CHAPTER XI. MR. HAMILTON SCHUYLER IS ASTONISHED.

 The jeweler took from his case two diamond rings. They were large, brilliant, and showy.

 

"How do you like the appearance of these rings?" he asked.

 

"They are beautiful!" exclaimed Mark admiringly.

 

"Don't you think the lady would admire them?"

 

"I should think so, sir."

 

"What should you think they are worth?"

 

"A hundred dollars apiece," guessed Mark.

 

"If the diamonds were genuine, one would be worth three hundred and fifty dollars and the other four hundred."

 

"Are they not genuine?" asked Mark in surprise.

 

"Paste, my boy, paste. The gold, however, is real. Instead of being worth the sum mentioned, one is worth perhaps three dollars and a half, the other four dollars."

 

"But I shouldn't think it would be worth your while to keep false diamond rings."

 

"Nor would it if all persons were honest. I never sell them. I only sell genuine jewelry¹. I will let you understand the use I mean to make of them. These two rings I mean to have you carry to Mrs. Montgomery on Forty-Seventh Street."

 

"But suppose she takes them for genuine?"

 

"Then I will make them so. In other words, I will take out the paste diamonds and replace them with real stones. If on the other hand any fraud is intended it won't benefit her much."

 

"Very well, sir. I think I understand."

 

"You must to a certain extent exercise your own discretion². I judged from the observations I made the other afternoon that you are a boy who possesses that important quality."

 

"Thank you for the compliment."

 

"I will tell you what made me suspect the woman of whom I have spoken. First, the name. She calls herself Mrs. Philip Montgomery. It sounds like a fictitious³ name. Again, she is a stout⁴, rather common-looking woman, with a florid complexion⁵ and larger features. Now Montgomery is an aristocratic name. Again, she says she is from Buffalo⁶. Swindlers generally hail from some distant city. Then again, it is rather suspicious that she should be in such haste.

 

"The purchase is an important one, and the amount to be paid—she herself fixed⁷ the approximate value—is considerable. You would think she would wish to inspect my stock carefully before making a selection. Instead of this she only asked to have two rings sent up to her of the value of three or four hundred dollars, and she would make choice of one of them."

 

"It does look rather suspicious, sir."

 

Mr. Swan gave Mark some further directions, and the latter started up town on the Eighth Avenue horse cars, which he took on the lower side of the Astor House.

 

"This is new business to me," thought Mark. "I feel an interest to see this Mrs. Montgomery. If she is planning to entrap⁸ me, she won't make as much as she anticipates."

 

Mark had the rings, each in a little morocco case, carefully laid away in the inside pocket of his coat.

 

When they reached Canal Street, to Mark's surprise, his cousin Edgar entered the car. He did not recognize Mark at first, the latter no longer wearing the messenger's uniform.

 

"How do you do, Cousin Edgar?" said Mark.

 

Edgar turned sharply around.

 

"Oh, it's you, is it?" he said. "Please don't call me cousin."

 

"I am just as much ashamed of the relationship as you are," responded Mark with a comical smile.

 

"That is impertinent. Besides it isn't true. Have you been discharged from the telegraph service?"

 

"No; what makes you think so?"

 

"Because you are not wearing the uniform."

 

"I am working for a party that doesn't want me to wear it while in his service."

 

"Who is it?"

 

"I don't feel at liberty to tell."

 

"Oh, just as you like. Isn't that a new suit?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Where did you get it?"

 

"I bought it."

 

"Business seems to be pretty good with you. How much did it cost?"

 

"Eighteen dollars."

 

"Is it paid for?"

 

"Of course it is."

 

"I didn't know but you might have bought it in installments⁹."

 

"I don't have to do that."

 

"Yet you pretended a little while since that you and your mother had hard work to get along."

 

"Business is looking up."

 

Edgar got out at Twenty-Third Street. Mark kept on till he reached Forty-Seventh Street. He walked toward Seventh Avenue, and finally stood in front of the house in which the customer for the diamond rings was staying. It was a plain three-story residence with nothing peculiar¹⁰ about it. Mark rang the bell, little suspecting what was in store for him.

 

A boy of about seventeen, shabbily dressed, answered the bell.

 

"Is Mrs. Montgomery at home?" asked Mark, referring to a card.

 

"I guess so," answered the boy.

 

"I should like to see her."

 

"All right! I'll go up and ask."

 

The boy left Mark standing¹¹ in the doorway¹², and went up-stairs.

 

He returned in a very short time.

 

"You're to come up," he said.

 

Mark followed him up the staircase and into a back room. It was scantily¹³ furnished. There was a lounge on one side of the room, and a cabinet bed on the other. These, with three chairs and a bureau, constituted the furniture.

 

"Just step in here," said the boy, "and I'll call Mrs. Montgomery."

 

Mark took a seat on the sofa and awaited the arrival of the lady.

 

He did not have long to wait. The door opened, but the lady he expected did not appear. Instead, a young man entered whom Mark instantly recognized as the person who had left the Fifth Avenue stage under suspicious circumstances on the day when the old lady was robbed of her pocketbook.

 

Mark started and wondered if the recognition was mutual¹⁴. It did not appear to be.

 

"You're the jeweler's boy, I believe?" said the newcomer languidly.

 

"I came from Henry Swan."

 

"Exactly, and you have brought two diamond rings with you?"

 

"Yes."

 

"All right! You can show them to me."

 

Mark's suspicions were aroused and he felt that he had need of all his shrewdness. He was very glad now that the diamonds were paste and the rings of little value.

 

"Excuse me," he said, "but I was told to deliver the rings to Mrs. Philip Montgomery.

 

"Yes, that's all right. Mrs. Montgomery is my aunt."

 

"I should like to see her," persisted Mark.

 

"Come, boy, you're too fresh. It'll be all the same if you hand the rings to me."

 

"I don't think so. Isn't Mrs. Montgomery at home?"

 

"Yes, but she has a severe headache and cannot see you at present."

 

"Then perhaps I had better call again."

 

"No you don't. I am a gentleman and won't permit you to insult me."

 

"What do you want to do?"

 

"To take the rings up to my aunt. If she likes them, or either of them, she will send you down a check."

 

Mark reflected a moment. Remembering that the rings were not valuable, he decided¹⁵ to show them.

 

"Here are the rings!" he said, producing them from his pocket.

 

The young man opened the small caskets, and his eyes lighted up with satisfaction when he saw the glittering rings.

 

"What is the price?" he asked, looking up.

 

"That ring is three hundred and fifty dollars, the other is four hundred."

 

"Seven hundred and fifty together."

 

"Yes."

 

"I will show them to my aunt. Perhaps she may decide to keep both."

 

"You won't be long?" asked Mark, as the young man left the room.

 

"No, I'll be back as soon as my aunt decides."

 

Left alone Mark began to think over the situation. His recognition of his unprincipled acquaintance of the Fifth Avenue stage convinced him that some fraudulent scheme was being carried out. Mrs. Montgomery was probably a confederate of the young man who had just left the room.

 

"Is he going up-stairs or down?" thought Mark.

 

He listened, and thought he heard the front door open and shut. It occurred to him to open the door of the chamber¹⁶ and look down-stairs.

 

He started to do this, but to his surprise found that the door was fastened in some way. He had not heard a key turned in the lock. Possibly there was an outside bolt.

 

"What object can they have in keeping me a prisoner?" he asked.

 

Should he ring the bell and summon a servant? If he did so, he would have to leave the house in a state of uncertainty¹⁷. No! he decided to wait and let further events throw a light on the mystery.

 

Meanwhile the young man who had possessed¹⁸ himself of the rings left the house, for it was he who had descended¹⁹ the stairs and gone out into the street. He bent²⁰ his steps to the nearest pawnshop on Eighth Avenue, and taking out one of the boxes, said in a nonchalant voice:

 

"What will you loan me on this magnificent diamond ring?"

 

The pawnbroker²² took the box, and drawing out the ring held it up in the best light. He examined it through a magnifying glass, and a gleam of intelligence flashed in his face.

 

He returned to the counter, and scrutinizing²³ the young man who had presented it asked in a matter-of-fact tone, "What do you want to borrow on the ring, my friend?"

 

"Two hundred dollars," answered the customer promptly²⁴.

 

"Humph!" said the pawnbroker with an amused smile, "two hundred dollars is a large sum of money."

 

"Yes, but the ring cost three hundred and fifty dollars. I am asking a little more than half price."

 

"So! the ring cost three hundred and fifty dollars! Did you pay that price for it?"

 

"No, the ring does not belong to me."

 

"Then to whom does it belong?"

 

"To my aunt, Mrs. Philip Montgomery."

 

"I do not know the lady. Does she live in the city?"

 

"No, she lives in Buffalo."

 

"And she sent the ring to you?"

 

"Yes, she sent it to me. She is in want of a little money, and did not like to ask her husband for it, for he might not be pleased. So she wants to borrow money on this ring which was given her by her brother at the time of her marriage."

 

"So, so! And your aunt would like me to lend her two hundred dollars on the ring?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"I think you will have to carry it to some other pawnbroker, my friend!"

 

"I don't mind taking a little less," said the young man, who was anxious for more than one reason to realize on the ring at once.

 

"How much now do you call a little less?"

 

"Well, say a hundred and seventy-five dollars. Probably my aunt will be able to redeem²⁵ it in a few weeks."

 

"If I give you a hundred and seventy-five dollars," laughed the pawnbroker, "I think your aunt will let me keep it for good."

 

"As to that," said the young man impatiently, "I can make no promises. How much will you give on it?"

 

"I might give you a dollar and a half," answered the pawnbroker composedly.

 

"A dollar and a half!" exclaimed the young man, clutching at the counter for support. "A dollar and a half on this magnificent diamond ring, for which my aunt paid three hundred and fifty dollars! What do you mean?"

 

"I mean not to be cheated, my friend. How much do you think this magnificent ring is worth?"

 

"I have told you what it cost."

 

"My friend, you are very much mistaken. The ring cost only three dollars or three and a half."

 

"What do you mean?" gasped²⁶ the visitor, turning pale.

 

"I mean that it is not diamond, but paste."

 

"But—it came from a jeweler of great reputation. Surely you have heard of Mr. Henry Swan."

 

"Yes, I have heard of Mr. Swan. If you will bring him here, and he will say that the diamond is real, I will see if I can't give you more."

 

"Wait!" said the customer hurriedly, drawing out the other casket. "Look at this ring, and tell me what it is worth."

 

The pawnbroker took it to the window and examined it attentively²⁷.

 

"That may be worth four dollars," he answered, after a brief pause.

 

"And is this stone false also?"

 

"Yes, my friend."

 

"Then I won't pawn²¹ either. Here, give me back both rings."

 

"Here they are."

 

"I am afraid you are not a good judge of diamonds. I am sure they are real."

 

"Go somewhere else, my friend, and satisfy yourself. If you can find any one in my line who will give you five dollars for either, you had better take it and call yourself a fortunate man. Will you leave your name?"

 

"My name is Hamilton Schuyler, and I live on Second Avenue."

 

"It is a very good name, my friend. I think you must belong to the Four Hundred."

 

"I do," answered Schuyler haughtily²⁸.

 

"It is a pity you should have to pawn your aunt's diamonds, and such diamonds!" chuckled²⁹ the pawnbroker.

 

But Mr. Schuyler had already left the shop, and was hurrying along the avenue to another of the same class at which he had occasionally had dealings.

1 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

2 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

3 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

5 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

6 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 entrap   

v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套

参考例句：

• The police have been given extra powers to entrap drug traffickers.警方已经被进一步授权诱捕毒贩。
• He overturned the conviction,saying the defendant was entrapped.他声称被告是被诱骗的，从而推翻了有罪的判决。

9 installments   

部分( installment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The first two installments were pretty close together in 1980. 第一次和节二次提款隔得很近，都是在1980年提的。
• You have an installments sales contract. 你已经订立了一份分期付款的买卖契约了。

10 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

11 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。

12 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

13 scantily   

adv.缺乏地；不充足地；吝啬地；狭窄地

参考例句：

• The bedroom was scantily furnished. 卧室里几乎没有什么家具。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His room was scantily furnished. 他的房间陈设简陋。 来自互联网

14 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

15 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。

16 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。

17 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

18 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

19 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

20 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

21 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

22 pawnbroker   

n.典当商，当铺老板

参考例句：

• He redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker's.他从当铺赎回手表。
• She could get fifty dollars for those if she went to the pawnbroker's.要是她去当铺当了这些东西，她是可以筹出50块钱的。

23 scrutinizing   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His grandfather's stern eyes were scrutinizing him, and Chueh-hui felt his face reddening. 祖父的严厉的眼光射在他的脸上。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• The machine hushed, extraction and injection nozzles poised, scrutinizing its targets. 机器“嘘”地一声静了下来，输入输出管道各就各位，检查着它的目标。 来自互联网

24 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

25 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

26 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

27 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 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。

29 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。