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首页 » 儿童英文小说 » Hector's Inheritance or The Boys of Smith Institute » CHAPTER XXIV. THE YOUNG DETECTIVES.
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CHAPTER XXIV. THE YOUNG DETECTIVES.
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 When Mr. Smith had made the two boys’ understand that he suspected them of purloining1 the missing five-dollar bill, they were naturally very indignant.
“Mr. Smith,” said Ben Platt, in a spirited tone, “no one ever suspected me of dishonesty before.”
“Nor me,” said Wilkins.
“That’s neither here nor there,” said the principal, dogmatically. “It stands to reason that some one took the money. Money doesn’t generally walk off itself,” he added, with a sneer2.
“I don’t dispute that,” said Ben; “but that does not prove that Wilkins or I had anything to do with it.”
“You were in the room with the money for half an hour, according to your own confession,” said Socrates.
“Yes, I was.”
“And part of that time Wilkins was also present.”
“Yes, sir,” assented3 Wilkins.
“I am no lawyer,” said the principal, triumphantly4, “but that seems to me a pretty good case of circumstantial evidence.”
“You seem to forget, sir, that there is another person who had an excellent chance to take the money,” said Ben Platt.
“You mean Hector Roscoe? That is true. It lies between you three.”
“No, Mr. Smith, I do not mean Hector Roscoe. I have as much confidence in Roscoe as myself.”
“So have I,” sneered5 Socrates.
“And I know he would not take any money that did not belong to him. I mean a very different person—your nephew, James Smith.”
Socrates Smith frowned with anger. “There seems to be a conspiracy6 against my unfortunate nephew,” he said. “I don’t believe a word of your mean insinuations, and I am not deceived by your attempt to throw your own criminality upon him. It will not injure him in my eyes. Moreover, I shall be able to trace back the theft to the wrongdoer. The missing bill was marked with a cross upon the back, and should either of you attempt to pass it, your guilt7 will be made manifest. I advise you to restore it to me while there is yet time.”
“The bill was marked?” asked Wilkins, eagerly.
“Yes.”
“Then, sir, you may have a chance to find out who took it.”
“The discovery might not please you,” said Socrates, with a sneer.
“It would give me the greatest pleasure, Mr. Smith. If I can in any way help you discover the missing note, I will do so.”
“You can go,” said Socrates, abruptly8.
When the two boys had left the presence of the principal, Ben Platt, said, “What are you going to do about it, Wilkins?”
“First of all,” answered Wilkins, promptly9, “I am going to find out if Jim took that money.”
“How can you find out?”
“Did you notice that he had come out with a new ring?”
“No, I didn’t observe it.”
“He has bought it since that money was lost!” said Wilkins, significantly.
“Do you think he purchased it with the missing bill?”
“I wouldn’t wonder at all. At any rate, I am going to find out. He must have bought it from Washburn, the jeweler. Will you go with me, and ask?”
“Yes,” answered Ben, eagerly. “Let us go alone. If we can only prove the theft upon Jim, so that old Sock can’t help believing that he stole the money, we shall be cleared; though, as to that, there isn’t a scholar in school who would believe the charge against us.”
“Still, we may as well do what we can to bring the guilt home to Jim Smith.”
Ten minutes later the two boys entered the shop of Mr. Washburn.
“Will you show me some rings, Mr. Washburn?” asked Wilkins.
“Certainly,” answered the jeweler, politely.
“What is the price of that?” asked Wilkins, pointing to one exactly like the one he had seen on Jim’s finger.
“Three dollars and a half. It is a very pretty pattern.”
“Yes, sir. There’s one of our boys who has one just like it.”
“You mean James Smith, the principal’s nephew.”
“Yes, sir.”
“He bought it of me yesterday.”
The two boys exchanged a quick glance.
They felt that they were on the brink10 of a discovery.
“Did he give you a five-dollar bill in payment?” asked Ben Platt.
“Yes,” answered the jeweler, in surprise.
“Could you identify that bill?”
“What are you driving at, boys?” asked Mr. Washburn, keenly.
“I will explain to you if you will answer my questions first.”
“Yes, I could identify the bill.”
“Have you it in your possession still?”
“I have.”
“How will you know it?”
“It seems to me, my boy, you are in training for a lawyer.”
“I have a very urgent reason for asking you this question, Mr. Washburn.”
“Then I will answer you. When the note was given me, I noticed that it was on the Park Bank of New York.”
“Will you be kind enough to see if you can find it?”’
“Certainly.”
The jeweler opened his money drawer, and after a brief search, produced the bill in question.
It was a five-dollar bill on the Park Bank of New York, as he had already told the boys.
“Now, Mr. Washburn,” asked Wilkins, trying to repress his excitement, “will you examine the back of the bill, and see if there is any mark on it.”
The jeweler did as requested, and announced, after slight examination, that there was a cross on the back of the bill in the upper right hand corner.
“Hurrah!” shouted Ben, impulsively11.
To the wondering jeweler he explained his precise object in the inquiry12 he had made, and the boys were complimented by Mr. Washburn for their shrewdness.
“If I ever meet with a loss, I shall certainly call on you for assistance, boys,” he said.
“Thank you, Mr. Washburn,” answered Wilkins, “but I do not expect to be here to be called upon.”
“You are not going to leave the institute, are you?”
“I shall write to my father in what manner I have been treated, and let him understand how the principal manages the school, and I feel sure he will withdraw me.”
“Ditto for me!” said Ben Platt. “Old Sock’s partiality for his nephew has been carried too far, and now that the only decent teacher is going—Mr. Crabb—I don’t mean, to stay here if I can help it.”
The boys, upon their return to the school, sought out the principal.
“Well, boys,” he said, “have you come to confess?”
“No, sir,” answered Ben, “but we have come to give you some information about your money.”
“I was sure you knew something about it,” said Socrates, with a sneer. “I am glad you have decided13 to make a clean breast of it.”
“You are mistaken, sir.”
“Well, out with your information!” said the principal, roughly.
“A five-dollar bill, marked as you have described, was paid to Mr. Washburn, the jeweler, only yesterday.”
“Ha! Well?”
“The one who offered it purchased a gold ring.”
“I don’t care what he bought. Who was it that offered the money?”
“Your nephew, James Smith!”
“I don’t believe it,” said the teacher, very much disconcerted.
“Then, sir, I advise you to question Mr. Washburn.”
“How can he identify the bill? Is it the only five-dollar bill he has?”
“The only five-dollar bill on the Park Bank of New York, and he says he noticed that this was the bank that issued the bill handed him by your nephew.”
“What of that?”
“The note, which he still has in his possession, is marked just exactly as you have described.”
“It may have been marked since it came into Mr. Washburn’s hands,” said Socrates, but he was evidently very much disturbed by the intelligence. He might not confess it, but he could not help believing that Jim was the thief, after all.
“You can go,” he said, harshly. “I will look into this improbable story.”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 purloining 9f84c772268693bedf80279764c422c9     
v.偷窃( purloin的现在分词 )
参考例句:
2 sneer YFdzu     
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。
3 assented 4cee1313bb256a1f69bcc83867e78727     
同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
  • "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对,”汤姆表示赞同地说,“他们不杀女人——真伟大!
4 triumphantly 9fhzuv     
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。
5 sneered 0e3b5b35e54fb2ad006040792a867d9f     
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。
6 conspiracy NpczE     
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋
参考例句:
  • The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
  • He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。
7 guilt 9e6xr     
n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责
参考例句:
  • She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
  • Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
8 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
9 promptly LRMxm     
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。
10 brink OWazM     
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿
参考例句:
  • The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
  • The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。
11 impulsively 0596bdde6dedf8c46a693e7e1da5984c     
adv.冲动地
参考例句:
  • She leant forward and kissed him impulsively. 她倾身向前,感情冲动地吻了他。
  • Every good, true, vigorous feeling I had gathered came impulsively round him. 我的一切良好、真诚而又强烈的感情都紧紧围绕着他涌现出来。
12 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听,询问,调查,查问
参考例句:
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
13 decided lvqzZd     
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。


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