CHAPTER II. STRANGE NEWS.

 Entering the house, Thorne reported at the doctor's study. His flushed appearance attracted the teacher's attention.

 

"What's the matter, Thorne?" he asked.

 

"The new boy pitched into me and I licked him," said Thorne.

 

But his sullen¹ manner was so unlike that of a victor that the doctor shrewdly suspected that his statement was not wholly correct.

 

"What was the quarrel about?" he asked.

 

"We were playing ball," said Thorne, evasively.

 

"I will inquire into it. At present you are wanted in the parlor²."

 

So Thorne left the presence of the principal and entered the opposite room. A lady, seated on a sofa, arose quickly, and advanced to meet him. She kissed the boy's cheek, to which he submitted without manifesting any responsive feeling.

 

"How long it is since I saw you, Nicholas, my dear boy!" she said.

 

"It's only about six months," said Nicholas, stolidly³.

 

"And are not six months long for a mother to be separated from her only child?" said the lady, tenderly.

 

"It doesn't seem so long," said Nicholas.

 

The lady looked pained, but she proceeded:

 

"How you have grown!"

 

"Yes, I've grown," said Nicholas, showing a little pleasure now. "I think I shall be a large man."

 

"Like your father. And how are you improving in your studies, Nicholas?"

 

"Oh! I'm doing well enough," said the boy, indifferently, for Nicholas Thorne's taste for study was very moderate. "Did you bring me any money, mother?"

 

"You have your regular allowance, Nicholas."

 

"It isn't enough. What's a dollar a week?"

 

"It is a good deal for me to pay," said his mother. "Remember, I have to pay your school bills, and my means are but small."

 

"A dollar a week is very small for a boy of my age," grumbled⁴ Thorne. "Why, some of the little boys get more; and there's that new boy, Jasper Kent, gets five dollars, so they say."

 

The lady betrayed strong interest at the sound of his name.

 

"I forgot," she said. "So Jasper Kent has arrived, has he?"

 

"What, mother, do you know him?" demanded Thorne, surprised in turn.

 

"Yea, I know him. What do you think of him?"

 

"Think of him? I hate him!" said Thorne, fiercely.

 

"Why?"

 

"He tries to bully⁵ me."

 

"And you permit it? Why, you are larger than he."

 

"Yes, but he knows how to fight."

 

"How do you know?"

 

"I had a fight with him this morning," said Nicholas.

 

"Did he come off best?" asked the lady.

 

"No," answered Nicholas, with hesitation⁶. "That is, we were only half through the fight when a boy ran up and said you had come. So we had to stop."

 

"Humph! That is strange," said the lady, in a low voice, more to herself than to her son, "this sudden antagonism⁷."

 

"What do you know about Kent?" demanded Nicholas, his curiosity aroused.

 

"Perhaps I may as well tell you," said his mother, thoughtfully, "but I wish you to keep the matter secret from him."

 

"You won't catch me telling him anything, except that he is a scoundrel!" muttered Nicholas.

 

"Then sit down by me, and I will tell you much that you do not know, but ought now to hear. Is the door shut?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Go and see. It is important that no one should overhear us."

 

Nicholas complied with her request.

 

"It's shut fast enough," he said. "Now what have you got to tell me?"

 

"To begin with, do you know where I get the money I pay for your schooling⁸ and clothes?"

 

"My father left you some money, didn't he?"

 

"He left me a small property which rents for two hundred dollars a year."

 

"You pay three hundred a year for me, don't you?"

 

"For your school bills, yes. Besides, I give you an allowance and buy your clothes."

 

"How do you do it?" asked Nicholas, in surprise. "Have you sold the house?"

 

"No. If I should do that, there would soon be nothing left. That was the problem I had to solve three years ago, when your father died."

 

"What did you do?"

 

"I felt that the property must not be touched, save the income. I saw that it was necessary for me to exert myself, or I should be unable to educate you as I desired. I had a good education, and I determined⁹ to avail myself of it. I therefore went to a teacher's agency in New York and set forth¹⁰ my desire to obtain the position of governess in some family in the country."

 

"You a governess!"

 

"Why not? It was the only way I could think of that would yield me an income. After waiting a few weeks I succeeded. A wealthy gentleman, living in a country town of moderate size, saw my testimonials, was pleased with them, and engaged me to superintend the education of an orphan¹¹ niece resident in his family. He offered me a fair salary—enough, added to the rent which I received from the property left me by your father, to justify¹² me in putting you at this boarding-school. That was three years ago."

 

"Why didn't you tell me all this before, mother?"

 

"It would have done no good. I preferred that you should think of me as possessing an independent property. I felt that it would enable you the better to hold up your head among your school-fellows, as they could know nothing of your antecedents."

 

"Does Dr. Benton know this?" asked Nicholas, quickly.

 

"No; he only knows that I am a widow, He supposes that I have sufficient means."

 

"I am glad of that."

 

"Would it make any difference with him?"

 

"I don't know. Any way, I'd rather he wouldn't know it."

 

Nicholas Thorne sat by his mother's side thoughtful. He was disappointed to think that his mother's means were so limited, since it curtailed¹³ his future expectations. The thought of that mother working patiently to defray his expenses at school made comparatively little impression. He was essentially¹⁴ selfish, and, so long as his wants were provided for, he cared little who labored¹⁵ for him.

 

"You don't ask the name of the man who employs me," said his mother.

 

Nicholas looked up.

 

"I suppose it is nobody I ever heard of," he said.

 

"No, you never heard of him, but you know some one connected with him."

 

"What do you mean?" asked the boy, his curiosity aroused.

 

"The gentleman who employs me is father of one of your schoolmates."

 

"Father of one of my school-mates?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Who is it? Why don't you tell me, mother?"

 

"You have spoken of him to me this morning. It is Jasper Kent."

 

"You work for Jasper Kent's father!" exclaimed Nicholas in unbounded astonishment¹⁶. "Does he know it?"

 

"Yes, he knows that I am, or have been, governess in his father's family. But he knows nothing of my connection with you."

 

"If he knew, he'd taunt¹⁷ me with my mother's being obliged to work for a living," said Thorne.

 

"I don't think he would. At any rate, the time is coming very soon when he will have no advantage over you."

 

"How do you make that out, mother?"

 

"Listen, and keep secret what I tell you. Next week I become his father's wife."

 

"You marry Jasper Kent's father!"

 

"Yes; I shall be Jasper's step-mother."

 

"Is old Kent rich?" asked Nicholas, eagerly.

 

His mother nodded.

 

"Yes, he is rich; that is, for the country. He is in poor health, too," she added, significantly.

 

"Good!" said Nicholas, with satisfaction. "You know how to play your cards, mother."

 

The mother smiled.

 

"My days of dependence¹⁸ are drawing to an end," she said. "Some time I can do better for you than I am doing now."

1 sullen   

adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的

参考例句：

• He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。
• Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐，因为昨晚没睡好。

2 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

3 stolidly   

adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地

参考例句：

• Too often people sat stolidly watching the noisy little fiddler. 人们往往不动声色地坐在那里，瞧着这位瘦小的提琴手闹腾一番。 来自辞典例句
• He dropped into a chair and sat looking stolidly at the floor. 他坐在椅子上，两眼呆呆地望着地板。 来自辞典例句

4 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

5 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

6 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。

7 antagonism   

n.对抗，敌对，对立

参考例句：

• People did not feel a strong antagonism for established policy.人们没有对既定方针产生强烈反应。
• There is still much antagonism between trades unions and the oil companies.工会和石油公司之间仍然存在着相当大的敌意。

8 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

9 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。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。

12 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

13 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 labored   

adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing. 我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。 来自辞典例句
• They have labored to complete the job. 他们努力完成这一工作。 来自辞典例句

16 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

17 taunt   

n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄

参考例句：

• He became a taunt to his neighbours.他成了邻居们嘲讽的对象。
• Why do the other children taunt him with having red hair?为什么别的小孩子讥笑他有红头发？

18 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。