CHAPTER XXXVI MRS. LANE'S DISCOMFITURE

 It was soon noised about that John Graves was in town. Ten years before he had been a frequent visitor at the house of Mr. Lane, and he was still remembered by many.

 

Among those who were interested in his return was Enoch Perkins, the lawyer who had in his safe the letter which Mrs. Lane had lost relating to his claim on the estate. He had kept it carefully, not knowing whether it would ever be available. Now it seemed the time had come.

 

Mr. Graves was staying at the house of John Nugent, but he had not yet mentioned the business matter which he had discussed with Mrs. Lane. He was considering what he would do about it. Not that it would seriously embarrass him to lose the money, for he was a rich man outside of this sum. But he felt that at any rate he must substantiate¹ his claim and prove that he was no impostor.

 

Graves was passing the office of the lawyer the next day, when Mr. Perkins called him to come in.

 

"I don't know if you know me, Mr. Graves," he said, "but when you were last here I had just opened an office. This is my card."

 

"I am glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Perkins," said Graves, politely.

 

"Will you pardon me for my abruptness², but have you not a claim—a large claim—on the estate of the late Mr. Lane?"

 

John Graves eyed him in amazement³.

 

"How do you know this?" he asked.

 

"Let me show you."

 

He opened his safe and drew out the sheet of paper addressed by Mr. Lane to his wife.

 

As John Graves read it his eyes brightened and his face showed the relief he felt.

 

"So my friend was true to me, after all," he murmured.

 

"Have you been to see Mrs. Lane?" asked the lawyer, shrewdly.

 

"Yes."

 

"And she refuses to entertain your claim?"

 

"Yes. But how did you come into possession of this paper?"

 

The lawyer told him briefly⁴.

 

"I foresaw what would happen," he said, "and I have kept this paper carefully for nearly two years."

 

"Thank you. You have done me a great service."

 

"The estate is not yet settled. That is, the final accounts have not been handed into the court. Mrs. Lane doubtless thinks she will be able to confiscate⁵ your claim. I have heard that she intends to go to Europe when her accounts are filed."

 

"She seems a very unprincipled woman. I am sorry that my old friend succeeded so poorly in his matrimonial venture."

 

"She did show not herself in her true colors till after his death. He died believing her to be a woman of good principles."

 

"I am glad of that."

 

"If you will put the matter in my hands, Mr. Graves, I will manage it for you."

 

"I will authorize⁶ you to do so. I do not care to see her again."

 

Mrs. Lane was considerably⁷ surprised to receive this letter, signed, "Enoch Perkins, Attorney-at-Law":

 

"Madam—You are requested to call at my office on business of great importance."

She was disposed at first to take no notice of the letter, but a feeling of uneasiness finally induced her to answer the summons.

 

"Mr. Perkins," she said, haughtily⁸, as she entered the office, "I have received a strange letter from you."

 

"Be seated, madam, and I will let you know why I wrote. I am acting⁹ for Mr. John Graves, who has a large claim against you."

 

"I thought as much. He did me the honor to call yesterday and make a most preposterous¹⁰ claim against my husband's estate."

 

"Why preposterous?"

 

"It is very clear that he is trying to swindle me!"

 

"The claim is genuine."

 

"Let him prove it then!"

 

"He is prepared to do so."

 

"How?" she asked, a little startled.

 

"On your husband's testimony¹¹."

 

"My husband is dead."

 

"He left a memorandum¹² in writing relating to this claim."

 

Mrs. Lane knew this, but she believed that it was no longer in existence.

 

"Let him produce it," she said, calmly.

 

"He is prepared to do so."

 

"There is no such memorandum in existence."

 

"Pardon me, but there is!"

 

"Where is it?"

 

"In my hands."

 

Mrs. Lane turned pale.

 

"I don't believe it!"

 

"Then I will show you a copy of it."

 

He drew from his desk a copy of the memorandum printed in an earlier part of this story.

 

"Read it, if you like," he said.

 

She did so, and her face twitched¹³ convulsively.

 

"I can't understand how this should have come into your hands," she said; "even if it were genuine?"

 

"Mrs. Lane, it was left by you on your desk nearly two years ago, and brought to me by a tramp, who didn't know its importance."

 

"Supposing this to be so, you should have returned it to me at once!" she snapped.

 

"You would have destroyed it."

 

"This is not in Mr. Lane's handwriting."

 

"No, but the original is."

 

"Let me see it."

 

"It will be shown in court."

 

Mrs. Lane breathed hard. She sat back in her chair, and a hard look came over her face.

 

"I will resist this swindle!" she hissed¹⁴.

 

"As you please. Who is your lawyer?"

 

"I will consider. I am a woman, but I won't allow myself to be robbed!"

 

"As you please. I have no more to say to you this morning."

 

She left the office very much perturbed¹⁵, but gradually became calmer.

 

"I will resist!" she declared. "Even if the memorandum is in Mr. Lane's handwriting, I shall claim that he was not in sound mind when he wrote it."

 

She must have a lawyer, however. There was another lawyer in Portville, and she summoned him.

 

"Mr. Bacon," she said, "a dastardly attempt has been made to swindle me out of thirty thousand dollars. The claimant is John Graves."

 

"But, Mrs. Lane, Mr. Graves is a man of the highest standing¹⁶."

 

"I don't care! He is trying to swindle me now!"

 

"Please give me the particulars."

 

"I refer you to Enoch Perkins, whom he has engaged as counsel. He will give you all the information you require. I want you to act as my lawyer."

 

Mr. Bacon bowed.

 

"I will call on Lawyer Perkins," he said, "and see you again to-morrow morning."

 

The next morning he called.

 

"Well," he said, "I have seen Mr. Perkins."

 

"Well?"

 

"And I believe the claim of Mr. Graves to be genuine."

 

"He can't get the money on a mere¹⁷ memorandum."

 

"It might be difficult; but this suit would ruin your reputation for honesty. Everybody will believe Mr. Graves."

 

"Let them do it! I will keep the money!"

 

She said this between her set teeth.

 

"There is another little circumstance," said the lawyer, "which will make your case a desperate one."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Mr. Graves has your late husband's receipt for the money."

 

"It is a forgery¹⁸!" she said, hoarsely¹⁹.

 

"No, it is not. I have examined it, and can safely pronounce it to be in Mr. Lane's handwriting. I am very familiar with his handwriting, and so, indeed, are dozens of others in the town."

 

Mrs. Lane was silent, and her face showed her keen disappointment.

 

"Then you don't see any chance for me?" she said, in a low voice—"you don't see any chance for me?"

 

"None whatever."

 

"But it will ruin me. The interest will amount to a large sum."

 

"Mr. Perkins tells me that Mr. Graves will waive²⁰ interest."

 

"I will let you know my decision to-morrow."

 

Mrs. Lane announced the next day that she would not resist the claim. It was a bitter disappointment, but she would have twenty thousand dollars left.

1 substantiate   

v.证实；证明...有根据

参考例句：

• There is little scientific evidence to substantiate the claims.这些主张几乎找不到科学依据来证实。
• These theories are used to substantiate the relationship between the phenomenons of the universe.这些学说是用来证实宇宙现象之间的关系。

2 abruptness   

n. 突然，唐突

参考例句：

• He hid his feelings behind a gruff abruptness. 他把自己的感情隐藏在生硬鲁莽之中。
• Suddenly Vanamee returned to himself with the abruptness of a blow. 伐那米猛地清醒过来，象挨到了当头一拳似的。

3 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。

4 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。

5 confiscate   

v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公

参考例句：

• The police have the right to confiscate any forbidden objects they find.如发现违禁货物，警方有权查扣。
• Did the teacher confiscate your toy?老师没收你的玩具了吗？

6 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

7 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

8 haughtily   

adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地

参考例句：

• She carries herself haughtily. 她举止傲慢。
• Haughtily, he stalked out onto the second floor where I was standing. 他傲然跨出电梯，走到二楼，我刚好站在那儿。

9 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。

10 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

11 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

12 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

13 twitched   

vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
• The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

15 perturbed   

adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I am deeply perturbed by the alarming way the situation developing. 我对形势令人忧虑的发展深感不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother was much perturbed by my illness. 母亲为我的病甚感烦恼不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

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 hoarsely   

adv.嘶哑地

参考例句：

• "Excuse me," he said hoarsely. “对不起。”他用嘶哑的嗓子说。
• Jerry hoarsely professed himself at Miss Pross's service. 杰瑞嘶声嘶气地表示愿为普洛丝小姐效劳。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

20 waive   

vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等)

参考例句：

• I'll record to our habitat office waive our claim immediately.我立即写信给咱们的总公司提出放弃索赔。
• In view of the unusual circumstances,they agree to waive their requirement.鉴于特殊情况，他们同意放弃他们的要求。