CHAPTER XV A STRANGE PROPOSAL

 Gerald had learned to look upon Mr. Nugent as a friend upon whose advice and assistance he could rely. On Friday evening he called at the house of his old friend and was cordially received.

 

"Let me know how you are getting on," said the old gentleman.

 

Gerald briefly¹ recounted what had passed.

 

"So your stepmother wishes you to remain with Mr. Tubbs?" said Mr. Nugent.

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"And you object?"

 

"I don't care to remain with a man who doubts my honesty."

 

John Nugent smiled.

 

"Would you prefer me as an employer to Mr. Tubbs?" he asked, after a pause.

 

"Very much," answered Gerald, brightening up.

 

He wondered, however, what Mr. Nugent could have for him to do. There seemed no chance in his establishment for a boy like himself unless Mr. Nugent needed some one to work for him. Gerald was willing to do this, though he would have preferred some out-of-door employment.

 

"Perhaps you wish me to do some writing?" he suggested, in a tone of inquiry².

 

"No, I may wish to send you on a journey. Would you object to that?"

 

"No, sir; I should be delighted to have the chance to travel."

 

"So I supposed," said Mr. Nugent, with a benevolent³ smile. "Most young people enjoy that."

 

"Am I to go with you, sir?"

 

"No. I am not a good traveler. A cold, which I should be very apt to contract, would be likely to bring on my old enemy, rheumatism⁴. At my age a man prefers to linger by his own fireside. You are not afraid of rheumatism?" he added, in a jocular tone.

 

"No, sir."

 

After a pause Mr. Nugent resumed:

 

"Two days ago I received a letter from Montana, from a man I supposed to be dead.

 

"The contents took me very much by surprise. I will read you the letter, and this will prepare the way for the proposal I will make you."

 

The old gentleman drew from his desk a letter written on coarse paper, and addressed in a hand made tremulous by age or infirmity.

 

It was post-marked at Campville, Montana.

 

The letter was passed to Gerald, who read as follows:

 

"Mr. John Nugent—If you turn to the signature of this letter you will recognize the name of a man who once did you a great wrong. Twenty years ago I was in the employ of the firm of which you were a senior member. I had access to the safe, and one day I appropriated twenty thousand dollars in negotiable securities and fled. You notified the police but I succeeded in getting away with my ill-gotten gains. I visited different parts of the great West, but finally settled down in an out-of-the-way place in Montana. I have been here ever since. Part of the money I deposited in a Chicago bank, part I brought with me. At that time, as now, mining was the chief business in Montana. I engaged in it with varying success.Upon the whole I have greatly prospered⁵. Probably I have in my possession at least twenty-five thousand dollars.

"But I have not been happy. I have lived the life of a recluse⁶, cut off by my own act from friends and society, and my wealth has done me no good. My business has occupied my mind, and afforded me in that way my only relief from remorse⁷. Latterly my health has been poor, and I have felt myself breaking down. I am probably about your own age, but I feel sure that I shall not live long. I have some distant relatives at the East, but I feel that what property I have should be left, in the way of atonement, to the man I have wronged.

"I am not able to go East. Would it be possible for you to come here and receive the money and property I possess, merely leaving me enough to see me through the short time I have yet to live? If not—if you, too, are unable to travel—will you send me some trusted friend who will act in your behalf? If possible, send me some one who will remain with me to the end. There are rough people hereabouts who might rob me. Fortunately, partly from my poor way of living, I am not supposed to have much money. Probably no one supposes me to be worth over three to four thousand dollars. I dread⁸ the time when I shall be quite helpless, as then I should be at the mercy of designing and unscrupulous parties.

"You may be surprised that I have learned your address. Lately I fell in with a stranger from the East, who spoke⁹ of you and gave me the information I desired. I trust this letter will be received and that you will feel like acting¹⁰ upon it. I shall die easy if I am able, even at this late day, to make some atonement for my wrong-doing.

"Yours respectfully,

"Thomas Nixon."

Gerald read this letter with interest, but could not understand how it could bear any relation to him.

 

"What do you think of it, Gerald?" asked Mr. Nugent.

 

"The man seems truly penitent," answered Gerald.

 

"You think, then, that it seems sincere and truthful¹¹? You would be likely to put confidence in it?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I remember this man Nixon; he was a trusted clerk in our bank when I was a merchant in New York. We all felt amazed when he turned out a thief; he had no bad habits or extravagant¹² tastes so far as any of us knew."

 

"Did you put the police on his track?"

 

"The matter was reported, of course; but we found that a considerable expenditure¹³ was required to excite interest and spur on the police detectives to active efforts. Finally the search was given up and the matter was well-nigh forgotten."

 

"Then the sum taken did not embarrass the firm?"

 

"Only slightly and temporarily. Twenty years have passed, as the letter says, and I had well-nigh forgotten Nixon and his crime till this letter reached me."

 

The old gentleman paused, and Gerald felt like asking, "What are you going to do about it?" but Mr. Nugent anticipated him.

 

"I have been thinking over this letter, and the writer's request, and it embarrasses me. Of course it is out of the question for me to go out to Montana, in my state of health."

 

"So I suppose, sir. You might send some one."

 

"True, but whom shall I send? Ten years ago, when I was more in touch with the world, I might have thought of some one. But, partly on account of my health, I have withdrawn¹⁴ from society and from business, and actually I cannot think of any one whom I should wish to trust with such a weighty responsibility."

 

Gerald quite entered into his feelings and views, but was unable to offer a suggestion. Of what Mr. Nugent had in his mind he had not the remotest conception.

 

"You will want to do something?" he said. "Such a sum of money is worth securing."

 

"So most people would say. In my case, having abundant means, I am less likely to be influenced by this consideration. My chief object, if I comply with the writer's request, is to bring relief to his mind by enabling him to make atonement for his offence. It was only this afternoon that I thought of one whom I could send out to Montana as my agent."

 

"Is it any one I know?" asked Gerald.

 

Mr. Nugent smiled.

 

"Probably you know him better than any one else in the world. I mean yourself!"

 

Gerald started in amazement¹⁵.

 

"You really mean it?" he asked.

 

"Yes."

 

"But I am only a boy."

 

"True, but you are a good, sensible, reliable boy. How old are you?"

 

"Sixteen, sir."

 

"So I supposed. The qualities I mentioned are not a matter of age. Sometimes a boy is more reliable than a man."

 

"I thank you very much for your good opinion of me," said Gerald; "I am afraid you think too well of me."

 

"It may be so, but I have a good deal of confidence in you."

 

"I am very young for such a responsible commission."

 

"That's true. I wish you were older, but that is a matter that cannot be hastened. The sum of it all is, that failing you I know of no one whom I would care to trust. It must be either you or none. Are you willing to undertake the task?"

 

"Yes, sir, if you think me competent. I am not only willing, but shall be very glad to."

 

"You are quite sure that you will like it as well as staying with Mr. Tubbs?"

 

Mr. Nugent said this with a smile.

 

"I should not be willing to stay with Mr. Tubbs at any rate."

 

"When do you leave him?"

 

"To-morrow evening."

 

"Very well. I will get you ready to start for Montana on Monday."

 

When Gerald reached home it was five minutes past ten o'clock. Abel met him at the door.

 

"Ma says she won't have you comin' home so late," he said. "She'll give it to you!"

1 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

2 inquiry   

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。

3 benevolent   

adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的

参考例句：

• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
• He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人，连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。

4 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

5 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

6 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。

7 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

8 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

9 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。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

12 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

13 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

14 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

15 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。