CHAPTER XXVII A SCENE AT THE HOTEL

 The fellow who had posed as a broker¹ and commission merchant was taken completely by surprise when confronted by Nat, and for the moment did not know what to say.

 

"I guess you didn't expect to see me again," said our hero, after a pause, during which Nick Smithers—to use his real name—glared fiercely at the youth.

 

"Excuse me, boy, but I don't know you!" said the swindler, at last. "You have made a strange mistake."

 

"Oh, no, I haven't," answered Nat. "You are Hamilton Dart², alias³ Nick Smithers."

 

"My dear young friend you are in error. My name is Josiah Garfield, and I am from Concord⁴, Massachusetts."

 

"I am not mistaken. You are Nick Smithers, and you are the rascal⁵ who swindled me in New York City."

 

"Boy, you must be mad!" burst out Nick Smithers, in assumed indignation. "I a swindler! Preposterous⁶!"

 

"It's the plain truth, and there is no use of your denying it."

 

By this time a small crowd was gathering⁷ around. Soon a clerk of the hotel came up hastily.

 

"What's the trouble here?" he questioned, anxiously.

 

"This boy is crazy," said Nick Smithers.

 

"No, I am not. This man is a swindler, and I want him arrested," came from Nat. He made up his mind, come what might, he would stand up for his rights.

 

"I am an honest man—well-known in Concord, where I keep a jewelry⁸ establishment," puffed⁹ Nick Smithers. "This is an insult to me." He turned to the hotel clerk. "I shall hold your hotel responsible for this."

 

"I—this looks as if you were making a mistake," said the clerk to Nat. "This gentleman has been stopping here for over a week. He is registered on our book as Josiah Garfield."

 

"He has half a dozen names," said Nat. "I tell you he is a swindler."

 

"And I say the boy is crazy. Boy, if you say another word, I'll have you locked up."

 

Nick Smithers thought Nat was so green that he would back down, but for once he made a mistake.

 

"Call a policeman, please," he said to the clerk. "We can talk this over when we get to the police headquarters."

 

"Are you sure of what you are doing?" asked the clerk.

 

"Yes, I am sure of it. I can prove beyond any doubt whatever that this fellow is a confidence man and a swindler. He swindled me out of a hundred dollars in New York, and he swindled several others out of the same amount. Just help me to lock him up and I'll get all the witnesses necessary."

 

"That's straight talk," came from a commercial traveler standing¹⁰ nearby. "If the boy can prove what he says this man ought to be arrested by all means."

 

"He can't prove a thing," answered Nick Smithers, but he began to grow hot and cold, for he realized that Nat meant business and was not to be overawed as easily as he had imagined.

 

"I'll call a cop!" piped in a newsboy who had drifted into the room. "I see one on de corner a minit ago," and away he ran to execute his errand.

 

"The police will have to settle this," said the hotel clerk. "If you are making a mistake it will cost you dear," he added, to Nat.

 

"I am making no mistake," answered our hero, firmly.

 

This reply set Nick Smithers to thinking. To try to bluff¹¹ Nat was one thing; to prove his innocence¹² at the police station might be quite another.

 

"I can't bother to go to the station—I've got to get a train for Boston!" he cried, and ran from the room with all of his speed.

 

"Stop him!" yelled Nat, and, began to give chase. "Stop him!"

 

The cry was taken up by several others, and all began to run after Nick Smithers.

 

"Keep my valise—I'll catch him if I can!" said Nat, to the hotel clerk, and off he sped, and was soon ahead of the others who had joined in the chase.

 

If there was one thing that Nick Smithers could do well, it was to run, and now he made the best possible use of his rather long legs. He darted¹³ out of a side door of the hotel, down the square, and around a corner leading into a back street lined with small shops and dwellings¹⁴.

 

"The young fool!" he muttered, as he sped along. "Who would have dreamed of his turning up in such a place as this?"

 

At last the swindler turned into another street. A car was passing and he hopped¹⁵ aboard this. Not to be seen, he dropped into a seat and crouched¹⁶ down. He rode on the car a distance of a dozen squares and then left, and hurried to a small house setting far back, in a rather neglected garden. The house was to let, and he pretended to be looking it over, and thus passed to a back porch and out of sight.

 

Nat continued the hunt for the swindler for a good hour and then gave it up.

 

"Well, how did you make out?" asked the hotel clerk, upon his return.

 

"He got away from me."

 

"He put on a pretty good front, if he was a swindler."

 

"Yes—that's how he came to swindle me and several others," answered our hero.

 

"Did you report the case to the police?"

 

"There is no use of doing that."

 

"Why not? They'll help you all they can."

 

"That may be true. But by the time my report is in, that rascal will be miles and miles away."

 

Nevertheless, Nat was persuaded to report to the city authorities before he went to the railroad station. He had missed his train and so had to lay over until three hours later.

 

This was fortunate for him, for a little later came a telegram from John Garwell, which ran as follows:

 

"Go to Albany at once and get papers from Caswick & Sampson."

 

This made Nat change his plans, and he at once found out when a train could be had for Albany. Half an hour later he was aboard of the cars, little dreaming of the surprise in store for him.

1 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

2 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

3 alias   

n.化名；别名；adv.又名

参考例句：

• His real name was Johnson,but he often went by the alias of Smith.他的真名是约翰逊，但是他常常用化名史密斯。
• You can replace this automatically generated alias with a more meaningful one.可用更有意义的名称替换这一自动生成的别名。

4 concord   

n.和谐；协调

参考例句：

• These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
• His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。

5 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

6 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

9 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

12 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。

13 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

16 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。