CHAPTER XXII. A BUSINESS MAN'S SUSPICIONS.

 Jasper stood at a little distance, witnessing the happy meeting between the mother and child. He did not wish to interrupt their happiness. Soon, however, the mother looked up, and then Jasper advanced, raising his hat, politely.

 

"Is this Mrs. Fitch?" he asked.

 

"Yes," said the lady, surveying him with curiosity.

 

"Then I have great pleasure in restoring to you your child."

 

"What? Did he come with you?"

 

"Yes, madam."

 

"Did you know I was in here?"

 

"No; I only came in to consult the directory to learn your residence."

 

"How could you be so wicked as to steal my boy?" demanded Mrs. Fitch, with pardonable indignation, judging that Jasper was the kidnapper¹.

 

"I wouldn't have done it for five thousand dollars!" said Jasper, impetuously.

 

"He didn't 'teal me, mamma," said little Harry², coming opportunely³ to Jasper's defense⁴.

 

"Who did, then, my darling?"

 

"It was big, ugly man. Jasper good boy—kind to Harry."

 

Mrs. Fitch, prompt to remedy her injustice⁵, held out her hand to Jasper, which he took respectfully.

 

"Excuse me," she said; "but I thought, as Harry was with you, that you had been concerned in his kidnapping."

 

"I never saw him till this morning," said Jasper. "Chance drew me to a lonely house where he was confined."

 

"And you rescued him! How can I thank you?"

 

"I would have done so if I could, but I can't take the credit of it. Your husband offered a reward, which the kidnapper thought best to accept. He did not dare to bring him back himself, and having no one else to employ, asked me to become his agent in restoring him. Of course, I was very glad to do it."

 

"It was not chance that directed you to the haunt of these wicked men; it was a good and merciful Providence⁶. Did they ill-treat my darling?"

 

"I found him tied to the bed in which he was lying."

 

"How could they treat you so my dear boy!" said the mother, piteously. "May I ask your name?"

 

This was, of course, addressed to Jasper.

 

"My name is Jasper Kent."

 

"Can you come out and stop at our house over night? We live about two miles distant. I want my husband to see you and thank you for bringing back our darling boy."

 

Jasper reflected that he must see Mr. Fitch, at any rate, in order to obtain the promised reward. Moreover, he had no means of his own to pay for a lodging⁷, and he promptly⁸ accepted the offer.

 

"I will return home at once," said Mrs. Fitch. "I came in to make some purchases, but I can't think of those now. Come, Mr. Kent."

 

"Take hold of my hand," said little Harry to Jasper.

 

Jasper smilingly took the proffered⁹ hand, and Harry, happy in the double companionship, went out of the store.

 

There was a handsome carriage in waiting, with a coachman in livery perched on the box.

 

"Edward," said Mrs. Fitch, her face fairly glowing with delight, "do you see? Little Harry has come back."

 

"So he has, Heaven bless him!" said the coachman, heartily¹⁰. "How do you do, Master Harry?"

 

"I'm pooty well," answered the little boy.

 

"Where did you find him, ma'am, if I may be so bold?"

 

"This young gentleman brought him back, Edward. Now, drive right home."

 

"Won't you go around to the office, ma'am, and tell master?"

 

"No; he must have left the office by this time. We shall see him at supper to-night."

 

Half an hour later the carriage drew up in front of a handsome residence, far enough from the centre of the city to have a side yard of considerable dimensions, in the rear of which stood a brick stable. It was clear that Mr. Fitch was a man of wealth, so Jasper decided¹¹.

 

Of the sensation produced in the house by Harry's arrival I will not speak. Jasper found himself regarded in the light of the heroic deliverer of the little boy from captivity¹², though he laughingly disclaimed¹³ the credit attaching to such a character.

 

They had been home but fifteen minutes when Mr. Fitch arrived. At the moment of his arrival Jasper was in a handsome chamber¹⁴ on the second floor, which had been assigned to his use, preparing himself for dinner. Mr. Fitch was overjoyed at the recovery of his little boy, but he listened with some incredulity to the praises lavished¹⁵ upon Jasper by his wife.

 

"You don't seem to realize," he said, "that this young hero of yours is a companion and acknowledged agent of a kidnapper."

 

"Wait till you see him," said Mrs. Fitch, confidently.

 

Mr. Fitch shrugged¹⁶ his shoulders.

 

"How the women are carried away by a specious¹⁷ appearance!" he thought. "I am a man of the world, and cooler in my judgment¹⁸."

 

Yet when Jasper entered the room he could not help acknowledging that his appearance was very much in his favor. Frank and manly¹⁹ in his looks, he met Mr. Fitch with gentlemanly ease.

 

"You are the young gentleman who brought back my little boy, I believe," said the father.

 

"Yes, sir," said Jasper. "I occupy, for the time being, the office of agent of the man who kidnapped him."

 

"Who is this man?"

 

"I should be willing to tell you if I had not promised secrecy²⁰."

 

"Then," said Mr. Fitch, with slight suspicion, "you are in confidential²¹ relations with this villain²²."

 

"Partly so, but it was forced upon me. I never met him till to-day, and he confided²³ in me because there seemed to be no one else that he could trust."

 

"Why did he not come himself?"

 

"Because he thought it would be dangerous."

 

"Shall you meet him again?"

 

"Once only, to finish this business. He said you had promised a certain sum on the boy's return, and this I agreed to carry him."

 

"How much commission are you to receive?" inquired Mr. Fitch.

 

"Nothing at all," said Jasper. "He handed me five dollars to pay the railroad fare of little Harry and myself to St. Louis. What is left over I shall return to him."

 

"Then Harry was not concealed²⁴ in this city?"

 

"No, sir; but he was at no great distance from it."

 

"Are you living here?"

 

"I never was in St. Louis until this afternoon. I have only just come on from the State of New York."

 

"To find employment, I suppose?"

 

"Yes, sir. It was by the merest chance that I fell over your little boy and his captor. I was contriving²⁵ plans for getting him away, when fortunately the kidnapper received a communication from you which led to my being here."

 

"Suppose you had got Harry away from this man, how could you have found me?"

 

"That would have been the difficulty. I didn't know your name, or where you lived. But I meant to come here and get one of the daily papers to publish an account of the recovery, in the hope that the paragraph would find its way to your notice."

 

"A very sensible plan," commented Mr. Fitch, approvingly. "When have you agreed to meet the kidnapper to carry him the money?"

 

"To-morrow at twelve."

 

"And then you will proceed to carry out your own plans?"

 

"Yes, sir. After supper, if you can spare the time, I will tell you my situation, and the circumstances that led me here, and ask for advice."

 

"Very well. I will gladly give you the best counsel I can."

 

After supper Jasper told his story briefly²⁶, and confirmed the favorable impression he had already begun to make. Mr. Fitch cast aside his lingering remnant of suspicion, and promised his good offices in procuring²⁷ him employment.

 

"After you have seen this man and paid him the money," he said, "come to my counting-room, and we will talk over your affairs."

 

The evening was spent socially, little Harry, of course, being the central object of interest. The little fellow appeared to have taken a great fancy to Jasper, and was unwilling²⁸ to have him go the next day. He was not reconciled till Jasper promised to come back.

 

1 kidnapper   

n.绑架者，拐骗者

参考例句：

• The kidnapper was shot dead then and there by the armed policeman.绑架者被武装警察当时当地击毙。
• The kidnapper strangled the child with a piece of string.绑票的人用一根绳子把这孩子勒死了。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 opportunely   

adv.恰好地，适时地

参考例句：

• He arrived rather opportunely just when we needed a new butler. 就在我们需要一个新管家的时候他凑巧来了。 来自互联网
• Struck with sudden inspiration, Miss Martha seized the occasion so opportunely offered. 玛莎小姐此时灵机一动，及时地抓住了这个天赐良机。 来自互联网

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

6 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

7 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

8 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。

9 proffered   

v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She proffered her cheek to kiss. 她伸过自己的面颊让人亲吻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He rose and proffered a silver box full of cigarettes. 他站起身，伸手递过一个装满香烟的银盒子。 来自辞典例句

10 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

13 disclaimed   

v.否认( disclaim的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She disclaimed any knowledge of her husband's whereabouts. 她否认知道丈夫的下落。
• He disclaimed any interest in the plan. 他否认对该计划有任何兴趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

15 lavished   

v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句
• An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

16 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》

17 specious   

adj.似是而非的；adv.似是而非地

参考例句：

• Such talk is actually specious and groundless.这些话实际上毫无根据，似是而非的。
• It is unlikely that the Duke was convinced by such specious arguments.公爵不太可能相信这种似是而非的论点。

18 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

19 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。

20 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

21 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

22 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

23 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

25 contriving   

（不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到

参考例句：

• Why may not several Deities combine in contriving and framing a world? 为什么不可能是数个神联合起来，设计和构造世界呢？ 来自哲学部分
• The notorious drug-pusher has been contriving an escape from the prison. 臭名昭著的大毒枭一直都在图谋越狱。

26 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

27 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

28 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。