CHAPTER XXXVI. — A HEART-BROKEN RELATIVE.

 Late in the afternoon, John Fox knocked at the door of Benjamin Howard, in the town of Ferguson. It was a hundred miles distant from Colebrook, his own residence, and he grudged¹ the three dollars he had spent for railroad fare; still he thought that the stake was worth playing for.

 

"I am John Fox of Colebrook," he said, when Mr. Howard entered the room. "You may have heard of me."

 

"I have," answered Mr. Howard, slightly smiling.

 

"I am the only living relative of Harry² Vane, that is, I and my family."

 

"I have heard Harry speak of you," said Mr. Howard, non-committally.

 

"Yes, poor boy! I wish he were alive;" and Mr. Fox drew out a red bandanna³ handkerchief and covered his eyes, in which there were no tears.

 

"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Howard, startled.

 

"Then you haven't heard?"

 

"Heard—what?"

 

"That he sailed in the ship Nantucket, which was lost, with all on board, in the Southern Ocean?"

 

It so happened that Mr. Howard had received a letter from Harry after his arrival in Australia, and so knew that Harry was not lost. For a moment he thought Mr. Fox might have later information, but saw that it was not so. He decided⁴ to draw Mr. Fox on, and ascertain⁵ his object in calling.

 

"I hope that this is not so," he said gravely.

 

"There is not a doubt of it," answered Fox. "There's an account of the loss of the vessel⁶ in the New York Herald⁷. I cut it out, and have it in my pocket-book. Would you like to see it?"

 

"If you please."

 

Mr. Fox produced the scrap⁸, and asked triumphantly⁹, "Doesn't that settle it?"

 

"Suppose that it does, what then?"

 

"What then? It follows that Harry's money comes to me and my family, as the only surviving relatives. You've got money of his, the boy told me."

 

"Yes."

 

"About how much?"

 

"About three hundred dollars."

 

"So I thought. That money ought to be handed over to me."

 

"I don't see that, Mr. Fox."

 

"You don't see that?" interrogated¹⁰ Fox sharply. "Do you mean to keep it yourself?"

 

"Not for my own use; I am not that kind of a man, Mr. Fox. But I have no authority to hand the money over in the unceremonious way you expect."

 

"Why not? Isn't the boy dead?"

 

"I have no proof of it."

 

"What better proof do you want than the New York Herald?"

 

"The account in the Herald may contain errors."

 

"Perhaps you think the boy could swim to shore a few hundred miles," suggested John Fox with sarcasm¹².

 

"No, I don't think that likely."

 

"Then what possible chance had he to escape?"

 

"He might have been rescued by a passing vessel."

 

"Look here, Mr. Howard," said Fox indignantly, "you don't mean what you say. You evidently mean to keep that money from the lawful¹³ claimants. I am not much surprised. I expected it. But I can tell you here and now that John Fox isn't a man to be cheated and imposed upon. I mean to have my rights."

 

"Are you aware, Mr. Fox, that your language is offensive and insulting?"

 

"I don't care. I came here for justice. That money ought not to be in your hands, who are no kith nor kin¹¹ to Harry Vane. It ought to go to me, and I mean to sue you for it."

 

"Mr. Fox, I propose to obey the law, but it appears to me that you are taking it for granted that Harry Vane is dead without sufficient proof."

 

"What more proof do you want than this paragraph? The fact is, you don't want to believe it."

 

"No!" answered Mr. Howard in a tone of emotion, "I don't want to believe that poor Harry is dead."

 

"Nor I," said John Fox. "If the boy hadn't been foolish and left my happy home, he'd have been alive to-day. But we can't alter facts. He's dead, and all our grief won't bring him back."

 

Benjamin Howard looked at the man curiously¹⁴. "His grief doesn't seem to be very profound," he thought. "I will test him."

 

"Even if I were convinced that poor Harry was dead," he said, "I should not deliver up the money till you had established a legal claim to it."

 

"So you mean to put all possible obstacles in my way," said John Fox, provoked. "I thought so. But, Mr. Howard, let me tell you that you can't rob the orphan¹⁵."

 

"Meaning yourself?"

 

"No, I mean the dead boy—that is the orphan's estate—without settling with me. I am a man of influence, I'd have you know, and I'll put the matter in the hands of the lawyer right off."

 

"It might be well, first, to listen to what I have to say."

 

"Aha! he's scared!" thought John FoX. — "I'm ready to hear what you've got to say," he answered, "but it won't influence me a particle."

 

"I think it will. Harry Vane is alive!"

 

"What!" ejaculated John Fox, his face expressing his dismay. "It's a lie. I don't believe it."

 

"Georgie," said Mr. Howard to his little son, who just then entered the room, "go to my desk and bring me Harry Vane's letter."

 

This was done at once, John Fox meanwhile sitting in painful suspense¹⁶.

 

"This letter," said Mr. Howard, taking it in his hand, "was posted, as you see, at Melbourne, Australia. Harry was shipwrecked on an island, from which he finally escaped, and was carried to Melbourne. He writes me that he has gone to the mines, and is hoping to find some gold there."

 

"Is this true?" asked Fox in a hollow voice.

 

"I will read you the letter, and show you the signature."

 

"I think it's a forgery¹⁸."

 

"No chance of that. I know Harry Vane's handwriting well. But you don't look well, Mr. Fox. I thought you would be pleased to hear that Harry had escaped from the perils¹⁹ of shipwreck¹⁷ and is alive."

 

John Fox did not reply, but after examining the letter he rose with a rueful countenance²⁰, and departed unceremoniously, a badly disappointed man.

 

"It'll cost me three dollars to get back," he groaned²¹, "and I shall have to stop at a hotel, for there is no train till to-morrow. 'Most ten dollars gone altogether—just thrown away! I'm a very unlucky man."

 

The news he carried home brought grief to Mrs. Fox and Joel. Only Sally seemed glad that Harry was still living. For so expressing herself she was severely²² rebuked²³ by her mother.

1 grudged   

怀恨（grudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The mean man grudged the food his horse ate. 那个吝啬鬼舍不得喂马。
• He grudged the food his horse ate. 他吝惜马料。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 bandanna   

n.大手帕

参考例句：

• He knotted the bandanna around his neck.他在脖子上系了一条印花大围巾。
• He wiped his forehead with a blue bandanna and smiled again.他用一条蓝色的大手帕擦擦前额，又笑了笑。

4 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。

5 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

6 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

8 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

9 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。

10 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》

11 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

12 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

13 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

14 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

15 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。

16 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

17 shipwreck   

n.船舶失事，海难

参考例句：

• He walked away from the shipwreck.他船难中平安地脱险了。
• The shipwreck was a harrowing experience.那次船难是一个惨痛的经历。

18 forgery   

n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为）

参考例句：

• The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
• He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。

19 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

20 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

21 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

23 rebuked   

责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. 公司因忽略了安全规程而受到公开批评。
• The teacher rebuked the boy for throwing paper on the floor. 老师指责这个男孩将纸丢在地板上。