he will remain till he has acquired a good education, and then will enter Uncle Jacob's office in the city. He bids fair to redeem²⁷ the promise of his boyhood, and become an upright and manly²⁸ man. Ralph Harding has been made superintendent²⁹ of the factory, and enjoys the confidence of John Barton, who is287 happy in the society of his wife, of which he was deprived for so many years.

 

Albert Marlowe, with the remainder of his money, went to Illinois, and has established a small shoe factory out there. He is a discontented and unhappy man, and his wife is peevish³⁰ and discontented also. They can no longer afford the expensive establishment they maintained in Lakeville. Percy has not lost all hopes of being remembered in the will of his wealthy relative, but whether he will or not is Jacob Marlowe's Secret.

THE END.

1 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。

2 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。

3 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

4 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

5 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

6 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

7 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

8 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

9 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

10 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

11 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

12 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。

13 hoarsely   

adv.嘶哑地

参考例句：

• "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
• Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

14 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

15 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

16 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

17 pointedly   

adv.尖地，明显地

参考例句：

• She yawned and looked pointedly at her watch. 她打了个哈欠，又刻意地看了看手表。
• The demand for an apology was pointedly refused. 让对方道歉的要求遭到了断然拒绝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 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。

19 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。

20 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 depreciated   

v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视

参考例句：

• Fixed assets are fully depreciated. 折旧足额。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Shares in the company have depreciated. 该公司的股票已经贬值。 来自辞典例句

22 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

23 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

24 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

25 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

26 forfeited   

（因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Because he broke the rules, he forfeited his winnings. 他犯规，所以丧失了奖金。
• He has forfeited the right to be the leader of this nation. 他丧失了作为这个国家领导的权利。

27 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

28 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

29 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

30 peevish   

adj.易怒的，坏脾气的

参考例句：

• A peevish child is unhappy and makes others unhappy.一个脾气暴躁的孩子自己不高兴也使别人不高兴。
• She glared down at me with a peevish expression on her face.她低头瞪着我，一脸怒气。