CHAPTER 30. GRIT IS BETRAYED.

 In sending Grit¹ to Boston instead of the regular messenger, President Graves had acted on his own responsibility, as he had a right to do, since it was a matter to be decided² by the executive. He might, indeed, have consulted the directors, but that would have created delay, and might have endangered the needful secrecy³. When, however, Grit returned and reported to him that his mission had been satisfactorily accomplished⁴, he informed the directors of what had been done at a special meeting summoned at his own house. All approved the action except Mr. Courtney, who was prejudiced[Pg 221] against Grit, and, moreover, felt offended because his own counsel had not been asked or regarded.

 

"It seems to me," he said, with some heat, "that our president has acted in a very rash manner."

 

"How do you make that out, Mr. Courtney?" interrogated⁵ that official.

 

"It was actually foolhardy to trust a boy like Grit Morris with a package of such value."

 

"Why?" inquired Graves.

 

"Why? He is only a common boy, who makes a living by ferrying passengers across the river."

 

"Does that prevent his being honest?"

 

"A valuable package like that would be a powerful temptation to a boy like that," asserted Courtney.

 

"The package was promptly⁶ delivered," said Mr. Graves dryly.

 

"He says so," sneered⁸ Courtney.

 

"Pardon me, Mr. Courtney, I have had advice to that effect from the Boston bank," said the president blandly⁹.

 

"Well, I'm glad the danger has been averted," said Courtney, rather discomfited¹⁰. "All the same, I blame your course as hazardous¹¹ and injudicious. I suppose the boy was[Pg 222] afraid to appropriate property of so much value."

 

"I think, Mr. Courtney, you do injustice¹² to Grit," said Mr. Saunders, another director. "I am satisfied that he is strictly¹³ honest."

 

"Perhaps you'd be in favor of appointing him regular bank messenger," said Courtney, with a sneer⁷.

 

"I should certainly prefer him to Ephraim Carver."

 

"I consider Carver an honest man."

 

"And I have positive proof that he is not honest," said the president. "I have proof, moreover, that he was actually in league with the man who plotted to rob the bank."

 

This statement made a sensation, and the president proceeded:

 

"Indeed, I have called this extra meeting partly to suggest the necessity of appointing in Carver's place a man in whom we can repose¹⁴ confidence."

 

Here he detailed¹⁵ briefly¹⁶ the conversation which Grit overheard between the bank messenger and Colonel Johnson. It impressed all, except Mr. Courtney.

 

"All a fabrication of that boy, I'll be bound," he declared. "I am surprised, Mr. Graves, that you should have been humbugged by such a palpable invention."

 

[Pg 223]

 

"What could have been the boy's object in inventing such a story, allow me to ask, Mr. Courtney?"

 

"Oh, he wanted to worm himself into our confidence," said Courtney. "Very likely he wished to be appointed bank messenger, though that would, of course, be preposterous¹⁷."

 

"Gentlemen," said President Graves, "as my course does not seem to command entire approval, I will ask those of you who think I acted with discretion¹⁸ to signify it."

 

All voted in the affirmative except Mr. Courtney.

 

"I regret, Mr. Courtney, that you disapprove¹⁹ my course," said the president; "but I continue to think it wise, and am glad that your fellow directors side with me."

 

Soon after the meeting dissolved, and Mr. Courtney went home very much dissatisfied.

 

Nothing was done about the appointment of a new messenger, the matter being postponed²⁰ for three days.

 

When Mr. Courtney went home he did a very unwise thing. He inveighed²¹ in the presence of his family against the course of President Graves, though it was a matter that should have been kept secret. He found one to sympathize with him—his son Phil.

 

[Pg 224]

 

"You don't mean to say," exclaimed that young man, "that Grit Morris was sent to Boston in charge of thirty thousand dollars in bonds?"

 

"Yes, I do. That is just what was done."

 

"It's a wonder he didn't steal them and make himself scarce."

 

"That is in substance what I said at the meeting of the directors, my son."

 

"I wish they'd sent me," said Phil. "I should have enjoyed the trip."

 

"It would certainly have been more appropriate," said Mr. Courtney, "as you are the son of one of the directors, and not the least influential²² or prominent, I flatter myself."

 

"To take a common boatman!" said Phil scornfully. "Why, Mr. Graves must be crazy!"

 

"He is certainly a very injudicious man," said his father.

 

"Do you believe Carver to be dishonest, father?"

 

"No, I don't, though Graves does, on some evidence trumped²³ up by the boy Grit. He wants to supersede²⁴ him, and it would not at all surprise me if he should be in favor of appointing Grit."

 

[Pg 225]

 

"How ridiculous! What is the pay?" asked Phil.

 

"Six hundred dollars a year, I believe," said Courtney.

 

"Can't you get it for me?" asked Phil eagerly.

 

"I don't think it would be suitable to appoint a boy," returned Courtney. "That is my objection to Grit."

 

"Surely I would be a better messenger than a common boy like that."

 

"Of course, you come of a very different family. Still, I prefer a man, and indeed I am in favor of retaining Ephraim Carver."

 

Phil would really have liked the office of bank messenger. He was tired of studying, and would have found it very agreeable to have an income of his own. He got considerable sums from his father, but not sufficient for his needs, or, rather, his wishes. Besides, like most boys of his age, he enjoyed traveling about, and considered the office a light and pleasant one.

 

"What a fool Graves must be," he said to himself, "to think of a common boatman for such a place! He'd better stick to his boat, it's all he's qualified²⁵ for. I'd like to put a spoke²⁶ in his wheel."

 

He left the house, and a short distance up[Pg 226] the street he met Ephraim Carver, who had come back to town in obedience²⁷ to Colonel Johnson's suggestion, to learn what he could about the mysterious package.

 

"I'll see what I can learn from him," thought Phil.

 

"Good morning, Mr. Carver," he said.

 

"Good morning, Philip."

 

"You've been to Boston lately, haven't you?"

 

"I wonder whether he has heard anything about the matter from his father," thought Carver.

 

"Yes," he answered.

 

"You didn't happen to meet Grit Morris there, did you?" asked Phil.

 

"Grit Morris!" exclaimed Carver, in genuine surprise.

 

"Yes, didn't you know he had been to Boston?"

 

"No; what business had he in Boston?" asked the messenger.

 

"None of his own," answered Phil significantly.

 

"Did any one send him?"

 

"You had better ask Mr. Graves," said Phil, telling more than he intended to.

 

"Why didn't Mr. Graves get me to attend[Pg 227] to his business?" asked Carver, still in the dark.

 

"I didn't say Graves had any business of his own. He is president of the bank, you know."

 

"But I attend to the bank business. I am the messenger."

 

"Perhaps you don't attend to all of it," said Phil, telling considerably²⁸ more than he intended when the conversation commenced.

 

"Tell me what you know, Phil, about this matter. It is important for me to know," said Carver coaxingly²⁹. "I know you don't like Grit, neither do I. If he is trying to curry³⁰ favor with Mr. Graves, I want to know it, so as to circumvent³¹ him."

 

Before Phil quite knew what he was saying, he had revealed everything to Carver, adding that Grit was after his place.

 

The bank messenger now understood why the package entrusted³² to him was a dummy³³, and who carried the real package. He lost no time in sending information to Colonel Johnson, in Portland.

 

The gentleman was very much excited when he learned in what way he had been circumvented³⁴.

 

"So it was a boy, was it?" he said savagely³⁵. "That boy must be looked after. He may find that he has made a mistake in meddling³⁶ with affairs that don't concern him."

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 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。

3 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

4 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

5 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

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 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

9 blandly   

adv.温和地，殷勤地

参考例句：

• There is a class of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blandly. 布里斯托尔有那么一帮人为此恨透了布兰德利。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• \"Maybe you could get something in the stage line?\" he blandly suggested. “也许你能在戏剧这一行里找些事做，\"他和蔼地提议道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 discomfited   

v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败

参考例句：

• He was discomfited by the unexpected questions. 意料不到的问题使得他十分尴尬。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He will be particularly discomfited by the minister's dismissal of his plan. 部长对他计划的不理会将使他特别尴尬。 来自辞典例句

11 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

12 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

13 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

14 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

15 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

16 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

17 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。

18 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

19 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

20 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

21 inveighed   

v.猛烈抨击，痛骂，谩骂( inveigh的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Comintern propagands had inveighed against the Nazi menace for years. 多年来共产国际的宣传猛烈抨击纳粹的威胁。 来自辞典例句
• Marx inveighed against the evils the property-owning classes. 马克思猛烈抨击了有产阶级的罪恶。 来自互联网

22 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

23 trumped   

v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去分词 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• That woman trumped up various baseless charges against him. 那个女人捏造种种毫无根据的罪名指控他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Several of his colleagues trumped up a complaint to get him removed from the job. 他的几位同事诬告他，使他丟掉了工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 supersede   

v.替代；充任

参考例句：

• We must supersede old machines by new ones.我们必须以新机器取代旧机器。
• The use of robots will someday supersede manual labor.机器人的使用有一天会取代人力。

25 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

26 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

27 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

28 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

29 coaxingly   

adv. 以巧言诱哄，以甘言哄骗

参考例句：

30 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

31 circumvent   

vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜

参考例句：

• Military planners tried to circumvent the treaty.军事策略家们企图绕开这一条约。
• Any action I took to circumvent his scheme was justified.我为斗赢他的如意算盘而采取的任何行动都是正当的。

32 entrusted   

v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
• She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

34 circumvented   

v.设法克服或避免（某事物），回避( circumvent的过去式和过去分词 )；绕过，绕行，绕道旅行

参考例句：

• By such means the ban against dancing was circumvented. 这样，舞蹈就不至于被禁止。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• It can therefore be circumvented by address manipulation and explicit type conversion. 因而可以通过地址操纵和显式型别转换来绕过此保护功能。 来自互联网

35 savagely   

adv. 野蛮地，残酷地

参考例句：

• The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
• He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。

36 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句