CHAPTER XXVIII OUT OF A TIGHT CORNER

 Randy was surprised and dazed by the treatment he received at the hands of the enraged¹ purser and for the moment knew not what to do. He rose slowly to his feet.

 

"Don't you do that again!" he cried, a dangerous glitter coming into his eyes.

 

"I will do it—unless you give up that letter."

 

"You shall never have the letter, Peter Polk."

 

"Ha! so you admit at last that you have it!"

 

"I do."

 

"Then hand it over or I will call an officer and have you locked up."

 

"Call the officer, if you dare," and our hero shrugged² his shoulders.

 

"You stole more than the clothing and the letter," went on the purser, craftily³. "You took fifty dollars in money."

 

"I took absolutely nothing, and you know it."

 

"Then you want me to call in the officer?"

 

"Do as you please," said Randy, recklessly.

 

Peter Polk was nonplused. He did not want to call an officer. Yet he wanted to get the precious letter.

 

"You will save yourself a lot of trouble by giving up that letter, Thompson," he said, in a more subdued⁴ tone.

 

"Well, I don't intend to give it up."

 

"If I have you arrested I can send you to state's prison for five or ten years."

 

"I will risk it."

 

"What do you intend to do with that letter?" said the purser.

 

"That is my affair."

 

"Going to Mr. Shalley, eh?"

 

"Perhaps."

 

"It won't do you any good."

 

Again Randy was silent. He had stepped close to the door. On the instant Peter Polk did the same.

 

"You are not going just yet," cried the purser, meaningly.

 

Randy looked through the little window of the office. He heard footsteps approaching.

 

"Hullo there, Jones!" he called out.

 

"What's wanted?" came from the other deckhand.

 

"Come to the office, please."

 

In a moment Jones appeared. He was carrying a bucket of water and a deck swab.

 

"Now open that door," said Randy to Peter Polk. "No more nonsense, please."

 

"You are not wanted here, Jones!" cried the purser, angrily.

 

"You are wanted," said Randy. "Open the door. I want to get out."

 

Jones set down his pail and pulled on the door. Seeing resistance would be useless, Peter Polk allowed the door to come open. At once Randy stepped out into the gangway.

 

"I'll explain this to you some other time!" he called to the other deckhand, and then ran off before Peter Polk could stop him.

 

"Where are ye goin'?" called out Malloy, as he crossed the gang-plank.

 

"I'm off on business," answered our hero, and then paused for a moment. "Tell Jones to keep an eye on Mr. Polk, will you, please? It is very important."

 

"I will," was the reply.

 

In a minute more Randy was hurrying up the street. He knew where Andrew Shalley was stopping and took a car to the location.

 

The place was a well-known hotel and in the corridor he met the steamboat owner, just ready to go out.

 

"Oh, Mr. Shalley, I want to see you!" he cried.

 

"What is it, Randy?"

 

"It's quite a story and very important."

 

"Then come to my room," and the steamboat owner led the way to the elevator.

 

As soon as they were in the room our hero told his story in all of its details and then produced the letter he had found. Andrew Shalley listened closely to the story and pondered over the letter for some time.

 

"Randy, have you any idea who this person who signs himself G. A. G. can be?"

 

"I've been thinking that over, Mr. Shalley, and I have found out that there is a head clerk who works for Bann & Shadow, the wholesale⁵ grocers, whose name is George A. Gaffney. Gaffney used to come and see Polk once in a while."

 

"And we buy a great many things from Bann & Shadow," put in the steamboat owner.

 

"So we do."

 

"I will look this man Gaffney up at once."

 

With the steamboat owner to think was to act, and going below with our hero he consulted a directory and found that George A. Gaffney lived on West Twenty-sixth Street.

 

"I will call upon this fellow," said he. "You can go along."

 

They took a car on one of the avenues and got out at the corner of Twenty-sixth Street. They had to walk half a block. The neighborhood was not of the best, and Gaffney's residence proved to be a four-story apartment house. The man lived on the top floor with his wife and four small children.

 

George Gaffney was at home, sitting in his shirt sleeves by a front window, smoking a pipe. He was surprised to receive visitors at that hour.

 

"Is this Mr. George A. Gaffney?" questioned Andrew Shalley.

 

"That's my name."

 

"Are you a clerk for Bann & Shadow, the wholesale grocers?"

 

"I am."

 

"I would like to see you privately⁶, Mr. Gaffney."

 

"Who are you?"

 

"I am Andrew Shalley, the owner of the steamboat Helen Shalley."

 

"Oh!"

 

George Gaffney was taken aback and showed it plainly. His wife had come to a back doorway⁷ and was looking at the visitors curiously⁸.

 

"Step in, sir," said the clerk, in a husky voice. "Mary, I will see this gentleman alone," he went on to his wife, who at once retired⁹, closing the door after her.

 

Andrew Shalley was a good judge of character and he saw that George Gaffney was a family man of fairly good qualities. He was extremely nervous.

 

"I think I can get him to confess easily enough—if he has anything to tell," thought the steamboat owner.

 

"Please be seated," said the clerk, and Mr. Shalley and Randy sat down. Then there was a slight pause.

 

"Mr. Gaffney, I am afraid I have an unpleasant duty to perform," began Andrew Shalley, in a cold, hard voice.

 

"Why—er—what do you mean?" stammered¹⁰ the clerk.

 

"I refer to your dealings with my purser, Peter Polk."

 

"I—er—I haven't had anything to do with him—that is—we had some little business, but——" The clerk was unable to go on.

 

"You sent him a threatening letter the other day."

 

"Me? Who says so?"

 

"I have the letter in my possession."

 

The clerk winced¹¹ and the steamboat owner saw that the shot struck home.

 

"This affair is a very serious one—you know that as well as I do," continued Andrew Shalley. "The fact of the matter is, it is a state's prison offense¹²."

 

The mention of prison had the desired effect. George Gaffney broke down completely.

 

"Oh, sir,—I—I didn't mean to do any wrong—Polk said it would be all right. He got me to go into it—it was all his doings. All I ever got out of it was thirty-five dollars and that I will pay back. Mr. Shalley, I—er—I hope you won't prosecute¹³ me, for the sake of my wife and children!" And the clerk wrung¹⁴ his hands in despair.

 

"Didn't you get any more than thirty-five dollars?"

 

"No, sir, not a cent more, I swear it. And Polk said that was due to me legally."

 

"If that is true, I will not prosecute you,—but on one condition."

 

"Name it."

 

"That you tell me everything you know about Peter Polk's doings."

 

"I will do it, Mr. Shalley."

1 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

2 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 craftily   

狡猾地，狡诈地

参考例句：

• He craftily arranged to be there when the decision was announced. 在决议宣布之时，他狡猾地赶到了那里。
• Strengthen basic training of calculation, get the kids to grasp the radical calculating ability craftily. 加强计算基本训练，通过分、小、百互化口算的练习，使学生熟练地掌握基本的计算技能。

4 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

5 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

6 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

7 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。

8 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

9 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。

10 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

11 winced   

赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
• He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。

12 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

13 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

14 wrung   

绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水）

参考例句：

• He has wrung the words from their true meaning. 他曲解这些字的真正意义。
• He wrung my hand warmly. 他热情地紧握我的手。