CHAPTER XXXVIII THE AGENT IS NOTIFIED

 It was still early in the evening when Frank and Mr. Hamlin reached the house of the agent. Had they come five minutes later, they would have found him absent. Usually, soon after supper, he made his way to the tavern¹, where he spent his time and money in a very unprofitable way.

 

The agent was surprised when his two visitors made their appearance.

 

"What brings you here, Hamlin?" he asked, with scant² ceremony.

 

"I come on a little matter of business," answered Mr. Hamlin, gravely.

 

Mr. Fairfield concluded that the farmer had come to make an appeal to have his rent continued at the old rates, and answered, impatiently:

 

"I don't think it will be of much use. My mind is made up. Have you come on business, also?" he asked, turning to Frank, with a sneer³.

 

"Yes, sir," answered our hero, quietly.

 

"That will be of no use, either," said the agent. "I am not in want of stationery⁴, and, if I were, I should not buy of a peddler."

 

"I have not come here to sell stationery, Mr. Fairfield," said Frank.

 

"Then, may I take the liberty of asking what is your business here?"

 

"I come on the same business as Mr. Hamlin," answered Frank, who preferred that his companion should introduce the subject.

 

"Look here, I have no time for trifling," said Mr. Fairfield, angrily. "I am going out and can only spare you five minutes."

 

"Mr. Fairfield, I would advise you not to go out till you have heard what I have to say," said the farmer in a meaning tone.

 

"I certainly shall. You can call some other time."

 

"Another time will not do."

 

"Look here, sir! Do you know to whom you are talking? How dare you use such a tone to Mr. Percival's representative?"

 

"I suppose you don't always expect to be Mr. Percival's representative?"

 

"I suppose I shall die sometime, if that's what you mean; but I am not dead yet, as you will find. To pay you for your impertinence, I shall increase your rent more than I intended. I'll drive you out of town—that's what I'll do."

 

This was accompanied by an angry stamp of the foot, which, however, did not frighten Mr. Hamlin much.

 

"I shall not pay a dollar more rent, nor shall I leave the farm I occupy," returned Mr. Hamlin, whose patience was exhausted⁵ by the rough insolence⁶ of the man before him.

 

"So you defy me, do you?" demanded Fairfield, furiously.

 

"I shall resist your injustice⁷, sir, or rather I would do so if you were able to carry out your threat. Luckily you have not the power."

 

"Have not the power? You will see if I have not the power!" roared the angry agent. "I give you notice that at the end of the quarter you must go, at any rate. After your insolence, I won't let you stay on any terms. I wouldn't let you stay if you would pay double the rent. Do you hear me, Hamlin?"

 

"Yes, I hear you."

 

Mr. Fairfield looked at the farmer in surprise. The latter seemed perfectly⁸ calm and undisturbed by his threat, though it was of the most serious nature. He had expected to see him humbled⁹, and to hear him entreat¹⁰ a reversal of the sentence; but his tenant¹¹ was thoroughly¹² self-possessed, and appeared to care nothing for the agent's threats.

 

"You need not expect that I will change my mind," he added. "Out of Jackson you must go. I know there is no other farm which you can hire, and while I am Mr. Percival's agent, you need expect no favors from me."

 

"I don't expect any while you are Mr. Percival's agent," said Mr. Hamlin.

 

There was something in the farmer's tone that arrested the agent's attention and excited his curiosity, though it did not awaken¹³ his alarm, and he could not help saying:

 

"Then what do you expect? Do you think I am going to die?"

 

"I don't expect that you will die or resign, Mr. Fairfield. You may be removed."

 

"Have you been writing to Mr. Percival?" exclaimed Fairfield, in mingled¹⁴ anger and apprehension¹⁵.

 

"No, sir; I have not communicated with him in any way. You would not give me his address."

 

"Of course I would not," said the agent, feeling relieved. "It would be mere¹⁶ impertinence for you to write to him."

 

"Fortunately there is no immediate¹⁷ occasion for me to do so, as he has sent a representative here to investigate your official conduct."

 

"A representative!" exclaimed Fairfield, now thoroughly startled. "Where is he? I have not seen him."

 

"He is present," said Mr. Hamlin, indicating Frank.

 

The agent broke into a scornful laugh.

 

"You? Why, you are a peddler!"

 

"Only in appearance, Mr. Fairfield. I assumed that business in order not to attract attention or excite suspicion. I am really Mr. Percival's private secretary, as I can prove to your satisfaction."

 

"Is this true?" he asked, in a changed voice.

 

"Yes, sir; quite true."

 

"Have you written to Mr. Percival?"

 

"Yes, sir; and this afternoon I received a letter from him."

 

"What did he write?" asked Fairfield, in a husky voice; for he was convinced now that Frank spoke¹⁸ the truth.

 

"He removes you, inclosing a check of three hundred dollars in place of notice, and appoints Mr. Hamlin in your place."

 

"Will you read this letter, sir?"

 

It was enough. Fairfield knew that his management would not stand investigation¹⁹, and he yielded with a bad grace.

 

Mr. Hamlin, the next day, to the great joy of the villagers, made known his appointment.

 

Fairfield left town and drifted to California, where he became an adventurer, living in a miserable²⁰ and precarious²¹ manner. Mr. Hamlin moved into his fine house, and Dick was sent to a school to prepare for college.

 

The next day Frank started on his return to New York.

1 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

2 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

3 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

4 stationery   

n.文具；(配套的)信笺信封

参考例句：

• She works in the stationery department of a big store.她在一家大商店的文具部工作。
• There was something very comfortable in having plenty of stationery.文具一多，心里自会觉得踏实。

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 insolence   

n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度

参考例句：

• I've had enough of your insolence, and I'm having no more. 我受够了你的侮辱，不能再容忍了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• How can you suffer such insolence? 你怎么能容忍这种蛮横的态度？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

8 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

9 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

10 entreat   

v.恳求，恳请

参考例句：

• Charles Darnay felt it hopeless entreat him further,and his pride was touched besides.查尔斯-达尔内感到再恳求他已是枉然，自尊心也受到了伤害。
• I entreat you to contribute generously to the building fund.我恳求您慷慨捐助建设基金。

11 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

12 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

13 awaken   

vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起

参考例句：

• Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
• Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。

14 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

15 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

16 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。

17 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

18 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。

19 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

20 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

21 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。