CHAPTER 40. COLONEL JOHNSON COMES TO GRIEF.

 We must now follow Johnson up-stairs.

 

In the room above, sitting down tranquilly¹ in an arm-chair, but not in that in the center of the room, was a small, wiry man of unpretending exterior².

 

"What is your business here, sir?" demanded Johnson rudely.

 

"Are you the owner of this house?" asked Benjamin Baker³ coolly.

 

"Yes. That does not explain your presence here, however."

 

"I am in search of a quiet home, and it struck me that this was about the sort of a house I would like," answered Baker.

 

"Then, sir, you have wasted your time in coming here. This house is not for sale."

 

"Indeed! Perhaps I may offer you enough to make it worth your while to sell it to me."

 

[Pg 279]

 

"Quite impossible, sir. This is my house, and I don't want to sell."

 

"I am sorry to hear it. Perhaps you would be kind enough to show me over the house to let me see its arrangements, as I may wish to copy them if I build."

 

"It strikes me, sir, you are very curious, whoever you are," said Johnson angrily. "You intrude⁴ yourself into the house of a quiet citizen, and wish to pry⁵ into his private arrangements."

 

"I really beg your pardon, Mr. —— I really forget your name."

 

"Because you never heard it. The name is of no consequence."

 

"I was about to say, if you have anything to conceal⁶, I won't press my request."

 

"Who told you I had anything to conceal?" said Johnson suspiciously.

 

"I inferred it from your evident reluctance⁷ to let me go over your house."

 

"Then, sir, I have only to say that you are mistaken. Because I resent your impertinent intrusion, you jump to the conclusion that I have something to conceal."

 

"Just so. There might, for example, be a trap-door in this very room——"

 

Colonel Johnson sprang to his feet and advanced toward his unwelcome guest.

 

[Pg 280]

 

"Tell me what you mean," he said savagely⁸. "I am not the man to be bearded in my own house. You will yet repent⁹ your temerity¹⁰ in thrusting yourself here."

 

Benjamin Baker also rose to his feet, and, putting a whistle to his mouth, whistled shrilly¹¹.

 

Instantly two stalwart policemen sprang into the apartment from the hall outside.

 

"Seize that man!" said the detective.

 

"What does this mean?" asked Johnson, struggling, but ineffectually.

 

"It means, Colonel Johnson, alias¹² Robert Kidd, that you are arrested on a charge of being implicated¹³ in the attempt to steal a parcel of bonds belonging to the National Bank of Chester, Maine."

 

"I don't know anything about it," said Johnson sullenly¹⁴. "You've got the wrong man."

 

"Possibly. If so, you'll be released, especially as there are other charges against you. Guard him, men, while I search the house."

 

"Here, boy, show me where my young friend is concealed," said Baker to Daniel, who was timidly peeping in at the door.

 

A minute later and Baker cut the cords that confined the hands and feet of Grit¹⁵.

 

"Now," said he quickly, "have you [Pg 281]discovered anything that will be of service to me?"

 

Grit opened for him the dark passage. The detective walked to the end, and saw the room into which it opened.

 

"Do you know, Grit," he said, on his return, "you have done a splendid day's work? With your help I have discovered the headquarters of a bold and desperate gang of thieves, which has long baffled the efforts of the Boston police. There is a standing¹⁶ reward of two thousand dollars for their discovery, to which you will be entitled."

 

"No, sir; it belongs to you," said Grit modestly. "I could have done nothing without you."

 

"Nor I without your information. But we can discuss this hereafter."

 

Johnson ground his teeth when Grit was brought upstairs, free, to see him handcuffed and helpless.

 

"I believe you are at the bottom of this, you young rascal¹⁷!" he said.

 

"You are right," said the detective. "We have received very valuable information from this boy, whom you supposed to be in your power."

 

"I wish I had killed him!" said Johnson furiously.

 

[Pg 282]

 

"Fortunately, you were saved that crime, and need expect nothing worse than a long term of imprisonment¹⁸. Officers, take him along."

1 tranquilly   

adv. 宁静地

参考例句：

• He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work. 他拿起刷子，一声不响地干了起来。
• The evening was closing down tranquilly. 暮色正在静悄悄地笼罩下来。

2 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

3 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

4 intrude   

vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰

参考例句：

• I do not want to intrude if you are busy.如果你忙我就不打扰你了。
• I don't want to intrude on your meeting.我不想打扰你们的会议。

5 pry   

vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起)

参考例句：

• He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
• We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。

6 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

7 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。

8 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。

9 repent   

v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔

参考例句：

• He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。
• Remission of sins is promised to those who repent.悔罪者可得到赦免。

10 temerity   

n.鲁莽，冒失

参考例句：

• He had the temerity to ask for higher wages after only a day's work.只工作了一天，他就蛮不讲理地要求增加工资。
• Tins took some temerity,but it was fruitless.这件事做得有点莽撞，但结果还是无用。

11 shrilly   

尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的

参考例句：

• The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰，尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
• He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子，低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨，一面挥挥手。

12 alias   

n.化名；别名；adv.又名

参考例句：

• His real name was Johnson,but he often went by the alias of Smith.他的真名是约翰逊，但是他常常用化名史密斯。
• You can replace this automatically generated alias with a more meaningful one.可用更有意义的名称替换这一自动生成的别名。

13 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 sullenly   

不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地

参考例句：

• 'so what?" Tom said sullenly. “那又怎么样呢？”汤姆绷着脸说。
• Emptiness after the paper, I sIt'sullenly in front of the stove. 报看完，想不出能找点什么事做，只好一人坐在火炉旁生气。

15 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。

16 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。

17 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

18 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。