CHAPTER XXV THE NEW BOAT

 Herbert worked steadily¹ every forenoon on his farm. Cameron then proposed that they should take the forenoon for their studies and walk out or exercise in some other way in the afternoon.

One afternoon Cameron said: “Let us take a walk to Prospect² Pond; I think I should enjoy a little rowing.”

“I will accompany you with pleasure, Mr. Cameron,” said Herbert, “but don't ask me to go out in the boat with you.”

“Why not? Are you afraid I will upset you?”

“No,” answered Herbert; “I have confidence in your skill. Besides, I can swim.”

“What is your objection, then?”

“If the boat belonged to anyone but James Leech³ I would not mind.”

“Why should you mind that?”

“I met him last evening and he told me not to get into his boat again. He said he was perfectly⁴ willing you should use it, but he didn't choose to have me.”

“It appears that I am a greater favorite with James Leech than you are,” said Cameron, smiling.

“He looks down upon me as a poor boy.”

“Well, I suppose James is entitled to his prejudice; but if you can't use the boat, I won't.”

“Don't let that interfere⁵ with your pleasure, Mr. Cameron,” said Herbert, eagerly. “I don't trouble myself in the least about the way James treats me.”

“Let us go down to the pond, at any rate. We can sit down on the bank, if nothing better.”

“All right.”

An easy walk brought them to the edge of the pond. Herbert naturally looked for James Leech's boat. He thought something was the matter with his eyes, for where there should be but one boat there were now two.

“Why, there's another boat!” he exclaimed.

“Is there?” asked Cameron, indifferently.

“Yes, don't you see it?”

“Well, it does look like a boat, I admit. I should say it was nicer than the other.”

“I should say it was. Isn't she a regular beauty?” exclaimed Herbert, enthusiastically. “I wonder whose it is? James wouldn't want two.”

There was a smile on Cameron's face that attracted Herbert's attention.

“Is it yours?” he asked.

“No; I know who owns it, though.”

“It isn't the landlord, is it?”

“No.”

“Then I can't imagine whose it is,” said Herbert.

“Can't you?”

“No,” said Herbert. “Will you tell me?”

“It is yours!”

“Mine!” exclaimed our hero, in the utmost surprise,

“Yes; I intended at first not to give it to you till I went away; but I may as well give it now, on one condition—that you let me use it whenever I please.”

“How kind you are!” said Herbert, gratefully. “I never received such a splendid present in my life. I have done nothing to deserve it.”

“Let me be the judge of that. Now, with your consent, we will try her.”

With the utmost alacrity⁶ Herbert followed Cameron aboard the new craft, and took the oars⁷. Smoothly⁸ and easily the boat glided⁹ off on the surface of the pond.

“I like it much better than James',” said Herbert.

“It's a better model. His is rather clumsy. Besides, this is new and he must have had his for some time.”

“He has had it three years.”

“It needs painting.”

“Even if it were painted it wouldn't come up to this.”

“I agree with you,” said Cameron. “I am afraid James will be stirred with envy when he sees your boat.”

“I am afraid so, too. He won't believe it is mine.”

“It may be your duty, out of a delicate regard to his feelings, to give it up, or exchange,” suggested Cameron.

“That's a little further than I carry my delicate regard to his feelings,” responded Herbert.

After half an hour's rowing, Cameron said, suddenly: “I must go back to the hotel. I came near forgetting an important letter, which must be sent off by this afternoon's mail.”

Herbert was a little disappointed, still he said, cheerfully: “All right, Mr. Cameron.”

“Don't you cease your rowing,” said the collegian.

“I thought you might not like to walk back alone.”

“I don't mind that. I shall hurry back, and should be poor company. We will meet to-morrow morning.”

Cameron set out on his return home. He had gone less than quarter of a mile when he met James Leech.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Cameron,” said James, who was always polite to the rich manufacturer's son.

“Good afternoon, James.”

“Won't you go out in my boat, Mr. Cameron?”

“Thank you, I have just returned from the pond. I am obliged to go back to the hotel to write a letter.”

“I should have been glad of your company.”

“You won't be alone,” said Cameron, mischievously¹⁰. “I left Herbert Carter at the pond.”

“Was he out in the boat?” asked James, hastily.

“Yes.”

Without a word James walked abruptly¹¹ away. He was very angry with Herbert, who, he naturally concluded, was out in his boat.

“He's the most impudent¹² and cheeky boy I ever met!” he said to himself. “Last evening, I positively¹³ forbade his getting into my boat and he don't take the slightest notice of it. He needn't think he can take such liberties.”

Cameron smiled, as he read James' feelings in his face.

Just before reaching the pond there was rising ground, from which James could take a general survey of the lake. Herbert was cruising about and had not yet seen James.

“He don't think I'm so near,” thought James. “He thinks I won't know anything about his impudence¹⁴. I'll soon make him draw in his horns.”

In his excitement, James did not notice the boat particularly. If he had he would have seen that it was not his boat. But, so far as he knew, there was no other boat on the pond. Indeed, there was no boy whose father could afford to buy him one, and James had come to think himself sole proprietor¹⁵ of the pond, as well as of the only craft that plied¹⁶ on its surface.

“I wonder,” he thought, “whether I couldn't have Herbert fined for taking my property without leave, especially after I have expressly forbidden him to do it. I must ask my father this evening. It would bring down his pride a little to be taken before a justice.”

Herbert had got tired of cruising, and made a vigorous stroke, as if to cross the pond. James put up his hand to his mouth and shouted at the top of his voice: “Come right back, Herbert Carter!”

 

1 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

2 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

3 leech   

n.水蛭，吸血鬼，榨取他人利益的人；vt.以水蛭吸血；vi.依附于别人

参考例句：

• A leech is a small blood-sucking worm and usually lives in water.水蛭是一种小型吸血虫，通常生活在水中。
• One-side love like a greedy leech absorbed my time and my mirth.单相思如同一只贪婪的水蛭，吸走了我的时间和欢笑。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

6 alacrity   

n.敏捷，轻快，乐意

参考例句：

• Although the man was very old,he still moved with alacrity.他虽然很老，动作仍很敏捷。
• He accepted my invitation with alacrity.他欣然接受我的邀请。

7 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

9 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 mischievously   

adv.有害地；淘气地

参考例句：

• He mischievously looked for a chance to embarrass his sister. 他淘气地寻找机会让他的姐姐难堪。 来自互联网
• Also has many a dream kindheartedness, is loves mischievously small lovable. 又有着多啦a梦的好心肠，是爱调皮的小可爱。 来自互联网

11 abruptly   

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。

12 impudent   

adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的

参考例句：

• She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
• The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。

13 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

14 impudence   

n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼

参考例句：

• His impudence provoked her into slapping his face.他的粗暴让她气愤地给了他一耳光。
• What knocks me is his impudence.他的厚颜无耻使我感到吃惊。

15 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

16 plied   

v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》