CHAPTER 3. THE LOST HAT.

 Grit¹ complied with the request of his passenger, and rowed after Phil's hat. But there[Pg 20] was a strong current, and it was not without considerable trouble that he at last secured it. But, alas²! the new hat, with its bright ribbon, was well soaked when it was fished out of the water.

 

"It's mean," ejaculated Phil, lifting it with an air of disgust. "Just my luck."

 

"Are you so unlucky, then?" asked his cousin Marion, with a half smile.

 

"I should say so. What do you call this?"

 

"A wet hat."

 

"How am I ever to wear it? It will drip all over my clothes."

 

"I think you had better buy a common one in Portville, and leave this one here to dry."

 

"How am I going round Portville bareheaded?" inquired Phil crossly.

 

"Shall I lend you my hat?" asked Marion.

 

"Wouldn't I look like a fool, going round the streets with a girl's hat on?"

 

"Well, you are the best judge of that," answered Marion demurely³.

 

Grit laughed, as the young lady glanced at him with a smile.

 

"What are you laughing at, you boatman?" snarled⁴ Phil.

 

[Pg 21]

 

"I beg your pardon," said Grit good-naturedly; "I know it must be provoking to have your hat wet. Can I help you in any way? If you will give me the money, and remain in the boat, I will run up to Davis, the hatter's, and get you a new hat."

 

"How can you tell my size?" asked Phil, making no acknowledgment for the offer.

 

"Then I will lend you my hat to go up yourself."

 

Phil's lip curled, as if he considered that there would be contamination in such a plebeian⁵ hat. However, as Marion declared it would be the best thing to do, he suppressed his disdain⁶, and, without a word of thanks, put Grit's hat on his head.

 

"Come with me, Marion," he said.

 

"No, Phil; I will remain here with Mr. ——," and she turned inquiringly toward the young boatman.

 

"Grit," he suggested.

 

"Mr. Grit," she said, finishing the sentence.

 

"Just as you like. I admire your taste," said Phil, with a sneer⁷.

 

As he walked away, Marion turned to the young boatman.

 

[Pg 22]

 

"Is your name really Grit?" she asked.

 

"No; people call me so."

 

"I can understand why," she answered with a smile. "You look—gritty."

 

"If I do, I hope it isn't anything disagreeable," responded our hero.

 

"Oh, no," said Marion; "quite the contrary. I like to see boys that won't allow themselves to be imposed upon."

 

"I don't generally allow myself to be imposed upon."

 

"What is your real name?"

 

"Harry⁸ Morris."

 

"I suppose you and Phil know each other very well?"

 

"We have known each other a long time, but we are not very intimate friends."

 

"I don't think Phil has any intimate friends," said Marion thoughtfully. "He—I don't think he gets on very well with the other boys."

 

"He wants to boss them," said Grit bluntly.

 

"Yes; I expect that is it. He's my cousin, you know."

 

"Is he? I don't think you are much alike."

 

"Is that remark a compliment to me—or him?" asked Marion, laughing.

 

[Pg 23]

 

"To you, decidedly."

 

"Well, Phil can be very disagreeable when he sets out to be. I should not want to be that, you know."

 

"You couldn't," said Grit, with an admiring glance.

 

"That's a compliment," said Marion. "But you're mistaken. I can be disagreeable when I set out to be. I expect Phil finds me so sometimes."

 

"I wouldn't."

 

"You know how to flatter as well as to row, Mr. Grit. It's true. I tease Phil awfully⁹ sometimes."

 

By this time Phil came back with a new hat on his head, holding Grit's in the tips of his fingers, as if it would contaminate him. He pitched it into Grit's lap, saying shortly:

 

"There's your hat."

 

"Upon my word, Phil, you're polite," said his cousin. "Can't you thank Mr. Grit?"

 

"Mr. Grit!" repeated Phil contemptuously. "Of course I thank him."

 

"You're welcome," answered Grit dryly.

 

"Here's your fare!" said Phil, taking out two dimes¹⁰, and offering them to the young boatman.

 

[Pg 24]

 

"Thank you."

 

"Phil, you ought to pay something extra for the loan of the hat," said Marion, "and the delay."

 

With evident reluctance¹¹ Phil took a nickel from his vest pocket, and offered it to Grit.

 

"No, thank you!" said Grit, drawing back, "I wouldn't be willing to take anything for that. I've found it very agreeable to wait," and he glanced significantly at Marion.

 

"I suppose I am to consider that another compliment," said the young lady, with a coquettish glance.

 

"What, has he been complimenting you?" asked Phil jealously.

 

"Yes, and it was very agreeable, as I got no compliments from you. Good afternoon, Mr. Grit. I hope you will row us back by and by."

 

"I hope so, too," said the young boatman, bowing.

 

"Look here, Marion," said Phil, as they walked away, "you take altogether too much notice of that fellow."

 

"Why do I? I am sure he is a very nice boy."

 

[Pg 25]

 

"He is a common working boy!" snapped Phil. "He lives with his mother in a poor hut upon the bluff¹², and makes his living by boating."

 

"I am sure that is to his credit."

 

"Oh, yes, I suppose it is. So's a ditch-digger engaged in a creditable employment, but you don't treat him as an equal."

 

"I should be willing to treat Grit as an equal. He is very good-looking, don't you think so, Phil?"

 

"Good-looking! So is a cow good-looking."

 

"I've seen some cows that were very good-looking," answered Marion, with a mischievous¹³ smile. "I suppose Grit and you are well acquainted."

 

"Oh, I know him to speak to him," returned Phil loftily. "Of course, I couldn't be intimate with such a boy."

 

"I was thinking," said Marion, "it would be nice to invite him round to the house to play croquet with us."

 

"Invite Grit Morris?" gasped¹⁴ Phil.

 

"Yes, why not?"

 

"A boy like him!"

 

"Why, wouldn't he behave well?"

 

[Pg 26]

 

"Oh, I suppose he would, but he isn't in our circle."

 

"Then it's a pity he isn't. He's the most agreeable boy I have met in Chester."

 

"You say that only to provoke me."

 

"No, I don't. I mean it."

 

"I won't invite him," said Phil doggedly¹⁵. "I am surprised that you should think of such a thing."

 

"Propriety¹⁶, Miss Marion, propriety!" said the young lady, in a tone of mock dignity, turning up the whites of her eyes. "That's just the way my governess used to talk. It's well I've got so experienced a young gentleman to look after me, and see that I don't stumble into any impropriety."

 

Meanwhile, Grit sat in his boat, waiting for a return passenger, and as he waited he thought of the young lady he had just ferried over.

 

"I can't see how such a fellow as Phil Courtney can have such a nice cousin," he said to himself. "She's very pretty, too! She isn't stuck-up, like him. I hope I shall get the chance of rowing them back."

 

He waited about ten minutes, when he saw a[Pg 27] gentleman and a little boy approaching the river.

 

"Are you the ferry-boy?" asked the gentleman.

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I heard there was a boy who would row me across. I want to go to Chester with my little boy. Can you take us over?"

 

"Yes, sir; I shall be happy to do so."

 

"Are you ready to start?"

 

"Yes, sir, just as soon as you get into the boat."

 

"Come, Willie," said the gentleman, addressing his little boy, "won't you like to ride over in the boat?"

 

"Oh, yes, papa," answered Willie eagerly.

 

"I hope you are well acquainted with rowing, and careful," said Mr. Jackson, for this was his name. "I am rather timid about the water, for I can't swim."

 

"Yes, sir, I am as much at home on the water as on the land. I've been rowing every day for the last three years."

 

The gentleman and his little boy sat down, and Grit bent¹⁷ to his oars¹⁸.

1 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

2 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

3 demurely   

adv.装成端庄地，认真地

参考例句：

• "On the forehead, like a good brother,'she answered demurely. "吻前额，像个好哥哥那样，"她故作正经地回答说。 来自飘（部分）
• Punctuation is the way one bats one's eyes, lowers one's voice or blushes demurely. 标点就像人眨眨眼睛，低声细语，或伍犯作态。 来自名作英译部分

4 snarled   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
• As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 plebeian   

adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民

参考例句：

• He is a philosophy professor with a cockney accent and an alarmingly plebeian manner.他是个有一口伦敦土腔、举止粗俗不堪的哲学教授。
• He spent all day playing rackets on the beach,a plebeian sport if there ever was one.他一整天都在海滩玩壁球，再没有比这更不入流的运动了。

6 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

7 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

8 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。

9 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

10 dimes   

n.（美国、加拿大的）10分铸币( dime的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters are United States coins. 1分铜币、5分镍币、1角银币和2角5分银币是美国硬币。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In 1965 the mint stopped putting silver in dimes. 1965年，铸币厂停止向10分硬币中加入银的成分。 来自辞典例句

11 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

12 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。

13 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

14 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》

15 doggedly   

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。

16 propriety   

n.正当行为；正当；适当

参考例句：

• We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。
• The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。

17 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

18 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》