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首页 » 儿童英文小说 » Frank Hunter's Peril » CHAPTER X. A CONSPIRACY AGAINST FRANK.
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CHAPTER X. A CONSPIRACY AGAINST FRANK.
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 "So he's married again, the sly villain1!" muttered the stranger, as, after leaving the boys, he proceeded on his way to Mr. Craven's office. "That will be good news for my sister, won't it? And so that's his step-son? A nice-looking, well-dressed boy. Likely Craven has feathered his nest, and married a fortune. If so, all the better. I may get a few feathers for my own nest, if I work my cards right."
Meanwhile Mr. Craven had seated himself at an office table, and was looking over a paper of instructions, having been commissioned to write a will for one of the town's people. He had drawn2 out a printed form, and had just dipped his pen in the ink, when a knock was heard at the outer door that opened upon the street.
[85]
"I suppose it's Mr. Negley, come for the will. He'll have to wait," thought Craven, and as the thought passed through his mind, he said, "Come in!"
The door opened.
He mechanically raised his eyes, and his glance rested upon the man whom we have introduced in the last chapter.
A remarkable3 change came over Mr. Craven's face. First surprise, then palpable dismay, drove the color from his cheeks, and he stood up in silent consternation4.
The other appeared to enjoy the sensation caused by his arrival, and laughed.
"Why, man, you look as if I were a ghost. No such thing. I'm alive and well, and delighted to see you again," he added, significantly. "By Jove, I've had hard work finding you, but here I am, you see."
"How—did—you—find—me?" asked Craven, huskily.
"How did I find you? Well, I got upon your tracks in New York. Never mind how, as long as I have found you. Well, have you no welcome for me?"
[86]
"What do you want of me?" asked Mr. Craven, sullenly5.
"What do I want of you?" echoed the other, with a laugh. "Why, considering the relationship between us—"
Mr. Craven's pallor increased, and he shifted his position uneasily.
"Considering the relationship between us, it is only natural that I should want to see you."
He paused, but Mr. Craven did not offer any reply.
"By the way, your wife is very uneasy at your long absence," continued the newcomer, fixing his eyes steadily6 upon the shrinking Craven.
"For Heaven's sake stop, or speak lower!" exclaimed Craven, exhibiting the greatest alarm.
"Come, now, Craven, is any allusion7 to your wife so disagreeable? Considering that she is my sister, it strikes me that I shall have something to say on that subject."
"Don't allude8 to her, Sharpley," said the other, doggedly9. "I shall [87] never see her again. We—we didn't live happily, and are better apart."
"You may think so, but do you think I am going to have my sister treated in this way—deserted and scorned?"
"I can't help it," was the dogged reply.
"You can't? Why not?"
And the man addressed as Sharpley fixed10 his eyes upon his brother-in-law.
"Why do you come here to torment11 me?" said Craven, fiercely, brought to bay. "Why can't you leave me alone? Your sister is better off without me. I never was a model husband."
"That is where you are right, Craven; but, hark you!" he added, bending forward, "do you think we are going to stand by and do nothing while you are in the enjoyment12 of wealth and the good things of life?"
"Wealth? What do you mean?" stammered13 Craven.
The other laughed slightly.
"Do you take me for a mole14? Did you suppose I wouldn't discover that you are married again, and that your marriage has brought you money?"
[88]
"So you have found it out?" said Mr. Craven, whose worst apprehensions15 were now confirmed.
"I met your step-son a few minutes ago, and he directed me here."
"Did you tell him?" asked Craven, in dismay.
"Tell him? No, not yet. I wanted to see you first."
"I'm glad you didn't. He doesn't like me. It would be all up with me if you had."
"Don't be frightened, Craven. It may not be so bad as you think. We may be able to make some friendly arrangement. Tell me about it, and then we'll consult together. Only don't leave anything untold16. Situated17 as we are, I demand your entire confidence."
Here the door opened, and Mr. Negley appeared.
"Have you finished that 'ere dokkyment, Mr. Craven?" asked the old-fashioned farmer, to whom the name belonged.
[89]
"No, Mr. Negley," said Mr. Craven, with his customary suavity18, "not yet, I am sorry to say. I've had a great deal to do, and I am even now consulting with a client on an important matter. Could you wait till to-morrow?"
"Sartain, Mr. Craven. I ain't in no hurry. Only, as I was passing, I thought I'd just inquire. Good mornin', squire19."
"Good morning, Mr. Negley."
"So you are in the lawyer's line again, Craven?" said Sharpley. "You are turning to good account that eight months you spent in a law office in the old country?"
"Yes, I do a little in that line."
"Now, tell me all about this affair of yours. I don't want to ruin you. May be we can make an arrangement that will be mutually satisfactory."
Thus adjured20, and incited21 from time to time by questions from his visitor, Mr. Craven unfolded the particulars of his situation.
"Well, the upshot of it is, Craven, that you've feathered your nest, and made yourself comfortable. That's all very well; but it seems to [90] me, that your English wife has some rights in the matter."
"You need not tell her," said Craven, hastily. "What good will it do?"
"It won't do you any good, but it may benefit her and me."
"How can it benefit 'her and me?' How can it benefit either of you, if I am found out, and obliged to flee from this place into penury22?"
"Why, not exactly in that way. In fact, I may feel disposed to let you alone, if you'll come down handsomely. The fact is, Craven, my circumstances are not over prosperous, and of course I don't forget that I have a rich brother-in-law."
"You call me rich. You are mistaken. I get a living, but the money is my wife's."
"If it is hers, you can easily get possession of it."
"Only one-third of it belongs to her. Two-thirds belong to that boy you met—my step-son."
"Suppose he dies?"
"It goes to my wife."
[91]
"Then you have some chance of it."
"Not much; he is a stout23, healthy boy."
"Look here, Craven, you must make up your mind to do something for me. Give me a thousand dollars down."
"I couldn't without my wife finding out. Besides you would be coming back for more."
"Well, perhaps I might," said the other, coolly.
"You would ruin me," exclaimed Craven, sullenly. "Do you think I am made of money?"
"I know this—that it will be better for you to share your prosperity with me, and so insure not being disturbed. Half a loaf is better than no bread."
Mr. Craven fixed his eyes upon the table, seriously disturbed.
"How much is the boy worth?" asked Sharpley, after a pause.
"Forty thousand dollars."
"Forty thousand dollars!" exclaimed Sharpley, his eyes sparkling with greed. "That's splendid."
"For him, yes. It doesn't do me any good."
[92]
"Didn't you say, that in the event of his death the money would go to your wife?"
"Yes."
"He may die."
"So may we. That's more likely. He's a stout boy, as you must have observed, since you have met him."
"Life is uncertain. Suppose he should have a fever, or meet with an accident."
"Suppose he shouldn't."
"My dear Craven," said Sharpley, drawing his chair nearer that of his brother-in-law, "it strikes me that you are slightly obtuse24, and you a lawyer, too. Fie upon you! My meaning is plain enough, it strikes me."
"What do you mean?" inquired Craven, coloring, and shifting uneasily in his chair. "You wouldn't have me murder him, would you?"
"Don't name such a thing. I only mean, that if we got a good opportunity to expose him to some sickness, and he happened to die of it, it would be money in our pockets."
Craven looked startled, and his sallow face betrayed by its pallor his inward disturbance25.
[93]
"That is absurd," he said. "There is no chance of that here. If the boy should die I shouldn't mourn much, but he may live to eighty. There's not much chance of any pestilence26 reaching this town."
"Perhaps so," said the other, shrugging his shoulders, "but then this little village isn't the whole world."
"You seem to have some plan to propose," said Mr. Craven, eagerly. "What is it?"
"I propose," said Sharpley, "that you send the boy to Europe with me."
"To Europe?"
"Yes; on a traveling tour, for his education, improvement, anything. Only send him under my paternal27 care, and—possibly he might never come back."
Mr. Craven was not a scrupulous28 man, and this proposal didn't shock him as it should have done, but he was a timid man, and he could not suppress a tremor29 of alarm.
"But isn't there danger in it?" he faltered30.
"Not if it is rightly managed," said Sharpley.
"And how do you mean to manage it?"
[94]
"Can't tell yet," answered the other, carelessly. "The thought has just occurred to me, and I have had no time to think it over. But that needn't trouble you. You can safely leave all that to me."
Mr. Craven leaned his head on his hand and reflected. Here was a way out of two embarrassments31. This plan offered him present safety and a continuance of his good fortune, with the chance of soon obtaining control of Frank's fortune.
"Well, what do you say?" asked Sharpley.
"I should like it well enough, but I don't know what my wife and the boy will say."
"Has Mrs. Craven the—second—a will of her own?"
"No, she is very yielding."
"Doesn't trouble you, eh? By the way, what did she see in you, Craven, or my sister either, for that matter, to attract her? There's no accounting32 for tastes, surely."
"That is not to the point," said Craven, impatiently.
[95]
"You are right. That is not to the point. Suppose we come to the point, then. If your wife is not strong-minded she can be brought over, and the boy, if he is like most boys, will be eager to embrace the chance of visiting Europe, say for three months. It will be best, I suppose, that the offer should come from me. I'll tell you what you must do. Invite me to supper to-night and offer me a bed, and I'll lay the train. Shall it be so?"
"Agreed," said Craven, and thus the iniquitous33 compact was made.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 villain ZL1zA     
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。
2 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
3 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
4 consternation 8OfzB     
n.大为吃惊,惊骇
参考例句:
  • He was filled with consternation to hear that his friend was so ill.他听说朋友病得那么厉害,感到非常震惊。
  • Sam stared at him in consternation.萨姆惊恐不安地注视着他。
5 sullenly f65ccb557a7ca62164b31df638a88a71     
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。
6 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
7 allusion CfnyW     
n.暗示,间接提示
参考例句:
  • He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
  • She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。
8 allude vfdyW     
v.提及,暗指
参考例句:
  • Many passages in Scripture allude to this concept.圣经中有许多经文间接地提到这样的概念。
  • She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles.她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。
9 doggedly 6upzAY     
adv.顽强地,固执地
参考例句:
  • He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
  • He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着,一直走回了公寓。
10 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
11 torment gJXzd     
n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠
参考例句:
  • He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
  • Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。
12 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
13 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
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
14 mole 26Nzn     
n.胎块;痣;克分子
参考例句:
  • She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
  • The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。
15 apprehensions 86177204327b157a6d884cdb536098d8     
疑惧
参考例句:
  • He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
  • But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而,随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。
16 untold ljhw1     
adj.数不清的,无数的
参考例句:
  • She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
  • They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖,因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。
17 situated JiYzBH     
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的
参考例句:
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
  • She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
18 suavity 0tGwJ     
n.温和;殷勤
参考例句:
  • He's got a surface flow of suavity,but he's rough as a rasp underneath.他表面看来和和气气的,其实是个粗野狂暴的恶棍。
  • But the well-bred,artificial smile,when he bent upon the guests,had its wonted steely suavity.但是他哈着腰向宾客招呼的那种彬彬有礼、故意装成的笑容里,却仍然具有它平时那种沉着的殷勤。
19 squire 0htzjV     
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。
20 adjured 54d0111fc852e2afe5e05a3caf8222af     
v.(以起誓或诅咒等形式)命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 );祈求;恳求
参考例句:
  • He adjured them to tell the truth. 他要求他们讲真话。
  • The guides now adjured us to keep the strictest silence. 这时向导恳求我们保持绝对寂静。 来自辞典例句
21 incited 5f4269a65c28d83bc08bbe5050389f54     
刺激,激励,煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
  • The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。
22 penury 4MZxp     
n.贫穷,拮据
参考例句:
  • Hardship and penury wore him out before his time.受穷受苦使他未老先衰。
  • A succession of bad harvest had reduced the small farmer to penury.连续歉收使得这个小农场主陷入了贫困境地。
24 obtuse 256zJ     
adj.钝的;愚钝的
参考例句:
  • You were too obtuse to take the hint.你太迟钝了,没有理解这种暗示。
  • "Sometimes it looks more like an obtuse triangle,"Winter said.“有时候它看起来更像一个钝角三角形。”温特说。
25 disturbance BsNxk     
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调
参考例句:
  • He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
  • You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。
26 pestilence YlGzsG     
n.瘟疫
参考例句:
  • They were crazed by the famine and pestilence of that bitter winter.他们因那年严冬的饥饿与瘟疫而折磨得发狂。
  • A pestilence was raging in that area. 瘟疫正在那一地区流行。
27 paternal l33zv     
adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的
参考例句:
  • I was brought up by my paternal aunt.我是姑姑扶养大的。
  • My father wrote me a letter full of his paternal love for me.我父亲给我写了一封充满父爱的信。
28 scrupulous 6sayH     
adj.审慎的,小心翼翼的,完全的,纯粹的
参考例句:
  • She is scrupulous to a degree.她非常谨慎。
  • Poets are not so scrupulous as you are.诗人并不像你那样顾虑多。
29 tremor Tghy5     
n.震动,颤动,战栗,兴奋,地震
参考例句:
  • There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
  • A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。
30 faltered d034d50ce5a8004ff403ab402f79ec8d     
(嗓音)颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃
参考例句:
  • He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
  • "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着:“这孩子脑袋真长。”
31 embarrassments 5f3d5ecce4738cceef5dce99a8a6434a     
n.尴尬( embarrassment的名词复数 );难堪;局促不安;令人难堪或耻辱的事
参考例句:
  • But there have been many embarrassments along the way. 但是一路走来已经是窘境不断。 来自互联网
  • The embarrassments don't stop there. 让人难受的事情还没完。 来自互联网
32 accounting nzSzsY     
n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表
参考例句:
  • A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
  • There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。
33 iniquitous q4hyK     
adj.不公正的;邪恶的;高得出奇的
参考例句:
  • Many historians,of course,regard this as iniquitous.当然,许多历史学家认为这是极不公正的。
  • Men of feeling may at any moment be killed outright by the iniquitous and the callous.多愁善感的人会立即被罪恶的人和无情的人彻底消灭。


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