CHAPTER 14. THE BILL OF SALE.

 A sudden thought struck Phil, and he called back Brandon.

 

"What's wanted now?" asked the latter impatiently.

 

"I want you to give me a bill of sale of the boat," said Phil.

 

"What's the use of that?"

 

"I don't want Grit¹ to charge me with taking his boat without leave."

 

"Oh, bother! it's all right. I haven't got any paper," said Brandon, who was anxious to reach the tavern², and take his morning dram.

 

"I have," said Phil promptly³, as he drew out a small note-book and tore out a leaf, which he handed, with a pencil, to Brandon.

 

"What do you want me to write?" asked the latter.

 

Phil dictated⁴ a form, which Brandon wrote down and signed.

 

"Will that do?" he asked.

 

"Yes, that will do. Now I am all right, and the boat is mine in spite of all Grit may say."

 

[Pg 96]

 

"I have made a good bargain," said Phil, to himself, complacently⁵. "This boat is worth at least twice what I have paid for it. I will get it painted, and a new name for it, and it will pass for a new boat. Won't Grit be mad when he hears what his stepfather has done?"

 

This was, on the whole, the pleasantest reflection connected with the purchase. It was not creditable to Phil to cherish such malice⁶ against a boy, simply because he would not treat him with as much deference⁷ as he expected; but human nature is often betrayed into petty meannesses, and Phil was a very human boy, so far, at least, as such traits were concerned.

 

We now come back to Grit, who stood on the river's bank in perplexity, when he discovered that his boat had been abstracted.

 

"Who can have taken it?" he thought.

 

Here he felt quite at a loss. It did not occur to him that his stepfather had had anything to do with his boat, for he could not understand of what advantage it would be to him. He did not comprehend fully⁹, however, how serious the loss was likely to prove, since it took away his means of living.

 

He stooped over and examined the rope. Clearly, it had been cut, and this showed that[Pg 97] the boat had been taken by some unauthorized person.

 

"I can't understand who would serve me such a trick," thought Grit. "I don't know that I have any enemies."

 

But at this point he could not help thinking of Phil Courtney, who, if not an enemy, was certainly not a friend.

 

"Is it possible that Phil would play me such a trick?" he asked himself. "No; he would think too much of himself. He would not condescend¹⁰ to do such a thing."

 

Grit walked up and down along the river bank, looking here and there to see if anywhere he could descry¹¹ his boat. At length he saw a boat, but the boat was not his. It belonged to Jesse Burns, the son of the postmaster, and was of about the same size and build as his own.

 

"Jesse!" he called out, putting his hands to his mouth to increase the volume of sound.

 

Jesse heard the call, and rowed toward where Grit was standing¹².

 

"What is it, Grit?"

 

"My boat has been taken, and I don't know what has become of it."

 

"Is that so?" asked Jesse, in surprise. "Why, I saw Phil Courtney out on the river[Pg 98] with it. I passed him only fifteen minutes since. I thought you had let it to him."

 

"Phil Courtney!" exclaimed Grit, angry and surprised. "I didn't think he would take it without leave."

 

"Did he?"

 

"Yes, I found the rope cut."

 

"That doesn't seem like Phil. He's mean enough to do anything, but I didn't think he would do that."

 

"Nor I. I'll give him a good piece of my mind when we meet. Where did you meet him?"

 

"Just above Glen Cove⁸."

 

"Do me a favor, Jesse. Take me into your boat, and row me up there, so that I may meet him, and recover my boat."

 

"All right, Grit. I'm very glad to do you a favor."

 

"Are you sure it is my boat Phil had?" asked Grit, still unwilling¹³ to believe that Phil had deliberately¹⁴ taken his boat.

 

"Yes, I know your boat as well as my own. Besides, there was the name, Water Lily, on it, as plain as day. There is no doubt about it."

 

"Well," said Grit, closing his lips firmly, "all I can say is, I'll make him pay for the use of the boat, or there'll be trouble."

 

[Pg 99]

 

"You won't challenge him, will you, Grit?" asked Jesse, smiling.

 

"That's just what I will do. I should be justified¹⁵ in thrashing him, without notice, but I will give him a chance to defend himself."

 

"If you want a second, call on me," said Jesse. "I don't like Phil any better than you do, and I shan't object to seeing his pride humbled¹⁶. It's bad for your business, having the boat taken."

 

"Yes, I shall lose the chance of two passengers who wanted to go across to Portville an hour from now."

 

"You may use my boat for that, Grit."

 

"Thank you, Jesse; I should like to, if I don't get back my own. Did you speak to Phil?"

 

"No. I said 'good morning,' but, with his usual politeness, he only gave a slight nod, and did not answer. I wanted to ask him how it happened that he was using your boat so early in the morning, but, you see, I got no chance."

 

"It is queer. I can't guess what he will have to say for himself."

 

"There he is now!" said Jesse suddenly, looking up the river.

 

"Where?"

 

"Don't you see? He is rowing this way.[Pg 100] His back is turned, and he hasn't seen us yet."

 

Yes, it was Phil. He had enjoyed a good row, and now was on his return course. He was rowing slowly and lazily, as if fatigued¹⁷.

 

"You will soon hear what he has to say, Grit," said Jesse.

 

At that moment Phil chanced to turn round, and he saw and recognized the boys that were approaching him. He did not, however, seem confused or embarrassed; neither did he change his course. He merely smiled, and continued to row toward his pursuers.

 

"He sees us, and still he comes on. There's cheek for you!" ejaculated Jesse.

 

Grit said nothing, but his mouth closed firmly, and his eyes sparkled with anger. He waited till Phil was within earshot, and then he demanded sternly:

 

"What are you doing there with my boat, Phil Courtney?"

 

Phil would have resented Grit's tone, but he gloated over the triumphant¹⁸ answer he was able to make, and thought he would tantalize¹⁹ Grit a little.

 

"To what boat do you allude²⁰?" he asked, in a nonchalant tone.

 

"To what boat do I allude?" repeated Grit,[Pg 101] provoked. "I allude to my boat, in which you are rowing."

 

"You are mistaken," said Phil composedly. "I am rowing in my own boat."

 

"Isn't that the Water Lily?" asked Jesse, coming to the help of his friend.

 

"It is at present. I shall change the name for one I like better."

 

"Look here, Phil Courtney!" said Grit indignantly, "this is carrying the joke a little too far. You have taken my boat without leave or license²¹ from me, and now you actually claim it as your own. Do you mean to say that isn't the boat I have been rowing on this river for the last year?"

 

"I never said it wasn't."

 

"Isn't it the boat in which I carried you across the river yesterday?"

 

"Of course."

 

"Then what business had you to cut the rope and carry it off?"

 

"I didn't."

 

"Then how did you come by it?"

 

"I bought it!"

 

"Bought it!" exclaimed Grit and Jesse simultaneously²².

 

"Yes, I bought it, and it is mine," continued Phil, with a smile of triumph. "It's just as[Pg 102] much mine to-day as it was yours yesterday."

 

"I never sold it to you," said Grit, perplexed²³.

 

"No, but your stepfather, Mr. Brandon, did. If the rope was cut, he cut it."

 

"Can you prove this, Phil Courtney?" asked Grit.

 

"If you will row up alongside, I will satisfy your curiosity."

 

Jesse pulled his boat alongside, and Phil drew from his vest pocket a paper and handed it to Grit.

 

"Read that," he said.

 

Grit read as follows:

 

"In consideration of five dollars, to me paid, I make over and sell the boat called the Water Lily to Philip Courtney.

 

Nathan Brandon."

 

"There!" said Philip triumphantly²⁴, "what have you to say now?"

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 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。

3 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

4 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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

6 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

7 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。

8 cove   

n.小海湾，小峡谷

参考例句：

• The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁，嫩绿一片，好一个山外的小海湾。
• I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 condescend   

v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑

参考例句：

• Would you condescend to accompany me?你肯屈尊陪我吗？
• He did not condescend to answer.He turned his back on me.他不愿屈尊回答我的问题。他不理睬我。

11 descry   

v.远远看到；发现；责备

参考例句：

• I descry a sail on the horizon.我看见在天水交接处的轮船。
• In this beautiful sunset photo,I seem to descry the wings of the angel.在美丽日落照片中，我好像看到天使的翅膀。

12 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。

13 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。

14 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

15 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

16 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

17 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。

18 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

19 tantalize   

vt.使干着急，逗弄

参考例句：

• The boy would come into the room and tantalize the dog with his feed.那个男孩会到房间里拿狗食逗弄狗。
• He tried to tantalize me by revealing that the Soviet Union was prepared to discuss a package deal.他想要逗弄我，于是就露出口风说，苏联愿意讨论一揽子交易。

20 allude   

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。

21 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

22 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

23 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

24 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。