CHAPTER XXVII. AN INTRACTABLE AGENT.

 The new visitor was a large man, evidently a German, weighing not less than two hundred pounds. He approached Hugo Higgins, towering above the dwarf¹ by at least fourteen inches, and shook his fist in his face. Mr. Higgins shrank back as if fearful of a personal assault, and inquired in uneasy tones:

 

"Who are you, my friend?"

 

"Who am I?" retorted the other, laughing gutturally. "You know me well enough, you villain²!"

 

"I think I have seen you somewhere," said Hugo, not daring to show the anger he felt at the hard name by which the other addressed him.

 

"You have seen me somewhere? Come, that's good. My name is Otto Schmidt, and I am one of your victims. You understand that, hey?"

 

[Pg 242]

 

"No. I can't say I do."

 

"Then I'll tell you. I came in here last week and bought some of your confounded packages. I was to make big wages by selling them, hey?"

 

"Certainly, I hope you did."

 

"You hope I did?" repeated Mr. Otto Schmidt fiercely. "Well, I tell you. I went round two days in Montclair, and how many packages you think I sell, hey?"

 

"About fifty," answered Hugo with a sickly smile.

 

"About fifty? Ha, ha!" returned the German, laughing wildly. "I sell just one to a young boy named Chester Noyes. That's all I sell."

 

"My dear Mr. Schmidt, I am afraid you got discouraged too soon," said Hugo suavely³.

 

"So I am your dear Mr. Schmidt, hey? You cost me dear enough with your lies about the business, you scoundrel!"

 

"I cannot allow you to talk to me in this way," said Hugo in a dignified⁴ tone.

 

"Oh, you won't, hey?" retorted the German, beginning to dance about the floor.

 

[Pg 243]

 

"Well, I won't. Maybe you prefer to have me step on your necktie, hey?"

 

Hugo Higgins looked alarmed, and Jed could hardly help laughing.

 

"Well, what do you want?" asked Hugo, afraid some applicant⁵ for an agency might enter and be frightened away.

 

"What do I want? I want my money back."

 

"That is against our rules," said Hugo. "My good Mr. Schmidt, take the packages and go to some other place. Other agents have told me that Montclair is not a good town for business. Go to—to Rahway! I am sure you will sell all your packages there."

 

"No; I don't go to Rahway. I sell all my packages here."

 

"But, my good friend——"

 

"I am not your good friend. I am no friend to a rascal⁶."

 

"Really, this language——"

 

"Never mind about the language! I ain't going to be schwindled by no fakir. I've got forty-nine packages here, and I want you to pay me back my money, seven dollars and thirty-five cents."

 

[Pg 244]

 

"I can't think of such a thing."

 

"Then I give you in charge for schwindling," said Otto Schmidt, thrusting a fat fist directly under Hugo's nose. "I may be one Dutchman, but I ain't so dumb as you think I am."

 

"I don't think you dumb at all," said Hugo soothingly⁷. "I think you are a smart man of business."

 

"You find me too schmart to be schwindled, I tell you that."

 

"Still, if you don't want to go on with the business, I'll take back the packages and give you five dollars for them."

 

"And I to lose two dollars and thirty-five cents, besides all my time. Not much, Mr. Hugo Higgins."

 

"You can't expect me to give you back all the money."

 

"Well, I do," said Mr. Schmidt stoutly⁸. "I give you just two minutes to make up your mind."

 

Just then the door opened, and a young man who was evidently from the country entered.

 

"I seed your advertisement," he said. "I[Pg 245] want to be an agent, if you can give me a chance."

 

Otto Schmidt smiled sardonically⁹, and was about to speak, when Hugo said hurriedly, "Come out into the hall, Mr. Schmidt, and I think we can arrange your business satisfactorily."

 

"All right! I come," and he followed Hugo out into the entry.

 

"I will pay you your money," said the agent. "It is quite against my rules, but I will make an exception in your case."

 

"I want a dollar more to pay me for my time," said the German, appreciating his advantage.

 

"But, my dear sir, this is very unreasonable," said Mr. Higgins uneasily.

 

"Then I go back into the room and show you up."

 

"Very well, here is your money!" and Hugo with great reluctance¹⁰ drew out eight dollars and thirty-five cents and handed it to Mr. Schmidt.

 

Otto Schmidt chuckled¹¹ and nodded significantly at the discomfited¹² Hugo.

 

[Pg 246]

 

"I may be a Dutchman," he said, "but I ain't no chump."

 

Hugo re-entered the office and smiled affably at the young man from the country.

 

"One of our successful agents," he said, nodding towards the door. "I won't tell you how much that German gentleman has made by selling our famous packages, for you might not believe me."

 

"Can you give me a chance?" asked the young hayseed anxiously.

 

"Well, I think I can," said Hugo with assumed hesitation¹³, and then he explained on what terms he sold, as he had done to Jed.

 

"How many packages will you take?" he asked pleasantly.

 

"I guess I'll take a dozen to begin with," said the young man from the country.

 

"A dozen!" replied Hugo, much disappointed. "My, that's no order at all. You would have to come back for more before the day was out."

 

"Well, I'll take fifteen," said the young man after reflection.

 

[Pg 247]

 

"You'd better take fifty. Very few of our agents take less than fifty."

 

"No, I ain't got much money. I'll only take fifteen to begin with."

 

And to this determination he adhered, in spite of the persuasions¹⁴ of Mr. Higgins.

 

As Hugo wrapped up the packages and received back two dollars and twenty-five cents, he regretted that he had so hastily agreed to buy back Mr. Schmidt's boxes at an advance on the original cost.

 

"Where would you advise me to sell?" asked the young man.

 

"Country towns are best," said Hugo. "Some distance from the city, I advise, as those who live near New York can come here and buy, and are less ready to patronize agents."

 

Jed smiled to himself. He understood that Mr. Higgins wished to guard against a visit from the young man in case his business failed to meet his anticipations¹⁵. He lingered behind after the rural visitor had gone.

 

"I hope," said Hugo, "you took no stock in what that stupid Dutchman said."

 

[Pg 248]

 

"Well," replied Jed, "it shows that some of your agents are not successful."

 

"A man like that could not succeed in selling anything," said Hugo scornfully. "Now it is different with you. You look smart."

 

Jed smiled. He began to understand Mr. Higgins and his methods.

 

"Then you remember the letters from the agents which I read you."

 

"Yes," answered Jed, but he felt convinced now that the letters were bogus, and manufactured by Mr. Higgins himself.

 

"When you can command the necessary funds I shall be glad to have you call and buy a bundle of samples."

 

"I don't think I shall care to enter into the business, Mr. Higgins," said Jed. "It would be an experiment, and I am not in a position to try experiments."

 

Higgins looked at Jed, and saw that he was understood.

 

"Very well!" he said coldly. "You must do as you like, but you are making a mistake."

 

Jed left the office and went down stairs. What had happened did not encourage him.[Pg 249] It seemed a good deal harder to make a living in a large city than he supposed.

 

He saw now that there were sharpers ready to fleece the young and inexperienced. If he had not been robbed of his money, in all probability he would have fallen a victim to the persuasive¹⁶ but deceptive¹⁷ representations of Mr. Higgins, and have come back disappointed like Mr. Otto Schmidt.

 

He continued his walk down Nassau Street, and presently turned into Broadway. His attention was attracted to a church with a very high spire¹⁸ facing Wall Street. He inquired the name and found it was Trinity Church. The Scranton meeting-house could easily have been tucked away in one corner of the large edifice¹⁹, and as far as height was concerned, it was but an infant compared with a six-footer.

 

He walked still further down Broadway, till he reached a green park, which he found was called the Battery. Feeling somewhat fatigued²⁰, he sat down on a bench near the sea-wall and looked over toward Governor's Island. Craft of different sizes were passing, and Jed was interested and exhilarated by the spectacle.

1 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

2 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

3 suavely   

参考例句：

• He is suavely charming and all the ladies love him. 他温文尔雅，女士们都喜欢他。 来自互联网
• Jiro: (Suavely) What do you think? What do you feel I'm like right now? 大东﹕（耍帅）你认为呢﹖我现在给你的感觉如何﹖。 来自互联网

4 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

5 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

6 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。

7 soothingly   

adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地

参考例句：

• The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘，她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 stoutly   

adv.牢固地，粗壮的

参考例句：

• He stoutly denied his guilt.他断然否认自己有罪。
• Burgess was taxed with this and stoutly denied it.伯杰斯为此受到了责难，但是他自己坚决否认有这回事。

9 sardonically   

adv.讽刺地，冷嘲地

参考例句：

• Some say sardonically that combat pay is good and that one can do quite well out of this war. 有些人讽刺地说战地的薪饷很不错，人们可借这次战争赚到很多钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Tu Wei-yueh merely drew himself up and smiled sardonically. 屠维岳把胸脯更挺得直些，微微冷笑。 来自子夜部分

10 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。

11 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

12 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

13 hesitation   

n.犹豫，踌躇

参考例句：

• After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天，他终于直说了。
• There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。

14 persuasions   

n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰

参考例句：

• To obtain more advertisting it needed readers of all political persuasions. 为获得更多的广告，它需要迎合各种政治见解的读者。 来自辞典例句
• She lingered, and resisted my persuasions to departure a tiresome while. 她踌躇不去，我好说歹说地劝她走，她就是不听。 来自辞典例句

15 anticipations   

预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物

参考例句：

• The thought took a deal of the spirit out of his anticipations. 想到这，他的劲头消了不少。
• All such bright anticipations were cruelly dashed that night. 所有这些美好的期望全在那天夜晚被无情地粉碎了。

16 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

17 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

18 spire   

n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点

参考例句：

• The church spire was struck by lightning.教堂的尖顶遭到了雷击。
• They could just make out the spire of the church in the distance.他们只能辨认出远处教堂的尖塔。

19 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

20 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。