CHAPTER X GERALD FINDS A SYMPATHIZING FRIEND

 "There is very little chance of my going to college, Mr. Nugent," answered Gerald.

 

"Why not?" asked the old gentleman, in evident surprise. "Your father always intended that you should go. He has told me so more than once."

 

"Did he tell you so within a short time of his death?" asked Gerald, earnestly.

 

"Yes; he referred to it as a settled thing."

 

"He left all his property to Mrs. Lane, and I am dependent upon her."

 

"That is strange. But surely she, knowing your father's intentions—"

 

"She has decided¹ that I am to enter the employment of Mr. Tubbs, the grocer," said Gerald, bitterly.

 

"But this is positively² shameful³!" said the old gentleman, warmly.

 

"I say so, too, squire⁴," put in Alonzo. "Melindy's my sister, but that don't hinder me from sayin' that she is treatin' Gerald meanly. She has put her own boy in his place, though he's no kith nor kin⁵ of the man from whom her money comes."

 

"Is there another boy, then? I have never seen him."

 

"She didn't send for him till after Mr. Lane's death. Like as not he never knew that she had a son. Melindy's sly, and always was."

 

"I am not sure that I ever spoke⁶ to Mrs. Lane, though her husband was one of my few friends," said John Nugent. "As you yourself criticise⁷ her, I will not hesitate to condemn⁸ her conduct. What I cannot understand is the manner in which Gerald has been left out of the will."

 

"It does look cur'ous, squire."

 

"I suppose it will be very disagreeable for you to enter Mr. Tubbs's store, Gerald?"

 

"Yes, sir. I am not afraid of work, but that is about the last position which I should have selected for myself."

 

"No doubt. Mr. Tubbs is an ignorant and illiterate⁹ man, and your education will be thrown away in his store. I have a great mind to call on your stepmother and protest against her treatment of you."

 

"Thank you very much, Mr. Nugent; but I don't think it would do any good. I have sometimes thought I would leave Portville and try to make my own way in the world."

 

"Shall I offer you some advice, my young friend?"

 

"I wish you would, sir. I am too young to decide what I ought to do."

 

"Then enter Mr. Tubbs' store for a time, even if it is disagreeable to you. Try the experiment, and see how your stepmother treats you. I shall be glad if you will call on me after a time and report. I was your father's friend, and I have reason to be yours. You have done me a great service to-day which I am not likely to forget."

 

The old gentleman spoke warmly. Gerald was surprised, for until to-day he had scarcely spoken a word to Mr. Nugent, who had made himself a recluse¹⁰, and was, perhaps, less known to his neighbors than any man in the village. Now it seemed that he had a good heart and warm sympathies for others.

 

"Thank you very much, Mr. Nugent," said Gerald. "It's a comfort to me to think I have one friend who was also a friend of my father."

 

"You can rely upon my friendship, Gerald," said the old man, kindly¹¹.

 

"I shall remember your kindness, Mr. Nugent, and I will call upon you soon. I am expected to go to work for Mr. Tubbs on Monday."

 

Soon afterward¹² Mr. Crane and Gerald left the house and returned home. They found Abel and his mother sitting at the table in the sitting-room¹³. They looked up with some curiosity as the two entered.

 

"How did you enjoy your call, Alonzo?" asked his sister.

 

"I had good reason to enjoy it," said the blacksmith.

 

"Did he give you anything for putting out the fire?"

 

"Yes."

 

"As much as five dollars?"

 

"The squire is a liberal man. He gave me enough to rebuild my shop."

 

"What!" exclaimed Mrs. Lane in incredulous amazement¹⁴.

 

"I've got in my pocket a check for three hundred dollars, Melindy."

 

"And won't you have to pay it back?" asked Abel.

 

"No; it's a free gift. It was a lucky day when I decided to come to Portville, even if my own sister did go back on me."

 

"It was out of my power to help you, Alonzo, but I am glad you have been so fortunate."

 

"How much did he give you?" asked Abel, turning to Gerald.

 

"He did not offer me anything. It was your uncle who saved his life."

 

"He might have given you a dollar or two," said Abel; but in his heart he was glad that Gerald was not remembered.

 

"I would not have accepted it."

 

"I would. I wouldn't be such an idiot as to refuse money when it was offered to me."

 

"You spoke the truth that time, Abel," said Alonzo, with a meaning smile. "I never knew you to refuse anything."

 

When it was half-past nine Mrs. Lane said:

 

"We go to bed early here, Alonzo. I suppose you will want to take an early start in the morning?"

 

"Yes, Melindy; I didn't come here to make you a long visit."

 

Even if he had, it was clear that this would not have been agreeable to Mrs. Lane.

 

"Abel," she said, "will you show your uncle up to the small chamber¹⁵ in the attic¹⁶, next to Ann's room?"

 

Ann was the servant.

 

Gerald was a little surprised, as there was a larger room on the second floor. Mrs. Lane clearly did not intend to treat her brother as company.

 

"I don't want to go, ma," grumbled¹⁷ Abel.

 

"I will show Mr. Crane the way to his room," said Gerald, quickly.

 

"Very well."

 

A small kerosene¹⁸ lamp was lighted and Gerald led the way up the two flights of stairs.

 

There were two rooms adjoining at one end of the attic. They were small and had dormer windows. In each was a cot bed about two feet wide.

 

"Is this the spare room, Gerald?" asked Mr. Crane, with a smile.

 

"Your sister doesn't treat you with much ceremony, Mr. Crane."

 

"No, that ain't Melindy's way. Howsomever I reckon I can sleep pretty sound in this little bed, if I don't tumble out."

 

"I hope you are not sorry for your visit"

 

"Sorry? I reckon not, when I carry back money enough to rebuild my shop—no thanks to Melindy, though."

 

"Well, I will bid you good night, and wish you a sound sleep."

 

"Thank you, Gerald. The same to you, my boy!"

 

Gerald went down-stairs and found Mrs. Lane and Abel preparing to go to bed. He took a lamp and went up-stairs. From the force of habit he was about to go into the room which had always been his, but remembered himself in time and turned into the little bedroom. He heard Abel moving about in his old room, and his thoughts were bitter.

 

"My place is taken by a stranger," he said. "How long shall I be able to stand it? Once I had a home, but now all is changed!"

 

Gerald may be pardoned for feeling melancholy¹⁹. The death of his father had made a great change for him. But the most bitter thought was that all this had happened with the concurrence²⁰ of his father. He might easily have been provided for and made independent of his stepmother, but this had not been done. Now, as he looked forward, his prospects²¹ seemed far from bright. Though his father had died rich, he was penniless and had his own way to make. However, Gerald had a healthy nature and he did not allow sad thoughts long to hold sway over him.

 

He was soon sound asleep.

 

How long he slept he did not know, but suddenly he became wide awake. His hearing was keen and he seemed to hear something moving in the next room.

 

"Is Abel up, I wonder?" he said to himself.

 

 

A DARK FIGURE WAS BENDING OVER THE BED

 

Just then he heard a scream, and, bounding out of bed, he dashed into the next room.

 

There in the faint light—for there was a moon—he saw a dark figure bending over the bed. The intruder looked like a tramp, and was grasping Abel by the throat.

 

"Shut up, you viper²²!" he exclaimed. "If you don't I'll choke you!"

 

Gerald comprehended the situation. The intruder was a burglar, who had been interrupted in his work by Abel's outcry, and was trying to stifle²³ his screams.

1 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。

2 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。

3 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

4 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

5 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。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 criticise   

v.批评，评论；非难

参考例句：

• Right and left have much cause to criticise government.左翼和右翼有很多理由批评政府。
• It is not your place to criticise or suggest improvements!提出批评或给予改进建议并不是你的责任！

8 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

9 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

10 recluse   

n.隐居者

参考例句：

• The old recluse secluded himself from the outside world.这位老隐士与外面的世界隔绝了。
• His widow became a virtual recluse for the remainder of her life.他的寡妻孤寂地度过了余生。

11 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

12 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

13 sitting-room   

n.（BrE）客厅，起居室

参考例句：

• The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
• Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。

14 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

15 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

16 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

17 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

18 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

19 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

20 concurrence   

n.同意；并发

参考例句：

• There is a concurrence of opinion between them.他们的想法一致。
• The concurrence of their disappearances had to be more than coincidental.他们同时失踪肯定不仅仅是巧合。

21 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

22 viper   

n.毒蛇；危险的人

参考例句：

• Envy lucks at the bottom of the human heart a viper in its hole.嫉妒潜伏在人心底，如同毒蛇潜伏在穴中。
• Be careful of that viper;he is dangerous.小心那个阴险的人，他很危险。

23 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。