CHAPTER 13. GRIT'S BOAT IS SOLD.

 Brandon was not usually an early riser, and would not on this occasion have got up so soon if a bright idea had not occurred to him likely to bring money to his purse.

 

It was certainly vexatious that Grit¹ so obstinately² refused to pay into his hands the money he had managed in some way unknown to his stepfather to accumulate. Perhaps some way of forcing the boy to do so might suggest itself, but meanwhile he was penniless; that is, with the exception of the dime³ he had abstracted during the night. Possibly his wife might have some money. He proceeded to sound her on the subject.

 

"Mrs. B.," said he, "I shall have to trouble you for a little money."

 

"I gave you a dollar yesterday," said Mrs. Brandon.

 

"What's a dollar? I have none of it left now."

 

"Did you spend it at the tavern⁴?" asked his wife gravely.

 

[Pg 88]

 

"I am not willing to be catechized upon that point," returned Brandon, in a tone of lofty dignity.

 

"It is quite impossible to supply you with money for such a purpose," continued Mrs. Brandon. "What money Grit earns is wanted for necessary expenses."

 

"I am not so easily deceived," said her husband, nodding sagaciously.

 

"It is quite true."

 

"I won't argue the point, Mrs. B. Have you any change now? That is the question."

 

"No, I have not."

 

"Be it so. I have only to remark that you and your son will have occasion to regret the unfriendly and suspicious manner in which you see fit to treat me."

 

So saying, Mr. Brandon sat down to his breakfast, which he ate with an appetite such as is usually earned by honest toil⁵.

 

When he rose from the table, he left the cottage without a word.

 

"How it all this to end?" thought Mrs. Brandon, following his retreating form with an anxious glance. "He has not been here twenty-four hours yet, and he has spent a dollar of Grit's hard earnings⁶, and is dissatisfied because we will not give him more. Besides,[Pg 89] he has already broached⁷ the subject of mortgaging the house, and all to gratify his insatiable thirst for strong drink."

 

Certainly the prospects⁸ were not very bright, and Mrs. Brandon might well be excused for feeling anxious.

 

Though Brandon had ten cents in his pocket, the price of a glass of whisky, he did not go at once to the tavern, as might have been expected. Instead of this, he bent⁹ his steps toward the river.

 

He knew about where Grit kept his boat, and went directly to it.

 

"Ha! a very good boat!" he said, after surveying it critically. "It ought to be worth ten dollars, at least, though I suppose I can't get over five for it. Well, five dollars will be a lift to me, and if Grit wants another boat he's got the money to buy one. I can get even with him this way, at least. He'd better have treated me well and saved his boat."

 

The boat was tied fast, but this presented no insurmountable difficulty.

 

Brandon pulled a jack-knife out of his pocket, and after awhile—for it was very dull—succeeded in severing¹⁰ the rope.

 

Then he jumped into the boat and began to row out into the stream.

 

[Pg 90]

 

He was a little at a loss at first as to where he would be most likely to find a purchaser. In his five years' absence from the neighborhood he had lost his former acquaintances, and there had been, besides, changes in the population.

 

As he was rowing at random¹¹, he chanced to look back to the shore he had left, and noticed that a boy was signaling to him.

 

He recognized him as the boy whom he had heard speaking of Grit's treasure, and, being desirous of hearing more on the subject, he at once began to pull back to the river bank.

 

The boy, as the reader will surmise¹², was Phil Courtney.

 

"Hello, there!" said Phil; "isn't that Grit Morris' boat?"

 

"No, it's mine."

 

"It is the same Grit usually rows in," said Phil, beginning to suspect Brandon of theft.

 

"That may be, but the boat is mine."

 

"Did he sell it to you?"

 

"No."

 

"Who are you, then?"

 

"I am Mr. Brandon, Grit's stepfather."

 

Phil whistled.

 

"Oh, it's you, is it?" he said, surveying Brandon, not over respectfully, for he knew[Pg 91] where he had spent the last five years. "So you've come home?"

 

"Yes, but I might as well have stayed away."

 

"How is that?" asked Phil, regarding the man before him with curiosity.

 

Brandon was not too proud to speak of his domestic grievances¹³, as he regarded them, to a stranger.

 

"My wife and son treat me like a stranger," he said. "Instead of giving me a warm welcome after my long absence, they seem to be sorry to see me."

 

"I don't wonder much," thought Phil, but he did not say so, not being averse¹⁴ to drawing Brandon out on this subject.

 

"And that reminds me, young gentleman; I was walking behind you last evening, and I heard you say something about Grit's having a large sum of money."

 

"Yes; he showed me sixty dollars yesterday."

 

"Are you sure there was as much as that?" inquired Brandon eagerly.

 

"Yes, I am sure, for my cousin counted it in my presence."

 

"It might have belonged to some one else," suggested Brandon.

 

[Pg 92]

 

"No; I thought so myself, but Grit said it belonged to him."

 

"Did he say where he got it?"

 

"No; he's mighty¹⁵ close about his affairs. I couldn't help wondering myself, and asked him, but he wouldn't tell me."

 

"If he's got as much money as that, he ought to give it to me to take care of."

 

"Why don't you make him give it to you?" suggested Phil maliciously¹⁶.

 

"I did ask him, but he refused. A boy of his age ought not to carry about so much money. Did he carry it in a roll of bills, or in a pocketbook?"

 

"He had it in a wallet."

 

"I didn't see the wallet," thought Brandon. "I only found the purse. The boy must have hidden it somewhere. I must look for it."

 

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Phil. "Are you going to let him keep it?"

 

"Not if I can find it. I will take it away from him if I get the chance."

 

"I wish he would," thought Phil. "It would soon go for drink, and then Master Grit wouldn't put on so many airs."

 

"May I ask your name?" asked Brandon.

 

"I am Phil Courtney, the son of Squire¹⁷ Courtney, the president of the bank," answered Phil pompously¹⁸.

 

[Pg 93]

 

"You don't say so!" exclaimed Brandon, in a tone of flattering deference¹⁹. "I am proud to know you. You come of a fine family."

 

"Yes, my father stands pretty high," remarked Phil complacently²⁰.

 

"Really," thought he, "this man has very good manners, even if he has just come from the penitentiary²¹. He treats me with a good deal more respect than Grit does. If I could help him to get the money I would."

 

"Not a man in town stands higher," said Brandon emphatically. "Are you a friend of my stepson?"

 

"Well, hardly," answered Phil, shrugging his shoulders. "You must excuse my saying so, but Grit hasn't very good manners, and, though I patronize him by riding in his boat, I cannot regard him as a fitting associate."

 

"You are entirely²² right, young gentleman," said Brandon. "Though Grit is my stepson, I am not blind to his faults. He has behaved very badly to me already, and I shall be obliged to require him to treat me with more respect. If he would only copy you, I should be very glad."

 

"You are very polite, Mr. Brandon," said Phil, flattered. "I hope, for your sake, that Grit will improve."

 

[Pg 94]

 

"By the way, Mr. Courtney"—Phil swelled²³ with conscious pride at this designation—"do you know any one who would like to buy a boat?"

 

"What boat do you refer to?" asked Phil.

 

"This boat."

 

"But I thought it was Grit's."

 

"I am his stepfather, and have decided²⁴ to sell it."

 

"What'll you take?" asked Phil, not unwilling²⁵ to buy a good boat, especially as he knew it would annoy Grit.

 

"It is worth ten dollars, but I will sell it for six dollars cash."

 

"Say five, and I'll take it."

 

"Very well, Mr. Courtney, seeing it's you, I will say five."

 

"It's a bargain."

 

Phil had his money in his pocket, and he lost no time in binding²⁶ the bargain by paying the money.

 

"I think I'll take a row myself," he said.

 

He jumped into the boat, and Brandon, with five dollars in his pocket, took the nearest road to the tavern.

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 obstinately   

ad.固执地，顽固地

参考例句：

• He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。
• Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。

3 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。

4 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

5 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

6 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

7 broached   

v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体

参考例句：

• She broached the subject of a picnic to her mother. 她向母亲提起野餐的问题。 来自辞典例句
• He broached the subject to the stranger. 他对陌生人提起那话题。 来自辞典例句

8 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

9 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。

10 severing   

v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The death of a second parent is like severing an umbilical cord to our past. 父母当中第二个人去世，就象斩断了把我们同过去联在一起的纽带。 来自辞典例句
• The severing theory and severing method for brittle block are studied. 研究裂纹技术应用于分离脆性块体的分离理论和分离方法。 来自互联网

11 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

12 surmise   

v./n.猜想，推测

参考例句：

• It turned out that my surmise was correct.结果表明我的推测没有错。
• I surmise that he will take the job.我推测他会接受这份工作。

13 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 averse   

adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的

参考例句：

• I don't smoke cigarettes,but I'm not averse to the occasional cigar.我不吸烟，但我不反对偶尔抽一支雪茄。
• We are averse to such noisy surroundings.我们不喜欢这么吵闹的环境。

15 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

16 maliciously   

adv.有敌意地

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His enemies maliciously conspired to ruin him. 他的敌人恶毒地密谋搞垮他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 squire   

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。

18 pompously   

adv.傲慢地，盛大壮观地；大模大样

参考例句：

• He pompously described his achievements. 他很夸耀地描述了自己所取得的成绩。 来自互联网

19 deference   

n.尊重，顺从；敬意

参考例句：

• Do you treat your parents and teachers with deference?你对父母师长尊敬吗？
• The major defect of their work was deference to authority.他们的主要缺陷是趋从权威。

20 complacently   

adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地

参考例句：

• He complacently lived out his life as a village school teacher. 他满足于一个乡村教师的生活。
• "That was just something for evening wear," returned his wife complacently. “那套衣服是晚装，"他妻子心安理得地说道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

21 penitentiary   

n.感化院；监狱

参考例句：

• He worked as a warden at the state penitentiary.他在这所州监狱任看守长。
• While he was in the penitentiary her father died and the family broke up.他坐牢的时候，她的父亲死了，家庭就拆散了。

22 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

23 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

24 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。

25 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。

26 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。