CHAPTER XIII. MARK STARTS ON A JOURNEY.

 "Shall you want me to-morrow, Mr. Swan?" asked Mark, as the clock struck six, and the jeweler prepared to close up.

 

"Yes; I shall probably want you for a week."

 

"Very well, sir; I will so report at the office."

 

The next morning about eight o'clock Mark reported for duty and waited for orders.

 

The jeweler looked up from a letter he had been reading.

 

"How would you like to make a journey?" he asked.

 

"Very much, sir."

 

"I shall probably send you to Cleveland."

 

"Is Cleveland in Ohio?" asked Mark, his eyes sparkling.

 

"Yes. Do you think you can find your way there?"

 

"I'll try."

 

"You generally succeed in what you undertake to do. Well, I will explain. I have a customer living in Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, who used to be a New York society lady. She bought a good deal of jewelry¹, and always purchased of me. This is what she writes."

 

The material part of the letter was this:

 

 

"I want a diamond pin worth about one thousand dollars. My husband has agreed to give it to me for a birthday present, and left the selection to me. I can't find anything here that I want, and have been led to think of my old jeweler in New York. You know my taste. select what you think I will like and send me by private messenger. I might of course employ an express, but there have been some express robberies recently, and I am ready to pay the extra expense required by a special messenger. Send at once.

 

"Arabella Loring."

 

 

"You see," said the jeweler, "that this is an important matter. The messenger will bear great responsibility on account of the value of what he has in charge."

 

"Do you think I am old enough for the commission, Mr. Swan?" said Mark modestly.

 

"It is not so much a matter of age as of shrewdness and reliability². I have been led to think that you possess these qualifications. Of course there would be danger of your being robbed if it were known that you carried such a valuable parcel."

 

"I am not afraid, sir."

 

"Of course, again, you must take care not to let it be known what you have in charge. Make what statements you like as to your business. I can safely leave that to your own shrewdness."

 

"When do you want me to start, Mr. Swan?"

 

"There is a train this afternoon for Buffalo³ on the New York Central road. Can you get ready to take that?"

 

"Yes, sir. May I go home and let my mother know? I am not quite sure whether I have a supply of clean clothes."

 

"You can buy anything that you need on the way. Have you a gripsack?"

 

"Yes, sir. My mother has one."

 

"Will it do?"

 

"I think so."

 

"So far so good then. Now about money. I can't tell just how much you will need, but I will give you a certain amount, and if there is any over when you return you can account for it to me."

 

Mrs. Mason was greatly surprised when Mark came home and inquired for her traveling bag.

 

"What do you want of it, Mark?" she asked.

 

"I am going to start for Cleveland this afternoon."

 

"You're only funning, Mark," said Edith.

 

"No, I am not. I have agreed to go to Cleveland on business."

 

"What kind of business, Mark?" asked his mother.

 

"The gentleman who sends me, Mr. Swan, the jeweler, has asked me to keep my business secret."

 

"How long will you be gone?"

 

"I can't tell, but I will write you. Mr. Swan has told me I may stop over at Niagara Falls, but I shall not be very apt to do so till I am on my return."

 

"This seems very sudden. I don't know how I shall ever get along without you."

 

"You have money enough to last you, mother?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then I think there won't be any trouble. If I stay away longer than I anticipate I will send you some more."

 

"It seems strange that Mr. Swan should send a boy on an important errand."

 

"The fact of the matter is, mother, that he has confidence in me."

 

"I am sure he is justified⁴ in this, but boys are not usually selected for important missions."

 

"That is the reason why I feel ambitious to succeed."

 

"By the way, Mark, Mrs. Mack's nephew called yesterday and tried to get some more money out of his aunt."

 

"Did you give him any?"

 

"No. She was very much frightened, but I threatened to call a policeman, and the fellow went off grumbling⁵."

 

"She won't be safe till he gets into prison again."

 

On his way back to the jeweler's Mark met his friend Tom Trotter.

 

"Where are you goin'?"

 

"Out West."

 

Tom's eyes expanded like saucers.

 

"You ain't jokin'?"

 

"No."

 

"When you're goin'?"

 

"This afternoon."

 

"Goin' to be gone long?"

 

"I expect to be back in a week."

 

"I wish you'd take me with you."

 

"I'd like to, Tom, but I can't. Traveling costs money."

 

Tom showed considerable curiosity as to the nature of Mark's business, but on this point the telegraph boy was not communicative. He liked Tom as a friend, but did not dare to trust him with so important a secret.

 

Mr. Swan had already been to a ticket agent and procured⁶ a through ticket for Mark.

 

"Your train starts at four-thirty," said the jeweler. "You can engage a sleeping berth⁷ at the Grand Central depot⁸. You will travel all night."

 

"I am sorry for that," said Mark. "I shall miss some of the scenery."

 

"You can arrange to travel over this part by day on your return."

 

It was four o'clock when Mark entered the depot. He thought it best to be on time. When the doors were opened he entered the station proper and sought the car containing his berth.

 

There was an upper and a lower berth, his being the lower. The two were numbered 7 and 8. He had scarcely taken his seat when a gentleman came in and sat down beside him. Neither he nor Mark had noticed each other particularly till the train had left the depot. Then the gentleman exclaimed in surprise, "Mark Mason?"

 

"Uncle Solon?" exclaimed the messenger in equal surprise.

 

"What brings you here?"

 

"A ticket," answered Mark briefly⁹.

 

"You are in the wrong car. Didn't you know that this is the Limited Western Express?"

 

"Yes. I know it."

 

"Where are you going then?"

 

"I shall stop at Buffalo," answered Mark, not caring to mention his further destination.

 

Solon Talbot looked amazed.

 

"What on earth carries you out there?" he asked.

 

"This train," answered Mark demurely¹⁰.

 

Solon Talbot frowned.

 

"You know what I mean. Why are you going to Buffalo?"

 

"A little matter of business."

 

"What business can a boy like you possibly have, I'd like to know?"

 

"It isn't my own business, Uncle Solon, and so I don't feel at liberty to tell."

 

"It is very strange. Have you a sleeping berth?"

 

"Yes."

 

"What number?"

 

"No. 7."

 

"That is the lower berth—just the one I wanted," exclaimed Talbot in vexation. "Mine is the upper. Let me see your sleeping check."

 

Mark showed it. Solon Talbot regarded it enviously¹¹ "I will give you twenty-five cents to exchange," he said.

 

"I will exchange without the twenty-five cents if you prefer the lower berth."

 

"I do, but—I would rather pay."

 

"I can't accept it. Here is the check. Give me yours in return."

 

Solon did so muttering his thanks rather ungraciously. He hated to be under any obligation to his nephew.

 

"Where is Edgar?" asked Mark.

 

"I left him in New York. I am going back to Syracuse to attend to a little business, and shall then return to New York."

 

Mr. Talbot took out an evening paper and began to read. Mark prepared to look around him. Presently Mr. Talbot arose.

 

"I am going into the smoking-car to smoke a cigar," he said. "Have an eye on my grip while I am gone."

 

"All right, uncle."

 

Hours passed. The two travelers retired¹² to their respective berths¹³. About two o'clock Mark was startled by a severe shock that nearly threw him out of his berth. There was a confused shouting, and Mark heard some one crying,

 

"What's happened?"

 

Leaning out of the berth he saw Solon Talbot standing¹⁴ in the aisle¹⁵, his face pale as a sheet.

 

There was a swaying movement of the car, and a sudden lurch¹⁶. The car had gone over an embankment.

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 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

3 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。

4 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

5 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

6 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

7 berth   

n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊

参考例句：

• She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
• They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

8 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

9 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。

10 demurely   

adv.装成端庄地，认真地

参考例句：

• "On the forehead, like a good brother,'she answered demurely. "吻前额，像个好哥哥那样，"她故作正经地回答说。 来自飘（部分）
• Punctuation is the way one bats one's eyes, lowers one's voice or blushes demurely. 标点就像人眨眨眼睛，低声细语，或伍犯作态。 来自名作英译部分

11 enviously   

adv.满怀嫉妒地

参考例句：

• Yet again, they were looking for their way home blindly, enviously. 然而，它们又一次盲目地、忌妒地寻找着归途。 来自辞典例句
• Tanya thought enviously, he must go a long way south. 坦妮亚歆羡不置，心里在想，他准是去那遥远的南方的。 来自辞典例句

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

13 berths   

n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位

参考例句：

• Berths on steamships can be booked a long while in advance. 轮船上的床位可以提前多日预订。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Have you got your berths on the ship yet? 你们在船上有舱位了吗？ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 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。

15 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

16 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。