CHAPTER 12. GRIT'S MISFORTUNE.

 The next morning Grit¹ came down to breakfast nearly an hour later than usual. It might have been because he was unusually fatigued², or it may have been on account of his slumbers³ having been interrupted. When he came down-stairs, he looked at the clock, and realized that he had overslept himself.

 

"I am nearly an hour late, mother," he said. "Why didn't you call me?"

 

"I thought you were tired, Grit, and needed sleep."

 

"Where is Mr. Brandon? I suppose he has not got up!"

 

"Yes, he has had his breakfast and gone out."

 

"He is in a great hurry to spend my ten cents," said Grit, laughing.

 

"What do you mean, Grit?"

 

"I had a visit from him last night," Grit explained. "He rummaged⁴ my pockets, and was successful in finding a dime⁵."

 

"Is it possible?"

 

[Pg 84]

 

"Why should you be surprised, mother? I was not."

 

"Did he say anything to you?"

 

"Yes; he has found out somehow about the sixty dollars, and he asked me to give it to him."

 

"Oh, Grit, I am afraid there will be trouble," said Mrs. Brandon anxiously. "He won't rest till he gets the money."

 

"Then he won't rest at all," said Grit firmly.

 

"I am afraid you will have to give it to him, Grit."

 

"Not if I know what I am about. No, mother, the money is safe, where he won't find it. I won't tell you, for he might annoy you till you told him."

 

"No, Grit; don't tell me. I would rather not know. How happy we were before he came, and how rich we should feel if this money had come to you before Mr. Brandon came home!"

 

"That is true, mother. It's a shame that he should come home to give us so much trouble."

 

"I can't see how it's all going to end," murmured Mrs. Brandon sadly.

 

"Nor I; but I mean to resist Mr. Brandon till he finds it's of no use trying to appropriate my money. When he finds he can't get [Pg 85]anything out of us except a bare living, he may become disgusted and leave us."

 

"He won't do it while he has any hope left. What do you think he has been trying to persuade me to do, Grit?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"He wants me to mortgage⁶ this cottage, and give him the money."

 

"Just like him, mother. I hope you were firm?"

 

"Yes, Grit. I told him I would not consent. It is all we have. I cannot part with our home and the roof that shelters us."

 

"Of course not, mother. You would be very foolish if you did. Did he mention any one that wanted to buy it?"

 

"Yes, he said that Mr. Green would be willing to advance money upon it."

 

"Mr. Green—the landlord of the hotel? I don't doubt it. He knows that Brandon would pay back the whole for drink in a short time."

 

"I am afraid that would be the case."

 

"Mother," said Grit, with energy, "promise me that you will never consent to this wicked plan."

 

"No, Grit, I won't. I consider that the house is as much yours as mine, and I am not willing to leave you without a home."

 

[Pg 86]

 

"I don't so much mind that, for I could shift for myself somehow, but I want you to keep it in your own hands, and I am not willing that Mr. Brandon should sacrifice it for drink."

 

"I agree with you, Grit. Whatever it may cost me, I won't consent."

 

"The sooner he becomes convinced that he has nothing to hope from either of us, the sooner he will leave us," said Grit. "If I thought he would go away and never come back, I would be willing to let him have the sixty dollars, but it would only make him stay, in the hope of getting more."

 

By this time Grit had finished his breakfast.

 

"I must get to work, mother," he said. "I'll be home to dinner at the usual time, if I can."

 

"If not, I will save something for you, Grit."

 

The young boatman made his way to the river. Here an unpleasant surprise awaited him. His boat was not where he had left it. He looked in all directions, but it had disappeared.

 

"What can have become of it?" thought Grit, in perplexity.

 

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 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

3 slumbers   

睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His image traversed constantly her restless slumbers. 他的形象一再闯进她的脑海，弄得她不能安睡。
• My Titan brother slumbers deep inside his mountain prison. Go. 我的泰坦兄弟就被囚禁在山脉的深处。

4 rummaged   

翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查

参考例句：

• I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

5 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

6 mortgage   

n.抵押，抵押贷款；vt.抵押

参考例句：

• He's having a lot of trouble paying his mortgage every month.他付每月的抵押借款利息有很大的困难。
• The bank refused to accept any mortgage on land.银行拒绝接受任何土地抵押。